Iris POV
It was still dark at six in the morning, and the road behind us seemed to blur the farther we went. Trees closed in from both sides, thick and endless, as if the world we came from was slowly being erased.
We were headed to Blackgate University—one of the highest-rated institutions in the country, chosen purely because of our scores. Yet strangely, there was nothing about it on the internet. No photos. No reviews. No history.
Just a name.
"It's freezing," Lia muttered, hugging herself. "Why is this university so far from everything?"
"Maybe that's why it's ranked so high," Noah replied calmly. "Isolation increases focus."
He turned toward Ethan. "Hey, why are you so quiet?"
Ethan stared out the window. "Nothing… I was just thinking about yesterday."
"Yesterday?" I asked.
"I met a guy," he said slowly. "He said weird things about Blackgate."
Noah frowned. "Like what?"
"He said once someone enters this place, there's no way back. The road disappears—like it never existed. And that one day every week… killing is legal."
Silence filled the car.
"Don't be ridiculous," Lia said quickly. "Rumors, that's all. Look—I can still see the road."
"Yeah," Noah added. "People probably just want to ruin the university's image. And Blackgate? Maybe the gates are black, that's it."
Ethan forced a laugh. "I hope so."
We were five minutes away when the clock hit 6:30.
Then we saw it.
A massive black gate rose from the ground ahead of us, towering and cold.
"See?" Noah said. "Told you. Black gate."
As we stepped inside, a man suddenly appeared, making us jump.
"You're the new batch?" he asked sharply.
We nodded.
"I'm Markov," he said. "Head of security. Come with me."
"To where?" Noah asked.
"The head office."
The campus was eerily clean, too quiet for a university. There was no network, no students in sight—like classes had ended long ago.
Inside the office stood a woman in a deep purple dress, her lipstick the same color. Her gaze alone felt dangerous.
"Newbies?" she asked.
"Yes, ma'am," Noah replied.
"I am Headmistress Raven Idioga," she said coldly. "Welcome to Blackgate University. Sign these forms."
We did.
"These are your uniforms and necessities," she continued. "Tomorrow, meet Principal Crowe at nine sharp for your timetable. The rules are inside the envelope you've been given."
Lia hesitated. "Ma'am… what is the fee?"
"Serving is the fee."
"What?" slipped out of my mouth.
"Everything is free here," Raven said flatly. "No more questions. Read the envelope."
Markov escorted us to our dorm.
"Four rooms. Shared kitchen. Attached bathrooms," he said. "Do not go outside after eight. Lock your dorm."
"Why?" Ethan asked.
"Follow the rules," Markov replied. "From 8 PM to 5 AM—no exceptions."
We were exhausted. We locked the doors, crawled into our beds…
And none of us opened the envelope.