Chapter Three: Moonlight and Serpent
Alex couldn't sleep.
The dorms were restless—laughter echoing down hallways, footsteps pounding staircases—but her room was still. Too still.
She rose, pacing to the window. Beyond the dorm grounds, the forest loomed darker than the sky itself. She pressed a hand to the glass, her serpent-mark tingling as though responding to the pull of the trees.
A shimmer stirred at the tree line.
At first, she thought it was a trick of moonlight. Then the shape stepped forward: a unicorn, coat pale as starlight, eyes carrying a weight that pierced straight through her.
Alex froze, her breath caught.
The creature lowered its head. When its gaze met hers, the voice came—not in words, but in presence.
"You've come."
Her lips parted, soundless. "What… are you?"
"Nimros," it breathed through her bones. "And you—are late."
The world tilted.
The forest beckoned.
And Alex, hand trembling on the window frame, wondered if she had already taken her first step inside without meaning to.