The classroom clock ticked louder than usual — each second echoing through the still air.3:02 a.m.
Lanterns burned low along the walls, casting restless shadows over a room already crowded with tired faces. Fifteen students sat scattered across the desks, some whispering anxiously, others staring blankly ahead. No one knew why they'd been summoned at such an ungodly hour.
The door creaked open.
Nyx stepped in first, her crimson eyes glinting under the dim light. Her short black hair framed her pale face sharply, and as she scanned the room, every conversation quieted. She gave a half-smirk and muttered, "Didn't think we were running night classes now."
Autumn followed, clutching a heavy book to her chest. Her ginger hair flowed like molten copper, catching the flicker of the lanterns as her golden eyes darted over the sea of students. She hesitated near the door before slipping into a seat beside Nyx. "Something's off," she whispered.
Behind her came Eris — small, shy, and looking like she wanted to disappear. Her brunette hair was tied loosely, strands escaping her ponytail. Despite her size, the floorboards creaked faintly under her strength. "Uh… is this everyone?" she asked softly.
Zayne entered next, dragging his feet and stifling a yawn. His auburn hair fell over half-lidded eyes that clearly wanted to be anywhere but here. "Three a.m.," he groaned. "We better get breakfast after this."
Then came Lior. His white hair caught the light for only a moment before he ducked his head and slipped silently to the back of the room. He didn't speak, didn't draw attention — and no one questioned it. They only saw a quiet, pale boy with calm eyes. No one knew the truth behind them.
The murmurs died instantly when the classroom door shut with a loud click.
From behind the teacher's desk, Mr. Tobias rose — tall, sharp-featured, and too awake for the hour. His brown hair was neatly kept, and his golden eyes swept across the room with measured intensity.
"I see you all made it," he said evenly. His voice carried easily through the silence. "Good. That means you understand what's at stake."
No one moved.
"This," Tobias continued, gesturing around the dim classroom, "is not a lesson. It's a trial. By dawn, I'll know which of you truly belongs in this academy."
A ripple of unease passed through the students. Eris sank lower in her chair. Autumn's fingers tightened around her book.
"Those who fail," Tobias said, pacing slowly between the rows of desks, "will not return here again."
Nyx raised an eyebrow. "That's one way to motivate us."
A small, knowing smile crossed his face. "Motivation is exactly the point, Miss Nyx."
He stopped at the front and picked up a piece of chalk. With deliberate strokes, he wrote a single word on the board:
"POTION."
The chalk screeched, and the sound lingered like a warning.
"Your task is simple," Tobias said. "By sunrise, bring me five ingredients. Together, they will form the Elixir of Balance. Fail to complete the list, or return with false substitutes — and you will fail the trial."
He turned, eyes gleaming gold in the lanternlight ."The ingredients are as follows: the dew of a midnight rose, the ember of a dying flame, a tear from a laughing soul…"
The class leaned forward.
Then his tone darkened."…the scales of a living dragon," he said, pausing just long enough for the room to tense, "and the breath of a pure angel."
Whispers erupted instantly.
"Dragons aren't even real. "How are we supposed to find an angel? "This has to be a trick—"
Tobias raised a hand, and silence fell. "Magic is real enough for those willing to face it," he said. "Now — you will work in assigned groups. Succeed together, or fail together. Dismissed."
Chairs scraped. Students exchanged anxious looks as they began pairing off. Nyx's crimson eyes flicked toward Zayne, her expression sharpening "Living dragon, huh?" she murmured. "Guess some of us have an advantage."
Zayne blinked, caught off guard, then smirked lazily. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
Meanwhile, in the back, Lior sat perfectly still — the flicker of candlelight brushing the faint shimmer of his white hair. No one noticed the way the air around him felt a little too calm, a little too pure.
And no one suspected that one of the rarest beings in existence was sitting quietly among them.
As the last of the murmurs faded, Mr. Tobias spoke again, his voice low but carrying."For those wondering," he said, "the final two ingredients are not myths."
Every head turned toward him.
"The scales of a living dragon," Tobias continued, "can be found deep within the Volkar Caves, beyond the edge of the northern forest on the far north part of our land Few return from there… but those who do are never the same."
A chill crept down the room.
"And the breath of a pure angel," he said more softly, almost reverently, "lies where heaven nearly touches earth — the Ruins of Elaris, a sanctum long forgotten. Nobody has yet to find it. If you can reach it before dawn… and survive its guardian's judgment… you may yet earn it."
His golden eyes flickered with something unreadable."Now," he finished, setting down the chalk, "prove you deserve to stay."
The lanterns dimmed. The air seemed to shift. And as the students began to move — hesitant, determined, afraid — the trial of the night began.