Empire of Bones|| ONC 2024

One Academy. Two Apart. Three Atrocities.

Nerezza, bound by a cryptic promise, navigates an academy where mirrors reflect deepest fears. Unveiling sinister secrets, she must fight to escape a deadly destiny.

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Nerezza is a young seventeen year old bearing a secret that's as haunting as it is daunting. Bound by it and the promise of keeping her best friend safe and happy, she enters an exclusive academy where fears manifest in mirrors and overcoming them is the key to success. For the Spectral Mirror, horror is in the eye of the beholder and ultimate fears differ individually. Little does she know, the Academy conceals a darker truth.

Now Nerezza must navigate deception and death omens, unraveling the academy's true nature. With the spectre of sacrifice looming, Nerezza must find a way to save her best friend and herself from the promise made while forging alliances and discovering her own strength. Will she break free or succumb to the academy's shadows, forever tethered to a malevolent fate?

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Written for the ONC 2024 contest.
Prompts:
5: Horror is in the eye of the beholder (Main Prompt).
67: A promise is a promise. A secret is a secret. They must not tell anybody.
80: Meet me next life.