The Villain Professor's Second Chance

Amberine froze, her heart pounding in her chest. The desperation in the student's voice was palpable, a mixture of fear and something darker—something that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Ifrit, sensing her unease, let out a soft growl, the heat from his tiny form radiating through her robe.

"I don't understand?" Amberine shot back, her voice laced with anger. "I understand enough to know that you're dabbling in something dangerous! Demonic magic is forbidden for a reason, and you're putting everyone at risk!"

The student glared at her, their eyes wide with panic. "You think I wanted this?" they spat, their hands trembling as they continued to etch runes into the floor. "You think I had a choice? They forced me into this!" Discover more content at m,v l'e|m-p| y r

Amberine took a step closer, her hands clenching into fists as she felt the familiar warmth of her fire mana bubbling beneath the surface. "Who? Who forced you? What are you talking about?"

The student hesitated, their gaze darting around the room as if they were expecting someone—or something—to burst in at any moment. "The Circle," they finally whispered, their voice barely audible. "They're a secret group… They're here, within the university. They… they recruit students like me—students who are struggling, who have no other options.

They promised me power, a way to finally prove myself, but I didn't know it would come to this!"

"The Circle?" Amberine's mind raced as she tried to piece together the information. She had heard rumors of a secretive group within the university, but nothing concrete—just whispers in the hallways, gossip among students. But if what this student was saying was true, then the situation was far worse than she had imagined.

"You're being used," Amberine said, her voice firm but not unkind. "You have to stop this before it's too late."

The student shook their head frantically, tears welling up in their eyes. "I can't stop! If I do, they'll kill me! You don't understand what they're capable of!"

Amberine's frustration boiled over, and she let out an exasperated sigh. "Then let me help you! We can go to the professors, to the administration—"

"No!" The student's shout echoed through the room, cutting Amberine off. "You don't get it! They're everywhere! Even the professors… some of them are involved! I can't trust anyone!"

Amberine felt a chill run down her spine at the implication. How deep did this conspiracy run? How many people were involved? She took another step forward, trying to keep her voice calm despite the rising panic. "Then we need to find someone who isn't involved, someone we can trust. You can't do this alone."

The student hesitated, their resolve wavering for a moment before they returned to their frantic work. "It's too late," they muttered, more to themselves than to Amberine. "The ritual… it's almost complete. I can't stop it now."

Amberine's eyes widened as she looked at the glowing runes on the floor, their sickly light casting eerie shadows on the walls. She could feel the dark energy emanating from the circle, a malevolent force that made her skin crawl. Her instincts screamed at her to do something, anything, to stop whatever was about to happen, but she knew she was in over her head.

"You can't just finish it!" Amberine protested, her voice rising in pitch as the reality of the situation began to sink in. "You don't know what will happen! This is demonic magic—we have no idea what we're dealing with!"

The student ignored her, their hands moving faster now, as if they were running out of time. Amberine could see the fear etched on their face, the terror of someone who knew they were caught between a rock and a hard place, with no way out.

Amberine's heart pounded in her chest as she wrestled with her options. She could try to stop the student by force, but she knew that could be disastrous. The circle was already active, its power pulsing with dark energy, and disrupting it without knowing its full purpose could have catastrophic consequences.

The words of Professor Draven echoed in her mind, his cold, authoritative voice cutting through her panic. "It's foolish to disrupt a magic circle or spell without understanding its full functionality. You risk unleashing forces you cannot control."

Amberine gritted her teeth, the frustration building within her. Draven was right—she couldn't just charge in without knowing what she was dealing with. But she couldn't just stand by and do nothing either.

"Maris!" Amberine called out, her voice trembling slightly as she turned towards the door. She knew her friend had been close by, following her out of concern. "Maris, find Elara! We need her—now!"

Maris, who had been lingering in the hallway, burst into the room at Amberine's call, her eyes wide with worry. "Elara? Why Elara? Shouldn't we get Professor Althea or someone?"

"No!" Amberine snapped, her panic bubbling over into frustration. "Elara knows magic circles better than anyone. She'll understand this—she can help!"

Maris hesitated for a moment, clearly torn, but the urgency in Amberine's voice pushed her into action. "Alright, I'll find her!" she said, before sprinting out of the room, her footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Amberine turned back to the student, her heart racing. She could feel the dark energy building within the circle, growing stronger with each passing second. Ifrit let out a low, warning growl, his fiery eyes locked on the glowing runes as if he could sense the danger.

"You need to stop," Amberine pleaded, her voice trembling with fear and desperation. "This ritual… it's going to go wrong. You have to stop before it's too late!"

The student looked up at her, their eyes filled with a mixture of terror and resignation. "I can't," they whispered, their voice breaking. "It's already too late…"

Before Amberine could respond, a sharp crack split the air, followed by a low, rumbling sound that seemed to come from deep within the earth. The runes on the floor flared with a blinding light, and the air around them began to distort, warping and twisting as if reality itself was unraveling.

"No!" Amberine cried out, but her voice was drowned out by the roar of dark energy that erupted from the circle, engulfing the room in a swirling vortex of shadows and flames.

Amberine instinctively raised her hands, channeling her fire mana in a desperate attempt to shield herself from the onslaught. Ifrit responded in kind, his small form glowing with a fierce light as he expanded, forming a protective barrier around them.

But the force of the dark energy was too much. The barrier buckled under the pressure, and Amberine felt herself being thrown back, her body crashing against the wall with a sickening thud. Pain lanced through her as she struggled to regain her bearings, her vision swimming with dark spots.

The student was caught in the center of the vortex, their body suspended in mid-air as the dark energy swirled around them, tearing at their clothes and flesh. They screamed—a sound that was part agony, part terror—as the ritual spiraled out of control.

Amberine tried to move, tried to get to her feet, but the force of the dark magic pinned her in place. She could feel the malevolence of the energy, its intent to corrupt and destroy, and it filled her with a primal fear that threatened to consume her.

"No… this can't be happening…" Amberine whispered, her voice barely audible over the roar of the vortex. "We need Elara… where is she?"

Just as the thought crossed her mind, the vortex exploded outward, sending a shockwave of dark energy rippling through the room. The force of the blast shattered the windows, sent books and scrolls flying off the shelves, and knocked Amberine flat on her back.

For a moment, everything was silent, the air thick with the acrid smell of burnt magic. Amberine lay on the cold stone floor, gasping for breath, her body aching from the impact. She could feel the dark energy still pulsing in the air around her, like the aftershocks of an earthquake.

She struggled to sit up, her head spinning as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. The room was a mess—rubble and debris littered the floor, and the once-glowing runes had been reduced to smoldering ash. The student lay crumpled in the center of the room, unconscious and barely breathing.

Amberine's heart pounded in her chest as she crawled over to the student, her hands trembling as she checked for a pulse. It was faint, but it was there. Relief washed over her, but it was quickly replaced by a renewed sense of urgency. They were in serious trouble.

"Maris… where are you…" Amberine muttered to herself, her voice weak and strained. "Elara… we need you…"

Before she could gather her thoughts, a low, rumbling growl echoed through the room. Amberine froze, her blood running cold as she slowly turned to face the source of the sound.

There, standing in the doorway, was a goblin. Its small, twisted body was hunched over, its yellow eyes gleaming with a predatory hunger. Behind it, more goblins began to emerge from the shadows, their guttural snarls filling the air.

"Goblins...?"