This is quite exhausting—I haven't even managed to research what's inside it yet. Understanding how this extremely dark mist affects one's condition is just as tiring.
Aria is over there—she hasn't rested tonight. Her addiction to investigation and chemistry keeps her awake and excited.
She takes a brief moment to rest, leaning back and stretching her body, but her pocket watch vibrates, forcing her to get up again.
"Is there no time to rest?" she mutters, reaching for the pocket watch on the table, pressing the button, and bringing it close to her ear. "Loraine?"
"Aria! Are you still in the neutral meeting room?" Loraine asks hurriedly, then takes a breath and exhales.
"Yes... I'm still here, and it feels like I'll be here forever."
"This is bad. Can you contact Glen tonight?" Loraine's words pique Aria's curiosity, prompting her to ask,
"What's so urgent?" She furrows her brows, bringing the watch closer to her ear, her expression focused.
"The academy is surrounded by demon beasts," Loraine replies. The mist hasn't cleared, and now another problem has suddenly appeared.
Aria reacts as anyone would—shocked and immediately asking again, "Where did you get this information?"
"That doesn't matter now. Quickly, call Glen and sound the emergency alarm," Loraine orders. Aria fumbles with a few buttons before pressing another.
She makes the call, now just waiting for Glen to pick up, while she rushes to the window to see what's happening outside.
She pulls the curtain slightly aside, creating a gap for one of her eyes to peer through. Her gaze shifts around before finally landing on something she stares at a few seconds longer.
What is that? Moving through this rampant mist so casually? Wait… that looks like Lucas? Or… a vampire?
The figure paces back and forth around Drakvary Dormitory, close enough to be within four meters of Aria's line of sight.
A few seconds pass as the figure continues walking. The mist around the area begins to thin, and as the figure aligns with Aria's position, it suddenly stops.
Its head tilts at an extreme angle, its gaze locking directly onto the dormitory—or perhaps onto Aria herself. Then, it opens its mouth, revealing an array of thin, needle-like fangs—numerous and terrifying.
A deafening roar erupts, shaking the glass. Instinctively, Aria slams the curtain shut and pushes herself away, her body trembling as she unconsciously steps back.
Her legs shake, and soon they will no longer be able to support her unstable body. The sound grows sharper before the glass shatters in front of her.
Shards of glass rip through the curtain, dragging it down along with the broken window. In front of her now stands a horrifying figure.
The creature roars in intimidation. This time, Aria moves purely on instinct, unable to bear looking at it any longer.
"Help!" she screams.
Jagged, scattered fangs. Glowing red eyes reminiscent of a blood moon. A tall, emaciated body forced into a hunched posture.
Its elongated arms are disproportionate to its short legs. Its razor-sharp claws mark it as a predator, while the horns on its head signify its status as a high-ranking demon.
Aria collapses before the creature, paralyzed and resigned to the idea that no one will hear her in the dead of night.
The creature approaches, inching closer with slow, deliberate steps, savoring the moment of its prey's downfall.
As Aria senses its growing proximity, she instinctively curls into herself, covering her head with her hands, her screams filling the room.
The glass trembles slightly at first, but as her voice reaches its peak, the creature answers with its own piercing scream. This time, the glass doesn't just tremble—it shakes violently, as if an earthquake of magnitude nine has struck.
Paintings sway left and right. The reverberating walls distort the thoughts of anyone who hears the sound. Aria can't bear it, pressing her hands tightly against her ears.
The monster interprets her reaction as a challenge, believing that Aria is attempting to fight back. Its agitation grows.
"Aria! Are you okay?" The voice from the pocket watch suddenly cuts through the tension.
The creature's gaze shifts toward it, momentarily forgetting Aria.
It doesn't move toward the watch immediately but stares at it for several seconds, waiting for another sound. Glen calls out again, his voice firm. "Aria!"
The creature's focus wavers. It turns toward the door, roaring as if sensing an intruder.
Aria, sensing something amiss, opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is a projectile traveling in a straight line—aimed directly at the creature's head.
Before the gunshot reaches her ears, the bullet has already torn through parts of the creature's skull. Then, the deafening sound rings out from behind Aria.
Three, four, five shots strike the creature's head—only one misses. Finally, the creature collapses under the relentless barrage.
The clinking of spent bullet casings fills the room. Aria slowly regains control over her fingers, instinctively turning her head to see who had fired.
Wein Arcveil stands there, holding a gold-and-silver revolver, before tucking it deep into his coat after reloading.
"Are you okay?" Wein asks, stepping toward Aria with concern. Seconds pass—nearly a minute—before more people enter the room.
Glen, Loraine, and Princess Teressa.
"What the hell is this?" Glen approaches the creature's corpse, circling it while observing the unusual color of its blood—not red as expected.
Loraine and Teressa move to calm Aria, while Glen and Wein continue examining what they have just witnessed.
"Five revolver rounds… that's quite the expense just to kill one of these things," Wein Arcveil muses internally, sliding his finger toward the dark blood on the floor.
"Look at this." Glen's words make Wein immediately turn to him before he can touch the blood. "Every single one of your shots hit its brain. Your accuracy is incredible."
Each bullet had struck a vital part of the brain, ensuring instant death. Yet, according to historical texts, vampires were said to be impervious to bullets due to their exceptional speed.
Wein contemplates this, staring at the corpse. Perhaps this wasn't a vampire at all. Or maybe, the notion that they couldn't be shot referred to arrows—far slower than bullets.
"That's not a vampire."
A trembling voice has conquered its fear. Aria steps forward, her disheveled appearance evidence of her ordeal. Loraine and Teressa follow.
"I suppose I should press the emergency alarm now," Teressa suggests, holding her pocket watch, ready to activate the alarm if everyone agrees.
Glen lifts his head and looks at Teressa. "Do it. We can't let anyone else get hurt," he says firmly.
The emergency alarm blares, its sound echoing throughout the dormitory, meant to awaken everyone inside.
Wein Arcveil turns toward the direction the creature came from. Loraine, noticing this, follows him—but maintains a certain distance.
Eventually, they reach the shattered window. Shards of glass litter the floor, the wooden reinforcements have been breached, and the curtains lay in tatters. Wein stares outside.
He looks left, then right. The mist is still present, but the unmistakable aura of mana cannot be deceived. Someone is watching us.
Soon, Wein pulls his gaze back. He carefully steps backward, avoiding the broken shards, deep in thought.
This mist spreads as the wind carries it. The Drakvary Dormitory has openings at the bottom, which means if the wind blows toward this window, the mist will enter.
"Damn it."