Chapter I — The Threshold
They say a long time ago, a queen lived here—cruel, obsessed with dark things. No one really remembers her name anymore… some say it is better that way.
She had three objects she never let anyone touch: a diary, a mirror, and a strange old book. People say she wrote secrets in the diary, saw things in the mirror that were never meant to be seen, and used the book for rituals.
Her people eventually turned on her. They dragged her to the old cathedral behind the school… and executed her there.
But here is the part everyone argues about.
Some say her blood fell on those objects.Some say that is what cursed them.Others say the objects are still here.Hidden somewhere in the academy.Waiting.
And if you find one of them…it might start writing back.
A heavy fog covered the entrance of the academy.
The iron gates of Blackraven Academy stood half-open, groaning softly as they moved. Raven engravings covered the metal—endless rows of them, each feather carved with unnatural precision. Above the gates, two stone raven statues watched silently, perched on tall columns. They did not look decorative.
They looked aware.
The name engraved into the arch above them read:The Threshold.
Students streamed inside with their luggage, their voices low, almost careful. The myth they had just heard lingered in the air like the fog itself.
“Seriously?” Daria said, tightening her grip on her bag. “You still believe that? We’re not kids anymore.”
Ivy glanced at her and rolled her eyes. “Every school has some ridiculous story. You’re all overreacting.”
Lilith stayed slightly behind the group.
She took a slow breath before stepping forward.
From the very beginning, something about this place felt wrong. Not loud. Not obvious. Just… off. A pressure she could not explain.
Her parents had insisted. Blackraven Academy was one of the most prestigious schools in the world. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they said.
But as she looked past the gates, her attention drifted.
Far beyond the main buildings, beyond the perfectly arranged gardens and trimmed paths, a line of dark trees marked the edge of the grounds.
And behind them—
The cathedral.
Barely visible through the fog, its spiked tower cut into the grey sky like a wound. Even from here, it felt distant and unreachable… yet somehow closer than everything else.
It did not feel abandoned.
It felt like it was waiting.
Lilith’s breath slowed.
For a moment, she had the strange feeling that the cathedral was not just being looked at.
It was looking back.
“Lilith?”
Ivy’s voice pulled her back.
She blinked. “Yeah… I’m coming.”
She stepped through The Threshold.
The moment she did, a cold gust of wind rushed past her—too sudden, too precise. It slipped through the collar of her uniform like fingers.
And then—
A whisper, almost lost inside the wind.
Lilith froze.
Her hand tightened slightly at her side.
“Did… you hear that?” she asked quietly.
“Hear what?” Daria said without turning.
Ivy slowed and looked at her. “You okay?”
Lilith hesitated for a second, then gave a small nod. “Yeah. Just the wind.”
Ivy studied her for a moment longer, then reached out and took her hand.
“Come on,” she said softly. “We’ll figure it out together.”
Lilith let herself be pulled forward.
But as they walked deeper into the academy, she could not stop herself from looking back.
The gates were already closing behind them.
And somewhere beyond the fog… the cathedral remained.
This is a fictional story.
Inspired by imagination, not reality.
To be continued…
—Do
