Chapter 06: The Gates of Velmora

Elara didn’t waste a single second. Early the next morning, she packed up every single thing she owned into one worn-out suitcase. By 7:00 AM, she was locking her apartment door for the very last time.

She was completely unaware that Brandon Cole would probably show up later that day, expecting to find his obedient, lovey-dovey girlfriend waiting for him.

In fact, he did. He arrived the moment she left, and when he realized the apartment was completely empty, he stormed out while cursing her name in the empty hallway.

But Elara couldn't care less about that scumbag anymore. He was entirely beneath her notice now.

Her heart was pounding with pure excitement. She was going to Velmora Academy.

Because she was too poor to afford a plane ticket, she had no choice but to take the train.

The journey was a brutal, grueling twelve hours. The cabin was cramped and noisy, but Elara spent the entire time staring out the window, watching the city fade into rolling hills and deep, dense forests.

By the time the train finally screeched to a halt at the isolated station near the academy grounds, evening had already fallen.

Dragging her not-so-heavy suitcase behind her, Elara walked up the long, winding path leading to the academy. Her high heels from the night before were buried deep in her bag, replaced by sensible flat shoes, but her body still carried a dull ache from her encounter with the mysterious stranger.

Finally, she stopped.

Standing right in front of her were the massive, towering iron gates of Velmora Academy.

Suddenly, a strange, violent shiver ran straight down her spine.

The air here felt incredibly, unnaturally cold, biting right through her thin jacket.

She looked up at the center of the iron gates, where the dark, elegant crest of Velmora Academy was proudly displayed.

Adjusting her black-framed glasses, Elara looked around the vast entrance. Her brow furrowed in confusion.

Why is there not a single person here?

The entire area was dead silent. There were no students hanging around, no cars, and no welcoming committees. The grand stone arches of the academy loomed in the evening shadows like a giant, sleeping beast.

"Hey! Young girl!"

A gruff, raspy voice suddenly broke the silence, making Elara jump.

An old watchkeeper stepped out from a small guardhouse near the side of the gate.

He was wrapped in a thick coat, holding a dim torch that flickered in the cold wind. He looked at her suitcase, then looked up at her face with a frown.

"It's already late, and the curfew is here," the old man said, shaking his head.

"No one is allowed on the grounds after dusk. You'd better find a place in the lower town and come back tomorrow morning."

Elara stood entirely stunned, her jaw dropping as she stared at the old man.

Where the hell was she supposed to find a place to sleep in a completely deserted area like this?

She looked around the pitch-black surroundings, a wave of pure frustration washing over her. She really didn’t know what the founders were thinking when they built this place.

The academy was located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by a dense, suffocating forest.

The capital city was nearly 1,000 kilometers away, and even the closest civilization…a small neighboring city was a staggering 200 kilometers out.

And curfew? What kind of college had a strict curfew in this day and age?

She looked down at her watch. It was only 7:30 PM. It wasn’t even late! Back in the city, the night was just starting at this hour.

"Excuse me? Sir? Please!" Elara called out, stepping closer to the iron bars, trying her absolute best to placate the stubborn old guard.

"I just traveled twelve hours on a train. Can't you just let me sit in the lobby or something? Just until morning?"

The old watchkeeper completely ignored her. He didn't even turn around. He simply walked straight back inside his tiny stone guardhouse, shut the heavy wooden door with a loud thud, and turned off the light.

A few seconds later, the distinct, loud snoring drifted through the small window.

What the actual fuck? Elara thought, her left eye twitching behind her glasses.

Is he serious right now?

She wanted to kick the iron gate, but she knew it would only hurt her foot.

Left with no other choice, she let out a string of angry curses under her breath, turned around, and began aggressively dragging her suitcase along the path.

She wasn't going to go look for any lower town.

For one, she was already dead tired; her legs were heavy, her muscles still inside a world of pain from her wild night with the gorgeous stranger, and her body felt like it could literally fall apart at any second.

For another, she was entirely too poor to afford a hotel room anyway. Her remaining savings were barely enough to cover her meals for the next few weeks.

As she walked along the perimeter, her eyes drifted up to the perimeter barriers. Her lips twitched in sheer disbelief.

The stone walls were incredibly high, stretching up into the night sky like a fortress.

And if the height wasn't intimidating enough, the entire top of the wall was heavily reinforced with thick, sharp barbed wire.

She scoffed loudly, shaking her head. "What is this place? An elite academy or a maximum-security prison? What are they trying to keep out? Or keep in?"

The cold wind howled through the trees, making her shiver violently.

She kept walking until her eyes landed on a solitary wooden public bench sitting under a dim, flickering lamplight near the edge of the forest path.

It was freezing, uncomfortable, and completely exposed to the elements. But right now, it looked like a luxury mattress to her exhausted body.

"Fine. Whatever. I'll just sleep here," she muttered to herself.

She dragged her suitcase right next to the bench, locked the wheels, and curled herself tightly into a ball on the cold wooden slats.

Hugging her thin jacket around her shoulders, she closed her eyes, praying that morning would come quickly…

It did not take long for Elara to completely drift off. Her body was simply too exhausted from the grueling, twelve-hour train ride and the lingering, deep-seated fatigue from the night before to care about the freezing wind or the hard wooden slats of the bench.

Within minutes of closing her eyes, she was fast asleep, her breathing deep, soft, and entirely even. Her small suitcase sat locked right beside her, acting as a meager shield against the vast, dark unknown of the Velmora Academy grounds.

She was completely unaware of the sudden, heavy silence that fell over the forest path.

The wind seemed to die down, and even the distant rustle of the trees grew quiet.

Crunch.

The sharp sound of heavy leather boots crushing dry leaves echoed through the darkness.

A pair of pristine, expensive combat boots came to a sudden halt right in front of the bench where Elara was curled up.

A tall, imposing shadow fell over her sleeping form as a young man leaned down, examining her through the dim, flickering amber light of the single lamppost.

He wore the dark, elegant uniform of the academy's upper years, his posture rigid and commanding.

"A human girl?" a deep, arrogant voice murmured. The tone was sharp, instantly dripping with pure contempt.

"Is she a new admission? Velmora is really lowering its standards these days. I can't believe they are letting such fragile creatures cross the threshold."

"Tsk. Don't be so harsh," a second voice chimed in from the shadows.

Another tall young man stepped into the faint circle of light.

Unlike his companion, his uniform jacket was halfway unbuttoned, and he carried himself with a lazy, casual grace.

A playful, amused smirk played on his lips as he looked down at Elara’s flushed face, her slightly crooked black-framed glasses, and the way her ginger hair fell messily over her cheek.

He chuckled softly, stepping closer. "She actually looks quite cute. Look at her, she's practically a lost kitten."