Aidan Aleta let out a sigh as he snapped his suitcase shut. He was in the process of moving to Golden City to start his official training as a Demon Hunter.

Throughout his eighteen years of life, only two absolutes seemed to exist in the world of magic Aidan called his home.

The first: despite the many rumors, angels didn’t exist—period.

The second: magic had always been a part of this life—this world. The rest of his world seemed to be shrouded in shadows—never quite reaching the light but never succumbing to the darkness.

He liked to believe that everyone had a little bit of light and dark inside them. It was the one truth Aidan clung to because, without it, he wouldn’t be able to justify why his parents abandoned him at the orphanage or why he could never hold a friendship for long.

People avoided him. He honestly didn’t know why. Sure, he was taller than most. One of his academy professors told him that he looked too intimidating for a guy. But his short black hair and dark brown eyes hardly seemed menacing when he looked in a mirror.

He shrugged off the comment. For the life he wanted, coming off as intimidating was a good thing.

Demons of all shapes and sizes roamed this world freely. Sometimes they were left to their own devices. But most times they were eliminated if they started to become a problem.

The Department of Magic and Law, also known as DML, was in charge of keeping the magical and human life in order.

The world was broken up into thousands upon thousands of different cities, towns, continents, and regions. Each of these places had a governing body that reported back to the Department of Magic and Law’s main headquarters located in Golden City.

It got to be a bit hectic from time to time. Most of the world worked for the Department through some branch or other. It’s how the world maintained balance among so many people and so many places.

Aidan wanted to become a Demon Hunter. There always seemed to be a shortage of them. Most of the demons plaguing earth were easy to kill. But there were some that took twenty men or more to take down.

One had to have a high ability in magic in order to take down demons and live to tell the tale.

Everyone had some magic in them and it could always be improved upon. Magic became stronger with time. If you were persistent enough, you could become extremely powerful.

There was a long list of specialties people could choose from after their time at Academy came to an end. Academy is another word for school. Students were broken up by age and taught all forms of education ranging from literature to the sciences. A few magic classes were taught but most of them were taught at a magic university.

Aidan managed to get accepted into Gold University—the most prestigious university in the world.

The price wasn’t cheap but he managed to set up a deal where he worked part-time at the university while attending classes. It was expected of him to be in the top ten of every class.

Aidan was specializing in elemental and dark magic. His education lasted as long as it took for him to become a master in both.

He could have gone the standard route and chosen light magic, but he felt as if he had experienced too much darkness to allow enough light to shine through.

Besides, what better way to take down an enemy than with its own power?

Aidan stole a glance at his watch before picking up his suitcase and slinging a bag over his shoulder.

He didn’t have many possessions.

He took one last look at the place he had called his home for ten years. The floorboards were still cracked and the walls would be forever stained a sickly yellow. The bed was small. Aidan had grown out of it three years too soon.

There was one window that overlooked a busy section of the city. People bustled about. Cars honked—people yelled. All sorts of noise penetrated through the thin walls of the orphanage.

Aidan knew he should feel relieved to leave this place behind, but he felt a little ache in his chest. Leaving meant destroying the possibility of ever finding his parents.

He never planned to return.

He let out another sigh and closed the bedroom door on the way out. A click echoed down the barren halls.

By the time he made it downstairs, a light rain was falling from the sky. He was glad the train station wasn’t far from the orphanage.

“Aidan Aleta.” He turned at the sound of his name. He met light brown eyes set in a wrinkled face worn down by time. “Good morning, Lucy.” He greeted as her bony arms circled him in a tight embrace.

“I thought you were going to leave without saying goodbye.” Her old voice wavered as tears welled in her eyes.

“I could never do that and you know it.” He held her at arm’s length and said, “You don’t look a day over one hundred.”

That was a lie, of course. She was nearing one hundred and three. Aidan had a funny feeling that once he left, she would die.

Lucy rolled her eyes as she pressed a heavy, leather-bound book into his hands. Aidan raised his eyebrows in question.

“I specialized in Dark Magic. This book contains all the knowledge I’ve ever possessed. Use it well, my love.”

Aidan looked at the book and felt an overwhelming urge to stay with Lucy. “Thank you,” he replied, his voice gruff.

She gave him a gentle pat on the arm before directing him to the door. “Hurry or you will miss your train.”

Before Lucy could shut the door in his face, Aidan spun around and said, “Thank you for never giving up on me.”

She only offered him a kind smile before shutting the door with some finality. They had never been close, but she was Aidan’s oldest friend. He quickly readjusted his grip on his suitcase and turned to cross the road. He stopped in his tracks when he met astonishingly bright silver eyes looking at him from across the street. Those eyes were as pure as quicksilver and pinned him where he stood, daring him to rebel. Aidan felt his pulse quicken the longer he looked.

His eyes widened a fraction when he took in the stranger’s face. It was a man whose skin seemed to be glowing with an unearthly shine. His face was unnaturally beautiful. His hair was pure silver and just as beautiful as the rest of him. The man stood tall and proud.

Aidan tried to look away but found himself trapped in that mesmerizing gaze. A large truck passed between them and Aidan was suddenly free. He felt as if he had just woken from a very long dream. When the truck passed, he found that the man was gone.

He let out a mental sigh of relief. Whoever that man was, he was powerful. It didn’t bode well that he appeared to single Aidan out. Feeling paranoid, he quickly crossed the street and hurried to the train station, four blocks away. By the time he arrived, his clothes were soaking wet. Small puddles were forming on the ground where he stood, waiting for his train.