*The school stood at the edge of the world.

At least, that was how it looked from the road.

Iron gates stretched higher than the trees, twisted with silver vines that moved slowly, like they were breathing. Beyond them rose a castle-like building made of dark stone, glass towers, moss-covered bridges, and floating staircases that drifted lazily from one floor to another. A golden sign hung above the entrance, glowing even in the gray morning light.

Elyndor Academy for All Kinds

All kinds.

That was the part everyone kept saying.

Because Elyndor wasn’t a normal school.

Students didn’t just come from different towns or different families. They came from different species.

A group of fae girls passed through the gates first, their wings shimmering like stained glass. One laughed, and tiny sparks of light scattered from her hair. Behind them, a tall boy with curved horns and a lion’s tail dragged a trunk twice his size across the cobblestone path. Two merfolk rolled by in floating water-bubbles, arguing about who had taken whose sea-glass bracelet. A vampire stood under a black umbrella even though the sun wasn’t fully out, looking bored and expensive.

Then there were werewolves, witches, elves, dragons in human form, ghosts who flickered when they were nervous, and creatures no one had names for.

And then there was you.

New.

Standing outside the gates with a bag in your hand and your heart beating a little too loudly.

The letter had arrived three weeks ago, sealed with purple wax and marked with a symbol you had never seen before — a crescent moon wrapped around an open eye. At first, you thought it was a mistake. Schools like Elyndor didn’t send letters to people like you. They sent them to royal heirs, powerful bloodlines, ancient families, and students who already knew exactly what they were.

But the letter had your name on it.

Not your parent’s name. Not your family’s name.

Yours.

Now the gates opened with a long metallic groan, and every conversation around you seemed to pause for half a second.

Maybe it was your imagination.

Maybe it wasn’t.

A woman in a deep emerald coat stood just inside the entrance, holding a clipboard that floated beside her instead of resting in her hands. Her hair was silver, her eyes were completely black, and when she smiled, it looked practiced but not unkind.

“New arrival?” she asked.

You nodded.

“Name?”