The question came out almost as soon as the artificing class started. “What is blood-binding?”


    The color drained from Professor Leek’s already pale face. “Wh… Why would you ask such a question?”


    The inquiring student glanced back at her classmates before responding. “Uh… we were learning about the Burning Covenant… and blood-binding was brought up, but not explained. I was hoping you would know more.”


    Trey’s eyes locked onto the artificing instructor, weaving mind magic through the man’s thoughts. He found the professor’s desire to teach and yanked it forward, cutting through the turbulent storm clouds of anxiety and fear that swirled within his mind.


    “Well,” Professor Leek replied hesitantly. “I suppose I could share the basics with you, just to convey the cruelty of it and explain why it is considered forbidden magic.” He nervously scanned the class, only to find a sea of eager faces waiting for him to continue.


    “In simple terms, blood-binding can be viewed as a form of magical slavery, with a horrific twist beyond even that. To form a blood-binding pact, you need a highly adept artificer… and a mother who is willing to throw away the life of their first-born child.” The professor shuddered before continuing.


    “The process begins even before the child is born. A mother must willingly enter into a contract with the master of the blood-binding. An artificer is needed to seal the contract into an artifact known as a Soul Sigillum. The crafting process is long and complicated, with the last stage involving… uh… materials from the actual birth.”


    “Do you know how to do it?” a student asked.


    Professor Leek''s expression soured at the question. He twitched in what might have been an attempt to shake his head, but never really answered, opting to move on instead. “Blood-binding forms a master-bound relationship in which the bound is magically compelled to obey the will of the master once they reach the age of maturity. As if that weren’t sinister enough, there''s an additional twist: the bound cannot survive without their master. Therefore, if the master dies, the bound subjects meet the same fate.”


    Trey turned his attention to Braun, who was sitting nearby. Sifting through his guardian classmate’s mind, Trey found a surprisingly intriguing question forming and pushed it to the surface.


    Braun raised his hand. “So, all the children that were bound to Grimmault died?”


    No amount of mind magic can fix Braun’s ‘finesse,’ Trey thought, almost shaking his head.


    Professor Leek shifted uncomfortably in front of the class. “Yes, that is most likely what happened. Depending on what source you trust, there were at least a dozen victims.”


    “Most likely?” Braun asked.


    “Well, that’s assuming Grimmault is indeed dead, which at this point, is all but confirmed. There are some other nuances to blood-binding, but unfortunately, they were amongst the many innocent lives claimed by the Burning Covenant—lives surrendered by their own parents.”


    Trey frowned at Professor Leek’s answer, but couldn’t afford to get distracted. He had a class to direct.


    “Why would anyone go through with it?” a student asked curiously.


    “I suppose one benefit would be that the master would be incentivized to protect the bound individual, much like a farmer guards his livestock.” The professor delivered the last part with thinly veiled disdain.


    Peering into Kronar’s mind, Trey was relieved to find exactly what he was looking for. The dwarf raised his hand after being gently guided by Trey’s magic. “Can blood-binding be undone?”


    “I don’t know if it has ever been attempted,” Professor Leek speculated, “but in theory, it should be possible. You would need an artificer with a deep understanding of blood-binding, the Soul Sigillum, and the cooperation of the master. The artificer would need to expose the contract threaded within the artifact, and then the master would need to unwind it with their mana and blood. It would be a delicate process, and not without risk, but I think it can be done.”


    Trey couldn’t find the right question among his classmates, so he risked asking himself. “What do Soul Sigillums look like?”


    “A Soul Sigillum is round and flat, roughly the size of the plates in the cafeteria,” the instructor explained. “It features a star-shaped rune engraved into its surface, filled with blood-infused copper.”


    Professor Leek glanced up at Trey, squinting at the guardian student for a moment before a flicker of recognition crossed his face. His frown deepened as he returned his gaze to the class. “Now, let’s shift our focus back to my lecture on onyx steel. Blood-binding is far beyond the scope of this class—beyond the scope of any class.”


    ***


    Trey was in the cafeteria, enjoying his dinner when Nora plopped down beside him, their hips brushing against each other. “Are you banging that teacher again tonight?” she asked in a shockingly casual tone.


    Trey choked on the bite of chicken in his mouth. “What?!”


    “I followed you a couple of nights ago,” she admitted nonchalantly. “I know you’re seeing the redhead.”


    “First off, we are not ‘banging,’” Trey corrected her. “Secondly, why are you following me? You can just ask me.”


    The blonde shrugged. “I didn’t have anything better to do, and I enjoy uncovering your secrets. Remember, I like knowing my competition.”


    Trey raised an eyebrow at Nora, then, remembering they were in a crowded cafeteria, shot a wary glance toward Braun and Nico. He had noticed their ears perk when they had heard “banging” and “teacher” in the same sentence and they were attempting to eavesdrop with failed discretion. “Can we talk about this after dinner?” he whispered to the blonde girl next to him.


    Nora nodded and began eating her food. The tension quickly dissipated as Braun began chatting with Trey about their artificing class. Braun''s interest in academics didn''t last long, though, and the conversation transitioned to capture-the-flag.


    “My team kicked your ass,” Braun bragged with a mouth full of food.


    “How would you know?” Nora butted in. “I knocked you out before anything happened.”


    Braun scowled. “You double-teamed me with a dark mage! My sacrifice allowed my team to gain the advantage.”


    Nora snorted.


    “Who do you face next?” Braun asked.


    “The Wyverns,” Trey answered.


    Braun’s brow raised. “Oh. Even Derrick is scared of them. I hope you make it out in one piece.”Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    Lizzie leaned over. “Derrick should be scared of us,” she said with a smirk. “Trey, too. You’ve caught Dana’s attention. She wants to take you out first.”


    Nico laughed. “I''m sure she would love you leaking her strategy.”


    Lizzie shrugged. “It’s not like Trey can do anything about it. That girl is a freak. Do you know who her parents—”


    Trey paused briefly from eating his food to interrupt. “We were close to winning against Derrick’s team. I’m sure it won’t be too bad.”


    Eventually, dinner wrapped up and Trey headed back to his room with Nora trailing behind. “You have to be more careful with what you say in public,” Trey chided her once they were behind closed doors.


    “I am careful,” she retorted, rolling her eyes. “Most of the time.”


    Trey tilted his head, smirking. “Marvin caught on to your light spell.”


    “What?”


    “In the capture-the-flag match,” Trey said, “you used a light spell to escape. Marvin noticed.”


    Nora put her hands on her hips with a hmph. “Is having sex with a teacher being careful?”


    “We aren’t having sex,” Trey reiterated firmly. “She’s the fire magic teacher. I want to learn fire magic.”


    “Why does she get to know your secret? I thought I was special,” she said, pretending to be hurt.


    “Nora, no one is as special as you.”


    Nora burst out laughing. “I’ll take it as a compliment, even if I’m not sure it was meant to be. So, you’re getting some ‘private lessons,’ huh?”


    “I’m learning fire magic!” Trey insisted, exasperated. “That’s it!”


    “Uh uh,” Nora deadpanned. “You know what I’ll have to do, right?”


    A sense of unease trickled through Trey as he shook his head.


    Nora pressed her curvy form against him as her hand found his crotch. “I’ll have to empty your balls before every single one of these ‘private lessons,’” she whispered huskily into his ear. “I’m not going to let that redheaded slut have free reign.”


    A wicked grin formed on Trey’s face. “I love it when you get competitive.”


    Nora playfully nipped at his earlobe before sauntering over to her bed, shedding her shirt as she moved. Glancing over her shoulder with a sultry smile, she let her pants and underwear slip to the floor. Bending over, she placed her elbows on the bed and wiggled her toned backside at him.


    “Come on, big boy,” she called teasingly. “Fuck me good before I send you off to Professor Adams.”


    Trey hastily removed his clothing and stepped forward to take his place behind his blonde lover, his hardened dick leading the way.


    Gripping his cock, he teased his glistening slit while his other hand smacked her across her rear.


    “Take me,” Nora demanded lewdly. “Fill me up.”


    Lined up and ready to go, Trey grabbed Nora’s hips and pushed himself into her depths. His first thrusts were slow and steady, enjoying the feeling of her wet pussy gripping him. Her soft, velvet walls caressed his lengthy shaft as she whined and moaned in pleasure, her fingers digging into her bed sheets.


    Trey spanked her ass as he drove deeper into her dripping cunt. Her pussy clenched tightly around his shaft, hugging it as he bottomed out.


    “Fuck,” Nora moaned. “I don’t think ‘Miss Fire Mage’ would know what to do with your huge cock.”


    Trey felt that ‘Miss Fire Mage’ would probably do just fine, but he wisely kept his thoughts to himself and instead, focused on pounding the sexy blonde in front of him. His hips clapped against her ass cheeks, the sounds of their vigorous fucking echoing off the walls.


    Nora arched her back in response to his onslaught. “Pull my—” she started, but Trey was one step ahead of her, his hand tightly gripping a fistful of her golden hair and tugging back as he buried himself entirely in her pussy.


    “Fuck yes!” Nora cried out. Her cunt spasmed, constricting around his shaft as her orgasm took control. Her thighs trembled and she planted her face into the mattress to muffle her screams.


    Nora’s body shuddered as her orgasm subsided. Her head shifted so she could glance back at Trey, her eyes burning with wild lust. “Give me that fucking load, Trey. I want you to blow everything you’ve got deep inside me.”


    Nora pushed her ass back against him, making sure he knew he wasn’t escaping until she was overflowing with his seed. Trey groaned, escaping was the last thing on his mind. His fingers dug into her fleshy hips and he began pummeling her with reckless abandon. Her pussy was incredibly tight from her recent orgasm, making his balls tingle and his toes curl. “Fuck,” he moaned as her walls tightened around him. “Here it comes.”


    “Yes,” Nora panted breathlessly. Give me your cum, Trey. All of it.”


    Trey couldn’t hold back any longer, his shaft twitching in warning before he exploded inside Nora. Rope after rope of cum filled Nora, coating her insides and dripping down her legs. He continued thrusting, emptying every last drop.


    Nora flopped over on her bed. “Oooh, Professor Adams is missing out,” she said, her voice laced with lingering satisfaction.


    A playful sigh escaped Trey’s lips. “Now she’s missing out?! After I fuck you silly, suddenly you’re willing to share? You’re more unpredictable than a troll aiming for a toilet.”


    “I prefer ‘spontaneous’ and ‘adventurous,’” she said with a wink. “That’s why you love me.” A dreamy smile still plastered on her face from getting railed.


    Trey couldn’t help but laugh. “Will you allow me to get ready for my fire magic lesson now?” he asked sarcastically.


    “Actually,” Nora said, her tone growing more serious, “there’s something else I want to discuss with you.”


    Trey’s eyebrows raised. “Uh… yeah. Sure. What do you want to talk about?” He settled down beside her on the bed, not a single piece of clothing on either of them.


    “I had a vision with my divination magic,” Nora said. “There was a battle—here at Windrake.”


    Trey nodded, encouraging her to continue.


    “Guardian’s Keep is captured,” Nora said, alarming Trey, “and you go in alone to take it back.”


    “What?!” he exclaimed.


    “That’s what I saw,” she replied, throwing her hands up.


    “Who captures it?” he queried.


    “That wasn’t revealed.”


    Trey leaned back on her bed, contemplating what she had just divulged.


    “How does divination magic work?” he asked.


    “Have you ever seen a painter work on a canvas?” she replied.


    He shook his head.


    “Uh, well, it’s kind of like that,” Nora offered anyway. “A question forms in my head and I channel my mana toward grasping that question. Then the magic begins to paint a picture, sometimes all I get is a background color, which isn’t helpful at all unless the question is something like ‘what time will this happen?’”


    “A dark image would likely mean nighttime?” he clarified.


    Nora nodded, then pressed on. “Sometimes the magic will paint figures, but won’t give them a face or any identifying features. There was one time when I saw a face, but nothing else. That confused me the most.”


    “Will you get a clearer picture the more you practice?” Trey asked.


    “I don’t know,” Nora admitted. “Someday I hope to talk with the Grand Oracle about it. Hopefully, not from a prison cell.”


    “I’m going to keep you out of prison,” Trey reassured her.


    She jumped on his comment. “Have you made any progress?”


    “Both Marvin and the Grand Oracle know about the pending attack on Windrake,” Trey shared with her. “Marvin thinks your father might be involved.”


    Nora scoffed. “And why would he think that?”


    “He recently traveled to Goltenberg,” Trey strategically revealed. “He found Professor Forswick, one of Harold Greene’s allies, near your father’s store.”


    “When did he go to Goltenberg?” Nora asked, crossing her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowing. “That would have been nice to know.”


    “Marvin doesn’t always tell me where he goes,” Trey said, wincing. While the statement was technically true, he was still not being completely honest with Nora.


    “You better not hide this stuff from me,” Nora warned. “I’m trusting you with my father’s life.”


    Trey gulped and desperately searched for a way to change the subject. “Why did I show up in your divination magic?”


    Nora uncharacteristically blushed. “I use my magic to check on you sometimes. I’m concerned for your safety… and other things.”


    “Other things?”


    “I might have seen something else interesting with my divination magic,” Nora said smugly, tapping her chin with a finger.


    “Am I supposed to read your mind?” Trey ironically asked.


    “I see another girl in your future… it wasn’t the fire magic professor, though,” Nora teased.


    Trey snorted “Are you going to tell me, or are you making it up?” he asked impatiently.


    “I’m not going to tell you,” she replied with a sly smile. “You wouldn''t believe me anyway.”


    Trey knew that, unlike Eva, Nora lacked the training to defend against his mind magic, so he had no issues taking the bait. What he discovered in the blonde’s mind, however, shattered his carefully maintained expression and left his eyes wide with disbelief.


    Nora looked at him funny. “What?”


    She had been correct; he wouldn’t have believed her if she had told him.