"Oh my goodness, Zeda!" Carrie exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement as Zeda stepped back into their room. "Prince Lucian just walked you to our door! On your very first day!"
Zeda frowned. "Is that a big deal?"
Carrie's eyes widened even more. "Are you kidding me? We're talking about Lucian Umbra! The fallen angel of Shadowbrook Academy."
Zeda just shrugged. "I don't know anything about this school, or why Lucian is called a prince, or even a fallen angel."
Carrie slowly shook her head, full of wonder. "Lucian is the Prince of the Demon kingdom, even though he's the only demon here at Shadowbrook."
Zeda swallowed hard. Was Lucian serious after all?
"What do you mean by demon kingdom?" she asked, curious.
Carrie stared at her like Zeda had grown a second head. "You really don't know what you've gotten yourself into."
Zeda felt uneasy. "No, obviously not."
"How did you even ascend the realm if you don't know anything about the supernatural world or what Shadowbrook Academy is for?" Carrie asked, frowning.
"What does it mean to ascend the realm, and why do you think I have?" Zeda shot back, frowning even deeper.
"Your eyes are silver, of course," Carrie stated, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
Zeda ran a hand through her hair in frustration. "I'm fed up with hearing about my eyes without anyone explaining why they're strange!"
"Wait, why did you apply for the academy if you don't know anything about it or the supernatural world?" Carrie asked.
Zeda sighed, the weight of her parents' sudden insistence pressing down on her. "I didn't. In fact, I hadn't even heard of it before my parents insisted I attend."
Carrie frowned, then shrugged, a pragmatic look returning to her eyes. "Well, I think we'd better grab some cereal while I spill everything."
She turned and headed towards what Zeda guessed was the kitchen.
Zeda smiled. Finally, she'd find out what was going on!
She'd forget what Lucian and Mr. Percival said. There was no way she'd be able to sleep with so many questions in her head anyway.
As they sat on Carrie's bed with bowls of cereal, Carrie began to explain. "Shadowbrook Academy is a school for supernatural beings, or genuses. It helps us develop and perfect our supernatural abilities, and also nurtures any natural talents or hobbies we have, all while giving us a regular education."
Zeda's eyes widened as Carrie listed the different genuses in the academy: witches, mages, werewolves, vampires, and demons.
She choked on her cereal when Carrie mentioned that Lucian was the only demon.
Carrie continued, explaining about kingdoms and princes. "Each genus has an overall leader called a prince or princess, and a special area within the school grounds called their kingdom. Sloan Carson is the princess of the witch kingdom."
She mentioned the four princes: Torvin Greywood, the werewolf prince; Adrian Quill, the mage prince; Vyr Machiavelli, the vampire prince; and Lucian Umbra, the demon prince.
Zeda couldn't help but chuckle at Carrie's dreamy expression as she called them "hot." "Did you need to add 'hot' while naming the princes?"
"Are you kidding me? You have to see these guys. They're like... gods," Carrie sighed dramatically. "After all, you've seen Lucian, so I'm sure you don't think I'm exaggerating," she added with a mischievous wink.
Zeda chuckled. "You're right. In his case, though..."
She had to admit Lucian was incredibly charming. She'd need to see these other 'gods' to vouch for them.
Zeda learned that Mr. Percival was a vampire, which confirmed her earlier suspicion.
"I'm a werewolf. Torvin is my alpha," Carrie revealed, a touch of pride in her voice.
The look on Carrie's face told Zeda she was crushing on her alpha.
"So you people only change during the full moon and... eat people?" Zeda asked.
Carrie laughed. "No way! Our first lesson here as werewolves was how to shape-shift whenever we want, without needing the full moon, and to stay totally in control when we do. It wasn't easy, but we did it."
Zeda shook her head in disbelief. "I feel like I've walked onto a movie set."
"You'll get used to it, and you'll even enjoy it," Carrie assured her with a warm smile.
Zeda wanted to argue but didn't.
"You seem to have been around here for a while," she said.
"I'm in my third year here. Same as Lucian. Adrian, Torvin, and Sloan are in their fourth year. Vyr is in his fifth year," Carrie revealed.
"Is there any graduation or something?"
"Students are meant to stay for five years here. But those who haven't fully discovered or mastered their powers after five years sometimes choose to stay until they do. Some become teachers or join the security team, or even open shops and start a life on the school grounds," Carrie explained.
"So this place is like a college and also its own entire city," Zeda said, amazed.
Carrie shrugged. "You could say that."
Carrie kept explaining how the academy worked, while Zeda listened closely.
"So, each kingdom goes on missions, usually dealing with bad supernatural beings who are causing problems for humans. But some missions are too difficult or need special skills, so Mr. Percival will form a team of the best fighters from each kingdom, and Mrs. Amelia leads them instead of any of the princes."
"Who's Mrs. Amelia, and why can't any of the princes lead these mixed team?" Zeda asked, fascinated by her new school.
"Mrs. Amelia is Sloan's mother. She's a very powerful witch, even more so than her daughter. She's the assistant director of the academy and often leads the tougher missions, especially the mixed team, to avoid any... well, you can imagine the power struggles if one prince was in charge of the others or another's people."
"Of course, there would be division," Zeda said, rolling her eyes. "None of them would want to be under each other. It makes sense to have a neutral person in charge."
Carrie shrugged. "Mr. Percival mentioned that a King would eventually be chosen from among the princes, but that will only happen when the owners of the academy return."
"These owners, where are they?" Zeda asked.
"No one has seen the Emperor and Empress of the academy for four years now. It's rumored that only Mr. Percival, Mrs. Amelia, and a few others have met them. But they still make all the big decisions," Carrie replied, a hint of mystery in her voice.
Zeda briefly thought about asking what the genuses of the owners were, but decided against it.
Carrie obviously wasn't among the few people who had met them.
She sat upright. "Tell me about my eyes. Why are they so strange?"
"Alright," Carrie said, setting her empty cereal bowl aside. "There's something called the Realm in the supernatural world. It's a place that only supernatural beings can access by focusing their minds with incredible strength and having a strong will. Any being who successfully enters the Realm comes back to reality with either new, powerful abilities, or much better control over the ones they already have.
"But the most obvious sign," she continued, leaning forward like she was sharing a secret, "is that their eyes change to the special color connected to their genus, with an unnatural glow. For werewolves, it's gold. For vampires, it's red. For witches, it's purple. For mages, it's silver."
"What about demons?" Zeda asked, feeling a strange pull towards anything about the charming Lucian.
"Well, it's not totally clear yet. Lucian is the first demon in Shadowbrook's history, so he's still a special case. But he doesn't like to talk about his genus. When everyone was hesitant to be around him, Mr. Percival started the demon kingdom and made him the prince, since he's the first of his kind, following the emperor's orders.
"He also promised that they are learning everything they can about demons, including their types and weaknesses, because the only weakness known right now is iron.
"So no one knows if he has ascended the realm or how powerful he is. He hasn't gotten into a fight before and also don't go for missions."
"That must be hard on him, especially the part where everyone didn't want to be around him," Zeda said, feeling sad for him.
Carrie chuckled. "It wasn't really hard. Because of how he looks and his charming personality, he gained a fan club and even has his own hashtag - #Thefallenangelofshadowbrookacademy#. Guys wanted to be him, and girls just wanted... well, at least a piece of him."
Zeda rolled her eyes. She had been a victim of his looks as well.
"So who has ascended the Realm in Shadowbrook?" she asked.
"Mr. Percival, Mrs. Amelia, Princess Sloan, and the four princes," Carrie replied.
"Just them?"
"Yeah. It's not easy. Some people have tried and died trying," Carrie said, her voice becoming serious.
Zeda was silent for a moment. The casual mention of death connected to this 'Realm' sent a shiver down her spine.
"So, it's assumed I'm a mage and that I've already ascended the Realm because of my silver eyes?" Zeda asked, the meaning of this finally hitting her.
Carrie nodded. "Yeah. But it's crazy, Zeda! You don't even know anything about the supernatural world, let alone ascending the Realm. And what's even weirder is that you seem... human. I can't even feel the mana that mages usually have around you."
"Maybe that's because I am human," Zeda shrugged defiantly. "What do you think?"
Carrie bit her lip, her brow wrinkled in thought.
"I think... your abilities just haven't shown up yet," she said slowly, her voice unsure. "But for your eyes to be silver already? Well... you might just be special. Incredibly powerful when they finally do."
Zeda stared at her roommate in disbelief.
Special? Powerful? She felt anything but. Lost, confused, and thrown into a world she never knew existed – that was a more accurate description.
Yet, a tiny spark of curiosity flickered within her, maybe even a hint of excitement.
If her silver eyes meant so much, then maybe, just maybe, there was more to her than she had ever imagined.