At first there was only darkness, a thick, suffocating darkness that pressed from every direction. She tried to lift her hand, but her body would not obey. Her chest felt heavy, as if something invisible was sitting on her, pinning her to the bed.
Then she saw it.
A figure stood above her, tall and cloaked in black. She could not see its face, but she felt its eyes on her.
A cold hand pressed against her throat.
Panic shot through her entire body. "Let me go!" she tried to scream, but no sound came out. She thrashed, her fingers clawing at empty air, but the grip only tightened. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, her lungs burned.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" she cried in her mind.
The darkness around the figure began to move. Shadows crawled across the walls like living things, whispering. The figure leaned closer, and the cold around her neck became unbearable.
Then something inside Amaya snapped.
Heat exploded from her chest, a pure raw energy. A violent burst of golden light tore through the darkness, sending the figure flying backward across the room. The pressure vanished instantly.
Amaya jolted awake, sitting upright in bed, gasping for air. Her nightgown clung to her skin with sweat.
Her dorm room was dark and quiet, except for the storm hammering against the windows. She stayed completely still for several seconds, listening, her heart pounding so loud she was sure it would wake everyone.
She touched her throat with trembling fingers. Nothing there. No hand, no mark, no figure. Only her own rapid pulse.
"Just a dream," she whispered, her voice shaking. "It was just a dream, Amaya."
But it didn't feel like a dream. The cold still lingered on her skin.
She couldn't stay in bed. She needed air, she needed to be sure she was awake. Pushing the sheets aside, she slipped her feet into her slippers and quietly opened her door.
The hallway of Majesty High at 2 AM was unusually silent. The long corridor stretched ahead, illuminated only by the faint amber glow of enchanted lamps along the stone walls. The portraits of past headmasters seemed to watch her as she passed.
She took a few steps, hugging herself, when she froze.
Someone was standing at the far end of the hallway. A shadow, tall and still.
Amaya's breath caught. "Hello? Who's there?"
The figure moved, gliding around the corner without a sound.
Something in her gut told her to go back to her room and lock the door. But something stronger made her follow. Her slippers made soft sounds on the cold marble as she hurried.
"Wait! Stop!"
Every time she thought she was getting close, the shadow moved farther away. It led her past empty classrooms, dark windows streaked with rain, and silent doors. The hallway seemed to stretch longer with every step, like the school itself didn't want her to catch it.
It finally led her outside, into the open field behind the dormitories. The stormy sky hung low, wind tearing at her hair and nightgown.
The shadow stood at the very center of the field, waiting for her.
Amaya stopped a few feet away, rain starting to soak her. "Who are you? Why are you following me?" she shouted over the wind.
The figure remained still, its face still hidden in darkness.
"Why did you bring me here? Answer me!"
Slowly, the shadow turned toward her, and when it spoke, its voice was not one voice, but many whispering at once, male and female, old and young.
"You will know soon."
A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the cold. "Know what? Know what? Tell me!"
The figure tilted its head. "Why are you here?"
"You don't belong here," it whispered, and though it was quiet, she heard it clearly. "You will."
A flash of lightning tore across the sky, so bright it turned night into day for a fraction of a second.
And in that light, the shadow was gone.
Amaya spun around wildly, her hair whipping around her face. "Wait!
Nothing. Only the empty field, the rain, and the distant silhouette of Majesty High, its towers dark against the storm. Her breathing was quick and panicked now.
She had to get back inside. Something was wrong with this school tonight.
She ran back through the corridors, her slippers splashing in small puddles she hadn't noticed before. As she turned the corner near her dorm, she nearly collided with someone and screamed.
"Amaya? Oh my god!"
It was Miranda, her best friend and roommate, wrapped in a blanket, her eyes wide with worry. "Where have you been? I've been looking for you everywhere! You weren't in bed!"
Amaya grabbed her arms, her hands still shaking. "Miranda, I saw someone. A shadow. It spoke to me."
Miranda's expression changed from worry to fear. "A shadow? What are you talking about?"
"In my dream first, someone was choking me, and then I woke up and there was a shadow in the hallway. I followed it outside to the field. It said I will know soon, but then it disappeared.
"Amaya, you followed a stranger outside in the middle of the night during a storm?" Miranda whispered loudly, pulling her closer.
"I know how it sounds, I know! But I couldn't just ignore it. It felt like it was calling me."
Miranda looked over her shoulder nervously, then lowered her voice, her own hands trembling. "There's something I haven't told you either. Something that happened to me tonight."
"What?"
"I had a dream too. But it wasn't like yours." Miranda swallowed hard, her eyes watering. "There were people fighting, Amaya. Hundreds of them. In this school. Everyone was screaming, fire everywhere, blood... so much blood on the floor. And then I saw an arm... it was covered in blood and it wasn't moving."
Amaya stared at her, her own fear forgotten for a moment. "Miranda..."
"I've never had a dream like that before," Miranda said, her voice breaking. "It felt so real. I woke up crying."
Amaya hugged her tightly. "Relax, okay? We're just tired. The storm, exams, everything. That's all. It's just stress."
"Do you really think so?"
"Yes. Let's go back to our room. We'll talk about it properly tomorrow morning. We'll figure it out together."
Miranda nodded reluctantly, leaning on her. Neither of them noticed the faint darkness pooling at the end of the corridor behind them, watching as they left.
Morning arrived quietly, as if the storm had never happened. Sunlight poured over the towers of Majesty High, making the wet stone glitter. By daylight, it looked nothing like the terrifying maze Amaya had walked through at night. Students in neat uniforms laughed and chatted, heading to class.
But beneath its calm, beautiful appearance, Majesty High was governed by order, rank, and power. Students were not simply divided by grades. Their abilities mattered. Their bloodline mattered. The groups they belonged to mattered. Some students followed the rules, others made the rules, and a few had enough influence that the whole hall fell silent when they entered.
Amaya had learned quickly in her first year that this was not a place where weakness remained hidden for long. Everyone had a place, everyone had something to prove, and everyone seemed to know more than they were willing to say.
Before she could think further, the main bell rang.
"Assembly! All students to the great hall, now!" a prefect shouted.
Amaya looked at Miranda, who still looked pale from last night. "Come on."
They joined the flood of students moving toward the great hall, a massive room with a vaulted ceiling and floating candles. Inside, hundreds of students gathered, voices echoing.
Then the huge oak doors at the front opened, and a man stepped inside. Instructor Kael. He was one of the senior instructors responsible for teaching students to control the dangerous abilities that made Majesty High different from any other school in the country.
The noise faded instantly. He had that kind of presence.
"There will be changes this term," he announced, his voice carrying without effort. "The seal that protects this school is weakening. I expect every student to conduct themselves accordingly. Whatever happens in the coming weeks, remain disciplined. Remain alert. And above all, remain in control of your powers."
A strange uneasiness settled over the room. Students exchanged nervous glances.
Thunder shook the entire building, so violent that dust fell from the ceiling. Students flinched. The floating candles flickered and died.
"What is happening?" someone whispered.
Instructor Kael looked up sharply toward the enchanted ceiling that showed the sky outside. Dark clouds were swirling unnaturally fast.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then the massive doors at the back of the hall exploded open with a force that sent two students flying.
A figure dressed entirely in black stepped inside, its face covered by a hood, shadows pouring from its cloak like smoke.
The entire hall went dead silent.
Instructor Kael moved forward immediately, his hands already glowing with blue energy. "Who are you? You are not a student here! Identify yourself!"
The figure said nothing. It just raised its head slowly, scanning the crowd as if searching for someone.
Then it attacked.
Kael thrust his hand forward, and a blast of wind and ice slammed into the intruder, sending it skidding backward ten feet. Students screamed and scattered as chaos erupted in an instant.
"Everyone back! Stay back!" Kael shouted.
Powers flashed across the hall as senior students reacted. Wind tore through the room, water surged from the floor, the earth cracked, bursts of fire and light erupted above the crowd.
But the figure in black wasn't fighting everyone. It moved through the spells like they were nothing, its dark cloak absorbing the magic. It was searching, its hooded head turning from face to face.
Until it stopped.
Slowly, deliberately, its gaze locked onto Amaya's from across the hall.
Her blood ran cold. Her legs went numb.
No. It couldn't be.
The figure ignored Instructor Kael, ignored the spells hitting it, ignored every other student screaming. It moved directly toward her, each step making the shadows around it grow larger.
"Amaya!" Miranda screamed, grabbing her arm and trying to pull her away, but Amaya couldn't move. She was frozen.
The figure raised its hand, and pure, terrifying darkness gathered around its fingers, swallowing the light.
The air itself seemed to stop.
Amaya tried to scream, but no sound came. And deep inside her chest, something she had never felt before began to burn, a hot, golden fire waking up for the first time.
The figure lunged, darkness aimed straight for her heart.
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