Lyon spends a sleepless night.
Countless doubts and questions keep him from closing his eyes.
He now sits in class, his gaze lost outside the window.
Part of him feels excited—he might finally get answers to questions that have haunted him for years.
But another part of him is uneasy.
~Am I really a vampire? That's insane… And what the hell is that "crystal" Brianne mentioned? I couldn't find anything about it online~
«You're more distracted than usual today. Everything okay?»
Eirik's voice snaps him back to reality.
Eirik, his deskmate and best friend, is your typical good guy—but also a hopeless flirt.
He's obsessed with girls, especially Brianne and her inseparable friend, Clare Azuralis.
~I wonder how he'd react if I told him what happened last night—his precious Brianne undressing in an alley and letting me touch her. He'd never believe it~
After classes end, Lyon makes his way toward the student council room, just like Brianne told him.
His steps are hesitant.
His hands tremble as he knocks on the door.
«Come in,»
Brianne's voice calls out.
The student council room is a plain, spacious area with a square table and eight chairs.
Sitting around the table are Brianne, two girls, and one guy.
Clare Azuralis—Brianne's best friend and Eirik's second obsession.
Her short red hair frames a pair of deep, hypnotic blue eyes.
She dresses provocatively, showing off curves that are far too developed for someone her age—eighteen.
Rumors about her are even wilder than the ones about Brianne.
Elaine Everglade—Lyon's classmate, with curly brown hair and hazel eyes.
She's the girl Lyon had a crush on from day one.
Love at first sight, but definitely not mutual.
She's always treated him with a cold, distant attitude.
~I never would've guessed she was the same Elaine Brianne mentioned last night~
Gin LeBlanche—a third-year student and the school's infamous bully.
Everything about him is black: his hair, his clothes, even his shoes.
But his pale skin stands in sharp contrast with the dark aura that follows him everywhere.
His "bad boy" charm makes him irresistible to many.
The reactions as Lyon enters are mixed.
Clare greets him with a radiant smile.
Elaine sighs and rolls her eyes—she brutally rejected him a few months ago.
Gin completely ignores him.
Brianne, instead, motions for him to sit beside her.
«Let's welcome Lyon Blayne, our new student council member.»
Lyon blinks, confused.
«Wait, what? A new member? But I didn't come here for that! There's been a misunderstanding,» he says, clearly embarrassed. «I just want to talk about… that thing.»
Clare stands up, checks the hallway, and locks the door.
«Safe zone, Bry. We can start.»
«What's going on?» Lyon asks, his heart pounding with anxiety.
Brianne stands up, her voice firm and clear.
«Like I told you last night, there's a fragment of the Vampire Crystal inside your heart.
Just like us, you were born with it. Its effects start to appear during adolescence, granting unique abilities based on the crystal type. We're called Crystalbearers.»
Suddenly, everything begins to make sense in Lyon's mind.
His superhuman strength, his enhanced night vision, even the bloodlust that started two years ago—right at the beginning of his teenage years.
«The study of these crystals is classified as Top Secret,» Brianne continues.
«MI6 has been analyzing them for years, but they still haven't figured out the true origin of this phenomenon.
Or at least, that's what they've told us.»
«If it's Top Secret, how do you even know about it?» Lyon asks.
«Because we work with MI6. As long as we're not seen as a threat, they let us live in peace. In return, we locate other Crystalbearers and keep tabs on illegal activities connected to them. The student council is just a cover. It lets us organize our operations.»
MI6 (short for Military Intelligence, Section 6) is the United Kingdom's foreign intelligence service.
Lyon forces a nervous smile.
~And I thought finding out I was a vampire was the craziest part of this…~
«Let me guess,» Lyon snaps. «You want me to join you? Well, I don't have the time or the interest to play cops and robbers.»
Brianne unbuttons her shirt, revealing a bite mark on her neck.
«Over the past few months, several people have ended up in the hospital with wounds like this and symptoms of mild anemia. It's clearly the work of someone with a Vampire Crystal. We've been looking for you for nearly two years. And now, we've finally found you.»
~So that's why the cotton and disinfectant… she knew I was going to attack her…~
Brianne stares at him with an icy gaze.
Her voice turns cold.
«You have two options. Join us, and you'll be allowed to drink my blood whenever you need it. Or refuse. But if you do, MI6 will consider you a threat. And as such, I'll be forced to eliminate you.»
~This feels less like a choice and more like blackmail! But if I say yes, I won't have to hunt anymore. And I'd get to spend time with Elaine…~
«Fine...» Lyon mutters. «...I'm in...»
«Starting tonight, you'll patrol with us. We'll teach you everything you need so you're not a burden,» Brianne says. «We'll meet at the same time and place as last night.»
~This is pure madness... It feels like a nightmare—but it's all real. How the hell am I supposed to explain any of this to my dad? Damn it… If I'd just stayed home last night, none of this would've happened!~
Brianne smiles, clearly satisfied.
«Welcome to the student council, Lyon Blayne.»