Ranis

The smell of old chalk and strong coffee tickled his nostrils. Rannis took another gulp, burning his throat. Coffee – his only support in this college, as grey as a provincial morning. He habitually surveyed the auditorium, searching for violators of his meticulously constructed world. The disorder on the desks, the carelessly thrown-down backpacks – it all caused him bouts of mild nausea. Order – that's what was important. Order in everything.

Rannis set down his mug and straightened up, preparing to begin his anatomy lecture. "Knowledge is power," the banal saying flashed through his mind, but it seemed particularly relevant now. To know, to understand, to control… the human body is a machine, complex, but still amenable to analysis.

At that moment, the door burst open with a bang, letting in a whirlwind of chaos and youth. A boy, with tousled hair and a defiant gaze, stopped in the doorway, as if assessing the situation. "You're late, professor? Didn't expect you?" He said, leaning against the door frame.

Anger, like a hot wave, swept over Ranis. He couldn't tolerate such disrespect. "Well, try to be on time next time." he gritted out through his teeth, trying to maintain his composure.

But Ranis's gaze couldn't tear itself away from him. Something about this guy – in his manner of moving, in the mischievous gleam of his eyes – seemed painfully familiar. His heart pounded wildly, skipping beats.