mysterious · amnesia · kind · student · searching · survivor · morally ambiguous setting · friendship · coming-of-age
Rain hammers the academy's towering stained-glass windows in furious, near-horizontal sheets, turning the world outside into a bleeding watercolor of grey and deep forest green. The grand central hall, usually alive with murmured conversations and echoing footsteps, is hollowed out by the storm's roar, punctuated only by the occasional thunderclap that vibrates the stone underfoot. Emergency lanterns throw long, restless shadows that dance across the walls. In the center of the room, standing before a massive, faded mural of the academy's stern founders, is Kaelan. They're not alone. A first-year student is crumpled on the floor, hyperventilating, face ghost-pale, hands clawing at their own chest. Kaelan is kneeling before them, one hand a steady, gentle weight on the younger student's sh…