The morning air was crisp, the dew still clinging to the leaves, and birds chirped like it was their full-time job. Students filed into Blackmoor Academy's assembly hall, rubbing the sleep from their eyes, their minds still buzzing with the strange dreams they'd had.
Dreams of a man.
A man in an emerald suit, with a perfectly trimmed beard, smiling warmly like he knew every single student's favorite candy.
"Good morning, children!" the man had said in their dreams. "I am Mr. Shawn. Remember?"
And somehow… they did.
Even though no one could recall what class he taught, where he came from, or why he always smelled like cinnamon and rain, every single student at Blackmoor was certain of one thing:
Mr. Shawn had always been their headmaster.
---
Enter the Illusionist
That morning, as the assembly filled up, Mr. Shawn stepped onto the stage. His presence was magnetic. He wore a velvet green cloak with gold embroidery, and a soft twinkle sat in the corner of his hazel eyes.
"Good morning, my beloved students," he said, clasping his hands. "I know we've had a tough few weeks. Battles, loss, fire, resurrection, and oddly aggressive broom closets—yes, I'm looking at you, Gregory."
A shy broomstick in the corner wobbled guiltily.
The students laughed.
"But now," Mr. Shawn continued, "it's time we turn our attention to something truly powerful. Something stronger than fangs, spells, and flame."
He extended his arms dramatically. "Love."
Half the students blinked. The other half swooned.
"I will now be introducing a new curriculum: The Emotional Education Initiative. You will attend daily Love Lectures. Group Hugs at noon. And we will have a Midnight Masquerade of the Heart this weekend."
Cheers erupted. A boy in the back actually wept. Someone fainted into a pile of enchanted roses.
Only one person didn't clap.
Stephen.
He stood up, blinking as if something had just clicked. "Wait a minute… who the hell is Mr. Shawn?"
---
Stephen's Quest for Truth… and Repeated Memory Loss
Stephen stormed down the hallway toward Daemon, who was helping Celeste lift a crate of herbs.
"Daemon!" he shouted. "That man isn't real!"
Daemon raised a brow. "What man?"
"Mr. Shawn!"
Celeste snorted. "Stephen, don't be weird. He's been here forever."
Stephen gawked. "He just showed up yesterday!"
Daemon frowned. "We celebrated his birthday last week. You gave him enchanted chocolate frogs."
"What—No, I didn't!"
"Yeah," Celeste said, narrowing her eyes. "You made a speech about how much you love him."
Stephen grabbed his head. "Okay. Nope. Nope nope nope. Something's wrong."
He sprinted off, muttering under his breath. "Gotta get to the office. Gotta tell him I know."
---
Attempt 1:
Stephen barged into the headmaster's office.
"MR. SHAWN! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING!"
Mr. Shawn smiled from behind a desk made of swirling oak and faint whispers.
"Stephen, my boy," he said warmly. "Remember?"
Stephen blinked. "Of course. You're Mr. Shawn. You've been here the whole time…"
Pause.
"Wait. No. That's not right."
Mr. Shawn raised a teacup. "Would you like a honey biscuit?"
Stephen took it. "Thanks. You're the best."
---
Attempt 2:
Stephen kicked down the door. "YOU'RE AN ILLUSION—Wait… where am I?"
Mr. Shawn stood, adjusting a heart-shaped clock. "Time is fluid, dear Stephen. But love? Love is real."
Stephen nodded solemnly. "So true, man. So true."
---
Attempt 3:
This time he tied garlic to his belt, wore anti-illusion lenses, and even had Daemon slap him repeatedly before he entered the office.
"I KNOW THE TRUTH!" he bellowed.
Mr. Shawn tilted his head, amused. "Stephen, remember…"
A wave of warmth washed over him.
Stephen blinked. "Hey. Why do I have garlic?"
Mr. Shawn smiled. "You're always so funny."
Stephen giggled. "Right? Classic me!"
---
Attempt 4:
He didn't even make it to the office.
He walked halfway down the hall and suddenly found himself making flower crowns for the school mascot while humming "Love Me Like a Lich."
---
Romance in Bloom
Meanwhile, Mr. Shawn's influence was spreading—and oddly, it was working.
Couples were popping up everywhere.
Jessa and Raphael walked the corridors hand in hand, laughing about childhood stories and first crushes. Jessa told him about the time she accidentally hexed a bully into vomiting butterflies. He told her about the time he stole a professor's moon boots to impress a girl (it failed spectacularly).
Eve and London trained side by side—Eve's phoenix fire now brighter than ever. London told her stories from his childhood in the city. She shared her dreams of becoming more than just the girl who stood in Hope's shadow.
They laughed. They trained. They leaned close—but didn't quite kiss.
Yet.
Celeste, inspired by the "love lessons," gave Daemon a heart-shaped pendant she'd crafted herself. He looked at it like it might explode. Still, he tucked it into his pocket without a word.
Hope, for her part, didn't feel left out. She watched her friends with a smile, even if her own heart still wandered somewhere between the boy who could never die and the mysteries that seemed to stack endlessly around them.
And above it all… Mr. Shawn watched from his window, sipping tea from a cup that read "LOVE IS CHAOS WITH GLITTER."
---
Stephen's Journal Entry (Found Later in a Sock)
> "Dear Journal,
I'm being brainwashed by a cinnamon-scented demon with beautiful cheekbones.
No one remembers the truth but me.
I think.
Maybe.
I also think I'm in love with his tea set??
SEND HELP.
Or more honey biscuits."