"You done? We are late for our lunch break"
Depiste this,Jake still tried to look around for a certain person.

Where is he? Ever since we got back he disappeared ... and I can't even ask Sunoo because I don't know where he is right now!

"Jake,I don't think you fill find him doing this,you look like a stalker"
Again,Jake ignored his best friend.

And then,since when is looking for someone,observing every being with blue hair that passes through the corridors,stalking? Heeseung needs to reread the vocabulary.

"Listen,I'm just worried. We haven't seen him since we got back,it's like he disappeared. This morning I knocked on his room and he didn't even answer. Maybe something happened to him...."
The red-head said.

Since they returned to their dormitory after their medical check-up,they hadn't seen that boy again. He wasn't even there when they had to cover shifts to watch Ni-ki.

After Sunoo's revelation and their talk with the Headmaster,Jake had knocked on his door several times,at even different hours and days,but Sunghoon hadn't answered. Jake suspected he wasn't even in that room most of the time.

They lived in the same unit and neither he nor Heeseung had seen him all week. He had tried asking Sunoo but the blond wasn't really in the right mental state for having conversations. And most of the time was in his room or watching Ni-ki. Between him and Jungwon Jake didn't know who was worse.

"Since we found out who he is you've been acting like this. You almost fainted at his name,and,when we got back to our dorm Jay almost had to restrain you from knocking on his door because you wanted an autograph and pictures. You sure you aren't doing this because you wanted pictures?"
Heeseung asked.

Good point ,weak but good.

"It's true that I would like to have an autograph,I've been following his competitions for years....But,really,I'm also worried for him. It's not normal to disappear for almost a week."
Jake retorted resulting in Heeseung to roll his eyes.

"If you say so....sacrificing our lunch break to look for him seems too much to me though....I'm hungry"
Heeseung said and this time Jake was the one to roll his eyes.

"Fine! If we can't find him even here we can go eat your precious lunch"

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm hungry,beside I'm sure you are to–Ugh!"
Jake turned to Heeseung,noticing him on the ground holding his red nose.

"Hey–look where are you going!"

The raven groaned in pain,but Jake ignored him,his eyes fixed on the figure who had mistakenly screamed at him. The familiar hat and mask,the sunglasses abandoned on the floor,and golden and blue eyes,were a death give a way of his identity: Park Sunghoon.

"Owh,man,next time pay more attention to where you go....oh,it's you"

Even though Jake could only see his eyes,they looked more sunken than usual and he had a tired look.

The boy on the floor looked at them,a flash of recognizion in his eyes,and then did something neither Jake nor Heeseung expected: he ran away.

"What the fuck-"
Heeseung wondered as he stood up from the floor.

"Well...that was something..."
Jake glanced at the sunglasses on fhe floor and decided to retrieve them.

Maybe he will still need them.

"So?"
Heeseung asked impatiently.

"Alright,alright,let's go at the cafeteria."
Jake declared,putting the sunglasses in his uniform pocket and walking off to their destination.

They had to make their way through the various vampires crowding the corridors but eventually they managed to reach their destination.

The cafeteria on this floor was quite large,with rectangular wooden tables spread across most of the room. At the end of the room there was a very large counter,with a couple of employees serving the food. There were also drinks vending machines with re-fill machine,refrigerators and dessert arrangements. The place was full of vampires eating and talking in small groups.

Looking at it,Jake thought it was a bit like the Great Hall from Harry Potter,a series of fantasy books written by an author from the Nation of Salem,the homeland of witches and wizards.

"Hey"
Heeseung gave him a nudge with his elbow,then pointed to a table quite far away from them with only one individual seated.

"Isn't that Sunoo?"
Jake said,looking at the familiar blond hair.

"I think so. Shall we get the food and sit with him? He looks like he needs company...."
Heeseung said and Jake nodded.

"Let's go before he goes away."

Luckily for them,the line wasn't that long since their lunch break would be over in 15 minutes and most of the students had already eaten.

"Hello,please,what would you like?”
The man behind the counter smiled at them,he was short and had green hair and pale blue eyes. He could almost pass for a student if it weren't for his serious voice.

The choice of food wasn't very varied,since they were the last to arrive,but they still were satisfied with what was available anyway.

Contrary to what most species believed,vampires didn't feed only on blood. They used it as their main source of nourishment,but could still eat normal food. The only important thing was that they drank at least a liter of blood a day to avoid falling into a catatonic state.

Jake cringed at the thought. That thing wasn't funny at all.

Once they had made their choice,and picked up their trays with their blood drinks,they headed towards Sunoo. The boy had hardly touched any food and barely drank his glass of blood,his eyes were lost. A sense of uneasiness came over him.

"Hello Sunoo-ya,how are you?"
Heeseung greeted and the blond looked up.

Jake waved at him as he and Heeseung sat down at the table,in front of their friend,side by side.

"Hello hyungs...."
The blond said,looking away from them.

This is bad.

Sunoo had his moments since Ni-ki was kidnapped. He had gone from happy and outgoing to crying and going berserk with his power,and then hopefull,then angry and then relieved once their friend was saved. But now....now he looked like he felt nothing,like he was dead.

Jake didn't like that.

With one look at Heeseung,he could tell that the dark-haired guy had the same thought.

"So...How was your day? Met anyone interesting? Teachers? Did you like the classes?"
Jake tried,but Sunoo didn't replied to his questions. He was there but at the same time he wasn't.

Hee,I don't like this.

Neither do I. He looks to... empty .

We need to do something before it's too late.

"Sunoo-ya,how–"
Jake started,but before he could finish,the blond stood up.

What–

"I'm sorry hyungs,but I need to go,my class is starting in a couple of minutes and I don't want to be late since it's the first day."
Sunoo said while picking his bag and throwing away the nearly untouched food from the tray into a nearby bin.

"I'll see you later at the dorm...bye."
And with that,the blond went away,disappearing from the room,leaving them.

"Well...we didn't have many results..."
Jake sadly said,watching another person basically run away from them,from him.

I thought we were at least friends...friends help each other in times of need. Why don't you want us to help you?

"Jake....I know what you may be thinking,but I'm sure it's not like that. Sometimes we need just time...to be. We can always try again later,don't worry."
Heeseung put a comforting hand on his shoulder and Jake nodded.

"Yeah...you are right. We can try another time..."
The red-head smiled a little.

"That's my Jake,that sad expression didn't belong on your pretty face"
Heeseung smiled at him,patting his head,before going back to his food.

Jake's cheeks heated up and he had to slap them to get them back to normal.

This dude,he really is.....

Guys,where are you?

Beside him,Heeseung nearly choked on his food as he heard Jay's voice in his head. Since the lessons had started they had decided to re-establish the telepathic connection only between the three of them in case of need.

Hearing your voice while I eat is not a nice experience,I'll give it a -1 on 100.

Don't be dramatic.

I'm not,I almost choked.

Shame that the food didn't get you.

Hey!

Jake chuckled at their conversation.

We are at the cafeteria on the third floor.

Alright,wait for me,I'm coming.

Do you want us to get you something to eat?

Their mental link fell silent before receiving a response.

.......Is there any corn-?

Jake snorted at his request.

No and you need to stop with this obsession.

It's not an obsession! Corn is good! You are the problematic one!

I'm not problematic!

You're a pyromaniac!

It only happened once!

Say that to my house!

You have more than 30,and then I told you several times that I was sorry!

Next to him,Heeseung fell out of his chair laughing.

"Oh Dracula....this is gold."
He said,laughing between his sentences. Jake would have liked to slap him so much.

Yeah,yeah,say that to my money.

You are literally rich? Hello? You are a noble?

Doesn't matter.

It does!

Since when?

Since forever?!

As if.

Are you stupid?!

Say the arsonist.

It was only once for Dracula sake!

The more their mental conversation continued,the more Jake wanted to throw himself out a window and die.

At least when I'm dead I won't have to hear Jay's unbearable voice anymore.

"Anyway,I'm here"
The silver-haired vampire appeared in front of them.

"Shut up,you gave me a headache"
Jake muttered,drinking his red liquid to feel better. Jay rolled his eyes before sitting down and–

"Hee....you good? Why are you crying on the floor?"

Right,Heeseung was still on the ground laughing at them.

"I'm not crying! It's just....god,you guys are hilarious...I need to calm down and–"
Their friend stood up and sat down again.

"And finish your food."
Jake reminded him.

"And finish my food,yes."
Heeseung nodded.

"Ok,anyway...I come back now from my turn,Jungwon basically kicked me out of that room."
Jay started.

"Good,he made the best choise,you are unbearable."

"I will pretend I didn't hear that. I wanted to know how the classes went so far."

"Mhm....we met some of our teachers and spent the lessons introducing ourselves and getting to know each other.That's it."
Heeseung said,finishing his food.

"Alright. And....did you find anything about....that?"
Jay asked,lowering his voice.

"Yeah but we need access to the library. After the end of the lessons of today we will be able to use it so we need to wait. And we need to find Ta-ki,maybe he may know something more about it"
Jake said.

"Yeah,about that....We haven't seen that boy since we talked to the headmaster,and he did said he that he and the D.H. would talk to him. Does anyone know what his room is? Where is it? Have you seen him in the hallways? In lessons? Because he seems invisible"
Jay asked,and that same strange dark feeling of before woke up.

"....You're not thinking that....they did something to him...right? They would never...."
Jake muttered.

"I mean...you saw how aggressive the Headmaster got with us last time we spoke...and both he and the Deputy headmistress were quite distrustful of him at the beginning. I'm not saying they did anything to him,but I don't think the option should be taken away."
Heeseung said.

"Alright......let's try to look for him as soon as classes are over. He must be somewhere in the Academy. He would never leave Ni-ki in that state"
Jake declared and both Jay and Heeseung nodded.

The bell rang,signaling the end of lunch. Both vampires rose from the table,throwing their empty trays into the trash can.

"Let's go,we still have a couple of lessons before we can find him."
Jake said,before going out of the cafeteria,following the other vampires.

And then–

"The following students are asked to report to the Deputy Headmistress's office: Lee Heli Heeseung,Park Jaan Jongseong,Sim Jino Jaeyun,Park Solon Sunghoon and Kim Shion Sunoo."
The female voice of Know Boah called them over the speakers.

Jake cringed.

"Not the damn full name...."
Jay groaned,as whispers rose in the hallways,many of the other students who had noticed them were talking and whispering.

What a way to start our first day....

 
꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

 
It's so cold down here....

The boy rubbed his hands together as he shook,huddling against a wall.

If only I had known....

He looked up,noticing the half moon through the small barred window. It was dull and sad,not like the one he saw at home. No,that one was bright and so bright...

I want to go home,I want to see my brothers again,I want to see my moon again,I want.....to be free.

The boy with medium,dark purple hair howled at the moon,saddened by his confinement. Again.

Ni-ki....I hope you are ok....
 

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

Sunghoon wasn't having a good time.

He was running from one hallway to another,quickly passing between the various vampires. All that noise was killing his sensitive ears. He was already exhausted,school was making it worse.

And it's only the first day!

He hadn't seen his roommates,Sunoo,or the prince since they arrived a week ago. He hadn't even participated in the conversation with the headmaster,he didn't know what had happened but there were high tensions between them and the heads of the academy now.

His body still had to recover from....that.

"We will notify you if something happens with the Headmaster,you don't need to worry. Rest well"
Heeseung voice was blocked by the barrier that represented the door,but he still managed to understand .

A few minutes ago they had received an announcement –a floating,golden letter– telling them that they were summoned to the Headmaster's office ,by the Headmaster himself,to talk about their situation.

The others had decided to go,but he still couldn't go out of his room. His roommates had understood that he wasn't well and had left him alone ,Sunghoon was ok with that.

They did me a favor. Now... How do I fix this?

"This" was a big word . In the infirmary he hadn't been examined,lying to the doctors about his well-being,and avoided as much physical contact as possible .

He had delayed his transformation as much as he could,fighting against his own physiognomy and his body , hurting himself. It was hard,but now that he was alone he could let go.

And now, instead of his usual shape,he had become a big,four-legged,mass of blue fur : a wolf.

The ideal term for this type of transformation was not just a wolf,but werewolf. Beings capable of alternating their physiognomy between that of a ferocious animal and a harmless appearance. The natural enemies of vampires.

Sungho on wasn't a normal werewolf though,no,if he had been just that he would have stayed in his northern region,living on the border of werewolf territory like always.

Sunghoon was also a vampire,he was the combination of two species that had always hated each other. Vampires and Werewolves couldn't coexist,but he was the proof of the exact opposite: he was both. He belonged to both the aristocratic world of vampires and the free world of werewolves,stuck between them.

He was a hybrid.

His wolf-form was tossing and turning in the room in frustration ,the confined space was too small for him and he felt suffocated. He wanted freedom,to run away.

I need to get out of here.

He glanced at his closed window,the full moon high in the night,and decided to do the most irrational thing he had ever thought of: Sunghoon jumped.

His body slammed into the window and the impact shattered the glass,scattering it across the floor and out of the room. The wolf landed on all fours on a nearby rooftop before breaking into a sprint and storming out of the academy gates in the dead of night.

There was no one within the school grounds,no one had noticed anything, and even if they hadn't,it didn't matter enough to speak up.

Sunghoon was free to run. Keeping away from the school barrier,he remained within the perimeter of the forest ,trying to not go to far away from the building.

The forest was even more enormous in this form,the trees were taller and disoriented him but his nose carried him forward. He had no goal,he just wanted to be free to be.

"Sunghoon,remeber to never use your power,we don't know what could happen to you out there. You don't want to end like mama and Yeji,don't you?"
The memory of his father's warning made him stop in his tracks.

What am I doing.....I shouldn't–this isn't right...

Looking around,he realized he had arrived in a small clearing full of plants,flowers and a few fireflies. Quite the distance from the Academy.

I need to go back,I can't stay here....

The wolf turned to go back the way he started but his ear caught something coming from behind him. Sunghoon spun around,growling at the intruder.

In the shadow of the nearby plants,however,it was not an intruder that revealed itself,but another wolf ,with a blue (almost purple) and white fur,and a familiar scent.

Sunghoon narrowed his eyes as he watched the wolf's figure slowly come closer and closer to him.

What is he doing here? I thought he was with the others ....

Only when he was a few inches away did he realize he was hurt. He had a few scratches,a limping leg,and a black eye.

His eyes widened as he approached the other.

He was fine the last time we saw him ! What the hell happened?! Who did this?!

The other wolf fell to the ground,his wounded body unable to support his weight. Sunghoon tried to pick him up,to help him,to do something,but it didn't work out.

Stand up! Come on,you are finally free from that place and now this happen? What the hell!? Stand up!

Below him,Sunghoon heard moans of pain,before the wolf r everted in his other form. Now,lying on the ground,was Ta-ki . The boy had one hand on his injured abdomen as he gasped.

"Sorry,it can energy to stay in that form when I'm hurt,but I'm sure you already know that....."
The boy apologized.

He looked at him .

Ever since they found Ta-ki,Sunghoon knew that the boy was not a vampire,but a werewolf ,the two species had such distinctive scents that you had to notice the difference.

Furthermore,the Acadia region accent is death give away. I don't know how others haven't realized this yet. ...

He had kept distance from him in a vague hope that the other wouldn't notice,but apparently he had and he knew.

"H-hey....can you help me? He's following me and–and I don't want to... to go back ...please..."
Ta-ki begged ,his eyes glittered by tears.

The wolf growle d,his stance forming in an aggressive one.

Who is coming?

"T-that man...a-and he doesn't have a very pretty p-plan for me..."
The boy continued,couching what looked like blood.

Sunghoon's blood he grew cold as he saw the dark spot on the grass. His ears caught more footsteps,they were distant,but whoever was chasing Ta-ki,was coming.

"S-sorry,my bad..."
He apologized again, even though Sunghoon wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault .

" I think you also know what it means to have to hide because we are different ...it isn't fair isn't it? Being chased away and tormented just because we are something else....you can understand me,right? "
The other's words overwhelmed him with force.

"Oppa,do you want to go out for a run now that those hunters aren't here anymore? Papa said it was safe!"

"My little prince don't cry please,you aren't a monster. Everyone is different,if we were the same it wouldn't be fun anymore,don't you think?"

"Sunghoon,that power of your....don't use it,I don't want you to be in danger too...not after them. I can't stand it."

A rush of memories filled his head and he had to take a few steps away,shaking off the pa st.

Not now,stay concentrated.

"So this is where you've gotten yourself to,you disgusting creature"
The man's deep,venomous voice rang between his ears.

Before them,out of the darkness of the forest,a vampire stepped out. Not a normal vampire though. He had sunken red eyes and long,dirty green hair,dressed in a shabby uniform,with a large bow tied to his waist,and a badge that Sunghoon remembered all too well.

A vampire werewolf hunter from the northern of the Empire! What the hell is he doing here?!

Sunghoon positioned himself in front of Ta-ki's prone body,growling at him.

"Ohh, and I see you have company too! My contact sure didn't told me about the other one,but who cares! It's a lucky hunting night this !"

A contact? Who is he talking about?

And then,the hunter took an arrow and his bow,and aimed it at them.

Sunghoon dodged the first arrow by leaping to the side. He recovered from the impact and ran toward the hunter who aimed more arrows at him.

He dodged the other 2,but was less lucky with a third that hit him squarely in the leg. He rolled a short distance away and pulled out the arrow with his teeth and a cry of pain. The wound was bleeding badly.

Meanwhile the man had approached the bleeding boy lying on the ground.

"Tsk,just because you have taken this deceptive form ,don't think that I will spare you. Dangerous beings like you are unworthy of life!"
The vampire yelled, loading the bow and arrow.

So what,just because we are different,we deserve to die?! That my family deserve to die?! Vampires are dangerous too! It isn't a one-way only!

Despite his wound,Sunghoon was faster that the hunter and leapt,landing on the vampire's shoulders,biting him hard and bloody.

"Ahhhhhhh! You,stupid beast!"
The vampire screamed,grabbing the wolf by the neck and throwing him away.

Sunghoon hit his head hard on the ground,as he heard the other boy screaming for him.

"Shut up!"
The hunter kicked him in the wounded abdomen and Ta-ki screamed in pain.

Shit,this is bad.... I'm wounded in one leg and I hit my head hard...but the hunter isn't in any better shape either.

The vampire had his right shoulder bloody and injured from the bite. He held his injured shoulder with one hand as he kicked Ta-ki.

"AHHH! S-stop it! STOP! P-please!"
The boy yelled.

"As if! You can continue to beg,but I won't lower myself to the level of you beasts! Scream more! Scream more! You deserve this pain!"
The hunter continued . The more he spoke,the more Sunghoon wanted to kill him.

The vampire hunters...they are the real beasts. They stand above the werewolves,thinking they are saviors,when in reality they do nothing but damn lives and kill families. I hate them!

Gathering his strength,Sunghoon rose from the ground. He walked towards the hunter and attacked him from behind,biting his leg,hard.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

The bite was so powerful that Sunghoon heard bones breaking,as well as blood-curdling screams from his victim. The bow was thrown to the ground as the vampire collapsed,cursing him.

"Y-you! You will pa-ay for this! You b-beast!"
Deaf to his threats,Sunghoon approached him.

"S-stay away! I'm going to kill you! D-did you heard me?! I'm going to kill you,you wolf!"

With a final leap,Sunghoon clawed at the vampire's face. More blood gushed out,the face forever disfigured,and the scream sent the owls perched high in the trees fleeing.

The hunter's body beneath him grew cold and Sunghoon moved away from him.

Finally,this is over....

But when he turned to Ta-ki,instead of the boy,there was only a pool of blood. Sunghoon remained staring at the dark color. Purple particles were flying through the air.

He hadn't seen Ta-ki since then. He had sniffed the air and tried to follow his scent in his wolf form,but he had run into a dead end shortly after. It was as if he had vanished into thin air.

He had remained in his room the whole time,using all the materials he had to treat his wounds. But between the effort to slow down his transformation as much as possible,and what had happened that night,he had had a bad time. Very bad.

And furthermore,Sunghoon didn't know how,but Jake knew who he was? And apparently so did the others? (He hoped Sunoo could give him an explanation about that) So he had given up his disguise in their dormitory,even if the others didn't know it yet since he hadn't left his room for the rest of the week.

He hadn't even visited the prince during all this. From the few conversations he had heard though,the others had taken turns keeping an eye on him in his comatose state,which was pretty good. Once he felt better he would ask to participate.

He hoped Sunoo was okay and hadn't slipped into some destructive mental hole. The blond always did that when someone he was close to,or cared about,was sick or in danger. Last time something like that happened.....

Sunghoon shivered at the vague memory. Yeah,that shit wasn't pretty at all. Too many deaths. At least this time they had been avoided....maybe.

But now that school had started,it was difficult to keep the other vampires away,both to avoid being discovered and to avoid people noticing his wounds.

And,while he was trying to go unnoticed,that announcement came from the Deputy Headmistress: "The following students are asked to report to the Deputy Headmistress's office: Lee Heli Heeseung,Park Jaan Jongseong,Sim Jino Jaeyun,Park Solon Sunghoon and Kim Shion Sunoo."
And literally all hell broke loose around him.

"Wait– Park Sunghoon? That Park Sunghoon?!"

"O my Dracula! Where is he now?! I want an autograph!"

"Move away! I want some photos with him!"

"Where is he!? Someone like him can't go unnoticed!"

"See? I told you I was telling the truth! He goes to Riverfield too!"

"I can't believe this!"

"You think we could be a good match? He is so pretty!"

And many more.

He was getting a headache because of them.

It was as if all the students were talking only about him,even though practically all those called,except him,were more important and famous nobles!

I have to get out of here as soon as possible ,I don't like this at all.

He started to walk away,making his way through the various huddles of whispering and giggling vampires,but then–

A body collided with his,knocking him to the ground. His hat fell off,the mask lowered itself on impact. He had previously lost his glasses when he clashed with his roommates,so now his face was bare to the public to see.

OH SHIT!

"Oh! I'm sorry about–O MY GOD! You are– you are–"
Sunghoon he tried to tell the boy to stop,not to scream,not to say it,but the other kept pointing a trembling finger at him.

"PARK SUNGHOON! THE MOST FAMOUS FIGURE ICE SKATER OF THE EMPIRE!"

The murmurs stopped and faces turned toward them.There,on the ground,he saw his worst nightmare come true.

So much for having my identity a secret!
 

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

Sunoo knew he had to get as far away from all that crowd of people as possible,his classmates were very pushy and the announcement hadn't helped.

"Sunoo-sii,why did you get called to the office? Something happened?"
One of his classmates –a boy whose name he hadn't bothered to remember– asked while they were standing outside of their class.

"I have no idea,I think it's about my family though. Besides,I wasn't the only one called."
The blond replied.

"Mhm...Now that I think about it,the names listed are all big shots,including yours! Maybe they want to gather your families together for something big for the Academy!"

As if...

"Let's hope...hehe....I have to go though,let the teachers know. See you later!"
Sunoo waved and smiled at him before turning around and changing his expression.

What's going on? And why wasn't Jungwon's name mentioned? Did something happen to him?

Making his way through the crowd of people was a feat,but he still managed to advance until–

"PARK SUNGHOON! THE MOST FAMOUS FIGURE ICE SKATER OF THE EMPIRE!"
Someone shouted not far from him.

Shit! Hyung's name was said too,it was a given that all this would happen. Better to move away–

"Ahhhhh!"

Sunoo was thrown to the ground as a herd of enthusiastic vampires rushed towards the source of the scream,probably wanting to see Sunghoon.

"My uniform! Y'all,little–"
The blond groaned,getting up and dusting off the dark blue uniform he was wearing.

Looking at the scene before him,he almost felt pity at seeing so many bodies crowded around one poor guy. Keyword: almost. Sunghoon hyung will have a field day with this.

Did they even think about what could happen once our names were announced to whole Academy? Hello?Where is the oh so big protection they talked about?

Not wanting to be stuck there forever,with so many vampires,Sunoo decided to do something risky.

Rule number 3 of the Riverfield Academy manual: the use of powers within the Academy,outside of school hours dedicated to their practice and development,is prohibited.

But right now? In a situation where students were almost suffocating each other just to get a glace at his best friend? Yeah,Sunoo mentally said fuck the rules.

He closed his eyes and concentrated enough,his hazel eyes became golden like those of Heeseung,and snapped his fingers.

A golden wave of minimal pressure was released and the students moved away from their target,their eyes golden.

In the midst of all that chaos,Sungoon watched the scene from the ground speechless. If he had a camera with him Sunoo would have taken a picture of him.

Too bad vampires cannot be captured.

"What–Sun? You did this? You know it's against the Academy rules,right?"
Sunghoon asked,pointing to the various immobilized students.

"Pretty much,but they can't find out something that never happened. Do you still want to sit there or do we want to go? I can't have them stay like this for too long. You know how my power is..."
The blond asked him and his friend decided to follow his advice.

Sunoo watched as his hyung resumed his disguise of black hat and mask (even though the damage was done and everyone had already seen him),noticing the lack of glasses.

"Where are the sunglasses at?"

"Bumped into Heeseung and Jake this morning,I think I lost them in that moment"

Yikes. They were a good brand too.

"Let's go"
Sunghoon said and Sunoo nodded.

They distanced themselves for a couple of meters before Sunoo risked his fingers and the students returned to normal. As they walked toward the Deputy Headmistress's office,a commotion broke out behind them. The blond was pretty proud of it.

"So....how are you feeling? I didn't see you for days."
The younger snorted at this.

"Say the one who who has been living in his room practically all week. I should ask you this question..."
It seemed hypocritical coming from him who was hiding in his room and had distanced himself from the others.

Not to mention the fact that you're limping,even if you think I haven't noticed...

"Uhm–well...I wasn't feeling well. I think the whole experience wasn't really for me."
Sunoo almost shook his head at the way Sunghoon was trying to lie to him. He wasn't doing a good job.

Liar.

"Alright. I hope you are better now..."
Despite this,he still decided to respect it. If he was lying to him,there was a reason behind it and he wasn't ready to talk about it.

"Yeah,thanks. But what about you? How are you holding up to?"
Sunghoon asked and Sunoo ignored his question,again.

Realistically,how was he supposed to respond? “I’m better,thanks”? He laughed at the thought. There wasn't a better or a good answer for this. He just....wasn't. And everyone noticed.

Jake and Heeseung earlier at lunch. Jay the night before when he tried to keep him company while he was reading. Jungwon was trying to get him out of his room,and spend time together. And even though Sunghoon hadn't seen him in almost a week,he still know that there was something off with him.

It was really sweet,knowing that so many people had noticed his mood swings and wanted to help him. It means that they cares and were becoming close. But here's the thing: they couldn't help him. At least not in the way they wanted.

Every day that passed became heavier,and the constant of that room,with the resting body in it,didn't help him. It was a constant demonstration that he wasn't here for help him.

Sunoo knew that it wasn't his fault that the prince had been kidnapped. But...

Damn,Ni-ki had raised a shield of darkness to protect him from the pain of hearing those waves,and in exchange he had failed to help him in his time of need.

And in that place...he was so ready to make those who had taken him away pay,to want to repair his kindness,and he hadn't even succeeded in that. It wasn't even him who found him,but Jake and Heeseung.

And when he saw his body so frail,and then heard of all the injuries they had caused him? Sunoo wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.

He had felt so fucking useless.

And the worst part? He wasn't even there for him during his worst. He was greatfull that at least his friend wasn't alone in there,but...it wasn't him. There was someone else with him who actually helped him.

Ta-ki.

Sunoo knew what the others in the group thought: "Sunoo doesn't trust Ta-ki and that's why he was so cold/mean towards him". But no,it wasn't quite like that,it was far from it actually.

Sunoo had trusted Ta-ki from the first moment he introduced himself as the prince's friend. He stammered and was anxious,but he didn't give up or tried to hide the connection. The reaction of the others,when they talked to the Deputy Headmistress,also helped a bit.

The blond didn't even hate Ta-ki. He was also a victim of what happened to Riki,if not longer. They hadn't heard his story yet,so they knew almost nothing about his time there,or him as a person in general.

No. What he couldn't forgive was the fact that Ta-ki,a complete stranger the prince had had met in a matter of hours,had succeeded in doing what Sunoo had failed: concretely help him.

Sunoo couldn't get over this. He couldn't forgive himself and it spilled over into his attitude towards Ta-ki. He knew it wasn't right,but he couldn't help it.

So no,Sunoo didn't really hated Ta-ki,and he wasn't doing well. He hoped that this period would end soon so that everything would go back to normal.

"Hyung,we are here"
He decided to say,stopping in front of the door. Either they were the first to arrive or they were the last,since there was no one else there besides them.

Sunghoon opened the door for him,and inside were the other nominees,including Jungwon,but the atmosphere was quite....unsettling, heavy,sad.

What it's going on....

"Guys? What's wrong?"
He asked,noticing the way they were disposed in the room.

Jungwon was holding himself tightly in his arms and shaking,his eyes were red and he had most likely cried or was about to. He also kept his distance from the others,towards the wall near the desk. He looked like his world had just fallen apart on him.

Jay stood a few inches away from him,his face frowning and looking worried. Most likely,before their arrival,he had tried to talk to their younger friend,askinv what was wrong. He hadn't been very successful judging by his mood.

Heeseung and Jake had confusion on their faces,but Sunoo could also see a thick layer of anxiety. Anxiety that he also shared with them. They were in front of the desk and were looking at each other,as if they were having a mental conversation. Knowing about Heeseung's powers,Sunoo guessed that wasn't too far from the truth.

Lastly,the face of the woman who had summoned them was dark,her long black hair falling over her face,making it impossible to read her expression. Sunoo could still feel the concern.

No one answered his question. Jake however turned to them and gave them a nod of recognition. Sunoo turned to Sunghoon but the other shook his head,he was also without answer.

"I'm sorry about this abrupt summons,especially since it's your first day,but it's an emergency."
The deputy headmistress started,still not looking at them.

Again? Wasn't the last one enough?

"What is it this time? And I hope it's not about another rescue mission."
Sunghoon spoke,his tone exploited. Sunoo felt the same.

The prince hasn't even woken up yet and there's another emergency....

"The prince woke up."
Silence fell in the room for a couple of seconds.

Sunoo's brain stopped functioning. Before he could even internalize the news and realize the fact that yes,Riki finally woke up (Sunoo felt a huge weight being lifted from his soul,thanks Dracula he's awake–),Jungwon started to cry.

"Jungwon-ya,hey,Won,what's wrong? This is a good news,no? The little prince is finally awake,why are you crying? What happened?.....Talk to me please...."
Jay next to him tried to calm him down,but it was in vain,the white-haired boy just broke down in front of them.

"His highness woke up half an hour ago. Jungwon was with him when he opened his eyes,and he was also the first to notify us of the....problem."
Sunoo felt the weight he had just released return,but heavier,with every word the woman said.

What problem? What are they talking about?

He swallowed some bile,a bad feeling began to creep into him.

"What problem? I thought your doctors had treated all of his physical injuries....."
Jake said,he too had started to shake,Jungwon's reaction most likely did not bode well with the news.

".....I'm really sorry to say this,truly,I know that some of you are very close to him,so I know that what I'm about to say will hurt you,but–"

"Get to the point,dammit! What the hell happened to Ni-ki?!"
Heeseung yelled,making everyone flinch,including the deputy headmistress.

Sunoo looked at him in shock,it wasn't like him to yell or have such a temper. He expected it more from Jay or Sunghoon,but not Heeseung. Up until now he had always been calm and respectful,even during their preparation for the Rescue mission. To have him snap like that....it must be serious.

Apparently also the deputy headmistress he thought the same thing,because she was flabbergasted.

Luckily for her,it wasn't her who answered them,but Jungwon.

"The prince is blind!"
He yelled,while crying between a sob is another.

Sunoo felt that weight return a thousand times more than before,and his heart break again for the prince that he wasn't in time to help.

Cries of indignation broke into the room,Sunoo was deaf to them. He dropped to the ground,his eyes starting to burn.

Riki.....I'm so fucking sorry!

"SUNOO,NO–"

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

"Thanks again for accepting my last-minute request."
The male voice said,watching the other.

"You're welcome,it's rare to find those horrible beasts far from their homeland,especially in the southern regions of our empire."
The other vampire said.

They were located in the cold basement of a building,with torches of purple heat shedding light on the ancient walls,not far away from them was a certain cell.

"What are you going to do now?"
The vampire asked,watching the hunter retrieve his weapons.

"Isn't it obvious? The signs speak for themselves. That beast wasn't alone,there is another one in this place. And I intend to hunt him down until his dirty blood is eradicated from his body. That thing will pay for what he had done to one of our one."
The hunter said,adjusting the hood of his cloak before walking away.

Watching the figure walk away,the other sighed casting his gaze toward a corridor that was completely devoid of light. No sound could be heard from there.

"I'm sorry it's come to this,but we can't allow your presence here. They needs to stay away from creature like you and this isn't interchangeable. Their safety is the most important thing right now."
He spoke,even though he knew no one could hear him.

"Maybe,in another life,we wouldn't have gotten this far...."
The torches on the wall slowly died down as his footsteps echoed in the cold of the building.

He closed the armored door behind him,snapping his fingers. A purple aura materialized on the hard surface of the door,for a couple of seconds,before fading away.

"This way,no one will find you and you will not be a danger to this Academy. Until we meet again,werewolf."
The man teleported away into the night.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

"Are you sure of what you're saying?! You finally found him?!"
The boy asked the others,tears falling on his face.

"Of course. Did you have any doubts about my abilities?!"
The other boy said,a little annoyed by the lack of trust.

"No! It's just that– we've been trying to track him down for months and so far we've never found a good lead. I thought that– I thought that–"
The boy let's out a couple of sobs,not daring himself to finish the phrase.

"Yuma,Ta-ki is alive! And we have the proof right in front of us! We'll take him home together,okay?"
His twin brother placed his hands on his shoulders,trying to pull his mood up.

"Ma-ki...."
Yuma whispered,wiping his tears away with the sleeves of their school uniform.

"Beside,when has Ej ever got nything wrong? If he says it's the right track then it is."
Ma-ki ignored the snorts of some of the boys present at his statement.

"....You are right....This is our chance,we can finally bring Ta-ki back at home..."

"That's the spirit Yuma!"
His brother patted his shoulder.

"Nicholas,warns K and the others,we are about to leave for a long journey"
Ej spoke to the other boy that nodded.

"Where to?"
Nicholas asked,turning his gaze towards the other.

"Eclipsia Empire,the land of those blood suckers. They will regret what they did to Ta-ki."
Ej spat,adjusting his glasses.

"Alright"
Nicholas said walking out of the room,a smile creeping on his face.

This will be fun...