The wind howled through the iron gates of Ravenlock Academy, carrying with it whispers of ancient spells and secrets long buried. The sky above was smeared in twilight, neither day nor night, as if the world itself held its breath. At the edge of the school's sprawling stone courtyard stood a boy with silver-gray eyes, a lone duffel bag slung over his shoulder. His name was Rai Tenma.
He didn't look like much—black uniform, dark boots, and a calm face—but his presence was unsettling. Not because he was strange. But because he was too calm. As if he knew what was coming.
The Academy towered behind him, its black spires cutting into the sky like jagged teeth. Built centuries ago on top of what was once a battlefield of forgotten gods, Ravenlock wasn't just any school—it was the premier academy for spellblades, elementalists, and arcane tacticians. Students from across the realm competed for a place here. But Rai hadn't competed. He had been invited.
He tightened his grip on the invitation letter in his coat pocket. It had arrived one week ago—burned into his bedroom wall by black fire, bearing the seal of the Headmaster of Shadows, Lord Caelum himself.
Inside, the grand halls of Ravenlock pulsed with arcane energy. Students whispered spells under their breath, others floated books beside them with casual flicks of the wrist. Marble floors shimmered with enchanted sigils, and portraits of ancient archmages watched the students pass with blinking eyes.
Rai walked quietly past them all, unnoticed, until—
"Newbie," someone called out behind him.
He turned.
A tall boy with fiery red hair and eyes like glowing embers stood leaning against the corridor wall. He wore the crimson cloak of House Pyren, the fire affinity house, and carried himself like he owned the hallway.
"You look lost," the boy smirked. "Name's Kael Drazon, third-year, spell-combat champ. You?"
"Rai Tenma."
Kael's smile flickered for a second—just a second—before returning. "Huh. The Headmaster's special pick? Didn't expect you to look so… average."
"I didn't come here to impress anyone," Rai said quietly.
Kael's grin widened. "Then you're definitely in the wrong place."
Before Rai could respond, a loud, melodic bell rang from above. Dozens of students hurried toward the Obsidian Amphitheater, where the Headmaster's speech was about to begin.
Kael tossed Rai a lazy salute and vanished into the crowd.
The Obsidian Amphitheater was carved into the cliffside overlooking the Sea of Storms. Waves crashed below as if angry at the sky, and the wind tugged at cloaks and hoods.
Thousands of students filled the stone tiers, murmuring and shifting.
Then silence fell like a spell.
From the shadows above, a figure floated downward, robes trailing like smoke. He landed without a sound. Tall, pale, and wrapped in midnight silk, Headmaster Caelum looked like death given form.
His voice was a whisper that echoed across the arena.
"Darkness rises. The seals weaken. One of you will betray the light. One of you will rise in shadow."
He paused, scanning the crowd.
"Welcome to Ravenlock."
And just like that, the sky cracked with black lightning.
Later that night, Rai sat alone in his dormitory room. It was small—just a bed, a desk, and a view of the Storm Sea—but quiet.
He placed a hand on his chest. Beneath his shirt, the strange mark burned faintly again—a crescent moon wrapped in black flames.
He didn't understand what it meant. Not yet. But he knew it was connected to his past. To why the Headmaster had called him here. To the voice that sometimes whispered in his dreams:
"You are born of the Shadowblood… cursed by the Moon… feared by the gods."
Just then, a knock echoed on the door.
He opened it.
A girl with short silver hair and a soft but sharp gaze stood there. She wore the deep violet colors of House Umbran, the house of shadows and illusions.
"I'm Lira Vale," she said. "The Headmaster sent me. He wants to see you. Now."
Deep beneath the school, Rai followed Lira into a sealed chamber lit by cold blue fire. Caelum stood beside a massive crystal, its surface swirling with visions—war, chaos, a city in ruins.
"Arodan," the Headmaster said softly. "The last city that fell to the Reign of Shadows. Do you know it?"
Rai shook his head.
"You were born there."
Rai blinked. "What?"
"The blood of the fallen runs through you. The Moonblood. It's waking."
The crystal pulsed. Shadows twisted within.
"You are not just a student, Rai Tenma," Caelum continued. "You are a key. And others will come for you."
As they walked back to the dorms, Lira glanced sideways at him. "You don't seem surprised."
"I've always known something was wrong with me," Rai said. "I just didn't know what."
"You're not wrong," she said quietly. "You're dangerous."
Before he could answer, the ground trembled beneath them.
Screams echoed from above.
The sky outside the windows turned blood red.
A shadow—a real one—rose out of the earth, tall as a tower, eyes glowing like fire.
The Reign had begun.
To Be Continued.