The fire crackled loudly in the hearth, but the air in the room felt like ice.
Julian reached into his spatial ring. He pulled out a small crystal vial. Inside, a silver liquid swirled, glowing with concentrated magical energy.
The Astral Recovery Potion. It was the most expensive healing draught in the academy, capable of repairing torn magical circuits.
Julian set the vial on the wooden nightstand and pushed it toward the edge of the bed.
"Drink it," Julian said. He kept his voice hard, refusing to let it sound like a request.
Kamari stared at the glowing liquid. He didn't move a muscle. He pressed his back harder against the headboard.
"What's in it this time?" Kamari asked. His voice was a low, dangerous whisper. "Truth serum? Or Black Mamba venom to make my nerve endings burn?"
Julian rubbed his sternum. He felt like a man trying to feed a feral, starving wolf that was ready to bite his hand off.
Before Julian could answer, the heavy suite doors creaked open.
Gideon stood in the doorway. His right hand was wrapped in thick white bandages. He looked pale and terrified.
"H-Headmaster," Gideon stammered, holding up a stack of parchment. "The Board needs your signature on the incident report..."
Gideon's eyes flicked to the bed. When he saw Kamari sitting on the Headmaster's silk sheets, a flash of ugly, raw jealousy twisted his face. He quickly looked down.
Julian looked at Gideon. An idea sparked in his mind. He needed a witness.
Julian ignored the paperwork. He stood up, walked to the nightstand, and picked up the crystal vial.
He popped the cork.
While Kamari and Gideon watched, Julian tipped his head back and downed more than half of the glowing silver liquid.
The pure magical energy burned down his throat. The scorching power instantly rushed into his limbs and bones. The concentrated magical force violently crashed through his perfectly healthy circuits, causing an agonizing overload. His vision went completely black for a terrifying second. He swayed on his feet, his knees buckling slightly as a wave of intense vertigo hit him. A drop of silver escaped his lips and ran down his chin, staining the collar of his violet robe. Julian forced himself to breathe, desperately fighting down the nausea and the tremors in his hands. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He slammed the half-empty vial back onto the nightstand, using the desk to anchor his weight. The glass clinked sharply against the wood.
"Does that prove there's no Black Mamba venom in it?" Julian snapped, glaring at Kamari.
By the door, Gideon let out a strangled gasp. His eyes were wide with absolute horror. The Headmaster had just consumed a fortune in medicine just to prove a point to a defective servant.
Kamari's pupils dilated. His chest heaved. His brain was visibly short-circuiting.
"What do you want from me?" Kamari's voice shook. It was the first time he sounded genuinely unnerved. He could understand torture. He couldn't understand this.
Julian sneered to cover his own panic. "I want you alive. A dead toy is entirely useless to me."
Julian turned on his heel and marched toward Gideon. He snatched the paperwork from the boy's trembling hands.
"Have you seen enough?" Julian hissed. "Get out."
Gideon practically tripped over his own feet as he scrambled backward out of the room.
Julian slammed the doors shut. He stood with his back to the room, staring at the wood grain. He listened.
For five agonizing minutes, there was only the sound of the fire.
Then, he heard the soft scrape of glass against wood. He heard Kamari swallow.
Julian closed his eyes and let out a silent breath.
