"Gina...!"
She gave a faint smile in response before her gaze shifted toward Charlize, making me realize—Charlize was being restrained.
"Aaargh!"
The flames that burst from my palm hit the broad figure squarely, forcing him to release his grip and free Charlize from his magical bind.
"Aaargh!"
The man yanked off his shirt in a hurry, trying to keep the flames from spreading. His skin was scorched red all over, and I started to panic—had I gone too far?
Footsteps came rushing toward us and stopped just nearby. A slender arm stretched out, palm open. A stream of water floated through the air and gently doused the lingering flames.
Flick—
And just like that, the fire went out. He collapsed to the ground, breathing heavily.
"Haah..."
I let out a breath of relief, seeing that the vampire wasn't too badly hurt. Slowly, I turned toward the figure beside me.
"Darin..."
As soon as our eyes met, we ran to each other and embraced tightly. Gina and Charlize joined in seconds later, and the four of us stood there, wrapped in a wordless hug.
Then we pulled apart, turning to look at the large vampire still sitting on the ground, panting.
Didn't know vampires healed this slowly.
"Are you okay?"
I crouched beside him, trying to check on his condition.
"Haah... What the hell? Kill me already. This is your chance—take it."
He grabbed my wrist and aimed my hand at his face.
"Look, you attacked us first and we just protected ourselves. I didn't come here planning to kill anyone on my first day."
He seemed surprised by my words. I shrugged off his hand and stood up, glancing around cautiously—who knew if another demon might appear?
"Let's go," Gina said, casting a cool glance at the vampire before turning to leave with Darin and Charlize.
"Hop you feel better soon," I added, making him scowl.
What? I'm just trying to be nice...
"We vampires ALWAYS recover fast. No worry about it."
"Good."
That was all I said before heading after the others, who were waiting up ahead.
"Wait!"
I stopped again and turned back.
"What's your name?"
Seriously? He stopped me just to ask that...?
"What's yours?"
"I don't have to tell you."
"Then I won't tell you mine."
I gave him a small, silly smile and started to walk off again, assuming he was done talking.
"TK."
"..."
"My name's TK."
Huh. Didn't expect him to actually say it.
I gave a small nod in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything else.
"Hey! I told you mine—tell me yours!"
"If I do, that means we're friends now."
His face instantly twisted in visible disgust, clearly not keen on that idea. I kept my voice even.
"Then I guess I won't tell you."
With that, I turned and walked away without looking back, leaving TK no room to argue.
He's not so bad after all... Didn't think I could actually talk to one like that.
•
The broad figure slowly pushed himself off the ground once the girl disappeared from view. Then he turned to the shadows behind him.
"You saw that, didn't you?"
He spoke to someone concealed in the darkness. The figure emerged, eyes following the path the girls had taken.
"Zero must not find out about this," Jasper said firmly, gaze sharpening.
"I'll handle this myself."
•
"Where are we going?" I asked as my sisters led us away from the main path—not anywhere near the way back to Dorm.
"Somewhere safe, where we can talk," Darin replied. I glanced at Charlize, who walked quietly beside me.
"We're here."
I turned forward again, eyes landing on a glasshouse—not too big, not too small.
"What is this place?"
Something about it feels... different.
"The Holy Sanctuary," Gina answered, opening the glass door and stepping aside for Charlize and me to enter.
"Whoa..."
As expected of a glasshouse, it was filled with flora, but this one felt different. At its center stood a massive tree—its leaves shimmering like crystal-clear water.
"That's the Ethimelia Tree," Darin explained.
"Created by the gods. It's a divine connection point between them and us."
"Why do the leaves look so...translucent?"
They sparkled like droplets of water, yet the tree still cast a cool shade.
"We're not exactly sure either."
Charlize and I moved closer to it. Something about it was... drawing me in, like an invisible force urging me to touch it.
Thrum—
The tree trembled beneath my fingers. I pulled my hand back in surprise—just as something dropped onto my lap.
"What the heck...?"
Charlize's voice broke the silence. I turned and saw she, too, had received the same thing I had.
A necklace.
With a glowing crystal at the center.
"The first time we touched this tree, the same thing happened," Darin said, pulling a similar necklace from her skirt pocket. The crystal on hers was sea-blue. Mine was deep red. Charlize's—light brown.
"What's it for?"
"Protection... I think," Gina answered, revealing her own necklace—a crystal as clear as glass.
"Has it helped?"
I asked.
Darin shook her head. "For the past year, all we've done is protect humans from them. Every time we try to talk, it ends in bloodshed."
"Do they know about your powers?"
"Only the werewolves. We've avoided vampires and pureblood demons all this time," Gina replied.
"This is the first time a vampire has seen us fight."
"Why avoid them?"
"All of them have powers. But werewolf magic is manageable, even after years of training."
"You mean... vampire and pureblood demon powers are worse?"
Charlize asked.
"Exactly. Vampires have powers similar to ours—can be used to kill or protect. But pureblood demons? Their powers were made for one thing—hunting and destruction."
"..."
"So for now, we avoid them. We don't know just how strong they are. But I suspect—stronger than Jasper."
"Jasper?"
"An ancient vampire. One of the oldest vampire same as the Demon King's son."
...
The Demon King's son...?
"Didn't know he had a real heir," Charlize muttered, but it was loud enough for me to hear.
"Could it be... your prince?"
"..."
"He was executed in front of the other demons, remember? And he wasn't really the king's blood," Gina interjected before I could respond. I nodded slowly, appreciating the comfort, but...
Still. A part of me wishes it wasn't true...
It's hard to forget the past life I left behind.