Chapter 2 CHAPTER 2: Magic Book
THE NEXT DAY
Lyra felt a light tap on her arm. At first she didn’t want to wake up, her body felt too warm and the bed was too soft. She turned a little, hoping whoever was tapping her would go away. But the tapping came again, this time a bit firmer, and she slowly forced her eyes open.
Echo was hovering over her with a bright smile on her face.
“Morning, beautiful. It’s time to wake up,” she said softly.
Lyra rubbed her eyes, still half asleep. She sat up while yawning loudly. Her whole body still wanted to fall back on the bed and sleep more, but Echo held her shoulders.
“Nope. Up. You’ll be late,” Echo said, pushing her gently into the bathroom.
Lyra didn’t even have the strength to argue, so she just walked in and freshened up. The warm water helped a little, calming her nerves. When she stepped out, she saw a uniform neatly folded on the bed. It was simple but beautiful, mixed with soft colors that made her eyes widen a little.
She wore it and turned to the mirror. It fitted her perfectly, almost like it was made for her alone. She touched the fabric slowly, smiling to herself.
Echo’s uniform was different though. More detailed and prettier because she was a senior. The two of them walked out together, and Lyra’s heart kept pounding in her chest as she looked around. Everything felt new. Everyone was moving fast to their different classes, wings shimmering, eyes glowing, the school looking like a magical city.
Lyra stepped into her class and froze a little. The room was filled with only fairies. Beautiful, glowing, confident fairies. And she was standing there, feeling too small and too out of place. She found a seat and sat quietly, looking around as they started taking attendance.
She learned quickly that the other beings wolves, vampires, sirens, elves all had their own classrooms. She felt a bit relieved but also confused. Before she could understand things well, the instructor came in with a very serious face.
He started reading names and giving everyone chores. Real chores like they were some workers and not students. Lyra blinked many times, not sure she was hearing right. Why were they being given cleaning tasks?
Then her name came.
“Lyra Vale,” the instructor called.
“Yes sir,” she said quickly, sitting up straight.
“You will be cleaning Prince Kael’s room.”
The whole class turned to her at once. Some gasped. Some stared at her in shock. Some even looked at her with pity, like she had been sentenced to death or something.
Lyra frowned a little, confused. Why were they acting that way? It was just a room… right?
“Yes sir,” she muttered again, her voice small this time.
People continued whispering, but she ignored them. She just took her book quietly.
Later, she met up with Echo again, and they walked around the school. Lyra tried to push her confusion away because the school was honestly beautiful. Everywhere she turned, the environment looked magical. Trees glowing, floating lights, students practicing their gifts, everything completely different from the normal world she knew.
Then a boy walked up to them and Lyra almost stopped breathing for a moment.
“You’re Lyra, right? Echo told me about you,” he said.
Lyra nodded quickly, her cheeks turning pink as she looked down shyly. “Yes.”
“I’m Hunter,” he said with a soft smile.
Lyra looked up again. His face was even more beautiful up close. She felt nervous but also warm, like she wanted to hide behind Echo but also wanted to keep looking at him.
They continued walking around together, Hunter talking softly and Echo adding little explanations. Lyra just listened quietly, feeling shy but also happy in a strange way. It was her first time walking beside an opposite sex that close, and she didn’t even know why her heartbeat was acting strange.
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Master Gael’s office was quiet, the kind of quiet that made the air feel heavy. The top students of the academy were already seated, five of them in total. Two males and two females sat comfortably on the long couch, though none of them actually looked relaxed. These were the strongest students in Nocturne Academy, the ones every other student respected or feared.
They were waiting for the last person Prince Kael.
After a few minutes, the door opened slowly. Prince Kael walked in like he owned the entire building. His steps were calm but firm, his expression cold like always. He didn’t spare anyone a glance as he walked straight to Master Gael’s table and sat right beside him, like that was his natural place.
Damon, sitting on the far left, sighed loudly. He leaned forward a little.
“Why are we called here?” Damon asked, breaking the silence.
Damon was Kael’s younger brother, cheerful and always smiling. He didn’t look scary at first glance, but only a fool would take him lightly. He was a wolf. And unlike Kael, he didn’t take after their father’s vampire side. He looked a lot like Kael though same eyes, same intimidating aura that sometimes slipped out without him noticing.
Master Gael folded his hands together on the table. His expression was serious, deeper than usual.
“This morning,” Master Gael began, “we saw the dead bodies of two new students in the Elarion Forest. They were on their way to the school after receiving the letter. They were attacked by demons.”
The whole room went silent.
Juniper, who had been leaning back with her arms crossed, slowly lifted her chin. She was a vampire, very cold and sharp, the type that didn’t smile unless she wanted something. People didn’t mess with her unless they wanted to bleed.
“If they were killed,” Juniper said calmly, “it means the demons only needed something from them.”
“The letter,” Xavier said immediately. He was a wolf too, huge and quiet most times, but sharp when it came to danger. “They need the letter to get inside the school.”
Sirena rolled her eyes and crossed her legs. She was a siren, seductive and cunning, always giving off an energy that made people uncomfortable without her even trying.
“If they’re in the school,” Sirena said, “what do they probably want? Souls? Chaos? Maybe they’re bored.”
Kael finally lifted his eyes, slow and cold. His voice came out low but strong enough for everyone to hear.
“They are not here for that. They are here for the heavenly pearl,” Kael said.
Everyone stiffened immediately, the weight of his words sinking in.
Master Gael nodded sadly. “That will be dangerous. You all need to guard the place and make sure the demons are not successful.”
Kael stood up slowly.
“Don’t like crowd,” he muttered calmly. “It’s either I do the job or They did”
He didn’t wait for anyone to argue. He just turned and left the office.
Xavier clenched his fists, his jaw tight with anger.
“He is just so arrogant,” Xavier muttered under his breath, hatred burning in his eyes.
Sirena immediately stood up and rushed after Kael like a desperate shadow.
“Kael! Wait for me!” she called, running after him.
Juniper scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes so hard it almost looked painful. She stood up too, but not to follow Kael just to leave the room and avoid the unnecessary drama.
Damon quickly jumped up and jogged after her. He wrapped one arm around her neck from behind, pulling her closer with a playful grin.
“Let go,” Juniper said coldly, not even looking at him.
“Nope,” Damon said, grinning wider.
Juniper sighed deeply, acting annoyed, but Damon could see the tiny twitch at the corner of her lips. She didn’t hate it as much as she pretended. They are close friends and always hang out together.
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Lyra followed them quietly into the huge library, her eyes widening the moment they stepped inside. The place was massive, stretching endlessly with tall shelves that almost touched the ceiling. There were thousands of books ancient ones, dusty ones, glowing ones… books filled with secrets, magic, histories, curses, everything she never imagined existed.
Her jaw dropped slightly as she looked around.
“This place is… big,” she whispered, almost afraid to speak too loudly.
“I love this place,” Hunter said with a soft smile, pushing his long hair back behind his ear. “I rest here after working. The quiet feels good.”
Lyra smiled back, feeling a little lighter. “I love reading too.”
Her voice was soft, filled with memories. She remembered how her mum always brought back books whenever she went out. Lyra would hide inside them all day, reading until her eyes felt heavy.
Echo giggled. “Then you’ll want to stay here forever.”
They began walking around the library, moving between shelves. Lyra’s fingers lightly traced over the spines of the books. She picked up anything that caught her eye books about healing magic, old fairy tales, books about strange creatures she had never heard of. Everything felt new and exciting.
After a while, they reached a part of the library that felt different. The atmosphere changed. It was colder, quieter, like the walls were holding their breath. At the end of the aisle stood a large old door, darker than the others. A glowing shield shimmered faintly over it, blocking it completely.
Lyra stopped walking.
“What is in there?” she asked, her curiosity pulling her forward.
Echo leaned close to her ear. “The broken pieces of the heavenly pearl,” she whispered.
Lyra gasped softly, staring harder at the shield.
Hunter folded his arms. “But the door hasn’t been opened for thousands of years. No one can get access to it. Not even the master. So the pieces remain in there… untouched.”
Lyra stared, imagining what something so powerful must look like.
“Let’s go,” Echo said, pulling her along gently. “We have more things to show.”
They walked away, but Lyra turned back one more time. Something about that door made her chest feel strange. A soft warmth, like something calling her. She swallowed hard and forced herself to follow Echo and Hunter.
But when she looked up again… they were gone.