I sit on the rooftop, gazing out at the sunset which painted the sky in hues of pink, indigo, and amber. It's beautiful... but also melancholy. I look down at the grounds of Lightveil Academy which stretches out for miles, full of ivy-covered buildings and stone paths. Students and refugees of all kinds—witches, wizards, shapeshifters, etc -- chat happily with one another as their busy day comes to an end. For them, this place is a stepping zone. They live entirely free and happy here, regardless of their backgrounds, while they look towards even brighter futures that involve one day leaving this place. For me, though, this academy is my sanctuary and all I have left. My future outside of here is dark and uncertain, and I don't seek it out. Though not exactly my desire, I may just live here forever... as long as I'm not discovered.

I watch the shadows grow longer below me as the sun sinks further below the horizon, then I turn to look towards the brick chimney top beside me. I slowly place my fingertips at the edge of its shadow.

Nothing. As usual.

There are 3 worlds that should be connected in some way. Some may even call them dimensions. Lightveil Academy is located in the Mortal World -- a world of non-magic people, Earthborns, as we've come to call them. Magic in this world is nothing more than a fantasy to most of the people that live here. Lightveil is an oddity. This place existed during the old days when the magical and the non-magical lived together. It was not a harmonious time. Back then, it was a home for those that had grown weary of the hatred and the wars that ensued from the greedy Earthborns. Eventually, to get away from the bitterness and conflict, a new world was created by the greatest sorcerers of the time for those of magic blood. The new world had many names for awhile, but now, it is the Magi Empire.

My world, the Spirit Realm, existed naturally the entire time. It was a strange place to most creatures. Few have ever felt comfortable there. The species native to the Spirit Realm often become the subjects of ghost stories and horrific legends. The population is primarily comprised of spirits, deities, and fairfolk. As is the case anywhere, some are benevolent and some are malicious. However, it is the malicious ones  that bring our land the most reputation, much to our dismay. The Spirit Realm should be connected to the shadows in both the Mortal World and the Magi Empire especially during twilight hours. I should be able to feel something akin to a hum in this shadow. As a Shadow Fae, a creature native to the Spirit Realm, I should even be able to sink into it and return home at will. But not once have I felt the connection since the Magi Empire sealed our realm almost 4 years ago. Declaring it a "realm of evil," they made it impossible for anyone to pass through. No one gets in. No one gets out. I don't know whether it was good luck or bad that I was already outside before the sealing.

I try again, uselessly, to feel something in the shadow.

"I see you're up here again. You're lucky nobody scolds you for it."

"Shouldn't that go the same for you? You're up here too," I respond, slightly annoyed at the familiar voice that broke my concentration, not that I was going to get anywhere with it.

I sigh quietly and wrap both arms around my knees, then I glance at my friend, Ren, standing on my opposite side from the chimney. His piercing blue eyes seem to carefully scrutinize me for a moment, then he looks out towards the horizon.

"You're up here way longer... Were you watching the sunset or something?"

"Yeah... or something."

He raises an eyebrow slightly at me but doesn't question it. He knows I wouldn't explain anyway even if he asked. He runs one hand through his already messy golden hair.

"You're still here though, even though it's just dark now. The only light out here is the moon and the street lamps down there."

I glance up at the moon as he said that. Waxing crescent.

"There's still a little sunlight in the sky," I tell him as I stand up, preparing to leave.

"Not enough to do any good to anyone. The sun already set. That little bit of light just gets in the way of seeing the stars."

"Talking about the stars... Didn't take you for the romantic type," I smirk at his slightly annoyed expression before walking towards the fire escape.

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He didn't seem to have a response. Instead, he sighed then followed me.

"Are you eating in the canteen?" Ren asks.

"Well, I do like free food."

There are restaurants and markets on campus that serve good food for a decent price. However, the canteen is the one place here that feeds all residents, free of charge. The selection is relatively limited and not very creative, but at least you'll never starve. Some people that can afford it will pay for their meals or occasionally donate large sums to help it continue. I'm not one of those people.

Once arriving in the canteen, I sit down at my usual table in the corner of the room with my only other friends, Leo and Lilia. They greet me with a smile, just like the people I watched from the rooftop earlier.

I blink as I realize that all of my friends smile quite a lot. Am I drawn to that?

Ren joins us shortly after with two trays of food: one for me and one for himself. He thinks I won't eat balanced meals if left alone (which may be true), so we have fallen into this habit of me sitting down while he gets both our trays. He does it naturally without either being asked or complaining. He starts chatting cheerfully with the other two right away while I pick up my fork and take an absentminded bite of the side salad.

"Hey Yuki. Did you hear that a new person arrived today?" Lilia asked me.

"I didn't. That's rare at this time of year."

Leo chimes in next, "Indeed. Even more intriguing, the rumors say that this person is going to become a student. Someone arriving at this time of year that's also young enough to attend school is nearly unheard of in our time. Normal students aren't eligible for transfer year-round, after all."

Most people arrive at the academy intentionally. They come as students that simply want to study here out of either curiosity of this world or prestige of the institution. There is a special allotted time frame for starting here at the beginning of each semester. That time frame ended over 2 months ago. People that arrive sporadically throughout the year are usually the ones in more special circumstances like mine. Generally, they aren't students. They are simply people that need a place to go for awhile. People that have lost their way or have no place to return home to. Ex-soldiers that can't let go of the battlefield yet are frequently among those that find their way here. Lightveil offers them shelter on the outskirts of the grounds, away from the actual school buildings. They are given all kinds of support until they can return to magical society. They are even allowed to open shops here. Some of them quickly get a foothold on their situation and leave within a few weeks. Others have been known to wait as long as possible. The maximum amount of time they can stay here without being a student or a teacher is 4 years though. Lightveil is a refuge for those who have found themselves in troubling circumstance, but it still doesn't just let everyone stay indefinitely. The idea behind the 4 year rule is to make sure people re-enter society before they completely forget how to live in it -- something that's easy to do if you confine yourself to the small world of this campus. It would be harder to leave if they stayed here for a long time and became too comfortable with this kind of life. 

It makes sense and I don't think it's a bad idea, but... I'll graduate in less than 2 years time. I will probably become one of the people on the outskirts right away, trying to stay the maximum allotted time before I'm thrown back out into the world. After that, where will I go? Where can I hide?

I felt Ren's eyes on me again, so I redirected my attention to my meal while half listening to the conversation unfold about the new arrival in our small world. They debated theories on the background of our new resident and thought about what they might like to show them first.

After dinner, I return to my single room in the girls dormitory and collapse on the bed. I don't bother turning on the lights. I can see just fine in the dark. I tilt my head back to look at the crescent moon casting a small amount of moonlight directly into my room. I watch transparent shadows of small clouds pass in front of it for awhile. There was something calming about laying here in the silence and staring into the dark. It was a form of peace, and I always welcomed it. It would be more calming if there wasn't a tingling feeling in my skin, reacting to the moon. It isn't an unpleasant feeling, but it isn't one I welcome for any significant length of time either. I sit up to close my blackout curtains. Since it's only a waxing crescent tonight, the tingling sensation will fade as soon as the moonlight stops touching me.

I grab a hold of the curtain then freeze. I'm being watched. I look down at the world below, trying to find the source of this feeling. I see a young couple sitting on the edge of the fountain in the courtyard. Not them. My eyes scan the streets, the buildings, everywhere. The eyes watching me aren't anywhere in sight. They're hiding? I am in the girls' dormitory.... A pervert? No. This feeling is somehow... dangerous... I hesitate and watch the world. The couple gets up and go their separate ways. Everything else is still.

I could just be paranoid. I've been feeling anxious about a lot of things tonight. Slowly, I pull my curtains closed. The feeling of someone watching me disappears together with the moonlight. Still a bit uneasy, I pull open a tiny inch in the curtain after a minute and peek out it. I'm not sure why. Perhaps I am looking for some semblance of relief in reconfirming that there is nobody out there. But when I take this tiny peak outside, my fear intensifies drastically. Almost entirely hidden under a tree in the courtyard, there is a figure of an unfamiliar man looking at a small notebook with a flashlight. I watch for a few moments, my heart racing. He closes the notebook and sticks it back in the small backpack he has with him. Then he looks directly up at my window.