4: Gate, Girl & the Green Moon

The world beyond the cellar door was a realm unlike anything on Earth.

  Seraphine stepped onto a lush, emerald carpet that unfurled like a pathway through an enchanting twilight. The air hung heavy with the scent of lavender mingled with the crackle of lightning. Floating lanterns danced above her, their gentle glow casting playful shadows on ancient stone walls that seemed to thrum with a powerful magic.

  Her heart raced as she walked forward, each step echoing like a heartbeat in the stillness.

  And then she saw it.

  A gate.

  Massive. Arched. Timeless.

  Crafted from dark, shimmering stone and veined with glimmers of silver and glowing green crystal, the gate loomed at the foot of a colossal mountain. Vines snaked around its edges, adorned with strange flowers that pulsed with an ethereal light. Yet despite its breathtaking beauty, the gate stood resolutely shut.

  Seraphine reached out, pressing her palms against the stone.

  Nothing.

  Then a whisper, like the rustling of leaves stirred by an unseen wind:

  "Who dares approach the Gate of Aetherborn?"

  Startled, Seraphine took a step back. "I... I'm Seraphine Vale," she stammered. "I was invited."

  Silence hung in the air, thick and unnerving. Then a second voice broke through, deeper, smoother, tinged with amusement.

  "Proclaim your purpose."

  "I... I don't know," she faltered. "I came because someone told me I'd find answers here. Something is happening to me, and I just want to understand."

  A pause stretched into eternity.

  Suddenly, the gate began to shimmer, luminous runes spiraling into existence along its frame.

  "Step forward, Seraphine Vale. Let Aetherborn gaze upon your soul."

  A circular symbol on the ground ignited with golden light, surrounded by entwining vines of enchantment. Heart pounding, she hesitated then stepped onto it.

  In an instant, light erupted beneath her.

  And then...

  She was nowhere.

  Floating.

  There was no ground beneath her, only soft clouds swirling around her feet, in shades of lilac and periwinkle, alive and shifting like a dream. The air was warm and fragrant. Ethereal birds with translucent wings glided overhead, while violet butterflies the size of her hand flitted among blooms sprouting from invisible walls. In the distance, a silver tree sparkled like starlight, its diamond-like leaves shimmering above arched branches that reached toward a sky of infinite wonder.

  Seraphine could only stare, wide-eyed and breathless.

  And then she noticed the birds.

  Two of them, nestled together in the shimmering branches of the diamond tree, were moving in a way that made her instinctively look away. Just as she diverted her gaze, one bird took flight, disappearing in a cascade of sparkling mist.

  But the other soared downward towards her.

  In midair, the creature shifted.

  Feathers dissolved, wings folding inward, and where the bird had been, a woman emerged.

  Tall. Ethereal.

  Her skin glowed like moonlight, hair long and wavy, shimmering in a rich violet hue reminiscent of twilight. Almond-shaped lavender eyes held a depth of knowing.

  Draped in an opulent robe that glistened like dusk silk, adorned with jewelry that floated just above her skin, she exuded an aura of power.

  "Did I just witness..." Seraphine stammered. "Were you just...?"

  "Copulating in my bird form?" the woman said smoothly, one brow arching. "Yes. And yet your first question is not 'how did you just turn into a person?' Humans are always focused on the wrong things."

  Seraphine blinked, momentarily flustered. "Who... are you?"

  The woman smiled warmly. "I am Vice Principal Nyx Thorneveil. Welcome to Aetherborn Academy."

  Seraphine's mind spun. "This place is... I can't even begin to comprehend it."

  Nyx stepped closer, her lavender eyes narrowing thoughtfully on Seraphine. "You've crossed the threshold. The letter brought you here. You are now one of us. Aetherborn only claims those whose blood resonates with magic, even if they have yet to realize it."

  "I'm not here to stay!" Seraphine cried out suddenly. "I only came to ask questions! The woman at my school, she said she'd explain everything if I came. I didn't tell anyone or bring anything. I just wanted answers!"

  Nyx's expression transformed, growing serious.

  "You arrived on a Full Green Moon," she stated.

  Seraphine frowned. "So?"

  "Did she not tell you? The green moon opens the portal only once every hundred years."

  A chill raced down Seraphine's spine. "Wait... you mean I can't go back?"

  Nyx regarded her with a small, pitying smile. "Not until the next full green moon."

  Panic surged. "No, no! I need to go back! My aunt and uncle don't know I'm gone. I wasn't prepared for this. I can't stay here!"

  "You require nothing from your old life," Nyx reassured her, calm and unyielding. "All that you need will be provided, clothing, books, and a home. You are safe here."

  "Don't you get it? I didn't choose this! I thought I was coming for answers, not to be trapped in some fantastical school!"

  Nyx's demeanor shifted, a flash of frost in her voice. "The invitation you received explicitly stated you were chosen to enroll. This is not a mere stopover. You stepped through the gate. You were selected."

  "But..." Seraphine swallowed hard. "This isn't fair."

  "Fair?" Nyx's tone sharpened, cutting through the air. "Do you think magic concerns itself with fairness?"

  An uneasy silence settled between them, the soft gusts of wind rustling the diamond leaves in the background.

  Finally, Nyx spoke, her voice a gentle balm. "You sought truth, Seraphine. And it is here you will discover it. You are Aetherborn, whether you accept that reality or not."

  "I don't even know what that means," Seraphine whispered, heart racing with uncertainty.

  "You will. Soon."

  With a graceful flick of her wrist, Nyx conjured a shimmering orb of light that danced in the air before them.

  "Your matron will guide you to your dormitory. For the next seven days, you'll be placed under Watch until your magical strain stabilizes."

  "My... magical what?" Seraphine stammered, confusion clouding her thoughts.

  But the radiant orb had already begun to drift away, leaving her no choice but to follow its enchanting glow.

  Heart racing and mind swirling, she stepped forward into the billowing clouds toward the life she had never asked for.

  Toward a world from which she could no longer run.