HELL UNIVERSITY

Into the Catacombs

The midnight bell of Hell University chimed twelve times, its deep, bronze resonance echoing across the fog-drenched quadrangle. Rain poured from the gargoyles above, washing over the cobblestones in steady rivulets.

Beneath the South Wing, accessible only by a heavy iron door locked behind layers of forgotten wards, lay the entrance to the South Catacombs.

Rowan stood before the door, holding an ancient bronze key bearing the crest of the Hawthorne Dynasty. Beside him, Gideon cracked his knuckles, his amber eyes gleaming in the dark corridor, while Selene held a glowing crystal lantern that cast long, dancing shadows against the damp granite walls.

Briar leaned against the stone archway, her ears twitching at every distant rumble of thunder outside. "Declan insisted on staying in his room to decipher the rest of Hale's logistics logs," she said quietly. "Are we sure it's safe leaving him alone?"

"He's barricaded in the suite with three protection wards I drew myself," Selene replied, her voice soft yet firm. "The hunters won't make another move on him tonight. Not after Rowan stripped Hale of his leverage in the boardroom."

Gideon let out a rough chuckle. "I still wish I’d seen Hale's face when Rowan made him sweat through his tailored suit."

"Keep your voices down," Rowan said, his tone low and authoritative. "The catacombs aren't empty."

He inserted the key into the heavy lock and turned it. With a low, metallic groan, the iron door swung inward, releasing a wave of frigid, stale air that smelled of old dust, dried blood, and ozone.

[Notice: Entered Restricted Zone: South Catacombs - Upper Level.]

[Warning: Traces of Ancient Blood Mana Detected.]

[System Active: Monarch Eye (Level 1) Engaging...]

As Rowan stepped across the threshold, his vision subtly shifted. Thin, luminescent threads of mana became visible in the dark—blue strands representing the university’s ancient protective barrier, silver strands marking hunter surveillance runes, and deep, pulsing crimson threads that flowed downward into the earth like roots.

"This way," Rowan instructed, stepping deeper into the subterranean corridor.

The air grew progressively colder as they descended the spiral stone staircase. The catacombs had served as a refuge during the Great Supernatural Wars centuries ago, but now they were little more than a graveyard of forgotten history and abandoned research labs.

"Selene," Rowan spoke without turning around, "what did your visions show about this level?"

Selene held up her lantern, revealing ancient wall carvings depicting four great species—vampires, werewolves, witches, and humans—standing around a sealed, glowing sarcophagus.

"The First Hybrid wasn't just buried here," Selene whispered, her eyes reflecting the pale crystal light. "His body was turned into an anchor. The university was built directly on top of his seal to suppress his power. But Hale isn't trying to destroy the seal, Rowan. He's trying to siphon it."

"To power his hunter weapons," Gideon growled, his fists clenching. "If he gets his hands on raw hybrid mana, silver won't just burn us—it'll vaporize us."

"He won't get the chance," Rowan said.

They reached a massive archway sealed by a heavy iron grate. Beyond it lay Rowan’s private research facility—a room that had belonged to the Hawthorne family for three generations.

Rowan approached the iron grate and laid his palm flat against the central lock mechanism.

[Skill Activated: Absolute Blood Pressure (Level 2)]

A faint crimson light bled from his skin into the iron. The ancient blood-lock, designed to respond only to pure Hawthorne blood, clicked rapidly as the internal tumblers aligned. The heavy grate slid upward with a heavy clatter.

Inside, the lab was filled with rows of old leather-bound books, glass vials of preserved magical ingredients, and a large stone altar in the center inscribed with intricate blood runes.

"Check the perimeter," Rowan ordered. "Look for any signs of hunter tampering."

Gideon and Briar split off to inspect the outer corridors, while Selene approached the central stone altar, running her fingers over the engraved runes.

Rowan walked over to a metal cabinet at the back of the room, pulling out a thick, dusty journal written in his grandfather’s handwriting. As he flipped through the brittle pages, golden system text hovered in his peripheral vision:

[Location Verified: Hawthorne Ancestral Vault.]

[System Objective: Retrieve Bloodline Core - Stage 1.]

[Scanning Environment...]

[Core Location Identified: Beneath Central Altar.]

Rowan looked toward the altar where Selene was standing. "Selene, step back."

Selene nodded, moving aside immediately.

Rowan approached the altar and pressed his thumb against a concealed groove near the base. He applied a quick burst of blood mana, piercing his skin slightly to let a single drop of crimson blood fall onto the stone.

The altar rumbled. The heavy granite slab slid sideways, revealing a small, velvet-lined cavity. Sitting in the center was a polished, obsidian sphere the size of an apple, pulsing with a faint, deep crimson light.

"Is that..." Selene gasped softly. "An Ancestral Blood Core?"

"My grandfather locked it away before he died," Rowan said, reaching down toward the sphere. "He knew the family elders would use it for political leverage. He wanted it kept hidden until someone worthy could claim it."

[Notice: Ancestral Blood Core Detected.]

[Absorb Core to Increase Monarch Purity?]

The moment Rowan's fingers touched the cold surface of the sphere, a sudden, sharp whistling sound split the silence of the corridor outside.

THWACK!

A glowing silver bolt shot through the dark corridor, shattering Selene’s crystal lantern into a shower of sparks and sending darkness crashing down upon the room.

"Ambush!" Gideon’s voice roared from the hallway, followed by the heavy sound of clashing metal and snarling wolf instincts.

Rowan didn't hesitate. He grabbed the Ancestral Core, closing his fist tightly around it.

[Core Absorption Initiated!]

[Monarch Purity Increasing: 5%... 8%... 12%!]

[System Alert: New Ability Unlocked: Blood Veil (Level 1)]

A surge of raw, burning energy rushed up Rowan’s arm and into his chest, igniting his dormant bloodline like dry parchment catching flame. His eyes erupted into brilliant crimson light, cutting through the sudden darkness.

Out of the shadows stepped four figures in heavy, black tactical coats, their faces hidden behind dark metallic masks. Unlike the trainees from the East Quad, these men moved with disciplined, lethal precision. In their hands were heavy silver-bladed longswords inscribed with glowing anti-magic runes.

"Rowan Hawthorne," the lead hunter said, his voice cold and filtered through his mask. "Command knew you would come here. Hand over the core, or your friends die first."

Two more hunters stepped out of the fog behind him, dragging a bound and gagged Briar, while another held a crossbow aimed directly at Gideon, who was struggling against a heavy net woven from enchanted silver wire.

Selene drew a hidden silver dagger, stepping back toward Rowan. "Rowan... their armor is reinforced with anti-vampiric wards. Your blood pressure skill won't penetrate their shields easily!"

The lead hunter raised his silver sword, pointing it at Rowan's throat. "He's right, boy. You might have tricked Professor Hale with your little blood trick in the boardroom, but we are the High Commander's elite guard. Your magic is useless against our armor."

Rowan looked at the captured Briar, then at Gideon struggling against the silver net, and finally at the lead hunter.

Slowly, a cold, ruthless smile formed on Rowan's lips.

"Anti-magic armor?" Rowan asked, his voice echoing with a double-layered, spectral resonance that made the dust on the stone floor vibrate. "That works against magic. But you're not facing magic anymore."

Rowan stepped forward.

[Skill Activated: Blood Veil (Level 1)]

Instantly, a dense, crimson fog erupted from Rowan’s skin, expanding outward and consuming the entire laboratory in seconds. The hunters' glowing silver runes flickered wildly, then died out as the crimson mist smothered their anti-magic circuits.

"What is this?!" the lead hunter yelled, swinging his sword blindly into the thick red mist. "I can't see! My armor sensors are dead!"

"I told you," Rowan’s voice whispered from right behind the lead hunter’s ear, cold as death itself. "You brought swords to a Monarch's court."

CRACK!

Before the lead hunter could turn around, Rowan’s hand struck like a lightning bolt, snapping the reinforced silver blade in half with his bare palm.

Rowan grabbed the hunter by his armored collar and slammed him violently into the stone floor, the impact shattering the man’s chest plate and knocking him unconscious instantly.

[Notice: Hunter Elite Neutralized.]

[Monarch EXP +100]

The remaining hunters panicked, firing their crossbows wildly into the crimson mist. But Rowan moved through the fog like a phantom, his speed far surpassing the limits of standard vampiric abilities.

BANG! BANG!

In less than five seconds, two more heavy thuds echoed through the room as the remaining hunters were struck down, their weapons clattering uselessly against the stone.

The crimson mist slowly dissipated back into Rowan’s skin, revealing the lab once more.

Gideon, now free as the net's power died out, stood with his jaw dropped, staring at the four elite hunters lying unconscious on the floor. Briar, untied by Selene, breathed heavily as she looked at Rowan in awe.

"Rowan..." Briar whispered, her voice shaking slightly. "What... what was that red fog?"

Rowan stood in the center of the lab, his posture straight, his crimson eyes slowly fading back to their dark brown hue. The Ancestral Core in his hand had dissolved completely, its energy fully integrated into his veins.

[Monarch Purity Reached: 15%]

[Rank 1 Monarch Fully Awakened]

[New Passive Unlocked: Monarch Domain (10-Meter Radius)]

Rowan looked at his friends, his expression calm and resolute. "That was the power Hale is afraid of."

He walked over to the unconscious lead hunter, reaching into the man's coat and pulling out a small, glowing brass cylinder stamped with a intricate crest.

Selene gasped when she saw the crest. "That's... the mark of the Global Hunter Council."

"Hale isn't acting alone," Rowan said, staring at the brass cylinder as it hummed with dark magic. "He's summoned the Council's executioners to campus. The war isn't coming anymore—it's already here."