Midnight Lessons

Dawn had barely settled into dusk when Elara found herself standing in one of Nocturn's lesser-used corridors, her fingers tracing the intricate patterns carved into the stone walls. The passage was dimly lit by floating orbs of pale blue light, casting ethereal shadows that seemed to dance and whisper with lives of their own.

"The first lesson," Cassandra announced, her voice echoing off the ancient stones, "is learning to move as we do." The vampire instructor cut an imposing figure in her fitted black dress, its high collar adorned with delicate silver threading that caught the ghostly light. Her dark hair was pulled back severely, emphasizing the sharp angles of her face.

Elara shifted uncomfortably in her new training attire – form-fitting leather pants and a flowing silk blouse in deep purple, chosen specifically for these lessons. The outfit felt foreign against her skin, so different from the elaborate gowns she'd worn since arriving at court.