Prologue

Forest



Again!

“Eric, are you sure we’re not lost?” I asked for the fourth time, my voice near to frustration.

Eric laughed and pressed his hand on his wound on the left side of his stomach while his other hand gripped the steering wheel as we drove deeper over an uneven, muddy road.

It would've been fine since we’re desperate to look for a safe place, but he was driving me deeper into what felt like the middle of an Amazon rainforest that he claimed was going to Alcona Cionas!

At first, the trees were mostly mahogany, the kind you usually see around Baguio. But with every passing hour, after we passed Magsaysay Park downhill Road, I noticed the scenery changing. Different kinds of trees replaced the last, and now all I could see were massive, ancient pine trees towering over us. Their trunks were thick with moss, and their branches disappeared into layers of fog tinted a faint dark blue by the sunlight somewhere above the mist, struggling to break through and reach the forest below. 

It’s almost six in the evening, but the deeper we drove, the darker it felt, and cloudier it became. The after-rain weather makes it worse for us because it makes the sky turn heavier, the clouds even thicker, and the trees grow so dense they swallow the sunlight completely, leaving the road ahead invisible. 

Even the sounds outside unsettled me—blending with the low growl of unseen animals, the steady chirping of crickets, and the distant calls of birds echoing around us in a way that felt wrong and unnatural… that Eric denied and reasoned that it's wasn't strange at all, as it was just the wind forcing its way through the enormous trees, making them groan and crash against one another.

“Do you want me to change your bandage?” I asked.

He shook his head. “I can’t stop the car. We’re nearing Cionas Territory. And Cionas doesn’t allow anyone from Alcona Outsiders without a crest to identify you.” 

“Huh?”

“The crest is a uniform badge you pin on your shirt or uniform. Once you’re given a crest, you’re supposed to wear it all the time, especially when you’re outside the Alcona Academy.” 

“So the crest basically tells people how rich we are and how much respect they’re supposed to give us, right?” I ask sarcastically.

Eric's eyes narrowed as if weighing what I just said, and then he lifted his shoulder. “You could say that,” he replied.  “But frankly, it’s to identify you as a student in Alcona Academy. And more importantly, it means you cannot be harmed by them. But don’t worry about the rules for now. As long as you’re with me, you’ll be okay,” he paused a bit. “Just be careful… not everyone in Cionas likes people who aren’t natives here,” he added, then craned his neck to look at something outside his car window.

He pointed something out ahead, on his car's side window.

I saw a starting point of a dark, still water that sits beside the road. The huge acacia tree towered over it, making it seem like the water itself came from its roots. And I noticed the starting point of the concrete road. 

“This is where Alcona Cionas territory starts. The land itself is called Cionas, while Alcona is the Academy,” he said weakly and pressed on his stomach again. 

His wounds are getting worse from the endless drive. And I can’t imagine what kind of doctors does Alcona Cionas have that Eric trusts so much that they can treat him better in the middle of nowhere instead of going to a real hospital first before going on this trip. And it pisses me off that I'm so useless in times like this.

 “Just a little farther, and we’ll reach Alcona Academy,” 

My eyes widened. “A little farther? Twin brother, we’ve been driving for almost seven hours! We should turn our clothes inside out now cuz we’re obviously being messed with by engkantos!” 

Eric rolled his eyes, still smiling even if he kept wincing in pain. He was shot by our uncle’s men because our uncle is hunting us to stop us from inheriting our parents’ business. 

That’s exactly why we’re heading to Alcona Cionas: to hide and seek refuge. And wait until we turn eighteen, when everything our parents left behind legally becomes ours instead of falling into our relatives’ hands. 

Our parents died in an accident while mountain hiking last month in Oregon. That I’m certain my uncle’s behind it. Because killing us first would not give him control of the company, so he got rid of our parents first. And now he’s after us, too. Me. Especially since my necklace is the key to the vault containing our money and the documents to our family assets in the Swiss Bank. 

If we hadn’t escaped from the US and flown here in the Philippines last week, we would already be under his guardianship. And before we ever reached eighteen… we would probably be dead. 

“Erin, even with my eyes closed, I can still get us to Alcona Academy on time,” Eric said calmly. “It’s your first time here, so you’re not used to the long drive. So, relax. Once we’re out of this forest, it will be faster.” 

I shook my head and reached for my necklace. As long as we’re alive, the company is legally ours when we turn eighteen. But if we die before that, Uncle Martin gets everything. There’s already no justice for my parents, then to succeed again in killing us too? I’m not letting that happen.

“If you just taught me how to drive, we would’ve reached that mysterious town by now,” I muttered, sulking. 

And you know, I don’t believe in superstitions or creepy myths, but I’m starting to think that there’s one messing with us. Uncle Martin probably also pays whatever supernatural this forest has to hunt us, too.

I pulled my shirt off and flipped it inside out. 

“What are you doing?”

“Do you remember what Mommy said? Engkantos like leading people deeper into the woods. Turning your shirt inside out will confuse them.” 

Turning our clothes inside out would break whatever spell they had on us and help us find our way back. I don’t care if it's true or not. But at this point, I’m willing to try anything. After all, we are in the Philippines. A land where myths and folklore remain deeply woven in their history. 

Eric had already turned the wheel too many times now. And every snaky turn looked exactly the same! Trees, curves, more trees again, more curves… it felt like the road just kept leading us deeper and deeper into nowhere!

“Erin, put your shirt back on. Engkantos are just Filipino myths.”

I was about to answer when I noticed a huge black dog-like figure standing in the middle of the road. Its body was unnaturally large, and its fur looked dry despite the wet road, hanging in thick dark strands. Its eyes… it looked almost human… but red.

My eyes narrowed. No… it wasn’t just standing there… it was staring straight at us. 

No. 

At me.

“What is that?”

But Eric didn’t react. He just kept staring straight ahead at the road. 

“Eric, watch out!” I shout when I realize he’s not stopping and is about to crash straight into it. 

Eric slammed on the brakes, but it was too late. The impact jolted through us violently as the thing crashed against the hood and disappeared from view.

"Oh my God, why would you do that, Eric? Did you not see that thing?!" 

I quickly got out of the car, my heartbeat pounding against my chest. But there was nothing there. Only a dent and long scratches remained across the hood. 

What in the world was that?

Cold air brushed against my skin. I looked around, even under the car, but all I saw were leaves swaying wildly on the opposite side of the road. 

Then I froze. 

I saw two men with red eyes and golden brown shoulder-length hair standing between the trees. They were holding up the injured thing we had just hit. I stood frozen. 

Before my eyes, the dog’s body twisted and shifted... its dark form slowly changed until it wasn’t a dog anymore… a woman with black bangs and waist-length hair. 

“Erin, get back in the car! That was a wild pig. It could eat us.”

“It shifted into a human!” I snapped, and immediately pointed toward the trees. 

Erin glances in the direction I’m pointing, but it’s gone! 

“It’s no big deal, Erin. It’s just wild pigs.” 

Eric gets out of the car and gently pushes me back toward the car. 

“I saw it! That oversized pig‑dog, or whatever that thing was, turned into a human with red eyes, Eric! We’re definitely being played by spirits now!” 

Eric laughed. 

“What are you talking about? It was just wild pig—” 

I rolled my head and lifted my hands in the air, like a madwoman.  

“Pigs do not get that big, Eric! It growls, and pigs don’t growl like that. That thing turned into a human form with red…” 

I stopped. 

What nonsense am I even saying?

Eric burst into laughter more.

“Your blood sugar’s low cuz of hunger, Erin. Don’t worry, we're almost there, so let’s go back in the car so you can eat.”

“But you saw it too, right? That oversized dog-looking thing. It had red eyes.”

He laughed again. “Get inside. I saw a wild pig, not some oversized dog.” 

“Is that… a common thing here?” 

“Yeah. It will eat us if you don’t get inside the car now.”

My eyes widened. 

“Kidding, Erin.”

But despite laughing, he quickly guided me back into the front seat, rushed back to the driver’s seat, and suddenly stepped on the gas harder than before. He probably got scared, too.

“Whatever, but we better not be lost, Eric. And you better not be lying to me about that academy being impossible for Uncle Martin to trace. That old fat man would do anything just to get us killed and get the company.”

“Trust me, Erin. With the maze-like roads leading here in Alcona Cionas and how long the drive is, they would probably give up after three hours.”

“But we’ve been driving for hours, Eric! What if you took the wrong turn earlier? We’ve already been on the road for seven hours.”

“That’s why you should relax, Erin,” he calmly said. “I know the road going here in Alcona Cionas. Those men following us don’t. They're outsiders, and the wild pigs will eat them if they get lost. That’s why I hit that pig.” his voice was calm, but his eyes flicked toward the trees as if expecting something to move. Or the thought of Uncle Martin finding us is already really turning me into a madwoman.

Our parents are very hard-working and were able to build an empire that would last hundreds of years if well taken care of. And for us wealthy, it’s not shocking to see and find hidden places like Alcona Academy somehow. Our parents even enrolled him there; it really sounds believable that a hidden place like that exists. 

But I thought we would at least be getting there by helicopter or private plane, not driving through endless miles of road in a car! Worse, in the middle of a forest. No wonder he brought gallons of gas before we entered this place. 

“If your school turns out to be some cult or something, Eric. I will burn you there inside.”

Eric burst out laughing. 

“Erin, relax. Alcona is safe, and the people there are good as long as we follow their rules. Our parents wouldn’t trust Alcona Cionas to let me study there if it weren't."

I sadly sighed. He’s right.

Our parents drove here multiple times to visit him. Eric said they taught him the map of this forest when he was five years old… so well that even with his eyes closed, he knows where to go. Besides, he lived here and was able to come back home after years. So I guess we’ll be fine. 

“I just want to be sure, Eric. We’ve been through too much. Our parents still haven’t gotten justice. If Uncle Martin finds us in Alcona Cionas and kills us too… I don't think I'd ever forgive myself when I see Mom and Dad again.”

“They’re not in heaven, Erin.”

I glared at him. He laughed.

“I’m just kidding,”

He took my hand on top of my thighs and squeezed it gently. 

“Erin, we’re going to be okay here in Alcona Cionas. I’ll protect you, too.” 

I smiled faintly. 

“I’ll protect you, too, Eric.” 

He smiled back and turned the wheel again, following the road ahead. 

I was ready to argue again when I noticed a slanted road climbing uphill between two different kinds of trees. But what caught my attention was what stood on the right side of the road. 

An old three-building cobblestone complex stood there. Behind the complex is a mountain nearly twice the height of the complex itself. On top of the mountain stood three enormous acacia trees stretched outward and slightly downward to the left side of the road. Their canopy blocks out all the faint sunset we see on the left, casting the entire complex into darkness. It made the place look strangely gloomy, almost like night had already settled over it. 



“We’re here. Alcona Academy,”

My mouth parted slightly as the car slowed, passing the building that had first caught my attention.

The contrast on both sides of the road felt unsettling. While the left side of the road is still in the last golden traces of the six o'clock. Most of the pine trees growing there were hidden beneath the cliff, leaving only their tops visible from Eric’s car window, the same level as the cobblestone road. We could see the uppermost layers of what felt like thousands of pine trees, blanketed in white fog, stretching endlessly until they looked like they were kissing the sky. 

“That’s the seniors’ dorm.”

“Your dorm?”

He nodded.

“Yours looks like that, but just a little smaller. You’re only starting your first year here, so you’re still considered a visitor here. And you’ll have roommates too.” 



We took another right turn and slowly drove between two mountains. The road narrowed as we went deeper, and the light inside the car slowly faded into darkness. 

“We are here. Inside Alcona Academy. My university.”

My lips parted. The academy stood in the middle of towering mountains and endless forests that felt like carefully man-made. Ancient stone buildings stretch beneath cliffs and pine trees, looking more like a forgotten kingdom than a school. 

We passed through two giant wolf statues guarding the entrance, their eyes lifted toward the sky as if watching over everyone who passed through them. 

Behind each wolf stood another statue of a creature with enormous bat-like wings. The same one who hit us earlier, but without wings. Even the red eyes were exactly the same. The creatures towered over the wolves, as if protecting the wolves… but could also easily destroy… and kill them behind.

“What’s that?” I don’t know if I felt weirded out or terrified by what I was seeing. 

What kind of school has statues like these? They looked like demons… like something out of a creepy cult. 

“Thousands of years ago, vampires and wolves ruled the world. Humans were their prey. But as humans evolved, they learned to fight back, forcing vampires and wolves into hiding. The wolves discovered Alcona first, and soon after, the vampires came here too. That’s how Alcona Cionas was created. Alcona belongs to the Wolves, Cionas belongs to the vampires. But the Alcona Academy belongs to both Alcona Cionas students.”

His stories made me giggle softly. 

“You’re turning just like our parents now…” I said, uninterested in any of his vampire-wolf myths. It's always been like that ever since. I always get sleepy when Mommy tries to tell stories. Though I regret not treasuring those moments, because I only realized how precious they were after they were killed by Uncle Martin.     

Eric just smiled, then clenched his jaw.      

“Those statues judge the bloodline of anyone who enters Alcona Cionas. The wolves rule this place, while the vampires guard it from outsiders… and from anyone inside Alcona Cionas who breaks its own laws.” 

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I’ve heard stories like that in books before. What’s next? Those statues move during full moons, too? Great story.” 

Eric only gave a faint smile. 

We arrived at a wide, old cement ground that looked worn by time. Far ahead, a massive old cobblestone bridge stretched toward another dark forest. At the entrance, cobblestone walls stood on both sides, framing the way in. 

On the right, inside the walls, I could only see the upper part of a huge, brownish, ancient cobblestone structure. Its full shape is hidden behind thick pine trees. But even from here, it already looked massive—way bigger than the senior dorm. 

Right before the bridge entrance, there was a smaller, separate complex connected to the road. Eric parked the car there.

I immediately pushed the car door open.

“Can I stay in your dorm instead? Or is it boys-only?” tanong ko. 

“Our dorms are only for senior students like me. Your dorm will be inside Alcona since you’re still visitors. In a year, you might be able to transfer to the seniors' dorm.”

My mouth gasped at the scenery.

“Erin, are you even listening?”

“Hmm…” 

“The visitor rules here are strict, so be careful and mindful. You can’t go outside the campus without seniors.  If you want to go out, you should go out with me since I’m a senior.” 

The mountains swallowed most of the sunset. Unlike earlier on the drive, the place was dead quiet. But the cold wind here carried more distant howls that sounded like they were coming from nowhere… and everywhere at once. 

“Wolves.” Eric opened my door wide. 

“Wolves?” I repeated.

He smirked. “Come on, let’s go inside. The front desk is about to close.” 

“Are you serious?” 

“Pets. They’re harmless.” 

We stepped onto the first of the five stone steps leading through the open cobblestone entrance when another wolf howl echoed through the air. 

I turned toward the woods where it came from. 

My eyes landed on five tall figures emerging from the trees. They wore dark academy uniforms—black blazers with silver-lined edges, white polos beneath, and crests stitched over their chests. 

A boy and a girl with black hair, who looked alike, walked side by side, laughing with their arms around each other. With black hair too, the two identical boys were messing around, chasing each other along the path, while another guy with shoulder-length white hair watched them from behind. 

Then his eyes shifted and locked directly onto me. My body shivered without me even realizing it. His gaze was dark and deep, shadowed by heavy black eye bags that made his eyes look sunken. It looked just like what I saw earlier… 

The two boys suddenly stopped running, blocking him from my view.

One grabbed the other by the collar and kissed him. 

Oh. 

“Eric!” the only girl in the group shouted and waved at us.

Eric waved back at them, then pointed at me with a wary look.

“Later,” he muttered to them, but I still heard it. 

“Come on, Eric! You don’t have to hide–”

“She still doesn’t know yet, Kendall,” Eric cut her off.

Kendall’s lips formed an O. “Oh?”

I raised a brow at Eric. He just shook his head. 

"Good luck. You’ve got a troublemaker,” said the guy with his arm around Kendall, grinning at Eric, then at me. “Kendric,” he introduced, offering his hand for a handshake. 

Eric took Kendric’s hand instead.

“Oooh. Possessive.” Kendric teasingly smirked with Eric.

“She doesn’t know anything yet, guys!” Kendall called out to the couple approaching us. 

“Oooh? A headache," one of them said–the one with a scar down the center of his nose. “It’s been a while since we had one. And it betrayed–”

“I’m Rowan,” the other interrupted–the one with the friendlier expression. “And he’s Roswen. Don’t mind him–he’s just joking," Rowan added, then leaned in and kissed my cheek. 

Before I could react, Roswen immediately wrapped his left arm around Rowan’s neck and pulled him away from me. 

Awkward, I just smiled at them. “Hi. I’m Erin. Eric’s twin sister. And before any of you accuse me of anything, I’m not a troublemaker. I’m actually the well-behaved one.”

They all laughed while the white-haired one just smirked. 

“Since you still don’t know much yet,” Kendall started after eyeing Eric, who got alerted. “Here’s your first piece of info about Alcona Academy… every student here has a twin, Erin.” 

Eric nodded when I glanced at him. Is that why there are two wolf statues at the entrance? Interesting.

“Except Lucian, since he’s a Cionas. A pure-blood va–ah!”

Rowan wrapped his arms around Roswen’s neck and dragged him toward the pathway leading to the seniors’ dorm. 

“We’ll go ahead first. See you around, Erin!”

Awkwardly, I smiled and accidentally glanced at the white-haired guy.

He must be Lucian, right? Our eyes met, but he was already staring at me.

My brows furrowed when I noticed Lucian’s eyes were red… just like that oversized dog we hit with our car. 

“Your eyes are red. Are you wearing contacts?” I asked before I could stop myself. 

Or is he smoking weed? 

Lucian laughed suddenly. 

We all turned to him. He smirked, then shook his head. Eric immediately shifted, slightly blocking him from my view. 

“Stop it, Lucian.”

“I just find her shirt cute.”

My eyes widened a bit. Right, my shirt inside out. My hands slightly covered my stomach, but it's no use actually. Kendall looped her arm through mine too, like she was trying to cover me from Lucian.

 “Let’s go inside. I’ll help you fill out your school form–”

“Eric?” 

We all turned around to the voice at the entrance. 

A woman in her late thirties was standing there. She had thick glasses pushed up on her head, and she was wearing a fitted black blazer with a pencil skirt and pointed heels. 

The moment she showed up, everyone’s posture changed. Even I straightened a bit without thinking. She looks like the kind of person who instinctively makes people fall silent around her. 

“We’re about to head in, Daria,” Eric explained quickly before she could question us. “She’s the Dean here at Alcona,” he told me, giving my back a light tap as a signal to introduce myself.

“Oh.” I straightened a bit more and gave her a small smile. “Good evening, Miss Daria. I’m Erin.” 

She looked at me with zero expression, then glanced past me. “All of you, go back to your dorms. The Cionas Bell will ring earlier than usual today.” 

Kendall smiled at me. Kendric nudged Eric, then winked at me. Kendall immediately shot him a glare. Kendric just shrugged and put his arm on her shoulder as they walked toward the cobblestone path where Rosween and Roswan already went ahead.

Lucian stared at me for a second, then walked off in the opposite direction–toward the cobblestone bridge.

“Lucian?” Daria called him. 

He stopped, glancing at me first before looking at her. 

“You can skip your Cionas class tonight,” she said calmly. “Your father’s been trying to reach you.”

“There’s a class at night?” I glanced at Eric, whose jaw tightened as he glared at Lucian, who stared at me again.

Lucian smirked at Eric, then glanced at me again. For a second, his eyes are red again… I blinked twice, and they were back to their usual deep black. 

“Welcome to Alcona Cionas, Erin,” Lucian said, still wearing that same smirk.