The storeroom, unlike the alchemy equipment room outside, was sealed with a heavy iron door and marked with warnings for students and faculty to stay out. Yet, Isabella ignored these, pulling out a set of crudely made keys—likely crafted herself—and skillfully unlocked the door.
"Should we really be doing this, sister?" Valred asked, slightly exasperated by her audacity but still following her inside.
"Come on, you don't want to be a goody-two-shoes forever, do you? What were you thinking when you ordered that man's death yesterday?" Isabella retorted, clearly annoyed by Valred's hesitation. It seemed news of Valred's encounter with the free soldier in the city had already spread.
"That's different," Valred replied with a wry smile but said no more.
The storeroom, like most vampire storage spaces, was pitch black, with only the faint red glow of Valred and Isabella's eyes piercing the darkness. Despite his initial reservations, Valred was quickly captivated by the experimental undead. These creations represented the pinnacle of Sylvanian magic and alchemy, and it was impossible for him not to be fascinated.
Isabella watched Valred's enthusiasm with a hint of pride. "I knew you'd like it here."
"What's this?! A skeletal cobra made of bones and infused with special metallic minerals? It's more agile and flexible than a skeletal warhorse, can spit acid, and moves swiftly underground?!"
"And this—a semi-ghostly bone wolf?! Its teeth are implanted with venom glands for a lethal bite, and it's faster than a regular bone wolf?!"
"Is this a replacement for the stone ghouls? A wraith that can shift between physical and spectral forms?! Aren't those only found in the underworld? Did they create this based on legends?!"
Valred moved excitedly among the undead, marveling at their design. Though they were inert without magic, his keen eyes could discern their extraordinary potential. It was as if a lifelong antique collector had stumbled into the tomb of an ancient emperor. Valred was grinning from ear to ear, his earlier unease forgotten, and he could hardly resist rolling on the ground with joy.
"Keep it down. We don't want to get caught," Isabella reminded him as his voice grew louder. Valred snapped out of his fervor.
"These undead seem incredibly powerful. Why are they just sitting here gathering dust?"
"There must be reasons. Maybe the manufacturing process isn't perfected, or it's too complex to simplify. Or perhaps the materials are too rare and expensive. And who's to say they haven't been used in combat?"
"Is that so?" Valred asked. "But I haven't seen any of these in the castle or the city."
"Of course not, silly," Isabella chuckled, tapping his forehead. "Experimental undead are sent to the border armies for field testing. You won't find them here."
"What a shame. I'd love to see them in action," Valred sighed before following Isabella out. They locked the door and returned to the carriage as if nothing had happened.
Isabella checked her pocket watch. "It's almost eleven. Let's grab some lunch." The carriage sped off to the academy's dining hall.
By now, most students and faculty had arrived, and the hall was bustling. Valred counted about twenty students around his and Isabella's age and nearly eighty teachers from various disciplines. It was then that Valred truly understood the depth of Sylvanian's academic resources.
Everyone in the hall knew Valred, as news of his enrollment had spread. While they weren't surprised to see him, they were still pleased. However, when someone asked what he'd been studying that morning and why they hadn't seen him, Valred felt a pang of embarrassment.
"I didn't find a subject I wanted to attend this morning," Valred replied awkwardly—he couldn't very well admit he'd spent the entire morning being dragged around by Isabella. But this meant he'd have to choose a class for the afternoon, much to Isabella's displeasure.
The crowd gradually gathered around Valred, turning the lunch into an impromptu welcome party. Of course, Isabella grew visibly annoyed whenever a girl or boy lingered too close to him.
As Valred chatted with his cousins, one of them, Eric, leaned in and whispered, "Your sister's been watching you the whole time," making Valred cringe.
"That's just how she is… she still thinks I'm a kid," Valred laughed nervously, trying to brush it off. "She's always keeping an eye on me."
"Is that so?" Eric smirked, then lowered his voice further. "Maybe that's what you think. But Isabella's feelings for you… well, you know how it is among vampires. Keeping the bloodline pure often means marrying within the family. And you two are close in age, so—"
Before Eric could finish, Valred shot up, knocking over his chair. He'd never heard anything like this before.
"Enough, Eric. Valred's still young. Don't bring this up," another cousin scolded, smacking Eric on the head. Eric chuckled sheepishly.
"Just forget I said anything—no, I didn't say anything. Sit down, sit down. My bad," he said, picking up the chair and forcing Valred back into it.
The rest of the meal passed in a blur for Valred. He couldn't even recall what class he attended in the afternoon, only that Isabella dragged him out halfway through.
As Isabella led Valred away, a group of students gathered around Eric, asking why he'd brought up such a topic. Vampire education on such matters was conservative, especially for someone like Valred, and such discussions were usually reserved for adults and only after the age of fourteen.
"I didn't want to say it… Isabella made me," Eric muttered, feeling wronged.
The others nodded in understanding, but Valred remained confused. As Isabella pulled him along, his mind was in turmoil. While he'd sometimes felt his sister was overly affectionate, he'd never considered the possibility of marrying her. The idea of family becoming something more was too much to process.
His thoughts were a jumble, and even his body felt strange. Isabella had held his hand countless times before, but today it felt different. The softness of her hand sent tingles through his palm, and her sweet scent, carried by the breeze as they ran, made his heart race. When they finally stopped by the picturesque lake at the academy's northern edge, Valred caught Isabella's reflection in the water. For the first time, he realized his once mischievous sister had grown into a graceful young woman.