My head spun hard enough to blur my vision.
Nausea rose in my throat, triggered by the sheer speed alone.
This man didn't need portals to cross half the city in minutes.
Was this what a demon looked like when it stopped holding back?
Could all of them move like this?
I tried to focus on anything else—
anything at all—
but my thoughts kept slipping out of reach.
By some miracle, we stopped before I threw up all over Blocking's spotless suit.
He halted outside his room. Two of his students were already waiting there.
"Clothes. Bandages," he said without even looking at them, then pushed the door open. "Inside."
I stepped in.
Slow.
Careful.
I knew this room by now.
He was a demon.
Dangerous.
And still—
I didn't feel threatened.
That bothered me more than anything.
What the hell did he want from me?
Why did I keep ending up around people like this?
What use was I to someone who could crush anything in his way without effort?
"Before we talk—wash. Change," he said, pouring himself a glass of whiskey. "You stink. Smoke… and that lunatic's power."
I didn't argue.
There was nothing left of my clothes anyway.
While I was washing, the door cracked open. A folded set of clothes was left on the floor.
When I came out—
I stopped.
A uniform.
His academy.
Of course it was.
A cold unease crawled up my spine.
What is he planning…?
Didn't matter.
I didn't have a choice.
I put it on.
The feeling didn't go away.
It only got worse.
"It suits you," Blocking said with a faint, knowing smile.
I ignored him.
"Why am I here?" I asked.
"And you still don't get it?"
"I wouldn't be asking."
"I brought you here to make you an offer. One that benefits both of us." He took a slow sip. "But first—we fix something. Come here."
Another student entered immediately, carrying bandages.
"Take off your top. Pull your pants up to your knees," he said, stepping closer.
"Why? I'm not hurt."
"Do it," Blocking said.
Calm.
Flat.
I exhaled.
Did it.
They wrapped me like a corpse.
Layer after layer.
Arms. Legs. Torso. Neck.
Tight.
Too tight.
Hard to move.
Only my eyes and mouth left uncovered.
I didn't understand what this was for—
but I kept quiet.
I'd tear it all off the moment I walked out of here.
The student finished, bowed, and left.
The door shut.
Blocking looked me over.
Slow.
Careful.
Like he was inspecting his work.
A small nod.
"Now," he said. "My offer."
"Whatever it is—the answer's no."
"Even if people you care about die because of it?"
I frowned.
Heat flared in my chest.
"Are you threatening me?"
"Relax," he said. "Unless you're planning to burn my entire floor down."
"I can't do that. That's not even possible."
"Special Alan Holivan can't," he said. "Demon Alan Holivan can."
"That's bullshit. I'm human."
"Are you?"
His eyes locked onto mine.
Sharp.
"Look at yourself. Then say that again."
I glanced down.
Bandages.
Clothes.
Nothing.
What was I supposed to see?
Was he mocking me?
Sure, I looked like a damn mummy—
but that didn't make me a demon.
"I'm fine."
"Exactly," he said. "You walked through hellfire and came out clean. Not even a burn. Do you think a human does that? Even demons wouldn't come out untouched. But you?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Nothing."
"That doesn't prove anything."
"Think," he cut in. "Has it happened before? Losing control. Anger that doesn't make sense. Moments where you're not fully there."
"That happens to everyone my age."
"No."
His voice sharpened.
"Not like this."
He stepped closer.
"Demonic power doesn't wake all at once. It builds. Slowly. Quietly. Until one day—it tears its way out and burns everything around it."
Another step.
Closer.
"What do you feel right now?"
I didn't answer.
Because I knew.
"If your element is fire… then you feel it, don't you?" he said quietly. "That heat. Sitting inside you. The angrier you get—the stronger it burns."
My jaw tightened.
I felt it.
Even now.
Barely contained.
"And what happens when it slips?" he went on. "In the middle of a crowd. Surrounded by people. Who walks away from that? Anyone?"
I didn't respond.
Because I already knew the answer.
No one.
I frowned.
Everything he said—
lined up.
Too well.
Even now—
that heat was there.
Pressing.
Growing.
Something was wrong with me.
I knew that much.
But accepting this—
No.
I'm human.
"I can see it," he said quietly. "You're starting to believe me."
"…It's not that simple," I muttered. "But yeah. Some of it makes sense. Still—if I was really turning into a demon, I would've lost control already. I haven't hurt anyone. I don't need this. I just won't use it."
"That's not how this works," Blocking said.
Flat.
Certain.
"I told you—this isn't a moment. It's a process. You're already a demon. The power is just waking up."
His smile faded completely.
"And when it does—it won't ask you for permission."
He looked straight at me.
"It will burn everything. Including you."
Silence.
Heavy.
"Think carefully," he added. "Are you willing to risk that? Because if I don't help you control it—you will destroy everything you care about."
A pause.
"And anyone who survives will hate you for it."
"…Why are you doing this?" I asked.
"You interest me," he said, a faint predator's smile returning. "That's enough. And maybe—one day—I'll need what you become."
"And if I refuse?"
"Then I get to enjoy killing something I raised myself."
My jaw tightened.
"Will I be able to go back?" I asked. "What about my contract with Silius?"
"Don't worry about that. Student exchanges happen. Rare—but they happen. I know how to convince Miss Gordinstreet to let you go."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Six months. Summer and autumn in my academy. After that—if you still want to—you can crawl back to that dull, gray place."
"Six months…" I repeated.
My voice almost broke.
"That's enough… to control it?"
A pause.
"Then I can… live normally again?"
"Holivan," he said quietly, almost amused, "when exactly was your life ever normal?"
He stepped closer.
"You chained yourself to someone stronger. That ended whatever illusion of freedom you had."
Closer.
"You could be actually free."
His voice dropped.
"All it takes—is letting the world see what you really are."
A beat.
"After that—no one will ever control you again."
"I don't want them to know," I said sharply. "I'd rather die than admit something like that."
The thought alone twisted my stomach.
I didn't even fully understand it myself.
My mind rejected it.
No.
Even if I am a demon—
I won't become like them.
I won't hurt anyone with this.
"You're just like him," Blocking sighed. "Poor Maurice… I wonder how he deals with it."
"Who are you talking about?"
"That," he said quietly, "doesn't matter."