The academy rose before him like a fortress from another age — ancient stone towers, windows that glinted like watching eyes, and walls that seemed to hum with secrets.
Aether Academy.
Here, those chosen by fate trained to master the forces bound to them — forces that could build or destroy.
Kieran stood at the gates, his breath caught between awe and unease.
Around him, students hurried past, their footsteps echoing across the stone.
Sparks of energy crackled now and then — fleeting signs of the power this place held.
He stepped forward, drawn by the weight of it all — the history, the promise, and the quiet, hidden danger he couldn't yet see.
The halls stretched before him, banners lined in symbols he didn't recognize, the air charged like the sky before a storm.
"First day?"
Kieran turned. A girl stood near, watching him with an unreadable expression. She carried herself with a quiet confidence, like someone who belonged here — and maybe always had.
"Yeah," he said, managing a smile. "Is it that obvious?"
"You're looking at the place like it might swallow you whole."
He gave a nervous laugh, glancing up at the towering walls.
"Feels like it could."
"Come on," she said. "Orientation's in the main hall. You'll want to stick close unless you like getting lost."
As they walked, Kieran couldn't shake the strange pull of the academy — as if the very stones watched in silence, as if the place itself waited for something.
Inside the great hall, the Headmaster stood before them — tall, cloaked in gray, face hidden beneath his hood. His voice rang out, steady and deep.
"Welcome, new hosts. You stand at the edge of what you are... and what you could become. Here, you will learn to master the bond you carry. Here, you will learn what it means to be chosen."
Kieran felt it then — that hum beneath his skin, the quiet stirring of something that had always been with him, just out of reach.
And somewhere beyond these walls, danger drew closer, unseen and hungry.