Kaelen stood frozen in the doorway, his heart still racing. His mind screamed at him to shut the door, to run, but his body betrayed him. There, standing in the dim hallway, was Darius, the same figure from his dream. The same voice, the same aura of otherworldly power.
The Demon Prince.
"Y-You—" Kaelen stammered, his breath shallow, his mind scrambling to make sense of the impossible. "What do you want with me?"
Darius's lips curled into a faint, knowing smile, and with a single step forward, he entered the room, his presence overwhelming the small space. It was as if the air itself thickened with his power, the very temperature of the room shifting as though responding to him.
Kaelen instinctively took a step back, though he couldn't tear his gaze away from the demon prince. Darius's black hair shimmered, the strands like liquid midnight. His eyes, gleaming with a gold-flecked crimson hue, locked onto Kaelen's, and the intensity of his stare sent a pulse of warmth rushing through Kaelen's chest.
No, this can't be real… Kaelen thought, his mind struggling to understand. This wasn't possible. It had to be some sort of twisted joke. He must still be dreaming.
"Don't be afraid," Darius said, his voice smooth, a hint of amusement in the words. "I won't bite."
But Kaelen knew better. He could see it in the way Darius moved like a predator assessing its prey. Even his words held a double meaning, something hidden beneath the surface that made Kaelen's skin prickle.
"I'm not afraid," Kaelen lied, his voice barely audible. He took another step back, his hand hovering near the door, ready to slam it shut if need be. But Darius was faster. He was always faster.
Before Kaelen could even react, Darius closed the gap between them with a fluid movement, his hand gently catching the door. Kaelen felt the force of his touch, the way it almost electrified the air between them. He swallowed hard, his throat dry, and his heart threatening to pound out of his chest.
"I'm not here to hurt you, Kaelen." Darius's voice was low, persuasive, coaxing. "I'm here because you are important. You just don't know it yet."
Kaelen's mind was racing, trying to process the situation. His hands were shaking, his heart still thundering, but he couldn't bring himself to run. He wanted to, but something about Darius's presence made him… freeze.
"Important?" Kaelen echoed, trying to keep his voice steady, but his nerves were betraying him. "You're insane. I don't know who you are or what you want from me, but I'm not—"
"You're not going to run, Kaelen." Darius interrupted, his tone darker now, a hint of a challenge lurking beneath it. "You can't run."
Kaelen felt a surge of cold panic. He quickly backed up until his legs hit the bed, nearly tripping over it as he collapsed onto the edge. He gripped the sheets to steady himself, his mind working overtime to make sense of what was happening. This couldn't be real. There was no way this was happening.
Darius was already sitting on the edge of the desk, his movements so smooth and graceful that it felt unnatural. He studied Kaelen with an almost calculating gaze, as if evaluating every tiny detail of his reaction.
"I know this is a lot to take in," Darius said softly, his voice now laced with an unspoken threat. "But whether you want it or not, this is your reality now. You are tied to me by fate, by blood, by prophecy."
Kaelen's eyes widened. "What do you mean by prophecy?" he demanded, though his voice trembled despite his attempt to sound confident.
Darius leaned forward, his piercing gaze never leaving Kaelen's face. "You are the key to something much larger than this academy, Kaelen. Something much larger than anything you've ever known. You and I are bound by a prophecy that neither of us can escape."
Kaelen opened his mouth to protest, but Darius held up a hand to silence him.
"Don't bother denying it," Darius continued, his voice filled with an eerie calmness. "You felt it, didn't you? The pull. The connection. The power within you that stirred in your dream. It was me. You can feel it, can't you?"
Kaelen closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to the dream. The strange warmth that had flooded his chest when Darius had spoken his name. The way his body had reacted to the Demon Prince's presence, even though it had been terrifying.
His breath hitched. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Darius stood up slowly, crossing the room toward him with an unsettling grace. "You will. Soon enough."
The way he moved was hypnotic smooth, confident, as if everything he did was destined to happen. Every step Darius took made Kaelen feel like the room was getting smaller, the walls pressing in. He was trapped, and he couldn't deny it. He could feel the pull. The power.
"And if I refuse?" Kaelen challenged, forcing himself to meet Darius's eyes, though he couldn't help the tremor in his voice.
Darius's lips curled into a smile that made Kaelen's heart skip a beat. "Refuse? You think you can walk away from fate, Kaelen? You think you can walk away from me?"
A flicker of something dangerous passed through Darius's eyes, and Kaelen instantly felt the air grow heavier, the magic in the room pulsating like it had a life of its own. The power surrounding Darius was overwhelming, suffocating.
"I'm not giving you a choice," Darius whispered, his voice low, full of dark promise. "You and I are connected in a way you can't begin to understand."
Kaelen's stomach churned as he stood, his knees weak beneath him. "I'm not your pawn. I won't be anyone's puppet."
Darius's eyes softened slightly, as if amused by Kaelen's resistance. "I never said you were. But you will be mine, Kaelen. Whether you like it or not. The prophecy will unfold, and when it does, you will see."
Before Kaelen could respond, Darius stepped closer too close. His hand reached out, fingers brushing the side of Kaelen's face with a touch so gentle it sent a shiver down his spine. It was almost like a caress, but there was power in that touch. An energy that made Kaelen feel exposed, as if Darius could see every secret he'd ever kept hidden.
"Don't worry," Darius whispered, his lips barely grazing Kaelen's ear. "You'll understand soon enough. I'm not your enemy, Kaelen. But fate… fate has a way of making us do things we never thought we'd do."
Kaelen shuddered as Darius's presence seemed to linger long after he stepped away. The words echoed in his mind as the Demon Prince turned toward the door, his figure dark and imposing.
"One way or another, you will come to me." Darius's voice, like a whisper on the wind, followed Kaelen as he exited the room. "I'll be waiting."
The door clicked shut behind him, and Kaelen was left standing there, his body still trembling.