chapter 2: the academy of beast
519 Words
The academy’s stone walls loomed high above her, towering and merciless, as if daring her to turn back before it was too late.
Rayana squared her shoulders and forced her aching body forward. The weight of the stolen uniform felt suffocating, but she kept her steps steady, her head low, her heartbeat masked beneath the stomping boots of other recruits moving toward the main hall.
Inside these walls, only the strong survived.
She had to become one of them.
Or die trying.
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The Registration Hall
The inside of the academy was just as brutal as its exterior—cold, unwelcoming, built for war, not comfort.
The great hall was filled with hundreds of recruits—some sharpening their weapons, others exchanging low murmurs, sizing each other up. The scent of sweat, blood, and raw dominance was overwhelming.
And then there were the alphas.
They commanded the space without trying, their sheer presence enough to make others lower their gazes. Rayana recognized them instantly—not by looks, but by the way the air thickened around them, as if they owned every breath taken in their presence.
Her pulse quickened, but she swallowed down her nerves. She had to blend in.
A booming voice cut through the air.
“All new recruits! Fall in line!”
The hall shifted instantly, bodies moving with rigid discipline. Rayana moved quickly, finding a spot near the middle.
One by one, the recruits stepped forward, giving their names.
She stiffened.
A name. She hadn’t thought of a name.
Her turn was approaching fast, her throat dry.
Then—a name caught her eye.
One of the worn plaques on the stone walls bore the name “Rai.” It was half-erased, likely belonging to some long-dead warrior of the past.
Perfect.
She stepped forward.
“Rai.” Her voice came out rough, unrecognizable even to herself.
The register glanced at her, unimpressed, then marked it down.
No titles. No questions. Just Rai.
She exhaled quietly, her first test passed.
But the real challenge was only beginning.
---
The Academy’s Brutal Welcome
The recruits were led outside to the training grounds, a vast expanse of sand and dirt, enclosed by iron fences. Beyond it, the dense wilderness stretched far and wide—a reminder that the academy itself was a cage, but outside was death.
An older warrior, scarred and menacing, stood before them. The Head Instructor.
“No weaklings survive here,” he barked. “If you can’t keep up, leave now or be carried out in a grave.”
No one moved.
“Good.” His sharp gaze scanned the crowd before his lips curled into something cruel. “Then let’s see what you’re made of.”
The ground shook.
Chains rattled.
And then—the gates opened.
Wolves.
Huge, snarling beasts, larger than any normal wolf, their eyes glowing with unnatural hunger.
A collective breath of tension swept through the recruits.
“Survive,” the instructor said. “Or die.”
And with that, the wolves were released.
Rayana barely had a second to react before one lunged straight at her.
- Writer
