When they were dismissed to their rooms, Aurora held onto Calypsera's hand as they made their way down the long corridor toward their dormitory.
Calypsera glanced down at their joined hands for a brief moment but chose to ignore it. Aurora seemed like the type who clung to people easily, and Calypsera neither had the heart nor the energy to pull away.
The corridor was lined with tall windows and flickering enchanted lanterns that cast a soft glow across the stone walls. Students walked past them in small groups, chatting excitedly as they carried their luggage toward their assigned rooms.
Eventually, they located their room.
Their luggage had already been brought in by the academy attendants, neatly arranged beside the door. Both girls stepped inside and began unpacking.
The room was simple yet elegant. Two beds stood on opposite sides of the room, each with dark wooden frames and neatly folded bedding. Between the beds was a tall divider that served as both a dresser and a small wardrobe space. Behind the divider was a shared washroom.
Calypsera never had many belongings anyway.
Her luggage consisted of only a few dresses, books, and small personal items. She unpacked everything quickly and placed them neatly in her space. Within minutes, she was finished.
Meanwhile, Aurora had barely begun.
Calypsera sat on the edge of her bed and watched her new roommate unpack what seemed like an endless collection of clothes, jewelry, decorative shells, trinkets, and fabrics.
It was safe to say Aurora might have brought half the ocean's wealth with her.
"I'm kidding," Calypsera thought silently, though the idea wasn't entirely far from the truth.
At some point, Aurora suddenly turned to look at her new roommate.
"Do you understand everything I say?" Aurora asked.
Calypsera nodded.
"Good!" Aurora said excitedly. "Then I don't have to worry about trying to communicate with you. What a relief."
She turned back to continue organizing her things, humming happily to herself.
But only a moment later, she froze.
Aurora slowly turned around again, her eyes widening in sudden horror.
"Sera… how do you communicate with me if you need something?" she asked, shock evident on her face.
She paused for a second before adding quickly,
"It's okay if I call you Sera, right?"
Calypsera, who had been quietly observing the mermaid the entire time, couldn't help but smile softly. She nodded.
Does she always wear her heart on her sleeve like this?
Aurora's emotions were so open and transparent that Calypsera found it strangely refreshing.
Calypsera reached into her small bag and took out a notebook and pencil. She wrote something down and then used simple hand gestures as she showed Aurora the page.
Aurora leaned closer, watching her intently and trying her best to understand both the writing and the signs.
Her effort genuinely pleased Calypsera.
Back home, no one had ever tried this hard to understand her. No one cared enough to learn how she communicated.
They simply called her the mute siren.
Soon, the room was filled with Aurora's bright laughter.
Aurora began telling her a long and exaggerated story while also attempting to mimic sign language. Every now and then Calypsera would shake her head, silently correcting her when she got it wrong.
Aurora would gasp dramatically, then try again.
Eventually, Aurora finished organizing her belongings.
Calypsera could have sworn she had never seen so much gold and blue gathered in one place before. Aurora's side of the room shimmered with oceanic colors, decorated with pearls, sea glass, and fabrics that reflected the hues of the sea.
Compared to that vibrant display, Calypsera's side looked far more subdued.
Her space leaned toward darker tones, blacks, deep violets, and muted shades that gave it a slightly gothic appearance.
The contrast between their sides of the room was almost amusing.
Soon, they both changed into more comfortable outfits and made their way toward the dining hall for dinner.
The dining hall was enormous.
Long tables stretched across the vast chamber, each sectioned off according to the different levels and ranks within the academy.
Except for the vampire tables.
Those were reserved exclusively for elite vampires.
As Aurora and Calypsera stepped inside, the chatter in the hall did not stop like it had earlier that day, but that did not mean the attention disappeared.
Eyes still followed them.
Students whispered quietly among themselves as they walked toward the tables designated for new students.
They took their seats as more students continued to troop in, filling the hall with noise and conversation.
The table quickly began buzzing with gossip.
Nesera rolled her eyes the moment her sister sat down nearby.
She definitely looked too polished and elegant to sit next to a mute.
Nesera had already begun mingling with other influential students and did not want anything ruining the image she was carefully crafting for herself.
Still, she didn't ask Calypsera to leave either.
She simply refused to acknowledge her presence at all.
Calypsera didn't care.
"I heard that Lord Nikolai does not have a team yet," a girl sitting close to Nesera said excitedly.
"I call dibs on him. You all can choose the other Lords."
Nesera's eyes lit up instantly, but she quickly masked her reaction.
"How come he doesn't have a team yet?" she asked casually, using her fork to pick up a vegetable and place it in her mouth.
"Does he have a mate?"
"Of course not," the girl replied.
"They say no woman from any species has been able to catch his eyes."
She lowered her voice conspiratorially.
"You know pure-blooded vampires mate for life. Once they form a bond with someone, they can never be with another."
"There are rumors suggesting he once took a lover," she continued quietly. "But she died. Since then, he hasn't been able to find another."
Calypsera raised a brow slightly.
Her thoughts briefly drifted to the things she just heard about the infamous vampire lord.
To her, love was nothing more than a foolish game, one that people willingly walked into despite knowing how dangerous it could be.
Aurora sighed softly.
She wasn't interested in love or becoming part of any Lord's team.
Who wanted that anyway?
Court life was tedious, complicated, and dangerous. Aurora would rather focus on her studies and earn a position through merit rather than serve under any Lord.
She turned toward Calypsera as they continued eating.
Calypsera pulled out the small notebook she carried everywhere and wrote something down before sliding the page toward Aurora.
Aurora read it and smiled.
"Oh! You want to know about the Lords and their teams?"
"You don't know about it, do you?"
Calypsera shook her head.
"Alright," Aurora said, straightening slightly.
"Let me explain."
As she began speaking, something interesting happened.
The surrounding table gradually went quiet.
Students nearby subtly leaned closer, clearly listening.
"The vampires conquered the world long ago," Aurora began.
"In the end, every other species relinquished power to them, on the condition that all species would still be represented in governance."
"After much deliberation, the Ebon Concord was formed."
"That translates to the Dark Concord."
"It was an agreement that every species would send their most promising candidates, princes, princesses, nobles, or anyone qualified, to study at Nocturne Academy."
"They would train here for four years."
"And after that, the best among them would be selected to rule alongside the vampire leadership."
Aurora paused before continuing.
"Now the Vampire Lords, most of whom are royal vampires, pure-blooded vampires, or individuals granted lordship, hold powerful offices in the kingdom."
"Some are ministers, others command entire regions."
"And those positions require trained individuals to help carry out their duties."
She leaned slightly closer to Calypsera.
"Imagine a Lord investigating a magical crime committed by witches, maybe a poisoned potion."
"Of course he would want a skilled witch by his side who understands potion craft, especially if it involves secret formulas."
Aurora smiled.
"Apart from serving under Lords, many graduates go on to work directly within the royal court."
"But every year only a few are selected."
"Last year's graduating class was said to be the highest number ever chosen."
Aurora continued.
"It's important to note that not all Lords can appoint teams."
"Not every office requires a covert team either."
"In fact, only three Lords currently maintain such teams,just like their fathers did."
"Lord Darius, the son of the Viscount of Malfrost."
"Lord Sebastian, whose father is the Duke of Silverton."
"And lastly, "
At that exact moment, the massive doors of the dining hall swung open.
The Devils walked in.
At their center was Nik.
He wore an all-black outfit with a long black trench coat draped over his shoulders. The moment he stepped into the hall, the temperature seemed to drop.
Aurora finished her sentence quietly.
"Nikolai Nightshade, Duke of Lakeville. His father is the king."
All eyes turned toward him.
Aurora continued speaking softly.
"While the other Lords already have at least one person in their team… Duke Nikolai Nightshade has refused to pick anyone."
"And he's in his final year."
The hall immediately erupted into murmurs again.
Some students glanced at Nikolai with curiosity.
Others looked at him with calculated interest.
Many believed they still had a chance.
Aurora sighed and turned back to Calypsera.
"I hope you understand the system now," she said gently.
Calypsera nodded.
"You must stay away from Nikolai at all costs," Aurora added quietly.
"He's trouble. Dangerous trouble."
"Don't let the good looks fool you."
"How do you know all these things?" Nesera suddenly asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
She had been listening the entire time and clearly didn't like the attention Aurora was receiving.
She especially didn't like that a mermaid was overshadowing her.
Aurora simply smiled.
"Have you never heard of the whispers of water?"
Nesera narrowed her eyes but chose not to argue.
Everyone knew the old saying.
Water carried secrets.
And mermaids were known to be excellent spies, because water itself bent to their will and could retain memories.
Meanwhile, Nikolai took his seat.
His expression remained stoic and unreadable.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the table of new students.
He had heard most of what was said about him.
Maybe not every word.
But enough.
His gaze lingered briefly on Aurora… before shifting to the quiet girl beside her.
For a young mermaid, she seemed unusually composed.
Her eyes held a calm, almost ancient wisdom.
"Interesting," he muttered.
Around the hall, several students nearly fainted when his gaze passed their direction.
Many insisted he had looked directly at them.
Some of them would go to sleep that night with bright smiles on their faces, convinced fate had favored them because Lord Nikolai had laid his gaze upon them.
For some of the new students, the moment felt like a blessing.
But the same could not be said for the elite ladies.
Or more precisely,
The pure-blooded vampiresses.
They had been glaring all night.
The arrival of new beauties meant new competition.
And no one enjoyed competing in a game they weren't sure they could win.