Eclipse: Crest Born

Chapter One: The call to Noctra

Chapter: The Call to Noctra

The message arrived at dawn, carried by a silver courier drone that sliced through the gray morning air above Vexhold District. Its metallic wings hummed like a warning and a promise at once. People stepped out of their homes, shielding their eyes as the drone descended into the school courtyard, its lights flashing the royal insignia of Noctra Academy.

Every ten years the academy chose students from each district. Students who showed not just intelligence but rare potential. Students who could handle the academy’s trials, its combat simulations, its mind-skill regimen. Two who could become protectors of the realm.

And this time the drone had come for Vexhold.

Ryan was already awake, practicing balance drills on the cracked concrete behind the school building. He had always been different. Quicker. Sharper. His body reacted before thought arrived, as if wired for action. When the drone landed, he paused mid-movement, chest rising with quick breaths. A tingling sensation rippled through him.

It was happening.

Inside the classrooms chaos erupted. Students ran to the courtyard. Teachers shouted for order, barely hiding their own excitement. The drone unfolded a metallic arm and projected a holographic scroll in shimmering blue text.

The chosen names glowed in the air.

Enisa Kest

Ryan Varyn

Gasps, cheers, shouting. The courtyard exploded with noise. Students jumped, clapped, screamed their names. Some grabbed Ryan’s shoulders; others hugged Enisa so tightly she almost lost her breath.

Enisa pushed her hair back, stunned. She was sharp-minded, fast-learning, and had a rare ability to analyze patterns in seconds. Her aptitude tests had always been leagues above everyone else. But seeing her name suspended in royal holograph still sent chills down her spine.

Ryan pushed through the crowd to the notice projection, staring up at the glowing letters. He’d trained for years even when no one watched, pushing past exhaustion, honing reflexes others didn’t understand.

He finally whispered, It’s real.

Enisa stood beside him, equally breathless. They weren’t friends, only distant competitors, but at that moment they shared a spark of something new: recognition.

Mr. Thornwell, the combat instructor, marched toward them with the biggest grin anyone had ever seen him wear.

Ryan Varyn. Enisa Kest. Step forward.

They did.

Mr. Thornwell clasped Ryan’s shoulder. You have the instincts of a trained sentinel. And you earned this.

Mrs. Solace, the strategy teacher, grabbed Enisa’s hands. Your mind moves like lightning. Arcthane Academy will sharpen that gift. I am proud of you.

More teachers gathered. Even the strictest ones wore rare smiles. Pride filled their voices, not fear. Because Noctra Academy wasn’t a dark place. Not like the government towers or the Directorate complexes.

Arcthane was different. It was beautiful. It was almost mythical.

Some said its walls were made of crystal alloy, glowing with energy at night. Others said its training halls floated above the ground, powered by ancient tech. The academy rested at the capital’s center, shining like a beacon of everything the world could be if someone brave enough guided it.

To be chosen meant more than prestige.

It meant purpose.

When the crowd finally dispersed Ryan was still overwhelmed, but in a thrilling way. Students clapped him on the back and yelled his name. He barely managed to smile back fast enough.

Enisa was surrounded too, but she handled it with graceful poise, answering questions, laughing, showing a spark most students had never seen from her.

Later that afternoon their families received official summons. The golden seals shimmered with Arcthane’s crest: a rising blade over a circle of light.

You are hereby invited to Arcthane Academy

To train in aptitude, combat, mental disciplines

To rise as a Guardian of the Realm

That night Vexhold was alive with celebration. Lanterns lit the streets. Drums echoed between buildings. People danced. Parents bragged. Children ran around pretending to be Noctra cadets.

Enisa sat outside with her mother, who kept touching her daughter’s cheek as though she had become something holy.

You always belonged somewhere brighter, she whispered.

Ryan’s father did not speak much but when he handed Ryan a pair of fingerless gloves he said, These belonged to your mother. She would have been proud.

Ryan’s throat tightened.

At sunrise the transport arrived, a sleek silver shuttle decorated with the academy’s emblem. It hummed with soft energy, almost alive. Teachers lined up at the entrance. Students waved from behind the gates.

Mr. Thornwell saluted them.

Make Vexhold proud. And remember, Noctra shapes legends.

Ryan and Enisa entered the shuttle. For the first time they sat side by side, not as rivals or classmates but as chosen recruits.

As the shuttle lifted off, the district shrank below them. Ryan leaned forward, adrenaline surging. Enisa stared out the window, her eyes burning with determination.

Neither knew what waited at Noctra.

Combat arenas.

Mind trials.

Mysteries.

Rivalries.

Danger.

Opportunity.

But they knew one thing:

This was not the beginning of a quiet academic life.

This was

the beginning of a story meant for action, heat, battles and destiny.

And they were ready.