The train slid to a stop with the hush of silk against glass. No screeching. Just silence and mist pressing in on all sides.
Rhea stepped onto damp stone. No platform just a narrow dirt trail vanishing into the trees. The others disembarked behind her, their movements slow and careful, like they were waking in a dream they weren't sure they wanted.
The forest beyond was ancient. Trees rose like cathedral pillars, moss dripping from their branches, the canopy choking out most of the sky. The air smelled like iron and rain.
A woman in black stood at the trail's head, still as sculpture. Her white gloves glinted, and the pin on her chest, a silver owl with wings spread marked her as one of them.
"Welcome to Elaris," she said. Her voice carried with unnatural clarity. "You will walk three kilometers. Stay on the path. Speak to no one. Do not stray."
Then she turned and walked.
No one dared disobey.
Rhea fell into step, her leather satchel bouncing lightly against her hip. The path twisted unnaturally, curving as if guided by something unseen. The fog thickened, and the further they walked, the more the silence pressed in unnatural, humming like static just beneath her skin.
Halfway through, a boy sneezed. A low chime echoed through the forest.
He paled, but nothing else happened. Still, no one made a sound after that.
They emerged from the trees just as the fog parted like curtains.
Elaris rose before them.
Not a school. A fortress. Pale stone spires wrapped in crawling ivy, stained-glass windows that shimmered with no light source, and tall iron gates crested with the owl emblem. It looked like it had stood for a thousand years, untouched by time.
The woman turned to face them. "You will now receive your quadrant assignments. There are four. You will not change unless instructed. To do so is… inadvisable."
A moment later, a sleek drone zipped overhead, scanning the group. A soft beep sounded with each pass.
One by one, students received keycards printed with names, quadrant designations, and something stranger: Clearance Levels.
Rhea's card slid from a slot in the drone's belly.
> Name: Rhea Marlowe
Quadrant: IV
Room: 413
Clearance: Red
Red? What did that mean?
No one explained.
Quadrant IV was colder than the others. Towering Gothic arches, torch-like sconces, no tech in sight. Her room, 413,looked freshly prepared. Bed, wardrobe, writing desk, and a blinking red dot above the door that gave her pause.
She set down her bag and sat. Then stood again.
The room felt… curated. Like someone had arranged it for a version of her she hadn't become yet.
She checked her phone. No signal. Still.
She opened the wardrobe. Inside, a perfectly pressed black uniform hung, her initials stitched in scarlet thread on the collar. Below it, a folded note.
> "Wear this to orientation. And smile. They like it better that way."
Her blood went cold.
Knock. Three sharp raps. She opened the door. And froze.
Storm-gray eyes. Black coat. The boy from the train, the one who'd vanished.
He leaned against the doorframe like they were old friends.
"You made it," he said, voice low, steady. "Room 413. You're not late. That's good."
She didn't respond. Her heart had kicked into overdrive.
"I didn't catch your name," she said, watching him carefully.
"Probably because I didn't give it."
"Then do."
He considered her for a moment. "Julius."
No last name.
She folded her arms. "You knew I wasn't supposed to be here. How?"
"Because I've seen the list. And your name wasn't on it."
The floor felt suddenly less stable beneath her feet.
"And yet here I am."
He nodded once. "Yeah. Which means someone changed the list. That's not normal."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because you need to understand one thing," he said, stepping closer. "Everyone in this place is playing a game. Some for power. Some just to survive. The only mistake you can make here," he glanced at the blinking red dot, "is trusting the wrong person."
Then he was gone again, silent as fog. Rhea shut the door, chest tight, thoughts racing.
She didn't belong here. But someone wanted her to.
And whatever Elaris was, school, experiment, cult, she was inside now.
And she didn't plan on staying quiet.