–Somewhere Far Away–
"I can't believe it, illegal duels in my district?!" exclaimed a woman with long, wavy black hair as she choked on a sip of coffee.
"Coffee isn't going to calm you down. Do you really want to stay awake all night?" a red-furred, beastly man—apparently a fox with enormous ears and tail—offered his humble advice.
A number of elegantly and refined-looking people were engaged in a heated discussion at a huge table at the tip of a luxurious skyscraper, enjoying their conversation.
That's probably how the masses would perceive these people, when in reality each one of them was busy and overwhelmed with problems to the extreme.
"Charlotte, Jake is right. Was it just a place for illegal duels? We dismantled about three of those in my district not long ago," emphasized an old man with a shiny bald head, his skin boasting a pale tone. His appearance betrayed his age—someone that old could only be an ancient vampire. How was it possible that this group had such an important member?
It was because this was an important meeting, and everyone present was a mayor of Luna Nova.
How could there be different mayors working at the same time in one city?
Interestingly, despite being a city, Luna Nova was considered a country in itself, due to its immense size—a status it had maintained since the early generations of the duels pact.
"Grandfather, leave her be; you wouldn't understand. She's new to this and was doing a phenomenal job—the history of her district has been completely cleaned up since she took over… Isn't that right, my love?"
A handsome, exquisite man with blue hair and golden eyes argued, before giving Charlotte a kiss. He was Drake, the grandson of Asmodeo—the ancient vampire and the oldest mayor of Luna Nova.
"If you say so, Drake, dear. I feel like I'm out of it. I'm going to try and calm down; as long as all the criminals are severely punished, they'll serve as a warning to the rest…"
"District Mayor! The report from Armstrong's office has arrived!"
Everyone in the room—even most of those who had remained silent until now—shifted their attention to the messenger who had just entered.
A somewhat short vampire, who looked very young, spoke up; but when it comes to vampires, appearances can be deceiving.
"What does it say?" asked Charlotte with an anxious expression.
"The main culprit, according to the reports, is… completely free from judgment and punishment?" the little vampire said, only for…
"SHIT!" Charlotte suddenly slammed the table so hard that it shattered against the ceiling.
"I want an audience with that son of a bitch Armstrong—what is that flea-wolf thinking?" she roared.
–One Hour Ago–
"A deal? The mysterious man? Do you really believe... everything I said?"
Neon quickly began to understand what was happening—it seemed Armstrong had a reason to find that guy.
"I don't care what you say, or where you come from—whether you're an innocent or a ruthless criminal—I'm willing to offer you a deal…"
"That guy is at large, and wherever he is, it can't be good news!"
Armstrong was ready to take a risk. He knew that at this rate, he would never be able to find the mysterious man. Neon could understand that, although he didn't know the exact reason; that guy simply radiated bad vibes.
(Even stronger than those vibes was my negligence.) Neon couldn't help but blame himself for even taking the meat that had been offered to him.
Now that he had started thinking about meat, he couldn't resist the sudden hunger that hit him. He didn't even know what he had been fed during the seven days he was unconscious.
*Grrrr*
His stomach began to growl, and everything turned blurry all of a sudden.
"Here, you should eat this," said Nadia as she snapped her fingers, making a piece of meat and a bottle of fresh water appear.
"However, don't think that means we're on good terms," she added, reclining on a sofa and pulling out her cell phone using the same trick once again.
"Is it just me, or does everyone think I can only eat meat?"
"Don't you know yet? Werewolves only eat meat—it's the only thing that can satisfy our hunger. If we neglect our hunger for even a single second, I doubt you need to mention what would happen."
Neon couldn't help but reflect on everything that had happened, unable to believe that he really was a werewolf.
(It all feels so surreal… my body has changed so much so suddenly… Am I even still me?)
Neon was on the verge of an existential crisis, only to take a bite of the meat and start drooling. He had never experienced any meat as delicious as this.
"I've looked into your records, but everything about your family is confidential. I had to pull some strings to get some information."
"You haven't had it easy so far, I know that—but I don't think you like to put on a pity show," said Armstrong, while Neon ate greedily, his gaze fixed on him as the grease from the meat slid down his hands.
"You were never supposed to have awakened your DNA; you were meant to remain a defective, but…", Armstrong continued his explanation, and now it was Nadia's turn to speak.
In a bored tone, she said the following:
"We did a quick analysis of your blood, and just as we suspected, you're a werewolf. However, you're also a vampire, according to what a witness told us… your opponent in the Cage fought you to the death and bit you. They claim you don't remember anything beyond that."
She went on to explain that no one else remembered anything after that, as if their brains had been wiped clean.
"We believe this was all the work of the mysterious man—everything was planned. That bite activated your DNA, which suddenly became unstable, and your vampire and werewolf DNA clashed." she concluded.
"But I… you won't believe what happened. My memory is perfectly intact, and I clearly remember being devoured by that werewolf—and then coming back to life."
Neon thought that Armstrong and Nadia would burst out laughing, but instead, they explained something he didn't know.
"High-ranking vampires can revive if certain conditions are met; yours… we don't know them. Didn't they teach you something so basic in your family? Besides, a hybrid—nothing like this has ever happened before."
Nadia began explaining everything possible to Neon, but in the end she sounded confused; it seemed Neon was a genetic miracle.
"Every day is getting crazier," Neon exclaimed, the avalanche of information confounding him—there were just too many things happening all at once.
As for Nadia's opinion on Neon's relationship with his family, it neither impressed nor disappointed him. He was used to the few people he'd met at gatherings with families as important as his own mistaking him for an assistant. Most needed proof to believe he was an actual direct member of the family.
Still, now he at least understood why he hadn't completely died in that fight; everything made sense—after all, his older siblings were also high-ranking vampires.
"I'll be honest: I can completely remove your punishment, but your record will be tainted from now on; you won't be allowed into any regular university," Armstrong was about to reveal his deal.
"…So, I need you to attend a certain academy, train there, and secretly help me find the mysterious man."
Neon had no other option; however, this didn't sound too bad. Besides, he wasn't exactly excelling academically in a way that would make him stand out at a regular university, so he didn't hesitate for a second.
"Here's the paper; I just need your signature," said Armstrong, as Neon searched for some kind of pen, only for him to refuse.
"This isn't a contract, kid."
Neon soon realized that what was written on that ambiguous paper was…
…a duel…
"You already know the procedure, right?" Neon nodded, and bit his finger lightly. To his surprise, his new, sharpened teeth sliced through a good part of his finger, which quickly began to heal.
"Hurry up! Sign the paper!"
Neon signed his name on the duel contract, while Nadia stood up to finish inscribing her magic onto it.
"Neon… You agree to help me search for the mysterious man indefinitely. In exchange, I will secure you a future beyond your imagination, along with my unconditional support," Armstrong began uttering a series of flashy words.
"S-s-seriously...? I swear, if I don't fulfill this, I'm ready to accept whatever punishment the law deems fit," Neon said as he bowed, and then the duel contract turned to ashes right before his eyes.
"It's done," said Nadia.
"Hold on tight," was what Neon heard. He didn't have time to process who said it, but a blinding light enveloped the three of them, and they vanished from the office…
"Hello? Can I clean up here? Oh, they left breakfast—better make the most of it."
***
Neon felt as if his body had been broken into tiny pieces and reassembled over and over again.
Before he knew it, he found himself in a plaza, facing a gigantic statue of a colossal witch that loomed imposingly before him.
They had been teleported; the sensation made him want to vomit—just remembering the ordeal made him feel sick.
"I'm going to throw up, BLERG!"
Surprisingly, it wasn't Neon who vomited but Nadia, ironically—the very one who had cast the spell.
Armstrong beamed a huge smile as he leaned on the much smaller Neon. In his view, there were many young people around Neon's age—some younger, some older.
A multitude of Anima and humans, from various castes, had traveled from all over the continent to enroll in this school.
"Neon… Welcome to Luna Nova's most decorated academy, Radilith!"