Dawn crept slowly through Valentina''s small attic window as she awoke from a restless sleep. Her head throbbed and the worries of the previous day still weighed heavily on her.


    "Good morning, little Weaver," Vyxara''s voice purred in her head. "Did you sleep well? Have you thought about what you want to do yet?"


    Valentina moaned softly and sat up. "Please, Vyxara. Not right now. I need to clear my head first."


    "Oh, but right now is the perfect time," the demon insisted. "Your mind is still receptive to new ideas. How about this one: I could help you… procure… Distilled Essence from the university supplies."


    Valentina froze. "You mean stealing? I can''t do that. That''s-"


    "Necessary?" Vyxara interrupted gently. "Think about it, little Weaver. The university has more than enough. They would hardly notice. And you need it so badly."


    "No," Valentina said firmly as she stood up and got dressed. "That''s not an option. If I get caught, I''m finished. I''ll find another way."


    She sensed Vyxara''s dissatisfaction in her consciousness. "You''re so stubborn," the demon sighed. "Still clinging to those small-minded moral ideas. What good are your morals if you fail? If your family loses everything?"


    Valentina bit her lip. The words hit a sore spot. "There must be another way," she muttered.


    "Oh, there''s always me, of course," Vyxara agreed, her voice suddenly soft and tantalizing. "I could help you, you know? Give you all the knowledge and strength you need. All I want in return is a few... even more intense experiences."


    Valentina froze her hand on the door handle. "What do you mean?"


    She felt Vyxara''s smile in her mind, like the touch of silken fingers on her skin. "Oh, you know exactly what I mean, little Weaver. Our nightly activities so far have been... superficial. But we could explore so much more. So much deeper."


    Images flashed through Valentina''s mind, so intense and vivid that she had to gasp for air. She saw herself, lost in ecstasy, her body next to others. She saw orgies, intertwined bodies, pure lust flowing through her veins.


    "No," she gasped and yanked the door open. "This is too much. I can''t do this."


    She stormed down the corridor, past sleepy fellow students who gave her confused looks. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and she could feel the blush rising to her face.


    "You can''t run away from yourself forever," Vyxara whispered. "You want it. I can feel it. The power, the freedom, the lust..."


    "Stop it!" Valentina hissed quietly as she hurried down the stairs. A few students looked at her strangely, but she ignored them.


    She reached the university courtyard, the cool morning air a welcome relief for her heated skin. The Burning Tower loomed before her.


    Valentina leaned against a cool stone wall and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath, trying to organize her racing thoughts.


    "You can''t go on like this forever," Vyxara said gently. "You need my help. And I need... to feed. We could give each other so much."


    "At what price?" whispered Valentina. "How far do I have to go? How much of myself do I have to give up?"


    She felt Vyxara''s compassion like a warm embrace. "Oh, little Weaver. You''re not giving up anything. You''re gaining something. You''re just discovering who you really are. Who you could be."


    Valentina opened her eyes and stared at the Burning Tower.


    "I don''t know if I can do that," she said quietly.


    "Of course you can," Vyxara encouraged her. "You''re stronger than you think. Braver. You just have to jump over your shadow."


    Valentina swallowed hard. She knew she was at a crossroads. Every single decision she made now could change her life forever.


    "What... what exactly do you want from me?" she asked hesitantly.


    She sensed Vyxara''s triumph. "Nothing you don''t already have inside you, little Weaver. Let''s just... experiment. Let''s explore the limits of your body and mind. And in return, I will give you knowledge and power you can only dream of."


    Valentina shivered slightly, but not from the cold. Part of her was horrified by what she was contemplating. But another part, a part she hardly dared acknowledge, was intrigued. Excited, even.


    "I... I need to think about it," she finally said.


    "Of course," Vyxara purred contentedly. "Take all the time you need. But remember little Weaver: the candle is burning down. The competition is approaching, and your rivals are not sleeping."


    With these words, the demon withdrew into the depths of Valentina''s consciousness, a nagging presence at the edge of her perception.


    Valentina pushed herself away from the wall and made her way to her first lecture. Her head was buzzing with thoughts and feelings that she barely dared to sort out.


    As she entered the lecture hall, she saw Faustus Boarfend, who gave her a mocking grin. "Well, bumpkin," he shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. "Are you going to present us with your oh so advanced knowledge of Essence Weaving again today, which everyone who didn''t grow up in a pigsty in the forest gained years ago?"


    Valentina felt a mad, raging anger rise up inside her. She opened her mouth to say something back, but Vyxara''s voice held her back.


    "Let him talk, little Weaver. Soon, you will show him what true power is. If only you dare to seize it."


    Valentina swallowed her reply and sat down in silence. But it was boiling inside her. Oh, how she wished she could teach that vile bastard a lesson.


    When Professor Emberfell entered the room, and the lecture began, Valentina''s mind was far away. She thought of the fantasies Vyxara had shown her, of forbidden knowledge and the intoxicating lure of power – power she could use to put a stop to a pig like Boarfend. And deep inside her, in a part of herself she hardly dared to explore, she felt a growing desire for more.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The lecture passed as if in a fog. Valentina barely noticed what Professor Emberfell was saying. Instead, her thoughts revolved around Vyxara''s offer and the possible consequences.


    By the time the bell announced the end of the lesson, Valentina had come to a decision. She would not accept Vyxara''s offer – at least not yet. But she wouldn''t give up either. She would find another way to get the resources she needed without selling her soul. Maybe she should try again to convince Barnaby to sell her the Essence for less.


    Valentina was on her way to lunch and was sitting in the university dining hall, a piece of dry bread in her hand when a messenger rushed through the door. "Mail!" he shouted, and a cluster of students immediately formed around him.


    With a pounding heart, Valentina stood up and joined the queue. The messenger leafed through his pile of letters and called out names. "Valentina of Palewood!"


    She took the letter with trembling hands. Her father''s handwriting was unmistakable, spidery, and uncertain as if he had thought about every word for a long time.


    She sat back down at her table and carefully opened the envelope. The smell of hay and earth caught her nose, a painful reminder of home.


    "Dear Valentina," she read quietly. "I hope this letter reaches you in good health and in diligent study. Your mother asks me to tell you..."


    Her heart sank further and further as she read on. Between the lines of everyday news and fatherly admonitions, one passage stood out:


    "We had to sell two of our best dairy cows to satisfy the money lenders for the time being. It was a tough decision, but we had no choice. They will come back, we know that, but for now, we have some breathing space."


    Valentina felt tears welling up in her eyes. She hastily blinked them away and continued reading.


    "Concentrate on your studies, work hard, and don''t get discouraged. We pray for you for the blessing of the Martyr and are all thinking of you..."


    She folded up the letter and stared blankly in front of her. The noise of the dining room seemed to recede into the distance.


    "See?" whispered Vyxara in her head. "They''re sacrificing everything for you. How can you bear to give less than everything?"


    Valentina felt a pang of guilt and shook her head angrily to drive the demon''s voice away. She stood up, the letter firmly in her hand, and left the room. She needed some fresh air, needed to think.


    Once in the university courtyard, she dropped onto a bench. The cool autumn air caressed her face, cooling the hotness in the corners of her eyes.


    Suddenly, she heard voices, loud and carefree. A group of wealthy students came around the corner, including Faustus Boarfend.


    "...and then my father said he would get me three hundred vials of Distilled Essence for the competition," Faustus just boasted. "Only the best of the best, of course. No cheap trash."


    The others laughed and joined in. "My uncle has organized a personal tutor for me," said a girl with glittering earrings. "A real master from Vandercourt. He''s coming here especially for the competition."


    Valentina felt her stomach tighten. Three hundred vials? Three hundred? A master as a personal tutor? She was struggling to scrape together enough money for a single vial.


    The group passed by without noticing them. Their carefree laughter echoed in Valentina''s ears for a long time.


    "Do you see the difference?" asked Vyxara gently. "They play a very different game from you, little Weaver. With completely different rules."


    Valentina closed her eyes and leaned back against the cool stone wall. The reality of her situation hit her with full force. She was so far away from home, surrounded by people who lived in a completely different world to her.


    Her family sacrificed everything for her, even selling the cows. And here she sat, unable to procure even the most basic materials for her studies.


    The Greystone competition, her great hope, suddenly seemed like an unattainable dream. How was she supposed to compete against students who had such inexhaustible resources?


    "You could do it," whispered Vyxara. "With my help, you could put them all in the shade. It’s not difficult. All you have to do is finally say yes."


    Valentina opened her eyes and stared at the Burning Tower in the distance. The Martyr had sacrificed himself to save all of humanity.


    And then she thought of Vyxara, of the promise of power and knowledge that the demon offered her. It was tempting, so tempting.


    "I don''t know what to do," she whispered into the wind.


    "Oh, but I think you know," Vyxara replied gently. "You know exactly what you have to do. The only question is whether you have the courage to finally do it."


    Valentina stood up slowly, her father''s letter in her hand. She would not go to the next lecture. She knew she had to make a decision.


    With a heavy heart, she made her way back to her room. She had a lot to think about, and time was pressing. The competition was approaching.


    ~


    Valentina sat on the floor of her small attic room, surrounded by books, notes, and the crumpled letter from her father. The flickering light of a single candle cast dancing shadows on the walls. Outside, the wind howled around the corners of the old university building, an eerie chorus to her turbulent thoughts.


    She stared at the list in front of her, which she had written in a fit of desperation. Normally lists helped her make a decision, but each option seemed worse than the last: stealing, cheating, selling herself. At the bottom of the list, in shaky handwriting, was the words "Accept Vyxara''s offer".


    "What am I supposed to do?" she whispered into the silence of the room.


    "You know what you have to do," Vyxara replied patient.


    Valentina closed her eyes and leaned her head against the cool stone wall. "I can''t... I can''t just throw my morals overboard."


    "Morality?" Vyxara''s laughter felt like shattering glass. "What good are morals if your family loses everything? If you fail and have to return home with nothing but shame in your luggage and your family has to sell their land or go into serfdom? Can your sisters eat your moral when they starve in the winter?"


    The words hit Valentina like a blow. She thought of the cows they had sold, of the moneylenders who would return. Of the hope in her siblings'' eyes when she left Palewood.


    Valentina opened her eyes and stared at the flickering candle flame.


    "And... what if we try to convince Barnaby again?" she asked hesitantly.


    "It would be worth a try. I could help you wangle the Distilled Essence out of Barnaby. Quite simply, quite painlessly."


    Valentina frowned. "How? I don''t have any money, and he won''t lower the price. You heard him."


    "There are other ways to get what you want," Vyxara purred. "Ways that don''t require money. He won''t even know what hit him. Just trust me."


    Valentina got up and went to the window and looked at the Burning Tower. She thought of the Martyr, of his sacrifice. Would he understand what she was about to do?


    "I don''t know," she said quietly. "It still feels wrong."


    "Wrong?" Vyxara''s voice was gentle, almost motherly. "What''s wrong with fighting for your dreams? For your family? You have so much potential, Valentina. Why would you waste it just because you''re afraid to bend a few rules? You don''t need to feel sorry for Barnaby – he''s a crook and very likely a fence. Believe me, I have an eye for that sort of thing."


    Valentina turned away from the window and let her gaze wander around the room. Her gaze lingered on the small wooden amulet that her brother had carved for her. It hung next to the door, a reminder of her home and her family.


    At that moment, she made a decision.


    "All right," she said firmly. "All right, Vyxara. I''ll take the deal. Help me get the Essence from Barnaby."


    Vyxara''s triumph was like a flash in her mind as she felt the deal between them was closed. "Excellent, little Weaver. You won''t regret it. Just trust me and follow my instructions."


    Valentina nodded slowly. "What... what exactly are you up to?"


    "Oh, don''t worry about that," Vyxara said gently. "I have a plan. A very clever plan. All you have to do is trust me and do as I say."


    Valentina swallowed hard. She didn’t like to be dependent on Vyxara. But she saw no other option. She had to do it for her family, for her future.


    "All right," she said quietly. "I trust you."


    "Good," Vyxara purred contentedly. "Very good. Now get some rest, little Weaver. Tomorrow, we''ll take the first step on our way to winning this competition."


    Valentina lay down on her narrow bed with a heavy heart. She didn''t know exactly what kind of trick Vyxara was planning, but she hoped fervently that it would work – and that it wouldn''t be too criminal.