Sitting in the library, time seemed to stretch slowly, as if frozen, waiting for something invisible. Luis silently stood up and left without saying a word. I couldn’t say exactly how much time had passed. It felt like I had been there for an eternity, and at some point, I didn’t even notice when I fell asleep.

— Miss Elizabeth — a voice called, and I instantly opened my eyes.

A woman stood in the doorway. She was tall, her slender body almost blending with the shadow. Her white hair flowed all the way down to her heels, and she wore a straight blue dress, dark as the night sky. Her gaze was cold, but not sinister — rather, peaceful, like someone who had become part of this world.

— Follow me, — she said, and with a quick, almost imperceptible step, she left the room.

My legs instinctively moved, and without thinking, I jumped off the sofa and followed her. The hallway was unexpectedly full of people — young girls and boys, each one seeming so foreign and unique that I involuntarily stopped. We reached a door with initials — K. L. The woman extended her hand, as if inviting me in, and without hesitation, I stepped inside.

The small office had a desk and a chair by the window. Dark furniture, a panoramic window stretching across the entire wall. Interesting details in the furniture. Everything looked modern, yet at the same time, it was clear that everything here was very old. As I looked around the room, the door behind me closed. The woman who had brought me here was gone.

— Come, sit down — I suddenly heard from the depths of the office. A woman sat at the desk, with short, jet-black hair. I was horrified. I could swear she hadn’t been there when I entered the office. — Don’t be afraid — she said kindly, as if reading my thoughts.

— Who are you? Where am I? How did I get here?! Will I get any answers from anyone? — I said, barely holding back my emotions. This woman radiated calmness.

— Claudia Lang, I am the founder of the Academy of Mages. For generations, people have come here after their death. Some have a destiny to fulfill, others didn’t finish their work in life.

I froze, unable to believe my ears. My heart clenched, and my breath caught. After my death? These words echoed in my mind, making me feel a chill run through my body. I looked around, trying to understand what was happening. The office, oddly combining modernity and antiquity, felt like an illusion. I should be alive. The last thing I remembered was trying to sleep in my room. The weather had been rainy, heavy, and I couldn’t fall asleep. And even that strange moment when I thought a bird was sitting by the window... all of it now felt not just strange, but terrifying.

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— Wait... — my voice trembled. — You mean to say that... I’m dead?

Claudia slowly raised her gaze from her desk and looked at me. Her eyes were cold, but with a strange softness, as if she was used to seeing hundreds like me in her office.

— Yes, you’re dead, Elizabeth, — her words didn’t sound harsh, rather, with such calmness that they shook me even more. — But this is not the end. This is the beginning. This academy is a place where we teach those who didn’t complete their destiny, who didn’t fulfill their duty, or who lost themselves before death. Here we help unlock powers, find the path you were meant to walk in life.

My body felt heavy, like lead. I tried to accept her words, but they didn’t make sense in my mind. I... died? The last thing I remembered was trying to fall asleep in my room. I stood up and walked to the window to breathe, but the world outside was alien. Everything here felt unnatural. I was alive, but at the same time... not. Was I really here, or was this some kind of nightmare?

— This is impossible, — I couldn’t hold my voice. — I can’t believe this. I just went to bed. The weather was bad, I couldn’t sleep... and I thought there was a bird by the window, — I looked around the room again, trying to understand what was real. — Why me? Why did this happen to me?

Claudia stood up from her desk and approached me. She was much taller, and her presence felt constant and beyond reach. She smiled softly, as if she understood what I was going through.

— Nothing happens by accident, Elizabeth, — her voice was deep, almost soothing. — You’re not here by chance. You were chosen, just like everyone else here. This academy is not just a place. It connects those who must unlock their power, those who must fulfill their destiny. You can’t understand this right away. It takes time to accept.

Tears welled up in my eyes. I felt something break inside me, as if my entire life had turned into one big lie. I couldn’t believe it. Everything felt too... unreal.

— No... this is impossible! — I sprang to my feet and ran out of the office. The hallway was lit, but the light didn’t bring me peace. So many doors, so many people, all of them so... alien, so different from one another. And I — as if lost in this world.

I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t accept this. I stepped outside and found myself in the heavy rain. The dark sky gave me no respite, nor did the silence around me. I felt the cold pierce me to the bone, and deep inside, in my chest, there was something unbearably painful.