Noxvalen Academy.

[Astravore's POV]

A line of sleek black cars moved through the dark streets of Ashborn territory.

A beautiful red moon was reflected in their tinted windows.

Some cars led the way; others followed behind—forming a perfect formation like a royal escort.

In the largest vehicle at the centre, Duke Astravore sat alone, one leg crossed over the other and a gloved hand resting atop his cane.

The interior was spacious and silent. Not even a whisper of vibration. It almost felt like the car wasn't moving at all.

Of course, the Duke didn't need a car. With his power, teleporting anywhere took a second.

But formal appearances mattered. Especially during official visits.

He hadn't spoken a word since leaving the Ashborn estate but his mind was far from quiet.

Three years of political support.

That was the boy's price.

It amused him.

Why three years? What did the boy know? And what gave him such confidence in surviving?

The questions lingered in the corner of his mind.

Rael had tried to act like someone resigning himself to fate. But the Duke had long since seen the truth—[Seer of Stars] didn't lie.

The boy's eyes were too calm. He was planning something that even the Duke couldn't foresee and that made him dangerous.

Astravore turned to the window, watching the dark hills roll by in silence.

He hadn't survived this long in the world of power and politics by waiting for threats to grow. He dealt with them early.

Yes, the contract was binding. It prevented him from taking direct action that would lead to the boy's death.

But since when had he needed to dirty his own hands?

Just the whisper that Rael Von Ashborn, the troublesome heir, was being sent to Noxvalen Academy would be enough.

The greedy nobles would do the rest. They always did.

One name surfaced in his mind:

Baron Korric. A small countryside noble whose son had also been selected for Noxvalen this year.

Astravore remembered the baron's greedy eyes as he introduced his son. Spoke of how "useful" he would be to the Duke's heir within the academy.

The Duke's crimson eyes gleamed with a cold glint.

Yes.

Very useful.

Astravore's smile faded. The game was in motion now. And the boy had no idea what awaited him at Noxvalen.

*****

[Rael's POV]

I entered my room and shut the door behind me.

Finally, some peace.

I exhaled like I'd been holding my breath the whole damn day.

First, a friendly little chat with my ever-so-chill father.

Then came the real treat—negotiating with Duke Astravore, the human iceberg.

And just when I thought it was over, I had to explain it all to my dad without triggering a full-blown meltdown.

Which, surprisingly, didn't happen. He just stared like he was trying to recognise me.

He was angry but not at me… but at himself for being so weak.

I felt bad for him… I really did. But I didn't have any choice. I needed to be at Forest of Unmasked for my class quest and there was absolutely no way of entering that place without enrolling in Demon Academy.

It wasn't easy. But I survived for now.

Still, I didn't know how long I could keep this borrowed life.

I didn't trust Duke Astravore for a second.

The way he accepted my proposal so easily? Yeah. That alone was enough to make the alarm in my mind go off.

That snake's planning something.

I lay down on my massive bed, thinking about the future.

Noxvalen Academy.

The place where the real chaos kicks off.

That's where the story of Noah Noctharion—the forgotten son of the current Demon King truly starts.

The protagonist and the person modeled after my best friend.

Yeah. That's Noah.

You see, this world wasn't like your typical fantasy setup where demons are the cartoon villains and humans are the sad little heroes.

No.

This world was played by its own rules.

Demons weren't the enemy—they'd been our allies for almost two centuries now, ever since the ASS invasion. Everyone knew the story.

The world had three major races before the ASS invasion:

Demons. Dragons. And, of course, us humans.

Demons and humans had been at war since forever. No one remembered why. No one cared. It just… was.

The Dragons? They were spectators. Too prideful to fight and too lazy to help. Just floating above it all like celestial freeloaders.

Then the ASS arrived. Alien Sovereign Species, who decided, "Hey, let's screw over this world for fun."

Suddenly, centuries of bloodshed took a backseat.

"Bro, let's deal with the outsiders first. Then we can go back to killing each other."

That was the exact vibe of the pact that followed.

But trust isn't that easy.

So, they made a deal.

Each race would send some of their own to study in each other's academies. Learn culture, share combat and build unity through trauma.

The problem was—who to send?

Naturally, the Empire came up with a brilliant solution:

"Send the ones you can't afford to lose… but still can't ignore."

Which meant?

Commoners got screwed as usual. 

A fixed number was selected at random each year.

Lesser nobles didn't get off easy either. Every family had to send at least one child every generation.

Refusal was considered treason.

You'd think the Ducal houses would be safe, right? I mean—who'd be dumb enough to ask Dukes to send their heirs into hell?

The Demons, apparently.

They weren't satisfied with the deal. They said the Empire was sending only disposable pawns.

So, another clause was added.

A special law which couldn't be repealed.

Every generation, one of the Seven Ducal Houses must send two direct heirs to Noxvalen Academy.

No exceptions. One house per generation.

And this time?

It was House Astravore's turn.

And Astravore was sending his son and daughter to Noxvalen Academy.

Until I walked in.

I took the place of Astravore's son.

Well, this just seems like normal academic exchange and all, so why do the nobles fear the demon academy so much?

The reason was simple. Demons were cruel to their enemies but even more cruel to their own.

The academy didn't give a damn whether students lived or died. Race, rank or bloodline didn't matter

I still remember reading that scene—some poor guy got his arm chopped off by a demon instructor. The reason? He turned in his assignment five minutes late.

Not all the teachers were that psychotic, sure. But enough were.

In the last two hundred years only fifty per cent of students had survived the academy, and even then half of them were broken.

You get the picture, right?

This wasn't school.

This was war disguised as education and I'd just volunteered for the front lines.

But I wasn't about to mope all day about it.

Nah.

I had a month.

One month to sharpen myself, learn what I could and prepare like hell.

Because I wasn't planning to die like some third-rate cannon fodder background character.

My eyelids grew heavy as the day's exhaustion finally caught up to me.

My thoughts blurred and my breath slowed and just like that sleep embraced me.

***

Author's Note: Welcome to Noxvalen Academy.

The Noxvalen Academy is where the three major races—humans, demons and dragons—dump their "precious" youth in the name of diplomacy, cooperation and mutual trauma. (Yep, real heartwarming.)

Here's how it works:

→100 commoners are selected completely at random. Lucky, right?

→48 nobles are handpicked or tossed in to shut someone up.

→2 direct heirs from the Seven Ducal Houses (one house per generation, rotating).

→ Even the Emperor has to send one of his own children, every generation. Just to make things "fair."

Same deal with the demons and dragons.

Each race sends 151 students into enemy territory for a few years.

But unlike the human or dragon academy, Noxvalen is famous for its cruel but fair curriculum. Where your classmates might be your allies, enemies or future murderers.

Oh, and in case you forgot—

Noah Noctharion? The main character?

He's a demon. Not just any demon but forgotten and neglected son of Demon King.

Fun times ahead.

— Crimson (and Rael's suffering)