Elias couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted, both within him and around him. The aftermath of the magical flare in class had left a strange emptiness inside him—a hunger he didn't fully understand. He could still feel the remnants of Rael's energy lingering in the back of his mind, like an ever-present hum, both comforting and suffocating.
As Elias made his way back to his room after class, he couldn't help but replay the scene over and over. His magic had nearly ripped through the room, uncontrolled, barely held together by sheer will. It was too much for him to manage on his own. But there was something else… something deeper.
It was the way Rael's power had intertwined with his own, the way the demon's influence had set everything into motion. And in the chaos of their fight, Elias had been unable to see past the rage, the hurt, and the confusion to understand that maybe—just maybe—he was the one who had been pushing everyone away.
But it wasn't that simple. Was it? It never was.
Elias opened the door to his room, only to find it eerily quiet. Rael wasn't here, which, in a way, was a relief. But it also left a void that Elias hadn't yet learned how to fill. He tossed his bag onto the bed and collapsed against the wall, sinking down onto the floor with a frustrated sigh.
"I should've known it would end like this," Elias muttered to himself. The magic, the connection, the push and pull—it was all spiraling out of control. And he didn't know how to stop it.
Minutes passed, but nothing about his frustration seemed to change. That was until a familiar presence—Rael's presence—appeared, not in the room physically, but in Elias's mind. The demon's voice rang clear, full of tension and something else. Was it regret?
"You're angry. And you have every right to be."
Elias froze, startled by the sudden intrusion. He knew Rael's voice well enough by now. The heat, the raw power that came with it. But this time… this time it was different.
"I'm not angry. I'm just… confused. And I don't know who to be anymore." Elias ran a hand through his hair, his eyes closing as the words left his lips. It was more than frustration. He felt trapped, like he was on the edge of something that could either consume him or liberate him, but he didn't know which.
Rael's presence filled the space, though he wasn't physically there. Elias could almost feel the weight of the demon's gaze, watching him, studying him.
"You think I'm the cause of all this," Rael said softly, but his words were sharp like a blade. "But you need to realize, Elias, this power inside of you—it's yours. It's always been yours. I'm just… a catalyst."
Elias clenched his fists, his heart pounding in his chest. "A catalyst? That's what you call it? You've turned my life upside down and you expect me to just... accept it?"
Rael's voice dropped, almost tender. "I didn't want this to happen. But I'm not the one holding you back. You are. You're scared of what you can become. And that fear… it's choking you."
Elias' breath caught. He had heard the words before, but they hit differently now. Rael was right. He was scared. Scared of his own power, scared of what he could lose if he allowed this magic to consume him.
"Maybe I am the problem," Elias whispered, his voice barely audible. "Maybe it's not just you. Maybe I'm the one who's afraid of what I'm becoming."
The silence between them stretched for what felt like eternity. Then Rael spoke again, his voice full of an unexpected warmth. "You're not alone in this, Elias. Not anymore."
The words settled over Elias like a blanket, warm and heavy. It wasn't much, but it was enough to ease some of the tension in his chest. He wasn't alone in this fight. Not with Rael's presence inside him. And not with the knowledge that he could still control his own fate, even if he couldn't quite figure out how to do it yet.
"I don't know if I can control this power. But… I'll try. I'll do it for myself." Elias stood, his voice steadier than before. He wasn't sure how he would do it, or if he would succeed, but for the first time in days, he felt like he had some semblance of control over his own destiny.
Rael's presence lingered for a moment longer before it faded, but not before a final word echoed in Elias's mind.
"You'll find a way, Elias. I'll be here, no matter what."
And with that, the room fell back into its quiet state, leaving Elias standing at the edge of something new. Something uncertain.
But for the first time, he didn't feel entirely lost.