Page 1 of A Dusk Of Stars

Prologue

Once upon a time, 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'sessence: 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.

Chapter 1

Ionly seem to be able to like this place when I’m leaving. It’s 2AM on a chilly end-of-summer night and I’m standing in the middle of the deserted small-town square. I have my suitcase in hand and my ticket at the ready, my eyes sweeping over the red-brick storefronts and the inconspicuous station building ahead of me. It’s always a relief and it’s always exciting — to leave the all-human town and go back to the Academy, but tonight…

There’s something in the scents of the cold ground and stone all around me, something in the moon shining from behind the tree canopies high above, something telling me this is something else.

I smile and I shake my head. I’m romanticizing things again.

Just as I move to keep walking for the station pub, I hear rushed footfalls behind my back. I turn around and I spot Steve marching towards me.

It makes my eyebrows shoot up. I open my mouth to ask what he’s doing, but he’s already shoving the screen of his phone in my face.

“‘Won’t be able to make it tonight after all. Thanks for everything,’” he recites in an incredulous tone. “Really, Anna?”

From the way he says it, you’d think it was the love of my life I’d left with nothing but those words. But instead of getting sucked into the drama, I choose to make light of it. Smiling, I say playfully, “I thought Itoldyou I was leaving today. You know how it goes with packing.”

He takes a step back, frowning. “You could’ve at least come to say goodbye.”

What for? So I could look into the eyes of the guy I’ve been sleeping with for the past three months and only feelmorealone? “Well, goodbye?” I say with a smile.

“Come on, Anna,” he urges as he takes a step closer. “Don’t we have a good thing going?”

“Wedid, yeah,” I reply, still smiling.

“So? Don’t you want to see where it takes us?”

I have to fight not to let out a sigh. “I think I told you exactly where it’ll be taking us when we started it.”

He laughs. “You know, you independent women, you all say that these days.”

I still want to part on good terms, but I press my lips tight, saying in a colder voice, “Some of us mean it.”

He throws his arms up, letting out a pent-up breath.

Then he shakes his head and looks into my eyes. “When’s your… thatthingleaving?”

Typical Steve. Just like most people in this town, he doesn’t even want to mention anything having to do with the Originals. “In half an hour,” I tell him.

“I’ll wait with you,” he says with determination in his voice, already looking around for a spot.

“No need,” I rush to say, “I’ll be having a cup of coffee on my own, it’s a tradition of sorts.”

“Inthere?” he demands as he motions at the red-brick facade behind my back. “Alone? The place is probably crawling with them.”

I have to fight not to roll my eyes at how hell-bent he seems to be on playing the knight in shining armor, despite the fact I see no fucking damsel in distress anywhere around here.

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