The gates loomed like fangs.
Black obsidian spires curled up from the earth, half-ruins, half-monument—part of the ancient fortress that had become the Academy of the Eclipse. Standing before them, Kael felt like a ghost being summoned to a funeral. His own, probably.
"New intake, huh?" a voice drawled behind him.
Kael turned.
A silver-haired student leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, red coat sweeping behind him like a cape. His eyes were the color of fresh blood, and his smile didn't reach them.
"Name's Lucien Virex. Welcome to the bottom of the food chain."
Kael said nothing. The Codex pulsed faintly in the back of his mind. This guy was strong. Silver-tier at least.
Lucien tilted his head. "Don't worry. You'll get used to being prey."
Before Kael could respond, the gates creaked open. A shadowy figure stepped out—a woman clad in robes that shimmered like twilight, face half-covered by a velvet mask.
"Kael Viren," she said. "Follow me."
---
Inside, the Academy was a world apart.
Stained glass windows showed ancient bloodline wars. Runes glowed across walls, shifting between languages Kael couldn't read. Students walked in dueling pairs, spellbooks floating behind them, or transformed limbs crackling with energy.
Kael was led into a dark chamber, lined with stone obelisks. At its center stood a ring of instructors—vampire, werewolf, witch, shade. Their gazes pierced like blades.
"Unregistered bloodline, untraced lineage," murmured one.
"Bitten… yet survived," said another. "Impossible."
The vampire among them—Headmistress Syra Duskveil—spoke last.
"By ancient accord, any who awaken powers of blood may claim a place in the Eclipse Academy."
She stepped forward, lifting a blood crystal. It shimmered as it neared Kael, then cracked—splintered into six.
Gasps echoed.
Lucien smirked from the back of the chamber.
Kael frowned. "What does that mean?"
Syra's eyes narrowed. "It means… your blood is unstable. Incompatible. Dangerous."
A pause. Then:
"You will be placed in House Noctis, under observation."
Kael opened his mouth to object, but she raised a hand. "Speak again, and I'll reconsider letting you leave this room alive."
---
That night, Kael sat alone in the Noctis dorms—a gothic wing lined with velvet and silence.
The Codex screen flickered in his vision:
> [Codex Update: Bloodline Exposure Imminent]
Quest: Survive the First Moon Duel
Reward: Trait Stabilization
Time Limit: 3 Days
He didn't know the rules of this place, or why he'd been chosen.
But he knew one thing:
He wouldn't survive by staying hidden.
He'd have to climb—and fast.