Episode 7:The council summons
565 Words
Episode 7: The Council Summons
Kai stared at the letter long after the ink stopped shifting.
> We know what you are.
We are watching.
Choose your path—before we choose it for you.
Not exactly the kind of invitation you hang on the fridge.
Behind him, Professor Thorn’s cloak fluttered like living mist. Her eyes glowed violet in the moonlight.
“You’ve stirred the water, boy,” she said. “They can smell your awakening.”
“Who are they exactly?” Kai asked, shoving the letter into his hoodie pocket.
Thorn’s gaze hardened. “The Council of Nightkind. Thirteen elders. Vampire lords, ghost matrons, banshee judges. They maintain the balance. And they hate surprises.”
“I’m just… figuring things out,” Kai muttered.
“You don’t get that luxury anymore,” Thorn replied. “You have three nights. They expect you in the city of Noctra. Come prepared, or come surrendered.”
And then she was gone—vanishing into the fog like a thought you almost remembered.
Back in the dorm, Nox was levitating two spoons and humming “Bohemian Rhapsody” backwards.
“You look like someone just told you your future has fangs.”
Kai tossed the letter on the desk.
“Oh,” Nox said, scanning it. “That’s not ominous at all.”
“What do I even say to a bunch of ancient night-creatures? ‘Hey, just figured out I’m part-wolf, sorry about the prophecy?’”
“You don’t say anything,” Nox said. “You show them you’re not afraid. They smell fear like werewolves smell bacon.”
“Helpful.”
“Oh, and take a gift.”
“A gift?”
“It’s nightkind tradition. You bring something to prove your worth, your allegiance, or at least your good taste.”
Kai sighed. “And what screams ‘I’m a powerful unknown hybrid’ better than a re-gifted bottle of cursed shampoo?”
By morning, Kai was in the academy’s artifact vault, disguised as a custodian (thank you, ghost mop and a bribe to Dennis the crow).
He found it.
A small, silver locket. Simple-looking, but glowing faintly with old magic.
Nox floated beside him, reading the tag: “Soul Whistle. Banshee-forged. One use. Do not blow near fragile minds.”
“Perfect,” Kai whispered. “Dramatic, mysterious, and possibly deadly. Just like me.”
That night, Lira caught him by the gates.
“You’re leaving.”
“I have to. The Council—”
“I know,” she interrupted. “I smelled the parchment from across the hallway.”
Kai hesitated. “I don’t know if I’ll come back the same.”
“Good,” Lira said. “You shouldn’t. You’re growing.”
She looked up at him—eyes fierce, but… softer than usual.
Then she stepped forward, pressed something into his palm, and walked away.
Kai opened it.
A carved stone. Smooth. Warm.
On it: a symbol of her pack.
He left under the shadow of the full moon.
As the gates of Nightmoor closed behind him, the road to Noctra opened ahead—a path lined with shadow trees, whispers, and the sense that something—or someone—was following.
And deep in the distance, the city of the Nightkind glowed with cold fire, waiting for the boy who would decide its fate…
Or burn under it.
- Writer
