The Broken Vampire System

10

~Laurent

“Laurent? What are you doing here?”

The voice made my heart stop.

I froze where I was, still half-kneeling in the grass, blood drying on my sleeve. I turned slowly, dreading who I’d see.

Ciela stood a few paces away, sunlight curling through her yellow hair like gold wire. Her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight of me.

“I—uh…” My brain scrambled. I couldn’t exactly tell her I’d just returned from fighting a crypt full of undead. “I dropped something. Must’ve rolled under the shrubs.”

Her brows lifted. “You’re lying on the ground because of a lost pencil?”

I forced a weak laugh. “Not a pencil. Something more important. You don’t have to worry about it. I’m sure I’ll find it. What are you doing out here though?”

Something in her face softened. She hesitated, then smiled faintly. “Was looking for you. Thought you ran into trouble again.”

“I’ll be more careful to avoid those from now on so you’ll be able to rest. You have other things to worry about other than saving me.”

She brushed dirt from her skirt and sighed. “Anyway, class starts soon. You should probably clean up first. You look like you fought a tree and lost.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

She waved, turned, and walked away down the path. Her hair caught the light again before she disappeared around the corner.

When she was gone, I sagged against the wall, exhaling shakily. “That was too close.”

My body still ached from the fight. My ribs throbbed, my arm burned. Every movement screamed exhaustion. I needed rest. I had been healed but it was just enough to move, not enough to feel human.

“I’m in no shape for class today,” I muttered and headed for the dorm.

–––

The dormitory was quiet when I pushed the door open. Too quiet. Everyone was in class, just as I’d hoped. The room smelled faintly of soap and ink. Beds neatly made, sunlight spilling through the cracked window above my bunk.

I dropped onto my mattress and groaned. The springs complained beneath me. “Finally.”

I lay there a moment, staring at the ceiling beams. My eyelids fluttered, heavy, until something caught my eye.

Movement. Outside.

I turned my head toward the window.

At first, I thought my vision was playing tricks on me—shadows shifting oddly against the afternoon light. But then it moved again, closer, and the shape resolved.

A monster.

It stood just beyond the dorm courtyard—tall, hunched, its limbs too long. The creature’s skin shimmered like wet stone, patches of scale glinting under the sun. Its head was wrong—elongated, like a wolf’s skull stretched too far, eyes glowing a dull green. A forked tongue slid past its jagged teeth, tasting the air.

My blood ran cold. “How the hell did you get in here?”

The Academy was supposed to be sealed by layered barriers—no monsters could cross without alarms blaring and losing its life in seconds. Yet there it was, breathing softly, claws flexing against the grass.

Instinct took over before reason did. Talon materialized in my hand with a shimmer of black steel. Its curved edge caught the light, the runes pulsing faintly.

I didn’t think. I moved.

Kicking open the door, I sprinted down the hall and out into the courtyard. The afternoon air hit my face, sharp and cool. My heart hammered. The monster turned its head sharply at the sound of my footsteps, its eyes locking on mine.

Then—it bolted.

“Wait!” I shouted, already chasing, boots pounding against the stone.

But before I could reach the edge of the field, a voice sliced through the air behind me.

“Student! Why are you not in class?”

I froze. My whole body went rigid.

The dagger dissolved from my grip in a rush of dark smoke, leaving only empty fingers. I turned slowly.

A teacher stood by the corridor entrance, arms folded. His long robe fluttered in the breeze, eyes narrowing under the midday sun.

“I—uh—Professor Hale.” I straightened, wiping sweat from my brow. “I was… chasing a stray animal. I thought it was dangerous.”

He raised an eyebrow. “An animal?”

“Yes, sir. It looked strange. I didn’t want it hurting anyone.”

“Strange,” he repeated dryly. “You skipped class to chase animals?”

“I wasn’t skipping! I was just—”

He cut me off with a sharp wave of his hand. “Enough excuses. Get back to class before I deduct house points and report you to the Director. Move!”

“Yes, sir!”

I sprinted away, heat rising to my face. I didn’t look back.

–––

Classes dragged. My notes blurred together, the lecturer’s voice little more than a hum. My mind kept returning to the monster. How had it slipped through the barrier? Was it real, or another illusion from my imagination?

When the final bell rang, I didn’t even wait for the hall to clear. I slipped out and headed straight for the spot.

The courtyard was quiet now, shadows stretching long across the grass. The place where I’d seen it—empty. Just wind stirring fallen leaves.

I crouched, running my fingers through the soil. Cold. Undisturbed. No footprints, no claw marks, nothing.

“Impossible,” I whispered. “I saw you.”

I straightened, scanning the rooftops, the trees, the fence beyond the academy walls. The wards shimmered faintly in the air like thin glass, perfectly intact.

“How could a monster get into a place this secure?” I murmured.

Still, I searched. Through the training yard, past the old library wing, even behind the cafeteria where the kitchen staff dumped waste—nothing. The scent of wet iron still lingered faintly, but that could’ve been my imagination.

When the sun dipped behind the spires, painting the sky gold, I gave up.

–––

Back at the dorm, light spilled through the open door. Voices drifted out—familiar, loud, teasing.

“Hey! Look who decided to show up,” Marek said from the lower bunk, his boulder-thick arms crossed. His grin was wide, easy, annoyingly confident.

Jonah, perched at his desk polishing a dagger, glanced up. “Where were you, Laurent? You missed lunch.”

“I wasn’t feeling well,” I said, sidestepping the truth.

Marek snorted. “You always look like you’re about to pass out. Must be that weak E-rank blood of yours.”

Jonah rolled his eyes. “Leave him alone. He probably just overworked himself.”

“Overworked doing what? Staring at notes?” Marek laughed, but it wasn’t cruel—just careless. “Whatever, man. You look wiped. Go sleep.”

“Yeah,” I muttered, climbing the ladder to my bunk. The frame creaked as I settled in.

I lay on my back, staring at the cracked ceiling, the faint lines of light from the window tracing patterns above. The noise below faded—Marek humming some off-key tune, Jonah muttering to himself about rune formulas.

My body felt heavy, but my mind refused to still.

A monster. Inside the school.

I turned that thought over and over. It shouldn’t be possible. Every inch of Elarion Academy pulsed with magic—wards, seals, barriers designed to repel anything inhuman. Yet I’d seen it. I’d seen its eyes.

I knew I couldn’t tell anyone about what I saw yet. No one would believe me regardless. One thing was certain though, the monster was long gone so I’d have to solve that mystery later. The main mystery for me to solve was the mystery of what happened to me after that experience at Verdant forest and the only way to solve it was to return back to where it all began.