Joshua thought his life was filled with wonder-magic at his fingertips, a love shared with the most captivating man in Serene Hightower Academy. But like all tales, his too was destined to take a darker turn.
In a world woven with spells and secrets...
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Seungcheol's boots crunched over the frozen earth as he approached the looming gates of the Choi family mansion. The sight of it, even after all these years, sent an involuntary chill down his spine. The mansion stood like a beast in the snow, half-buried in its white shroud. Seungcheol swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep moving forward. The iron gates swung open with a groan. His breath came out in frosty puffs as he stepped inside.
The familiar oppressive weight of the place settled on his shoulders. Shadows clung to the walls like they had been waiting for him, unmoving, just like when he was a child. A faint crackling sound echoed somewhere in the distance, like a fire burning in an unseen hearth.
Still, he could hear it—his father's voice, low and cruel, hurling spells that left bruises deeper than any physical pain.
Seungcheol paused in the entryway, the sound of his own footsteps echoing around him. His pulse quickened as he crossed into the heart of the mansion.
Memories flooded his mind–
Being dragged down these very halls. His father's grip on his arm tight enough to bruise. The sharp sting of magic that lashed across his skin when he defied him.
It was a torment that left more than scars on his body; it had twisted his mind, made him question his worth.
But Seungcheol wasn't here for that now.
He halted mid-step, his breath hitching, feeling a familiar presence that was unmistakable.
"I was wondering when you'd come crawling back," a voice echoed from the darkness, deep and chillingly calm.
Seungcheol's pulse quickened as he saw a figure emerged from the shadows at the end of the hall, tall and imposing, with the same cold eyes that had haunted Seungcheol's childhood. The one that blazed him with anger for that last few weeks just because he knew a Foreign Blood and messed up a noble' party.
Choi Jonghyun's silver hair glistened faintly in the dim light, and his mouth curled into a smile. "I knew you couldn't resist," he said, "Running off like a coward, only to return when you need something. Typical."
Hearing his voice laced with mockery, Seungcheol clenched his fists, "I didn't want any of your lectures. I came to—"
"To what?" Choi Jonghyun interrupted, stepping closer, his boots echoing ominously across the marble floor. "To take what isn't yours? You think you can handle the power this house holds without my lectures?" His eyes narrowing.
Every muscle in Seungcheol's body tensing as his father's cruelty flashing through his mind. Nights and days,when he was a boy, trapped in this mansion, he endured the spells left him battered and bruised, mentally shattered. He could still feel the weight of his father's magic, suffocating him, controlling him.
