"What are we waiting for? All the other first-year students are already gone."

"I'm sorry for the wait,but I already told you that we miss someone. Until they arrive I can't start the tour."

Heeseung looked around,observing the peculiar group of individuals who had gathered around him.

Jake and Jay were a few steps away,whispering to each other. A tall,though shorter than him,boy wearing a cap and mask was arguing with their guide -a second-grade vampire named Choi Soobin. Probably from the Choi family lineage,they were very knowled on politics. Jungwon,the poor boy,had been swept away by the energy of a blonde vampire,who was now asking him all kinds of questions.

"And what your favorite food? Do you have a favorite jewelry item? Do you have siblings or are you an only child? Do you-"

It didn't take a genius for Heeseung to figure out that the blonde was Kim Sunoo,the Duchess's son. After all,he had seen him several times at the high society gaterings he was obliged to attend.

The boy with the hat and mask,however,still hadn't understood who he was. Someone famous for sure since he was trying to hide his face,and try not to draw too much attention. He just had to figure out who among the many.

Heeseung glanced at the silver,little,object in his hand.

When they left the auditorium,and had followed the other students to the Chamber of Reception,they had lined up to receive their things one by one.

The complete package was the same for everyone: the schedule of the Academy's lessons,the Riverfield uniform,the key and magnetic card of their room and dormitory,and a small brochure about the city of Moonstruck and its tourist attractions.
All delivered in a neatly folded envelope,except the key.

His key had the number 10. And when they had checked with the others he had noticed that both Jake,and the boy with the hidden face,had the same number as him. So they would be roommates for the whole year.

To his surprise,Jay and Jungwon both had the number 12. And Sunoo had the 11th. They were all in the same complex and on the same floor,just a few steps away.

And if his suspicions were correct,the last person to arrive would share a room number with Sunoo. He also suspected who it was going to be,and he hoped to be right. It would have been nice to be able to all be together after months of not seeing each other.

"Hey Hee,what are you thinking?"
Jay walked over and put his arm around his shoulder.

"Nothing. Just...it would be good for him to be with us. I'm sure he'll be happy to make friends his own age. "
The ravenette replied smiling,watching Sunoo and Jungwon not far away from them.

"He? Uhm. Are you talking about-"

"I'M SORRY THAT I'M LATE!"

Those present turned towards the direction of the voice seeing a boy with short purple hair,a black robe,and a golden crown,running towards them. Behind him a guard was scolding him.

"-We talked about it! You should not run! It's not appropriate for someone like you!"

The scene was so funny that Heeseung almost laughed,keyword: almost. That didn't stop Jake though. And Jay had the funniest expression ever.

Jungwon and the masked boy watched the scene in amazement,while Sunoo was perplexed. Soobin was actively wondering what he had done wrong in his life.

"Wait,he's that-"

"THE PRINCE?!"

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

After the (hilarious) entrance on the scene of the imperial prince,and after everyone had calmed down and Riki had collected his things from the Chamber of Reception, (Heeseung was right,Riki did ended up with the other key 11) Soobin decided it was time for the tour.

"Let's start with the basics. As you all know, the academy grounds extend throughout the forest. After you cross the river-from the entrance to the forest to the political border with the other nations-it's all Riverfield territory."
Soobin began as he led them towards the entrance of the palace.

Jay couldn't help but look around again. They had already taken that road to go to the auditorium,and then to go to the C.o.R.,(yes,he had decided to shorten the name) but it was just magnetic to see the dark forest surrounding them.

"Moonstruck is a city that is thousands of years old,just a few years younger than the capital. It is full of important monuments that testify to the advancement of our civilization. For this reason it was decided that it would host the academy."
Climbing the wide staircase,slowly,they arrived in front of the entrance.

Since the auditorium was in a separate building,none of them had seen the inside of the school yet. Jay could already feel his heart skipping with excitement.

"Now,I will introduce you to the city life in another moment,let's start with our main attraction. Try to stay close to me,it's pretty easy to get lost during the first few days since you don't know the areas good enough. And I'm speaking from experience."
And with those words,Soobin opened the huge door of the facility to allow them to enter.

The interior of the school was simply majestic. Above them stretched flights of ivory-colored stairs,pale marble columns,a dark roof filled with a lot of candelabras made of crystals,and a gleaming tiled floor. And that was just the entrance.

Jay felt ecstatic. Being able to study in such a structure was an honor. And apparently he wasn't the only one who thought so. The whole group had more or less had similar reactions to his.

2 steps back from him Jungwon had stopped to admire the beauty of the construction.

"Wow...it's...so beautiful..."
He sighed as he turned around to savor every single detail with his big feline eyes.

Looking at him,Jay thought he looked like a cat. A very very cute cat.

"Do you like it?"
Soobin asked,walking over to them as they were at the end of the group.

"I've never seen anything like this...."
He commented again and Soobin smiled at him.

"The architecture of the academy is very rare to replicate -the imperial palace is one of the few with the same style. So it is really magnetic when you see it for the first time,but you will get used to it. Believe me. I had your same reaction last year when I started."
He explained and Jungwon nodded at his words.

"Soobin-ssi,the academy dates back to the beginning of the empire right? This style of architecture is more recent than that though...."
Jake,who was in front of the group with the masked boy,pointed out,pointing in the direction of some columns.

"Ah that. I'm surprised you noticed it so fast Jake-ssi. During the early centuries,when the enmities with other races were still fresh and bloody,Riverfield suffered many attacks. Especially from the witches and their curses. For this reason the academy has been renovated several times over the centuries."
Soobin explained,walking over to the columns and placing a hand on them.

And then something strange happened.

"The last time was in......was in-how long ago?....oh yeah,in the-and this is way it's different. Wait....what I was saying again? Jake-ssi did you asked me something?"

Soobin continued his speech and then abruptly stopped and finished it,without even telling them the answer. And then,confused,he asked what they were talking about,as if he had forgotten his own explanation.

For a few seconds,Jay even thought his eyes had lit up with a different color. But he could have been wrong given the candlelight in the palace.

Strange. Totally strange.

The red-haired looked at him confused,not understanding what had happened before answering his question.

"Yeah I was asking about the-"

"Soobin-sii! Are the candelabras suspended by some spell?"
Sunoo interjected,pointing to the candelabras that were indeed suspended in the air.

Uhm. The silver-haired vampire hadn't even noticed. He thought they were attached to the high ceiling.

"The candelabras?- Ah yes! Them! They actually are. It is one of the long-term spells you will learn here. It is actually our headmaster's specialty. It's thanks to him that they are suspended."
Soobin said,explaining the nature of their source of enlightenment.

"Really? That's...interesting. Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Anyway,we've already wasted enough time at the entrance,let's go and see the classes."

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

Sunoo looked around nervously.

Behind him were Jay and Jungwon that closed the group,with Jake and Sunghoon hyung in front. Heeseung was a few steps ahead of him and the prince (with his guard) was walking beside him. Soobin was in front of the group by a few steps away.

He sincerely hoped that none of them had realized what had happened to their guide earlier. And that no one had paid enough attention to even notice the change in eye color.

It had been a mistake after all,he didn't mean to cause any problems. Something it just....happens. Especially when he is surrounded by other people that he doesn't really know well.

Aside Sunghoon hyung the rest were all strangers. He "knew" them because they had exchanged a few words here and there during the gatering of the vampire higher class,he knew the fame of their family and their reputation,but he had never had contact with none of them.

He just hoped he could learn to control his power and avoid spiraling out of control. If not it would have been a problem. A very big one.

"This the first floor. It is not visible from the outside,but the building has 5 floors. Each of them have 30 classrooms,10 labs,4 bathrooms -2 in the West wing and 2 in the Est wing- a large library and a large cafeteria. The offices are on the ground floor,while the teachers' rooms are on the second. The headmaster and deputy headmistress offices are on the top floor."

Soobin continued his explanation as he led them through the facility's vast corridors.

"Each floor has the same structure,so you will always find things in the same place regardless of the location of the class. For this reason,I will only show you the first one,since the others are the same."
He said.

Sunoo let his gaze wander among the various open doors of the various rooms. Each classroom had the same things,a desk for the teacher,as opposed to being a series of others,smaller desk,intended for students. Small lamps hung on the walls with candles being the only source of light in the dark rooms.

"Soobin-ssi,what time will classes start?"
Jungwon (Sunoo totally forgot he was walking behind him) asked,scaring him and making him cling to the arm of the person next to him.

"Ah!-sorry! I didn't mean to-"
He apologized,realizing after a moment that the person next to him was the prince.

Oh no.

He hoped not to be guillotined for this affront.

"Mhm? Oh,it's fine. Don't worry about it. If you need comfort it's ok,don't need to apologize for something that everyone wants or needs."
He replied,smiling at him.

Sunoo felt his cheeks burn with embarrassment as he nodded.

"Thanks....and sorry again,hehe"
The blonde said before pulling away and putting some distance between them.

The first day hadn't even started and he already wanted to dig himself up because of the embarrassment.

"Midnight. When you hear the first bell ring at midnight,classes will begin. The Academy has a nightlife so classes start from midnight until 5 am."
Soobin explained.

Whispers floated through the group. A whole year of night lessons...Sunoo could understand why none of them were okay with it.

"What about their powers?"
Sunoo turned his gaze to the prince's guard.

Until now he had followed them like a shadow,staying a few steps away from the person he was supposed to protect,giving them a false sense of privacy. He had almost completely forgotten about his presence.

"Once classes begin,the assigned professors will be tasked with cultivating their powers during the lessons. We have hours in the school curriculum dedicated to testing our powers. Don't worry,his highness is in good hands here with us."
Soobin smiled at the guard,who nodded at his explanation.

"Now. I would like to continue the tour so I can then take you to your dormitories."

And for the next hour the group continued to tour the majestic Academy. The school was truly a stunning Gothic architectural masterpiece. His mother would have loved it so much,this was just her style.

Sometimes they would ask Soobin some questions,other times they would just stop at one point to talk about it,and it continued like that.

The way their senior talked about the school was really admirable,you could feel the pride of being part of this school and how important it was for the development of vampire civilization.

The more he talked about it,the more Sunoo's head started spinning. The idea of being part of such a prestigious academy would never leave him.

Finally, they found themselves back where they started,on the ground floor. Only instead of heading towards the stairs upstairs,Soobin was leading them towards a corridor,in a less bright part.

"Now that the school tour is over,I think it's time to go see your dorms. The entrance is on the ground floor and they are connected to the structure."
He explained,as he walked further into the corridors,until he came to a black wall with white elegant frames.

Sunoo looked at the others,each one of them puzzled. He could swear that Jay whispered:"Has he lost his mind? That's a wall.",but he decided not to linger.

Next to him,the guard had moved closer to avoid any surprises for prince safety's. Sunoo wished he had brought his bodyguards too at that moment.

"So,it looks like a normal wall,but here's the trick."
The boy reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a key exactly like theirs.

He placed it against the wall, as if he were going to insert it into a door opening. At first nothing happened,and Sunoo wondered if Soobin was really crazy,but then there was a click.

And then there was another click,and another,until you could hear mechanical gears from behind the surface turning on. And the wall began to change.

"What the fuc-"
"Jay!"

The bricks shifted and opened up,making room in the center for what looked like some sort of entrance. It was enough to have the space of a door,even if there wasn't a real door.

And then the mechanisms stopped ringing and the bricks didn't move.

"The key they gave you before? That opens the wall that then leads to the door of your specific dorm building."
Soobin explained with a smile as he turned to them.

With a snap of his fingers the opening started moving again,this time the gears worked faster than before,and the wall returned to normal.

"So? Who wants to try?"

Each of them raised their hand.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

Jake observed with awe the way the wall changed and returned to normal. It was so simple and yet brilliant.

When Soobin asked who wanted to try,he really hoped he choose him. There was excitement in opening a new gateway into a whole new area. One that would be theirs alone.

The boy's gaze, fortunately, stopped on his and Jake could feel himself burning with anticipation.

"Mhm,let's see.....Jake,come,do the honors"

Yes!

Happy with his inner victory,the redhead approached the wall,pulling the key from his jeans pocket. Copying the movements made by the other before,he pointed the key at the wall.

After a couple of seconds,the sound of the gears from before started again and the wall began to change. The familiar entrance structure that had taken place before was formed and Jake prepared to open it.

"Ready to see your dorm?"
Soobin asked,noticing his joyful expression.

"Yeah! I'm curious to know what it's like"
Jake responded excitedly.

"What are you waiting for? Touch the opening with your hand and it will open."
The other told him,pointing to the entrance,giving him an encouraging smile.

Jake did as he was told. He placed his palm on the cold wall and a red heat light spread across the wall.

"Dormitory A-1,room 10,Sim 'Jino' Jaeyun"

A female voice recited and Jake looked at Soobin in confusion.

"Oh yeah,I forgot to tell you about that. When you touch the wall to enter your dorm,there will be this robotic voice that will verify your identity through your fingerprint. This way,students do not risk any privacy violations."
The boy said and Jake nodded

It made sense and it was a brilliant idea. He really hoped that once classes started he could finally try his hand at these kinds of complex spells.

More gears went to work until the wall changed back into a simple gray door,with a metal knob like all the others.

Jake put his hand on the knob and turned it. With a metallic click,the door opened.

Jake crossed the threshold followed by the others. And when he found himself on the other side he couldn't help but be speechless.

Before them was a huge room, filled with sofas with cushions and armchairs,a few glass tables here and there and a fireplace,paintings of various landscapes or flowers adorned the walls,with shelves full of books,and there were torches hanging that gave off a golden light. Above their heads there was a crystal chandelier hanging in the air,and to the right of the room a staircase leading to an upper floor.

"Wow..."
Jake sighed in fascination.

"This place is...wonderful"
Jungwon exclaimed looking around in amazement.

"Pretty cozy furniture."
Jay complimented.

"I'm glad you like it. This is a shared living room,the rooms are located up the stairs."
Soobin pointed to the stairs that were at the side of the room.

"My job is done here. I'll see you tomorrow at 10 outside the school for the tour of the surrounding areas. Have a nice day guys,your highness"
Soobin bowed to Riki before leaving,waving goodbye. The door opened as he passed and closed again shortly after.

Left to themselves,curious,the boys went up the stairs,finding themselves in a corridor with 3 different doors in each wall. One had the number 10,another the number 11 and the last one the number 12.

Without wasting any time,comparing the numbers on their keys,they split up to go to their respective rooms.

Jake,with Heeseung and the mysterious boy (Jake had yet to figure out what his name was) entered room number 10.

The room in turn had a small living room (it was only 3 armchairs and a table,really) with a kitchen,and a corridor with 3 more doors,each of which had a spacious bedroom for one person,with a luxurious private bathroom.

Slowly,Jake turned to face his new roommates.

"Rock,paper,scissors for the choice of the room?"
He asked seriously,while he scrutinized them,placing his hand in the center.

The other 2 looked at each other before nodding seriously and bringing their closed hands to the center.

"1....2....3!"
Jake and the mysterious boy threw paper,while Heeseung threw scissors.

"Fuck...."
"Yes! I won! And I choose the last room."

Heeseung smiled happily,grabbing his things and shuffling towards the last room at the back. Once inside,neither of you feel any movement.

With a shrug,Jake stared at his other roommate.

"It's only me and you now"
The other looked at him skeptically without saying anything,but he still brought his closed hand to the center.

Smiling (small victories are big steps) Jake mimicked him.

"1....2....3!"

The other boy threw rock,Jake threw paper.

"Yeah! I won!"
He jumped happily from victory.

"You don't mind if I took the room in the center,right?"
He asked,looking at the other who shook his head.

"Alright! Thank you!"
Jake smiled at him,before gathering his things and settling into his room.

Once inside his new room,the vampire wasted no time in putting his things in order.

He placed his clothes in the walk-in closet,with his suitcases placed in a compartment high up. After that he sorted out his things in the bathroom,filling the various drawers in an orderly fashion. Moving on to the room,he placed his new notebooks,books and laptop on the desk,with his beloved reading books on the shelves above.

The room was still bare, missing that something that gave it its essence, but he would make up for that during the week. The important thing was to finally have those heavy suitcases out of the way.

He fell onto the soft bed,exhausted but happy with the day.

From now on it can only get better.

With that thought,the noble vampire,closed his eyes and fell asleep.