Chapter 4: School

The sight was spectacular, making Palazar’s mansion pale in comparison. We had ridden for several days already, and had finally arrived at our destination. We had come through a dark and dense forest, before arriving in a clearing.

In front, there was a steep hill, which turned into a cliff. At the edge of the cliff, there lay a castle. The castle was huge, and was even built down the cliff. It was widely decorated with buttresses, and there were several towers going around it, connected through bridges and more buttresses.

The castle walls, were an almost black shade in colour, and all the windows were tinted black, as well. It looked age old, and its architecture was like nothing I had ever seen before. It looked far beyond anything which current technology could construct. It seemed as if you would need hundreds and thousands of slaves and workers, to construct such a marvel. It was absolutely huge, seeming as if it could house a dragon!

We rode forwards, for quite a while, and it was only when we finally arrived that I could truly appreciate how big it was. As I stood in front of the castle walls, it seemed as if I was looking into the horizon, when I tried to find the end, with my eyes.

What surprised me even more, was that even though we were so far from civilization, several days travel from the nearest village, there was activity here. There were guards guarding the gates, people running around, and servants doing their jobs.

And for the first time, since I had become a vampire, I saw others of my kind, except for Palazar. I could sense that they some of the people here were vampires, it was like their smell, and the air around them was different. I had always noticed this about Palazar, how there was no way to mistake him for a petty human.

But even though I saw many vampires here, I also saw humans. Humans were taking the roles of the servants. The gate guards, were mostly vampires, but even there, there were some humans mixed in.

I guessed that these humans were probably amongst the stronger ones. We attracted many glances and glares, as we walked through the gates, and went for the castle entrance, inside the walls.

Apparently it was rare for new faces to arrive, so everyone was interested, except for the human servants.

The humans all possessed limited life span, but vampires were immortal. They knew most of the faces in the castle, so when they saw someone they didn’t recognise come through the gate, then it was most likely a new face.

But even though none of them recognised me, several of them seemed to recognise Palazar, but there were a few who didn’t. This signalled that he hadn’t been here for a very long time.

After a short walk through the courtyard, we entered the castle. Inside the castle, there were even more people walking around. The insides were very well decorated as well. There were several paintings and tapestries decorating the walls, and the colour scheme was very red. A very dark red colour, as to show the true nature of our kind.

As I followed Palazar through the halls, I couldn’t help, but let my eyes waver at the many sights. Every room was adorned by many decorations, like sculptures and carvings.

I still gained many gazes, as I followed him, until we arrived in a much less populated place. I had barely noticed how we arrived at our location, as the sights around me had distracted me.

We eventually arrived before a door, before Palazar stopped, and turned to me,

“Alright, we’re about to arrive Parmasus. The man whom you are about to meet, is one of the Elders of the Exsequor Tenebris Clan, so you better be respectful, alright?” Palazar said with a serious expression, not allowing insolence. I nodded my head, before quickly saying,

“Yes Sir!” With a gulp. Palazar nodded his head, then opened the door, and entered. I quickly followed behind his back, and entered the room. Inside, I noticed a tall man, wearing red robes, sitting in a chair.

The hooded man looked up from the documents he was reading.

“Palazar. Long time, no see,” he said with a deep voice, in a mysterious tone, before he continued,

“How long has it been since last? Ah, it doesn’t matter, instead, tell me, what brings you here this time?” He said, as his eyes wavered over to me. I couldn’t help, but to gulp, as his silvery eyes stared deep into my soul.

“I come here with this child. I turned him, a few years ago, and now I have come to deliver him to the Clan,” Palazar said, causing the hooded figure to widen his eyes, in surprise,

“You’ve made a vampire?! This, this is shocking… In all these years, you’ve never once made a vampire, not even once, yet now you have? I can’t imagine what brought you to turn this child, but it is of no matter. Instead, tell me, why would you bring him here? You always were a bit of a loner, so I wouldn’t think you would have him come here. After all, for you to turn him, he has to be important for you, right?” The hooded Elder said.

“Yes, I do consider him important, but it is better for him to be here. My mission isn’t finished yet, so I can’t stay at my home. The child is still young, so for him to stay alone at my mansion, it wouldn’t be good for his mind. Therefore, I decided for him to come here. He’ll become a part of the Clan, and work for the Clan,” Palazar explained. The hooded Elder nodded his head, in understanding.

“I see, that does indeed make sense. He has a youthful appearance, so he can’t have been old when he was turned either. It would indeed be best for him to stay here. Very well, I shall take care of him, and induct him into the academy for now, old friend,” the man said, with an understanding look. Palazar nodded his head, one last time.

“Good. Then I will take my leave now, and I entrust him into your care,” Palazar said, as he turned around. Just after he stepped out the door, he turned around, and looked me in the eyes,

“Parmasus, this will be where we part paths. I trust you will behave well, and do as told. It will most likely be a very long time until you see me again. I’m sorry about that, but I have no choice. This is goodbye, for now,” Palazar said. Then in a blink of an eye, he disappeared.

I couldn’t help it, as I let my tears flow. He had told me before, that he wouldn’t stay here, but I had ignored it, not wanting to think about it. Palazar had been much like a father to me, both in figurative way, as well as in the literal way.

He was the one that gave me life, and turned me into a vampire, and he treated me like his own son. Over the years, he had become more of a father to me, than even my real father. It pained me, to see him leave, but there was nothing I could do. He had disappeared before I could even say a single word.

“What is your name, boy?” The mysterious man asked, with a calm voice. I turned around to him, and dried my tears off.

“My name is Parmasus,” I told him. The man nodded his head, and said,

“I see. My name is Nabalu, and I’m an Elder of our Exsequor Tenebris Clan. Inside our Clan, I shall be your benefactor. This on its own, will give you quite the status. Coupled with the fact that you are Palazar’s sole offspring, your status will be naturally high. Now tell me, do you know about our Clan’s function?” Nabalu asked. I nodded my head,

“Yes, I’ve learned a bit about our Clan. We are the law enforcers of the vampire world. The ones that make sure our existence stays hidden, and we also take on various job. We are also the backbone behind the Ventus Regulis Clan, the head clan of the vampire world,” I explained. A smile appeared on Nabalu’s head.

“Good, you seem to have a basic understanding of our world. But don’t worry, you will learn a lot more, in days to come. I’m enrolling you in Tenebris Academy, a prestigious academy, in the vampire world. Most of the vampires there belong to our bloodline, but there are vampires of all kind, even the Nosferatu. The Academy is stationed here, in this very castle, so you won’t have to travel again. I will also get you a room, until the new school year begins.

You arrived at a good time, since it begins in only a week. That’s probably the reason why Palazar took you here now. When the school year starts, you will live in the school dorms,” he explained.

He explained a bit more to me, about the so called school. I was truly quite surprised that there was a school for vampires here. According to the words of Elder Nabalu, there were several vampire schools, belonging to the various Clans.

Amongst them, the Tenebris Academy, and the Ventus Academy are two of the most famous, and most prestigious academies. The reason for this, is clearly because of the higher status of the two Clans, and the fact that they are the only two clans in a clear alliance.

A while later, a young woman came to lead me to my new residence. This residence was composed of a medium size bedroom. The room was deep inside the castle, so there were no windows, but it was decorated with several paintings, and a few small sculptures.

There was a queen sized bed, and two night tables, on either side. There was also a desk with a chair, two bookcases, filled with books, and an arm chair. For now, I decided to browse the various books, and let the time slip away.

In a blink of an eye, a week had passed, and the school year was about to begin.

I was inside a large hall. In the back, there was a platform, with a podium. In front of the podium, there were several hundred seats. There was a vampire seated on all of those seats, waiting for the welcome ceremony to begin.

I was sitting close to the front, around the middle of the row. I hadn’t made any friends in the week I had spent here, so I silently waited, until a man finally walked up to the podium.

He had an imposing aura, and long, slick blonde hair, reaching his shoulders. He wore rather unusual clothing. They almost seemed to be from another world, or another time.

He wore a long, black coat, and tight pants. The coat had relatively large collars. His clothes made him look rather imposing. His eyes, were the usual silver colour, but seemed almost impossible to look into them. Whenever I looked into his eyes, I would get dazed, and confused.

The man looked at the various younglings here, before he started,

“Welcome, my students,” he began, “I am Principal Armah Zabes. In these coming years, I shall serve as your principal, like I have done for you predecessors, as well as I shall do for your successors. This has been my role for millennia.

You are all young vampires, which have had the luck to be enrolled here, whether it was through luck, or status. Here, things such as status, will not matter; all that matters, is results! Even if you are the offspring of an Elder, or even an Ancient or Primordial, do not be surprised when you get expelled, because you lacked in skill and results!

Only the skilled are allowed to stay here. Only the intelligent are allowed to stay here. Only the capable are allowed to stay here! If you can’t keep up, you can only blame yourself, but if you manage to graduate, then prepare yourself for a life of status, for all who graduate from my Academy, are sure be successful. That is, if you don’t die.

After you graduate, you will all have to from squads, and take on missions. That, will be your ticket up. That is all, for now. Now, the vice principal will announce the classes,” he said, then walked off the podium. The one, who replaced him, was a slightly less imposing character, but he was huge. The muscles on his body were bulging, and he was ridiculously tall. He seemed to be around two and a half meter tall, a real giant.

He quickly announced all the classes. Every class would have around twenty something students. I had been assigned to class 1-E. After that was done, we were all led to the dorms. It took a while, but eventually I found my room. When I entered, I was surprised to find two beds in the room. It seemed like I would have to share, with a roommate.

And, as if on cue, another person entered. This person had blonde hair, and a handsome appearance. He seemed to be around twenty years old, although he was a vampire, so it was hard to tell. The young blond man looked at me with curiosity, before reaching his hand out to me,

“Hello there, my name is Darren, I’ll be your roommate from now on,” he introduced himself. I shook his hand, then returned the introduction,

“My name is Parmasus, it’s nice to meet you,” I said. He nodded his head,

“Good to meet you,” he returned. He stepped further into the room, then claimed one of the beds, before questioning further,

“So tell me about yourself. How old are you? You have a pretty young body, so you must have been young, when you were turned,” he asked. I went over to my own bed, then sat down.

“Well, I was fifteen when I became a vampire. Apparently, Palazar, the one who turned me, had been watching me my whole life, since I reminded him, about his own childhood. Then, on that night, my father beat my mother a bit too much, and killed her. He started yelling at me, not to tell anyone, but I decided to run. I almost made it too, I jumped into the river, and swam out of the city, but my father was waiting for me, at the grate. I managed to get out, but not without a knife in liver. That’s when Palazar turned me. This was about four years ago. Ever since that day, I spent every single day training, and schooling. How about you?” I told him my story, then asked him about his own.

“Wow, that’s quite the story. Your father actually tried to kill you. Well, my story isn’t as depressing as that, but it’s something. I was twenty one years old, when I was turned, and it’s been three years now. My Master was a very beautiful female, and she turned me, because she liked me. I had known her for some time before she turned me, and fell in love with her. In the end, she revealed her nature, and turned me. After that, we travelled a bit, and she taught me her ways. Eventually, she found out that I had talent, so she decided to use a favour she had earned once, and enrolled me here. I was reluctant to leave her, but she didn’t give me a choice,” he explained.

“I see. Well, I’m sure you’ll see her again soon. I also know how you feel, although in a different way. Palazar became much like a father to me, but now I won’t be able to see him for several hundred years, he told me. Something about a mission, but he wouldn’t tell me anymore,” I said. Darren gave me a look of understanding.

“That’s harsh. I’ll probably be able to see her again in a few months or a year, so it’s not that bad.”

We continued talking for a while, getting to know each other, before we had to get to our class. We were both in the same class, probably because we were roommates. There were around twenty others in the classroom. About half were male, while the other half was female.

It was nice to see that there was no gender inequality here. For vampires, it didn’t matter if you were male or female, both could be just as strong. In the human world, it was completely different. You would never see a female soldier, or official, those roles were always male.

I sat in the middle of the classroom. On my left side, was Darren, and on my right side was a beautiful, brown haired girl. She turned her head to me, to introduce herself,

“Hello, my name is Eleana, what’s yours?” She asked. She was very beautiful, and seemed to be around sixteen or seventeen years old. I smiled to her, and introduced myself,

“My name is Parmasus, nice to meet you.” She smiled at me, and shook my hand.

“Nice to meet you Parmasus, I hope we can be friends. I’m rather new to this world. It’s been three years since I became a vampire, and I’ve never met another vampire, except the one who turned me, in all this time,” she said.

“I know how you feel. It’s been four years since I became like this, and in all this time, I only ever saw Palazar and Old Crow. It’s only now that I meet new vampires, so I’m a bit nervous. And adding to the fact that I have the body of fifteen year old, it makes me even more nervous,” I said. Eleana nodded feverishly.

“Exactly, I myself have a sixteen year old body, but I’m nineteen. I would have rather liked to have matured a bit more, maybe until I was twenty, not that I had much of a choice,” she said, having a distant expression at the end.

“Well, then we better stick together, since we seem to be the only ones with premature bodies. I can’t believe that the others all look to at least be in their early twenties. There are even some old people here. That reminds me, in the one week I’ve spent here, I’ve never seen any children. You would think that some children would be turned,” I said, curiously. Eleana’s eyes widened a bit.

“Oh, that’s right, I actually asked Verana, the one who turned me, about this, since I was curious. Apparently it’s highly illegal to turn too young people. You’re actually at the bridge of being illegal, you know. Apparently, children aren’t capable of controlling themselves too well, so they tend to go on rampages, which can endanger our kind, so they’re banned,” she explained.

“Oh, that makes sense,” I said, just as the teacher entered the room. The teacher was a middle aged man, with pitch black hair, and wore a long black, leather coat.

“Good to meet you, class. I will be your head teacher. My name is Targen,” he introduced himself.

Then he continued to have the entire class introduce themselves; their names, and ages. After that, he continued to explain how the school year would go, what kind of classes we would take.

The classes included, Combat Training, Elementary Blood Magic, Strategy and Tactics, Mathematics, History, Language, Scouting and Tailing, which was tracking and foraging, as well as basic surviving. Language class, was about learning the different languages of the several countries.

We didn’t do much on the first day of school, except for meeting the various teachers, and getting to know each other.

After all that, we went back to our dorms. I found out that Eleana didn’t live very far away from us, only a few rooms. The dorms weren’t divided into genders, but they wouldn’t put a male and female in the same room, though.

A while later, we went to the commons room, where Eleana, and her roommate had already arrived. Eleana seemed a bit uncomfortable, talking to her roommate. She looked to be in her thirties, so the age gap was just too big.

We went over to them, and talked for a while. The thirty year old woman, was named Marinna, and she seemed quite nice. She wasn’t as mature as you would think, quite childish in fact, but she had a large bosom, which seemed to interest Darren a bit, even though he was taken.

He said that you can never be taken enough, to not enjoy such good sights. He also said, never to tell his lover that he said that. We spent a while chatting with the several people there, before we went back to our room.

End of chapter 4