Chapter 3 The Gate That Chose Me.

Ivy’s POV

The moment the iron gates of Nightgrave Academy rose into view, I knew I was in trouble. 

My legs nearly gave out as the guard dropped me on the ground, my wrists still throbbing painfully from where they’d been bound to keep me still during the long journey, and every muscle in my body screamed from exhaustion. But none of that compared to the sight in front of me.

Massive black towers pierced the stormy sky, swallowed by thick, swirling clouds. The stone walls stretched endlessly, covered in ancient glowing marks that pulsed faintly like a heartbeat.

I swallowed hard, my throat dry from the long journey without water. 

“This is a mistake,” I whispered, turning to face one of the armed guards. “I don’t belong here.”

But neither of them answered.

The four guards marched me forward until we stood before the massive gates. They were enormous, twice the height of any building in my entire village.

One of the men stepped forward. “Open the gates.”

Nothing happened.

For a moment, we stood there, silence stretching thick and uncomfortable. Then a deep rumble vibrated through the ground beneath my feet, so violently that guards staggered back.

And then—

Slowly, the gates began to move on their own. No hands touched them, and neither any of the guards chanted any spells. They just swung open, as if they had been waiting for me the entire time.

I turned slightly, catching the uneasy looks exchanged between the men, one of them muttering something under his breath I couldn’t quite catch.

They must have noticed it too.

Because something about this wasn’t normal.

But before I could ask—

“Move,” one of them snapped, shoving me forward inside the gates. The second I crossed the threshold, something inside me shifted…It flared for half a second, then vanished so fast I wondered if I’d imagined it.

I froze.

“What… was that…?”

“Keep walking,” the leader's voice cut through my thoughts as he shoved me forcefully again. 

We entered the main courtyard, and my stomach dropped even further the instant my eyes landed on students in black uniforms filling the entire space. 

Some had glowing eyes. 

Others moved with unnatural grace, faint magic flickering around them like auras as power rolled off them in waves. And then there was me—with my dirty worn-out clothes, bruised wrists, messy dark hair, and no magic powers at all.

Oh God.

How was I ever going to belong in this kind of place?

As we moved further inside, whispers erupted immediately.

“Who is she?”

“She looks completely ordinary.”

“Why would they bring a human here?”

I kept my head down, my cheeks burning with shame as the guards dragged me through the courtyard, and up the wide step stones into an enormous hall packed with hundreds of students. 

In the center stood a tall, glowing crystal on a raised platform, pulsing with a soft, bright lighting.

“This is the Bloodline Ceremony,” one guard said flatly. “New students reveal their magical powers here.”

No.

No, no, no—

“This is wrong,” I said quickly, staggering backwards. I don’t have any magical powers. I’m not like them—”

“Silence!” 

He barked, interrupting coldly before I could finish speaking. One by one, students began to step forward, each placing their hand on the crystal. 

And every time—

Something extraordinary happened.

Fire exploded into existence. 

Gusts of wind whipped through the hall. 

Shadows twisted like living things. 

Each display of power was met with shocked gasps and applause, unlike anything I’d ever seen in my entire life. I was still reeling from all of the students' impossible powers when a voice cut through my thoughts.

“Ivy Rowan, step forward please.”

My feet wouldn’t move.

“I said—forward.”

Every eye in the room burned into me as I forced myself forward. The crystal hummed louder the closer I got, almost like it was…curious. 

“Place your hand on it.”

“Please,” I whispered, my hands shaking uncontrollably even as I tried to steady them. 

With no response to my pleas, I slowly raised my palm, pressing it against the cool surface of the crystal.

Nothing happened.

The crystal remained dull and lifeless. No spark or glow—not even a flicker of light. The silence that followed was worse than anything.

Then the laughter started.

It began as muffled chuckles at first, then it grew louder, swelling into waves of mockery that crashed over me.

“Is this some kind of joke?”

“Why would this academy waste its time with a weak human?”

I pulled my hand back quickly, stepping away like I’d been burned. My green eyes stung with tears but I refused to let them fall.

“I told you…” I whispered, my voice shaking. “I don’t belong here…”

The laughter was still ringing in my ears when—

BOOM!

The doors at the far end of the hall slammed open. Silence fell over the entire hall instantly as every head turned, even the air itself seemed to still the moment a figure walked in.

He moved like the world already belonged to him. Tall, broad-shouldered, with dark black hair and piercing blue eyes that cut through the crowd like blades, scars peeked from beneath his uniform collar—faint marks that showed years of brutal training.

The second his gaze met mine, everything inside me went still. He began to make his way straight toward the platform, students parting for him without a word. Even the officials looked uneasy.

Before I could think, he was already in front of me—close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. 

“Who is she?” he asked, his voice low and commanding.

“Ahem…” one of the officials cleared his throat nervously. “Ivy Rowan, sir. She was summoned at the academy, but it appears there’s been some error—”

“There is no error.”

He stepped even closer now. Too close I had to tilt my head back to meet his stare, my heart pounding so hard I was sure he could hear it.

“You,” he said quietly.

“M-me?”

His expression darkened.

“You don’t belong here.”

The words hit harder than the laughter as they sank deep, sinking deep and twisting something painful inside my chest.

“I know,” I whispered, forcing the words out. “I’ve been saying that since I arrived—”

“No.” He cut in coldly before I could finish the sentence. “That’s not what I mean.”

A heavy silence fell between us, the entire hall watching in curiosity as he leaned in slightly, his breath brushing my ear so only I could hear the next words.

“You shouldn’t exist.”