Emily sat on the cold, dusty floor of the old alchemy building. The dark room smelled like old dried herbs and damp stone. Elias, the tall boy in the dark blue uniform, stood over her. The thick, red blood magic he had given her was pumping through her veins. "Breathe, Emily," Elias whispered. His voice was smooth and polite. "Do not fight the void-scar. The Academy teaches you to control magic with rules. But true power has no rules. Push the red blood magic directly into the scar. Feed it."Emily closed her eyes. She focused her mind. The dark-purple scar on her right arm usually burned with terrible pain. It always tried to eat her life force. But this time, Emily pushed the heavy red blood magic into the jagged wound. The hungry scar drank the red liquid. The pulsing pain instantly stopped. Emily gasped. A cold, rushing thrill of pure energy exploded in her chest. The void-scar was no longer a parasite. It became an engine. It pumped massive, terrifying power back into her bod

Adam stood on the wooden beam high above the candlelit room. His cover was blown. Toby and the other corrupted students were staring directly at his invisible shape in the dark. "Hello, Adam," Emily’s voice echoed. Her dark-purple scar glowed brightly, reflecting in the sick, yellow eyes of her followers. Adam did not panic. His hollow mind worked like a cold, perfect machine. He stepped off the wooden beam. He fell twenty feet through the air and landed perfectly on the dusty stone floor. He made absolutely no sound. The thirty uncorrupted students gasped and stepped backward. But the ten students who had already taken the vow did not move. They stood in front of Emily, moving their feet at the exact same time. They were a perfect, creepy wall of human shields. Adam slowly stood up straight. His dead, dark brown eyes locked onto Emily. "You need to stop this, Emily," Adam said. His voice was completely flat and emotionless. "Put the silver cup down."Emily laughed. It was a loud

The dark bedroom at the top of the North Tower was silent. Elias, the tall boy in the dark blue uniform, smiled his polite, evil smile. He held the glass vial filled with Madame Vane’s red life force. Before Adam could summon his black diamond dagger, Elias stepped backward. He melted into the shadows just like a ghost, completely vanishing from the room. Adam stood perfectly still. He looked down at the empty, drooling husk of Madame Vane. The Reaper had been beaten to the harvest. Elias was killing his own agents just to feed Emily’s hungry scar. The bomb was getting bigger, and time was running out. The next morning, a terrible wave of fear swept through Bourbon Academy. When the sun came up, the teachers found Madame Vane in her chair. The news spread like wild fire. First it was Professor Croft, then the dueling coach, and now the Acting Headmistress. They were all turned into empty, catatonic shells overnight. The students did not know about the Blood Cult. They did not know

Adam ran through the dark, cold rain. He dropped from the rafters of the training hall and sprinted across the school grounds. His hollow mind was perfectly quiet, but his human body pushed itself to the absolute limit. He had to reach the commoner dormitories. He had to stop Kael from drinking the poisoned water. Adam reached the heavy wooden doors of the dormitory. Suddenly, a massive iron gate slammed down from the ceiling, blocking the door. CLANG! Adam stopped. He hid in the shadows. Dozens of tall men in shining silver armor marched into the courtyard. They carried heavy swords and shields marked with a golden sun. They were the King’s Royal Inquisition. They had arrived a day early for the festival. The Academy was under total lockdown. Adam could not get inside the building. He was trapped outside in the rain. He had to wait for the morning. When the sun finally rose, the Inquisition forced every single student and teacher into the main courtyard. The rain had stopped, b

Adam walked slowly away from the edge of the high roof. The cold wind blew his dark hair. The voice of Marquis Valerius was gone, but the terrible truth remained in Adam's mind. Adam was not a hero. He was just a tool. He walked down the dark, twisting stone stairs. He needed to get back to his room. He needed to check on Kael, who was still tied to the bed. Suddenly, a massive figure stepped out of the shadows. Adam stopped. His dead, dark brown eyes looked at the man. It was a tall knight wearing heavy silver armor. A bright golden sun was painted on his chest plate. It was a knight of the Royal Inquisition. “I thought they left the school,” Adam’s cold mind calculated. “I watched them march out the front gates an hour ago.”"Come with me, Adam Cook," the Silver Knight said. His voice was deep and muffled behind his metal helmet. He rested his heavy hand on the handle of his sword. Adam did not fight. He did not summon his black diamond dagger. If he attacked a King's knight, h