Raven and Loki eventually realized that Mars had left them behind, and immediately rushed to catch up with him. As they walked through the richly-decorated interior of the academy, they heard the whispers of students passing by. Some were more guarded with their words, while others were severely blunt with their opinions. These were children from two different walks of life—those of royal blood, and those of gang affiliation.
Although mutation was the major cause of vampires of lower social status attaining domineering power, those higher-up the ladder got their powers through simple inheritance. They were not royals, but they were powerful enough to subgugate their cities of origin, granting them influence and notoriety to be noticed by the Emperor himself.
Mars ignored their garring words as he made his way to his classroom. Loki seemed to be doing a good job of hiding his discomfort, however, he still threw dark glances at his sister from time to time, whispering under his breath. Raven… Raven was barely managing to hold herself back. Some of the things she was hearing, the way they said it so casually, it pierced her heart like a sinister blade.
"Did you hear what happened to the Emperor?"
"How wouldn't I? Everyone in my family couldn't stop talking about it."
"They said that he died while fighting the leader of that army that invaded the castle."
"Yeah, it was during that Night Of Crimson. The bastard turned the whole ballroom upside down just to make an impression."
"I heard that the Emperor died while fighting that guy. How pathetic."
"Yeah, isn't he supposed to be the spawn of the devil? That's what my parents always called him. It's still kinda weird, though. Everyone seems to hate him, but no one in my family will tell me why."
"Don't you hear what people used to say? Some are saying that he poisoned his brother just to get a shot at the throne."
"Wait, but wasn't the last Emperor condition later revealed to be The Devouring Disease? It's a rare condition that only affects vampires cursed by the Supreme Sovereign."
"What are you even talking about? Why would the Supreme Sovereign curse the late Emperor?"
"Who knows? Maybe he committed a crime so dreadful the guy had to step in and deal with him personally."
Loki took note of his sister's body language, stepping close to her as he whispered in her ear.
"Don't, I beg of you. Don't embarrass us more than you already have."
Raven slowly turned her head, deep crimson eyes staring viciously at Loki. Her fingers trembled as they crackled with power, her body slowly being shrouded in a red glow. This time, Loki took an involuntary step back as he continued walking at a steady pace behind her.
However, it wasn't long till her movements came to an abrupt halt. Her head turned in the direction of the students who were outwardly making jest of their father, and before she could do anything, Loki grabbed her from behind, holding her firmly in place.
"I'm not going to stand back and watch you make a fool out of yourself," he said angrily, struggling to overpower her.
The said students noticed what was happening. Sharing a knowing glance, they made their way to the Darkhaven siblings, their calm steps hiding an ominous wave of contempt.
"Look, the brat wants to fight us, how sad," one of the students commented. Her mid-length hair swayed in the calm wind, her slender features shaking as she laughed hysterically.
In that moment, Raven managed to break free from Loki's grasp. The latter was shocked as he was pushed to the ground, swiftly getting back up to hold her back again. However, it was too late. Raven had already covered the short distance, her hands coated in a condensed mass of blood aura. A pair of crimson gauntlets formed in her hands as she swung them at the girl who insulted her, a glowing trail following in her wake.
Raven was fast, but the arrogant student was quick to react. A blood shied formed in her hand, and she took the full force of the strike. Waves of power pushed the air back, students staring at the clash with shocked expressions. Their conversations, which were once nothing but hushed whispers, had swiftly escalated.
In the midst of awed expressions, an individual wearing a tailored black suit stormed past the crowd. His sharp eyes remained focused on the two students at the centre of everyone's attention, and with a deep, booming voice, he called out to them.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
Everyone now turned to look at him. Seconds later, the students rushed off to their classes, leaving the spacious area barren of people. Only three people remained—the instructor, Raven, and the girl who managed to fully provoke her ire.
"I asked a question!" The instructor was a man who appeared to be in his mind thirties. His short black hair was neatly styled to one side, streaks of grey populating his scalp. A dense, carved beard clung to his chin, a similar mix of black and grey intertwined in their growth.
Taking note of the instructor's presence, the provocative girl dispelled her weapon, raised a shaking hand to her head, and gasp with practiced believability. She pointed an accusing hand at Raven, then said in the most victimized voice she could concoct:
"Sir, she's the one who attacked me. You clearly saw that I put up a shield in defense. If I didn't, then her attack couldn't seriously harmed me!" Raven still hadn't cancelled out her own powers. From all the instructor had observed, the girl's claims simply couldn't be invalidated.
'Just look at the kind of trouble you've gotten yourself in,' Loki thought dejectedly, staring out through the window of his classroom.
Meanwhile, Sarah, the girl who had rage-baited Raven, couldn't stop mocking her internally while maintaining the image of a helpless victim.
'You wretch. Now, just watch and see what I'll do to you in this school. Hmph, the only reason I've been holding back is because of your father, but now that he's no longer around, I can deal with you the way I see fit.'
The instructor stared at Raven incredulously. Then, he said with anger in his tone:
"To the Principal's office! Now!"
Raven glared at Sarah, but the latter didn't even spare her a mocking glance. After being told by the instructor to head to her class, Raven was guided to the Principal's office to receive her punishment.
The Principal's office was an opulent space with a row of cushioned seats placed at the sides of the walls, a series of intricate designs and portraits aligning said walls, and a grand desk and chair situated at the centre of the room. The Principal was a middle-aged looking woman with curly black hair and a stern expression on her face. She wore a crimson suit with a feathered hat on her head. Her name was Margaret Darkhaven.
"What seems to be the matter today, Mr Smith?" She asked in a commanding tone, her eyes falling upon her niece as she walked into her office with aggravated steps. Eventually, Raven raised her head to look at her aunt, noticing a hit of amusement hiding within her crimson eyes.
"This girl attacked a fellow student on school grounds," Mr Smith stated, his tone laced with irritation.
"Is that so?" Margaret's attention turned back to her niece. Her lips curled into a smile, one that held different meanings to both people standing in her office. "Tell me, why did you pick a fight with a student?"
She asked, her eyes staring hard at Raven.
Raven opened her mouth to say something, but then stopped. A memory from the past played in her mind, the words of her father ringing in her ears like a broken record.
'The rest of the family? They don't care about us. As a matter of fact, they'd like nothing more than to see all of us dead.'
'This…' Raven's thoughts fell into a deep spiral. Looking at her smiling aunt, then back at the enraged expression of the instructor, she couldn't help but feel the world around her quake. She raised a shaky hand and touched her face, her eyes growing wide as a mix of shock and horror mix within her heart.
"I…" she couldn't even bring herself to speak. The truth was already as clear to her. This life, this world, it wasn't fair, not to her anymore, at least.
She fell to her knees, feeling her stomach turn. Her vision swayed, tears clouding them as she sobbed silently.
"Compose yourself! Don't behave like that in my office!" Margaret's bomming voice bounced off the walls, but her words incited no reaction from the grieving girl.