[POV: Selene]Twilight was painting the sky in shades of violet and gold when the carriage passed through the imposing gates of the Lunar Academy. Selene took in the carvings on the stone arch—intertwined moons, winged dragons, and ancient vampiric runes that seemed to glow faintly at the brush of her aura. A shiver ran down her spine: the pce felt steeped in magic and history, but the weight of being the future Empress pressed on her like a heavy mantle.

  The carriage slowed at the main entrance: a lunar-stone edifice with slender arches and stained-gss windows that captured the dying rays of the sun. On the horizon, the st bdes of light were fading, as the moon rose high in the sky.

  A footman in a bck uniform opened the door.“Princess Selene, we have arrived.”

  Selene took a deep breath, clutching the medallion Lysandra had entrusted to her. The metal, cold and almost pulsing against her palm, was her lone constant in a new world. As she alighted, her gaze fell upon a wide flight of steps packed with students: elves, humans, vampires with grayish hair. None possessed that same pure silver hair as hers. Many turned, whispering with a mix of wariness and curiosity.

  A human corridor formed spontaneously, as the crowd parted to let the princess pass. An unreal hush descended, broken only by her footsteps. Then, a voice rang out with scorn:

  “A vampire… and the new heir to the throne, no less. As if their arrogance wasn’t enough.”

  Selene stiffened. She couldn’t tell who had spoken; too many eyes, some curious, others suspicious. Her heart pounded faster.

  A young vampire with smoky-gray hair, perhaps slightly older than her, stepped forward:“Watch your mouth when talking about our princess. The Moon does not favor those who fling mud at her children.”

  A soft murmur arose. The young man then turned to Selene and bowed his head:“Forgive them, Your Highness. Not everyone understands what it means to be a Lunar.”

  Selene felt a mixture of relief and unease—she wasn’t used to being defended by strangers. Before she could respond, a man with his hair tied in a thin ponytail—a grown vampire wearing a cloak bearing the Academy’s emblem—stepped forward.

  “Calm yourselves, students. This is neither the time nor the pce for quarrels. I am Professor Revalios, and I will escort Her Highness Selene to her quarters. The rest of you, get ready for tomorrow’s ceremony.”

  Once the smoky-haired vampire bowed one st time and vanished, Selene realized she felt even more unsettled. She knew no one, and yet she was already at the center of a conflict. She lifted her gaze to Revalios, who was watching her with a stern yet not unfriendly expression.

  “This way, Princess,” he said kindly, indicating the staircase leading into the Academy. “Follow me. The Headmistress wishes to meet you as soon as you are settled. She is quite eager to get to know you and expin how you might contribute to Academy life.”

  Selene nodded, still clutching her medallion. As she followed the professor, she could still feel the stares of dozens of students on her: some respectful, some merely curious, others openly hostile. A single thought kept echoing in her mind:What am I doing here? Am I truly a princess?

  And yet, every step pulled her further into a destiny she could no longer ignore.

  Revalios led her through corridors lit by oil mps, where high ceilings gave way to lunar decorations and shelves of ancient tomes. The chatter of other students had receded, repced by an almost sacred hush. Occasionally, a student in uniform would bow hurriedly before vanishing down another hallway.

  “Here we are, Princess,” said the professor, stopping in front of a dark wooden door engraved with the Empire’s symbol: a crescent moon and a winged dragon. “This will be your personal room. The Academy assigned you lodging separate from the common dorms to ensure you have the privacy appropriate to your status.”

  With a light touch, the door swung open, revealing a surprisingly welcoming space: walls in shades of gray and silver, elegant but not excessive furnishings, a rge bed with dark velvet drapes, and an oak desk lightly coated with dust. A rug embroidered with lunar motifs covered the pale stone floor. The real showstopper was the stained-gss window looking out onto an inner courtyard, where small blue nterns shone like fallen stars.

  Selene’s gaze fell on a table mp etched with protective runes, an antique silver-framed mirror, and shelves still empty. She felt a sense of new beginnings, yet also a deep loneliness.

  Revalios cleared his throat.“Tomorrow morning, a brief guided tour awaits you. In the afternoon, the Headmistress will deliver the welcome speech for all the new students. As for your nature… do not be afraid to show it. Anyone who disrespects the Lunar House defies the very principles of our Academy.”

  Still dazed, she lowered her eyes. “Thank you, Professor. I’ll… do my best.”

  “If you need anything, you’ll find a bell on the bedside table. Until tomorrow, Your Highness.”Revalios offered a discreet, courteous smile, then left.

  The moment the door closed, Selene released a long sigh, gncing around. She ran her fingers over the medallion, feeling a sharp pang of memory: the accident, her previous life, that unspoken love. With a tremor, she noticed the nearly full moon shining through the colored gss, casting silvery shadows on the floor.

  “I wonder if you’re here too, Haruka…” she whispered, before standing up, her heart in turmoil. She wasn’t tired, nor did she feel like sitting around brooding. She decided to explore the Academy a bit.

  Stepping into the corridor, she found it quieter than ever. A few dim lights drew dancing shadows across the decorated walls. Her skin prickled: each step echoed in a pce steeped in history, magic, and expectations that weighed upon her.

  She passed a small study lined with shelves of old books and a tapestry depicting an ancient vampire queen. In the woven designs, she thought she glimpsed hints of lunar battles and forgotten mysteries.If I could only study myself… she mused, already thinking about investigating the paranormal from the inside, in a very different way than before.

  As she walked on, she noticed details that had previously escaped her: the smell of velvet, the faint crackle of the mps, the distant drip of a faucet somewhere nearby. Her vampire senses, perhaps, beginning to awaken—and she shivered. She wasn’t just terrified… she was also fascinated.

  Passing a wide window overlooking the main courtyard, she saw the blue nterns bobbing like miniature moons.Strange, but beautiful, she thought. Maybe this new life would show her wonders a mere human would never understand.

  Eventually, after roaming silently, she returned to her room. Along the way, she had noticed a first-year elven girl being harassed by three vampires: an unexpected urge made her intervene, driving the bullies away with a few decisive words.Only afterward did she realize that another elf—accompanied by a blond-haired boy—had witnessed the scene, giving her a look that left her feeling oddly uneasy. Still unsettled by that encounter and the strange sensation it stirred, she finally decided to retire.

  “A little rest is all I need…” she told herself, determined to face the next day with courage. Sliding into bed, she couldn’t help recalling the past: once a high-school council president with a fascination for vampire lore… and now a vampire princess.

  A slight smile curved her lips as she turned over in the covers.“I’ll find out what this Academy… and this new life… have to offer me.”

  [POV: Arya]The crisp te-evening air caressed the corridors of the Lunar Academy as Arya passed through the great carved stone gate.

  With uncertain steps—veiled by an outward calm—she dragged a small leather suitcase behind her. No one could have imagined that she had not always been Arya, nor guessed the memories that stung each time she glimpsed her reflection in the stained-gss windows.

  Students of every race crowded the corridors, some ughing with friends, some thinking about lessons, others giving her curious gnces. Arya recalled the directions given by Duke Eldrin and her sister Lysia. “The newcomers’ rooms are that way…” she muttered, gripping the handles of her suitcase.

  At one point, she heard voices coming from a well-lit atrium. She was about to walk past when she caught her name:

  “…they say Arya is just an opportunist. No one knows how she managed to get in, if not for her father’s money…”

  A shudder ran down her spine. She recognized the voice of Elina, an older elf, the daughter of another duke, known for her grace and her pronounced envy for anyone deemed a “rising star.”

  “I heard she was involved in some… shady business before she got here,” Elina continued with feigned casualness. “But who knows, maybe they’re just rumors.”

  The two girls beside her giggled. Arya pressed her lips together. She did not recall ever meeting Elina before, and yet these rumors—about her—were already circuting. She stepped forward, ready to defend herself, when a golden-haired elven boy interposed himself, addressing Elina:

  “Enough, Elina. Lady Arya has only just arrived. Why so eager to tarnish her? Maybe you’re afraid of her?”

  Elina arched an eyebrow, folding her arms. “Afraid of her? Absurd. I’m just repeating… rumors. If they aren’t true, then there’s no problem, is there?”

  At that point, Arya stepped fully into the light-filled atrium.“If you have something to say about me, Elina, I’d prefer you say it openly.”

  A fsh of surprise crossed the older elf’s eyes, then an ironic smile emerged. “Oh, Arya… I didn’t realize you were here. I didn’t mean… to spread rumors. You know how people talk…”

  Arya’s heart pounded harder. People talk, she thought, but about what? I don’t even know all the details of my own past.“I traveled a long way to get here, and I have no need to make up stories. If someone doubts me, they can ask me directly.”

  The boy who had intervened gave her an encouraging smile. “My name is Lyrion. If you need any help clearing things up, let me know. Not everyone buys into these rumors.”

  Elina shrugged, calling her friends to her side. “Very well. Enjoy your stay, then.” She left with an imperious step, leaving Arya torn between relief and frustration. Lyrion drew nearer, lowering his voice:

  “Don’t let her get to you. She’s always been competitive, especially among nobles. You, though… you don’t need to worry. Show them who you are, and the rumors will die off on their own.”

  Arya clutched her suitcase. Who am I? she wondered, recalling Akira and the broken promise, the persistent ache in her chest. For a moment, she felt as though a spotlight shone on her, exposing accusations she didn’t deserve. Why must I defend myself in a pce that should be my new home?

  She exhaled, a knot tightening in her stomach. They were just rumors, obviously, but they still formed the first wound in a world she had hoped would welcome her without prejudice. The problem was that she, deep down, didn’t remember enough herself. How could she refute lies when she did not fully know the truth?

  Lyrion offered to accompany her to the dorms and she agreed with a nod. As they walked under a partially covered walkway overlooking an inner courtyard, they stopped short: three vampires with grayish hair were cornering a first-year elf, threatening her in hushed tones:

  “You can’t stay here! This courtyard is for vampires. Go back to your forests, elves, or you’ll be sorry!”

  The girl tried to speak up, but she trembled. Arya was about to intervene when a cold voice cut through:

  “Enough.”

  The vampires turned, startled, to see a silver-haired, crimson-eyed girl stepping forward with a firm stride. She wore the Imperial medallion around her neck.

  “And who might you be?” blurted one of them, failing to recognize her.“Mind your own business, we were just—”

  The mplight gleaming off her silver hair was enough to silence them. Nothing more was required to reveal who she was.“P-Princess Selene…” one stammered, backing away.

  Selene gred at them. A heavy silence fell.“What kind of vampires are you, picking on a defenseless student? Is this how you honor the Empire?”

  Selene lingered a moment, watching the three vampires vanish from sight. A wave of bitterness brushed against her heart: if this was how certain students behaved, the Lunar Academy was shaping up to be anything but peaceful.

  She had thought this might be a pce where the races lived in harmony, yet everything she saw revealed hostility, prejudice, and oppression. Could her new world already be pgued by such divisions? Heart pounding, she broke her gaze, ready to depart.

  Arya had witnessed the scene, holding her breath. Selene turned, noticing only then that the victim had already fled in fear, and locked eyes with Arya and Lyrion.

  For a moment, the two girls stared at each other in silence. To Arya, it felt like some inexplicable déjà vu; to Selene, her heart raced with no apparent cause.

  “You…” Arya murmured, disconcerted by a sudden warmth in her chest.

  Selene looked as though she might say something, but then lowered her gaze, offering a slight bow.“Apologies—I didn’t mean to intrude. I just hope that no one else will have to face threats like this anymore.”

  She moved away down a corridor lit by faint magical light, leaving Arya and Lyrion standing there, speechless. Neither girl realized they were bound by a shared fate. Yet in that moment, something deep had been stirred.

  Arya remained motionless, her heart pounding in her throat, while Lyrion watched her pensively.“Who… was that girl?” Arya whispered, still shaken.

  Lyrion folded his arms. “You didn’t recognize her? She’s the Vampire Princess, the future Empress of the Lunar Empire: Selene de Lunaris. Trust me, you don’t want to cross her.”

  A shiver ran up Arya’s spine. She couldn’t expin why, but Selene’s gaze had seemed strangely familiar. “Selene… de Lunaris,” she murmured, remembering how decisively she had driven off those bullies. “She was… so resolute.”

  “I’ve heard she’s not easy to approach, especially since being procimed heir to the throne. Maybe her demeanor seems rigid because everyone views her only as a symbol of power,” Lyrion sighed, shaking his head. “But if you’ve got some backbone, you’ll find your pce here, Arya—and maybe prove Elina wrong.”

  Arya lowered her gaze, clutching her suitcase. “…I suspect I’ll be seeing her again soon.”

  Lyrion regarded her thoughtfully.“I don’t doubt it. Around here, it’s easy to cross paths with anyone… especially someone like her. Stay on your toes, Arya.”

  A peculiar certainty took shape in the girl’s heart, unaware that that first gnce and those few words had already left their mark on Selene, like a muted echo in search of answers.