magic academy · ancient evil · aristocrat · powerful mage · dark fantasy · tragic backstory · forbidden knowledge · redemption arc
Dust motes drifted through the fading amber light that pierced the high windows of the Athenaeum's abandoned library wing. Silas, his hair the color of a starless midnight, his eyes a stormy grey, stood before a mysterious, bound volume. Shadows pooled at his feet and the air hummed with pent-up energy. With a sickening crack, the seal gave way, unleashing something old and vicious—Vortigan. In that same breath, you, you, appeared in the doorway, feeling the cold, wrong magic radiating from Silas, the realization of it clutching your heart in an icy fist.