While the five elder vampires were making preparations to leave the island and head to the mainland, things in the capital were relatively normal.
Well, as normal as a society of individuals with superpowers could be. Most crimes and conflicts happened in the outskirts of the city or underground in the shadowed depths of Night City. The closer one lived to the center, the safer it became. With all the powerful families and noble houses that resided there, no one was stupid enough to cause trouble.
It was afternoon when a young girl stood before a massive iron gate guarded by two armored men. Her school uniform was neatly pressed, her golden hair catching the sunlight, gleaming like molten threads. Her soft blue eyes lifted toward the sky, where clouds drifted lazily across a sapphire canvas.
"Sigh… back to the academy," she muttered under her breath. The words carried no real complaint, but rather a note of reluctant acceptance. "At least the sky looks beautiful today."
She sighed once more before pushing open the gate and entering the courtyard, where she stumbled upon a group of three waiting for her.
Under the shade of one tree sat two girls and one boy, each with hair as distinct as their personalities: one blonde like fire-touched wheat, one red as fresh blood, and one blue as the deep sea. They looked up the moment the golden-haired girl entered.
"JANE!" the blonde girl shouted, leaping to her feet and waving with both hands before pulling her into a tight hug. "How could you do this to us?! No call for an entire month!!"
"Sorry, Ella..." Jane's voice was warm, yet carried an apology. "I had to turn off all the comm devices. My family kept bothering me ... mother asked for every little detail about what happened in the dungeon."
Ella pulled herself back and took a long moment to really study Jane. She had lost a little weight, yes, but there was a glow to her face—like she had walked through fire and returned with something hidden in her soul.
"You look different," Ella said softly, her golden brows knitting. "Stronger. But also… tired."
Before Jane could answer, the blue-haired girl jumped in, arms crossed and foot tapping with exaggerated impatience.
"Tch! Don't let her off easy, Ella," she said, her ocean eyes fixed on Jane. "She disappears for a whole month, comes back acting like nothing happened, and you just smile at her? That's not friendship, that's coddling!"
"Sorry, Sarah." Jane chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her head. "I promise to tell you guys what happened, and you can be as mad as you want."
"The important thing is that you're safe." The red-haired boy who had been quiet until now finally stood, his voice was calm despite the intense look on his face. "Welcome back, Jane. We missed you."
"Gasp!!!" the three girls gasped in unison, their heads turned towards the boy, their eyes widened with shock.
"Alex would never say something so embarrassing like that," Jane said, still stunned.
"Yeah, who are you and what did you do to our Alex?" Sarah added, raising an eyebrow at Alex.
"Guys!..." Alex muttered under his breath, his cheeks quickly became flushed. "We are outside!"
"We are talking normally," Jane chuckled, her heart light and joyful. "Besides, it's just the four of us, and what can the academy do about us?"
The four of them laughed, the sound carrying warmly across the courtyard. For a brief moment, it felt like the world had returned to its usual rhythm, untouched by dungeons, bloodlines, or the heavy weight of legacy.
But the moment didn't last.
The great bell of the academy tolled, its iron voice echoing over the sprawling campus. The sound was heavier than before, reverberating through their bones, as though the tower itself was struggling to carry the message.
Jane stiffened. That strange ache in her chest returned, sharp and hollow, as though something vital had been ripped from her without her knowing. Her hand instinctively moved to her heart, and for a fraction of a second her vision blurred—chains breaking, crimson mist rising, a thousand whispers clawing at her mind.
"Jane?" Ella's voice broke through, gentle but worried. She reached out and touched Jane's arm. "You're pale. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Jane said too quickly. She shook her head, forcing a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Just… too much sun. I'll be fine once we get inside."
'It happened again,' Jane thought, taking a moment to calm herself down. 'This is the second time today.'
Jane had no idea what was going on. Ever since she returned from her grandmother's hidden vault, she felt on edge, uneasy, as though she had been walking through a dream.
She spent a whole week in the place, experimenting over and over with the spider queen's blood, trying to find an explanation as to why her grandmother's blood was running through the spider's veins.
There was no way that her grandmother, the blood queen, somehow got reincarnated after death as a spider? Her grandmother would never accept that. If there was a chance that the reincarnation truly happened, then her grandmother would definitely ask for a different creature.
For example, a succubus with a big peni... Ahem... spending a week reading those erotic manga and playing with those toys... I mean, doing scientific stuff inside her grandmother's hidden vault would have an effect on her mind.
'That's the real reason for her dream. It must be!' Jane told herself. She was a pure innocent girl; she had no dirty thoughts. She would never try to push a 20-inch monster dildo up her butt for fun. And she would NEVER! Sleep with a vibrator inside her honeypot like her grandmother used to.
"Cough.... should we go now?" Jane faked a cough, trying to shake her impure thoughts.
"Yeah, let's go!" Ella said, grabbing her hand and guiding her out of her delusion. "Miss Harper is waiting for us."
The group started toward the academy's main building, their footsteps echoing across the stone paths as the toll of the bell slowly faded.
"Miss Harper, huh?" Sarah muttered, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her skirt. "Great. First day back and we're already getting stuck with the Witch of Calculations. Do you think she's still going to drone on about 'mana flow equations' for an hour?"
"Of course," Alex said dryly. "She never changes. If you hate it so much, maybe you should actually study instead of doodling battle formations in your notes."
Sarah stuck her tongue out at him. "Says the guy who secretly reads martial arts novels in the back of class."
"I do not—" Alex began, his face flushing again, but Jane broke into laughter before the two could start bickering in earnest.
For a moment, her heart felt light. Safe.
But then the ache returned when the memory of that spider boss came back. Before her parents sent a bodyguard forcing Jane to go back home, she tried to go back to that dungeon searching for the spider boss again, hoping to find a clue about her grandmother.
Unfortunately, the Hunter Association blocked the entire place, sealing the gate shut so no one could enter. It was an understandable decision. After all, it was a red gate—the most dangerous kind.
"Jane?" Ella's voice tugged her back to the present, soft but insistent. They were already climbing the stone steps leading into the main building, other students streaming around them in noisy clusters. "You spaced out again. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Jane lied smoothly, forcing a smile. She had practiced it so well over the last month that it almost sounded convincing, even to herself. "Just… still tired from the dungeon."
"You say that," Sarah snorted, brushing past them and pushing open the heavy doors. "But the glow on your face says otherwise. You're hiding something."
"She's right," Alex whispered to her friend as the group walked through the door. "If you don't tell us your secret soon, Sarah will go insane, and she'll be forced to hunt it down."
"It's just family matters... You know my other family." Jane said, and the three of them instantly recognized the hidden meaning.
The Nosferat family.
Immediately, they dropped the topic and made their way toward the classroom. The moment they stepped in, Jane spotted a familiar figure with pink hair sitting in the back with her head on the table.
"NANA-CHAN!"
Jane's voice carried across the classroom, bright and unrestrained. A few students turned their heads, curious, while others groaned at the sudden outburst.
The girl sitting in the back looked up from the tablet only to find that her vision was blocked by something soft and smooth.
"Glad to see you back too," Jane said, burying Nana's face in her chest. "How are things, Nana-chan? Are you eating well? Your injuries have healed, right? Do you need anything? Oh!... right, I brought some sweets with me, do you want them?"
"Mmph—! Jane, you idiot!" Nana's muffled voice came out sharp and irritated, her hands flailing against Jane's shoulders. "Get off me before I suffocate!"
The class erupted into chuckles and whispers.
"Of course. First day back and she's already causing a scene." Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering,
"She really missed Nana-chan." Ella giggled, covering her mouth.
"Sigh," Alex sighed, sliding into his seat. "Missed or tried to kill her. Hard to tell."
Reluctantly, Jane pulled back, still grinning ear to ear. Nana glared at her, yellow eyes flashing with embarrassment as she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. Her long pink hair, normally silky and neat, was now disheveled thanks to Jane's ambush.
"You're impossible," Nana huffed, sitting up straighter. "Do you have any idea how long I spent brushing my hair? Thanks a lot, Jane. It's only your first day back, and I hate you all over again."
"Really?" Jane made a sad puppy face.
"Tch... Stop playing the cute card—" Nana didn't have the time to finish before Jane pulled out a big, round lollipop from her pocket.
"Really?" Jane asked again, waving the lollipop close to Nana's face so she could smell the sweet scent. "Not even for this lollipop? I brought it just for you, Nana-Chan~"
"Ugh... Fine!" Nana bit her lower lip, blushing. "You win."
"Of course." Jane chuckled with a cocky smirk before giving the lollipop to Nana, who grabbed it with shaky fingers.
"Damn, she reminds me of Morgana a little." Nana whispered, "So cute but a real threat... and annoying."
"!!!" Jane's entire body jolted, her eyes wide as Nana's words sank in. She placed a hand on her right shoulder and leaned in.
"Could you repeat that name, Nana-chan?"