The School That Shouldn't Exist
The first thing I noticed about Lunaris Academy was the moon.
It was too big.
Too bright.
And far too close.
I pressed my forehead against the cold window of the carriage as it climbed higher into the mountains. Below us, the road had disappeared beneath a thick layer of silver fog.
I couldn’t see where we were going.
That was probably the point.
My fingers tightened around the envelope in my lap.
LUNARIS ACADEMY
The words were written in silver ink across the front.
I’d received the letter three weeks ago.
No return address.
No explanation.
Just an invitation.
My parents had been strangely quiet when they saw it.
My mother had stared at the envelope for almost a full minute before saying:
“You’re going.”
I’d asked why.
She hadn’t answered.
Now, as the carriage turned another corner, I finally saw it.
The castle.
I forgot how to breathe.
Lunaris Academy rose from the mountains like something pulled from a nightmare.
Black towers stretched toward the sky. Silver lights burned in hundreds of windows. Gargoyles crouched along the rooftops, their stone faces twisted into snarls.
A massive iron gate stood at the end of the road.
Above it was a symbol I’d never seen before.
A crescent moon wrapped around a black star.
The moment the carriage passed beneath it...
Every candle in the castle went out.
I sat up.
“What the—”
The candles suddenly reignited.
All at once.
Hundreds of them.
The driver didn’t react.
He simply continued toward the entrance.
I swallowed.
Okay.
Definitely not a normal school.
The carriage stopped.
The door opened.
A tall woman stood waiting on the steps.
She wore a long black coat and silver gloves. Her dark hair was pulled tightly behind her head, and her eyes seemed almost unnaturally pale.
“Welcome to Lunaris Academy.”
Her gaze moved over me.
Then stopped.
For half a second, her expression changed.
Fear.
It disappeared almost immediately.
“Name?”
I stepped down from the carriage.
“Amara Vale.”
The woman froze.
Not dramatically.
Just enough for me to notice.
Then she looked toward the castle.
“Interesting.”
I frowned.
“What?”
She smiled.
“Nothing.”
Before I could ask again, the giant doors behind her opened by themselves.
A wave of cold air rushed over me.
And somewhere deep inside the castle...
I heard a whisper.
Not from the woman.
Not from the other students.
From the walls.
Amara.
I stopped.
My heart slammed against my ribs.
I looked around.
Nobody else seemed to hear it.
The woman was already walking inside.
“Come along, Miss Vale.”
I followed.
The entrance hall was enormous.
Students crowded the marble floors.
And they were...
Different.
A boy walked past me with glowing golden eyes.
A girl had tiny horns hidden beneath her dark curls.
Two students stood near the staircase, arguing while one of them casually let flames dance across his fingertips.
Nobody seemed surprised.
Nobody screamed.
Nobody even stared.
Apparently, I was the strange one for staring.
I quickly looked away.
“First year?”
I turned.
A girl with purple braids smiled at me.
“Yeah.”
“I’m Elara.”
“Amara.”
She looked me up and down.
“What’s your species?”
I hesitated.
“Um...”
That was complicated.
“I don’t know.”
She blinked.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
Her smile disappeared.
“That’s... weird.”
“I know.”
Before she could say anything else, a bell rang.
The entire hall went silent.
Every student turned toward the staircase.
A boy was standing there.
Tall.
Dark-haired.
Dressed entirely in black.
He wasn’t doing anything.
He didn’t have to.
People moved out of his way automatically.
Whispers spread through the room.
“That’s him.”
“The Dragon Heir.”
“Don’t look at him.”
“Move.”
My eyes met his.
His were completely black.
Not dark brown.
Not gray.
Black.
For one strange second, the entire room seemed to disappear.
His gaze moved over me.
He stopped.
Something flashed across his face.
Shock.
Then anger.
Pure, unmistakable anger.
I frowned.
What had I done?
He started walking toward me.
Elara grabbed my arm.
“Don’t.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s—”
He stopped directly in front of me.
Close enough that I could feel the cold radiating from him.
His eyes narrowed.
“What’s your name?”
I lifted my chin.
“Why?”
His jaw tightened.
“I asked you a question.”
“Amara.”
The second I said my name...
His expression changed.
Something inside the castle roared.
The windows shook.
Every candle flame turned blue.
And somewhere beneath our feet...
Something ancient woke up.
The boy stared at me like he’d just seen a ghost.
Then, very quietly, he said:
“That’s impossible.”
And he walked away.
I watched him disappear into the crowd.
Elara was staring at me.
“What?”
She swallowed.
“You don’t know who you just met, do you?”
“No.”
She leaned closer.
“That’s Kael Draven.”
I waited.
“And?”
Her eyes widened.
“He’s the heir to the Shadow Dragon throne.”
I looked toward the staircase.
Kael was gone.
But the strange feeling remained.
For some reason...
I had the terrifying feeling that Lunaris Academy hadn’t invited me here by accident.
And the worst part?
I had a feeling Kael already knew why I was here
