Author's Note:

We are finally back with another charapter!

Hope you had great time with Winter break,Christmas time and New Year,and that you had fun :D

Time to come back to the angst of this beautiful story.

☪︎

"Good morning students,my name is Kang Seulgi and I'll be your teacher for this class"
A woman with black,long hair and black eyes introduced herself. A sweet smile on her beautiful face.

The students greeted her in turn,some were eyeing her,attracted by her beauty,others were curious,looking at her,while others were doing their own thing,disinterested.

Heeseung belonged to the second category.

Kang Seulgi. The name is familiar...where have I heard it before.... ...

"I would like to start by saying that I am not a strict teacher,but I demand that you know how to behave in my lessons. We will not do anything theoretical and we will keep it practical."
The teacher continue.

"Since it's our first day together,I would like you to introduce yourselves and say something about yourselves"
Negative groans flooded in.

"You don't need to say much,anything is fine,really. If you want I'll go first,so you can know something about me too"
Their teacher said,smiling.

She is very nice.

Heeseung's head turned towards Jake's. The redhead was nodding at his own thought as he tried to build a catapult out of...shoelaces?

She is and....what are you doing?

Improvising.

Jake apparently fell into the third category.

"So,as I just said my name is Kang Seulgi and I really like cats and art. I am the head of the school art club,so if anyone ever wants to join they can come to me."

Ni-ki would like tha t....

Heeseung bit his tongue,letting the thought drop. They had already talked about it.

"Now....who's next?"
She asked,looking at them.

There were several murmurs before someone rose from their chair. Heeseung recognized the one who was the daughter of the Kim family: Kim Minjeong.

"Hello! My name is Kim Minjeong,but I prefer to be called Winter. I also love cats and I like to sing."
The girl with medium-short white hair,and black eyes,said.

The Kim family was known for it's long dynasty of fierce lawyers,none of them had lost a case or a trial,and the entire family descended from an ancient Baron.

"Thank you,Winter dear. Someone else?"

Another boy stood up,Heeseung smiled as he saw his friend come forward.

"Good morning teacher,you can call me Jake. I love science and I'm really fascinated by chemistry"
He said,smiling a little.

"Then,I think you will like the science lab that our academy has. It was a pleasure Jake,next one?"

And so it continued,for the next few minutes the various students introduced themselves one by one.

"Next"

When it was his turn,Heeseung stood up from his seat. Whispers arose.

You are famous wherever you go.

He ignored Jake's teasing voice in his head and spoke.

"Hello everyone. My name is Lee Heli Heeseung,but only Heeseung it's fine. I like basketball and I'm interested in music. I hope we can have a good year together"
He said,bowing a little at the end of his 'speech'.

Heeseung ignored the whispers of the various girls around him,talking about him.

"Thank you Heeseung,and I hope so too."
The teacher said,smiling at him,before going on to the next person.

Show-off.

Shut up that you aren't better than me.

As if,you are only saying that because you know that I'm right.

Jake,if you don't shut up,I'm going to make you eat pudding.

EWH NO! Everything but pudding! That's the devil's foo d.

Then shush.

"....Park Jongseong? Is there a Park Jongseong?"
The teacher asked confused,looking at the various students in the class. No one was replying to that name.

Oh shot! Hee,what do we do? They told us that the teacher can't know what happened.

I don't know! I thought the headmaster had sorted out the matter .

The two boys looked at each other in panic.

If the teachers find out what happened these days,panic will spread among students,we cannot allow that.

Taking courage,Heeseung raised his hand,and the teacher gave him permission to speak with a slight nod.

"Uhm–teacher,at the moment he's not here because he's sick. Don't worry,he will recover in a short time"
He said.

"Oh,I'm really sorry to hear that,I hope he recovers soon. Hope he can join us in our next lesson."
She said with a kind expression.

"Hope so too...."
He muttered,while the introduction continued.

That was a good save.

Mhm.... Thanks,I know.

Heeseung sighed,the stress he hadn't realized he had subsided. The last few days had been very...ethical. After they rescue Ni-ki,the situation had not completely calmed down and they were now in a...complex situation. The boy let his mind wander through memories.

"Come on! They are not far away I can see that brat's fire!"
One of the man with a strange black robe scream,while cheering on his companions.

"Quick Jake! We can hide in here!"
Heeseung shouted,pulling his friend with him in a room.

They were running around in the enemy base for 20 minutes already. They were doing everything in their power to distract as many people as possible,so that the others could find Ni-ki.

Behind him,the door closed and Jake put out his flames. Apparently,using his flames against a pack of angry vampires had done a lot of damage,but they were easily traceable.

"Fuck! They're following us,what do we do Hee?"
Jake asked with a panicked voice.

"I don't know,ok!? I fucking hope that Sunoo found Ni-ki already,we need to get out of there and fast!"
He replied out of breath.

Running around while maintaining a mental connection between so many people wasn't very nice. His body was starting to get tired.

Suddenly the shadows inside the room vanished,and the darkness went away.

Wait! Shadows?! No way!

"What happen–NI-KI?!"
Jake yelled,turning around confused. Heeseung did the same thing

"OH MY GOD!"

Before them,the prince lay slumped on the ground with a look of pure agony on his face. His face was paler than usual and was full of purple and blue wounds,with some black and red. The visible parts of his body –his neck,arms and hands– were in the same condition.

An angry red mark could be seen on his neck. Heeseung held back his anger.

Not now. Ni-ki needs you.

The two approached him with quick steps. And then they heard a growl. Their tunnel vision widened and only then did they realize that their friend was in the arms of another boy.

Who's that?! And why is he with Ni-ki? If he did something I will–

His thoughts were interrupted by the boy's words

"Who are you and what do you want with him!?"
The boy yelled.

He had purple hair,although it was more on the blue side,with brown eyes. He had an iron grip on their friend and didn't seem to want to let go. Heeseung suspected that if it weren't for Ni-ki in his arms,he would have already attacked them.

At least he's not one of those who hurt him.

"We are his friends,we come here to get him out of there. We would never hurt him."
Heeseung made sure that his voice was steady and calm,like he was trying to calm an animal.

He's also protective.....

"Yeah! I'm sorry if we startled you,but we've been discovered and the guards are after us. We hid here to catch our breath...we didn't think there would be someone else too..."
Jake said,with his soft voice.

"How can I trust you? How do I know you know the truth?"
The boy frowned a them.

"Ni-ki dissolved the barrier that kept you two safe as soon as he recognized our voices"
Heeseung said,for a couple of seconds no one talked.

"You can also ask him,we know him ever since he was a child"
Jake added,trying to convince the boy

"It....It make sense...alright...I'll believe you...."
The other declared,letting his grip loosen.

"Thank you."
They both said,feeling relieved to be able to approach their friend without further problems.

"...Hyungs....."
Ni-ki said weakly,attracting their attention

"Ni-ki! Oh my god! Are you ok? I swear to god I'm going to kill them for what they did to you! They are dead,all of them."
Jake hissed as he came closer to him.

Heeseung wasted no time and did the same,agreeing at everything Jake was saying. They both sat down next to him,trying to figure out how much damage he had suffered.

No one mess with his younger friend without facing consequences,no one.

"When we found out that those bastard put a collar around your neck we saw black. How fucking could they do something like that?! And look at you.....what have they done?"
His poisonous voice spread through the room.

He was angry. These excuses of vampire had not only kidnapped and tortured his friend for the entire day,but had also prevented him from using his powers,as if he were an animal.

Those collars were made illegal for a reason. Their bodies couldn't handle having their powers nullified for too long,and many of those tested died within a week or two.

Luckily,Ni-ki hadn't been exposed for long and nothing serious will happens to him,but he would still have been very weak. And his powers...

Heeseung bit his lips at the thought. His friend's powers were very useful and powerful,but they had too many side effects that backfired on the user.

I just hope that everything will work out fine...please be alright.

"Hyung....we need to get out of there...before he...comes back...."
Ni-ki said faintly,catching their attention.

Heeseung and Jake looked at each other before returning their gaze to his friend.

What is he talking about?

I have no idea.

"He? Who is he?"
Jake asked.

He didn't get an answer. The prince's eyes began to close and panic spread across their features.

"Fuck! Heeseung fast,we need to get him out!"
Jake yelled,shaking him from the horror he was feeling.

"I know! Let's go!"
He said,picking Ni-ki up,carrying him in his arms.

Please hold on for another couple of minutes,you can do this. Please.....

"Wait! Where are you two taking him!?"
The boy asked again,and he could see the worry and the disperation in his gaze.

An insane idea crept into his head.

"We are going home! Do you want to come with us?"
He asked,watching the other's expression morf. His face fell and his eyes became distant,as if he was not with them at that moment and was thinking of something else.

"Home?"
He whispered,sounding lost.

"We don't have time!"
Jake yelled again,Heeseung nodded at his words.

"We need to warn the others."
He said,quickly sending a message to their friends.

Guys! We found Ni-ki!

Thanks Dracula! How is he?

A shot of Sunoo's worry and relief made its way into his mind.

It's....really bad! There is blood all over and his body is full of bruises and wounds....

Fuck!

Those bastards!

He also fainted,I think it's from the blood loss.

Jake said,and Heeseung hid a grimace.

Shit.

This isn't good.

I know. Where are you? We need to get out of here as soon as possible.

Hee! And you guys! Do you remember the road we took? Let's meet at the entrance,right now it's too risky trying to regroup here. We don't even know wherewe are.

Jay spoke. Glancing slightly at Jake,his friend was nodding at the other's words.

This might be the first time that they are both agreeing to something....

Jay-hyung is right. You guys take the prince away as fast as possible. We will meet you at the entrance.

Alright. Be safe everyone.

You two too.

Their communication fell silent. With a look of determination the two friends looked at each other and nodded.

"Ok let's go home."
He declared.

But before they could move and begin their escape,the boy's voice made them stop.

"W-wait!"

They both turned to him,watching as he rose from the ground,tears in his eyes.

"I-I want to go home too!....Take me with you PLEASE!"
He cried,bowing a 90 degree to them.

Heeseung and Jake looked at each other for a couple of seconds before nodding.

"Alright. But we need to be fast ok? We can't get caught now."
Jake said,and the boy nooded.

"I know this place like the back of my hands. No one will caught us,I promise"
The other said with a serious look.

Uhm...interesting. He might help us get out of here.

Together,they all left that room to go back to the corridors they had previously walked through.

Thanks to the boy –they had discovered that his name was Ta-ki (Heeseung had to hold back a snort at how similar it was to Ni-ki's)– they had managed to leave behind most of the guards,and the few who had come in their path had been severely burned by Jake's flames.

"We need to turn left into the next corridor!"
Ta-ki said,leading them.

But when they turned around the boy fell to the ground touching his forehead and hissing from the pain. The other figure had the same fate.

"Owh!"
Ta-ki complained.

Heeseung stopped and Jake took a few steps forward,flaming his hands to attack in case it was an enemy.

"Owh! Hey,look at where you are goin–Jake? Hee? Put those things away from my face! We talked about your pyromaniac phase"

"Jay-hyung!"
"Jay?!"
They all said at the same time.

Jay was on the ground rubbing his head,with Jungwon appearing at his side as he tried to lift him up. Jake put out his flames with a sigh of relief.

"Thank god it's you guys,sorry about that. I thought it was another guard."
Jake said,helping Ta-ki when he got up,his forehead had a red mark but other than that the boy was alright.

"Don't worry,we can understand. Is that..."
Jungwon voice fell when he looked at Heeseung and who he was carrying.

"Yeah...it's him."
He said weakling. Watching Ni-ki's calm face,Heeseung hoped that he was at least having good dreams.

He deserve all the peace of this world after this.

"Dear Dracula....it's worse than what you guys told us...."
Jay declared,looking at the still body in his friend's arms.

"This is why we don't have much time. We need to go,and we need to go now."
Jake said urgently.

"If we take that way we will arrive at the entrance earlier. It's a shortcut"
Ta-ki said,pointing at another corridor at the end.

The eyes of the two newcomers turned to him,looking at him suspiciously. Ta-ki shrank under their gaze,after all Jungwon sharp eyes's were difficult to miss.

"And who are you?"
Jungwon asked.

If they had been in a different situation,Heeseung would have felt empathy for the poor boy. Jungwon could be scary when he wanted,this rescue mission had taught that to him.

"My name is Ta-ki and I'm Ni-ki friend's. I helped him while he was locked up in here. We were supposed to escape but...things didn't go as planned. At least your friends found us and helped us."
Ta-ki answered,his eyes did everything to avoid meeting those of the white-haired vampire.

"Mhm...and you think that I–"
The younger was interrupted by another voice.

"Jungwon,he is saying the truth. We can explain everything later,but we need to go before it's too late!"
Jake yelled.

Jay looked like he wanted to punch him in the head with the murderous look he gave him. The army chief's son,however,listened to him.

"You are right Jake-hyung,sorry. We can talk later."
Jungwon said,casting one last inquisitive look at Ta-ki,before looking into the corridor.

"You said that there is a shortcut right?"
He asked,receiving a nod by Ta-ki.

"Alright. I'll notify Sunoo-hyung about our position while we are going"
And with this they continued their escape.

The group hurried to follow Ta-ki on various routes,while keeping in touch with the last 2 friends. Thanks to Jake's flames and Jay's strength,if they encountered any vampires on their path,they were able to get out without a scratch.

"There!"
Suddenly Ta-ki pointed his finger towards another corridor and Heeseung noticed how familiar it was.

That's–

"The entrance!"
Jungwon shouted.

Behind them,fast footsteps and loud voices reached them. Heeseung tightened his grip on Ni-ki.

We are so close!

"Other guards? Haven't they learned their lesson yet?"
Jay said,turning to face the enemy vampires when...

"AH!"
Jay fell to the ground with a figure on top of him.

"Jay!"
"Hyung!"
They all said at the same time.

Wait,this voice–

"Guys?! You're here!"
Jake's happy voice confirmed his suspicion. Their friends had arrived.

Heeseung watched the two boys get up,Jay holding his nose with Jungwon next to him looking worried,and the other boy who...didn't have his hat and glasses.

Oh my god....

The black hat that he always had with him had fallen off on impact,causing his long blue hair to spring out. And his eyes...

Heeseung's golden eyes locked with his. The boy had eyes of two different colors,one blue and the other gold like his.

Eye contact lasted only a couple of seconds before the boy covered his face with his arm and turned away. Sunoo had handed him his glasses and hat and the boy had put them back on.

"Thank you..."
The now masked boy muttered,and Sunoo nodded at him.

"You are welcome. Hey guys! Sorry for our entrance,we didn't want to scare you. Are you alright?"
Sunoo turned first to them and then to Jay.

"Mhm...could be better,but it's fine. Nothing broken"
The silver-haired said,receiving a smile from the blond.

"I'm glad to hear that....."
He said,and then his eyes shifted on Ni-ki body.

Heeseung He bit his cheek as he looked at Sunoo's dull gaze. He thought that getting Ni-ki back would make him feel better,but apparently that's not the case.

At least not yet.

"Is he....."
Sunoo tried to speak but his voice fell nervously.

"He will be alright Sunoo-ya. We just need to go away now. I'm sure that our headmaster can help with his....condition"
He said the last part with a grimace,not really wanting to delve into the details.

Behind him Ta-ki choked out a cry. His eyebrows furrowed at this. Why would he do something like this? Unless....Heeseung shook the thought away. No,that was impossible. Except for the superficial damage,Ni-ki seemed okay. He was just exhausted from the collar....nothing permanent had happened....right?

This however alerted Sunoo who looked at the boy with disdain.

"Who are you? And what are you doing with them?"
The blond asked,getting dangerously close to him.

"Uhm–I'm T-Ta-ki....Ni-ki friend's....I–uhm..."
Ta-ki started,feeling nervous under the fiery hazel eyes. He took a couple of steps back to put space between them.

"Sun. Enough. You are scaring him."
The masked guy said,putting a hand on his shoulder.

"But hyung!"
"No. You can question him later,now we have to go. I hear a group of guards nearby,they are gettin very close to us."
He said,addressing first the blond and then everyone else.

"Ok. Let me just....here"
Heeseung said,taking off the necklace that the Deputy Headmistress had given him with one hand.

"Everyone near me!"
He exclamated watching his friend make a tight circle around him.

He squeezed the amulet in his hand but nothing happened. He tried to touch it several times to shake it but nothing happened either.

"Shit–how does this thing work?"

"This way! We need to stop them!"
A voice yelled from the dark of the corridor.

Fuck.

"Hyung! Hyung we need to go!"
Jungwon exxlaimed,altering his gaze between them and the corridor.

"I know,I know! I don't know how this thing work!"
He yelled,trying to activate the opal again,but without success.

The footsteps grew closer and the guards appeared before them. There was a 10 meter space between them.

"Don't let them escape! That brat is mine!"
A vampire with ash-blond hair and red eyes ordered,his gaze made him freeze on the spot.

"HEE!"

"HYUNG!"

"HEESEUNG!"

His grip on the amulet tightened. 5 meters. The opal cracked until it broke completely in his hand. 3 meters. When the first guard tried to sink his fangs into them a white portal appeared behind them that sucked them in with all its force. The last thing Heeseung saw were the blood-soaked eyes of the ash-blond haired vampire.

After that it was all white. They had all lost consciousness during their travel,the deputy headmistress told him that they were unconscious because of the effect of the Amulet. It was normal.

They had all woken up,including Ta-ki,except for the prince. But according to the deputy headmistress it was expected,the heir to the throne had been subjected to too many negative stimulations and his body had given up. He would wake up in a couple of days.

For the rest of the days,the boys took turns watching over him,with Soobin sometimes coming over to check on them and see if Ni-ki had woken up.

In the end,this situation lasted for the rest of the week,and today was the first day of class. Ni-ki still hadn't woken up.

Heeseung was beginning to think that he had suffered deeper wounds than what he had seen during their escape.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

Jay watched the chest of the body on the bed rise and fall regularly.

The room they were in had silver colored walls with some gold decorative motifs. It was a private space that they could only access in cases of emergency,and with the permission of the headmaster.

The young vampire's pale body,lying on the white bed,was his only companion.

He was wrapped in white bandages that covered most of his body,especially his neck and face,not even his eyes were uncovered. He was asleep and the only thing that could let you know he was alive was the raising of his chest.

He looks like a mummy like this...

He and his friends had taken turns over the past few days watching over the still unconscious body.

He was now in the middle of his turn,but in a couple of hours Jungwon would arrive to have his.

Jay didn't know the prince like Heeseung and Jake,and he also didn't quickly grew fond of him like Sunoo. The prince was strange to him.

He was the son of the most powerful couple in the empire –hell,one of the most powerful couples in the world– and he had decided to attend this school,even though he had the best teachers available. He could have anything and yet he tried every time to go unnoticed.

Maybe it's because he had created an image of a spoiled child in his head (the media talked about him too much and his friends didn't help) that he now couldn't believe he was in front of a person so different from the one he had imagined.

I was expecting an arrogant person and instead he's just a kid ....

Seeing him in that state hurt his heart. Even though he didn't know him,Jay hated seeing others in pain.

When he had clashed with his friends,in the labyrinthine corridors of that place,he had almost broken the wall. He had to keep his anger in check when he saw the condition he was in.

Heeseung and Jake had warned them,but seeing him was something else entirely.

What bothered him most,however,was that deep mark on his neck. A clear sign of what they had done to him. Or at least one of many.

Luckily he was able to take his anger out on the guards who stood in their way. The silver-haired wouldn't admit it,but he liked knowing he was causing pain to the tormentors of an innocent.

He hated seeing others in pain,but when they were disgusting pieces of shit,well...then the tables turned.

Another surprising thing was the addition of the boy who led them away: Ta-ki.

He said he was a friend of the prince and wanted to get him out of there. Neither Jungwon nor Sunoo trusted him (Sunoo was almost ready to take him out). Hee and Jake had heard his story and knew he was trustworthy. He didn't know what the other boy thought but it didn't matter that much.

Jay liked the boy. It took courage to go against a bunch of dangerous people because you cared about someone's life. Not everyone was capable of doing that. It was thanks to him that they had reunited without too many problems and got out of there,alive.

Ta-ki was a good person and Jay was happy to have him on his side.

"AHHH!"
They all yelled,their bodies fell to the floor one on top of the other as the portal immediately closed behind them.

Jay opened his eyes with difficulty,feeling a weight on him. He realized that his body was crushed between the floor and Sunoo,and the others weren't in a different situation than his.

Next to him,Jake was crushed by Jungwon's weight and Heeseung had the prince on top of him,and was crushing the other boy. Ta-ki was lying on top of Jungwon

Great.

A quick look around and Jay sees that they are back where they started from: the Headmaster's office. Unlike before though,it was just them,there was no sign of their academy's heads.

"Sunoo-ya,could you please get up? It's hard to breathe here..."
He groaned,trying to help the other to get up.

"Ah,yes,sorry...."
The blond said,standing up and offering him a hand.

"Don't worry,everything's fine"
Jay smiled at him,taking his hand and getting up.

Jay and Sunoo helped the others up,paying more attention to Heeseung because of the injured,almost dying looking,boy above him.

"Are you guys ok?"
He asked,receiving groans of "fine" and "ok".

Better than nothing....

The mahogany door burst open and the worried figures of Know Jiyoung and Know Boah entered quickly,accompanied by two other figures in white coats and with serious faces.

What's going on?

The adults rushed to Heeseung,who was trying to support the prince's weight,and gently took him from his hands. The people in white coats took him and carried him out of the room,followed by the headmaster.

"Hey! Who are they and where are they taking him!?"
Sunoo shouted indignantly.

Apparently he didn't like seeing the prince being taken away,against his will,a second time.

But looking around at the other faces,each of them showed an expression of confusion or anger. Ta-ki almost seemed want to kill someone. Jay himself had just realized that he was clenching his fists.

Uhm....strange.

"They are one of the best doctors in the Empire,we called them to treat the prince's,and yours,wounds. I'm sorry that we weren't there when you arrived,but we were getting everything ready."
The D.H. said (Jay decided to call her like that because her title was too long).

At her response their faces visibly relaxed.

"So....they aren't...they aren't going to hurt him,right? Ni-ki....he had suffered enough "
Ta-ki spoke for the first time. The woman's cold eyes fell on him,a surprised expression appearing.

Right,they didn't they thought we would come back with one more.

"And who you may be?"
She asked,watching him like a hawk,the surprise replaced by distrust.

"My name is Ta-ki,ma'am,and I'm Ni-ki friend....I helped him while he was suffering at the hand of that...that monster "
The boy continued. Jay blinked several times.

Am I wrong or is that the typical Acadia Region accent? Is he....

He shook his head. There was no way this could even happen. The Borders were created for that specific reason.

"Are you saying the truth? How can we trust you? After all you could be an undercover enemy"
She continued,Ta-ki took 2 steps backwards.

"I–I'm not....I would never...I don't–I was–"
Everyone present could see that he panicking but the D.H. didn't care.

Jay snorted at the display of this scene. It was only thanks to Ta-ki that they were out of that place with a still-breathing-prince,they all should have been grateful for it.

"The boy is telling the truth. He helped us escape from there without getting caught."
He started,ignoring the fact that they had gotten themselves discovered and were chased around half the building.

"When we found Ni-ki,he was by his side protecting him. He didn't let us get close until we introduced ourselves and Ni-ki recognized us."
Heeseung said,bringing attention back to him.

"Yeah,and even then he was unsure whether to leave him with us or not,because he didn't trust us. In the end we convinced him that we were not a threat and he helped us to get away."
Jake continued.

Jay looked at the other 3 boys in the room. Jungwon and Sunoo were exchanging glances,while the other boy...

"He's good. He doesn't want to harm us,and it was thank to him that the prince is finally safe..."
The masked-not-so-masked guy said. He seemed strangely uncomfortable in the situation,shrugging his shoulders and staying as far away from Ta-ki as possible.

Maybe he doesn't like the fact that we saw his face...

"The others are right,Deputy Headmistress. We don't trust him that much either but...we owe him our lives,he helped us in times of need and we are grateful for it"
Jungwon spoke,and Sunoo nodded.

"Yeah,they are...they are right. He can be trusted"
The blond then said.

The woman let her gaze run over their faces,before returning to Ta-ki. The boy's face was slightly red from being in the spotlight.

"Alright...If they spoke the truth then..."
She said before taking a few steps closer to the boy.

"I am very grateful to you. If it wasn't for you then we would all have been in a bad situation. Thank you for your help...and for helping our students return safely"
And,surprising them all,she bowed her head slightly to show her respect.

"Ah! Don't! You don't need to,really,it's ok. I just did what I could. Ni-ki is my friend after all..."
Ta-ki said,waving his hands near his face.

"Still,I am very grateful...as I am to everyone here. Without you and your courage,the prince would be dead by now. And the rulers would have done everything to ensure that this act didn't go unpunished."
She said,this time addressing everyone in the room,bowing again.

A jolt ran through his body at the mere thought of imagining the faces of the Emperor and Empress at the news of the death of their precious son. Yeah,no,Jay didn't want to think about that.

"It's nothing,it was the only right thing to do"
Jungwon said,bowing back. The others followed,showing their respect.

"Please,raise your head,you all did really well and I am proud of you. We still need to also tend to your wounds."
She said.

"We have set up an area in the infirmary just for you. You will be separated by curtains while doctors examine you to maintain privacy. The prince was taken to a private room with a medical team already at work. After that you will return to your rooms and rest untill the start of the lessons."
The boys looked at each other,and Jay could feel the tension in his body slowly disappearing.

A little rest finally.

"Thank you,Deputy Headmistress."
Heeseung said,and the woman smiled a little.

"It's nothing. Now....Ta-ki,was it?"
She said,looking back at him. During the course of the conversation he had made himself very small.

Only then did Jay realize that he didn't know what to do. They could go back to their rooms after the visit,rest,and continue their lives,but Ta-ki? What would he do?

"Y-yes,ma'am"
He replied,nodding.

"I would be really happy if we could also examinate you for any injuries. We have some free rooms,if you want you can rest there until you feel better"
The woman said,causing Ta-ki's eyes to shine.

Are those tears-? Is he crying?

"A-are you serious? I can...stay?"
He asked in disbelief and Jay he wondered if this boy ever had a place to stay.

That place had messed him up...

"Only if you want of course,there are still a couple of days left before the school year starts too,we can fit you in if you want."

She is being strangely sweet. She wasn't like that with us.

"R-really?!....Then....YES! Yes,I would like to!"
Ta-ki exclaimed.

"Very well,after the the medical visit I will give you a couple of paper that you will have to fill in. We do not normally choose our students like this...but we can try to make an exception for you."
The D.H. said.

"T-thank you,ma'am! I will not disappoint you! Thank you!"
Ta-ki said,bowing a 90° multiple times.

Somewhere in the room,Sunoo had chuckled. Jay pretended he didn't hear that.

"It's ok,you can stop now. Let's get you all to the infirmary"
Boah said,before opening the door and leading them in the hallways.

The D.H. had led them through the various corridors until they stopped in front of a white door,that almost contrasted with the decorations on the ancient walls. Above the door,written in elegant cursive was a word: 𝐼𝑛𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑟𝑦

The infirmary was a light cream colored room,with a couple of box-shaped perimeter made up of several white,long,sheets laid out vertically. Each of them had a doctor and an assistant on either side of a white bed,with a small tool table.

The visit lasted less than half an hour as their wounds were mostly superficial,while Ta-ki's took longer for obvious reasons. He and the prince were the worst off,with the heir to the throne still in a sort of coma after days.

Classes have started but you still haven't woken up,how much longer do you want to sleep .....

The door opened.

The viscount's son looked at the newcomer: Jungwon. He raised his eyebrows.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have class right now? My turn is not over yet"
The silver-head said,looking at the other suspiciously.

"I know but you've been here since last night when you made me go away because,and I quote,:'You look like a corpse,go to sleep and don't come back. I'll cover your turn',which is stupid anyway."
Jungwon started,coming closer to him.

Since when has he been so outgoing? Maybe this whole experience helped him to come out of his own shell...

"You also need rest and to go to class. Let me take over untill the turns end."
The younger said,sitting near him. Jay sighed.

"Jungwon–"
He started but got interrupted.

"I know what you will try to tell me.'Jungwon,go back to class and don't worry about me. You need to study',which is,again,stupid but–"

"I was actually going to say thank you"

"I know that–wait what?"
Jungwon looked at him like a funny fish out of water. Jay smiled at his expression.

Still cute.

"You are right. It would be hypocritical of me to stay here when I sent you away last night because you were overworking yourself. And if we want to take care of the prince,while he recover,we must first take care of ourselves first. Right?"

"That's....fair. Now go away and leave me here alone to face my fate"
Jungwon said dramatically,holding the shirt at heart level.

"Dramatic much?"
Jay asked feeling cold sweating

"I don't know what are you talking about Jay-hyung."
Jungwon smiled innocently at him.

Jay's cheeks flushed red. It wasn't the first time he'd called him that since he'd told him he could use 'hyung' to address him,but every time it had a strange effect on him. His chest grew warm.

With a sigh he kicked the feeling away,not wanting to think about it at the moment.

"Alright,alright,pretend you are innocent,you little devil. I'm going to class,and then I think I will take a nap. See you later?"
Jay he said,getting up from his chair and grabbing his things.

"Later!"
Jungwon waved at him and the Viscount's son gave the room one last look before leaving.

I really hope he's not doing this because he feels guilty...

The door closed and Jay went on his way,leaving Jungwon alone inside.

꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦꒷꒦︶꒷꒦︶ ๋ ࣭ ⭑꒷꒦

Jungwon hated the way the prince's body was so still. Rather than being in a deep sleep,it was as if he was dead.

Since their return with a plus one,the situation had become more complicated for them.

After their medical examination,and having a couple of hours of rest,the boys were summoned in the Headmaster office again.

It was only them,Jungwon didn't know what Ta-ki was doing or where the Deputy Headmistress put him,but he was happy about it. This was going to be a private conversation,and as much as that boy had helped them,Jungwon still didn't trust him. There was something strange about him.

Their conversation,however,took a turn....

"Hello boys,I'm happy to see that you returned safe and sound and that nothing bad happened to you. Except for a few superficial wounds and exhaustion from prolonged use of your powers,nothing serious."
The man sitting at the wooden desk greet them.

The boys stood in line in front of him. The order,starting from the right-end,was: Jungwon,Heeseung,Jay,Jake and Sunoo.

The masked guy wasn't with them because he didn't feel good enough yet,so Heeseung told him to not worry and that they will notice him if anything happens.

"I must say,you really impressed me. You have emerged victorious without suffering collateral damage and you have brought back the prince. For that I will be forever grateful. You have my respect."
The headmaster continued.

"It was a pleasure for us.We were happy to help."
Jungwon said,bowing his head a little.

Take it as an everyday practice,and everything will be fine. You can do it Jungwon.

Know Jiyoung dismissed his courtesy with a wave of his hand and Junwon's head stood up.

"You don't need to bow,it's perfectly fine."
He smiled at him.

"So? Why were we called here? There must be a valid reason for this."
Heeseung said,making the others turn his head towards him.

"Straight to the point,I see....I wanted to inform you guys on how we will proceed from now on."
The headmaster stated,getting up from the chair.

"While you were away,we managed to contain every possible media. Since you didn't leave any stataments or declaration,it didn't take long. The newspapers of the region have been blocked,they will not proliferate a word about it. As well as blogs or any video recorded in the meantime. And we managed to interrupt the LIVE programs that were talking about it. No one,except us,will know what happened."

An anxious weight lifted from Jungwon's chest.

Thanks Dracula they managed to stop any informations leaks. If my father would have found out who knows what he would have thought of me....

One of the reasons that had prompted him to come here was the presence of the prince himself. His father had said that it would be a great help for his improvement be able to keep an eye on the prince,before even become a royal soldier.

And what an efficient job I did....

The important thing was that they managed to get the purple-head back and return together and alive. Everything else came second.

"I ask you to not have any contact with Moonstruck city,or its inhabitants,until classes begin. I would like to avoid the same situation from happening again. As you know from the manual,once the lessons will start,the school will go No-contact with the outside world to help you concentrate on your potential and scholastic development,after that Moonstruck will not be a problem anymore"
The headmaster continued.

I can see his point,he is right in wanting to protect us like this. But still...we will be already cut off from the world starting next week,it isn't right that our last days of freedom are taken away from us like this...

"I know that is unfair for you,but right now it's the only way to avoid a ny dangers. So please,bear this for me,it will only be this one time."
The men finished his speech.

Jungwon looked around,the faces of his friends weren't really happy about it,but they still nodded to the request.

"Very good,thank you for your trust. Now....we need to talk about the prince physical condition."
The air in the room got thicker at those words.

"Has he woken up yet? "
Sunoo asked,his tone full of anxiety and hope.

The Headmaster shock his head,and the blonde took a step back.

"I'm sorry but I think it will take a while for his highness to open his eyes. You see,we have encountered many physical problems: broken bones and ribs,a damaged nose bridge that was still bleeding,one wrist was sprained while the other was severely fractured. Stomach full of open cuts and arms and legs full of wounds turned purple. His red neck had a hands symbol on it,with a line as well. Half of his head was bleeding and he had a concussion,and his lips was busted. His body is also exhausted from using his power too much. And that's just the physical damage."
The more he talked,the more Jungwon wanted to throw up.

He knew the prince was in such a critical situation,but he didn't think so much.

"A few more minutes and he would have died of blood loss. And we still have to understand how much the damage is on a mental level."
Somewhere in the room,Sunoo sobbed. Jungwon wanted to comfort him,but he felt like he was dying on the spot himself.

"In just a couple of hours so much pain was caused ,so...I want to know everything that happened inside there."

And they told him ,taking turns they told him what had happened. From their arrival in the forest,to their division into teams,to being discovered and running away with Ta-ki's help. At the mention of his name,the man face visibly darkened,but he asked no questions.

"So...you are telling me that have a room full of inhibitor collars ? And that they used one of it on the prince?"
The voice was full of anger,like theirs was when they found out.

"Yeah,but when we found him he was already free. Ta-ki helped him take it off before we found them. Honestly,that guy was a great help to us,if it weren't for him we would have been stuck,that place was like a labyrinth."
Jake said and the Headmaster gave a quick nod.

"I see...well,this was a worrying news. Inhibitor collars haven't been on the market for nearly a decade. Anyone who still sold them,after the declaration of the law,was burned. And to think that there are still places where they are sold and used is shameful."

The Inhibitor collars were invented as an instrument of torture during the past millennia. The philosophy on which they were based was quite horrible: the importance of a life. Their very existence was like a declaration that some vampires were inferior to others,and that their lives were not worth it or important.

Jungwon felt ashamed knowing that,until the previous royal regime,the army used them on almost a daily basic. He hoped his father wasn't one of t hem.

"Not only that...when we and Jungwon were discovered...We were investigating the various rooms to find the prince,but we discovered something else. "
Jay spoke and a light bulb went off in his head.

Oh yeah! I totally forgot about it!

" In one of the rooms,there was a huge map hanging on the wall with red dots drawn on it and various notes hanging. According to the writings they are looking for something. Something powerful "
Jay continued,and the face of the man seemed to turn pale.

"We didn't have much time,because we were discovered soon after,but some of the points indicated were the academy itself,Moonstruck and the capital. "
Jungwon added.

The air in the room began to darken or was it just his imagination? Jungwon felt a jolt of electricity run down his spine.

"But we understand what they were trying to find. It was difficult to decipher since it was ancient,but in the various writings on the wall the same word was repeated several times : 𝐵𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑑 𝐴𝑙𝑡𝑎𝑟 "
Jay finished.

"That's enough!"
Know Jiyoung slammed his hand on the desk,making them flinch .

"This is what we will do! None of you will talk about what happened today and will stay away from Moonstruck.  You will attend classes like everyone else,and you will make sure that no one asks questions. We will notify the teachers that his highness has returned to the palace for an urgent errand and will return later on,to excuse his absence until he wakes up. Not a word will be said of today or anything you have discovered!
Boah and I will talk to this Ta-ki guy too to make sure he isn't a danger and that he will not talk."

Why? Why is he reacting like this? And why is he treating us like this? What happened? I don't understand...

"Am I clear boys?"
The Headmaster asked,looking at them with his now icy gaze.

"Yes sir!"
Jungwon said and bowed a 90°,like a reflex. After him,the other did the same,but they didn't bow .

Military training can be a pain sometimes....

"Good. And tell that to Park Sunghoon too,since he isn't here."
The headmaster said, liquidating them with an hand.

Jungwon had only one thought in his mind : Who?

"I'm sorry to ask this,headmaster Jiyoung,but...who is Sunghoon again?"
Jay asked for him.

"Park Sunghoon as in the ice skater? The Empire's most famous ice figure skater ? That Park Sunghoon? Pretty sure he isn't in our group ,otherwise we would know..."
Jake said and the more he talked the more Jungwon realized.

Don't tell me that...

"Mhm,well,about that...."
Sunoo spoke drawing their attention .

"Actually the name of the guy with the cap,sunglasses and mask is Park Sunghoon. Yes,as in that Park Sunghoon,the one you were thinking. Hyung didn't want to reveal himself to avoid receiving unwanted attention and he is very introverted. I would have liked to wait for him to reveal it,but since it's come to this..."
The blonde explained.

"That...make sense,I guess. He could have avoided being so melodramatic ,through"
Jay said,receiving an half smile from Sunoo.

"Hyung does have a vein of drama in himself ,hehe..."

"EEEEHHH?!"

After that shocking revelation they had to drag Jake to his dorm,the boy had almost fainted from the emotion. Apparently he was one of his fans.

They hadn't seen the Headmaster or the Deputy Headmistress after that,and days had passed. Not even Ta-ki,for that matter,if they had really admitted him to the school he should be following the lessons now,but he was nowhere in the corridors.

There is definitely something wrong here....from the Headmaster's reaction to this...

Maybe he shouldn't have been so hard on that boy (Sunoo was worse than him though) when they meet,but there was something wrong with him.

And Jungwon trusted his instincts,it had helped him out of so many difficult situations. Why should it fail now?

He helped us but we don't know anything about him. He seems kind but it could be a trap to make us lower our guard. And that way of talking...it's not from these zones. But then from where? Maybe it's from the northern regions ...

"Ugh...."

If it weren't for his hearing,he would have lost it. Jungwon snapped his head up, getting up from his chair and walking over to the bed.

Is he finally waking up?

"...Ugh.....ugh....."
Another groan,followed by another.

That's a good sign,he's regaining consciousness !

And then the head started to move a little,and Jungwon held his breath as he felt his heart pounding.

Please,please,please.....

The white-haired vampire waited while the other he was slowly becoming aware of himself. His head moved more fluidly,as fluid as it could be with all those wounds and bandages,and the fingers of the hands moved a little.

And then....the prince finally opened his eyes,after almost a week of sleep. And Jungwon cried. They weren't tears of joy as he had hoped,but of sadness.

The prince's eyes were of a bright emerald green,not a pale white.
And then–

"Who...is there? I c-can't.....see"
His faint and hoarse voice said.

Jungwon's reality was shattered.

The prince was blind.

They hadn't been able to save him in time.
They had failed him.
He had failed him.