It should have been raining. Gothic towers loomed through the fog, dark stone stretching toward a sky the color of old iron. Students crossed the main courtyard in clusters, their voices low, their footsteps echoing against wet cobblestones. Candles burned behind arched windows. Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled once, then twice.

Y/n stood before the entrance of Meridian Hall, where his first class was scheduled according to the letter he’d been told to follow. The doors were ancient oak, carved with symbols that shifted ever so slightly when he looked at them too long.

Around him, students passed with little regard for personal space. A witch with silver hair brushed past, muttering under her breath. Two vampires walked together, their conversation cutting off the moment their dark eyes landed on Y/n. A shapeshifter stopped mid-stride, nostrils flaring. Someone whispered the word human like a curse.

The doors to Meridian Hall opened on their own, a slow, groaning creak that seemed to come from the building itself. Warm air spilled out, thick with the scent of old books, candle wax, and something faintly electric.

Inside, the lecture hall was already half full. Tiered wooden benches curved around a central dais where a professor stood sorting through a collection of glass jars. The ceiling disappeared into shadow. Floating candles drifted between the aisles, casting restless light across the students already seated. A few glanced up as Y/n entered. Most just stared.