From that day on, Thomas became a bit more active, but it didn’t mean his life was getting better. Sometimes he would front, only to find a prince holding his hand, and he would get away quickly. Mariane’s boyfriends were getting irritated by the situation, everytime they would go to her room and find Thomas, they would sm the door in anger. The situation was escating quickly, and no one could stop it.

  As a temporary fix, Thomas had resolved to put a ‘T’ in Mariane’s profile on social media when he was here, in order to inform the princes. It had somewhat calmed down their fury, but it wasn’t a complete solution.

  It was one of those days, Thomas had fronted during css, and flinched when he sensed a hand on his thigh. He immediately took it off, and unched a heavy gre at Asmodey, who snorted in return.

  “Why don’t you go die somewhere, instead of annoying everyone ? Even Mariane is getting tired of you.”

  Thomas gritted his teeth and responded in the same tone.

  “Do you want me to kill myself ? I wonder what your reaction would be if I really cut Mariane’s wrists. And by the way, it’s because of her that I can’t just vanish.”

  His dry answer angered Asmodey so much that horns started to sprout amidst his auburn hair, but Thomas ignored him and focused his attention on the css. Having two men sitting so close to him made his hands shake, but he was trying his best not to show it.

  ‘It’s alright. It’s fine. Everything is okay. Bael will find a spell and I will get out.’

  He repeated those words again and again in his mind, trying to convince himself that only good days were to come. He would have a body, and he would live a new life, Thomas was going to be a real person and not the shadow of someone else. He had to believe it, or he would break down.

  Immersing himself in his lesson, he unknowingly whispered to Paimon :

  “In which order do we draw this rune ? Is it the line before the circle, or the contrary ?”

  The blond prince looked at him in surprise, but kept his thoughts to himself.

  “The line first. Don’t forget the dot on the side, or you will obtain a different spell.”

  “Got it.”

  Thomas continued to write attentively in his notebook, with Paimon observing him. He must have finally realized, because Thomas muttered :

  “If you continue staring at me, I might get angry. Focus on your lesson.”

  The prince nodded, and turned to the bckboard. Once the bell rang, Thomas sprung up, grabbed his furniture in a hurry, and ran out of the cssroom. The student’s eyes on him felt scorching hot, his breathing was getting ragged, his vision blurred, he was one step away from a panic attack.

  He entered the headmaster’s office in a hurry, and smmed the door behind him, his legs giving out under him. Bael immediately stood up from his desk, and ran to him, crouching at his side.

  “Are you okay ?”

  Thomas took a deep breath before smiling weakly.

  “Not much worse than usual.”

  The king took a glove out of his pocket and put it on, then extending his hand to Thomas. The human took it, and pulled himself up, staggering on his weak legs.

  “I really need to get used to this.”

  Bael shrugged.

  “Maybe you won’t, and that’s okay. If going to school stresses you out so much, when you’ll have your own body, you will come to live at the castle and I will teach you personally.”

  He helped Thomas sit down, who couldn’t stop smiling.

  “Private csses with the king ? Damn, people will get jealous !”

  They had started to talk regurly about what they would do when Thomas would have his own body. None of them were sure if it would actually happen, but it reassured them to have something to look forward to.

  Thomas leaned against the backrest, taking his time to steady his breath and his shaky hands. The king, still wearing gloves, was massaging his fingers.

  “You didn’t finish your story st time. What was it about martial arts ?”

  The human opened his eyes, and looked into Bael’s.

  “People seem to really like my stories. Even Larotte never stopped asking me for them.”

  The demon tilted his head.

  “The kid, am I right ? Well, I can understand her. You’re a very good narrator.”

  Thomas smiled at the compliment, and looked at his hands, still massaged by the king.

  “The trick with the gloves is really good. I don’t feel as bad when you touch me.”

  “Does that mean you still feel a little bad ?”

  His worried face made Thomas burst out in ughter.

  “I mean, would it make sense if I suddenly felt better after a few weeks ? But if it can console you, you are the only one who can touch me at the moment. Any other man would make me freak out just by standing near. So be proud, okay ?”

  Bael smiled warmly, small dimples forming on his cheeks.

  “I take that win, thank you ! I worked hard for it !”

  They continued their small talk, Thomas telling stories about the human world and the king listening with great attention. When the bell marking the end of the day rang, Thomas stiffened.

  “I don’t want to go back to the dormitory, I really can’t…”

  Bael nodded, gently patting his head.

  “You can stay in the room you used during your recovery, in my castle.”

  “No. You know that I don’t usually stay for long. In one hour at most, I will be back in the inner world.”

  Thomas had his head down, his hands csped together. Before, he would have been happy to go back to the imaginary building, but everything changed after the aggression. He didn’t feel connected to the other personalities anymore, and a certain animosity was born when they had noticed he was like Mariane, he had a soul. He didn’t talk about the idea of having a new body yet, but he knew that it would make things worse. He was already unwelcome in reality, and was about to also be in the inner world. It was a mess. In the end, only one person actually made him feel wanted.

  He raised his head to meet Bael’s worried gaze. After hesitating for a bit, he finally opened his mouth.

  “You know, you are the first retionship that I have for myself. You didn’t approach me because of Mariane, and we are not stuck together inside someone’s head, you deliberately chose to stay with me. You are also the one who makes the first step everytime, and honestly I have no idea why, but I’m grateful. Thanks for looking out for me, Bael.”

  The king smiled affectionately and waved his hand.

  “Don’t make it so emotional, it’s nothing. Oh, and stay here until you go back, I’ll tell the princes to come fetch Mariane ter.”

  He fiddled with the papers on his desk, acting as if he was working. But secretly, he was slightly blushing.

  ‘I don’t know why I do this either…’

  ***

  When Thomas went back to the inner world, he felt refreshed, it was often the case after spending some time with Bael. He looked around him. The big fissure had been mended and the stairs leading to the control room were repaired. Even the garden was now as good as new, however the dark cave had disappeared. In its pce stood a beautiful gazebo and a few floral beds. The living room had been expanded, with a real kitchen outside of the glitchy area. The imaginary building had evolved quite a bit, which was normal after such a big event.

  “Oh, you’re back ? Won’t you tell us what you did today ?”

  Anne-Antoinette was sitting at the garden’s table, calling out to him, still holding Bénédicte’s hand. But the teenager was looking at him with an unfriendly gaze, same for the two new personalities sitting next to her. Thomas hesitated for a while, but the piercing stares were burning his skin with the same intensity as the demon students’ back in reality. Everytime he met eyes with the other residents, he felt as if he was suffocating.

  “I’m sorry, I’m a bit tired. I’ll tell you ter.”

  It was an excuse he was uttering everyday, but he couldn’t do anything else. Be it in front or in the inner world, Thomas felt like he was drowning.

  He climbed the stairs and entered his small cell, crawling on the mattress and closing the door behind him.

  ‘I want to see Bael again…’

  At least, when he was with the broad shouldered man, he had the sensation of being alive. His opinions mattered, someone was listening to his stories and his dreams, sincerely understanding his concerns and reassuring him. It was a treatment he had never received from anyone before. It felt new, a bit exciting, and so good. Of course, his heart wasn’t entirely healed, but the warm sensation in his fingertips was spreading quickly when he talked to Bael, and he felt that the iciness in his body was melting slowly.

  He closed his eyes and let the time pass, thinking about what story he would tell the king next, what activity they could do together when Thomas would have a body. Should they go shopping ? He had never bought clothes for himself and he really wanted to try. Or maybe they could go to a cafe, and eat something that Thomas had never tasted before.

  While he was lost in his imagination, he felt a pull again.

  ‘Finally. I don’t know how much time passed, but it was very long this time.’

  He was transported to the control room, and immediately froze.

  ‘Why is it bck ? Are my eyes closed ? And what is this wet feeling in my mouth ?’

  He lifted his eyelids, and almost cried in anger and terror. He was kissing Zagam.