The High Judge stood over the kneeling demon, unrolling a long parchment.“The pact is binding,” the High Judge said.Thraxul kept his head bowed, watching the ash fall from the cavern ceiling. “I understand the terms.”“You take no memory,” a second judge added. “You keep no power. You walk among the mortals until the time expires. Only then will you claim the throne.”“And if I fail?” Thraxul asked.“Every mortal emotion you indulge will crack the seal,” the High Judge warned. “Rage, pity, fear. If the seal breaks before your time ends, the gate opens, making your failure absolute.”“Do it,” Thraxul said.The High Judge pressed a glowing brand directly into Thraxul’s chest, searing and blistering his skin beneath the metal. Thraxul clenched his jaw, refusing to scream despite the pain driving a spike through his ribs. As the light from the brand flared, he glanced toward the gallery, where a figure stood in the shadows, entirely out of place at a binding ceremony. The stranger smil

Professor Higgins cleared his throat near the front of the room, gesturing toward the open door as he asked the restless students to settle down.“We have a transfer student joining us today,” Higgins announced.A guy walked into the room, dropping a canvas messenger bag beside the podium. Tall and pale, with dark hair and a relaxed, confident smile, he immediately caught the attention of half the girls in the front row. He surveyed the tiered seating with the casual authority of someone who owned the building.“This is Korrath,” Higgins said. “Find an empty seat and we’ll get started on the syllabus.”Korrath scanned the rows before walking straight up the center aisle toward Alex. Bypassing three empty chairs, he slipped into the desk directly to Alex’s right, then leaned over the armrest.“Is this spot taken?” Korrath asked.“You are already sitting in it,” Alex replied.Korrath laughed, extending his hand. “I like to be polite. I am Korrath. Good to meet you.”Alex stared at the o

The scraping beneath the floorboards stopped. A moment of dead silence stretched across the lecture hall before the metal grate near the front podium burst upward, clattering against the whiteboard and leaving a gaping hole in the tile. A gaunt shape dragged itself out of the ventilation shaft, then crouched on the carpet.The creature had elongated limbs and skin the color of wet ash. Its hollow, pupil-less eyes fixed on Tyler as it hissed, exposing rows of jagged teeth.Alex stepped forward, then froze. He wanted to cross the room and rip the creature apart, but the brand on his chest flared against his ribs. The burning sensation warned him that unleashing his strength now might crack the seal permanently.The creature didn't give him time to decide. It lunged across the center aisle, aiming straight for the boxer.Tyler snatched a folding chair from the front row and swung it like a baseball bat. The steel struck the creature's jaw with a loud crack, crumpling the metal frame and

Alex and Jenna escorted Lila back to the main quad, where Tyler waited beneath the glowing streetlights. The moment he saw his sister, he shoved his phone into his coat pocket and rushed over, grabbing her shoulders to inspect her. His face paled at the sight of her trembling hands and dirt-covered jacket.“What happened behind the building?” Tyler demanded, glancing between Lila and Alex.“A stray dog chased her near the rusted gate,” Tyler answered before either of them could speak, hastily spinning a cover story. “Some frat guys play pranks with the old pipes to scare freshmen. They leave food out for strays, which brings wild dogs onto campus.”He repeated the explanation twice while brushing dead leaves from her sleeves, desperate to make her believe him. Lila, however, didn't buy a single word. She crossed her arms and stared up at him.“Dogs don't have hands, Tyler,” she stated.“Shadows play tricks when you're scared,” Tyler insisted, refusing to meet her eyes.Lila didn't arg