Professor Myrren floated calmly in front of the class, her expression serene and eyes fixed on the board.
Her translucent body swayed slightly, as if dancing with the light. With one finger extended, she wrote on the magical board behind her, creating glowing lines that floated for a few seconds before settling into place.
The title shimmered in ethereal letters:
'The human world and why it remains separate from ours'
She turned slowly, her voice soft but clear enough to fill the entire room.
"For a long time, monsters and humans coexisted... not in peace, but in silence. While we evolved in the shadows, guided by our own rules, humans built their empires on fear and ignorance."
Some students were already whispering among themselves.
Myrren continued:
"Today, they don't know we exist. And for many of us, that's the best possible outcome."
She floated lightly toward the front row.
"Humans are fragile. Yes. But they're also unstable, unpredictable... and dangerously numerous."
A student raised his hand without waiting to be called.
He had spiky red hair, pointed ears, and a pair of bright yellow eyes.
"Professor, why don't we just take over? Like, we already have superior abilities. If the world's theirs, why not just take it back?"
Myrren tilted her head slightly.
"Skal, that's been tried. More than once. It always ends the same way: too much blood, from all sides."
Another student interrupted before she could continue. Tall, with reptilian features on his face and a tail wrapped around the leg of his chair, he spoke arrogantly.
"Honestly, they're the ones who should be hiding. Little humans are nothing."
Some students laughed, others nodded.
Rowan listened quietly, trying to stay invisible, until the teacher raised one hand and silence spread again.
She turned to him.
"Rowan. You said you spent your whole life in human schools, right?"
He shrank slightly in his seat. He nodded.
"Can you describe what life was like among humans?"
'Life among humans?'
Now everyone was looking at him.
Even Sera had lifted her eyes from her book, staring at him with quiet curiosity.
Rowan took a deep breath.
"Well... it was normal. We studied, complained about tests, tried to skip presentations. No one had tails, or fangs, or eyes that glowed in the dark. But that didn't make things any calmer."
He let out a small ironic smile.
"Humans fight over dumb things. They divide everything. They think they're better... even though they're all pretty much the same."
Silence.
"I guess the scariest thing about them is that they don't even need magic to be dangerous."
Skal crossed his arms, glancing to the side.
Myrren smiled softly, a warmer glow in her eyes.
"See that? The human realm isn't so different from ours. They have their flaws, sure, just like we do. But that doesn't mean we can't coexist."
She floated a few steps forward, scanning the class.
"Understanding others is the first step to stop fearing them. Fear is what has separated monsters and humans for generations. But you're here to learn, and maybe... change that one day."
Rowan sighed internally.
'Yeah, right...'
Then, the soft sound of a magic bell filled the air.
Class was over.
Myrren snapped her fingers, and several sheets appeared above the desks, gliding down to the students.
"Today's assignment: read the instructions and code of conduct in case you ever come into contact with humans. You're not going to like some of them."
As the pages floated down, murmurs spread.
The teacher simply passed through the wall, ignoring the students.
Rowan, who constantly promised himself not to be surprised anymore, always ended up getting slapped in the face by the reality around him.
He looked at the paper he got from the professor.
There were lots of things written on it. But one line in the code of conduct stood out more than anything:
Do not kill humans.
'Should that even be considered?'
He carefully folded the paper and slipped it into his pants pocket as the first students began leaving the classroom.
Chairs creaked, footsteps echoed lightly through the hallways.
'I'll just get out of here.'
But then... a female voice called from behind.
"Uhm... did you really live in the human world?"
Rowan turned around, surprised.
The girl had straight blonde hair down to her shoulders.
Her golden eyes had vertical pupils like a feline, and on top of her head, two cat ears twitched subtly. A fluffy tail swayed rhythmically behind her.
"~Ah... yeah, I lived there for quite a while."
He answered quickly, trying to keep the conversation short. He was already turning to leave, but noticed she was following him.
"Wow... that's amazing! I'm Nina. I've always wanted human friends."
"Really..."
He replied dryly, looking forward again. Nina, however, pulled out a chair and sat right in front of him, like nothing was out of the ordinary.
'Is she really not getting that I'm trying to ignore her?'
"I wish I could hide my appearance like you. Then I could live among humans."
"Hide appearance?"
"Yeah! What kind of power do you have? You must be like Sera, really strong."
She flexed her arm like she was showing off muscles, smiling brightly.
If this were cosplay, Rowan might've called her cute in that moment.
'What is she even talking about...?'
"Are you a vampire too?"
"A vampire?"
She pointed discreetly to the back of the room. Rowan followed her gaze and saw Sera still sitting, a book open in her hands, completely unaware of everything.
Nina then whispered, covering her mouth with one hand:
"Yeah! Sera is a pure-blood vampire. That's why she can completely hide her appearance and look human."
'So she really is a vampire?'
That confirmation made Rowan lose focus for a few seconds. He had already suspected it, but hearing someone say it so confidently hit differently.
And if she had bitten him?
Would he have turned into a vampire too?
Or were those just book clichés?
'I need to be careful with this school.'
"Don't talk about me so openly."
Sera's voice cut through the room like a thin blade.
The words were dry, emotionless. But enough to silence Nina instantly. Sera didn't lift her gaze, just calmly turned another page of her book.
"Don't be so mean, Sera..."
Sera didn't respond. She turned another page, unbothered.
Rowan took advantage of the distraction between the two to slip out quietly.
"Hm. We've got another class today. I'll go ahead, I need to take care of something."
He grabbed his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and left the room like he wasn't trying to run away.
Sera only looked up the moment he was already at the door.
Rowan took the chance and slipped out without saying a word, closing the door behind him.
"Huh... He forgot to mention what race he is..."
Nina muttered quietly, still staring at the door.
"You were the one who came with him to the academy, Sera. Didn't he tell you anything?"
Sera, still seated, finally closed her book calmly.
Her expression was neutral, but her gaze seemed distant.
From their first encounter to the moment they arrived at the academy...
Rowan hadn't used any kind of ability.
Not even when facing a Wailer.
"I have no idea either."
"What?? Seriously?"
Sera remained silent for a few moments, eyes fixed on the door Rowan had just walked through.
Then, she slowly leaned back in her chair, her gaze returning to the closed cover of the book on the table.
'Why would someone hide something like that... so deeply?'
Even without a clear answer, Sera knew it was bothering her more than she wanted to admit.
She remembered the conversation she had with the headmaster, right after helping Rowan get to the academy.
"..."
"The Wailers showed up."
"I figured they would."
"You already knew?"
"I thought it might happen."
Sera stayed quiet for a moment. The seal had really driven the creatures away at just the right time.
"They don't usually attack students."
"Usually."
"Why did they attack him?"
The headmaster, who had been writing something, stopped and looked away briefly.
"I don't know. But what matters is that you all made it safely."
Sera wanted to ask more, but held back.
There was no point trying to get information out of the headmaster.
She simply nodded, letting the subject drop there. At that moment, she thought it best not to push further.
====
◆ Character Sheet – Nina ◆
➤ Age: 17
➤ Height: 1.58 m
➤ Race: Feline (monster subspecies with feline traits)
➤ Class: Class B Student
➤ Appearance: Shoulder-length straight blonde hair, golden eyes with vertical pupils, feline ears on top of her head and a fluffy tail always swaying behind her.
➤ Likes: Cute things, meeting new people, humans, and stories about the world outside the academy
➤ Dislikes: Being ignored, tense environments, awkward silences
➤ Personality: Curious, talkative, friendly, and a bit clueless. Gets excited easily and doesn't notice when she's being a bit much
➤ Fun Fact: Once tried to magically hide her ears and tail but forgot they reappear every time she sneezes