Ariel turned right and after walking a little further, she finally found the dormitories.
"Phew, finally..." she sighed with a short smile when she found the dormitory door that matched her key. She took a deep breath and turned the key in the lock.
The door opened with a soft click.
The room was spacious, lit by an arched window that let in the golden light of dusk. Two beds positioned on opposite sides, floating bookshelves, and a small magic mirror in the center.
Ariel took two cautious steps inside—and froze when she realized she wasn't alone.
A girl with light hair tied in a messy bun was sitting on the other bed, trying to open a suitcase that seemed to resist with a life of its own.
"Ah!" she looked up, surprised. "You must be my roommate!"
Ariel swallowed hard. Her eyes quickly scanned the girl's small translucent wings.
Relief.
"Thank goodness..." Ariel blurted out before she could control herself.
The girl blinked.
"Thank goodness for what?"
Ariel felt her face flush.
"That you... aren't a demon."
For a second, silence hung in the air.
Then the girl burst out laughing.
"Whew!" she said, putting her hand dramatically to her chest. "Good to know my existence isn't an immediate threat!"
Ariel's eyes widened, embarrassed.
"I didn't mean... it's just that..."
"Relax," she smiled broadly. "My name is Lumi. Half fairy, half human. Zero horns, I promise. This is my second year at Noxhollow, official survivor of this school's crazy rules."
Ariel couldn't help but smile a little.
"Ariel. First year... and totally lost."
"Well, Ariel..." Lumi pulled on the suitcase again, which immediately slipped out of her hand. "If you want to help me defeat this creature, I think we're officially friends."
Ariel dropped her bags on the bed and went over to Lumi to help her with the suitcase, which continued to resist fiercely.
After much effort, the suitcase finally opened.
"Finally. Thank you, you have no idea how long I've been struggling here," she smiled with relief. "Well, since this is your first year here at Noxhollow, you've fallen into the best possible hands. I know everything: schedules, weird teachers, which hallways to avoid at night, which dessert disappears first in the cafeteria..."
"That's very... comforting."
"And slightly worrying," she winked. "In fact, you must be hungry. Let's go to the cafeteria before the werewolves devour everything. Then you can unpack your suitcase."
Minutes later, Ariel was walking alongside Lumi through the corridors lit by floating lanterns, trying to absorb every detail of that impossible place.
The aroma of warm bread and spices reached Ariel before she even realized they had already crossed half the corridor. The distant murmur of voices echoed off the high walls, mingling with the metallic clatter of cutlery. When they passed through the large entrance arch, Ariel had to stifle a gasp: the Noxhollow cafeteria opened up before her like a small universe of its own.
Ariel felt the air change.
The dining hall opened up like a huge circular gallery, whose ceiling was not exactly solid—a translucent layer revealed an ever-changing sky, where shades of violet, deep blue, and gold moved slowly like a living aurora. Soft light bathed the tables and students, creating fluid and unreal shadows. The atmosphere vibrated with conversation, aromas, and supernatural energy. It was a large, lively, welcoming space, but charged with a silent strangeness that reminded Ariel that this was no ordinary place.
Creatures of all kinds moved between food counters that rearranged themselves, releasing warm and inviting aromas.
Ariel picked up her tray, still amazed.
"This is all... surreal."
"Wait until the day of the dimensional stew," commented Lumi, serving something that changed color. "It can be incredible... or traumatic."
They walked with their trays in hand.
Lumi discreetly pointed to a few groups scattered around the hall and leaned discreetly closer to Ariel.
"See that table by the curved window?" she whispered. "Those are the werewolves."
Ariel followed her gaze. A tall, noisy group, laughing too loudly, some already arguing over who would finish an entire platter of bread first.
"They're playful, loyal, and great at parties... but they're also overly competitive. Never bet anything with a werewolf. You always lose. And avoid arguing on a full moon night, even if the school says everything is under control."
Ariel nodded slowly.
Lumi slid her finger to another table, decorated with small floating sparkles around the chairs.
"Those are fairies. Beautiful, charming, dangerously curious. They know everything about everyone before you even realize you've told them. If a fairy compliments your hair, be wary. It usually means she already knows a secret about you."
Ariel swallowed hard.
"And... those over there... Well, you know..." She pointed to a group of figures with impeccable posture, their light wings partially folded. Lumi made a subtle grimace. "Angels. Polite, impeccable, extremely judgmental. They walk as if the ground is too sacred to touch their feet. They don't like mixing... or surprises."
Lumi glanced quickly at Ariel with a weak smile.
"No offense."
"It's okay, no offense taken."
Ariel felt a slight tightness in her chest.
"And those in the back?" Ariel pointed to a more isolated table, occupied by creatures of varying appearances: small horns, unusual eye colors, asymmetrical wings, thin tails.
"Hybrids." Lumi's voice softened. "Usually rejected by everyone. They don't really belong anywhere... so they end up belonging to each other. They're the most loyal you'll find here.
Ariel felt something warm in her chest.
Lumi hesitated before discreetly pointing to a darker table, where low laughter and attentive glances dominated the space.
"Demons." Lumi raised an eyebrow. "Charming, provocative, dangerously intense. They're not necessarily evil... but they love to push boundaries. If a demon looks at you for more than five seconds, he either wants to provoke you... or win you over. Sometimes both.
Ariel swallowed hard.
Lumi gave a half-smile.
"Basically: there you have fun, there you get screwed, there you are judged, there you find your family... and there you get into trouble."
Ariel clutched the tray a little tighter to her chest.
"If you want, you can sit with the angels," Lumi suggested. "Some first-years prefer it."
Ariel hesitated.
"I think... they wouldn't accept me very well."
Lumi frowned.
"Why?"
Ariel took a deep breath, feeling the old weight of that explanation. She was about to answer when a sudden impact knocked her off balance and made her fall.
An angel deliberately passed by her, bumping hard into her shoulder.
The tray slipped from her hands.
The plate shattered on the floor with a wet crack.
Several eyes immediately turned to her.
The angel didn't even apologize.
Ariel's face burned with shame.
"I..." she tried to say, but her voice failed her.
Before she could get up, a firm, warm hand offered to help her.
"Come on, get up."
Ariel automatically grabbed it, thinking it was Lumi.
When she looked up...
She found intense green eyes, a crooked smile laden with sarcasm, and tanned skin that contrasted with messy dark hair.
The warmth of his hand felt strange. Different.
Demon, she thought immediately.
Ariel quickly pulled her hand back.
"I can get up on my own, thank you."
He raised an eyebrow, amused.
"Hey, relax. I don't bite."
He winked cheekily, grabbed an apple from a nearby table, and walked away calmly, biting into the fruit as if nothing had happened.
Ariel stood still for a few seconds, trying to understand what had just happened.
"Ariel!" Lumi appeared at her side. "Are you okay?"
"I'm... I think so."
Lumi gently pulled her by the arm.
"Come on. Better sit with us."
They sat down at the hybrids' table.
Lumi watched Ariel for a moment, with a wry half-smile.
"Yeah... looks like you're an outcast like us, even though you're pureblood."
Ariel swallowed hard but nodded.
"I guess so."
"Everyone!" Lumi announced to the table. "This is Ariel, the new girl. Try not to traumatize her on her first day. She's already survived her first bullying attack in record time."
Some curious glances turned to her.
A boy with light blue skin, small scales glistening on the sides of his face, and eyes as big as liquid glass, was the first to smile.
"Nyx," he said excitedly, raising his hand in an exaggerated wave. "Half-merman, half-human. Expert at getting lost in the hallways and drinking water from any suspicious fountain."
"He once drank water from a cursed fountain," Lumi added.
"I had three gills for two hours, but it was worth the experience," Nyx replied proudly.
Ariel couldn't help but laugh shyly.
Next to him, a girl with silver hair tied in a clumsy bun looked up from a thick book that seemed to float slightly above the table. Small sparks of blue energy escaped from her fingertips.
"Lira," she said calmly. "Hybrid sorceress. If something explodes without explanation... it was probably me."
"Probably?" Nyx teased.
"Definitely," Lira corrected without raising her voice.
A tall boy with broad shoulders, intense amber eyes, and slightly longer-than-normal canines leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. A restless energy seemed to vibrate within him, as if he were ready to run, fight, or laugh all at once.
"Darius. Half-werewolf," he smiled sidelong. "I'm responsible for half the detentions in this group."
"And ninety percent of the trouble," Lumi retorted.
"Leadership requires sacrifice."
Finally, a smaller girl with translucent wings folded behind her back—they looked like they were made of thin glass—raised her hand timidly. Her eyes had a soft amber glow.
"I'm Eira..." she said quietly. "I'm a hybrid of a fairy and something no one has been able to identify yet. So I'm officially in the weirdo group."
"Exclusive club," Nyx said. "T-shirts are in short supply."
Ariel felt her chest warm. For the first time since she had arrived at that impossible school... no one was looking at her with judgment.
Only curiosity, humor, and a strange silent acceptance.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ariel..." Ariel said, her voice sounding firmer than she expected. "I'm an angel. And... thank you for welcoming me."
"Relax," Lumi replied, giving her a gentle nudge with her shoulder. "No one here is normal. That's the minimum requirement."
Ariel breathed a little more easily.
After a few seconds, she leaned toward Lumi and whispered:
"That demon... do you know him?"
Lumi followed her gaze as he walked away between the tables.
"Oh. Yes, I do." She made an amused face. "Kael, from the Kingdom of Varun. He's always getting into trouble, always ironic, always breaking the rules... but strangely fair when he wants to be."
"Fair?"
"He hates injustice. Especially when it involves persecution. But he doesn't let anyone see that easily."
Ariel was silent for a few moments, still feeling the phantom warmth of his hand on hers.
"He seems... complicated."
Lumi laughed.
"Welcome to Noxhollow."