The Academy returned to rhythm.
Boots beat on Dutch floors. Lectures chimed again. and murmers whose secrets were veiled behind locked doors were all simmered down to coy looks and whispered tongues.
Nclai stepped across it bandaged and not easily moving, but walking.
The infirmary discharged him on an airy vellum of silence. And no teacher had yet mentioned what had occurred in the ruins. Not even the headmaster.
His file was marked: "Test passed. No anomalies."
But eyes lingered.
Some curious.
Some afraid.
Most unsure of what they saw in him now.
......
The main hall buzzed.
Students stood along the staircase railings, looking down toward the courtyard where banners unfurled on tall poles.
Central City Tournament – Official Academy Entry Phase Begins
A wave of tension passed through the crowd.
This wasn't just another school event.
It was the invitation, one granted only to the top few, the elite.
The ones trusted to represent the Vampire Academy to the rest of the city's ancient clans, factions, and hidden forces.
And this year, only four passed the practical exams.
Their names lit up across the projection rune hovering above the courtyard:
......
Nclai Azrael – 1st Year
Sereth Vale – 4th Year
Vianne Rook – 3rd Year
Bren Vosk – 2nd Year
......
Nclai glanced up once.
The names meant little to him now.
But that would change soon.
......
Hours later, the principal's office was dimly lit. Gold-trimmed curtains framed stained glass. At the desk, Headmaster Rynard sat motionless, fingers steepled, studying Nclai like a historian reading a forbidden script.
"You gave no written report," the headmaster said.
"I had nothing useful to report," Nclai replied calmly.
A pause.
"No visual records survived. No witness accounts. Instructor Verrick is confirmed dead. Cause unclear."
Nclai said nothing.
The silence felt deliberate.
After a long stare, the headmaster simply sighed.
"You are dismissed. Prepare for the tournament."
......
His room was cold when he returned.
Evening had already sunk into the windows, casting blue across the stone.
His coat hung over the chair. The dagger he never used sat beside the table.
Moonlight shimmered off a faint stain on its handle.
Nclai exhaled slowly.
Then...
Ding.
......
System Notification
Sync Ratio: 30.0%
System Status: Stable
Bloodline Codex – Chapter III Unlocked
Skill Upgrade Detected
System Prompt:
Blood Control → Sanguine Pulse [Upgrade Complete]
Traits Unlocked:
• Micro-vein manipulation
• Targeted arterial bursts
• Area-thread saturation
► New Path Awakened: Sanguine Domain [Locked]
Unlock Requirement: Sync Ratio 45%
(System Note: Instinct refinement required. Control must become an extension of self.)
......
The runes faded from the air.
But Nclai's chest felt heavier... not from pain, but presence.
His blood stirred like it had heard its name whispered by something ancient.
Something not done yet.
He leaned back in the chair, watching the red threads under his skin flicker faintly with life.
Tomorrow, classes will resume.
After that... the tournament.
He had nothing to fear.
He was excited in a weird way.
He was alone in his room, and a smiling expression had touched his lips.
It is not for glory.
Not out of recognition.
Yet he was now roused, as it were, by something within him.
......