Julian heard the empty vial hit the nightstand. He turned around.

Kamari's face had regained a fraction of its color, but the deep, raw gashes on his chest were still bleeding through the cheap infirmary bandages. The potion only fixed internal magic; it didn't close physical wounds.

"Take your shirt off," Julian said. He walked toward the bed. He reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a small jade jar of Emerald Life Salve. It was a potent, dark alchemical mixture notorious for its agonizing application.

Kamari's entire body went rigid.

"Don't touch me!" Kamari snarled. He scrambled backward, hitting the headboard hard.

Panic flared in Kamari's golden eyes. It was a visceral, violent reaction to physical contact. PTSD.

Julian froze, his glowing hands suspended in the air.

"If I don't purge the shadow toxins from those cuts, they will rot," Julian said, trying to keep his voice level.

Kamari didn't care. He reached out and grabbed the empty crystal vial from the nightstand. He smashed it against the wooden bedframe. Glass shattered across the floor.

Kamari gripped the jagged neck of the bottle. He pointed the razor-sharp glass directly at Julian's throat.

"Get away from me," Kamari breathed, his chest heaving.

Julian swallowed hard. The kid was ready to kill him.

Suddenly, the suite doors burst open again.

Gideon stood there, his face red with misplaced righteous fury. He had been listening at the door.

"You filthy half-breed!" Gideon screamed, drawing his wand and pointing it at Kamari. "How dare you threaten the Headmaster! Do you think he actually cares about you? He just doesn't want your dirty blood on his rugs!"

The words hit Kamari like a physical blow. His hand holding the glass shook violently. The jagged edge sliced into his own palm, sending a stream of blood down his wrist.

Julian saw red. This idiot was ruining everything.

Julian didn't even turn around. He threw his right hand backward.

A thick whip of black magic materialized in the air. It cracked like thunder and slammed directly into Gideon's chest.

Gideon screamed as the force lifted him off his feet. He flew backward out the door and slammed into the stone wall of the corridor. He slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"I told you to get out," Julian growled.

He flicked his wrist. The heavy violet doors slammed shut. Three heavy magical deadbolts slid into place with loud, echoing clicks.

The room fell dead silent.

Julian turned back to Kamari. He ignored the jagged glass pointed at his throat. He took a step forward. Then another.

Kamari's eyes widened. He didn't back down, but he didn't thrust the glass forward either.

Julian reached out and grabbed Kamari's wrist.

He didn't grab the arm. He grabbed the hand holding the weapon. The sharp edge of the glass sliced deep into Julian's palm. Warm blood immediately welled up and dripped onto the white sheets.

Kamari froze. His breath caught in his throat. He stared at Julian's bleeding hand in absolute shock.

Julian didn't flinch. He used his other hand to scoop a handful of the glowing green paste. Ignoring the corrosive burn the ointment immediately inflicted on his own bare skin, he pressed his palm flat against Kamari's ruined chest. The potent alchemical magic flooded into Kamari's body, harsh but absolute.

"Whether you believe me or not," Julian said, his voice low and tight with pain. "Shut up and let me heal you."

The green alchemical light flared brightly in the dim room.

Under Julian's palm, the jagged, bleeding flesh on Kamari's chest began to knit together. New skin formed over the exposed bone. The scabs dried and flaked away, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin.

Julian felt his magical reserves drain rapidly. A wave of dizziness hit him. His knees felt weak, and his face grew paler than the boy sitting on the bed.

He pulled his hand back. The healing was done.

Julian released Kamari's wrist. He looked down at his own hand. The glass had cut deep into his palm. Blood dripped steadily onto the floor.

Kamari stared at Julian's bleeding hand, then looked down at his own perfectly healed chest. His jaw ticked rapidly. His golden eyes were a storm of confusion and suppressed rage.

"Why?" Kamari's voice was raw, like he had swallowed sand. "Why heal me? Why drink the poison? What sick, twisted plan are you building up to?"

The questions fired out of him like bullets.

Julian knew this was the moment. He couldn't act like a saint. Kamari would never buy it. He had to give the boy a mystery to solve.

Julian reached into his pocket and pulled out a silk handkerchief. He wrapped it tightly around his bleeding hand, wincing slightly.

He turned his back on Kamari and walked to the large window. He looked out at the dark academy grounds. He let his shoulders slump just a fraction, projecting a heavy, exhausted burden.

"Do you think I enjoyed breaking you?" Julian asked softly. He let a bitter laugh escape his lips.

Kamari stiffened on the bed. The words struck a nerve.

Julian turned his head slightly, looking at Kamari over his shoulder. The firelight cast half his face in deep shadow.

"You have no idea what you carry inside you, Kamari," Julian said, his voice dropping to a harsh whisper. "Some power cannot be awakened unless it is forged in hell. And someone... had to be the monster to push you into the fire."

He didn't give Kamari a chance to respond.

"Rest. I will explain everything tomorrow."

Julian walked out of the suite, closing the door firmly behind him.

He walked into his own bedroom next door. The second the latch clicked, Julian collapsed against the wood. He slid down to the floor, burying his face in his hands.

"Holy shit," Julian muttered, his heart racing. "Give me an Oscar."

He pushed himself up and walked over to his heavy oak desk. He scanned the cluttered surface, his eyes finally landing on a dust-covered crystal ball sitting near a stack of old grimoires. He remembered the lore from his own writing-it was a high-tier surveillance tool tied to the academy's wards. Hesitantly, he reached out. He placed his trembling hand on the smooth surface of the crystal ball, pushing a small, uncertain sliver of his magic into the glass. The artifact flickered in response to his foreign touch, then stabilized and glowed softly, projecting a magical feed of the room next door.

Julian watched the projection.

Kamari wasn't destroying the room. He wasn't trying to break the windows.

He was sitting completely still on the edge of the bed. He looked at his healed hands. Then he looked at the bloodstained glass shard resting on the sheets.

Kamari's brow furrowed deeply. His lips moved silently, repeating Julian's words.

For the first time since Julian had woken up in this world, the pure, unadulterated hatred in Kamari's eyes cracked. It was replaced by a deep, agonizing doubt.

Julian clenched his uninjured fist. The bait was taken.

Julian cut the feed to the crystal ball.

The adrenaline that had kept him upright all day suddenly vanished. His limbs felt like lead. He didn't even bother taking off his bloodstained violet robe. He collapsed face-first onto his massive velvet bed.

Sleep dragged him under instantly. But it wasn't peaceful.

The air in the dream was boiling. The stench of burning flesh and sulfur choked him.

Julian found himself pinned to a massive obsidian altar. Invisible chains held his wrists and ankles tight against the burning stone.

He looked down. Standing at the base of the altar was Kamari.

But it wasn't the broken, bleeding boy from the dungeon. This Kamari was older. Six massive wings of blinding holy light erupted from his back. But his golden eyes were completely consumed by swirling, liquid shadows.

"Headmaster," the older Kamari said. His voice echoed like a death knell. "You taught me that power must be forged in hell."

Kamari raised his hand. A sphere of black and white fire ignited in his palm.

"Now, it is your turn to burn."

Kamari thrust his hand forward. The fire formed a blade that sliced cleanly through Julian's chest.

The pain was absolute. It was a hundred times worse than the gas explosion. Julian opened his mouth to scream, but his lungs were paralyzed.

He watched in mute horror as Kamari shoved his hand deep into Julian's open chest cavity. Kamari's fingers wrapped around a pulsing, blue light. Julian's soul.

Kamari ripped it out.

"NO!"

Julian violently jerked awake. A raw, terrified scream tore from his throat.

He shot up in bed, his chest heaving. Cold sweat soaked his clothes, making the heavy robe cling to his skin. He grabbed his chest, his fingers digging frantically into his sternum.

His heart was beating. His skin was whole.

But the phantom pain of his soul being ripped out still burned in his nerve endings. His whole body shook uncontrollably.

Julian threw his legs over the edge of the bed and stumbled into the washroom. He turned on the brass taps and splashed freezing water onto his face.

He stared at his reflection. Benedict's sharp, aristocratic features stared back.

A dark, desperate thought crept into his mind. He's weak right now. He's sleeping next door. I could go in there and slit his throat. End the threat permanently.

Julian squeezed his eyes shut and punched the marble counter.

Idiot, he cursed himself.

He was the author. He knew the rules of this world better than anyone. Kamari was the protagonist. He had plot armor thicker than a dragon's scales. If Julian tried to kill him, a sudden magical backlash would probably blow Julian's head off.

Besides, Julian was a writer from New York. He couldn't even kill a spider without feeling bad. He definitely couldn't murder a teenager in cold blood.

Julian slid down the cold bathroom wall until he hit the floor. He pulled his knees to his chest.

"Screw it," Julian whispered to the empty room. "I will kiss the ground he walks on if it keeps me alive."

The terror of the nightmare solidified his resolve. There was no going back. He had to commit to the lie.

He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long time. The aftershocks of sheer terror still vibrated through his veins, making his fingers twitch involuntarily. But he knew that the sun had risen, and the play had to continue. He took a deep, shuddering breath, consciously locking all his modern-day weakness and fear behind the cold, aristocratic mask of Benedict Guerrero. He forced his spine straight and his expression into a mask of pure, untouchable authority.

An hour later, the sun began to rise.Julian washed his face with his uninjured hand, changed into a clean black tunic, and picked up a silver tray carrying a hot breakfast.

He walked out of his room and headed for Kamari's door. It was time to drop the bomb.