Daniel's eyes subtly shifted toward Ron White—the quiet brown-haired boy who was nervously attempting to strike a conversation with Alia. His voice was barely above a whisper, and his posture screamed hesitation. It was clear to anyone watching that Ron was painfully shy.
"An ambivert," Daniel thought. "Quiet now, but once he's comfortable… he turns into a whole different person." He remembered the character notes—the way Ron bloomed like a sunflower in the presence of friendship. Reserved like a monk, yet wild like a bard once the silence was broken.
Daniel's gaze wandered again. This time, to the girl seated two rows ahead—Venessa.
Her dark eyes met his for the briefest moment.
Daniel immediately looked away.
"Stay cautious around her," he told himself, his heart pacing slightly faster. "If she ever finds me alone… she won't hesitate to suck me dry."
No, it wasn't a metaphor. It was literal.
In this strange world, Venessa was the one character whose presence even the original novel hadn't dared to fully explore. Outwardly, she claimed to possess blood manipulation powers—one of the rarest combat abilities. But Daniel knew the truth. Her entire family were vampires. Pure-bloods. Ancient. Dangerous.
To the world, they played the part of noble magical elites. But behind closed doors, they were something else entirely. Vampirism ran in their blood—almost like a curse. Once addicted to blood, they could spiral out of control, turning into monsters that even their own kin had to hunt down. That's why they lived under strict protocols.
Daniel remembered the lore. If one of them ever began to lose control, the family's first instinct wasn't to save them… it was to eliminate them.
Venessa might smile like a charming heiress. She might laugh like the girl next door. But during daylight hours, her stats were halved. And when night fell? Her instincts would slowly take over. Her thirst would whisper… hunt.
Daniel let out a slow breath, steadying himself.
"I need to make sure she never sees me as prey."
This wasn't a story or novel anymore. This was real.
And every step forward in this academy… could be his last.
Daniel let out a long, tired sigh.
"And then there's Justin…" he thought, eyes narrowing just slightly as they landed on the tall, golden boy who stood with a light smile, chatting casually with one of the instructors.
"The guy I've already picked a fight with."
By all accounts, Justin was the forgiving type—cool, chill, the kind who could let things slide and still offer friendship afterward. He was the kind of protagonist who'd make peace with his enemies, team up with rivals, and walk into danger with a smile just to save someone he barely knew.
And that's what made Daniel wary.
"I'm not asking for his forgiveness. And I sure as hell don't plan to be friends with him," he thought grimly. "He's too… naïve."
Daniel remembered clearly—Justin would risk his life to save even someone who had tried to kill him five minutes ago. He didn't do it out of pride or showmanship. It was just… who he was. Pure-hearted. Danger-prone. A walking invitation for disaster.
Daniel glanced to the side and his expression softened. At least there was one silver lining—Ren and Rex were on his team. The moment their eyes met, they shared a knowing smile. Daniel felt a flicker of reassurance.
"Good. Those two… I can rely on."
Still, his mind wandered to Rey.
Rey, who had ended up in the other main cast team—the one with Petra, Peter, and Alia. Rey was supposed to be with him. But now… there he was, already blending in, talking animatedly with Eon, looking like he'd been part of their group forever.
Daniel chuckled to himself, a rare smile breaking through his usual sharp demeanor.
"Maybe Rey's just built different. Always finds his comfort zone faster than the rest of us."
His eyes swept across the courtyard.
All around him, the groups were talking—bonding. Building trust. Whispering strategies. Laughing.
All except one.
His.
Not a word had been exchanged between them. Not a single meaningful glance. They stood like strangers forced together by fate.
And just as Daniel was thinking that silence might stretch forever—
"Hey… guys."
The voice broke the air. It was Justin.
Everyone turned.
Justin rubbed the back of his neck, looking a little sheepish. "About the other day... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone so hard on you guys."
Daniel blinked.
He hadn't expected the golden boy to apologize. And he certainly hadn't expected him to look so… genuine.
He didn't say anything. Neither did Ren. Nor did Rex or Venessa. The silence that followed wasn't hostile. It was... uncertain.
Justin waited, smiling awkwardly.
Daniel narrowed his eyes, his thoughts racing.
"You're still too soft, Justin. And I'm not sure if that'll get us all killed... or save us."
Before the silence could settle again, Ren snapped—his voice sharp, blazing with barely-contained fury.
"You think a simple sorry is enough? Because of you, Den lost his memory!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Justin. "And guess what? He hasn't paid us back a single penny since—because he doesn't even remember owing us anything!"
Daniel's eyes narrowed into slits as he slowly turned his head toward Ren.
"Don't try to use my memory loss as an excuse to paint me like some freeloader," he said, voice cold and laced with warning. "Why the hell would I borrow money from you two anyway?"
Ren didn't flinch. He scoffed and jerked a thumb at Justin. "Ask him! This is all because of him! Our poor brother even lost his fire power because of that damn accident!"
The words hung heavy in the air.
Daniel looked down at his hands, flexing his fingers subconsciously. No flame. No spark. Nothing.
Venessa, who had been listening quietly until now, finally spoke up—her voice hesitant, cautious. "Wait… are you guys serious?"
Ren whipped around to face her. "What do you think? You think we're making this up for fun?" he barked, anger and frustration thick in his voice. "The Academy's medical team confirmed it. His mutant cells have been reset. The tests showed the same thing."
He took a step forward and gestured toward Daniel.
"And what about his hair? His eyes? You don't see it? The redness—it's fading. His power is gone."
The words cut through the group like a blade.
Justin's mouth opened, but no words came at first. He looked at Daniel—at the void in his gaze, the subtle shift in aura that hadn't been there before.
Then slowly, shame flooding his face, he lowered his head.
"I… I'm really sorry," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know it would go this far. I swear, I never meant for any of this to happen."
He stepped closer, stopping just short of Daniel.
"I would do anything to fix it, if I could."
Daniel didn't speak.
He stared at the boy in front of him—the golden hero, the smiling, naïve fool who would save a villain just to avoid guilt. The one who had unknowingly taken away his power, his past… and maybe even his future.