Erika_George

Evren didn’t come to this new school looking for anything—definitely not a connection. He just wanted to keep his head down, finish the year, and stay invisible. But everything shifts when he gets placed in Bonded Class, where students are paired up without any say… no choice, no explanation.

That’s how he ends up with Cas.

Cas is messy and magnetic. The kind of boy who laughs too loud, hides too much, and sees straight through Evren’s walls like they’re made of glass.

They’re not supposed to care.
It’s just an assignment.
Just a class.

But something about Cas feels inevitable.

And soon, their bond becomes more than either of them expected—something deep, complicated, and terrifyingly real.

The Bonded Class

Cas felt like he was being pulled apart at the seams.

The moment the system confirmed the unlock—Heir of the First Arc—his magic turned on itself. Not just flowing through him. Tearing through him.

Serath stood over him, chanting an incantation in a language that made the air crackle. Evren knelt beside him, holding him down as the glow around Cas's body turned from gold to void-black.

"You need to stabilize him!" Evren shouted. "He's burning up—he can't handle this alone!"

"He's not supposed to!" Serath yelled back. "The Heir always needed a conduit!"

"Yes!" Serath snapped. "You're the only one synced deep enough. Either you channel it, or it kills him."

⚠️ EMERGENCY CLASS SYNC PROTOCOL AVAILABLE

➤ Accept Sync as Primary Conduit?➤ Risk: Soul-Binding➤ Reward: Shared Class Access – Arc Ascension

Evren didn't hesitate. He slammed his palm against Cas's chest—over his heart.

"I accept," he growled. "Take me in."

The bond surged so violently that the air warped. Lightning snaked through the outpost walls. Cas screamed—and the scream wasn't just pain. It was everything: grief, love, power, and something ancient that didn't belong in human throats.

Cas's mind opened—and Evren fell inside.

A memory, not his. A lifetime not theirs.

Cas, standing alone in a field of stars.His hands soaked in blood.Dozens of bodies, all with eyes like Evren's.

"I never meant to be this," future-Cas whispered. "But love always ends in war."

Evren gasped, yanked out of the vision, heart pounding. "Cas—"

The void-light was gone. His skin glowed faintly now—silver veins along his arms. Ancient marks burned into his skin. Wings of magic folded behind his shoulders.

He looked at Evren like he'd just come home.

Evren brushed sweat from his brow. "Of course I did."

The doors to the outpost burst open.

Evren drew his blade, instantly shielding Cas.

But the figure who stepped inside made both of them freeze.

She was older now. Scarred. Wrapped in tactical armor, her eyes cold and fast.

She used to be Cas's first partner. Before Evren. Before the system reclassified Cas as "unstable."

"Long time," she said, voice flat. "You look like shit. And you—" she eyed Evren—"look exactly like the reason everything went to hell."

Evren said nothing. He recognized the rage in her—because he'd felt it too.

"What are you doing here?" Cas asked.

Rhea tossed something onto the table.

"Reaper tech," she said. "Intercepted before it reached your bond's root code."

Cas paled. "They're trying to rewrite us already?"

"No," she said darkly. "They already did."

🔔 CORRUPTION DETECTED IN CORE BOND CODE

➤ Corrupted Line: "Primary Will – Mutual Survival"➤ Overwritten With: "Primary Will – Sacrificial Priority"

One of you was altered to die for the other. Automatically. Irreversibly.

Evren stepped forward, voice shaking. "Which one of us?"

Chapter Sixteen – The Heir Awakens