Streets of Ravetham

The academy was all about flexin' wealth and status—built like a damn fortress for the rich and powerful. It had that perfect mix of old-school, classical architecture and next-gen tech only the elites could get their hands on. Towering marble columns that glowed in the sunlight, manicured lawns cut sharp like blades, and beneath all that, the hum of mana generators powering every corner of the campus. To most, this place was intimidating, the weight of it too heavy. But to Bree? It was a damn prison.

On the surface, Bree moved like a regular—just another girl, part of Xyra’s clique. She was always in the background, quiet, lowkey, letting Voira, Rhea, and Aislin take the shine. Just a face in the crowd, never making waves. That’s how Bree liked it, though—safe in the shadows, out of sight, out of mind. But the truth was, Bree wasn’t just some shy girl blendin' in. Nah, that was the shell—the fake body Bree was using to stay hidden. The real Bree? A hybrid of Aeliseth, an Alicorn, and Blaze, a Kitsune—way more powerful than anyone at Rave U could even dream of.

See, Bree’s real form was locked up inside the meridian mana core of the homunculus body he controlled. That’s how he stayed incognito. No one ever suspected Bree was anything more than the quiet girl tagging along with Xyra’s clique. But under all that, Bree was something way bigger, something dangerous, and today, that secret was close to unraveling.

He posted up by one of the stone pillars near the courtyard, watching the students move through their daily hustle. They were gossiping, studying, or just showing off like they always did. Bree looked calm, leaning back with that chilled vibe, but inside, his thoughts were spiraling. The day had already gone sideways.

Earlier, Xyra had dropped a bomb on him. It was just after the madness with the Georgina clones, when all hell broke loose on campus. Those clones had flooded the academy like locusts, identical and chaotic, spreading panic and confusion. Bree had watched from the sidelines, lowkey entertained by the chaos, watching Xyra and the others take them down with cold precision. Part of him almost wanted to jump in, to let loose some of the power he kept buried deep. But nah, he had to keep his cover tight. Too many eyes.

But while everyone was still dealing with the aftermath, Xyra had pulled Bree aside, and that’s when things got real. The sun was barely up, soft golden light stretching across the academy grounds, and it was just Bree and Xyra, under the massive tree near the west courtyard. Xyra was leaning against the trunk, arms crossed, her eyes on the horizon like she wasn’t even pressed about what she was about to say. But the weight of her words hit Bree harder than a punch.

“I know you ain’t human, Bree,” Xyra said, her voice calm but sharp, like she already knew the truth and was just waiting for Bree to catch up.

Bree froze, that artificial blood inside his homunculus body feeling like ice in his veins. He forced a laugh, tryin’ to play it cool. “What? Xyra, you’re buggin’. I’m human, same as everyone else.”

But Xyra turned to face him, and the look in her eyes hit different. She wasn’t playing. “Don’t insult me. I’ve always known. You’re different, Bree. You ain’t like the rest of us. It don’t bother me, but I gotta know—why you frontin’?”

Bree’s mind went blank for a second, panic setting in. How long had she known? He’d spent all this time staying in the background, letting Xyra, Voira, and Aislin take the spotlight so no one would notice him. It had worked… until now. Xyra wasn’t just guessin'. She *knew*.

He could’ve told her the whole truth right there—that his mother, Aeliseth, was obsessed with cracking the Philosopher’s Stone and that Bree was one of her failed creations. A hybrid, part Alicorn, part Kitsune, controlling a homunculus body made to look like a human girl. But nah, Bree wasn’t about to spill that. It sounded weak, pathetic. So instead, he just kept his mouth shut, eyes sliding away from hers, the silence heavy between them.

Xyra just shrugged, casual as ever. “Whatever. Think about it. I don’t care what you are, just keep it real with me.”

And with that, she walked off, leaving Bree standing there, his head spinning. Now, as he leaned against the stone pillar in the courtyard, her words still echoed in his mind. She knew. She’d always known, and it didn’t matter to her. That hit Bree deep, not because of the knowledge itself, but because she was cool with it. All this time, Bree had been frontin', trying to blend in, thinking that if anyone found out the truth, it would be game over. And here Xyra was, tellin’ him she already knew and didn’t care.

But that didn’t make everything easy. Sure, Xyra was different—Bree had feelings for her, and not just because she was powerful. There was something about the way she moved, the way she carried herself with confidence, that got to him. Even with her obsession with Ennuy, Bree couldn’t help but feel drawn to her. But just ‘cause Xyra was cool didn’t mean the others would be. Voira, Rhea, Aislin—they wouldn’t understand. And then there was Bree’s real form—a two-tailed fox with a horn and baby wings? Nah, that wasn’t gonna fly. They’d freak.

But there was another issue Bree had to deal with, one that couldn’t wait. The homunculus body he was using was running low on mana, and without a recharge, it would start to deteriorate. Bree could already feel the energy draining, his core running on fumes. That’s the thing about being a creation, not born but made. His body needed soul shards to survive, fragments of failed experiments his mother left behind in her quest for the Philosopher's Stone. He’d been feeding on them for years, using them to keep this fake body going. No one ever noticed when he popped one in his mouth—it just looked like he was eating some kind of weird rock candy.

But Bree was running out of time. He needed to find a moment to slip away and recharge, eat another soul shard before the body started breaking down. And with Xyra on his case now, he had to be extra careful not to let anyone catch him in the act.

For now, though, he had to stay in the game. Keep playing the role of the quiet, shy girl who didn’t stand out. But deep down, Bree knew that day was coming—the day he’d have to shed the disguise and show the world who he really was. And when that day came, he could only hope that Xyra would still have his back.