Luna Everhart stirred beneath tangled sheets, her heart racing as a dream pulled her into a world she didn’t know existed. She stood on a cliff that floated above nothing, bathed in silver light. The air was crisp, carrying a scent she couldn’t name—like rain on flowers and sunlight on stone at the same time. Winds tugged at her hair, guiding her forward with an unseen hand, both exhilarating and safe.

Below her, rivers of light wound through a city suspended on clouds. Towers of crystal and gold stretched toward the sky, quivering with the hum of magic. Birds with wings of shimmering fire glided between the towers, leaving trails of sparks behind them. Streets shimmered, fountains sang, and trees hummed with quiet power—everything alive with energy.

Then she saw him. A boy on a balcony, hair like silver starlight and eyes that seemed to burn into her soul. He raised a hand, and though a gust of wind separated them, she felt his call reach her very heart. “Luna…”

She tried to run toward him, but the ground rippled beneath her like water frozen mid-motion. A tall woman appeared next, radiant and regal, hair flowing like liquid light, eyes soft yet commanding. Warmth and safety radiated from her, and the word “Home” echoed through Luna’s mind.

Suddenly, shadows crept across the city, twisting the light into jagged lines. The boy’s face was anxious, and a storm gathered above the palace. Lightning crackled as voices—shouts, warnings, whispers—filled the air.

Rivers of glowing symbols appeared at her feet, circling her like protection. They pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat, awakening something dormant within her. “Luna…” The boy’s voice called again, urgent, almost fearful. “You have to come… before it’s too late.”

The winds surged, the city dissolved into mist, and she woke with a gasp. Tangled in sheets, morning sunlight spilled across her small bedroom. Her arms tingled where the symbols had briefly glimmered. The dream clung to her, vivid and impossible, leaving a hollow ache that whispered: this was no ordinary vision.

Shaking her head, she muttered, “Just a dream… that’s all.”

Her mortal life was ordinary—quiet streets, friends, and school days filled with homework and laughter. She lived with her mother, Seraphine, gentle and loving, who encouraged curiosity and courage but never explained why. Luna didn’t know anything about her father, and questions about him had always been met with silence, leaving a hollow space in her memory.

Her friends were a small but close circle. Even among them, a hollow feeling tugged at her chest. Something was missing, though she didn’t yet know what.

That night, the moon shone unusually bright, spilling silver across her floorboards. A soft thud at her window startled her. Heart hammering, she approached and found a letter, sealed with a sigil she didn’t recognize, glowing faintly beneath the moonlight.

Her fingers trembled as she broke the seal. The paper shimmered as words appeared in flowing script:

To: Luna Everhart

Greetings, Luna,

It has come to our attention that your presence is required in the Kingdom of Aetheria. You are hereby invited to join Aetheria Academy, the premier institution where magic is studied, mastered, and used to safeguard the realm. At the Academy, students learn to harness their abilities, understand the legacy of their bloodlines, and prepare to shape the future of our world.

The Veil—the mystical boundary between Aetheria and the mortal realm—has begun to stir. The Academy seeks those who bear the mark of magic, for their training and guidance are now more crucial than ever. Your arrival is requested immediately, and preparations will be made to transport you safely to the Academy.

Within the halls of Aetheria Academy, you will find guidance, challenges, and the opportunity to awaken the powers that have always been part of you. Teachers, mentors, and fellow students await to assist you on this journey of discovery, growth, and responsibility.

Prepare yourself for a new life, Luna. One where ordinary boundaries no longer apply, and where the truth of your lineage and your place in this world will be revealed.

Your path begins here. The Academy awaits.

With the utmost regard,
Headmistress Lyra Venn
Aetheria Academy

Luna dropped the letter, staring at it in disbelief. Academy? Magic? Legacy? None of it made sense. She had spent her life believing the world was ordinary, yet the symbols on her skin, the dreams, and now this glowing letter told her otherwise.

Her mother’s voice floated in her memory: “One day, you’ll understand, Luna. One day, you’ll see.”

Questions and fear collided in her chest. Could she leave everything she had known—her town, her friends, her safe, ordinary life? Yet a pull deep inside told her this was where she belonged. Something she had always felt, though she hadn’t understood it, was calling.

Luna clutched the letter. The words pulsed with her heartbeat. Somewhere, across rivers of light and floating towers in a world she had never seen, her older siblings waited. And beyond the mortal world, Aetheria Academy called.

She took a deep breath. One step, one choice, and her ordinary life would end. She didn’t yet know the truths awaiting her in Aetheria—the magic, the family, the dangers—but she knew she had to go.

Her fingers traced the glowing sigil one last time. “I need to know,” she whispered.

And with that, Luna Everhart stepped toward a world beyond imagination, where dreams and reality intertwined, and a journey that would reveal the truth of who she really was had begun.

The moonlight bathed her room, silver and quiet, as if watching. Somewhere, across the shining towers of Aetheria, a storm of destiny was gathering.

A faint voice echoed in her mind again, almost a whisper: “The Veil is stirring… and you are not alone.”

Shadows flickered at the edges of her vision, hints of a danger she could not yet see.

And far above the clouds, a pair of silver eyes watched her from the towers of Aetheria, waiting for her first step into the world she had always dreamed of but never known.

The letter had been only the beginning. The real journey—the magic, the secrets, the family she had never known, and the forces that would test her courage—was about to begin.

Would she be ready when Aetheria revealed its truths? Or would the Veil claim what it had been guarding all these years?