Room 7C," Lyra said, handing me a small, black key with a bat-shaped head. "Don't lose it. And don't scream too loud."
"Wait—what?"
She didn't answer. Just turned and vanished into the shadows like a ninja.
I stared at the key, then at the tall wooden door in front of me.
7C.
I took a deep breath.
And walked in.
The dorm room was way bigger than I expected. It looked like an expensive hotel suite—with three floors.
Yup. Three.
There was a huge living area with floating lights, a glowing fireplace, a couch that looked like it was alive, and several doors leading to who-knows-where. A spiral staircase wrapped upward toward a balcony, and somewhere above that, I saw a hammock swinging lazily.
"Huh. Not bad for a cursed freak," I muttered.
Then I heard laughter.
Female laughter.
Lots of it.
"He's here!"
"Finally!"
"Is he cute or cursed?"
I turned just in time to see four girls walk into the room. Each one more dangerous—and beautiful—than the last.
First was Rei, a girl with short black hair and a katana strapped to her back. Her eyes were sharp, and her voice was sharper.
"So, you're the new one," she said, studying me like I was a puzzle.
Second came Vella, tall, with golden curls and a confident smirk. She wore fingerless gloves and had fire tattoos on both arms that glowed faintly.
"You don't look like a demon hunter," she said, walking around me like a lion circling a mouse.
Third was Nyx, the quiet one. She had silver-blue hair and wore oversized headphones. Her eyes glowed slightly in the dark. She didn't say anything. Just stared.
Fourth was Juno, who was tiny, pink-haired, and chewing bubblegum. She popped it loudly.
"He's kinda cute. In a 'please don't stab me' way."
I backed up slowly.
"Uh… hi? I'm Agla. I think I'm your roommate? Or victim. Or… both?"
Vella grinned. "You got guts showing up here, boy. Most marked ones don't last a week."
Rei nodded. "One got eaten by his own shadow. Another sneezed fire and exploded."
Juno clapped her hands. "Boom! Red confetti!"
Nyx finally spoke. Her voice was soft but cold.
"You have the Abyss Mark. You're dangerous. You shouldn't be here."
I raised both hands. "Hey, trust me—I don't wanna be here either! I liked my old boring life. I liked sleeping. And not being stabbed."
Rei walked up and flicked the badge on my chest. "Too late now."
Vella added, "We all have marks. Different ones. But yours… smells like a king's."
"A king's?"
She nodded. "Demon royalty. Big trouble. Huge power."
Nyx's eyes narrowed. "Or a ticking time bomb."
I gave a nervous laugh. "Haha, okay, great. So... where do I sleep?"
Juno pointed to a loft bed way above the fireplace.
"Up there. Away from us. In case you explode in the night."
That night, I lay in the hammock, staring at the stone ceiling. My chest still burned a little from the mark. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the demon. The claws. The grin.
And Lyra.
Her lips.
I groaned and turned over. "What is my life right now?"
Suddenly—
SCREEEEEEECH!
A loud alarm blared.
The walls glowed red.
A voice echoed through the dorm:
"DEMON BREACH. SOUTH YARD. ALL STUDENTS REPORT."
Rei leapt from her seat, katana already in hand. Vella's tattoos flared. Juno squealed with excitement. Nyx vanished into smoke.
Vella looked up at me. "Well, king-boy? Time to see what you're made of."
I swallowed hard.
Then I jumped down.
Time to face the night again