Morning sunlight crept through the tall arched windows of Mooncrest Academy, slicing through the chill mist that clung to the halls like cobwebs. The place looked beautiful in a dark, gothic kind of way — the kind of beauty that probably hid centuries of nightmares.
Nerissa Flair trudged down the corridor, yawning hard enough to unhinge her jaw. Her curls were wild, her tie was loose, and her mood? Unapologetically foul.
"Factionless."
She heard it again. A whisper from two girls near the lockers.
"Yeah, that's her," one hissed, pretending to check her reflection in the window. "The witch-looking one. No faction assigned."
The other giggled. "Maybe she failed the test."
"Oh, I passed plenty of tests, bitch," Nerissa muttered under her breath, shooting them a glare sharp enough to cut glass.
She'd been hearing it since breakfast — factionless. As if she was some glitch in their perfect supernatural hierarchy. Mooncrest had its rules: Alphas, Betas, Faes, Vamps. Everyone belonged somewhere. Everyone except her.
She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed down the main hall, her boots echoing with every step. "Factionless, my ass," she grumbled. "I'm not even supposed to be here. I should've faked a Wi-Fi outage and stayed home."
Then again… home wasn't much better.
She sighed, remembering the principal's words from her first day: All students must belong to a faction.
Yet here she was — two days in — and no one had said a damn thing.
"Of course," she muttered, "the witch gets the bureaucratic nightmare."
"Talking to yourself again?"
Nerissa spun, her annoyance softening immediately when she saw Vanessa walking toward her. The Fae girl practically glowed — golden-brown skin, soft silver hair pulled into a ponytail, and an easy smile that somehow made Mooncrest feel less like a haunted castle.
"Morning, sunbeam," Nerissa said, forcing a grin.
"Morning, storm cloud," Vanessa teased back. "You look like you wrestled with a ghost and lost."
"I did. It was called insomnia," Nerissa deadpanned.
Vanessa giggled, then lowered her voice. "So, um… have you checked your schedule yet?"
"My what?"
"Your class schedule," Vanessa said, frowning a little. "They update it every morning."
"Yeah, about that—" Nerissa held up her phone. "No Wi-Fi, no service, no bars, no nothing. My phone's basically a decorative brick right now."
Vanessa's eyes widened. "You didn't connect it?"
"Connect it to what? Magic hotspot?"
"Exactly."
Nerissa blinked. "…You're kidding."
Vanessa smiled, tugging her hand. "Come on. I'll show you."
They weaved through the crowded corridor and out onto a cobblestone path that led to another building — older, smaller, covered in climbing vines that shimmered faintly under the morning sun.
"This," Vanessa said, "is the Courtyard Annex. Where all the faction schedules get updated through the ether network."
"Ether network?" Nerissa repeated. "Sounds like Hogwarts Wi-Fi."
"It's… kind of like that."
As they entered, Nerissa's breath hitched. The inside wasn't a typical courtyard — it was a wide, circular arena, buzzing with energy. Students were everywhere, sparring, levitating, conjuring, transforming.
Her eyes widened. "Holy shit."
Vanessa grinned proudly. "Welcome to faction training."
It took Nerissa a second to process it all. She saw Vampires practicing combat with silver blades, Faes weaving illusions midair, and Wolves in partial shift, claws glinting as they moved through drills.
The air pulsed with magic — alive, wild, almost intoxicating.
"Okay," she breathed, spinning slowly. "Now this is a vibe."
Vanessa nudged her shoulder. "So, which faction are you in?"
"That's the million-dollar question," Nerissa muttered. "Apparently, I don't have one."
Vanessa's smile faltered. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, rumor says I'm factionless. Like, officially unassigned."
Vanessa frowned. "That's… not possible. The ether assigns everyone. Maybe it glitched?"
"Yeah, tell that to my social life," Nerissa said dryly. "Half the cafeteria thinks I'm cursed."
Before Vanessa could reply, a deep voice boomed across the courtyard.
"Factions, prepare for evaluation!"
Students scrambled into groups — Wolves to the north, Vampires east, Faes west, and another cluster she didn't recognize at the south end.
Vanessa squeezed Nerissa's hand. "That's my faction. The Fae collective. I'll catch you after!"
"Wait—Vanessa!"
But she was already gone, wings flickering faintly as she joined her group.
Nerissa looked around, realizing she was suddenly very alone.
"Okay," she murmured, scanning the courtyard. "So… where does the factionless girl go?"
For a long moment, Nerissa just stood there — in the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by magic and mayhem, but belonging nowhere.
Every other student moved like they had a purpose. Wolves howled in unison. Vamps glided into their ranks. Faes shimmered into place. Even the shifters, loud and wild, looked like they knew where to stand.
She shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. "Factionless. Great. Love that for me."
A whistle blew somewhere, sharp and commanding. Heads turned as Headmaster Aldric Vale emerged from the far archway.
Nerissa had seen him once — at orientation — and even then he didn't look real. His silver-streaked hair and storm-gray eyes gave him an ageless authority. His long coat swept the ground as he walked, the air itself seeming to bow under his presence.
When he spoke, his voice was low, steady — and impossible to ignore.
"Students, today's evaluation will determine your faction standing and rank. Newcomers who have not yet been assigned will be evaluated last."
Every muscle in Nerissa's body stiffened.
Newcomers who have not yet been assigned.
"Please tell me that's not me," she muttered.
"Unfortunately," came a drawling voice from behind her, "it is."
She turned — and groaned audibly. "Oh no. Not you again."
Riven leaned lazily against one of the stone pillars, arms crossed, black uniform crisp as ever. The smirk on his face was pure arrogance.
"I told you," he said, eyes gleaming. "You'd end up with us one way or another."
"With who? The walking ego squad?"
"Alpha Division," he replied, straightening. "Top of the hierarchy. And judging by that glare, you'd fit right in."
"Pass," she said instantly.
Before she could walk away, Kael appeared beside Riven, his expression a mix of annoyance and amusement. "You sure? You might actually survive training with us. Maybe."
"Maybe," Nerissa said, stepping closer, "but I'd rather not die from testosterone poisoning."
Lucien arrived last — quiet, unreadable, eyes darker than midnight. He didn't speak, just looked at her, studying her like a puzzle he wasn't sure he wanted to solve.
That look made her heart stutter in her chest — not out of fear, but something she didn't want to name.
"Flair," Headmaster Vale's voice cut through the noise.
She froze. "Yes, sir?"
"Your evaluation is pending," he said, glancing down at a glowing crystal tablet in his hand. "But… curious. The system cannot detect your faction alignment."
Murmurs rippled through the courtyard. Nerissa's cheeks burned.
"Sir, maybe the ether's broken?" one student called.
Vale's sharp gaze lifted. "The ether does not break." He turned back to her. "Step forward, Miss Flair."
Every eye followed her as she moved to the center.
Vale placed a glowing orb between them — swirling with blue and gold energy. "Place your hand upon the ether crystal. It will reveal your dominant affinity."
Nerissa hesitated. Her palms were slick with sweat.
What if it doesn't show anything? What if it shows too much?
She pressed her hand to the crystal.
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then — boom.
A surge of light erupted, flooding the entire courtyard. The orb pulsed violently — gold, silver, and deep violet all at once — before shattering with a sound like thunder.
Students screamed and shielded their faces. Energy crackled in the air. When the glow faded, the stone tiles beneath her feet were scorched black, faint runes burning into the ground.
Vale stared, his calm composure faltering for the first time.
"…Impossible," he whispered.
Nerissa slowly lifted her hand, trembling. "Did I just… break it?"
Riven let out a low whistle. "Well, damn."
Kael grinned. "Guess she's not so factionless after all."
Lucien's voice was quiet — but there was something dangerous in it.
"No. She's something else."
Headmaster Vale's eyes locked on her. "Miss Flair… report to my office after class."
And just like that, the courtyard erupted in whispers.
"Did you see that?"
"She broke the ether crystal!"
"No one's ever—"
"She's cursed—"
"She's dangerous—"
Nerissa took a step back, heart pounding. She could feel their stares pressing in — fear, curiosity, awe.
Vanessa appeared beside her again, wide-eyed. "Riss… what just happened?"
"I wish I knew," she said softly. "But whatever it was—"
Her gaze flicked to Vale's retreating form.
"—the headmaster definitely did."
The rest of the training session passed in a blur. Nerissa couldn't remember what the others were told to do, couldn't even focus when Vanessa nudged her to move. Her head buzzed with questions she couldn't silence — and that word kept echoing in her mind.
Impossible.
By the time the final bell rang, she'd managed to avoid Riven's teasing grin, Kael's knowing smirk, and Lucien's unnerving silence. Vanessa had offered to walk her to the headmaster's office, but Nerissa refused. The last thing she wanted was her new friend getting dragged into whatever this was.
Mooncrest Academy was breathtaking at dusk. The twin moons hung over the towering spires, casting silver shadows across the cobblestones. The air shimmered faintly — the kind of stillness that whispered of secrets just waiting to be uncovered.
She climbed the steps to the headmaster's tower, her boots echoing against marble floors that seemed too ancient, too aware.
Aldric Vale's office was exactly how she remembered it: vast and cold, lined with shelves of ancient tomes and artifacts that pulsed with faint energy. A massive stained-glass window dominated the far wall, the moons' light casting violet reflections across his desk.
"Miss Flair." His voice broke the silence before she could knock. "Enter."
She stepped in. "You wanted to see me, sir."
"Sit."
He didn't look up immediately, just traced his fingers over a crystal tablet that displayed her student record — or what should have been her record. The holographic text flickered, glitching like bad code.
Finally, he looked at her. "Do you have any idea what happened today?"
"Uh… I broke your crystal ball?"
His expression didn't change. "That was an ether alignment sphere, Miss Flair. Forged from dragon core energy and sealed by Fae enchantments. It cannot be broken by ordinary magic."
"Guess I'm not ordinary," she muttered before she could stop herself.
Vale's eyes sharpened. "Indeed."
He rose from his chair, hands clasped behind his back as he began pacing slowly. "You claimed to be human when you enrolled."
"I never said that."
"Yet your aura tells otherwise. And the ether's reaction…" He stopped, facing her. "No witch, shifter, or vampire alive carries that mixture of magic. What are you, Miss Flair?"
Her throat went dry.
She could hear her mother's voice in her head — Never let them know what you are. Promise me, Riss.
"I don't know," she said quickly. "Maybe your orb was defective or something."
A flicker of something — disappointment, maybe — crossed his face, but it was gone in an instant. "Very well. But understand this: power without control is a threat. To yourself and to this academy. Until we determine your nature, you will remain under watch."
"Watch?"
He gestured to the doorway.
Lucien stepped out of the shadows.
Nerissa's heart skipped. "You?"
He gave a slight nod, expression unreadable. "Headmaster's orders."
"Fantastic," she said under her breath. "I've got my own personal stalker now."
Vale ignored her tone. "Mr. Kael and Mr. Riven will rotate shifts. You will report to Alpha Division training until further notice."
"What if I say no?"
"Then you will be expelled," Vale said simply. "And something tells me, Miss Flair, that would be… unwise."
The finality in his tone left no room for argument. Nerissa rose, every instinct screaming to fight — but she didn't. Not yet.
As she reached the door, Vale's voice followed her.
"Miss Flair," he said quietly, "the kind of magic you wield hasn't been seen since the Witch Wars. Be careful who you trust."
She froze. "What did you just say?"
But when she turned, he was already back behind his desk, eyes on his tablet as though the conversation had never happened.
Lucien opened the door for her, silent as ever.
The corridor outside was empty, moonlight spilling through the tall windows. Nerissa walked ahead, refusing to meet his gaze.
After a few moments, he finally spoke. "You really don't know what you are, do you?"
She clenched her fists. "No. And if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
He almost smiled — just barely. "Fair enough."
They walked in silence for a while, the air thick with unspoken tension.
When they reached the courtyard, he paused. "Stay close to your dorm after dark. Not everyone here follows rules."
She turned to him. "You mean the students?"
"No," he said quietly. "The teachers."
Then he vanished into the shadows, leaving her alone under the moonlight — heart racing, mind spinning, and one terrifying truth forming in her gut:
Mooncrest Academy wasn't just hiding secrets.
It was built on them.