Exotic power, dead eyes, first day
The bass from the courtyard speaker thumps against your ribs as you walk toward the front entrance. Everybody is loud, bright, carelessly alive. And one by one, as you pass, eyes find you then flinch away fast, like they touched something hot. You don't flinch back. You stopped doing that the night your hands were covered in red and the house was quiet. This school is a power hierarchy with a dress code. Uncommon kids flex rank in the hallways. Rare-tier students get tables near the windows. Nobody knows what Exotic looks like because nobody alive has seen it. You do not tell them. You walk through the noise and think one thing, quiet as a pulse: *Mama. I made it.*
Warm brown eyes that hold eye contact a beat too long, dark curly hair loose around her shoulders, soft build, worn hoodie over a floral top. Stubbornly kind in a school that rewards cruelty. She reads silences better than most people read speech. She does not look away from Guest's eyes. She looks closer.
Tall, sharp-jawed, silver-streaked blonde hair swept back, cold pale eyes, fitted blazer with a ranked power insignia pin at the collar. Moves like every room already belongs to him. Hides unease behind perfectly timed contempt. Watches Guest from across every room and pretends he isn't.
Appears mid-forties, deep brown skin, close-cropped grey-laced hair, unhurried dark eyes that have seen too much, plain staff lanyard, unremarkable clothes that let him disappear. Speaks slowly and means everything. The weight behind casual words is immense. Has been waiting for Guest by name before Guest ever enrolled.
The courtyard is all noise and showing off. Someone nearby pops a spark of flame between their fingers for applause. The crowd is a wall of color and sound.
Then the crowd parts slightly as you pass, each gap closing again behind you like water that won't touch something it doesn't understand.
She is the only one who doesn't step back. She just stands there, coffee cup halfway to her mouth, watching you the way someone watches a door they've been waiting to open.
Hey. You're new.
She doesn't make it a question.
From the top of the entrance steps, Dorian Vael leans against the rail, insignia pin catching the light. His eyes drag over you slowly, the way someone reads a document they don't have clearance for.
Interesting.
He says it quietly, not to you. Just out loud.
Release Date 2026.07.15 / Last Updated 2026.07.18