The smell of rust and wet earth greeted Iris Francesca's first breath upon arriving at the ends of the earth. The rusty old taxi that had brought her suddenly roared to life and sped away as though fleeing the sins of its past, which lay festering behind the thick fog.
Iris stood alone before the iron gates of Blackwood Academy. The evening sky stretched above her, deep crimson like a pool of fresh blood spilled across a gray canvas. The Victorian-style building towered arrogantly, challenging the sky with its sharp spires and dark stained-glass windows, radiating a menacing atmosphere that immediately crushed her chest.
"Don't look back, young lady," the taxi driver's hoarse voice whispered through the half-open window, cold and cutting through the night air before the vehicle shot away and vanished into the fog. "You think you came here to study? That building doesn't need clever students... it needs prey."
"Wait, my luggage!" Iris called after him, hurrying forward as the car's red taillights disappeared into the darkness. "Damn it... I can't believe he just left me in this cursed place."
Iris ignored the thunderous pounding of her heart. The night wind bit into her exposed arms, sending a sharp wave of gooseflesh crawling from her fingertips all the way up her spine—a physical welcome both erotic and terrifying, as though the academy were extending an invisible hand to strip her fears bare.
"It's freezing," Iris murmured, hugging herself tightly. Her coat did nothing to keep the icy air from forcing its way into her pores. "Is anyone inside? Hello?" she called uncertainly, breaking the silence of the woods.
With hesitant steps but a heart burning with determination, she pushed against the heavy iron gate. The scrape of metal shattered the stillness. Her feet crossed the wild grass, wet with evening dew, as she approached the main entrance, shrouded in long shadows.
Suddenly, without so much as a natural breeze, the main door creaked open by itself. The old, rusted hinges groaned softly, exhaling an icy chill that swept across Iris's face and caressed her slightly parted lips. The air felt so intimate, so alive, as if it were touching the curve of her neck with invisible fingers.
"Who's there?" Iris whispered, her voice trembling between fear and overwhelming curiosity. "I... I'm a new student enrolled this term."
Crash!
Iris jumped violently, reflexively stumbling backward. The moment her boots touched the stone floor of the porch, the iron gate behind her suddenly slammed shut with an ear-splitting boom. The metal shifted on its own, locking tight without leaving so much as a gap.
"No... that's impossible!" Iris spun around and slammed both palms against the iron bars, which had now been sealed shut by some supernatural force. "Open up! Let me out!" she screamed in panic, tugging uselessly at the bars.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, forming white vapor in the night air. When she slowly turned toward the main entrance, now gaping wide, a deep, heavy voice echoed inside her head, gliding softly straight into her ear as though spoken right behind her neck.
"You'll never be able to leave again, Iris... that door only submits to those who have surrendered their souls."
Iris gasped and struggled to swallow. With trembling hands, she raised her head and craned her neck along the towering stone walls. Behind a dim stained-glass window on the third floor stood a tall figure in a black suit. The silhouette was deathly still, watching her with absolute authority—a possessive gaze that sent Iris's blood boiling despite the cold of the night.
"Show yourself!" Iris challenged with the last of her courage, though her voice shook violently. "What do you want from me?!"
The shadow behind the window did not answer with words. Instead, he raised one hand, as if offering a welcome to his newest and most precious prey.