Before the Month Ends

Kael Ashford wakes to his third first day at Vesper Academy—morning bells reset, courtyard explodes at 8:14 sharp. Every loop peels back a darker truth: this isn't punishment, it's harvest. His mother traded soul-shares for his admission; his legitimate brother has looped far more than he admits; Dean Serath is running a competition where only one walks free, the rest fed to the rift beneath the harbor. Underground syllabi, soul markets, masquerade massacres, and a convergence seal that demands willing synchronization—when Kael learns to give his heartbeat to others, the month finally ends.