Another year of torment passed for Drake.

  Every day now began not with sword training, but with endless etiquette lessons.

  The table was always filled with countless utensils, each with its own purpose.

  He had to remember which knife was used for meat, which for fish, and which for dessert.

  Bows.

  Perfect posture.

  Controlled movements.

  Whenever Moraena walked somewhere, he had to offer her his arm.

  Every gesture had to be deliberate.

  Every word had to be measured.

  All of this for someone who, only two years ago, had lived among soldiers and bandits.

  Another dinner passed almost like a true noble reception.

  Drake elegantly pulled out a chair and helped Moraena sit.

  She lowered herself gracefully, watching his movements carefully.

  He only took his own seat after she had settled.

  The meal passed in calm, almost boring aristocratic conversation.

  When they finished, Moraena simply looked at him for a moment.

  There was genuine admiration in her eyes.

  — In just one year you transformed from a soldier boy into a true nobleman, — she said.

  — You’ve even developed habits that most people only gain after growing up in an aristocratic family.

  Drake slightly inclined his head.

  — Lady Moraena, all of this is thanks to your lessons.

  Your unmatched strictness, endless corrections, and constant teasing.

  He paused.

  — Although I must admit… several insults have escaped your lovely mouth that made me question your own upbringing.

  Moraena puffed her cheeks and blushed slightly.

  — That’s enough! — she muttered. — You passed everything. Well done.

  Drake ughed.

  His ughter was contagious, and a moment ter Moraena quietly ughed as well.

  He looked at her more seriously.

  — Thank you.

  He gazed directly into her eyes.

  Something inside Moraena tightened.

  As if butterflies suddenly fluttered in her stomach.

  — You are my precious student… — she began softly. — I will always—

  Drake suddenly cried out.

  He grabbed his arm.

  The final link of the magical seal around his wrist shattered with a sharp crack.

  In the same instant, dark energy burst outward.

  The entire room seemed to grow heavy.

  The air trembled.

  Darkness slowly spread across the floor.

  — Just like I taught you! — Moraena shouted. — Start absorbing it!

  The darkness seemed to hear her voice.

  Reluctantly, it began flowing back into its master.

  Drake felt incredible power.

  And overwhelming desire.

  Everything that had been suppressed by the seal for two years erupted tenfold.

  He could barely stay on his feet.

  In the next moment, magical vines burst from the floor.

  They wrapped around his arms and legs, lifting him into the air like a helpless puppet.

  Moraena exhaled slowly.

  — I’m afraid… the hardest part begins now.

  The next month turned into pure agony for Drake.

  He constantly lost control of his body.

  The instincts of the incubus tried to break free.

  Several times he attempted to attack Moraena.

  Not out of anger.

  But out of hunger.

  Desire.

  The only control he had left was over the most basic things.

  Walking to relieve himself.

  Eating.

  The rest of the time his mind drowned in waves of lust and dark power.

  Two more months passed.

  — Come on! — Moraena shouted. — You can do it!

  She suppressed his aura with her magic.

  The pheromones of the incubus filled the room like a heavy fog.

  Drake gritted his teeth.

  He tried to hold the power inside.

  But it constantly broke free.

  — You stink of demon from a mile away! — Moraena snapped. — Get yourself together!

  Then she suddenly changed her approach.

  — Is this what you want to become?

  She stared straight into his eyes.

  — A demon.

  Drake roared.

  — GRAAAAAH!

  With furious determination he forced the darkness back inside himself.

  The shadows and pheromones twisted together inside his body.

  His skin erupted with bck blisters.

  They burst open.

  But Moraena instantly healed the wounds with magic.

  Again.

  And again.

  And again.

  Three more months of torment passed.

  But slowly something changed.

  His aura became more stable.

  Drake learned how to compress it deep inside himself.

  Now he could hide it almost completely.

  One morning he suddenly froze.

  The world looked different.

  He could see streams of mana.

  Thin threads of energy flowing through the air, the ground, and even the trees.

  They were everywhere.

  Moraena noticed his expression.

  — Excellent, — she said, cpping her hands excitedly. — You can see it!

  Drake blinked.

  — See… what?

  She smiled wider.

  — The flow of mana.

  She stepped closer.

  — And that means…

  She raised one finger.

  — It’s time for the next stage.

  Drake sighed tiredly.

  He already had a feeling what she would say next.

  — Now, — Moraena said with a satisfied smile, — we begin learning the basics of magic.

  Drake let out a long breath.

  But he still smiled.

  It seemed…

  His education had only just begun.