Hunter talking softly and Echo adding little explanations. Lyra just listened quietly, feeling shy but also happy in a strange way. It was her first time walking beside an opposite sex that close, and she didn't even know why her heartbeat was acting strange.
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Master Gael's office was quiet, the kind of quiet that made the air feel heavy. The top students of the academy were already seated, five of them in total. Two males and two females sat comfortably on the long couch, though none of them actually looked relaxed. These were the strongest students in Nocturne Academy, the ones every other student respected or feared.
They were waiting for the last person Prince Kael.
After a few minutes, the door opened slowly. Prince Kael walked in like he owned the entire building. His steps were calm but firm, his expression cold like always. He didn't spare anyone a glance as he walked straight to Master Gael's table and sat right beside him, like that was his natural place.
Damon, sitting on the far left, sighed loudly. He leaned forward a little.
"Why are we called here?" Damon asked, breaking the silence.
Damon was Kael's younger brother, cheerful and always smiling. He didn't look scary at first glance, but only a fool would take him lightly. He was a wolf. And unlike Kael, he didn't take after their father's vampire side. He looked a lot like Kael though same eyes, same intimidating aura that sometimes slipped out without him noticing.
Master Gael folded his hands together on the table. His expression was serious, deeper than usual.
"This morning," Master Gael began, "we saw the dead bodies of two new students in the Elarion Forest. They were on their way to the school after receiving the letter. They were attacked by demons."
The whole room went silent.
Juniper, who had been leaning back with her arms crossed, slowly lifted her chin. She was a vampire, very cold and sharp, the type that didn't smile unless she wanted something. People didn't mess with her unless they wanted to bleed.
"If they were killed," Juniper said calmly, "it means the demons only needed something from them."
"The letter," Xavier said immediately. He was a wolf too, huge and quiet most times, but sharp when it came to danger. "They need the letter to get inside the school."
Sirena rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. She was a siren, seductive and cunning, always giving off an energy that made people uncomfortable without her even trying.
"If they're in the school," Sirena said, "what do they probably want? Souls? Chaos? Maybe they're bored."
Kael finally lifted his eyes, slow and cold. His voice came out low but strong enough for everyone to hear.
"They are not here for that. They are here for the heavenly pearl," Kael said.
Everyone stiffened immediately, the weight of his words sinking in.
Master Gael nodded sadly. "That will be dangerous. You all need to guard the place and make sure the demons are not successful."
Kael stood up slowly.
"Don't like crowd," he muttered calmly. "It's either I do the job or They did"
He didn't wait for anyone to argue. He just turned and left the office.
Xavier clenched his fists, his jaw tight with anger.
"He is just so arrogant," Xavier muttered under his breath, hatred burning in his eyes.
Sirena immediately stood up and rushed after Kael like a desperate shadow.
"Kael! Wait for me!" she called, running after him.
Juniper scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes so hard it almost looked painful. She stood up too, but not to follow Kael just to leave the room and avoid the unnecessary drama.
Damon quickly jumped up and jogged after her. He wrapped one arm around her neck from behind, pulling her closer with a playful grin.
"Let go," Juniper said coldly, not even looking at him.
"Nope," Damon said, grinning wider.
Juniper sighed deeply, acting annoyed, but Damon could see the tiny twitch at the corner of her lips. She didn't hate it as much as she pretended. They are close friends and always hang out together.
Lyra followed them quietly into the huge library, her eyes widening the moment they stepped inside. The place was massive, stretching endlessly with tall shelves that almost touched the ceiling. There were thousands of books ancient ones, dusty ones, glowing ones… books filled with secrets, magic, histories, curses, everything she never imagined existed.
Her jaw dropped slightly as she looked around.
"This place is… big," she whispered, almost afraid to speak too loudly.
"I love this place," Hunter said with a soft smile, pushing his long hair back behind his ear. "I rest here after working. The quiet feels good."
Lyra smiled back, feeling a little lighter. "I love reading too."
Her voice was soft, filled with memories. She remembered how her mum always brought back books whenever she went out. Lyra would hide inside them all day, reading until her eyes felt heavy.
Echo giggled. "Then you'll want to stay here forever."
They began walking around the library, moving between shelves. Lyra's fingers lightly traced over the spines of the books. She picked up anything that caught her eye books about healing magic, old fairy tales, books about strange creatures she had never heard of. Everything felt new and exciting.
After a while, they reached a part of the library that felt different. The atmosphere changed. It was colder, quieter, like the walls were holding their breath. At the end of the aisle stood a large old door, darker than the others. A glowing shield shimmered faintly over it, blocking it completely.
Lyra stopped walking.
"What is in there?" she asked, her curiosity pulling her forward.
Echo leaned close to her ear. "The broken pieces of the heavenly pearl," she whispered.
Lyra gasped softly, staring harder at the shield.
Hunter folded his arms. "But the door hasn't been opened for thousands of years. No one can get access to it. Not even the master. So the pieces remain in there… untouched."
Lyra stared, imagining what something so powerful must look like.
"Let's go," Echo said, pulling her along gently. "We have more things to show."
They walked away, but Lyra turned back one more time. Something about that door made her chest feel strange. A soft warmth, like something calling her. She swallowed hard and forced herself to follow Echo and Hunter.
But when she looked up again… they were gone.
Lyra blinked and spun around, confused. "Echo? Hunter?" She called their names softly but no reply came. She hugged the books to her chest and began running out of the library to go find them.
The moment she stepped out—
She collided with something hard.
The impact threw her backward instantly, her body hitting the floor as the books scattered everywhere around her. A gasp rippled through the hallway. People froze. Some even covered their mouths.
"Sorry…" she muttered quickly, her voice shaking as she tried to gather the books.
She lifted her head —
And her breath stopped completely.
A pair of cold, dark eyes were staring down at her. Not just cold, terrifyingly unreadable. His expression held nothing, yet somehow everything. Like he was judging her entire existence in one glance.
Prince Kael.
His presence alone felt like ice crawling down her spine. She felt her fingers shake a little.
But he wasn't the only one staring.
Sirena stood beside him, her eyes filled with pure burning hatred. The way she stared at Lyra's face… it felt like knives. Sirena had always been the most beautiful girl in Nocturne Academy, but now looking at Lyra her flawless soft face, her innocent eyes, her natural beauty it made Sirena's chest twist with pure rage.
She wanted to drag a knife across that face and ruin it. That was how deep the jealousy ran.
The hallway was dead silent. No one moved. No one breathed.
Prince Kael's cold stare stayed locked on Lyra, boring into her like he could see right through her skin. She felt completely exposed.
Everyone around them pitied her instantly.
Because no one ever bumped into Prince Kael and came out fine.
Lyra was just a fragile fairy girl who didn't even understand the danger she was in.