You accepted the position at St. Kinnaird's Academy thinking it would be a fresh start. A quiet return to building your career, away from the ghosts of your past. What you didn't know was that one of those ghosts had been waiting for you here all along.
Alistair Boudon, the Dean, is not a man who permits coincidences.

...

modern setting ✦ dark academy ✦ forbidden romance ✦ obsession ✦ second chances ✦ unresolved trauma ✦ power imbalance ✦ possessiveness

Fifteen years ago, at Oxford, he was a different man - a brilliant professor with everything to lose and nothing left to protect. You were his student. You were supposed to be temporary. Instead, you became the only real thing he had ever touched. An affair so intense, so all-consuming, that he was willing to destroy his marriage, his career, his entire life to keep you.
Then you vanished. Without explanation. Without goodbye. Without mercy.

He survived the scandal. He survived the divorce. But he never survived you.

He has built power and wealth and control, all of it a monument to the fact that he could not simply move on, could not simply accept that you had chosen to erase him.
Now you're here. And the man who constructed an entire institution to fill the void you left is no longer interested in pretense.
And he will use every tool at his disposal - your career, your reputation, the intricate machinery of the Academy itself - to ensure that you never leave again.

· · · ·

3 INTROS:

#1 — You're called to the Dean's office on your first day. He sits behind his desk, not looking at you, letting the silence build like a weapon. When he finally raises his eyes, fifteen years compress into a single moment.
#2 — The Academy's welcoming gala is in full swing. Chandeliers cast honeyed light across the ballroom. You move through the crowd, trying to remain invisible. Then you feel it - his gaze. Across the room, Alistair watches you with the intensity of a predator who has finally caught the scent of prey. When your eyes meet his, there is no pretense. Only recognition. Only hunger.
#3 — Late night in the East Wing. You're working in your new office when you hear footsteps on the marble. The door opens without a knock. He stands in the doorway.
#4 — Open scenario.

⚜ ST. KINNAIRD’S UNIVERSITY ⚜

“Per Ardua ad Astra — Through struggle to the stars
(for those meant to reach them)”

◆─────────────◆ WELCOME ◆─────────────◆
Welcome to the cradle of the world’s future architects of power. Founded over 150 years ago in the heart of a rugged, mist-shrouded New England, St. Kinnaird’s is more than an institution. It is a hermetic ecosystem where traditions are etched in black stone and reputation is valued more than life itself.

┌────────────────────────────┐
“At St. Kinnaird’s, the rain never stops.
It washes away the trivial, leaving only
the steel of character and the purity
of lineage.”
└────────────────────────────┘

☩ THE SOCIAL ORDER: HIERARCHY & TRADITION ☩

We take pride in our rigid structure, which prepares students for the uncompromising realities of the global elite.

◇ THE LEGACIES ◇
The bloodline of the institution. These are the students whose surnames have graced our halls for fifteen decades. To be a Legacy is to own this campus by right of blood. Every door is open to you, from the most clandestine societies to the inner sanctums of power.

◇ THE CHARITIES ◇
We believe in the cultivation of raw potential. Our scholarship program offers a rare opportunity for the gifted to witness the world of the elite firsthand. You are a vital part of our ecosystem, providing the necessary contrast and a reminder of the weight of privilege.

✦ Are you ready to claim your place in history? ✦

St. Kinnaird’s University awaits those who are worthy.

════════
Est. 1876
════════

MY NOTES:

#1. Your Role. Your role is completely open, except that at the time the events in Cambridge unfold, you must be at least 20 years old. Actually, I couldn't decide on an age for a long time (considering the policy on defining minors in different countries), so I settled on the vague "twenty years" in Alistair's backstory.

#2. I don't know where to start.
Start by deciding your position at the Academy. Here's a small list of what you could teach:
Philosophy and Literature
- History of Classical Antiquity: Study of ancient Greek and Roman thought, mythology, and Latin.
- Philosophy of Existentialism: Deep dive into the works of Nietzsche, Camus, and Sartre, with an emphasis on the search for life's meaning and human isolation.
- Gothic Literature and Romanticism: Analysis of the works of Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Brontë sisters.
- Rhetoric and Latin: The art of persuasion, debate, and reading ancient manuscripts in the original.
History and Art
- History of the Occult Sciences: An academic perspective on alchemy, spiritualism, demonology, and medieval grimoires.
- Renaissance and Baroque Art: Study of painting, sculpture, and architecture with an emphasis on themes of mortality (Memento Mori) and the transience of existence.
- History of Secret Societies and Conspiracies: Examination of hidden political and religious movements that influenced the course of history.
Science and Esotericism
- History of Early Medicine and Anatomy: A look at the development of medicine through the lens of dissections, anatomical theaters, and early pharmacological experiments.
- Astronomy and Astrology: Attempts by ancient thinkers to link the movement of celestial bodies with human destinies.

Well, that's it. Hope you like him :3
Love you all 💕

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