The silver car glided through the city like a ghost.
Elian sat stiffly in the backseat, hands folded tightly in his lap.
Celestine stared out the window, her expression carved from ice.
Neither of them spoke.
The longer the drive continued, the more uneasy Elian became.
They had long passed the main city.
The glitter of the nightlife faded.
The flashing neon was replaced by looming dark buildings and abandoned streets.
Where were they taking him?
---
Finally, the car pulled into a narrow, private road hidden between two skyscrapers.
At the end stood massive black iron gates, crowned with barbed wire and golden spikes.
The gates swung open silently as the car approached, revealing a campus so beautiful it looked unreal.
Vast stone buildings stretched into the distance.
Lawns were cut with laser precision.
Fountains sprayed water into the sky like silver mist.
Students milled around, all dressed immaculately — designer coats, polished shoes, luxury watches flashing under the sunlight.
It was a different world.
Cold.
Rich.
Dangerous.
---
The car stopped before a towering white building marked "Administrative Center."
Celestine got out first.
Elian hesitated.
His legs felt glued to the leather seat.
But Celestine's sharp gaze cut through him.
He scrambled out quickly.
The air smelled different here — too clean, too artificial.
It made his skin crawl.
Celestine didn't wait.
She strode toward the entrance, heels clicking on the marble steps.
Elian hurried after her like a beaten dog.
---
Inside, the building was blindingly white.
Receptionists sat behind golden desks, tapping away on diamond-encrusted tablets.
Security guards in sleek black suits watched everyone with hawk-like eyes.
Celestine approached the front desk.
"Registration. Elian Frost."
The woman behind the desk barely glanced at them.
She slid a thick folder across the counter.
"Sign here," she said curtly.
Elian picked up the pen, hands trembling slightly.
He stared at the contract.
Page after page of rules.
Regulations.
Fines for misbehavior.
Punishments for 'insubordination.'
He signed without reading.
He had no choice.
---
The woman stamped the folder with a sharp thunk.
"Welcome to Aurelia Academy," she said, dead-eyed.
Celestine smiled, but there was no kindness in it.
"Congratulations, Elian," she said mockingly. "You've just sold your soul."
---
They led him to the dorms next.
It was more like a five-star hotel than a student residence.
Polished marble floors.
Velvet curtains.
Rooms bigger than any apartment Elian had ever seen.
A porter — a tall, surly man in black — shoved a key into Elian's hand.
"Room 707," he grunted.
Then he disappeared without another word.
Celestine handed Elian a small black card.
It gleamed under the hallway lights.
"This is your access pass," she said coolly. "It opens your room. It also tracks you. Try to run — and we'll know."
Her smile widened slightly.
"Try anything stupid — and you'll wish you hadn't."
---
Elian barely nodded.
He walked to Room 707.
Inserted the card.
The door clicked open.
---
Inside was a room fit for royalty.
King-sized bed.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a private lake.
A walk-in closet bigger than any room he had ever lived in.
There was even a silver tray of fresh fruits and pastries on a mahogany table.
But Elian felt none of the wonder he should have.
He only felt... trapped.
This isn't a school, he thought bitterly.
It's a gilded cage.
---
There was a knock.
He turned.
Celestine stood in the doorway, silhouetted by the golden hallway light.
"I'll leave you to settle in," she said.
"But remember this, Elian."
Her voice dropped, became a whisper of steel.
"You're here because someone wants you alive."
"But don't think for a second you're safe."
Then she was gone.
The door clicked shut.
---
Elian sat down heavily on the edge of the bed.
He buried his face in his hands.
For the first time since that night in the rain, tears burned behind his eyelids.
He wanted to scream.
Run.
Disappear.
But he couldn't.
He was bound here now.
By invisible chains.
By secrets he didn't understand.
By a destiny he had never asked for.
---
Slowly, he wiped his eyes.
Stood up.
And walked to the window.
The lake shimmered under the stars.
So beautiful.
So deadly.
Just like this place.
Just like the life he was being forced to live.
Elian stared out at the glittering darkness.
And made a silent promise.
No matter what it takes…
No matter how much it hurts…
I will survive.
---