Today was the birthday of Daeron Darkhaven. The stern legacy was turning forty-six, and everyone was present to attend the celebration. Well… everyone who was accounted for was present. Even Vivian and their children occupied one of the roundtables, though they chose not to interact with other members of the family. The rest of the family didn't pay them much attention, either, members often time avading their direction as though hey we're carriers of some dreadful plague.
None of them seemed to mind. They were far too preoccupied with their own thoughts.
"Well, I guess tomorrow it's back to school for us," Loki eventually said, his voice sounding distant. Indeed, the younger generation had to go about their education like they normally would. Their school session had only been abruptly halted due to the unexpected conflict, but now that everything was somewhat settled, no one had an excuse to miss school.
No one bothered to give him a response. Loki didn't care. His mind was just a mess as theirs was.
The rest of the celebration went by like a blur. The royals cleared the expansive ballroom, exiting to their chambers. Beyond the lavish parties, shameless gossips, and gluttonous feasting, life as a royal could be described as being pretty… mundane.
Apart from the sudden war that transpired, their lives had more or less been mechanical, with barely any alterations to their schedules. Although most didn't protest to it, some couldn't help but feel their soul being drained by the pragmatic monotony of daily living. The youngsters, in particular, shared this knawing challenge.
Though people like Mars didn't really mind. He was far too concerned with his position to care about such nonsense. The same could be said for Raven, as well. It was people whose ideologies aligned with Loki that experienced this deep sense of boredom.
Vivian, Raven, and Loki were on their way to their chambers. However, Mars had other plans in mind. Branching off from his family, he made his way through the grand halls, making turns when needed, until eventually, he found himself standing before a grand entrance into the royal library. He pushed the collosal doors open, stepping into the wide space before closing the door behind him.
His crimson eyes swept across the vast multitude of shelves housing centuries of knowledge that had been meticulously preserved by the Bookkeepers—Darkhavens who were tasked with recording and safekeeping their people's knowledge.
Within these hardcover books, one would learn of the beginning of vampire society, they innovations, their conflicts, their rise to prominance, as well as their occasional descent to misfortune. All were contained within this glorious room, however, the locus of Mars' interest had to do with a certain ancestor of the past, one who was famed for being the guiding light of the vampires.
Mars swiftly made his way to the reception centre located at the right of the massive room. There, he met a man who looked to be in his mind fifties. His name was Kaleb Darkhaven, the Head Bookkeeper of the royal library. There were others stationed at various locations, however, one would have to meet him personally before being allowed to pick any book from the shelves. If anyone wished to borrow a book from the library, they would also have to meet with him. The latter would then open a record book, where the borrower would have to write basic information about the book, including the date when they'd be returning it. Failure to return a book had dire consequences. The vampires weren't lax with their history in any sort of way.
After meeting with the Book Keeper, Mars walked past numerous shelves, searching for the book of his choice. On the shelves he past, there were titles such as 'The Barbarism Of Vampires,' 'The Era Of Misfortune,' and even 'The Genesis Of Bloodshed.' It wasn't until his eyes fell upon a particular shelf which was labelled 'The Invasion,' did his footsteps finally stopped.
Moving his hands through the books, he read their titles as he past them by. Eventually, he found the book he was searching for, titled 'The Guiding Light Of Nefaria,' and pulled it out from it's position.
He found an isolated spot in the library, sat down, and began to read from where he had stopped.
"The new hope of the vampires, Lucious Darkhaven…"
*********
The people of Nefaria slept and woke up, only to meet the skies as lightless as they did before their slumber. They welcomed the darkness, emerging from their beds and getting ready for the tasks ahead of them. For the younger generation of royals, it was another day of school.
After spending several hours in the library, Mars eventually went back to his chamber and fell asleep. Waking up later on, he couldn't stop thinking about what he had read as he got ready for school.
The Bloodfang Academy, the single most prestigious school in all of Nefaria. It was where the royals sent their wards to learn, as well as where the top nefarious organization of the tenebrous kingdom sent their offspring to be educated. The royals didn't care that the children of criminals attended the same school as their children. As long as those vermin didn't get any ideas, both could co-exist peacefully under the same grounds.
The academy was located in Dragon City, the very same city named after the original Emperor of Nefaria. The institution was funded personally by the Emperor, and parents had to pay for their children's tuition to attend. Money just kept flowing, remaining in the grasp of the rich and powerful.
Mars, Loki, and Raven stood before the large gates of the school. Other students walked past them, chatting eagerly with one another as they walked into the extravagant structure.
"What are we just standing around for? Come on, let's go inside," Raven suddenly said, turning to face both of them.
Loki gave her a grim look, shaking his head as he replied, saying:
"...And let them all talk about us? You know how it is. News about what happened has already spread. What's everyone going to think about us?"
Raven's jaws tightened, a deep frown forming on her face.
"Is that really what you care about? If they want to talk, then let them talk. After all, they aren't the ones paying for our tuition."
"And then there's that. They aren't the ones paying for our tuition. Father was the one paying for it. But now look at us. Once this term is over, we won't be able to attend school anymore."
"Shut up! I already told you, father will come back soon. So stop talking nonsense!"
Some of the students passing by turned to look at them, drawn by her sudden outburst. They exchanged amused glances, chuckling as they whispered amongst themselves.
Raven managed to hear those whispers, her eyes darting quickly to face the girls snickering at them.
"And what're you two laughing about?! Get out of here!"
The two girls looked at each other once more, burst out laughing, and waltzed into the academy with audacious steps.
"You see what you've caused? They're already making fun of us!" Loki snapped back, folding his arms as a deep scowl formed on his face.
Raven's eyes narrowed as she clenched her fist. Crimson sparks began to form around it, the glow of her eyes intensifying as she glared at Loki.
Still, Loki kept her gaze, his usually playful demeanor replaced by deep annoyance.
Meanwhile, Mars sighed, and finally stepped into the academy, leaving them both behind to keep on glaring at each other.
.....
The Bloodfang Academy was as grand and exquisite as many of the other proud monuments littered across the great cities of Nefaria. The structure was built of a special obsidian material located within the empire, a plethora of alluring designs stretching across its vastness. At the central highest point of the building, an insignia of a coiling, serpentine creature being impaled by a sword was displayed. The same symbol was sewn onto the fabrics of the students' shirt, a means of identifying them as students of the academy.
Mars, Loki and Raven, all being one year older than the other, were set to attend different classes. Vampires usually started attending school at the age of five. At that age, their brains would have already developed enough to start learning of the nature of their world, its numerous properties, advantages, disadvantages, triumphs, conflicts, seiges, and perils.
The academy was divided into three divisions—The Elementary Division, The Intermediary Division, The Advanced Division, and finally, The Supreme Division. The first division encompasses children from grades one till three. From there, they move on to the second one, where they spend five years before advancing to the next level. From there, they spend three more years within the next level, and three more in the final level.
Mars, Loki, and Raven were nineteen eighteen and seventeen respectively, which meant that they were all in The Supreme Division. They were amongst the most well-trained students of the academy.