The door creaked open, heavy and slow, as if it hadn't been moved in centuries. The air inside was colder than the corridor, thick with a faint metallic tang.
Aira stepped in—and froze.
Behind the grand desk sat a woman who was not entirely human. Her skin was pale, her hair long and white, falling in a sheet over her shoulders. Two small horns curved from her head, sharp yet strangely elegant. Dark red lipstick glistened against her cold smile, a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Welcome, Aira," the woman said, her voice low, smooth, but carrying a weight that made the room feel smaller. "You've finally arrived at Ebonspire Academy. The government has sent you here, and it's up to you to prove you belong."
Aira swallowed. Her fingers tightened around her bag strap.
The Principal leaned forward. "I am the Principal here. Before you can belong, there are rules. This school is not a playground. Every student carries an ability, a gift—. Some control light, some weave illusions, some bend steel with their bare hands. Every ability is unique."
She gestured toward Zara, who was standing beside Aira, smiling. "For example, Zara here has the gift of Luck Bending. She can influence probabilities around her, make unlikely things happen. It's subtle, but powerful."
Her gaze then fell sharply on Aira. "And yours?"
Aira hesitated. The words stuck to her tongue, heavy, like she was betraying a secret. "I… I don't really know."
The Principal's eyes narrowed. "No idea? Then how did you even find out you were one of us?"
Her chest tightened. For a moment, she almost said nothing—but the memory of the fire forced its way forward.
"There was a girl at my old school," she whispered. "She was… bullying me. I got angry. Too angry. And then—she burned. I didn't mean to. I couldn't stop it. Ever since then, things just… happen. When I'm angry, there's fire. When I'm nervous, there's wind. It's like my mind is… tied to it. And I don't know how to control it."
The Principal's lips parted slightly. Shock flickered across her otherwise composed face.
"Impossible," she murmured. "I have seen fire wielders. Wind callers. But never… both. You claim you can summon more than one element?"
Aira gave a small, reluctant nod.
Silence filled the office, thick and oppressive. The Principal leaned back slowly, studying her with unreadable eyes.
"Elemental duality has not been recorded here for centuries," she said finally. "To have command over more than one element… is dangerous. Very dangerous. You will not speak of this lightly, girl. Do you understand?"
Aira nodded quickly, keeping her lips sealed. She did not dare mention the voice in her head—the one whispering to her even now:
"Tell her. Burn her. Show her what you are."
From the far corner, a shadow shifted. A figure stepped forward slowly, deliberately. She hadn't noticed him before, as if the darkness had been hiding him on purpose.
Her breath caught.
He was tall, broad-shouldered, his posture sharp and commanding. His eyes glimmered faintly in the dim light, studying her with something between disdain and curiosity. A faint smirk tugged at his lips, as if he already knew something about her she didn't.
Aira looked away quickly, heat crawling up her neck.
The Principal's voice broke the silence.
"To be here, Aira, you must prove yourself. Every student takes an exam, but yours will be… different."
Aira's stomach dropped.
"You will demonstrate control of your ability. If you succeed, you will be admitted as an official student of Ebonspire Academy. But if you lose control…" The Principal's tone turned sharp, final. "You will leave this place. And then your fate will be in the government's hands."
The shadows in the room seemed to deepen, the air pressing against her skin.
The voice inside her head whispered again, almost gleeful:
"Fail. Burn them all. Show them the monster you are."
And for the first time since she walked through the gates, Aira wondered if she had made a mistake coming here.