The bell chimed again, signaling the end of first period. Students surged into the courtyard, laughing, boasting, complaining.
I lingered behind, letting the crowd thin. Noise wasn't my thing.
"Not bad," a voice drawled.
Casian leaned against a pillar, arms crossed. His entourage hung back, smirking like they'd already won some invisible contest.
"Your trick with the silver light," Casian said, "cute. But don't think glowing hands will get you anywhere in Class A."
"I wasn't trying to impress anyone," I replied.
"Good," he said with a grin that didn't reach his eyes. "Because you didn't."
He pushed off the pillar and left. His lackeys laughed as they followed.
I exhaled through my nose. He was the type who needed to win every conversation, even when he hadn't.
The dormitories stood on the eastern edge of campus, white spires clustered together like watchtowers. My room was on the third floor, overlooking a waterfall that spilled endlessly into clouds.
Inside, the space was simple: two beds, two desks, one window. No roommate yet. The quiet suited me.
I set my bag down, pulled off the academy jacket, and sat by the window. The parchment schedule on my desk glowed faintly, shifting to tomorrow's lessons. I traced the runes absently, thinking about the professor's words.
Unstable. Dangerous. A contradiction that cannot last.
They didn't know how right they were.
A knock at the door startled me.
When I opened it, the pink-haired girl from class stood there—Mira. She clutched a book to her chest, looking slightly nervous.
"Um… sorry to bother you," she said softly. "You left your quill in the lecture hall."
She held it out. My quill. I hadn't even noticed.
"Thanks," I said, taking it.
She hesitated, then smiled faintly. "That silver light of yours… it was pretty. Different, but… pretty."
Before I could answer, she dipped her head and hurried away down the hall.
I stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty corridor.
Pretty, huh. That was a new one.
By nightfall, the dorm was alive with noise—students trading stories, spells flickering like fireflies in the courtyards, laughter echoing against stone walls. From my window, I could see upperclassmen dueling in the distance, their blades sparking with magic.
Whispers drifted through the open air.
"The Twin Spears beat three challengers at once today.""Lyra's already scheduled her next public duel.""Selene passed through the library—everyone bowed."
The Student Council again. Their names floated through the academy like constellations, too high to reach.
I leaned against the glass, grey eyes reflecting the starlight.
Half angel. Half demon.A curse disguised as a student.
The academy wanted shining prodigies.All I could do was pretend.
For now.