The night deepened as the families settled into their dorm houses. Candles flickered low in sconces, and the steady hush of the Academy grounds grew heavier, as if the whole world leaned into silence.
In the Leo dormitory, Jordan lay in his chamber. The bed was warm, the air still humming faintly with the power of the crest upon his chest. Yet his mind raced.
He thought of the vanished eighteen — how quickly they were erased. He thought of Maximilian's words, heavy as chains. He thought of Selora's lesson on death, her promise that pain would linger even in rebirth.
His hands tightened around the blanket. *What have I stepped into?*
Slowly, his thoughts began to blur, the weight of exhaustion pulling him down. His chest rose and fell in steady rhythm as the haze of sleep wrapped around him.
But when the dream came… it was not his.
The world twisted, dark and molten. Ash swirled in the air, glowing faintly red. Great pillars of obsidian rose around him, jagged and cruel. The air reeked of brimstone.
In the center of it stood Jayden. His horns caught the firelight, his cloak of Scorpio shadows billowed in a phantom wind. His eyes burned with hunger — not for food, not for wealth, but for power. He stood atop a throne of stone, jagged and sharp, as serpents of flame writhed at his feet.
Jordan's breath caught. He knew this wasn't his dream. He could feel it — *he was intruding.*
Jayden turned suddenly, his burning gaze locking onto Jordan as if he sensed the intrusion. A cruel smile spread across his lips.
"So… you're here too."
The dream pulsed, the shadows closing in.
Jordan jolted awake in his bed, sweat dampening his brow. The room was silent, the moonlight pale against the stone walls. His crest glowed faintly, as though it too had been stirred.
He sat upright, heart pounding, unable to shake the echo of Jayden's voice from his mind.
This was no ordinary bond.
This was something else.