Riven

The enormous doors of the great assembly hall stand open as hundreds of students gradually make their way inside. The hall itself is far larger and more impressive than anything you would have expected from an ordinary school. Tall gothic pillars rise toward a vaulted ceiling covered in intricate carvings and glowing magical symbols. Enormous chandeliers float above the students without any visible support, their soft light illuminating the vast room. Strange banners hang between the pillars, each bearing symbols and emblems you do not recognize.

You stand among the other students, trying your best to remain calm. This is supposed to be your first day at your new school. You had expected something normal. Classrooms. Teachers. Other students. Maybe an ordinary school gym or assembly hall.

Instead, you are surrounded by people who look like they stepped straight out of fantasy stories.

Some students have horns. Others have pointed ears, unusual eyes, tails, wings, scales, claws, or skin in colors that definitely should not be possible. You notice a girl with what appears to be a serpent's lower body casually talking to another student. A boy several places away seems to have glowing symbols moving beneath his skin. Someone nearby has enormous bat-like wings, while another student has ears that look suspiciously animal-like.

You stare for a moment before quickly looking away.

Cosplay.

That has to be it.

Maybe this is some kind of elaborate school tradition. Perhaps the students here are unusually enthusiastic about costumes. It is strange, certainly, but there are stranger things people do on the first day of school.

You try not to think too much about it.

At the front of the enormous hall stands a raised stone podium. Several teachers are gathered there, each looking just as unusual as the students. In the center stands the academy's director.

He is a tall man with long silver hair, pale skin, and striking golden eyes with narrow, almost reptilian pupils. Two elegant black horns curve backward from his temples, partially hidden beneath his hair. His formal dark coat is decorated with intricate golden embroidery, and an ancient-looking magical seal glows faintly at his chest.

When the last students have entered, the enormous doors slowly close behind them.

The murmuring gradually fades.

The director steps forward and looks across the sea of students.

"Welcome, students, to the beginning of a new academic year at the Arcane Academy. This academy is for our young adults from eighteen to twenty-five and for all of our magical races." His voice carries effortlessly throughout the enormous hall, reaching even the students standing at the very back.

"My name is Headmaster Lucien Veyr. As the director of this academy, it is my responsibility to welcome you, to guide you, and, when necessary, to remind you why some rules exist for your own protection."

A few students laugh quietly.

Lucien allows himself a faint smile before continuing. "Some of you are returning students. Others are standing within these walls for the very first time. Regardless of which group you belong to, you are now part of a community that is considerably larger and older than any one of you."He gestures toward the teachers standing beside him.

"These are the members of our faculty. They will teach you, supervise you, evaluate you, and occasionally prevent you from doing something profoundly stupid."

A few more students laugh.

"Unfortunately, I cannot promise that they will succeed every time."

Even several of the teachers exchange amused looks.

"However, before you begin your first classes, there are several matters that every student must understand."

The atmosphere becomes slightly more serious.

"This academy exists within a protected supernatural territory. Beyond these grounds lies a world that you must not enter without authorization. The magical barrier surrounding this territory serves several purposes. It protects this academy from outside threats, conceals our existence from the human world, and prevents unauthorized travel in either direction." He pauses deliberately.

"The barrier cannot simply be flown over, teleported through, tunneled beneath, or bypassed through an improvised portal. Any official transportation between this territory and other supernatural regions must be authorized and supervised by academy personnel."

A few students exchange knowing looks.

"You are students of this academy. You are expected to remain within the boundaries established for you. Attempting to circumvent the barrier is a serious violation of academy regulations." Lucien's expression becomes considerably more stern.

"There is another rule that is considerably more important."

The hall becomes completely silent.

"Humans are strictly forbidden from entering the supernatural world."

The words seem to linger in the enormous hall.

"You will not invite humans onto academy grounds. You will not reveal the existence of this academy to humans. You will not attempt to cross the barrier into the human world without authorization. Our existence must remain concealed."

He slowly looks across the students.

"This is not a matter of tradition. It is not a matter of prejudice. It is a matter of safety. Humanity is not supposed to know that we exist, and the secrecy surrounding our world has protected both humans and supernatural beings for generations."

Your stomach suddenly twists. You have absolutely no idea why, but those words make you feel strangely uncomfortable.

Before you can think about it any further, a voice suddenly calls out from somewhere among the students.

"Then why did I smell one?"

The entire hall freezes. You slowly turn your head. A student near the middle of the crowd has raised his hand, although he clearly has no intention of waiting to be called on. He appears mostly human at first glance, except for the large wolf-like ears rising from his dark hair and the sharp golden eyes that seem capable of seeing through half the room.

"I smelled a human in the forest on the way here."

Silence. For one terrible second, nobody moves.

Then the hall erupts. "What?"

"A human?"

"Here?"

"That's impossible."

"Did someone bring one inside?"

"How could they even get through the barrier?"

Whispers spread through the students like wildfire. Some look toward the enormous doors. Others glance nervously at their classmates. A few students begin looking around as though expecting a hidden human to suddenly reveal themselves.

Your heart begins pounding. You remember the forest. The walk to the academy. Your nervousness before your first day. The strange feeling of being watched.

And then the realization hits you. The sweat that had gathered on your palms and beneath your clothes from sheer nervousness. You had been terrified of being late. Terrified of making a terrible first impression. Terrified of starting at a completely unfamiliar school. You had been sweating from anxiety. And apparently, someone here could smell it.

Your throat goes dry.

The wolf-eared student looks toward the podium. "I know what humans smell like. It was definitely a human."

The murmuring grows louder.

Lucien raises one hand. The entire hall falls silent almost instantly. "That is impossible." His voice is calm and absolute. "Humans cannot cross the academy's barrier. The magical seal would not recognize them, and the barrier would prevent their entry."

The student frowns.

"But I smelled—"

"You smelled something else." Lucien's gaze settles on him.

"Perhaps a witch. Or a warlock. Their scent can be remarkably similar to that of humans, particularly at a distance. Of all supernatural beings, spellcasters are among those most physically similar to humans."

The student hesitates.

"But—"

"There is no human in this academy." The director's voice leaves no room for argument. "If you detected a human-like scent in the forest, then you encountered a witch, a warlock, or another being whose scent was unfamiliar to you. There is no other reasonable explanation."

The student slowly lowers his hand. "...Right."

The tension in the hall gradually begins to disappear.

Students start whispering again, but this time their voices carry curiosity rather than alarm.

"Probably a witch."

"Maybe a new teacher."

"Could have been someone from outside the academy."

"I thought humans couldn't even get near this place."

Lucien waits until the students have settled down once more.

"Good. Now that we have established that there are, in fact, no humans present, we can proceed."

You remain completely still.

Somehow, you have never felt more conspicuous in your life.

Lucien gestures toward several faculty members, who begin unfolding long enchanted scrolls covered in glowing names.

"Your class assignments have been prepared in advance. Listen carefully when your name is called. Your assigned classroom, teachers, and schedule will be provided to you after the ceremony."

The teachers begin calling names.

One group of students after another is directed toward different exits. The enormous hall slowly begins to empty as students gather their belongings and move toward their assigned classrooms.

Eventually, your own name is called.

You follow the indicated group through one of the massive doors and into the academy's endless corridors.

Somewhere among the students assigned to your class is Riven, a harpy-human with enormous black wings, a sharp and intimidating appearance, and a reputation you know nothing about yet.

You have no idea that this is the beginning of the strangest school year of your life.

And you certainly have no idea that the quiet, dark-winged student who will soon become your classmate will eventually become one of the most important people in your new world.