A RIVALRY BEGINS
1271 Words
Evernight University.
It didn’t look like a regular school. More like a fortress carved out of old magic—gothic towers, stained glass windows, ivy crawling along weathered stone. It gave the feeling of something ancient, like time itself paused to let it exist.
She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Her heart was racing—not just from the cold or the new beginning, but because this was where she had to prove herself. She wasn’t just a student. She was a successor, a banshee born to protect her land.
Inside, the grand hall buzzed with excitement. Creatures of all kinds filled the space—students laughing, some flying, others slithering or floating. Seraphina saw a fairy flicker above a gargoyle’s head, casting sparkles in the air, while a group of sirens whispered near a water fountain that shimmered unnaturally.
A tall woman with antlers stepped forward. She wore a dark robe trimmed in silver, her eyes glowing faintly.
“Welcome to Evernight,” she began, voice echoing. “I am Headmistress Elowen. You are all here because you are special—powerful, gifted, dangerous. This school will not only train you. It will test you.”
Seraphina swallowed. No pressure.
“Your dorm assignments and class schedules are now being distributed. There will be a campus tour, and later, an evaluation in the training hall. Dismissed.”
Seraphina found her name on a floating scroll. Dorm Room 717 – West Wing. Roommate: Liora Azurewave.
She sighed in relief. She had met Liora briefly during enrollment—a curious, bubbly mermaid who had already asked her a dozen questions about land fashion and what clouds smelled like.
When she found the room, Liora was already there, drying her long silver-blue hair with magic. “You’re soaked,” she said with a laugh, tossing her a soft towel. “Welcome to the dorms. This room smells better than I expected!”
Seraphina chuckled and dropped her bag. “I was expecting dungeons and echoing ghost screams.”
“Oh, that’s East Wing. We got lucky.”
They shared a laugh, and for a moment, the nerves faded.
But not for long.
Later that afternoon, they gathered at the training hall—an enormous arena with magical barriers and floating platforms. Combat instructors stood at the center, weapons and scrolls in hand.
“Let’s see what our future warriors can do,” a professor called.
As Seraphina stretched her limbs, her gaze was drawn to a figure across the hall. Tall, clad in black armor, with wild silver hair and eyes the color of ash after a fire. His aura was cold… heavy. Dangerous.
He stepped forward to register for a duel, and the room quieted. Whispers followed him like shadows.
“That’s Ezekiel…”
“A Demonoid. From the northern clans.”
“No one’s seen him bleed.”
Her heart skipped.
When his eyes met hers, Seraphina froze. For a split second, everything around her dimmed—the noise, the heat, the energy.
She didn’t know what it was.
A pull.
A chill.
A heartbeat.
Then he smirked—and the moment shattered.
She looked away, her hands trembling just slightly.
“What was that?” she whispered.
Liora leaned close. “Let me guess… tall, scary, and glowing red eyes?”
Seraphina nodded stiffly.
“Oh, sweetie… you just locked eyes with trouble.”
Seraphina tried to shake the weird feeling off as she moved toward the training mats. Her palms were sweaty—not from nerves, but from whatever that… moment was with Ezekiel. She had never seen anyone like him before. There was something almost ethereal about the way he moved—dangerous, but beautiful. Like a blade wrapped in starlight.
“He’s… kind of beautiful,” she muttered under her breath, more to herself.
But Liora caught it. Oh, she caught it.
“Oooh…” Liora wiggled her eyebrows as she floated beside Seraphina, her voice full of playful mischief. “Did someone just fall in love at first sight?”
“I didn’t—! No, I just said he’s beautiful, not that I—” Seraphina’s cheeks flushed bright red.
Liora grinned like a siren who just found fresh gossip. “Come on! You were staring at him like he’s the last moonflower in spring.”
“He’s just… interesting,” Seraphina mumbled, adjusting her gloves.
“You mean handsome? Hot? Tall-dark-and-deadly vibes?” Liora whispered dramatically. “I mean, yeah, he looks like he could crush souls with one hand, but if that’s your type, bestie…”
“Stop,” Seraphina groaned, but she was smiling. “You’re unbelievable.”
They laughed together, the tension lifting just enough. But before the conversation could continue, the instructors called out names for sparring.
“Seraphina Nightvale. Ezekiel Draeven.”
She froze.
Liora gasped. “Oh. My. Tides.”
Seraphina turned slowly, her heart leaping to her throat. Ezekiel was already stepping forward, his arms crossed, a smirk tugging at his lips as if he had heard everything.
Great.
Just great.
She stepped onto the platform, trying to steady her breath. She could feel the weight of the crowd watching, waiting.
“Don’t hold back,” Ezekiel said, voice low and amused. “Wouldn’t want to disappoint your little fan club.”
Seraphina glared, summoning a wisp of banshee energy to her palm. “I don’t need to hold back.”
Their powers collided in a flash of light and shadows, wind howling through the hall. It wasn’t a real fight—just an evaluation—but every movement crackled with tension. Every clash of magic sparked heat in the air.
They were rivals now.
Or something more dangerous.
When it was over, Seraphina stood panting, her hands still trembling slightly. She wasn’t sure if it was from the magic—or the way Ezekiel had looked at her. Like he knew a secret she hadn’t learned yet.
Back on the sidelines, Seraphina wiped the sweat off her brow, trying to steady her breath. Whether it was from the magic or from the intensity in Ezekiel’s eyes, she wasn’t quite sure.
Liora was already there waiting, arms crossed with a grin that said she saw everything.
“You know,” Liora began, voice low and teasing, “if this were a novel, that would’ve been your meet-cute.”
Seraphina rolled her eyes. “I think it’s more like a meet-danger.”
“Mmhmm,” Liora smirked. “Dangerously handsome.”
Seraphina shot her a warning look, cheeks warming. “Stop.”
“I’m just saying,” Liora sang, floating beside her, “he looked at you like you weren’t just a rival—but like someone important. And I saw the way you looked back.”
“It was a sparring match.”
“Oh, bestie. It was a moment. That tension? That spark?” Liora placed a dramatic hand over her heart. “That was chapter one of a slow burn romance, and I am so here for it.”
Seraphina shook her head, but the small smile tugging at her lips gave her away. “You need help.”
“No, I just need popcorn. Because I’m watching this ship sail.”
And as they walked off toward the dorms, Seraphina glanced once more over her shoulder—just a quick look—only to find Ezekiel still standing by the platform, eyes meeting hers like he’d been waiting.
Her heart skipped.
And Liora, catching it, whispered just loud enough to tease, “Yup. I’m calling it now. Serazekiel is an endgame.”
- Writer
