Chapter 1
The Girl Chosen by the Treaty
The carriage wheels creaked softly as they rolled across the long stone road.
Elara Valenwood sat quietly inside, her fingers clasped together in her lap. Outside the window, the forest stretched endlessly beneath the pale evening sky.
She had never traveled this far from her village before.
Her home had always been small and peaceful — a quiet place where nothing extraordinary ever happened. The villagers spent their days farming, gathering herbs, and telling stories beside warm fires.
But three days ago, everything had changed.
Three riders wearing silver cloaks had arrived at her home.
They carried the royal crest of the High Council.
And they had spoken only one sentence.
"You have been chosen."
Chosen.
Elara still didn't know what that meant.
Her parents had looked frightened but said nothing. Her mother had hugged her tightly before she left, whispering softly into her hair.
"Be strong, my little star."
The carriage slowed.
Elara looked up.
The forest suddenly ended, revealing something enormous beyond the trees.
A towering academy stood before her.
No.
It looked more like a palace than a school.
Tall silver towers reached toward the sky, their windows glowing faintly like stars. Elegant stone bridges connected different sections of the structure, and a massive iron gate guarded the entrance.
Beautiful.
And yet…
Something about it made her chest tighten.
The carriage stopped.
A tall man in dark robes opened the door.
His pale eyes studied her carefully.
"Miss Elara Valenwood," he said.
She nodded slowly.
He stepped aside and gestured toward the towering gates.
"Welcome to Noctaryn Academy."
Elara stepped out of the carriage.
The wind shifted.
For a moment, she thought she heard whispers.
Do not come here.
She shook her head quickly.
It was probably just the wind.
Students were already walking through the courtyard ahead. They wore elegant uniforms — black coats, silver embroidery, polished boots.
Everything looked perfectly normal.
Too normal.
Elara took a careful step forward.
And that's when she felt it.
Eyes.
Hundreds of eyes watching her.
The courtyard had gone strangely quiet.
Students stopped walking.
Stopped talking.
Stopped breathing.
They were all staring at her.
A girl with platinum-blonde hair stepped forward slowly. Her cold smile spread across her face like a blade.
"Well," she said softly.
"So this is the human."
A ripple of whispers moved through the crowd.
Human.
Human.
Human.
Elara's heart began to race.
Before she could speak, a shadow suddenly moved above them.
A figure dropped gracefully from the academy balcony, landing directly in front of her.
The air seemed to grow colder.
He was tall.
Dangerously tall.
Dark hair fell over his forehead, and when he lifted his head—
Elara froze.
His eyes were gold.
Not normal gold.
The kind that glowed faintly in the dim light.
He studied her silently for a moment.
Then he smiled.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"Well," he said.
"So the council truly sent one this time."
The blonde girl frowned.
"Lucien," she said sharply.
But he ignored her.
His golden eyes locked onto Elara's.
"You must be the human," he said softly.
Elara swallowed.
"Yes…"
The courtyard grew even quieter.
Then Lucien Draemore leaned slightly closer.
Close enough that she could feel the cold air around him.
And he whispered something that made her blood run cold.
"Tell me, little human…"
His smile widened slightly.
"Do you know what usually happens to humans who come here?"
Elara shook her head slowly.
Lucien's eyes gleamed.
"They rarely survive the year."