The rain kissed the stone paths of Lunaire University like a lover's whisper — soft, cold, and just a little cruel.
Even at dusk, the campus stood like an ancient cathedral. Ivy clung to its gothic walls, and lanterns flickered in resistance to the wind. The air was heavy with the perfume of old secrets and expensive perfume. Somewhere, the chapel bells rang, though no one remembered why.
Then she appeared.
Not with thunder or lightning — but with silence.
With presence.
Her heels tapped the cobblestone like a countdown. Her black dress clung to her thighs, high-slit and soaked through, revealing long legs like carved porcelain. No umbrella, no bag. Just Nox — a name that would not be spoken for several hours, but one that would soon coil around every tongue in Lunaire like smoke.
She walked like she owned something.
Not the university — but the girls in it.
Upstairs, Aria pressed her forehead to the cold glass of the third-floor window. Her fingers trembled just slightly against the frame.
"She's not a student," she whispered to herself.
Behind her, Reina, ever lounging, stretched like a spoiled cat. "That girl? Oh, she's trouble. I can smell it." She stood and walked over, silk robe slipping down her shoulder. "Or maybe I just want her to be."
Aria frowned but said nothing.
Below them, Nox looked up.
For one second, her eyes met Aria's.
And in that second, Aria forgot how to breathe.
In the headmistress's office, the mood was uneasy.
"You were assigned to arrive next Monday," the secretary said, half buried in paperwork.
"I prefer now," Nox replied, her voice like velvet and knives.
"You—your transcripts were sent from overseas. Your file says..."
"I don't care what it says," she interrupted, voice quiet but razor-sharp. "Do I have a room or not?"
A pause.
Then a reluctant nod.
"You've been assigned Room 309. Your roommate is—"
"I know her."
The secretary blinked. "You—what?"
But Nox had already turned.
Dorm Wing C, Room 309
Yumi sat cross-legged on her bed, headset on, gaming controller in hand, half-ignoring her roommate's absence.
Until the knock.
She opened the door in shorts and a hoodie — and then froze.
Nox stood there in dry clothes now. A black shirt unbuttoned low enough to suggest more than modesty, and shorts that clung tight to her hips. Her hair was slightly wet, tousled like she'd just come from someone's bed, not the rain.
"I'm your new roommate," Nox said flatly.
Yumi blinked. "You're not. That's not— Wait, huh?"
Nox stepped inside without asking. Her scent trailed behind her — something like black orchid and stormwater.
"I don't like clutter," she said, eyes sweeping the room.
Yumi swallowed. "Are you—are you one of those exchange girls?"
"I'm whatever you want me to be," she said, voice laced with something dangerous.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Nox smiled, slow and unkind. "You snore."
Yumi turned red. "What the hell—?!"
But Nox was already unpacking.
One small black duffel.
One leather-bound journal.
One silver ring she placed carefully on the nightstand.
She didn't bring clothes.
She didn't bring books.
She brought intent.
Elsewhere on campus:
Cassia, the literature queen, sat curled in the library's red armchair — watching the rain, the fire, and the reflection of herself in the window. She noticed the commotion, the whispers. She always did.
A girl had arrived. A strange one. Beautiful. Cold. Out of nowhere.
She smirked.
"Finally," she said aloud. "A new character."
Aria played the piano that night — the music room was her temple.
Her fingers glided over the keys like silk.
But the melody kept breaking.
Slipping.
She tried again.
Again.
Each note wrong, like her hands were shaking from somewhere deeper than fear.
Her mind flashed back to those violet eyes, locking with hers for one second.
She'd seen desire before. Admiration. Jealousy. Even worship.
But Nox's eyes…
They didn't want her.
They knew her.
And that was worse.
Later that night, in Room 309
Nox stood by the window, one leg tucked under her, dressed now in a black camisole and nothing else. The moonlight traced the curve of her shoulder. Her breath fogged the glass.
Behind her, Yumi lay awake, eyes open, pretending to sleep.
"Are you really a student?" she whispered into the dark.
"No," Nox replied calmly. "I'm just passing through."
Yumi sat up. "Why here, then? Why Lunaire?"
Nox turned. The smile she gave was slow and sharp and somehow... sad.
"Because all the beautiful girls are here," she said.
"...and all of them are pretending they aren't broken."
Somewhere in the shadows of the campus chapel, a figure watched the window of Room 309 through the stained glass.
Scribbling into a red notebook.
Page 4: Target #1: Yumi – introvert, weak boundary control, possibly touch-starved. Easy.
Target #2: Aria – façade of control, internal conflict, will resist — perfect.
Do not approach Reina directly. Yet.
In her bed, Aria dreams.
Of a hand on her wrist.
A mouth against her throat.
A voice whispering in her ear,
"What are you willing to give up… for the truth?"
She wakes up gasping. Alone.
But the window is open.
And outside…
Someone is watching.