CHAPTER ONE OBSIDIAN SPIRE ACADEMY
The Halo did not fall by accident.
Veyloria has always known she was different—but she was never meant to survive the night it broke.
When a celestial catastrophe tore through the heavens, a forbidden shard embedded itself within her, marking her as something between divine and destroyed. Power didn’t just awaken inside her—it remembered her.
And it was hungry.
Now the academy watches her like a weapon they don’t yet understand.
The council wants to control her. The gods want to reclaim her. And Damon—dangerous, infuriating, and far too close—keeps looking at her like she’s already his ruin.
But something ancient is stirring beneath the world, and Veyloria is beginning to understand a terrifying truth:
She is not just surviving the broken Halo.
She is what remains of it.
And if it fully awakens… heaven will not remain untouched.
My bags were packed.
My mind was set.
Despite my mother trying her hardest to change it.
I was going to the Obsidian Spire Academy—one way or another.
The Obsidian Spire Academy—better known as the Life of Death Academy—was home to the most powerful, high-ranking creatures in existence. And in the millions of centuries since its founding…
No witch had ever survived the entrance exam.
In a world full of monsters, witches were considered the weakest. Too dependent. Too fragile.
Yes, our magic was powerful—strong enough to overpower many creatures—but it always came at a cost. Sometimes that cost was fatal. That was why witches relied so heavily on enchanted tools: broomsticks, wands, grimoire-bound artifacts.
But I wasn’t going to let that stop me.
I pulled on a black harness top, black cargo pants, and strapped my holsters into place before stepping into my combat boots. As I packed the last of my essentials, I took a slow breath, grounding myself.
“Veyloria… are you sure about this?”
I glanced at my mother. Her voice was steady—but her hands weren’t.
The tremor in them made something in my chest tighten.
“The trials to even step foot in that academy are life-threatening.”
“I know.” My voice softened. “And I promise I’ll send you a message the moment I pass.”
If I pass.
“You know I’m strong,” I added. “I’ve been training for this for ten years.”
I picked up my bags and stepped into her arms.
We held onto each other like we both knew—
This might be the last time.
Finding a coven that would accept me was nearly impossible. I had a better chance of being accepted into a werewolf pack.
This… was the only path I had.
“Did you remember your wand?”
I nodded.
“And your grimoire?”
Another nod.
“And the CBB potions I made you?”
A small laugh slipped out despite everything. “Yes, Mom. I have everything.”
I pulled back just enough to meet her eyes.
“I’ll be fine.”
One last hug.
Then I turned and stepped out the door, grabbing my broomstick on the way.
“The next time you see me,” I called over my shoulder, “I’ll be in uniform.”
I smeared green salve along the handle of my broom. It absorbed instantly, sinking into the wood like it was alive.
A second later, the broom lifted—hovering.
I slipped the vial into my pocket, took a breath…
And took off.
No one knew where the academy actually was. Only those who survived the entrance exam were taken there.
But the exam location?
That was always revealed.
This year—it was Shadowfell Forest.
A place touched by death. Twisted by misfortune.
A place where every decision you made could be your last.
After nearly two hours of flying—and almost running out of salve—I saw it.
The clearing.
Applicants were already gathering.
Creatures of every kind—shifters, mermaids, vampires, werewolves…
Everything.
Except witches.
I landed, stretching slightly as I set my bags down.
“I made it,” I murmured. “Twenty minutes early.”
Good.
I immediately got to work—wrapping my hands, securing vials into hidden compartments, checking my holsters, making sure my CBBs were stable.
A single drop of diminution potion shrank my bags small enough to fit into a side holster. I did the same with my broom, reducing it into something no larger than a hairpin.
Once everything was set, I stilled.
Breathing slow.
Watching.
Learning the field.
Then—
“Attention, applicants.”
The voice came from nowhere.
Everywhere.
“I am Mrs. Belladonna. I have been given the honor of overseeing your exam.”
Heads snapped in every direction. Some applicants immediately drew weapons.
A laugh echoed—sharp, amused.
“Well, aren’t you an aggressive group of younglings?”
The air shifted.
“Have no fear. I am not among you. I am… on the other side.”
A pause.
“All you have to do is reach me.”
Another pause—longer this time.
“We do not tolerate weaklings. This is final selection.”
A deafening gong split the air.
For one second—
No one moved.
Then chaos erupted.
They ran.
All of them.
Straight into the forest.
I didn’t.
“She never said which direction,” I muttered, eyes narrowing. “And this forest covers the entire mountain… there is no ‘other side.’”
Screams echoed almost immediately.
Sharp. Wet. Cut short.
The smell hit next—
Rot.
Decay.
Something wrong.
I ducked behind a large oak tree, forcing myself to think.
“Most will go straight,” I whispered. “Some will try south—thinking exiting the forest counts. But leaving means disqualification.”
My mind raced.
Then—
Something clicked.
When I flew over the mountain… there had been a clearing at the top.
My pulse quickened.
“If the ‘other side’ isn’t horizontal…”
Then it’s vertical.
North.
Up.
A death climb.
I smirked despite myself.
“Figures.”
And I ran.
The deeper I went, the worse it became.
Something grabbed my ankle.
I slammed into the ground—
But when I looked back—
Nothing.
Silence.
Too much silence.
I kept moving.
But I felt it.
Eyes.
Watching.
Tracking.
I slowed—dropping to one knee like I was tying my boot.
My hand slid to the dagger strapped to my calf.
And in one smooth motion—
I threw it.
A wet, solid impact.
“Nice throw, little Raven.”
A figure dropped from the trees.
Male. Older. Smirking.
My dagger was buried in his shoulder.
He pulled it out like it was nothing.
And right in front of me—
His flesh stitched itself back together.
Clean. Seamless.
Gone.
“You want this back,” he asked casually, “or are you just going to stare?”
I stepped forward and took it, wiping the blood off.
“Why are you following me?”
He looked me up and down, slow and deliberate, sharp canines flashing as he smiled.
“I saw a little Raven chirping to herself,” he said. “Thought I’d have some fun.”
I clenched my jaw.
“Witch,” he added.
“It’s customary to say miss when you don’t know someone’s name.”
He rolled his eyes.
“I doubt you’ll make it to the top anyway.”
And then—
He was gone.
“Asshole,” I muttered, already moving again.
The higher I climbed, the worse the forest became.
Then—
The smell hit.
Rot so thick it felt like it coated my lungs.
A horse stepped from the shadows.
Except—
It wasn’t a horse.
Its skin was gone.
Muscle slick and exposed. Veins pulsing. Bone visible beneath stretched, glistening tissue.
And fused to its back—
A man.
No separation.
No seam.
Just one grotesque, living thing.
A nuckelavee.
It saw me.
And charged.
I didn’t hesitate.
I grabbed a CBB.
“Cherry Blast Bomb.”
I threw it straight at its chest.
Impact.
The explosion burst outward in a violent bloom of pink-red energy. The liquid clung to its exposed muscle—sizzling, melting, eating through it.
The creature shrieked.
I ran.
More monsters came.
Pumpkin heads.
Jorogumos.
Basilisks lurking just beyond sight.
Then—
Something tackled me.
I hit the ground hard.
Teeth sank into my forearm.
The pain was instant. Blinding.
Warm blood spilled down my arm, dripping onto my face.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I shouted, struggling.
The applicant didn’t respond.
Their eyes—
Glowing green.
Gone.
I hit them. Again. Again.
Nothing.
Their jaw only clamped harder.
Bone cracked.
I screamed.
“LET GO!”
I grabbed my dagger—
And stabbed.
Over.
And over.
And over.
Until their face was no longer a face.
Until something snapped.
Their grip loosened.
I tore my arm free and ran.
I didn’t stop.
Couldn’t.
The warmth of my blood was the only thing reminding me I was still alive.
Still moving.
Still fighting.
Then—
Darkness swallowed everything.
A shape formed.
No—
Not a shape.
A presence.
It moved like shadow but felt alive.
Claws tore into my side.
I dropped.
Another strike—my leg.
I hit my knees.
“Stay back—!”
Something grabbed my wrist.
Twisted.
My dagger fell.
Then—
Hands around my throat.
Crushing.
Cutting off air.
I fought. Hit. Kicked.
Nothing worked.
“I’m… not… dying… here…”
My vision blurred.
My lungs burned.
My mother’s face flashed in my mind.
Everything she gave up.
Everything she sacrificed.
“I’m going to see her again,” I rasped.
Something inside me snapped.
Light exploded out of me.
Blinding. Violent. Absolute.
The shadow screamed—
And disintegrated.
Silence.
I gasped for air, collapsing against a tree as my body trembled violently.
Then—
I stood.
And kept going.
The clearing came into view.
I ran.
Ignoring the pain.
Ignoring everything.
And stepped into the light.
“Congratulations, Applicant 1316—Veyloria Phoenix. You have survived the entrance exam.”
I looked up.
Mrs. Belladonna stood waiting.
“Where are the others?” I asked, voice raw.
“You’ll join them soon,” she said. “But first—how did you know I’d be here?”
I swallowed.
“You said ‘the other side.’ Not of the forest. Of the plane. The spirit layer of Shadowfell. The highest point—where the veil is thinnest.”
She smiled slightly.
“You are correct.”
Blue bells sprouted from the ground in a perfect ring.
A portal opened.
“Jump.”
I hesitated—
And she shoved me in.
Reality twisted.
Time broke.
Then—
Impact.
I hit the ground hard, groaning as I pushed myself up.
A room.
Survivors.
Broken.
Crying.
Silent.
A massive hourglass loomed above us.
Only a few grains left.
I reached into my pocket, pulling out a vial of purple liquid and taking a careful sip.
My arm burned—
Then healed.
Bones snapping back into place. Skin knitting together.
I exhaled slowly.
Then I saw him.
The boy from the forest.
Laughing.
Unbothered.
Strong.
The hourglass shattered.
“Out of 10,779 applicants… 1,400 have passed.”
A woman stood above us.
“I am Headmistress Phaedra.”
The doors opened behind her.
Revealing a massive, towering academy of stone and shadow.
“Welcome to Obsidian Spire Academy.”
I made it.
I actually made it.
But something told me—
The real test hadn’t even begun
