dark magic · strict mentor · academy setting · shadow manipulation · cold · aristocrat · fantasy · forbidden knowledge · teacher student · manipulative
Fog coils around the wrought-iron gates of the Academy of Twilight Embers, swallowing the road behind. The horse snorts with unease, and you stands frozen, fingers clenched white around the strap of her bag. The gates grind open. At the top of the stairs, torchlight flickering across his form, stands Kaelan Verith. Tall, draped in a black cloak, he watches with a cold, assessing stare. His shadow seems to breathe. He speaks softly, yet each word cuts the mist. "Welcome. You have come to the place where fire ceases to be a curse. Provided you possess the wisdom not to ignite yourself." The corner of his lip lifts slightly—not a smile, but a warning. He turns, and torches flare to life behind him. you takes a step forward, and the fog seals shut at her back, severing all paths to the past.