Sisters of the Shadows

Have you ever met someone and thought, “I’m going to spend the rest of my life with them, even if it kills me”? Take it from me: if you ever, and I mean ever, experience such irrational thoughts, seek therapy. You’ll thank me later.

For those of you thinking, “But I have thought something similar! Am I crazy?”

Maybe.

“What should I do?”

Same advice. Seek therapy, thank me later. Preferably in that order.

Otherwise, you’ll end up just like me. Bleeding out at the center of a shittily drawn pentagram, all because you fell for the most beautiful creature you had ever seen. Your friends pounding on the attic door, shouting your name as they try to brute-force their way past your seal. The roar of a familiar beast, the boisterous crash of the aforementioned door caving in as one of them succeeded in clearing the way, but at a cost…

Everything–and I mean everything–in our world comes at a cost.

If we’re to unpack this chest of tragedies, it would make the most sense to begin at my first year attending the Academy for Occult Arts. It’s a load of a name for the interdimensional version of Monster High, so we all just call it the Academy. Or hell, take your pick.

The Academy is a school for magickal beings. It’s where those of us who hide in plain sight can congregate with those who need to remain in the shadows, in an effort to learn the histories of our respective species and train to reach our ultimate potential. The student body is divided into three classifications: Hunters, Haunters, and Enchanters.

The hunter class consists of the most physically powerful beings. Werebeasts, merpeople–shapeshifters of all kinds generally make up this section of the school. Throw in some giants, trolls, and certain mystical beings who possess the ability to shift into human forms and you have the strongest beings in existence, literally. Every sentient, villainous monster you heard about in those twisted fairy tales your parents read to you–those wrongfully vilified guardians are members of the Hunter class. They’re susceptible to the magick of Enchanters, but impervious to the charms and tricks of the Haunters.

The Haunter class consists of the undead; vampires, ghosts, zombies and mummies. Add a gargoyle here, a Wendigo there, and you have the most alluring, terrifying section of the academy. What Haunters lack in numbers, they make up for in raw power. Heightened physical attributes and an immunity to magick give this class an edge on Enchanters, but the Hunters have superior strength and agility, and many young Haunters lack self-control.

Finally, we have the Enchanter class–my class. Made up of magickal beings like witches, elves, fairies of every kind, genies and even the mighty Gorgon herself. Enchanters have better control over our abilities from a younger age, and are capable of powerful sorcery that is used for the betterment of the dark dimension. This, coupled with our superior numbers, helps to counter our disadvantage against Haunters. However, we are nowhere near as populous as Hunters, and that’s where sorcery comes in handy.

Oh, did I not explain what the dark dimension is? It’s nothing special, really. It’s just a pocket dimension that exists outside of space and time, granting magickal beings a safe space away from human cruelty. Magick is used to illuminate that shadow world, hence why it’s called the dark dimension. That’s also the location for the Academy for Occult Arts.

This is a lot of information to take in, but it’s all necessary if I’m going to tell you my story. You need to know about the Academy and the separate classifications of my world in order to understand where it all went wrong. Where I went wrong.

This is the story of how I, Caricia de Ardo, as a freshman witch at the Academy of the Occult Arts, fell head over heels for the most enrapturing Haunter in attendance–and how I died as a result of stupid young love.

To Be Continued
Updated on Mondays

Photo featured by Rhett Wesley on Unsplash

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