Divided by Dawn

Standing in front of the archway to Aegis Academy, Henry felt like a ghost crashing a party he wasn't invited to. The vibe here was just different—not just cleaner, but buzzing with an energy he'd never felt before. It was like a mashup of hundreds of magical auras, all connected. It was organized. It was power, but like, totally under control. 

"What a neat little place," Tsukuyomi's voice echoed in his head, dripping with sarcasm. "I bet they have rules about not slaughtering your classmates. So lame." 

Ignoring her, Henry took a deep breath and walked through the arch. Instantly, a warm feeling wrapped around him like a blanket. A barrier. He glanced back and saw Tsukuyomi, who was now visibly pissed off, floating outside. Her ghostly form was glitching out, hard. 

"What is this?" she hissed. "This... barrier. It's solar-powered. A nasty creation of the Solari. It feels like wading through molasses." 

Henry felt a little smirk coming on. "Looks like you won't be able to just wander around in here." 

"Don't get cocky," she shot back. "As long as you're in here, so am I. I'll just have to stick... closer." To prove her point, her form shrank until she was basically glued to his back, a cold presence no one else could see. 

The admissions office was just past the main entrance, a bright room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a courtyard where students in blue and silver uniforms were practicing their skills. One kid was creating tiny whirlwinds to juggle apples, while a girl was weaving threads of light between her fingers. 

Behind a polished oak desk sat a middle-aged woman with gray hair in a tight bun and glasses that seemed to float an inch from her nose. She didn't even look up from a stack of papers that were shuffling themselves in mid-air. 

"Name?" she asked, her voice calm and commanding. 

"Henry."

"Just Henry?" She finally looked up. Her eyes were a deep violet and seemed to see right through him. "No clan? No family?" 

"Just Henry," he repeated, feeling small under her gaze. 

The woman, whose nameplate read "Headmistress Elara," tapped her fingers on the desk. A small sphere of light danced between them. "Joseph contacted us years ago. He said a young man with white hair might arrive one day. He was short on details, only that you were... a special case." She sighed. "Special cases are what Aegis is all about." 

She pushed a clipboard toward him. "Fill this out. And then, we'll need a demonstration of your affinity for class placement." 

After filling out the sparse details, Henry was led to an empty, circular room. Headmistress Elara watched from a gallery above. "Show us what you can do, Henry." 

Henry felt awkward. What could he show them? The power he used during the day was all physical training from Joseph. The real power, the darkness, wasn't something he could—or wanted—to unleash. 

Show her, the voice in his head whispered, its tone slick and tempting. Just a little bit. They'll love you for it. They'll fear you. 

"I... I fight," Henry said finally. 

The headmistress looked disappointed. "This isn't a school for brawlers, Mr. Just-Henry. It's a place to hone your gift." 

Desperate, Henry closed his eyes. He focused on the tattoo on his arm, on the gate Joseph had created. He didn't try to open it, but just poked at it, searching for the smallest spark of the power locked inside. 

For a second, nothing happened. Then, a single, thin shadow peeled away from his feet. It was small and shaky, barely bigger than his hand. With all his focus, he made it rise into the air, flickering like a black flame. It lasted only five seconds before it fizzled out, leaving him panting and in a cold sweat. 

Up above, Headmistress Elara raised an eyebrow. "Umbrakinesis. A rare and... complicated affinity. Very well. Tactical Manifestation Class, Gamma Dorm." 

A small, floating automaton that looked like a polished metal eye guided him out of the room. "Greetings. I am Guide Unit 7. Please follow me for the campus tour," the drone said in a flat, robotic voice. 

The tour was a blur of incredible sights. They passed greenhouses where plants glowed with their own light, tended by students with a knack for nature. They walked through a library where books floated off the shelves and into readers' hands. The training grounds were an explosion of energy, with students dueling with flaming swords, ice shields, and controlled lightning. 

Everyone seemed so... normal in their abnormality. They were laughing, talking, and using their powers as naturally as Henry breathed. And they were all staring at him. At his white hair, his plain clothes, his lonely vibe. He was an outsider, a total mystery. 

"This is Gamma Dorm," the drone announced, stopping in front of a sleek, three-story building. "Your room is 204. Your keycard and uniform are inside. Classes start tomorrow at 08:00. Have a productive day." And with that, the drone zipped away. 

The room was basic but clean. A bed, a desk, a closet, and a window with a view of the lush valley. It was more space and safety than he'd had in his entire life. For the first time, he didn't have to sleep with one eye open, waiting for thugs or monsters. He sat on the bed, the mattress soft underneath him. The weight of his journey, of the deaths he'd seen and the violence he'd committed, all came crashing down on him. He'd made it. He was here. He was safe. 

"Safe?"

Henry jumped. Tsukuyomi was lounging on his bed, looking perfectly solid, propped up on one elbow with a wicked grin. Apparently, the barrier outside didn't work inside the buildings. 

"This place isn't a fortress, my dear Henry. It's a gilded cage," she said, reaching out and tracing a cold line on his cheek. "They're going to try and shape you, soften you, turn you into one of them." 

She leaned in close, her winter-cold breath on his face. "But they don't know what's really locked away in there, do they? They don't know that when the lights go out, the real master of this house comes out to play." 

Henry pulled away from her, his heart pounding. He looked out the window at the sun starting to set, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple. This sanctuary wouldn't protect him from himself. It was just a new battlefield. And night was coming.