Rain fell like shattered glass from the night sky.
The city drowned beneath it.
Cold streets glimmered under flickering streetlights while people rushed past each other with umbrellas raised high, shoulders brushing, voices mixing with car horns and thunder.
Yet in the middle of all that noise—
Nyra Vale sat alone.
Curled beneath the rusted roof of an old bus stop, she hugged her thin backpack tightly against her chest as icy wind slipped through her oversized sweater.
Her fingers were trembling.
Not from fear.
From hunger.
Again.
She had not eaten since yesterday morning.
The bakery owner who usually gave her leftover bread had closed early because of the storm, and the small amount of money she earned cleaning dishes at the café had disappeared after her manager fired her that afternoon.
She could still remember his frightened expression.
The broken glasses.
The screaming customers.
The blood.
Nyra squeezed her eyes shut.
It always happened.
Whenever her emotions became too strong…
Something around her broke.
Sometimes mirrors.
Sometimes lights.
Sometimes people got hurt.
And every single time—
Others looked at her like she was a monster.
Thunder growled above the city.
Nyra slowly leaned her head against the cold metal pole behind her.
She was tired.
Not sleepy tired.
Life tired.
The kind of exhaustion that lived deep inside your bones.
The kind that made existing feel heavy.
A bus passed without stopping, spraying dirty rainwater across the pavement.
Nyra didn’t react.
No one ever stopped for her anyway.
She quietly opened her backpack and searched through it one more time, hoping some forgotten coin might magically appear.
Nothing.
Only:
an old notebook, a cracked phone with no battery, two pencils, and a faded photograph.
Her fingers paused on the photograph.
The edges were worn from years of holding it.
It showed a little girl around six years old standing beside a woman whose face had been ripped away from the picture.
Nyra never knew who tore it.
Or why.
She didn’t even remember her mother’s face anymore.
Only her voice.
Soft.
Warm.
Fading more every year.
Nyra quickly shoved the photograph back into her bag before tears could come.
Crying always made the whispers worse.
And right now—
She couldn’t handle them again.
But the universe never listened to her wishes.
A sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her head.
Nyra gasped softly, grabbing the side of her skull.
The whispers returned instantly.
“The vessel…”
“She has awakened…”
“Find her…”
The voices slithered through her mind like insects crawling beneath her skin.
Her breathing became uneven.
“No…” she whispered shakily.
Not again.
Please not tonight.
She squeezed her eyes shut tightly.
Usually the whispers disappeared after a few minutes.
Usually.
But tonight—
Something felt wrong.
The air around her became colder.
Much colder.
The city noises slowly faded one by one until only rain remained.
Then even the rain sounded distant.
Like the world itself had stepped away from her.
Nyra slowly opened her eyes.
Every streetlight around the bus stop suddenly shut off at once.
Darkness swallowed the road.
People nearby stopped walking.
Cars froze in place.
The entire street became unnaturally silent.
Nyra’s heartbeat quickened.
And then she saw it.
Someone stood across the road.
Tall.
Motionless.
Watching her.
At first Nyra thought it was just a man standing beneath the rain.
But then lightning flashed across the sky.
And she saw the truth.
Black smoke curled around the figure’s body like living shadows.
Its face was hidden beneath darkness.
Only two silver eyes glowed from within.
Nyra stopped breathing.
The figure tilted its head slightly.
Almost curiously.
The whispers inside her head became louder immediately.
“Guardian…”
“Soulbound…”
“He found her…”
Fear clawed through her chest.
Nyra stood up shakily.
Every instinct screamed at her to run.
But her legs refused to move.
The silver-eyed figure took one slow step forward—
CRASH.
A deafening sound exploded behind her.
Nyra spun around.
The alley beside the bus stop twisted unnaturally as something crawled out from the darkness.
Something impossible.
Something wrong.
Its limbs bent backward like broken branches.
Its skin looked melted.
Dozens of hollow eyes covered its body, blinking independently.
A horrible smell of rot filled the air instantly.
Nyra stumbled backward in terror.
The creature’s mouth stretched open far wider than humanly possible.
And then it smiled.
A voice echoed from inside its throat.
Wet.
Cracked.
Inhuman.
“FOUND YOU.”
The monster lunged toward her.
Nyra screamed—
But black smoke exploded across the street like a storm.
The silver-eyed figure appeared instantly between them.
The creature barely had time to react.
A shadowy hand pierced directly through its chest.
The scream that followed did not sound human.
The entire alley shook violently.
Black smoke wrapped around the creature’s body before ripping it apart piece by piece.
Blood splattered across the pavement.
The monster vanished into ash within seconds.
Silence returned.
Nyra’s body trembled uncontrollably.
The silver-eyed figure stood only a few feet away now.
Rain passed straight through its smoky form.
Up close—
It looked even more terrifying.
And strangely…
Familiar.
Nyra couldn’t explain why.
But something deep inside her chest hurt while looking at it.
Like remembering someone she had forgotten long ago.
The figure slowly turned toward her.
Its silver eyes softened slightly.
Not cruel.
Not violent.
Sad.
Why did it look sad?
Nyra opened her mouth carefully.
“W-Who are you…?”
The figure said nothing.
Another lightning strike illuminated the street.
For one brief second—
Nyra saw the outline of a young man hidden beneath the smoke.
Dark hair.
Sharp features.
Silver eyes filled with endless sorrow.
And then—
A loud train whistle echoed through the city.
Nyra flinched.
A train?
There were no train tracks anywhere near this road.
Yet when she turned—
A massive black train stood silently beside the sidewalk.
Steam curled from beneath its wheels.
Golden lanterns glowed along its sides.
Its windows were dark.
Ancient symbols were carved across the metal body like glowing silver scars.
Nyra stared in disbelief.
The train doors slowly opened.
An old man stepped out wearing a long black conductor’s coat.
His silver pocket watch ticked loudly in the silence.
The old man looked directly at Nyra.
Then his expression changed completely.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Fear.
“…Impossible,” he whispered.
Nyra took a nervous step backward.
The conductor’s gaze slowly shifted toward the silver-eyed figure behind her.
His face became pale immediately.
“So it’s true…” he murmured quietly.
The shadow figure remained motionless.
Watching him.
The old conductor swallowed hard before speaking again.
“You should board the train immediately.”
Nyra blinked.
“What?”
The conductor stepped aside slightly, revealing the glowing doorway behind him.
“This train goes to Ebonveil Academy.”
“I—I think you’re mistaken,” Nyra said quickly.
“I’m not a student.”
The old man gave her a long look.
“Nyra Vale.”
Her heart stopped.
“How do you know my name?”
The conductor did not answer immediately.
Instead, he slowly pulled out an old paper from inside his coat.
A list.
Nyra’s name was written at the very top in dark ink.
But beneath her name—
Something else was written.
The conductor covered it quickly before she could fully read it.
Still…
Nyra caught two words.
Final Vessel.
A cold chill ran down her spine.
The old man carefully folded the paper again.
“You were expected.”
“I don’t understand—”
“No,” he interrupted softly.
“You understand less than anyone.”
Thunder shook the sky again.
The conductor glanced toward the dark forest visible far beyond the city buildings.
And for the first time—
Nyra noticed enormous glowing eyes watching from the distant trees.
Wolves.
Hundreds of them.
Silver-eyed wolves.
Watching her.
Waiting.
The old conductor looked at her one final time.
Then quietly said:
“Child…”
“…Moonfang Academy has waited centuries for your return.”