The moon hung low over the Academy gardens, casting a silver glow on the hedges of midnight roses. Caelum leaned against a marble statue, his golden eyes watching the path. He didn't have to wait long.
The sound of frantic, rhythmic footsteps reached his ears—and with them, the delicious scent of teal and magenta Aether.
**Lyra** and **Seraphina** burst into the clearing, both of them panting heavily. Their sudden run from the banquet hall had left them breathless, their chests heaving with a violent, beautiful motion. Lyra's thin linen tunic was damp with sweat, clinging to the soft, rounded curves of her breasts as they bounced with every ragged breath she took.
Seraphina was no better. Her tight silver laces had strained during the sprint, and now her heavy, honey-toned cleavage was slick with a fine sheen of perspiration that glistened under the moonlight. As she stopped, her hips swayed instinctively, her firm, ample butt settling into a provocative stance.
"You... you just left us there!" Lyra gasped, her face flushed a deep, sexy red. She stomped toward him, her thighs rubbing together with a soft *shush* of fabric. "You teased those high-born women and then just walked away!"
"A chemist must always let the pressure build before the explosion, Lyra," Caelum murmured, his voice a low vibration that made both women shiver.
---
### **Meanwhile, at the High Table...**
The Great Hall was still in a state of shock. The **Headmaster** turned his cold, gray eyes toward **Professor Vespera**, who was still slumped in her chair, her legs trembling beneath her violet robes.
"Vespera," the Headmaster barked, his voice echoing. "That boy just humiliated the Academy's standards of discipline. And you... you reacted as if he were your master. Explain yourself."
Vespera tried to speak, but her throat was dry. Every time she breathed, she could still taste Caelum's gold Aether on her tongue. Her skin felt too tight for her body, her nipples rubbing painfully against the silk of her bodice. She was a woman of logic, but her biology had been hijacked.
"He is... a volatile reagent, Headmaster," she managed to whisper, her hand surreptitiously sliding down to grip her own thigh to keep from shaking. "I was simply... assessing the strength of his pulse."
The Headmaster's eyes narrowed. He could see the violet glow in her eyes. "See that you assess him in a cage next time. Before he melts the entire faculty."
---
### **In the Shadows of the Corridor...**
**Isolde** walked with a stiff, rigid gait, her silver hair flowing behind her like a frozen river. Her mind was a chaotic storm.
*How dare he?* she thought, her teeth clenched. *A commoner... a nobody... touching my glass, looking at me like I was a piece of meat to be cooked.*
But as she walked, she found herself touching the spot on her neck where the heat of his gaze had lingered. Her silver Aether was acting strangely. It wasn't cold anymore; it was lukewarm, heavy, and pulsing. Every time she thought of his smirking lips, a sharp jolt of electricity shot through her lower belly, making her knees feel like jelly.
She was insulted, yes. But her curiosity was a growing fire. She wanted to know why the "Ice Queen" felt like she was drowning in steam.
*I will find him,* she whispered to the empty hallway, her breath coming in short, needy pants. *I will show him that ice cannot be conquered so easily.*
She turned toward the garden gate, her silk skirt rustling against her long, pale legs. She didn't notice that her own silver aura was now trailing behind her, glowing with a faint, hungry gold light.