Eldhollow

They reached the airport just after sunrise.

Nola had never been on a plane before. The moment the wheels left the ground, it felt like the world was falling away beneath her.

She gripped the armrest tightly in fear. Auriel didn't say anything as he just stared ahead, like flying across countries was normal for him.

"Is the school really in Singapore?" she asked once, her voice low.

Auriel looked at her and grinned. "At least one of them is."

It wasn't the answer she hoped for.

The sky outside their window was bright orange, flickering across a sea of clouds. Nola watched them in silence as she felt a knot tightening inside her stomach.

They landed in a few hours. There was a slight drizzle outside.

The city greeted them glimmering in glass and greenery. But they didn't stay long at the airport.

A car waited for them. It was bright red and was blazing with style.

"Nice ride." She said as her brother smiled, his eyes proud.

They drove for hours until Nola was sure they had left the main road.

Forests swallowed the road. Tall trees bent together overhead like they were ancient sentries guarding a secret path.

The moment Nola started to feel uneasy, the forest opened.

And there—tucked into a valley carved into the mountain's spine—was the most unreal thing she'd ever seen.

Nine towers stood tall in a vast stretch of grounds. Students walked wearing dresses of the most bizarre fashion Nola had ever seen.

Each tower was a world of its own.

One was made of shimmering crystal, spiraling into the clouds like a frozen lightning bolt. Another floated, untethered to the ground, with stairs that rearranged themselves midair.

One burned. Not with fire—but with something deeper. A warmth that pulsed in the stone like it was alive.

Another was covered in ice, its windows breathing out mist that clung to the trees below.

The largest sat at the center. Silver stone, sharp-angled spires, and blades carved into its walls.

"This is Eldhollow," Auriel said simply.

She felt like she couldn't breathe. Magic danced on her skin like rain.

A man stood waiting at the gates of the central tower.

He was built like a wall and carried a sword taller than Nola. His coat whipped in the wind and his face looked carved from stone.

"You're late," he said, eyes sharp as glass.

Auriel didn't flinch. "Traffic."

"Yeah, right."

The man's eyes flicked to Nola.

"This your sister?"

Auriel nodded once. "Nola."

Cain stared at her. She stared back, trying not to shrink beneath the weight of his presence.

He tilted his head, studying her. "She doesn't look much like you."

Auriel's lips tightened. "So what?"

Cain grunted. "True. it doesn't matter."

He turned and walked toward the tower. "Follow me."

Inside, the world changed.

The walls shimmered faintly with what felt like energy. The light wasn't running on electricity either—it floated, like soft stars trapped in glass.

The air buzzed.

Magic lived here. In the walls. The stone. The very silence.

They passed through arched halls lined with statues—warriors, robed figures, creatures Nola had never seen before.

Each one seemed to watch her as she passed.

Cain walked ahead, but his voice carried back. "You ever held a sword?"

Nola blinked. "No."

"Tried throwing a punch?"

"Not… really."

He grunted again. "Young Auriel was like that too. All questions. No teeth."

She wasn't sure if that was an insult or not.

He glanced at her over his shoulder. "You gonna be like him?"

Nola hesitated. "I don't know."

Cain's eyes narrowed. "I mean in power."

Auriel stopped walking.

"Cain."

But Cain didn't care. His gaze was sharp now, curious. "You as strong as your brother, girl?"

Nola felt the weight of the question like a chain.

She didn't know what she was. She didn't know what she could be.

"I'm not him," she said. "But I think… maybe I could be something."

Cain stared at her a moment longer.

Then he smirked. "We'll see."

They reached the elevator—an open cage of golden bones and whirring runes.

Cain placed a hand on the wall. Symbols lit up like stars. The cage rose with a soft hum.

The floors blurred past.

Some glowed with fire. Others shimmered with books that rearranged themselves midair.

A boy floated upside down on one floor. A hallway vanished the moment they looked at it.

By the ninth floor, Nola's heart was in her throat.

"This is the Headmistress's wing," Cain said. "You don't lie to her. You don't flatter her. And if you try either, she'll eat you alive."

He looked down at her again.

"But if you tell the truth, she might let you stay."

The doors opened.

Auriel squeezed her shoulder. "You've got this. I will enter after you speak with her."

She nodded once, then stepped through alone.

The hall was silent.

Black tiles with crimson carpets. Doors made of wood older than anything she had ever seen but pretty sturdy.

She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

The room at the end of the hall waited.

Its door was carved with a symbol that pulsed faintly as she raised her hand.

It opened before she touched it.

The office was round, lit by a domed ceiling of stained glass.

Books lined the curved walls. Floating crystals hovered like gentle suns. A map shifted in the air above a table, constantly rearranging itself. It had four red marks. One was right there in Singapore.

At the desk sat a woman.

She had silver hair, coiled like a crown. Golden eyes that didn't blink. And a robe that shimmered between red and black like it couldn't decide.

Nola froze.

The woman didn't speak at first. She just looked.

Then, "You're late."

Nola swallowed. "I… I came as soon as I could."

The Headmistress tilted her head.

Her voice was calm, but it cut through the room like steel. "Time isn't the only thing you'll be chasing here."

Nola stepped forward, unsure if her legs would hold.

"I don't know why I'm here," she said honestly. "But I want to find out."

The Headmistress smiled—just barely.

"Good," she said. "Then we begin.