Page 111 of Academy of the Wicked, Year One

Damien's voice cuts through my momentary self-reflection, sharp with confusion and barely contained frustration.

"Where the fuck did he go?" He spins in place, crimson eyes darting around the chamber. "I saw something…a shadow being, I think? Then I blinked and everything's…like this." His gesture encompasses the room, his movements tight with agitation. "Did something happen?"

Cassius maintains his usual silence, but his shadows writhe with heightened agitation. Beside him, Grim releases a contemplative puff of smoke before gliding forward with ethereal grace. The newly corporeal being hovers just above the ground, pointing to a specific spot with deliberate precision.

Another puff of smoke fills the air, this one carrying notes of cedar and frost.

"The Headmaster was here," Cassius translates quietly, his silver eyes narrowing slightly. "And…left."

"No fucking way," Damien explodes, his fangs flashing as he snarls. "We cannot have just missed this opportunity! Do you have any idea how long we've?——"

He cuts himself off mid-rant, his attention suddenly fixed on Nikolai. The rest of us follow his gaze, and I find myself tilting my head in careful observation.

The change is impossible to miss now that I'm looking for it. Nikolai's hair, usually maintained at a precise length that speaks of careful control, now cascades well past his shoulders in waves of liquid gold. But it's not just his physical appearance that's altered —— his entire energy signature has shifted.

My eyes narrow as I study the ethereal patterns surrounding him. The power emanating from his form burns far brighter than his usual carefully controlled aura, creating intricate webs of golden light that pulse with ancient magic.

The threads of energy weave through the air with purpose, and as I follow their path, I notice something fascinating.

They wrap around Gwenivere's sleeping form, intertwining seamlessly with the protective shadows that Cassius and Grimhave maintained since her unexpected arrival and subsequent bonding.

It’s very clear the facade has dropped, which is why we can all see the sleeping female in our midst, but I’m pretty confident it’ll flicker back into place in a few minutes once the Headmaster’s energy has departed.

Regardless, the sight is remarkable —— darkness and light dancing together in perfect harmony, neither seeking to overwhelm the other.

The implications click into place with crystal clarity.

Ah…

"You bonded with her?"

The question emerges softly, colored not with judgment but with genuine intellectual curiosity. As one of the Seven, I've witnessed countless magical phenomena, but this —— this is unprecedented.

Almost delightful to be the first to witness such a phenomenon.

The golden threads of Nikolai's power pulse in response to my inquiry, creating patterns that mirror the mark I glimpsed earlier on Gwenivere's neck.

They weave through Cassius's shadows like old friends greeting each other after a long absence, each tendril of energy finding its perfect complement in the other's power.

It's beautiful in its impossibility —— a harmony that shouldn't exist between such fundamentally different forces. Fae magic, rooted in life and nature, flows seamlessly alongside the death-touched power of a Duskwalker.

The scholar in me itches to document this, to study how such seemingly opposed energies could find not just balance but synergy. The implications for magical theory alone are staggering, to say nothing of the political ramifications.

Multiple bonds were rare enough in ancient times when the boundaries between magical races were more fluid. In our modern era, with its rigid hierarchies and carefully maintained separations of power, they're practically unheard of.

Some say it’s a way of limiting how much power one can have, forbidden connections that would create untouched combinations of myth and truth. I can see why, especially when status and power are so crucial to survive in our unforgiving world. So to witness this, brings newfound fondness to the situation at hand.

Here before me stands proof that such connections are still possible —— if the individuals involved are powerful enough to maintain and accept their fruition.

The air in the chamber feels charged now, heavy with the weight of possibility. The very foundations of what we've accepted as magical law seem to shift and reform around this new reality.

A Fae prince and a Duskwalker prince, sharing a bond with the same mate. A hybrid female who shouldn't have survived beyond sunrise, yet here she sleeps, after a trial that challenged them in various ways, wrapped in the combined protection of powers that should be at war with each other.

The academic portion of my mind is already categorizing the various aspects that require further study:the specific resonance frequencies of their combined auras, the subtle variations in how their powers manifest when working in concert versus opposition, the potential applications for understanding cross-species magical compatibility...

But beneath my scholarly curiosity lurks something deeper —— a growing sense that we're witnessing the beginning of a fundamental change. The kind of shift that reshapes not just individual destinies but the very fabric of our magical society.

The irony doesn't escape me.

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