Elias wasn't supposed to leave his room.
But something—a pull—woke him just past midnight.
It wasn't a voice. Not a vision. Just a sensation threading through his chest, like an invisible string tugging against the center of him.
And he followed it.
Down the spiral hall, barefoot. Past sleeping wards and flickering glyphs. His fingertips brushed stone that remembered something in him—walls whispering half-lost runes as he passed.
He didn't even notice the door open.
Until he was inside the observatory tower.
And Corin Valcera turned to face him.
---
Elias froze.
Not because of Corin's face—ageless, sharp, too calm—but because of the pull.
It intensified the moment their eyes met.
Like something ancient had just woken in his blood, screaming without sound.
Corin's lips curled into a slow smile. "There you are."
Elias tried to speak, but his mouth was dry.
The world narrowed.
And then—
It broke.
---
Power surged.
Not controlled.
Not focused.
Just raw, undiluted release.
The floor cracked beneath him in a spiral. Air twisted. The ceiling vanished into starlight. His veins lit silver. Scripts exploded from his skin like ribbons.
And Corin—still smiling—stood perfectly still in the center of the storm.
"You feel it now, don't you?" Corin whispered. "The inheritance. The bond. You are not a student of magic, Elias."
"You are magic."
Elias cried out—whether in pain or terror, he couldn't tell.
Kael felt the surge across the school grounds. He didn't think. He just ran.
Japer was already sprinting ahead of him, coat flaring behind him like a shadow.
"Where?" Kael shouted.
"North tower," Japer said through gritted teeth. "He's with Valcera."
"Damn it—Elias can't control that kind of surge yet!"
"No," Japer said grimly. "But it looks like his magic doesn't care."
---
By the time they reached the observatory, Elias was floating mid-air, glowing from the inside out, threads of spell-light unspooling from his skin like silk unraveling in a storm.
Corin stood with arms raised, calm, speaking in low tones—not to Elias. To the magic.
"Bind," Corin whispered. "Not yet. Bind, you beautiful thing. Wait."
But it wasn't listening.
Because Elias wasn't in control anymore.
The spell had chosen its own will.
And it was burning.
Books exploded off the shelves. Glyphs melted. Time slipped sideways for a moment—Kael swore he saw his own hand moving a second too late.
Then Elias screamed—and the world stopped.
Just—
Silence.
Then the storm collapsed.
---
Elias fell.
Kael caught him.
Barely.
The moment Elias's body touched his, the last thread of magic sizzled out with a hiss—like steam escaping a sealed kettle.
Japer threw up a containment shield. Corin raised his hands, backing off—not afraid. Just… amused.
"Well," he said softly. "That was impressive."
Kael looked up, furious. "Get away from him."
"Why?" Corin said, stepping back with hands still raised. "I didn't do this."
"You called to it."
"I didn't need to," Corin said, eyes gleaming. "It was already awake. All I did was show it its own reflection."
Elias stirred, weakly.
Kael tightened his grip.
Corin gave a slow nod. "We'll speak again. Soon."
Then he vanished in a ripple of green light.
---
Later, Elias lay still in the infirmary bed, silver threads etched faintly beneath his skin like veins of moonlight.
Japer stood at the window, tense. "We have a problem."
Kael didn't look up. "Just one?"
Japer sighed. "That power—it's not growing anymore. It's remembering itself. Like it's returning to him."
Kael swallowed hard.
"Then we don't just have to protect Elias," he said quietly.
"We have to protect everyone else from him."