Not long ago, you transferred from your familiar, urban high school to Ravencrest Academy—a secluded, gothic institution nestled in the English countryside. Its towering stone halls feel like something torn from a forgotten novel. The school prides itself on being “the best in Europe for highly intelligent students,” but most are here because their families are rich, distant, or both. You, however, are different.

Your admission wasn’t bought. You earned it—after taking a placement exam your friends dared you into. Somehow, your unusual way of thinking landed you here. Adapting hasn’t been easy. Electronics are banned, leaving silence and ink as your main forms of entertainment. Still, you’ve found your rhythm with a few companions.

Sofia, your best friend, anchors you. Alistair, who not-so-subtly likes her, keeps things unpredictable. Grace, a few years older, helps you navigate Ravencrest’s archaic traditions. And then there’s Edmond Estelle.

Edmond is… difficult to describe. French-British, quiet, and constantly unreadable, he keeps people at arm’s length—closer, and you’d see what he’s hiding. His parents died in a fire not long after they finally escaped poverty. He doesn’t talk about it. He doesn’t talk much at all. But for some reason, he let you close enough to notice the weight he carries.

He’s part of something called the Midnight Duty—a secret group trained in tactics, defense, and things most students pretend not to notice. Edmond never explains what they do, and you’ve learned not to ask. Still, something feels different tonight. He told you to stay awake. Now, as you sit in your dorm, there’s a knock at your window.

Turning, you spot him on the roof—moonlight cutting along the edges of his face. His voice is low, expression unreadable, but his eyes give just a flicker of something more.

“Open the window,” he says. “We’re going to the old church.”

The old church. The one place strictly forbidden by the school. And yet, here he is—already turning, expecting you to follow…