Adam took a half step toward her. He wanted to help her up. He wanted to say he was sorry.Sarah saw him move. She screamed. It was a weak, terrified scream. She scrambled backward on the stone floor, crawling away from him through the frozen soup and broken glass. She pushed herself against the wooden door frame. She looked at Adam like he was a demon from hell.[System Alert: Life Energy Consumed.][Host gained 5 Health Points.]Adam read the bright purple text. He felt a deep, sick feeling in his stomach. He had stolen her life to heal himself.He looked at his own hands. They looked normal. But they were deadly weapons."I... I am sorry," Adam whispered. His voice was full of deep pain. "I did not mean to. Please, don't be afraid."Sarah did not answer. She pulled herself up using the door frame. She did not look back. She turned and ran down the hallway as fast as her weak legs could carry her. She was crying loudly.Adam stood alone in the ruined medical ward. He stared at the fr

Adam had spent nineteen years wishing for power. He had wished he was strong enough to stand next to the wealthy, powerful mages. Now, he finally had the power of a god. He was the strongest person in the school.But the price of that power was total isolation. He was a King, but his throne was perfectly lonely. His power made it impossible for him to hold a friend's hand."Oh, Adam," Catherine whispered. A tear formed in her eye. "You have all this power... but you are still carrying the weight of the world by yourself.""It is better this way," Adam said. He picked up his canvas bag. "The Old Academy is empty. It is the only place where my hunger will not hurt innocent people. I will stay there until I learn how to lock the gate. Until I learn how to control the beast inside me."Adam walked toward the door. As he passed Catherine, he kept a wide distance between them so the dark aura would not touch her skin."I will find a way to help you," Catherine promised, her voice firm. "I wi

The boy looked like a dry husk of corn. His skin was the color of old, dirty brown paper. It was pulled incredibly tight over his bones. His cheeks were completely sunken, leaving deep, dark holes on his face. His lips were cracked and pulled back, showing all his teeth in a terrible, frozen grimace. His eyes were open, but they were dried up like two small, gray pebbles. There was no moisture left in his body at all. No blood. No water. No sweat.The gray uniform was far too big for his shrunken frame. It hung loosely around his thin, brittle bones.Adam stared at the boy's face. He recognized him. The boy's name was Leo.Leo was a quiet, shy boy from the Lower City. Adam remembered him well. Leo used to work in the Academy stables, cleaning the horses for the wealthy students. Six months ago, Adam had dropped his last piece of bread in the mud. He had been starving. Leo had seen him. Leo had walked over and quietly handed Adam half of his own fresh bread. Leo had smiled a sad, u

Lyra held her hands up. Small, bright orange flames flickered weakly on her knuckles. She was turning in circles, looking around the dark woods with wide, paranoid eyes. She was hunting too.Adam stepped slowly out of the shadows. "Lyra," Adam said quietly.Lyra spun around violently. The orange fire on her fists flared brightly. She aimed her burning hands directly at Adam’s face.But when she saw the black shadow-coat and the calm, dark eyes, she froze. She instantly dropped her hands. The fire went out. She let out a massive, shaky breath of pure relief."By the gods," Lyra gasped. She leaned back against a tree trunk, pressing her hand to her chest. "Don't sneak up on me like that! I almost burned your head off!"Adam walked closer. He looked at her bruised face."What are you doing out here in the dark, Lyra?" Adam asked. His voice was completely calm. "The Princess told me you and Kael were taking time off to heal after the Alchemy Wing mission."Lyra let out a bitter, exhausted

The Royal Tower was the tallest, most beautiful building in the entire Academy. It sat in the exact center of the campus.The inside of the tower looked like a palace. The floors were made of pure, shining white marble. The walls were covered in real gold leaf. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the high ceilings, filling the halls with bright, warm light. It smelled like fresh roses and expensive vanilla.It was a complete opposite of the dirty, muddy woods and the dead, toxic Old Academy.Adam walked down the long hallway, surrounded by six black-armored guards. His dark shadow-coat trailed behind him. He looked like a dark storm cloud passing through a sunny sky.He felt his hunger stirring. The Royal Tower was absolutely packed with clean, bright magic. It took all of his willpower to keep his Gate of Hunger locked. He squeezed his hands into tight fists. He could not let his aura leak here. He had to stay in control.The guards stopped in front of a massive pair of white doors. T