Hey! This is the first chapter of a story I’m working on. I’d love to hear what you think, so feel free to leave feedback

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I did it.

I fucking did it.

Nova stared at the letter on her desk, her heart pounding in her chest. Next to it lay the envelope, the seal carefully broken. In elegant silver script, it read:

Novanna Lysmere

Juwelierstraat 698

30 Starhill

She had sighed deeply when her father handed it to her. Novanna. She hated that name. She was just Nova, nothing more, nothing less. But right now, none of that mattered.

Her eyes scanned the words on the page again, as if trying to chase away her disbelief.

⸻

Admission Letter – Caedryn College

Dear Novanna Lysmere,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Caedryn College, the foremost institute of magical sciences and arcane studies. Your talent and aptitude have been recognized, and you are invited to further develop your abilities under the guidance of our esteemed Masters of Magic.

You are expected on the first night of the new moon, when the school gates open for new students. Your journey begins at the Old Gate in your city, where precisely at midnight you will find the passage to Caedryn. Your admission card to the gate is enclosed along with the list of required supplies.

We look forward to welcoming you.

Sincerely,

Archmagister Vaelith Dorwin

Caedryn College – Council of Arcane Sciences

⸻

Nova let the letter fall from her hands and stared ahead. A tear slipped down her cheek. Her breathing came fast and uneven, as if her body couldn’t quite process what had just happened.

She had been accepted.

To Caedryn College.

The most prestigious magical school in the country.

A sob escaped her throat. Before she knew it, her face was buried in her pillow. Her shoulders shook as she cried, not from sadness but from pure, raw relief.

She had told herself again and again this would never happen. But now she had proof. She had done it.

Her tears were so overwhelming she didn’t hear the door open.

“Nova, sweetheart, what’s wrong?”

She felt the bed dip as her father sat down beside her. His voice was gentle, worried. Nova tried to catch her breath, but it kept hitching in her throat. With shaking hands, she pointed toward the letter on her desk.

He picked it up and began to read. His brow furrowed, eyes moving slowly across the page. Then his expression started to shift. First confusion, then disbelief, then joy.

“You’re kidding,” he whispered. He looked up at her, eyes wide. “Really? You got in?”

Before Nova could answer, he pulled her into a hug so tight it nearly knocked the wind out of her. She gasped for air, but hugged him back just as tightly. For the first time in her life, she didn’t just feel seen. She felt recognized.

He pulled away with a grin. “You know what? I’m making your favorite. Stew and fries.”

Before she could respond, he was already up and halfway down the hallway. From the kitchen came the clatter of pots and pans and his cheerful humming.

Nova sat up and walked over to her desk again. Her gaze went straight to the emblem at the top of the letter. A single eye surrounded by swirling runes, a five-pointed star at its center.

She stared at it like it might blink back. Her thoughts drifted to the day of the entrance trials. The glowing lines on the floor. The stunned looks from the examiners. The scattered applause.

A small smile touched her lips.

Then a thought slipped in, quiet but sharp.

They think I did it all on my own.

But that’s not entirely true. Is it?

“Nova!” her father called from the kitchen. “Dinner’s ready!”

She took a deep breath, pushed a smile onto her face, and made her way downstairs. Hoping he wouldn’t notice how fast that smile had started to fade.