The train pulled into Danver City with a metallic groan, steam hissing in the morning chill. Starling pressed his forehead against the window as the skyline rose in jagged steel and neon, towers scraping the clouds. His wings twitched uncomfortably in the cramped seat, the feathers shifting like restless thoughts. Beside him, Riven sprawled with his arms crossed, eyes closed, as if the entire journey was just another nap to waste away.
Danver wasn't Unity. It was harder, rougher, its streets buzzing with more crime than cooperation. Unity was the "model" city, the polished lie Vail wanted the world to believe in. Danver was what people whispered about when they spoke honestly.
Their stop rattled the floor. Starling stood, careful not to smack his wings against the roof, and shook Riven awake.
"Come on," Starling muttered.
Riven cracked one eye open, smirked. "Still nervous?"
Starling didn't answer.
Danver High wasn't just a school. It was an experiment. Humans and Humarites under the same roof, learning side by side. At least, that's what the brochures promised.
In reality, the building was split — literally. The left wing of the massive structure was human territory: sleek classrooms, clean hallways, wide open windows. The right wing was for Humarites: reinforced doors, soundproof training cells, lecture halls lined with null-resistant plating. Between the wings stood the "Shared Courtyard," a symbolic gesture where humans and Humarites could mingle. In practice, it was more like a border checkpoint.
Starling and Riven entered through the Humarite gate. Security drones hovered above, scanning their IDs. A guard's eyes lingered on Starling's wings a moment too long, as though expecting them to lash out.
"Welcome to Danver High," the guard said, voice flat.
Starling forced a nod. Riven didn't bother.
---
The Humarite Classes were something on their own.
Their first class of the day was "Null Training Fundamentals," a room that looked more like a military facility than a classroom. Humarites of all shapes and kinds filled the space: a girl with translucent skin that pulsed with light, a boy with cat-like ears flicking at every sound, another with scales running down his arms.
The instructor, a tall woman with crimson eyes and a scar cutting across her face, clapped her hands.
"Sixteen," she said, scanning the room. "That's the age your Nulls will begin to manifest. Some of you will flare immediately. Others… it'll be a slow burn. But every single one of you will be tested, trained, and pushed. Nulls are gifts, but they are also weapons. And in this world, weapons are either controlled… or destroyed."
Her gaze lingered on Riven and Starling.
Starling's feathers bristled.
Riven grinned back at her, unbothered.
Between Classes
The courtyard was already alive with tension when they stepped out for break. Humans clustered in tight circles, laughing too loud, throwing glances at the Humarites passing by.
"Look at the freaks," one boy muttered as Starling walked past. Loud enough to be heard. Always loud enough.
Riven's head snapped toward him instantly. His hand curled into a fist.
"Don't," Starling said quickly, stepping in front of him.
Riven's jaw flexed. "You heard him—"
"I always hear them." Starling's wings shifted, pulling tight against his back. "That's what they want. A reaction."
The human boy smirked, but didn't push further. Not with Riven's glare burning a hole in his chest.
As they walked away, Riven muttered, "You let them talk too much."
"And you want to fight too much." Starling glanced at him, half-smiling despite himself. "That's why we work, remember?"
Riven grinned back, but it didn't reach his eyes.
The Training Facilities
That afternoon, they entered the Null Training Hall .. a cavernous space divided into reinforced arenas. Each student was assigned a pod to test their developing Nulls. For some, sparks of power already flickered: a flame in the palm, a gust of wind at a snap, skin hardening into stone.
Starling stepped into his pod nervously. His wings stretched wide for the first time all day, feathers catching the light. He flapped once, twice ,the air responded, sharp and forceful, rattling the glass of the pod.
The sensors lit up.
"Impressive," the instructor noted from the observation deck.
Starling blushed, folding his wings quickly.
Riven's turn was more volatile. When he entered his pod, his skin shimmered ,metallic plates gliding across his arms like liquid steel. He slammed his fist into the reinforced wall. The impact cracked the surface.
The instructor raised an eyebrow. "Controlled aggression, Riven."
Riven smirked, flexing his plated arm. "That was controlled."
Starling laughed under his breath.
After Hours
When the day ended, they sat on the steps outside the Humarite wing, the city of Danver humming in the distance.
Riven leaned back, arms behind his head. "I hate this place."
"You hate everywhere," Starling said, smiling.
"Yeah, but this place? It's worse. Unity pretends. Danver doesn't even bother. They look at us like animals in cages."
Starling didn't answer right away. He stared at the skyline, his wings shifting unconsciously.
Finally, he said, "Then maybe we prove them wrong."
Riven snorted. "Or prove them right. Both sound fun."
Starling rolled his eyes, but he was smiling again.
Dawn's voice slices back in for just a second, faint but unmistakable:
"You see them now, don't you? The brotherhood. The hope. The stupid, fragile dreams. Wonderful, right? But dreams… don't last....they never do."