6:00 PM.
A cold chime echoed like glass breaking silence.
Avni's eyes snapped open.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6fhNuZ3LPN
Breath hitched.
No screaming.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3u6bqTLqTJ
No blood.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPOnFIzZhHr
No bodies.
Just... blinding light.
She sat upright, blinking into a room too elegant to be real — ivory marble, velvet drapes, a vanity mirror that shimmered like a portal, and a cupboard with her name engraved in gold:
“Avni Kurogane Rathore.”
She touched it as if to confirm her existence.
Her limbs still remembered the warmth of the blood-soaked hall. But now, her fingers touched silk. She turned to the window — gothic towers rose across the landscape, their spires stabbing the clouds. The gothic magnificence of Valgrave University unfolded like a kingdom born from shadow and bone.
Another chime.
“All Novices. Wear your uniform from your assigned cupboard. Community Dinner at 8 PM. Escorts will arrive. Noncompliance is punishable.”
Avni flinched. “Back to prison already?”
She opened the cupboard. A sleek, obsidian-black uniform with scarlet detailing awaited her — perfectly her size. Everything was tailored: combat boots, jacket, nameplate.
She dressed in silence, a bit disoriented — her shirt half-buttoned, her skirt askew — and darted down the spiral stairs.
VALGRAVE HOUSE
The common hall was buzzing. 20 rooms, 10 returning students, and 10 new faces. A fire crackled in the hearth, shadows dancing.
“Well, well. Sleeping Beauty lives.”411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYS8JFOJc6e
Luce was sprawled on the couch like a prince out of place, eyeing Avni's disheveled uniform.
“Don’t start,” Avni muttered, tugging at her sleeve.
“Lev, would you escort our heroine upstairs before she starts a new fashion revolution?”
Lev stood with a raised brow. “Avni, come on. Before Luce starts rating your outfit out of ten.”
“Negative one,” Luce called behind them, sipping what suspiciously looked like… wine?
The new girls — wide-eyed, blushing — giggled from the corner.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9jfFTq19B
One whispered, “He’s even hotter in person.”411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2JSPd9YAH
Another: “Do you think Luce and Lev are… y'know?”
Luce, catching the whisper, leaned dramatically against Lev’s shoulder. “Darling, we must stop being so obvious.”
Lev rolled his eyes. “You’re going to hell.”
“Already made reservations.”
Upstairs, Avni sighed.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yIX5VhZvC
“I hate how comfortable this place feels. Like they washed away what just happened.”
Lev softened. “We all saw the blood, Avni. The dead don’t fade that easy.”
She looked at him, then down at her boots. “Do you… think we’re safe?”
“No,” he said honestly. “But we’re not alone.”
8:00 PM – COMMUNITY DINNER
A grand marble hall.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1hXXF9THyX
200 Novices entered under high-arched ceilings as trumpets sounded.
Every table gleamed. A feast fit for tyrants: roasted meats, golden fruits, shining goblets.
But no one moved. The seats were organized by rank.
Novices at the front.
Valiants behind — students who survived previous initiations.
Wardens, five strong, sat on thrones of blackstone.
Arbiters, old mafia royalty, watched from above.
Spectres hidden in shadows — felt but unseen.
And finally...
“The Gravekeeper approaches.”
A silence thicker than blood fell.
Gianluca Moretti, Head of Valgrave, entered.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1P1E4zcOGQ
All white — suit, gloves, hair. Eyes like frozen iron.
“Valgrave welcomes you. The survivors. The strong. The useful.”411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡru2TnXQLlJ
His voice made the air brittle.
As he continued, every eye in the hall turned toward one person —411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs8aCmrjoec
Lucino Moretti.
Luce smirked, leaned back in his chair.
Avni’s eyes narrowed. Lev just muttered, “What the hell are you hiding now, Moretti?”
Sai blinked. “Wait. Moretti? As in Moretti Moretti?”
Ishaan, already mid-bite, froze. “Bro. That’s the Gravekeeper’s surname, right? Are they—?”
Veer, sharp as ever, leaned back in his chair, calculating. “That’s why he’s untouchable.”
Dev, cheeks puffed with food, pointed with a spoon. “Dude... you're a mafia prince?”
Luce didn’t answer. Just raised a glass, expression unreadable.
Raiden’s eyes darkened. He looked at Saya, who was already staring hard across the hall.
Saya barely breathed. “It makes sense. He’s been playing with power like it’s a toy.”
And Erik—stoic, distant—tightened his grip on his fork, knuckles pale.
He whispered under his breath, eyes never leaving Luce:
“Son of Valgrave.”
In that moment, all heirs understood:411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONseXc7nMG
Luce wasn’t just dangerous because he was smart.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ55f23Umu1
He was dangerous because he belonged here more than any of them.
Born in the shadows of this empire.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBkiNFcZwz6
And perhaps... born to rule it.
SOMEWHERE ABOVE…
Elda Kurogane watched from behind the glass, concealed with the Arbiters.
Her eyes fell on Saya and Raiden, then Avni.411Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEe6ei0ig4e
All her grandchildren. All caught in this hell.
Her voice was low, bitter. “They will try to use them… again.”
A Spectre stepped beside her. “Your command, Apex Head?”
Elda didn’t blink. “The Elite Squad was necessary. The heir must remain untouched — at all costs.”
BACK IN THE HALL…
Raiden poked at his food. His arm was bandaged, still sore from the wound.
Erik nudged him. “You look better than the last time I saw you.”
Raiden glanced at him. “Did you… stay with me?”
Erik looked away. “No.”
Raiden smiled faintly. “Liar.”
At the girls’ table, Saya was quiet.
Avni leaned in. “You okay?”
Saya didn’t answer. Her gaze lingered on Luce, across the hall, who sat now — eyes unfocused — one hand playing idly with a fork.
Saya whispered, “He knows.”
Avni followed her eyes. “What?”
Saya’s eyes didn’t blink. “He knows I’m the traitor.”
Across the room, Luce stood.
He raised his glass.
“Here’s to survival. And betrayal.”
The hall clapped, but his eyes met Lev’s.
Lev narrowed his gaze. “What game are you playing?”
Luce winked. “The dangerous kind.”
ns216.73.216.33da2
and then Add to home screen.