It was well past midnight when Magnus shot through the sky, heading toward Takerth Academy. His projected clothes flapped against the rush of wind.
He'd wrapped up everything he needed to do outside, and now the only thing left to deal with was the thirty vampires sealed inside the orbs trailing behind him. If anyone happened to be out this late and looked up, they might mistake him for a streak of stars, all moving in formation through the night.
Minutes later, the towering Central Building of Takerth Academy appeared on the horizon, framed by the dark sky.
Magnus slowed as he neared the academy. He wasn't sure what would happen if he just flew directly in, instead of using the usual entrance, but he wasn't keen on finding out. Gerald had once told him that the academy's walls were inscribed with sensory runes that would trigger if touched, and even though the barrier around the academy was mostly perception-based, he was sure it would set off alarms too.
I mean, there's probably a reason I don't see people floating around, casting spells, or using aura willy-nilly on academy grounds. Even if it's not a hard rule, it's just common sense.
With that in mind, Magnus began to descend, aiming for a spot just a few meters from the academy entrance. But when his feet hit the ground, he was surprised to see that the usual guards were nowhere in sight. In their place stood only one familiar figure.
Eveline.
She had one arm crossed over her chest and the other resting on it, her finger tapping lightly against her upper lip as she smirked at him.
"Welcome back. Did you have fun while you were out?" Eveline asked, her eyes drifting up to the floating mana constructs trailing behind Magnus. A quick glance told her exactly what lay inside of them.
"Eveline? What are you doing here? Where's everyone else?" Magnus asked, walking toward her while scanning the area.
"Oh, I gave them the night off. Let them go home," Eveline explained, her tone casual.
"You can do that- Actually, never mind, of course you can." Realizing how silly the question was, Magnus let it go and went back to his original concern.
"But why are you here, though?"
Eveline unfolded her arm and held out both hands, gesturing to the empty space around them.
"Isn't it obvious? You broke curfew, Magnus." Magnus paused, blinking for a moment before glancing up at the night sky and realizing just how late it had gotten.
"Oh… shit," he muttered under his breath.
Eveline chuckled, walking toward him with a confident stride, her presence growing larger with each step.
"There's no need to panic," she said, her tone reassuring.
"In fact, you should feel lucky. Zedem's typically in charge of the academy's security unit, and trust me, they're not forgiving with students who break the rules—like you." She reached out and tapped Magnus lightly on the forehead, her words teasing but clear.
He'd messed up by breaking curfew.
"But wait," Magnus asked, confused as he brushed her hand away.
"If Zedem's in charge, why are you here?"
"Because you're my disciple," Eveline answered with a grin.
"As your master, it's my job to discipline you when you break the rules. That's why I was allowed to leave the academy in the first place." At that moment, Magnus realized Eveline was actually standing outside the academy, even if it was just beyond its walls—normally, that would break the contract she had with the academy. But there were exceptions, like when she needed to protect him, or in this case, punish him.
"Well, then…" Eveline clapped her hands together, her smile wide.
"Let's get going. It's time for your punishment." As she spoke, a door materialized out of thin air beside them, displacing the air slightly as it appeared.
It was just like the doors that led into her library. The door opened on its own, revealing a spatial passage straight to the Research Station. Eveline stepped through first, then turned and gestured for Magnus to follow, to which he hesitated.
She can summon those even out here? Wait… what kind of punishment does Eveline even have in mind for me?
He really wasn't sure he wanted to find out.
Then again… I don't have much of a choice. At least I know she won't hurt me, so that's something.
With a reluctant sigh, shoulders slumped, he stepped forward. The orbs containing the vampires floated down and passed through the door on their own, moving in an orderly fashion.
Soon, Magnus found himself once again in the heart of Eveline's library. Towering bookshelves stretched into the darkness above, a sea of books and pages lining the walls, illuminated only by the glowing orbs floating through the air. The orbs phased through everything they touched—one even passing through Magnus as he walked through the door. As soon as he stepped inside, the door behind him closed and vanished.
"Alright, so what's my punishment going to be?" Magnus asked, wanting to get it over with instead of stressing over what it might be.
"Ah, eager, are we? I didn't know you were such a masochist, Magnus," Eveline teased.
"Though, I suppose it would explain how much you rely on your regeneration sometimes."
"Wha- What? No, I'm not… Just tell me what the hell I'm doing, Eveline." Magnus gave up on trying to protest halfway through, hearing her laugh again as she tapped her chin, swaying playfully from side to side.
"Well... I suppose you could..." Eveline's eyes met his as she chuckled.
"Help me clean a few of my books later."
Magnus blinked a few times, unsure if he'd heard her right.
"Wait, what?"
Eveline cocked her head and repeated, "I said, you're going to help me clean a few of my books, later."
"Umm... And that's it?" Magnus asked, a bit skeptical. Eveline raised an eyebrow at him.
"You make it sound like you want me to come up with something harsher. No one knows what goes on inside my library except for me. So, if I tell them you helped me clean my entire collection for a few days, who's going to know what I mean by 'collection'?" Eveline mused, a mischievous glint in her eyes. Magnus could already tell she was enjoying the thought of it all. It was yet another loophole in her contract with the academy—one he knew she loved taking advantage of, especially now that he was her disciple.
Then Eveline's gaze shifted back to him, her smile widening.
"Of course, if you truly do want to help me clean my whole library, I'm more than happy to accept the offer."
Magnus quickly raised his hands and shook his head.
"No, no... I'm good. Maybe next time. Or when I figure out some way to make it... less..." He trailed off, glancing at the countless books stretching beyond the Research Station.
He sighed, adding to the end, "Impossible."
"Believe it or not, it's not nearly as difficult as you'd think, but I digress. We've got more important things to discuss than boring academy rules, right?" Eveline's eyes shifted back to the floating vampires, and Magnus's gaze followed.
"Oh, right. These guys ambushed me while I was taking a walk through the park. Though they'd been following me for much longer than that," Magnus explained, glancing over at the mana constructs floating behind him.
"Is that so?" Eveline muttered, holding out a hand. As she did, one of the mana constructs drifted toward her. Magnus blinked in surprise, not because he was shocked that Eveline could influence one of his spells; she was an Archmage, after all. But because she was doing it without him sensing a thing. He was still mentally linked to the mana construct, feeling like he had full control over it, yet somehow, it was completely under Eveline's control and couldn't feel a single shift in his connection with it.
As the mana construct sphere holding one of the vampires landed in Eveline's hand, she studied it for a moment.
"Hmmm... same structure as the two you captured before, not many notable differences, except this one hasn't lost as much of its form." With that, Eveline let the construct float back into the air and turned to look at Magnus. There was something almost proud in her gaze, though it felt off—like it wasn't quite pride. It was more like an odd, veiled curiosity, the kind you'd feel watching a plant grow or a project reach the next stage of development.
"You managed to defeat them quickly, I'm assuming. They barely used up any of their reserves. Not only that, but I can tell your magic has improved. You're beyond the Adept-level now, in terms of intricacy and efficiency. Very impressive. You've grown a lot in such a short time. Your progress... truly is miraculous," Eveline commented, her gaze on Magnus shifting in a way she hadn't looked at him in a long time.
Her eyes were intense, making him want to squirm under their narrowing scrutiny.
"Eveline..." Magnus said, not out of warning, but just to snap her out of it, and it worked, for the most part. She blinked, her expression returning to normal as she broke into her usual, much less, yet still unsettling smile.
"Oh, yes, right. Well, in any case… While I don't mind the new subjects, if it's information you want, I'm afraid I've already extracted everything these types know."
Magnus took a moment to process that, then his eyes widened.
"Wait, you've already finished tortu- I mean... interrogating the ones I left you?"
Grinning slightly at his slip-up, Eveline nodded.
"Indeed. I must admit, their structures are quite strange—different from any incorporeal life forms I've come across. They still have minds, and surprisingly enough, brains, though their brains are made of the very energy that constructs their bodies. A sort of micro-virtual brain, simulating that of an intelligent life form, just enough to act as a nexus point for a soul, connecting to the mind. Once I figured out the structure, combing through their minds was fairly simple. Easier than doing so with humans, actually."
There was a brief pause, and she continued.
"I'm still not sure how they develop souls, or these 'brains' in the first place. Is it instinctual? Do they know how to form their brains upon creation? If so, it implies that their souls are created after their brains, which is a completely new concept. Because, as far as we know, souls are inherited as soon as an intelligent life form is born. Not to mention, it raises the question of how their minds can control their formless bodies without having a brain or soul to communicate through. It is all very, very, fascinating." Listening to her ramble on, Magnus felt confused—not by what Eveline was saying, but because he wasn't confused, which was unusual for him.
He muttered to himself, "I think I've been spending too much time around Eveline. I can actually understand her rants now."
Eveline, of course, heard that and smiled knowingly.
"Ah, but isn't that a good thing? It means you're advancing intellectually. Maybe one day, you'll be like me, and together we'll make even greater discoveries!"
Magnus gave her a partial, half-hearted nod at the idea.
Yeah... that's exactly what I'm worried about.
But he didn't say it out loud, as Eveline quickly shifted gears.
"But enough rambling. I suppose you want to learn what I have for you." She raised her hand, snapping her fingers in a familiar motion. In an instant, the space beside her filled with the familiar sight of a chalkboard.
A moment later, Magnus felt the back of a chair hit his legs, and he sat down with hardly any resistance, muttering, "Huh, it's been a while since we've done this."
Eveline nodded. "
It has indeed, hasn't it?" With a flick of her hand, a piece of chalk appeared in Eveline's fingers. She turned to the board and began writing, ready to dive into whatever she had prepared.
"Now, then. Let's officially begin, Vampire 101, shall we? During my time with the oh-so-eager subjects you brought me, I've managed to discover quite a bit. Though I imagine only a portion of that will be useful to you. But I should probably tell you now, they only had information on the part of the branch they operated within. Despite being part of the same syndicate, the branches keep mostly to themselves, with minimal communication and overlap outside of the leaders. In this case, the vampires you brought me only had information on the Jackal Branch, which deals in trafficking. Honestly, relying on human slaves is so dull... It's far more efficient to use runes to automate things, but I digress."
For a moment, Magnus honestly thought Eveline was going to take some sort of moral stance against slavery. That thought quickly died as she kept talking, causing him to just shake his head slightly and continue listening as Eveline wrote on the board.
"Now, the Jackals operate all over the city, but the vampires you captured didn't know any specific locations. Everything from managing the branch cells and down is handled by normal humans. The vampires, on the other hand, handle the executive work. The two you captured typically work as executioners, keeping the humans in line for their vampiric superiors. Speaking of which, they follow a fairly simple ranking system." The sound of Eveline's chalk against the board echoed in the quiet library as she wrote down one title after another, adding a few details.
It didn't take long—just under a minute.
"First, we have the Nightborn. These are the ones you've been dealing with. Based on what I've seen, what you've told me, and my experiments, they can't use true magic. But through their energy-based forms, they can perform feats that are similar. Their abilities are about on the same level as an Apprentice-level mage in terms of complexity, but their power is enough to threaten even an Adept. Their physical strength is comparable to an Adept-level knight as well, which is shocking. For mere combatants, they're quite powerful. If they had more numbers, they could almost be a real threat, but let's move on."
Eveline tapped the chalk against the second title she had written, and then said, "The Hierarchs. This is the rank of the vampire you encountered before, Lady... Austra, if I'm remembering correctly."
Magnus gave a subtle nod, not saying anything but focusing more closely as Eveline continued.
"These are the executives of the Jackals. From what I've learned, there are eight of them. I can't gather much about them from just memories and words, but from what I observed with her against you, and what I've gleaned, they have absolute authority over the vampires below them—something deeper than just command. Based on my observations, they're physically comparable to Master-level knights, though without the benefits aura provides. Ability-wise, I'm not sure how complex they are, but the sheer speed and efficiency of that vampiric woman's ability to cancel out your magic places her at least at the Master Class in terms of Anti-Magic. All in all, they're beyond your current abilities to handle."
Magnus looked at her as she finished, a small smile playing on his lips.
He countered, "I wouldn't be so sure. I'll admit, I wasn't a match for her before. But I've developed plenty of new abilities since then, for when I run into her again. It'll still be tricky, but it definitely won't be as one-sided as last time."
Eveline looked at him, curiosity in her expression, but for once, she didn't ask and simply continued.
"Lastly, we have the one you've likely been most curious about—their Lord, officially known as an Umbrarch. Not much I can tell you about him. The Nightborns have never seen him, and they don't know his abilities. What they do know is that he's far beyond the capabilities of the Hierarchs, to the point where the Hierarchs serve him without question. Needless to say... he's probably extremely powerful."
Magnus leaned back in his chair slightly, narrowing his eyes at the word written on the board as he muttered, "So he's like their king, huh? Given the gaps we've seen so far, he must be as powerful as a Champion—or an Archmage, like you, right, Eveline?"
Instead of agreeing, Eveline tapped her finger against her chin and hummed thoughtfully.
"Who knows? Though I'd prefer it if you didn't compare me to some creature of the night, Magnus. Believe me, if this Umbrarch were truly on my level, you'd already be dead, and the knowledge of my so-called organization would still be well hidden." The weight of her statement hung in the air, and Magnus tilted his head slightly, his curiosity piqued.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you took offense to what I said."
Eveline didn't hesitate against his words. She nodded, and when she spoke again, her voice had lost its usual charm, becoming flat and neutral, not threatening, but normal. In a way, that was more unsettling than anything else she could have done.
"Well, of course. Archmages aren't something to simply compare to, Magnus—not even among ourselves. Your understanding is still lacking, but believe me when I say this: it's not a title that's easily given or earned. And there's a reason why death awaits many who seek it." The silence that followed hung for a few seconds as Eveline stared at Magnus. Then, her smirk returned, and she turned her attention back to the board.
"In any case, now we have the information you're most likely interested in. Locations."
At the mention of locations, Magnus sat up straight again, pushing aside the lingering weight of Eveline's words for the moment.
"Now then, I'm not sure if this is their headquarters, or even a base of operations for the Jackals, but apparently, there's a place where the vampires typically meet within the city. Think of it like a lounge for them to enjoy the fruits of their immortality, or so I imagine. The Umbrarch himself doesn't go there, which is good news for you, but every week or so, they hold a fairly large get-together, and at least a few Hierarchs show up. So... Magnus. If you truly wish to dismantle the Jackal Branch, that would be the best place to start. The next gathering, to my knowledge, should be in two days."
"Two days…" Magnus echoed softly to himself, his head dipping as his thoughts spun.
That's sooner than I expected. Much sooner. But Eveline's right—this is my best chance to cause a real disruption, maybe even shut them down for good, depending on what I can learn. But…
His mind flashed to the mention of Hierarchs.
She said they'd be there. I'm confident I can fare better against one now, but if there are multiple? Then I might be in trouble if I go alone.
The weight of his decision hit him. He could ask for help. He could contact the Major General, talk to Luden and the others—he was sure many of them would be willing to help him for one reason or another.
But...
Hesitation lingered.
His thoughts twisted around the deaths that had lingered with him. Unnecessary deaths. They never left, no matter how much he tried to ignore them. They haunted him in the quietest moments, when no one else was around to see. The guilt gnawed at him in a way he hated more than anything. Not being able to attend a funeral, or even give a proper burial because he hadn't been strong enough, because there was no body to bury in the first place. How many more times could he stand that? Actively working to get people involved, only for them to die as a result of his decisions, because he dragged them in.
No, he decided to put an end to that.
So, I'll handle it myself. That's why I've been getting stronger, right? Why I've been focusing so hard on gaining new abilities. If I can handle this alone, then at least, even if I fail, no more lives will be lost.
A grim, sober resolve settled over him as he lifted his head and met Eveline's gaze. His voice was steady but carried the weight of his decision.
"Eveline, I'm going to need you to do me two favors."
Noticing the change in his tone, Eveline raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? And what would those be?"
"For the next two days, I need you to 'handle' my classes so I can prepare for the gathering here at the Research Station. And secondly... I need your help running a few experiments on the vampires we've captured." At the mention of experiments, Eveline's eyes sharpened, and a wide, slightly crazed smile spread across her face.
"Oh? Is that so? Well, you are technically my disciple after all. Who am I to say no, especially when you're so... convicted?"