Page 1 of House of Lilith

Prologue

Onceuponatime,the world was divided into two distinct groups: the Scions, ordinary humans who roamed the earth with dreams and ambitions, and the Originals—vampires, shifters, and fae, beings of magic and mystery.

For millennia, the lands were fraught with tension and strife, as humans and Originals clashed in conflicts that echoed through the ages. The Originals were powerful, but few, and the Scions were thrifty and numerous. Shadows stretching across their lands, the Originals went into hiding, and gradually, Scions forgot of their existence. But the Originals had always been here, hidden in plain sight - in forests, in villages, on thrones.

When conflict began brewing anew, the Brothers Grimm, wielders of ancient tales, penned The Treaty—a simple yet binding pact between Scions and Originals. The Treaty's essence: coexistence. Originals, once shadows among humans, emerged from the cloak of secrecy.

The Treaty decreed that both Scions and Originals would coexist, each within their own social order. The Originals, rulers of the supernatural, found their place in the intricate tapestry of society. Humans, in turn, retained their world, governed by their own customs and rules. A crucial stipulation of The Treaty, however, mandated that all Originals must attend academies, institutions where they would learn the delicate art of balancing power and responsibility.

In the heart of Germany, Grimm Academy rose. Atop an ancient Originals' underground castle, a place pulsing with potent magic, the Brothers Grimm laid the foundations. Above ground, three magnificent towers, one for each Original bloodline, blended seamlessly with the ancient foundations underneath, a testament to a realm where reality and enchantment intertwined. Known by an ancient name, whispered in the wind, it was The Castle That Isn't—a name echoing the mysteries buried underground, within its unknown walls.

Grimm Academy, shrouded in a mystic ambiance, transcends the mundane. Midnight carries with it the hushed rustle of unseen spirits, shadows assume a life of their own, and secrets are woven into the very fabric of existence.

Vampire.

Shifter.

Fae.

Welcome to Grimm Academy.

"As I approach life's end, I must reveal a tale etched in the shadows, weighing on my soul.

I was there when the Umbrage happened. I saw the might of the Obscura, a duskenwood creation for rival academies' Games. A competition where alliances crumbled, and individual brilliance faced reckoning. A spectral force that spared no mercy, yet chose not to deal in finality. Many lives were lost that day. The Obscura, a spectral overseer, bore witness, its magic navigating the chaos. As my ink wanes, I share this mosaic of mysteries—the Obscura, the Games, and the haunting echoes of a bloodbath that time can't fully obscure.

May The Word bless us all."

– ARCmage Linithus, 1867

Chapter 1 - Nyx

Iflingthedoorto my Grimm Academy dorm room open and stop midstep, my eyes narrowing as soon as they land on my bed. There’s the suitcase they’ve just brought up, but right next to it lies a black gift box with a luxurious gold ribbon. I frown before I feel a sudden, violent rush of excitement. Could it be the uniform?

It’s all it takes for me to slam the door closed and run over to the bed, already being swept up in the fantasy in whichI’mthe one who stays until the very end — preferably the only one — making my Academy the winner of the first Games in one hundred and fifty six years.

It’s only when I fail to open the box that I notice the seal on the little note sticking out from beneath the ribbon. It’s the crowned bear.

Mother.

I frown. She never sends me gifts. Despite all the servants keeping her calendars, she regularly forgets my birthday. So what’s this?

Hesitantly, I pull the note out. “It’s a big day for my little girl,” it says, in her elegant cursive.

As always, the nickname makes me want to fling myself off the nearest cliff. So I focus on the ‘big day’ part instead.

My eyebrows raise. I know it’s something I’ve been talking about ever since the preparations for the Selection last year, but for her to remember how much I’m looking forward to all this? Especially since I was one of those who barely made the cut, the weakest of all the vampires, only stronger than a few shifters and faes.

Excitement making me impatient, I let the note fall back on my bed and I focus on the box. Beautifully, richly wrapped as always. As befits a duchess whose sole focus in life is to project the image of the perfect noblewoman of House of Lilith.

When I open the box, in it, I find a lavish dress in the latest vampiric fashion. Lots of black tuile, onyx studs, a tailored waist. It’s not made to appear slutty, but it is made to accentuate every curve.

I make a face. Not exactly my kind of thing.

I take the dress out of the box, its hem falling to the carpeted floor in one graceful, flowy movement. I let my eyes drag down its length. I guess it never occurred to her that I’d have to actually walk around in this monstrosity.

Still, it’s a gift.

From my mother.

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