Chapter Twenty-Five

Holland finds her Professor in the Manager’s office, styled and commanding in a way that shatters Holland’s former trust. When Holland asks for the safety deposit box, the Professor flips a jade hourglass that freezes the city outside, proving she can stop time and asserting control of the moment.

The Professor insists she is the same mentor from class, claiming she concealed her identity to recruit only the most resourceful students. She flatters Holland’s progress from fan-fiction writer to initiate and reveals January was recruited earlier and demanded Holland be kept out, a choice the Professor frames as unfair to Holland.

Reading Holland’s doubts, the Professor offers a job at the Bank, access to answers about Holland’s parents and the devil, and—most tantalizing—an exceptional ability she has “in mind” for Holland. She then names her price: when Holland opens her father’s safety deposit box, she must hand over whatever is inside.

Holland rejects the exchange, recognizing the manipulation and reiterating her demand to reach the box. The Professor stalls until the hourglass runs out and argues that the Alchemical Heart must be secured by the Bank to prevent catastrophe.

Pivoting to fear, the Professor brands Gabriel Cabral as extremely dangerous and claims he used and killed his wife, warning what could happen if he obtains the Heart. Holland, already wary of Gabe, is further shaken by this allegation but holds her ground, refusing to agree and waiting for time to resume.