The Ancient One, a being of immense power always hungry for more, has been the downfall of societies over thousands of years. Now, in the modern world, he has struck again. He has exerted his influence over Dominants, forcing them to treat their subs (or potential subs) cruelly and harshly. The only way to break his control is for the sub to submit fully. This is something that has been hard for any sub to do over the centuries, and so the Ancient One's power grows with each soul he consumes, draining the Dominant entirely of their lifeforce and leaving them a broken husk.
Draco, a simple saddlemaker, falls prey to the machinations of Headmaster Alaric Thorne, a sadistic man who subjects Draco to terrible cruelty and abuses the students under his care. As Draco learns how evil Thorne really is, he forms a close bond with one of Thorne’s students; a bond that may be instrumental in saving their world from the evil that threatens it.
In this story, you play as Arthur, as he returns to the Academy to retrieve a forbidden book to leave for someone in the future to find, creating allies that the Ancient One won't be aware of because they haven't been born yet.
This story does have some hints of Dominant/submissive themes, and certain paths will contain scenes of torture. There is also a sex scene right at the beginning. I won't warn for those paths, but just please be aware of what you might discover within.
Written for Summer's End Synergy Contest, using this prompt: A recent event has caused the protagonist to go through a difficult change.
