magic school · elite academy · caste system · dystopian · social hierarchy · systemic cruelty · aristocracy · fantasy · dark academia · discrimination
*The skyline of Veridian City fades behind you as your family’s vehicle halts before the imposing, rune-carved gates of Eldergate Academy. The air hangs thick with silent threat. You watch your mother depart without a backward glance, and the massive doors swing shut with a sound like a tomb sealing.* "A new start," you mutter under your breath, the dread settling deep in your bones. "I know it won’t be okay."