Chapter 8 - "Only Mine"
Keal stared at him like he had just seen a ghost.
But it wasn't just any ghost—it was the Demon King himself. Or rather, the boy named Enzo, who had just been introduced by the teacher and was now casually making his way to the empty chair next to Keal as if nothing was strange about any of it.
Keal didn't move. He just sat stiffly, watching Enzo out of the corner of his eye. Every step Enzo took toward that chair felt like a warning siren going off in his head. Enzo walked with a calmness that was almost too confident, like he owned the entire academy, or maybe the whole world. He sat down, leaned back, and gave Keal the same smirk that he had worn the first time they met.
Keal turned his head sharply, pretending to look somewhere else—anywhere else. His pulse was racing so fast he could feel it in his ears. What the hell was going on? Why was Enzo here, looking like just another teenage student? Wasn't he supposed to be in the dark realm or wherever demons ruled?
Just as Keal tried to process that, Mark suddenly stood up. His voice rang through the classroom, loud and mocking.
"Finally," Mark said, waving a hand in Keal's direction. "Now Keal has someone to keep him company. Two powerless freaks in one corner. How touching."
A few students around them chuckled, and Keal clenched his jaw but said nothing.
The teacher didn't laugh. She smacked her desk with a sharp thump that made everyone jump. "Enough! This is not a playground. Sit down and shut your mouth, Mark. One more outburst, and you're doing toilet duty for a month."
Mark slowly sank back into his seat, still grinning, clearly enjoying himself.
Keal sat still, not reacting to the stares or the whispers. He didn't want to give anyone a reason to look at him longer than they needed to. But it was useless. His eyes kept drifting to Enzo, who was pretending to listen to the lecture but hadn't stopped smiling since he arrived.
It was like Enzo knew something Keal didn't.
The rest of the class blurred by. Keal couldn't remember a single thing the teacher said after that. Something about the Demon King's return and how the students needed to learn control, to be ready, to protect themselves. Keal had tuned it all out. How could he focus when the literal person everyone was scared of was sitting two feet away from him like it was no big deal?
As soon as the bell rang, Keal grabbed his bag and stood up. He didn't wait. He wasn't planning on hanging around to find out what Enzo wanted. He left the classroom, not looking back, trying to disappear into the hallway crowd.
He didn't stop walking until he reached his room. Once inside, he slammed the door shut and leaned against it, eyes wide and breath uneven. His hands were trembling.
"This can't be real," he muttered to himself.
He threw his bag on the floor and sat heavily on his bed, both hands covering his face. Then he let out a scream, muffled into his palms. He wasn't even sure if he was angry, scared, or just losing his mind.
He stood back up and started pacing.
Back and forth.
Back and forth.
He dragged a hand through his hair and muttered again, louder this time. "Why is he here? What does he want from me?"
Everything felt wrong. Nothing made sense. If Enzo was the Demon King, why was he pretending to be a student? Why here, in this academy? And why was he looking at Keal like they shared some secret?
Just then, someone knocked. No, not a knock. The door opened, and Keal froze in place.
It was the room keeper, an older man who worked for the academy and usually stayed in the background. But this time, he wasn't alone. Standing beside him, cool and collected as always, was Enzo.
"Keal," the man said without waiting for any greeting, "this is Enzo. He'll be sharing your room for a few days until we find space for him somewhere else."
Keal blinked. "Wait—what? No, I mean, can't he—"
But the room keeper was already turning away.
"It's been decided. Try not to kill each other."
The door shut behind them.
Keal was still standing in the same spot, trying to wrap his head around what just happened. "No," he said slowly, looking at Enzo. "This has to be a joke. Why are you here? What do you want?"
Enzo didn't answer. He stepped fully into the room, closing the door gently behind him.
"You didn't answer my question," Keal repeated, backing up a little.
Enzo smiled. "You ask a lot of questions for someone who already knows the answers."
That didn't help. It just made everything feel more messed up.
Keal kept backing away until his back hit the wall. Enzo walked forward with a slow confidence, his eyes never leaving Keal's. There was something in that look—something unreadable.
Keal pressed himself against the wall. "Don't get any closer. I swear, if you try anything—"
Enzo raised a hand and placed it on the wall beside Keal's head.
They were barely inches apart now.
Keal could feel the warmth radiating from him, could hear the calm breathing that didn't match the chaos running through his own body. And then, just like that, Enzo leaned in.
His lips brushed against Keal's. Soft. Deliberate.
Keal froze, eyes wide, hands pressed against the wall behind him. He didn't move. He didn't speak.
It wasn't rough or forced. It wasn't even fast. It was like Enzo was trying to prove something. Or claim something.
When he finally pulled away, Enzo moved close to Keal's ear.
"You belong to me," he whispered, his voice low and sure.
Keal didn't respond.
He couldn't.
He stood there, frozen, as Enzo walked away from him, completely at ease.
And in that moment, Keal knew this was only the beginning.