Academy Of Blood

The first thing Evelyn noticed about Noctis Academy was that it looked nothing like a school. It looked like a warning. The enormous iron gates rose several meters above her head, twisted into the shapes of black serpents whose eyes seemed to follow every person who approached. Beyond them stood a castle of dark stone, its towers disappearing into thick clouds that had gathered over the mountains. Noctis wasn’t beautiful in the ordinary sense. It was haunting. The kind of beautiful that made you wonder what had happened inside its walls. Evelyn tightened her fingers around the strap of her bag and stared through the windshield of the carriage. “So this is it?” The driver didn’t answer. He had barely spoken since they left the village. That alone should have been enough to make her nervous. Instead, Evelyn leaned closer to the window. Hundreds of years of ivy covered the academy’s walls. Gargoyles perched along the rooftops. Tall windows reflected the grey sky like sheets of black glass. There were no cheerful students running through the courtyard. No laughter. No familiar signs of a normal school. Only silence. And people watching her. Evelyn swallowed. “Why is everyone staring?” The driver finally spoke. “Because humans don’t come here.” Her stomach tightened. “I know.” “No.” His eyes met hers briefly through the mirror. “You don’t.” Before Evelyn could ask what he meant, the carriage stopped. The gates opened. Slowly. A deep metallic groan rolled through the mountains. The moment the carriage crossed the threshold, Evelyn felt it. A strange pressure settled against her chest. Not painful. Just… familiar. She frowned. She had never been here before. So why did it feel like some forgotten part of her recognized the place? The gates slammed shut behind her. Evelyn flinched. The sound echoed through the valley. For one brief second, she wondered whether she had made a terrible mistake. Then she remembered why she was here. She had received the acceptance letter three weeks ago. Noctis Academy. Scholarship. Full tuition. Accommodation. Everything paid for. It should have been impossible. Especially for someone like her. Her family had spent years struggling to afford ordinary things. No one understood why an elite academy with an almost mythical reputation would offer a scholarship to a girl who had never even applied. But the letter had been real. Her name had been printed perfectly across the envelope. EVELYN VALE. And beneath it— You have been selected. No explanation. No interview. No questions. Just an invitation. She had almost thrown it away. Almost. Now she stood beneath the towering gates wondering if she should have. The carriage door opened. “Miss Vale.” Evelyn stepped down. Cold air immediately swept across her face. She shivered. The courtyard stretched before her. Students stood everywhere. And they were staring. Every single one. Some whispered. Others openly watched. Evelyn tried to ignore them as she adjusted her bag. Then she noticed something strange. Nobody was moving toward the academy. Everyone seemed frozen. Looking past her. She slowly turned. And that’s when she saw him. A young man stood at the top of the academy steps. He wasn’t wearing the formal uniform like the other students. His black coat fell perfectly around his tall frame, silver embroidery tracing the edges. Dark hair. Pale skin. A face so striking it almost didn’t look real. But it was his eyes that caught her. Silver. Cold. Unnaturally bright. Their eyes met. And the world stopped. Evelyn couldn’t breathe. Something inside her chest pulled violently toward him. Not attraction. Not exactly. Recognition. A strange, impossible certainty. I know you. The thought appeared in her mind before she could stop it. The young man’s expression changed. Only slightly. But she saw it. His composure cracked. His eyes widened. For the first time since she arrived, he looked genuinely shocked. Then— His hand tightened around the railing. Hard enough that his knuckles turned white. A whisper spread through the courtyard. “Is that…” “Who is she?” “Why is he looking at her?” Evelyn heard someone whisper his name. “Kael.” Another voice followed. “The Shadow Prince.” Her stomach dropped. Kael. The Shadow Prince. She had heard that name before. Everyone had. The heir to one of the most powerful vampire bloodlines. The prince who had never lost a duel. The student who had supposedly sent three senior vampires to the infirmary during his first year. The one everyone at Noctis Academy feared. And now— He was staring directly at her. Kael descended the steps. One. Two. Three. Every student moved aside. Nobody dared stand in his path. Evelyn suddenly became aware of how ridiculous she probably looked. A human girl standing alone in the middle of a vampire academy while its most feared student walked directly toward her. Kael stopped several feet away. He said nothing. Neither did she. The silence between them became unbearable. Then his gaze dropped. To her hand. Evelyn looked down. A thin line of red had appeared across her palm. She gasped. She hadn’t cut herself. Yet a tiny bead of blood rolled slowly across her skin. Kael’s entire expression changed. His pupils darkened. The air around him shifted. A low growl escaped his throat. The students closest to them stepped backward. Evelyn instinctively closed her hand. “What?” Kael stared at her. For one terrifying moment, Evelyn thought he might attack. Instead, he whispered something so quietly she almost didn’t hear it. “No.” She frowned. “What?” He looked at her again. This time, something different was in his eyes. Fear. “Who sent you here?” Evelyn’s heart hammered. “What do you mean?” Kael stepped closer. “Who sent you?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His jaw tightened. “You expect me to believe that?” “I don’t even know you.” The words came out sharper than she intended. A few students gasped. Someone actually laughed nervously. Nobody spoke to Kael like that. Kael’s eyes narrowed. Then something happened. The mark on Evelyn’s palm burned. She cried out and stumbled backward. Kael caught her wrist. The instant their skin touched— Everything disappeared. The academy. The students. The mountains. Everything. Evelyn saw darkness. Then fire. A woman running through a forest while clutching a newborn child. A man standing beneath a blood-red moon. A silver-haired boy. A crown. A broken sword. And then— Kael. Older. Standing in the middle of a battlefield. Covered in blood. His eyes completely black. Evelyn screamed. The vision shattered. She stumbled backward. Kael released her instantly. Both of them were breathing heavily. Neither understood what had happened. The courtyard had gone completely silent. Kael stared at her palm. The thin red line was gone. In its place was something else. A tiny crescent-shaped mark. Evelyn touched it cautiously. “What…” Kael’s expression had become unreadable. But his voice was different when he finally spoke. Lower. Almost shaken. “Don’t show that to anyone.” Evelyn looked up. “Why?” He stared at the mark. Then at her. And for the first time— The Shadow Prince looked afraid. “Because if the council sees it…” He paused. “…they’ll never let you leave this academy.” A bell suddenly rang across the courtyard. The sound echoed through every tower. Students began moving toward the academy. But Kael remained where he was. Still staring at Evelyn. As though he had just encountered a ghost from a life he couldn’t remember. Evelyn slowly pulled her sleeve over the mark. “Kael?” He looked at her. “How do you know my name?” A long silence followed. Then he answered with something that made the blood drain from her face. “I don’t.” His silver eyes remained locked on hers. “But somehow…” His voice dropped to a whisper. “…I’ve been waiting for you.” And somewhere high above Noctis Academy— A bell rang a second time. Not for the students. For something much older. Something that had just awakened.