Ellis looked at him, the emotions under his eyes obscure.He knew, of course, that Nyx hadn't done anything really nasty at the academy - at best, he'd pulled more pranks and teased students and instructors on occasion, and even his colleagues had gotten used to it, treating Nyx like a rebellious young demon.
But he always had a premonition - sooner or later, Nyx would get into even more trouble.
Especially now, his magic was getting out of control, and his demonic nature was unfolding a little.
"Nyx."Ellis spoke slowly, a hint of undeniable seriousness in his voice, "From today onwards, you must restrain yourself."
Nyx's smirk stalled slightly and he blinked, "Tighten up?How do I tighten up?"
"Stop using magic to get into mischief."Ellis looked at him and said slowly, "Stop trying to challenge the Academy's rules."
Nyx cocked his head, his smile gradually becoming meaningful, "Are you ordering me?"
"Yes."Ellis replied without hesitation.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds.
Nyx slowly narrowed his eyes, the smile at the corners of his mouth growing a bit thicker, "And if I don't?"
Ellis didn't say anything, just looked at him quietly.
Nyx had expected him to say something harsh, or just give him a punishment, but Ellis did nothing.Just looked at him.There was no anger or blame in those dark eyes, only an emotion so complex that Nyx couldn't decipher it for a moment.
Nyx suddenly averted his gaze with some annoyance and grunted, "Boring."
Then, he turned around and left in large strides, his feathers lightly vibrating as he flew away into the shadows of the academy.
Ellis stood in the same spot, looking at his back, frowning slightly.Nyx was running away.But he, himself, was probably running away from something as well.
As the night wore on, the Academy's bells struck low, echoing between the quiet corridors.Ellis stood in front of his office window, a letter from the Dean in his hand, which consisted of nothing more than a warning about Nyx's recent behavior and a wish for him to "restrain" his demon.
It wasn't the first time he'd received a similar letter.
Ellis sighed slightly and raised a hand to rub his brow.
He remembered the look on Nyx's face when he left, perfunctory and careless, but he could sense that Nyx was genuinely upset.
Why would he be upset?
Ellis put down the letter and walked over to the bookshelf, casually flipping through his earlier notes, his eyes landing on a piece of research on demonic behavior.Demons are by nature lust-driven and temperamental, accustomed to masking their true emotions with banter.Until they are fully mature, they may still exhibit some degree of dependency.
Dependency?
Ellis closed his notes and frowned.
Nyx was dependent on him?
The idea made him a little uncomfortable.He'd never felt he could describe his relationship with Nyx as 'dependent'.Nyx was a demon, cunning, dangerous, and disturbed, and he was merely fulfilling a contract to keep Nyx bound to the academy, and studying his existence in the process.
But when Nyx shows up, he always subconsciously follows his every move, and even offers to clean up his messes when he gets into trouble.His life had been filled with too many traces of Nyx's presence.
Ellis pondered for a moment before finally putting down his notes, grabbing his outer robes and draping them over his head as he walked out of the office.
Nyx sat at the top of the academy's clock tower, his black feathered wings draped casually at his side as he leaned lazily against the edge of the tower, staring into the distant night sky.
He knew Ellis would come looking for him.
Sure enough, not long afterward, familiar footsteps sounded on the steps of the tower.
Ellis' figure appeared in the night, standing a few steps away from Nyx, his arms clasped over his chest as he watched him in silence.
Nyx didn't turn around and his tone was flirtatious, "What, did Mentor Ellis want to come and teach?"
Ellis ignored his flirtation and said lightly, "You've gone a bit overboard lately."
Nyx laughed, "Excessive?I'm the one who hasn't done anything."
Ellis' gaze was quiet and his tone was low, "You know what you're doing."