I've completed the assignment, Professor," Tristan said, placing the parchment on the desk. "Also, I need to know the procedure for requesting a few days off."
Meyers folded his hands. “Days off?”
“Yes,” Tristan said, trying to sound composed, though every muscle in his body was ready to bolt. “There’s something I need to take care of. Urgently.”
"Tristan, leaving the Academia grounds without authorization is strictly forbidden. Doing so would result in immediate expulsion.”
"You can’t just tell me I can’t leave!" Tristan's voice rang out as he slammed his paper onto Professor Meyers’ desk.
The professor gave him a long, unreadable look. Then he leaned back in his chair. “You’re a first-year. You don’t get days off.”
Tristan’s jaw clenched. “This is personal. It’s important.”
“Be that as it may,” Meyers said calmly, “leaving the Academy without clearance will result in immediate expulsion.”
Tristan felt the ground shift beneath him. “Expulsion?”
“I’m not trying to be cruel,” Meyers added. “But the rules are clear. We can’t have students running off the grid.”
Tristan didn’t answer. He turned and walked out.
By the time he got to his dorm, his head was spinning. He threw his backpack onto the bed, crossed the room, and yanked open his closet.
Clothes. Blanket. ID.
Every movement was fast, deliberate. No hesitation.
He needed to find her. He didn’t care what it cost. The door suddenly burst open behind him, crashing against the wall.
“Tristan, what the hell are you doing?” Marcus stood there, wide-eyed, breathless. He must’ve run across campus.
Tristan didn’t turn around. “Packing.”
“Packing? For what?”
“I’m leaving,” Tristan said. “I’m going after Valeria.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead serious.”
Marcus walked into the room, shutting the door behind him. “You heard what Meyers said. If you leave, you’re done. No more Academy. No second chance.”
“I don’t care.”
“Of course you care!”
Tristan zipped his bag. “She’s being forced to marry that snake. I’m not just going to sit here while that happens.”
Marcus stared at him for a long second. “You’re in love with her.”
Tristan finally looked at him. “Yeah. I am.”
Marcus exhaled sharply, dragging a hand down his face. “And what’s your plan? Just march into vampire territory and ask politely for her back?”
“If I have to.”
“You’ll get yourself killed.”
“Then so be it.”
Marcus grabbed his arm. “Come on, man. Think.”
“I am thinking,” Tristan snapped. “And all roads point to Valeria.”
Before Marcus could respond, a knock came at the door.
Both boys froze.
Another knock, louder this time.
Tristan walked over and opened it.
Two guards stood there in black uniforms, their expressions unreadable.
“Tristan?” one of them asked.
“Yes,” he replied, wary.
“You’ve been summoned,” the second guard said. “By your Form Teacher.”
Tristan blinked. “Summoned?”
“Follow us.”
Marcus opened his mouth to protest, but Tristan held up a hand. “It’s fine. I’ll go.”
They led him through the main halls of the Academy, past the dormitory corridors, and down a staircase he had never noticed before. The stone beneath their feet changed, older, darker.
It wasn’t long before the air turned colder.
They reached a wall at the end of a long corridor. One of the guards pressed a hidden stone, and a section of the wall shifted inward, revealing a narrow, hidden passage.
Tristan hesitated.
“Go on,” the first guard said.
Tristan stepped through.
The room beyond was circular, domed, and dimly lit with blue fire suspended in midair. Ancient symbols lined the walls, pulsing faintly. At the center stood five figures seated in a half-circle.
They weren’t ordinary teachers. They weren’t guards.
They radiated power.
A tall fae woman with silver tattoos snaking across her arms. A wizened wizard with a glowing staff. A human man in an embroidered robe. A vampire elder with sharp, ageless features. And finally, a werewolf with golden eyes that seemed to see straight through him.
Tristan stopped at the threshold. “What is this?”
The werewolf stood and took a step forward. “Tristan,” he said, voice deep. “We’ve been expecting you.”
“Okay,” Tristan said slowly. “I have a lot of questions.”
The wizard nodded. “We will answer what we can.”
“Starting with—who are you?”
“We are the Council,” the human man said. “The real Council. The one that protects the balance between all races—vampire, werewolf, fae, human, witch, and wizard.”
Tristan took a moment to process. “And why am I here?”
“Because we know what’s going on between you and Valeria,” the vampire elder said bluntly.
Tristan felt a jolt of panic. “You do?”
The fae gave a small, knowing smile. “There are few things in this world that escape our notice.”
Tristan shifted uncomfortably. “So… what now? You going to kick me out? Erase my memories?”
The werewolf chuckled. “Nothing like that.”
“Then why summon me?”
“Because Valeria holds the key,” the vampire said, “to uniting the supernatural world.”
Tristan blinked. “Wait… what?”
“She’s not just any vampire,” the wizard added. “She is descended from the original bloodline—one destined to break the old boundaries.”
“And you…” the werewolf stepped closer, “you are her one true mate.”
The room went still.
Tristan stared. “I—I’m what?”
“Her fated mate,” the fae said gently. “Chosen by the very magic that binds the supernatural world.”
“That’s not… I mean—how do you know that?”
The werewolf gave a nod. “Because it’s written in the bond. In the way her power reacts to yours. In the way your soul instinctively fights for hers.”
Tristan’s hands trembled slightly. “This… this can’t be real.”
“But it is,” the vampire said. “And that bond is the only thing powerful enough to bring peace. Or to ignite war.”
Silence.
Tristan swallowed hard. “So if I find her… and we bond…”
“Then unity is possible,” the wizard said. “But only if it’s by choice. Not by force. Not by politics. By love.”
Tristan sat slowly on the edge of the nearest stone bench. His mind raced. “She’s going to be married off to Lucien. I have no time. Her parents—her whole world is against this.”
“We know,” the human said. “And that’s why we brought you here.”
Tristan looked up. “To do what?”
“To ask you what you’re willing to risk.”
He stared at them.
Everything hurt. His heart. His head. His chest. The weight of it all was suffocating.
He thought of Valeria’s laugh. Her fire. Her stubbornness. Her fierce loyalty.
“Will you help me?