The Warlock Academy was a fortress of obsidian towers and glowing runes, perched on a cliff overlooking the roaring sea. Elias had never seen anything so grand — or so intimidating.
Students with shimmering bloodlines walked the halls: Storm Wolves crackling with lightning, Ironback Minotaurs with stone‑like skin, Emerald Basilisks whose eyes glowed faintly green.
Elias kept his head down.
Arcturus led him to a secluded chamber deep underground.
Arcturus's chamber was colder than the rest of the Academy. Not physically — the torches burned bright, the air was still — but something in the stone felt hollow, as if the room itself were holding its breath.
Elias sat in the center of the ritual circle, the chalk lines glowing faintly beneath him. Arcturus paced around the perimeter, muttering incantations under his breath.
"You must remain still," Arcturus said without looking up. "If your bloodline is unstable, even a small disruption could trigger a backlash."
Elias swallowed hard. His skin still tingled from the earlier test. The glow beneath his veins pulsed in slow, rhythmic waves.
"What exactly are you looking for?" Elias asked.
Arcturus paused. "Patterns. Anomalies. Signs of corruption."
"Corruption?"
Arcturus finally met his eyes. "Bloodlines do not evolve without cause. Something triggered yours. Something unnatural."
Elias's pulse quickened. The hunger stirred, restless.
Arcturus resumed his pacing. "There are forbidden arts — rituals that consume the essence of beasts, warlocks, even other bloodlines. They were outlawed centuries ago. Anyone caught practicing them is executed."
Elias's breath caught. "Executed?"
"Yes." Arcturus's voice was flat. "Because devouring another's essence is not evolution. It is theft. It is parasitism. It is the path of monsters."
The voice inside Elias hissed with amusement.
"He fears what he cannot control."
Elias clenched his fists. "I haven't done anything forbidden."
Arcturus studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Perhaps. But your bloodline is changing. And until we understand why, you are a danger — to yourself and others."
He placed a hand on the ritual circle.
The runes flared.
Elias gasped as a surge of energy washed over him. His blood roared in response, the abyssal glow intensifying. Shadows twisted at the edges of the room.
Arcturus staggered back. "By the gods…"
The runes flickered violently, struggling to contain the surge.
Elias felt something inside him uncoil, a presence, vast and ancient, pressing against the boundaries of the circle.
"Let me out," the voice whispered. "This cage is beneath us."
Elias gritted his teeth. "Stop… please…"
Arcturus slammed his staff into the ground. The runes snapped back into place, dimming the surge.
Silence fell.
Arcturus stared at Elias with a mixture of awe and dread.
"That was no python," he whispered. "Whatever sleeps inside you… it is dangerous"