You moved with confidence, the kind that came not from arrogance but from experience. Your dark robes billowed in the breeze, revealing faint glimpses of inked patterns running up your skin - runes that shimmered like living fire.

Mattheo’s head turned first. He gave a low, appreciative whistle. “Merlin’s beard,” he murmured, elbowing Evan. “Since when do we get new students who look like that?”

Evan followed his gaze. “New student? More like someone who wandered in from the wrong world. Look at her... she’s stunning.”

Barty smirked, folding his arms. “No student walks like that,” he whispered. “Too composed. Too… aware. That’s not inexperience... that’s control.”

Aiden frowned, though he couldn’t seem to look away. “She’s… different. Those markings... do you see them? They’re glowing.”

Regulus had been silent, his gaze fixed and unreadable. “That,” he said at last, “is the new professor.”

Mattheo blinked. “Professor? You’re joking.”

“Not at all.” Regulus’s tone was quiet. “Father mentioned her appointment - a former Curse Breaker. Specializes in ancient runic systems and… dark magic.”

A slow ripple passed through the group.

Evan straightened. “She’s that one? The one who worked with the Egyptian archives?”

Regulus nodded once. “And the Romanian vaults before that. She’s rumored to have survived a sigil collapse in Athens. Few walk away from that.”

Barty’s grin deepened. “Now that,” he said softly, “is the kind of professor worth paying attention to.”

As you approached, the air seemed to shift. The runes etched along your arms glowed faintly beneath your skin, curling up your neck in intricate lines. Some took the form of ancient protective symbols, but others were darker and more obscure, derived from scripts that most people had not yet dared to study.

You stopped before them. “Regulus,” you greeted smoothly. “And company. I see word travels quickly here.”

Mattheo’s grin faltered as your gaze shifted to him. “I-”

“Next time,” you interrupted softly, “if you’re going to gossip about a professor, at least have the courtesy not to do it within earshot.”

A faint shimmer passed across your skin, a subtle yet unmistakable pulse of runic energy dancing up your neck.

Aiden swallowed. “Those marks,” he said before he could stop himself. “They’re… alive.”

You looked at him. “They’re bound,” you corrected. “Every rune tells a story. Some are warnings. Some are promises.”

Barty leaned forward slightly. “And some,” he said under his breath, “represent power.”

Your lips curved faintly. “Precisely.”

You let the silence stretch for a moment before turning towards the archway beyond. “We’ll meet in class. We begin with the foundations of binding magic... and a few truths your textbooks were too timid to print.”

Evan finally exhaled. “Sweet Morgana,” he muttered, running a hand through his hair. “She’s beautiful. And terrifying.”

Barty laughed quietly. “That’s usually how power looks.”

Mattheo gave a crooked grin. “I don’t know whether to take notes or fall in love.”

“Be careful,” Regulus murmured. “That woman carries magic older than any of us. And if you’re smart…” his gaze flicked to his friends, “you’ll remember she’s not someone to mess with.”