Aysel's footsteps echoed too loudly in the silent Great Moon Hall.
Each step was a drumbeat in her ears, reverberating off the high marble walls like a challenge she couldn't take back.
Above her, the enchanted ceiling reflected the celestial sky beyond—five moons in eerie alignment, suspended in a moment that should've been impossible. One moon could change a life. Five could break a world.
Around her, banners shimmered in suspended grace—silver, blue, gold, crimson, and obsidian—each representing a Moon House. Each belonging to students who knew exactly who they were. Who had been chosen.
Unlike her.
Rows of students filled the seats, their eyes sharp, hungry, whispering behind cupped hands. She could feel it—their fear curling beneath their curiosity, their awe twisted with suspicion, their doubt pressing down on her shoulders like a second weight.
No one knew what to do with a girl who bore every Moon Mark.
At the center of the room rose a circular platform of ancient stone, etched with glowing runes—pulsing softly like a heartbeat. The Moon Sorting Circle. This was where students were claimed by the moon that had chosen them.
Only her moon wasn't one. It was all.
The Headmistress stood beside the circle, her robes a constellation of glittering stars. Her voice rang out like a bell:
"Step forward, Aysel Caelum."
Her name felt heavier when she heard it spoken aloud in this place.
Aysel swallowed hard. Her legs trembled, but she moved. One step. Then another.
She hesitated for a breath—just one—before setting her foot onto the circle.
The moment her boot met the stone, the world shifted.
Magic hit her like a wave.
Above her, the five moons ignited one by one.
The Full Moon flared with golden fire, casting halos through the air.
The Waxing Crescent shimmered silver, like stardust caught in motion.
The Waning Crescent glowed soft and mournful, cloaking the room in gentle blue.
The First Quarter pulsed with red energy that crackled like molten earth.
And the New Moon—
It didn't glow.
It hummed.
A deep, resonant thrum that vibrated in her bones. Dark. Hollow. Like a song only spirits could hear.
The air trembled.
A crack split across the rune-carved floor.
Magic spiraled upward in violent arcs of light—like lightning trying to escape the sky.
The crowd gasped.
"What's happening?" someone whispered.
"She's triggering all of them?" another voice, sharp with disbelief.
"Is she even human?" someone muttered.
Aysel couldn't breathe.
The power in the air bent toward her like it recognized her—like it had always been waiting.
The Headmistress raised her hand. A crystal floated to her palm, glowing with unreadable symbols that shimmered and twisted.
Her expression tightened. Carefully, she spoke.
"She has been claimed by all five Moons."
"No House can contain her."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Then, from the edges of the hall, five figures stepped forward.
The Starborne Heirs. The academy's prodigies. The ones who had already been chosen.
Kael Vireon of House Ignis, his crimson uniform catching the firelight of his mark. He frowned at her, jaw tight. Suspicious.
Zephyr Aelion of House Ventu, the silver mask casting strange shadows across his cheekbones. He smirked. Amused.
Riven Solare of House Aqua, gentle-eyed and quiet, his golden hair aglow beneath the moonlight. He studied her like a dream he couldn't believe was real.
Dax Arclay of House Terra, broad-shouldered and sharp-eyed, arms folded across his chest, annoyance flickering in his gaze.
And Lucien Noctis of House Umbra, standing slightly apart, half-wrapped in shadow, violet-black eyes fixed on her like he could see through time.
Kael was the first to speak. His voice was hard steel.
"This isn't right."
Zephyr chuckled under his breath.
"Or maybe it's exactly right. Five moons. Five Heirs. And her."
Riven didn't speak, only inclined his head slightly, as though in quiet reverence.
Dax scoffed, but stepped closer anyway.
"She's unstable. She needs supervision."
Lucien said nothing.
But he didn't need to. His silence was louder than any accusation.
The Headmistress turned to Aysel again.
"You'll stay in the Neutral Dormitory," she said.
"Until we can understand your nature."
"And to maintain balance, you will train under all five Houses."
She motioned to the Heirs.
"Each of them will be responsible for overseeing one phase of your training."
Aysel's stomach dropped.
Her heart slammed in her chest.
She was going to train with them?
Five elemental prodigies. Five forces of nature.
And her—an anomaly wrapped in flesh.
A girl caught in the gravitational pull of their power... or maybe something worse.
---
Later That Night – Neutral Dormitory Tower
The tower was quiet. Too quiet.
No creaking floorboards. No whispering roommates. No comfort of belonging.
This place had no House. No colors. No traditions.
Only her.
Aysel sat on the edge of the bed, still too stunned to sleep.
The walls were bare. The silence screamed.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror across the room, then slowly peeled off her shirt.
There they were.
Five glowing Moon Marks, blazing along her skin.
Each pulsing with its own rhythm. Its own magic.
Her back, her chest, her hands—marked like a map no one could read.
Her throat tightened.
She didn't understand what she was.
She didn't understand why she was.
She used to be Unmarked. Just a village girl. Just a nobody.
Then the Fivefold Eclipse came—and shattered everything.
She didn't ask for this.
She didn't want to be feared. Or studied. Or caged.
But now… they were all watching her.
And none of them knew what would happen next.
A knock shattered the stillness.
She startled, yanked her shirt back on, and crossed the room quickly.
When she opened the door, Kael stood there, arms crossed, his hair still damp from the storm earlier.
He didn't meet her eyes.
"Don't think this means I like you," he said flatly.
His voice was rough. Edged with something unspoken.
"But tomorrow, we train. You're under me first—Full Moon."
A pause. His eyes finally flicked to hers.
"Don't burn the damn school down."
And just like that, he turned and walked away.
Aysel stared after him.
She closed the door quietly behind her and leaned against it.
Her breath left her in a slow exhale, as though she'd been holding it all day.
She was alone.
But not for long.
Tomorrow, the moons would test her.
And so would the boys who carried their power.