“You’ve stepped too far beyond the permitted boundary, young miss,” the man said. His voice was heavy, deep, and softly echoed along the corridor.
Liana let out the breath of relief she had been holding in her chest. The presence of an adult at least confirmed that this place was not completely uninhabited.
“Sorry,” Liana said as she stepped closer, though she still kept several yards of distance between them. “I’m Liana Valeraine. I’m a new scholarship student, and I’m looking for the administrative office or the dorm supervisor.”
The man stared at Liana with a pair of piercing dark brown eyes. His gaze was not wild, but it suggested an intelligence and authority that made Liana straighten her back instinctively.
“Liana Valeraine...” The man spoke her name slowly, as though tasting the sound of it on his tongue. “Yes, that name is in this school’s records. I’m Marcus. I’m responsible for overseeing order in the corridors and movement throughout this building.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Marcus,” Liana replied as quickly as she could. “Could you show me where I’m supposed to go? This place is too big and... very quiet.”
Marcus smiled faintly, the movement of his lips so slight that it did nothing to thaw the frost in his eyes. “This place is quiet only to those who aren’t used to hearing sounds colliding behind stone walls. The other students have been in their respective wards for the past hour.”
Liana narrowed her eyes. “An hour ago? But it was just twilight outside.”
“At Nocturne Academy, time moves according to rules of our own making, Miss Valeraine,” Marcus cut in calmly. He folded both hands behind his back. “The gatekeeper should have given you a bronze key, shouldn’t he?”
Liana reached into her coat pocket and showed him the heavy key she had received in front of the entrance earlier. The rusted metal glimmered dully in the candlelight.
“Good.” Marcus nodded slowly. “That’s the key to your room in the West Tower. Consider it your private quarters while you fulfill your scholarship obligations here.”
Liana lowered her hand. “Obligations? My scholarship letter didn’t mention any physical duties.”
Marcus stepped a fraction closer. Every movement he made was so smooth, almost completely free of the rustle of fabric or the impact of shoes against the black marble. Liana instinctively moved one foot half a step back.
“Everything has a price, Liana,” Marcus replied flatly. “You’ve been given housing and an education in a place that never allows ordinary people inside. In exchange, you’re expected to help meet the needs of students from the principal clan at certain hours.”
Liana clenched her fingers inside her coat pocket. “So basically, I’m a servant here?”
“You may call it whatever you like,” Marcus replied indifferently. “But my best advice is to focus on surviving your first night here instead of mourning your status.”
“Surviving?” Liana furrowed her brow. Marcus’s body language suddenly became brittle and far colder than before. “What do you mean? Is this place unsafe?”
Marcus looked straight into Liana’s eyes. The air around them seemed to grow thinner and colder.
“Listen to me carefully, Liana. I don’t like repeating myself to stubborn new students,” Marcus said in a low voice that demanded absolute obedience. “This academy has a long history and inhabitants who aren’t always welcoming to outsiders.”
Liana fell silent, her throat suddenly dry.
“There are two main rules you must follow if you want to see tomorrow morning’s sun,” Marcus continued. He raised one hand slightly, pointing toward the tall tower beyond the stone wall. “First, never leave your room after the midnight bell rings. Whatever you hear moving through this corridor, stay locked inside.”
Liana swallowed and worked up the courage to ask, “What if there’s an emergency?”
“There is no emergency more dangerous than stepping outside when the bell tolls,” Marcus cut in quickly, leaving no room for debate. “And the second rule... this one is the most important.”
Marcus leaned his face slightly closer, allowing Liana to see just how serious the glint in the middle-aged man’s eyes was.
“If you smell an unfamiliar sweet scent in this corridor at midnight—a scent like flowers blooming in the dead of night or the fragrance of fresh blood—never follow it. Cover your nose and lock your door tightly,” Marcus whispered sharply.
Liana felt a strange chill brush across the skin of her neck. That warning did not sound like an ordinary school rule. It sounded like safety instructions inside a predator’s lair.
“Why would there be a scent like that in the corridor?” Liana asked, her voice trembling faintly. “Who wanders outside at night?”
Marcus did not answer. Instead, he straightened and turned his gaze toward the stone wall beside Liana.
Suddenly, without the slightest breeze inside the sealed building, all the candle flames along the walls slowly changed color. The dim orange light abruptly went out, then flared back to life in a cold, strange pale blue.
The blue flames danced menacingly, casting warped shadows across the entire surface of the black marble. The atmosphere in the corridor became a hundred times more ominous and terrifying.
Liana’s eyes widened in shock. She turned to stare at the row of candleholders along the wall, now burning with an icy blue glow.
“Mr. Marcus, why are these candle flames—”
Liana spun back toward Marcus to demand an explanation. But her sentence died in the air.
The spot where Marcus had been standing just seconds ago was now completely empty. There was no sound of retreating footsteps. No cloak swept through the corridor. The middle-aged man had simply vanished behind the shadow of a tall stone pillar, as if he had evaporated and been swallowed by the darkness and the frozen blue flames.
“Mr. Marcus?” Liana called hesitantly.
Only the echo of her own voice returned to greet her. Liana stood alone in the middle of the black-marble corridor, surrounded by pale blue flames that cast her reflection in a terrifying light, while from somewhere in the distance, the echo of an old bell began preparing to strike the first chime.