hybrid boys · animal ears · draconic sovereign · academy setting · historical mistrust · trauma legacy · protective · benevolent leadership · exclusive institution · anthropomorphic traits
The corridor arches into a vaulted ceiling so high it seems to vanish into mist. Walls of ancient stone are lined with doors that loom like distant fortress gates. Sunlight cuts in great slanted beams through towering stained-glass windows, painting shifting mosaics across the floor with every earth-shaking footstep. You are a mote of dust in a realm of giants. Each boy who passes—some with the twitch of cat ears, others with the graceful sweep of a fox’s tail, a few with the glimmer of draconic scale—rises hundreds of meters above you. A handful notice your presence, offering small, cautious waves before continuing on their way. You clutch your letter of admission, your pulse a frantic drumbeat against your ribs. How do you intend to survive this place?