#DREAMDAY: A (Mostly) TWICE Book

[Dahyun x M Reader] Freaks (Part 1)

A/N: Welcome to what is my new favorite post to this book.

I don't usually get to write things in this style for this account, so this was a very fun departure. It's a spooky Halloween-themed story influenced by classic horror, Greek mythology, and a healthy dash of Game of Thrones. Things started out Hitchcockian, but at this point, calling it Hitchcockian would be a pretty funny joke.

This world is very storied and has a ridiculous amount of lore that I only scratch the surface of in this part. The main ship is [Dahyun x M Reader], but calling it just a Dahyun one-shot would be a disservice in multiple regards, I think. A lot of different k-idols are involved, including most members of TWICE.

I promise you, there is smut involved! This first part has a small piece of it, while the rest is going to be posted in the second part next week.

These parts alone aren't small enough storytelling divisions, so I've further broken them up into chapters. This week's update has the first three, while next week will have the last three. If you can't already tell, this story is long. Put together, it's longer than THE BET. This first part alone is almost 14,000 words, the size of 4 or 5 MANAGER chapters. How I churned this out whilst simultaneously writing the final arc of THE MANAGER is beyond me.

I'd also like to put a slight violence warning here. It's not too severe; probably about the level of, like, the Hunger Games series. There's a good deal of blood and a little bit of gore, but nothing a gutsy tween can't handle in terms of violence.

That's enough from me. Let's get into it.

CHAPTER I: THE HUNT

My life has been a mistake from the start.

I don't know where or when I was born. They say a vampire's memories aren't stored in their brains until they draw first blood.

The first thing I remember is being surrounded by bodies.

Nine bodies, all in a small, bare room. Most of them near the front door. Blood and claw marks streaked the walls. My lips tingled from the taste, like I had unlocked a glorious new drug.

I was hooked. I left that abandoned house and the bodies inside behind. I took dominion over a patch of woods to the north of a small town. When the game in the woods wasn't enough to satiate my thirst, I moved onto the village. I had no moral sense—only a desire to kill.

Then, one day, came a woman. She claimed to be the ghoul who lived in the mansion on the hill to the west, a place whose surrounding forests my instincts had told me to stay away from. She knew the proper distance to stay back, the right words to say. She was kind to me. Eventually, once my thirst was satiated, she took me in.

This woman told me I was special. "You can't drink inhuman blood," she said. "You have to conceal your abilities from those who would want to harm you." She told me that there would come a time when I would need to learn to use them again, and that when that time came, I would know.

I spent my formative years in that mansion. I quickly learned the horrible nature of my actions, and the repercussions they came with. I reigned in my desire for inhuman blood, and began to subsist off of animals. I learned the common tongue, how to act in public, how to eat without being a slob. I became a person.

I lived there for one hundred years.

I grew up with a brother, too. He was a year older than me, and a werewolf. Our mother had found him only a few years before me. She called us a household of misfits, and when my brother left for the Academy, the household grew just a little emptier. My mother consoled me. It would only be a year until I joined him, she said.

The days passed. I said my goodbyes, and prepared to spend the next seven years of my life at the Academy.

The journey there is simple enough—you just step through a portal. The moment you're transported to the courtyard, they ask for your name, and whisk you away to an empty room. You wait in there for hours, until a doctor wheels in a big silver box mounted atop a cart.

The blood test is conducted with a needle the thickness of a straw, and lasts two entire minutes. The higher readings short out the machine, that silver box. That's what happened with me. The machine starting smoking, and it shorted before they could complete the reading.

The Academy never publicizes the results of blood tests. They're meant to officially determine what breed of freak you are, and based on the reading, recommend you to a dorm of the appropriate level. They knew I was a vampire from my application file, but the severity of my result made them send me straight to the Sayre Wing after collecting another blood sample for further testing.

The Sayre Wing is stationed halfway down the lake from the main campus. It's reserved for the most dangerous initiates, the ones who are a danger to themselves or others. Naturally, my brother was there.

He crashed through my door before I had even put my suitcase down. "Y/N!" he said, pulling me into a hug.

I patted his arms. "Okay, Chan! Too tight!"

Chan pulled away. "I knew they'd send you here," he said.

"And I knew they'd send you here," I said. "Is your room better than this?"

"No. The make me spend full moons in there."

"Are you the only wolf?"

"Nah, there's five others," said Chan. "They're all in this wing."

"They make them turn in their rooms, too?" I asked.

"Yeah."

"Damn."

Chan shrugged. "We might be the most monstrous of the monsters, but at least we get our own rooms." He got serious. "People envy power here, you know."

"If there was a way to give it away, I would," I said.

"Yeah, I know." He patted my shoulder. "So, you hungry?"

"Yes."

We walked outside. The Sayre Wing was secluded in the forest, so we needed to take the five minute path to reach the edge of the lake. It was almost sunset, now. This would normally be the time I woke up.

The sunlight had turned the lake reflective. The castle loomed large to the north, mounted upon a massive fist of rock and adorned with gothic spires. The lake funneled into a river that ran below a circular platform at the foot of the rocks, and a grand staircase wound up the cliff face to the portcullis.

Our housing was to the west. The other dorms were arranged in a next grid, just above the winding path of club and Greek houses. To the east was a mound of dirt the size of a house that sunk at a grade into the lake.

"What is that?" I asked, pointing to the mound.

"That's the dry entrance to the village under the lake," said Chan. "The merpeople and anyone else water-resistant live there."

"There's a whole village under the lake?"

"You can't see it during the day. But at night? It's beautiful."

We passed a group of women doing stretches on mats under the shade of a silver-leafed tree. "Is that a club?" I asked.

Chan nodded. "Succubi for Sapphics."

"That's the best club name I've ever heard."

"They're exclusive."

I looked back and forth between him and the succubi. "You're telling me that all 30 of them are succubi and lesbians?"

"There are a lot of students at this school, Y/N."

"But the Sayre Wing is so empty!" I said. "There are only, like, half of that amount of inhumans in there!"

"That's the dangerous part," said Chan. He stopped me, and put his hands on my shoulders. "Y/N, you're already a target. Others will have expectations for you. They expect you to perform highly and be a model student."

"And?"

Chan sighed and put his arms down. "I'm just looking out for you. I know you like keeping to yourself, but a lot of people aren't going to allow you to."

"Can we eat, please?"

I should have listened to what Chan was trying to tell me, because the mess hall was crowded. I had never seen so many monsters in one place. The amount of hair colors littered around the cafeteria was enough to give a psychic a headache.

"You can't just stand in front of the door!" Chan hissed.

I moved. "What is this place?" I asked him.

"The real world. Come on, they have a blood fountain."

Some part of me was expecting a literal fountain, but the blood fountain was a stall that served blood drinks and certain iron-rich foods. Before long, I was seated with a blood, mango, and pineapple smoothie and a raw, warmed elk heart.

Chan just watched me eat. "How is it?" he asked.

"Really good!" I said through a mouthful. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

"Nah, it's the first dies Martis of the month. I'm hunting later."

I put my fork and knife down. "You're hunting?" I demanded. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought you didn't like hunting."

"Yeah, because I could never do it at home!"

Chan hesitated. "If Mother stopped you from hunting, it might have been for a reason."

"It's all animal game here, right?"

Chan nodded.

"I'll be fine, then! Plus, I've got you to make sure I don't go over the rails."

"Y/N..."

"It's not a full moon, right?"

"No, but—"

"How else am I supposed to hone my skills if I don't use them?"

"Ugh. Fine."

I knew that violence to the level I reveled in it as a youth was inexcusable, but some part of me still craved to hunt. I used to sneak out at dawn to go peruse the woods back at home, but Mother always kept the forest around the mansion clear, and the wards prevented me from going further. I felt confident that I could control my abilities, now. I was so much older, after all.

Hunts were held twice at the beginning of every week: once at noon, and once at midnight. At eleven-thirty, Chan and I headed to the far side of the lake, to a large cabin south of the lake.

Chan had been right about the lake at night. Its surface seemed transparent, like it was a giant, black void instead of a lake. Sheltered inside was the underwater village, itself almost the size of the castle.

It was lit with bioluminescence and orange lanterns that sent multicolored spirals of color spinning through the water. The entire town was built around a massive dome in the center that Chan told me was the Academy's primary arena for events.

Merpeople had no use for the dry path, so they were walking straight out of the water to the cabin. I knew their skin was a soft blue in daylight, but at night they looked pretty normal, save for their webbed digits.

The cabin itself was comparably unremarkable, save for the fact that it was big. Attached to the building was giant concrete slab, marked with potholes and scorch marks. Tens of picnic tables sat under the overhand, all of them full. A couple people at the clearing had started a fire that was rapidly growing in size as more wood was brought over.

"We have to go inside to put our names down," said Chan. "Otherwise, they won't let us hunt."

I looked at the open door, from which noise and light were streaming out. "Do we have to?" I questioned.

"It's fine. Just avoid confrontation. Did you bring your knife?"

I patted my pocket. "Yeah."

"Good. Let's go."

There were over a hundred inhumans crowded inside, so many that it looked at a pit at a small concert. We needed to wade through it to get to the sign-up sheet.

Little fights were constantly breaking out at different places in the crowd. At one point, I shoved past a dragonborn a little too hard, and he unfurled his wings, knocking over four others around him.

"You wanna go?" he asked threateningly, fire spewing from the corners of this mouth.

"Wow, what a big guy you are," I said drily, examining the people he knocked over trying to get up.

"I'll apologize to them after you do to me."

"Dude, look at this place," I said. "Those wings belong outside."

"Oh, we can take this outside."

"Hey, relax!" Chan whispered, stepping in front of me. "He's a little quick to arms," he said to the dragonborn.

"Yeah? No shit."

"He's sorry." Chan dragged me away.

"Why didn't you back me up?" I demanded.

"You're supposed to avoid confrontation!"

"So, you're telling me I was the asshole, there?"

"Oh, no, he was the asshole," said Chan. "I'm just concerned for your well-being."

I put up my hands. "All I need to know is that I was right."

An inhuman was stationed behind a white foldable table, tapping a pen against a clipboard. She was a mummy, judging by the hieroglyph tattoos running down from either eye like tear tracks, all the way to her collarbones. She was wearing a pristine white bandage with gold trim across her hair like a headband. There were more peeking out from the sleeves of her top and her neckline.

"Oh, gods," she said upon seeing Chan. "You always come by the week before a full moon."

"Because I know you'll be here!" said Chan, putting both hands on the table. "How are you, Chaeyoung?"

"Not today, wolfie," said Chaeyoung, shoving the clipboard across. "I just had my bandages redone, and dealing with you only makes them decay quicker." She turned to me. "You're new."

"Uh, yeah," I said. "I'm Y/N. I'm his brother."

"I'm sorry."

"He's not that bad," I reasoned.

"Thank you!" said Chan. He signed his name and passed the board to me. "Here, Y/N."

"Why am I signing this, exactly?" I asked.

"If you win, they need the signature as proof to put it on your record," said Chaeyoung.

"Win?" I questioned. "Win what?"

"Wolfie really didn't tell you anything, huh?" Chaeyoung pointed out the window. "In those woods, they release an automaton. It's impervious to magic, and it's got a different ability every month. If you befall it, you get extracurricular credit."

"So, this place is packed like this every week?"

"Not every week," said Chaeyoung.

"The week before full moon tends to yield the hardest ones," said Chan. "That's why there are so many people competing, tonight. Defeating it is a kind of achievement."

"Have you won any?" I asked Chan.

"Not that many," he said.

"He's being modest," said Chaeyoung. "He's won seven. More than any other wolf in their first year."

"Look at you!" I said, poking his shoulder. "You're actually good!"

"Yeah, I get it," said Chan, slapping my hands away. "You can stop, now."

A sharp yelp came from near the door, and suddenly, the crowd parted in waves. Nobody complained, like they were used to this—in fact, all of the fights stopped right away.

I leaned over to look down the gap. "Who's back there, Moses?" I muttered. I caught an eyeful of a girl with long, white hair and wings silver like swords.

"Don't look her in the eyes!" Chan hissed, pulling me aside. He had his head bent down.

"What's wrong—"

"Look down!" said Chan, forcing my head down.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Kim Dahyun," said Chaeyoung. She was pulling the bandage on her head down and over her eyes. "She's the queen of this place."

"Like, literally?"

"She might as well be," said Chan. "She's part succubus, part dragonborn, and part gorgon, at least."

"At least?"

"She's rumored to be, uh..." Chan came a little closer. "Part demon."

"I thought they all went back to hell when the connection between the human world and ours closed."

"So did we. But there's something different about—"

"Kim Dahyun!" said Chaeyoung loudly, cutting Chan off before he could get himself into trouble. "Nice to not see you."

I didn't just hear Dahyun move to my left—I felt her. There was an aura coming off her in waves, so powerful that I felt like I had downed three shots. Chan wasn't letting me peek, so I looked at Chaeyoung, instead.

"I hate it when you say that," said Dahyun.

"What do you think?" Chaeyoung asked. She fluttered her fingers on either side of her bandages. "I had them redone."

"Yah, they look great!" said Dahyun. "The enchantment's stronger. You couldn't even look in my direction with them, before."

"I had them sew the markings into the fabric," said Chaeyoung. "Look at the lining."

"Oh, I see!" said Dahyun. I caught a good look at her side profile as she leaned forward to examine the bandage. "They're cute."

"Thank you."

Dahyun signed her name. She paused for a moment, her head tilted down at the clipboard. Her next words were clipped at the ends. "Who is this?" she asked.

"I can't—"

"See, I know," said Dahyun. "The name at the bottom of the list. They're new, right?"

Chaeyoung tensed up. "Uh, the guy right between you and wolfie."

I averted my eyes as Dahyun turned her head to me. I caught a glimpse of her eyes. It was like staring into a roaring fire. Their color constantly flickered between shades of gold, red, and silver, too fickle to decide.

I took a deep breath as Dahyun leaned closer. "Y/N?" she asked softly.

I shivered—I hadn't realized her lips were so close to my ear. "That's my name," I managed to say. I felt my fangs protruding on their own. I couldn't stop them. Her aura was too strong.

She giggled a little. "Do I have that kind of effect on you?" she asked.

"Sorry," I muttered. "Your aura..."

"It's okay. You're not the only one who reacts this way." Dahyun made to put the clipboard down, but her hair purposely brushed up against the exposed skin of my arm.

I prepared for the burn, but it never came. Instead, some invisible force hooked into my navel. Dahyun's aura seemed to have flipped instantaneously. I was no longer drunk-dazed. I felt like I could see everything clearer than ever.

The clipboard clattered to the table. Dahyun had drawn a sharp breath. "It is you," she whispered.

I didn't dare say anything else, not until Dahyun had moved away from the table and left the cabin, entirely.

"You can take the blindfold off," said Chan to Chaeyoung as the two crowds merged back into one.

Chaeyoung did, but she looked straight at me. "What the hell was that?" she demanded.

"I don't know," I said. "Her hair just touched me, and—"

"She touched you?" said Chan suddenly. "Where?"

"My arm, but I'm fine!"

Chan examined it thoroughly. He shook his head. "How are you not burned?"

"Is that why they all parted?" I asked. "Because she burns others?"

"The dragonborn part," said Chaeyoung. "It's hard for anyone who isn't fire resistant to touch her. But I've never heard of vamps who are fire resistant. Maybe that's why she was surprised."

I didn't mention the change in her aura, or the words she had said to me. But I did ask another question to Chaeyoung. "What color are her eyes?"

"Nobody really knows," she said. "People have only seen through mirrors, and nobody ever looks directly to tell. They say they're red."

Red wasn't adequate enough to describe them.

"Hey," said Chan nervously. "If we come across her in the woods, just let her do her thing. And if she turns me to stone, don't move me. Just stay right there, and wait for someone else to arrive so they can call medics to revive me. Okay?"

"Okay," I said, though I wasn't sure if I could hold up that promise.

Chaeyoung checked her watch. "It's time."

The others were noticing, too. They were all filing out of the cabin. Chaeyoung folded up the table and put the clipboard on her chair.

"Are you participating?" I asked.

She looked at me blankly. "You think I just sit here and take names without writing my own?" she questioned. "Come on."

"We stick together," said Chan. "The three of us. We'll be stronger."

"Who gets the automaton?" Chaeyoung asked.

"Whoever gets to it first."

Chaeyoung grinned. "Deal."

The three of us were some of the last out of the cabin. Everyone had gathered around the clearing. The firelight from the center lit the tops of the trees against the indigo sky. Someone was speaking in the center of the circle, but I could hardly hear them.

"That's the game sponsor," said Chaeyoung, filling me in. "They're an instructor who's mandated to tell us the rules before every hunt."

"What are the rules?" I asked.

"No killing each other. Maiming is discouraged," said Chaeyoung. "You can get away with it as long as it's not incurable, like lost limbs."

"You'll be fine," said Chan. "I got away with splitting a guy's stomach. Uh, please don't do that, though," he said. "I hadn't taken my potion."

"You skipped a potion?" I demanded. "You know that's dangerous!"

Once a werewolf had started taking the potion to mitigate the more vicious effects of partial transformation, it was hazardous to stop taking it. Doing so could lead to side effects, like memory loss—or sanity loss.

"It was one time," said Chan. "And I don't want to do it again." He shivered. "What happened during that hunt was grisly."

"He was in trouble, for a while," said Chaeyoung. "One girl was in the hospital for a week, claiming her foot had been ripped off."

"It hadn't been," said Chan. "She just developed a fever, and spread that rumor to try and get me suspended."

"This place sucks," I muttered.

"It does," Chan agreed. "But it's worth it."

He had a point. While I loved our mother, I couldn't imagine myself living in that mansion for the rest of my life. But to be a productive member of society, I had to graduate from this place. I would take that deal, any day.

"Hey." Chaeyoung nudged me. "Get ready. When you hear the whistle—"

A screech tore through the air. All at once, the crowd surged forward, taking to the woods.

"Go!" Chaeyoung yelled. She ran forward, leaving me and Chan behind.

"So much for a team," I said.

Chan was already transforming. His physical shape didn't change, but his claws, fangs, and hair all grew out noticeably. "Come on, Y/N!" he growled.

I took the knife out of my pocket and cut a small slit into my wrist. Vampires harness their power by letting their blood flow. Once a vampire's system is exposed to the outside environment, it activates a chemical that makes our hearts beat faster. My knife was given to me by my mother, and its magical properties further shored up my natural magical defenses.

I started salivating, immediately. My fangs came out all the way. My veins and arteries turned black, starting from my heart and going all the way to my fingertips. The red blood running down my wrist darkened all the way.

"Let's go," I said.

Chan and I were fast enough that we passed half of the crowd within a minute, even though we had started at the back.

"How big is the forest?" I asked.

"Three miles deep!" said Chan. "Are you hypersensitive?"

"Oh, yeah."

My senses were on red alert. There were so many conflicting smells coming from all directions, trails spinning off into the darkness between trees.

"Let's find something to eat, and then we can go after the automaton!" said Chan.

My appetite was already guiding me. The scent of wet fur drifted across the air. I followed it, and after a minute, came across a deer, making its way along a path of fallen trees.

I ducked behind a boulder. Chan hunkered down next to me.

"We must be pretty deep, already," he whispered. "This deer hasn't run to the edge of the forest, yet, so this area is probably undisturbed."

I changed that. I leapt out from behind the boulder and, with a sharp slice to a vital point along its neck, made sure its death was quick and painless. My mother had drilled a prayer into my brain, and I whispered it as the deer's eyes drained of life.

"We thank you for your sacrifice, great spirit. I permit your soul a peaceful return to the ether."

I couldn't waste much time, though. I had to drink the blood while it was still warm.

"You still say that prayer?" Chan asked as I sunk my fangs into the deer's neck.

If I wasn't preoccupied, I would have nodded. I wiped my mouth when I finished, though the amount of blood caking my face needed something more than friction to come off.

"It makes me feel better," I admitted.

"That's a great thing to hear, you know."

"I know. I'm probably a shitty vampire."

"You're a decent inhuman, at least."

I scoffed. "Do you see my face, right now?"

We searched for another few minutes, so that Chan could find a meal, too. He got ahold of two squirrels that he dispatched in quick fashion, before chomping them down, bones and all.

I wrinkled my nose. "I still can't get over how weird you look eating live game when you haven't transformed."

Chan was running his tongue over his teeth. "I have to take big bites, or too much fur will get stuck in my mouth," he said.

"Can we get on with the hunt?" I questioned.

"Don't tell me you're interested in finding the automaton?"

I was. I know, it was antithetical to keeping a low profile, but my curiosity had gotten the best of me. I didn't really want to kill it, I just wanted to see if I could.

"Your smell is going to be pretty useless," said Chan. "The automaton doesn't smell like anything."

"How do we find it?"

"Use your aura! The automaton is impervious to magic because it's got its own signature, underneath all the armor. It's slight, but distinct."

I clambered up a boulder for a higher vantage point. I filtered out the smells and, like Mother had taught me, focused on the aura. It was like going from black and white to color. I had to tune out various parts of the spectrum, just to get close to the signature I was looking for.

There! A wisp of... Was I getting herbal notes?

"I'm getting something!" I said. "It's not strong, but it's different."

"What is it?"

"Rosemary."

"That is different." Chan squinted. "Yeah, I smell it, too. Let's go see."

We followed the aura's trail for about half a mile, until we came to a quiet riverbank. Chan pointed diagonally across the creek, to a narrow strip of rocks forming a natural dam.

"There," he whispered.

"I got this," I said.

"Wait, Y/N—"

It was too late—I was already moving. I ran across the bank of the river as quiet as I could. I spotted the originator of the aura: a human figure, crouched down behind the rocks. I lunged at them, baring my fangs and leaping into the air.

The figure looked up. It was a girl with long, dark green hair, and her expression morphed into one of horror.

I faltered, and managed to change my path enough to strike the rocks, instead. I reared back and landed in the water. "What are you doing?" I demanded.

"Sorry!" said the girl, still cowering her head. "Please, don't hurt me!"

Chan strode over. "Rosemary," he confirmed. "She's a naiad."

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said.

The naiad glanced at me. "You don't look like it."

I dipped my hands into the lake, and did my best to wipe the blood off my face. I held up my hands. "I know I look scary, but I'm not. I'm a vampire. It's okay."

"What's your name?" Chan questioned.

"Tzuyu," said the girl nervously.

"My name is Y/N. Are you a rosemary spirit?" I asked.

She shook her head. "That's what my aura is like when I get nervous."

"Aren't naiads water spirits?"

"Yes, but I'm part dryad, too. Uh, forest spirit."

"What are you doing here by yourself?" Chan asked.

"Nothing!" said Tzuyu, tucking her head back into her knees.

I realized what this must look like—two guys who had tried to attack her, now asking interrogative questions. "Let's go," I told Chan.

"She's in danger if she stays here," Chan muttered.

"She's not going to come with us," I said. "She's scared. We shouldn't force her."

"Just... let me talk to her." Chan scaled back his partial transformation. "Keep an eye out."

Chan was too righteous for his own good. He talked to Tzuyu in his most humanoid form, and eventually, Tzuyu ran off into the woods.

Chan transformed back. "Her friends made her sign up," he said. "Then, they ditched her."

"That's horrible," I said. "What did you tell her?"

"To run back to the clearing," said Chan. "If you want to withdraw, you can go there. Her so-called friends didn't tell her that, either."

"You don't think—" I ducked as a fireball arced over our heads.

"Shit!" Chan turned to the edge of the woods. "Dragonborn!"

She came flying out of the woods, two more fireballs ready in either hand. She launched another one at us, and I took cover on the other side of the rocks. The impacts steamed against the river, creating temporary craters that filled over quickly.

Chan chose offense. He leaped higher than I had ever seen him leap before, and came dangerously close to slicing across one of her wings.

The dragonborn beat her wings, hovering at the edge of the river. "You're in a conspicuous location!" she said.

"We were just trying to help someone!" said Chan. "You're Park Jihyo, right?"

The dragonborn frowned. "How do you know my name?"

"Dude, we're in the same poisons lab!"

Recognition washed across her face. "You're Chaeyoung's friend!" she said. "Right?"

"Yeah!"

Park Jihyo smiled. "Cool! I can tell her that I beat a seven-time victor." She threw another fireball.

Chan's diplomatic solution had failed, and I could tell he was struggling to keep up. It was time for me to stop hiding behind the rocks and step in.

Chan was still jumping into the air, trying to ground her. Jihyo seemed to be teasing him. She kept hovering at a near-attainable height. I realized that she was staying clear of the river. I could use that to my advantage.

While Jihyo was focused on Chan, I circled back around, making sure she didn't realize I was there. I climbed a tree, and once I was at a higher elevation than her, jumped.

Jihyo didn't notice me until I was on her back. The fire started burning my skin. Some part of me was expecting it to not hurt after what had happened with Dahyun earlier, but that hope was quickly extinguished.

"Get off!" she yelled, trying to fling me off by shaking from side to side.

I didn't want to stay on any longer than I needed to. I raked my claws across her left wing, and she started dropping, fast.

I leapt off her back, and with two big splashes, we both crash-landed in the river. Where Jihyo landed, a great plume of steam towered into the air.

Jihyo groaned, slapping her uninjured wing against the surface of the water. "You ass!" She took in my features. "Shit, you're a vamp!" She backed away. "Don't touch me!"

"I'm house trained, you know!" I said, offended. "I don't just suck someone dry at the first sign of blood!"

"Why did you come for me, then?"

"You tried to attack my brother!"

"He's your brother?" She looked between us. "But... You're a vampire. And he's a werewolf."

"We're both adopted."

Chan patted my shoulder. "Good job. Can we get out of this river, now?"

"If you find someone named Kim Sejong, tell her to bring me a blowdryer!" Jihyo called as we ran back into the forest.

We had a close encounter with a group of draugrs (Norse zombies), but we relieved them of their swords and those swords of their hilts before they could do serious damage. I managed to take down a drakaina (snake lady) all on my own. I freaked out for a second when I sliced off the tip of her tail, but she and Chan both ensured me it would grow back.

"Why does everyone turn so much more agreeable once they're defeated?" I questioned.

"We're monsters, but we're not monsters," said Chan. "The game's the game. Everyone gets that. It's not very—" He stopped. "Do you smell that?"

I did. It was an aura, exceptionally different and not smelling of rosemary. "Let's go," I said.

As we ran towards the source, I started picking up another aura. This one was fresh, like the ocean.

"Hold on," said Chan. "That's... I know that aura."

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but—"

"Too late!" I said. We were coming up on them. "We're about to find out."

There was a clearing up ahead, being lit up occasionally by flashes of pink and orange. A mana-user. Someone who used magic in its purest form, outside of their physical attributes. Maybe they were partnered with a dragonborn?

"Wait, Y/N!" Chan yelled. "I remember! That isn't just any aura, it's—"

I was already in the clearing. On the far side was the automaton. It was a seven-foot-tall robot, but it looked like a large person wearing a full suit of armor. It was the one using mana, not its opponent.

It was Kim Dahyun. She was the one with that ocean aura. I hadn't sensed it before in the cabin, probably because it wasn't on full blast. She was dodging the mana from the automaton easily. Her white hair was aflame, as were her wings.

She looked like an angel.

Was she part angel?

"Y/N!" Chan was hissing at me from behind a big boulder. "Get back here!"

It would have been the smart thing to do. But now that I was in Dahyun's presence again, I felt something, again. It was that pull, that clarity.

I needed more.

I stepped fully into the clearing. Dahyun heard. She turned her head.

"NO!" Chan yelled.

I looked her in the eyes, and this time, I didn't look away. Those pools of color were mesmerizing.

Dahyun was so surprised I didn't turn to stone that the fire drained from her body. Her hair fell behind her in a curtain. "Why aren't you...?"

She was so taken aback that she didn't notice the automaton fire another blast of mana. It hit her in the stomach, and she took a single step back, only mildly startled.

Some primal part of me reacted. I flew across the clearing and, with a single stroke, took the automaton's head off. It clattered to the ground, and its body soon followed.

I whirled around. "Are you okay?" I asked Dahyun. "You took a pretty direct hit—" I stopped.

Dahyun was crying. Her tears were pure silver, and they streamed down her cheeks, disappearing when they reached the black choker around her neck. "You can look at me," she whispered.

"I don't—"

She surged forward and grabbed my hands. I didn't back away. With her aura so close, I felt like I had unlocked a third eye.

"It's you," she said. "You're the one."

"What one?"

"In fire and blood. My sou—"

"Y/N!" Chan yelled, running into the clearing.

Dahyun dropped my hands, and spoke so quietly and quickly that I barely had time to process. "Don't look me in the eyes, and don't tell anyone you can. Don't say anything about what happened. We'll talk later." She glanced over her shoulder, saw Chan was almost here, and took flight into the woods.

Chan crashed into me, and wrapped me into a hug. He stepped back. "Holy shit. How did you get through that?"

"I... I just didn't look her in the eyes," I said.

I felt bad about lying. But thinking about what Dahyun was about to say... It has piqued my curiosity. I needed to know more. Chan would forgive me at the end of it all, anyway.

"Gods." Chan looked at the automaton. "She really did a number on that thing."

"She didn't kill it."

"What?"

"I did."

Chan blinked. "Oh. Shit."

He helped me carry the body out of the woods. Most participants had retired to the cabin. They all crowded around the bonfire when we returned, trying to get a peek at who had felled the automaton. We deposited the body in front of the fire.

Chaeyoung pushed through the crowd. "Shit! Number eight for wolfie!"

Chan shook his head. "Not me." He pushed me forwards.

I cleared my throat. "It was me," I said. I held up the automaton's head.

The sponsor made his way over. He examined the claw marks on the robot's chest, then the head. He nodded. "It was the vampire."

The whispers started right away.

"A vampire? With a werewolf?"

"This has to be his first kill."

"He doesn't look that strong."

"Is he new?"

The sponsor held out their hand. "Chaeyoung. The sheet!"

Chaeyoung snapped her fingers. The clipboard appeared out of thin air. She retrieved the piece of bandage she had attached to it and handed the papers over.

The sponsor ran his thumb over my signature. It glowed pink. "Y/N. First year, Sayre Wing."

The murmurs got louder.

"A first year? This is his first day!"

"He's new to the Sayre Wing?"

"That's a different kind of vamp, for sure."

Chan put a hand on my shoulder. "So much for keeping a low profile," he said.

CHAPTER II: THE AMALGAM

The whispers followed me for days. I didn't really care about them. I cared more about Dahyun, who was trying to avoid me at every turn.

I had done as she asked. I avoided talking to her or looking her in the eyes, just like everyone else. But even when I passed her in the corridors, she didn't so much as move to acknowledge my existence.

It was annoying. I was more concerned with what someone I had spoken to twice had to tell me than I was with my classes. I had already estranged most everyone, and the few people who did talk to me probably only did because of my new infamous status.

Some people were fine. The naiad from the lake, Tzuyu, was in my mana class. She was sitting next to an empty desk the first day of class, so I decided to sit next to her.

She jumped a little when I sat down, but a small smile ghosted her face when she saw it was me. "Y/N."

"You remembered?" I said.

"Yeah. I appreciate what you and your friend did for me at the lake."

"Oh, it was all him. Not that I didn't want to help—"

"I get it." Tzuyu sighed. "I don't know why I believed those girls. I had only known them for a few hours."

"You don't come from this realm, right?"

Tzuyu shook her head. "My family always sends one of us to the Academy each generation. I was chosen to represent."

"That's a lot of pressure."

Tzuyu shivered. "I know. I just have to not die, right?"

There was a satyr with pink fur and curled horns at the front of the class who I had thought was a student, but when he took position behind his desk I realized he was an instructor.

"Settle down," he said in a monotonous voice. "Come on, get seated."

While the others sat down, I stared at the small animal on his desk. It was the size of a large cat, with tiny horns and two sharp teeth sticking out of its mouth.

Tzuyu followed my gaze. "That's a familiar," she said. "A lot of satyrs have animal companions that they raise from birth."

"What kind of animal is that?"

Tzuyu frowned. "I don't know. Some saber-toothed... moose... lion... thing."

"Welcome to Mana Foundations," said the satyr. "I am your designated instructor, Brad."

There was a beat of silence. A vampire raised their hand. "Just Brad?" they asked.

"Yes," said Brad. "Just Brad." He tapped the board with the long stick he was holding, and words appeared on it. "Before we talk about mana, I need to communicate to you information about your first pankration trial."

This sent a murmur through the room.

"Pankration trials," I muttered. "That's fighting in the arena, right?"

Tzuyu nodded. "It's a system to whittle down initiates."

"The rules of pankration are simple," said Brad. "Two inhumans from this year's class will be pitted against each other in the arena. No weapons allowed, unless they are attached to your body. You cannot leave the arena via any means. Other than that? Anything goes. The match ends when one opponent surrenders, or dies."

"Dies?" I said loudly.

Brad stared at me. "Yes, dies. Why do you think our graduation rate is ten percent?"

Oh, shit. This was bad for me. If the rules of pankration were this severe... maybe I should never have applied to the Academy.

"What if you surrender?" asked a banshee.

"If you surrender, you will be dismissed from the Academy," said Brad. "You can pore over the rules in your own time. My job is to tell you that your year's first pankration trial will be held on October 28."

Groans filled the air. I felt heat on the back of my neck from a dragonborn behind me. "That's two days before the Monster Mash!" they complained.

"Again, I am only communicating the information," said Brad. "You can complain to the board."

I had no desire to complain, but Chaeyoung was of a different opinion. She was in my poisons class, because she had failed the previous year.

"It's so stupid!" she said after class that day. "I have to go out of my way to attend, now!"

"Is this because of the Mash?" I asked.

Chan had told me about the Monster Mash. It was a ball that took place every October, on All Hallows Eve. I knew its prestige, and why everyone was complaining about the first years' pankration being so close to that date.

"It is," said Chaeyoung. "I'm a part of the Event Planning Committee, but now, we've lost an entire day right before the Mash."

"You don't have to attend," I said.

Chaeyoung looked at me like I was crazy. "Everyone attends pankration trials," said Chaeyoung. "It's, like, social and academic suicide if you don't."

I got the social part, but... "Academic?"

"Yeah. You need to pay attention to which freaks are the strongest, which are the weakest. It could save your life, especially if that inhuman gets bumped up a year."

"That happens?"

"Not often, but it can," she said. "Kim Dahyun got bumped up twice."

I didn't want to talk about Dahyun. "Why are you taking basic poisons, again?" I asked Chaeyoung.

It worked like a charm. "I'm not dumb!" she said. "I just get distracted, sometimes."

"Distracted. Sure."

"Gods above. Sometimes, you're worse than your brother."

I had to ask. "So, is there something going on, or is it all just him?"

Chaeyoung pursed her lips, like she was trying to hide a smile. "It's nothing," she said.

"You realize I could be useful, right?"

Chaeyoung shook her head. "Don't worry about it. It's Chan's responsibility to stop flirting with me and ask me on a date."

"Would you agree?"

"I'm not answering that."

"Hey, Chaeyoung!" Park Jihyo came our way. She spotted me. "Ugh. You."

"You know Y/N?" Chaeyoung asked, surprised.

"We got into a little scuffle during that hunt," said Jihyo.

I stared at her. "I got you," I said.

"He was the one?" Chaeyoung demanded. "Seriously?"

"He took me by surprise!" said Jihyo. "It's not my fault."

"It's entirely your fault," I said.

"I need to talk to you, Chaeyoung," said Jihyo, ignoring me. "Club matters."

"Ah." Chaeyoung looked at me apologetically. "I should go."

"Of course," I said. "The Mash is important."

Jihyo stared me down until I left. I started heading back to the Sayre Wing, to pick up some of my things and go study near the lake.

The main entrance and exit was the great stone staircase at the front of the castle. Its top landing was forty meters higher than its bottom landing, meaning unless you could fly, it was an intensely impractical way to get in and out of the castle. It was so tall that there was a landing the size of a courtyard and a ninety-degree turn halfway down.

Most people used the portal lifts at the base of the cliff. You walked in on the ground floor, and out on the main floor, spending all of one second to do so.

I had time to kill, and I loved the view walking down the stairs. You could see the entire lake and the woods beyond—you could even see the roof of the Sayre Wing, if you squinted hard enough. I (and most others) took night classes, so the underwater village was lit up with lights when I walked outside.

All of my thoughts fled my mind when I spotted Kim Dahyun halfway down the upper flight of stairs. She was staring off into the distance, for a reason that was beyond me.

I didn't care. This was my opportunity to corner her. I made a beeline to where she stood, intending to grab her shoulder.

When I was within a meter of her, Dahyun suddenly whirled around. She grabbed my arm and, in one fluid motion, pushed me against the railing of the staircase.

I fell straight over the side.

My backpack got caught on a rock, and the straps tore from my shoulders. I bounced off the cliff face twice before landing unceremoniously on a flat outcropping.

The noise of flapping wings signified Dahyun's arrival. She was carrying my backpack, which looked in just as bad a condition as I probably did.

I was angry, angry enough that the rationality left my body. I stormed back towards her. "What the fuck was that for?" I demanded. Dahyun didn't stop me from grabbing her arm and backing her all the way up to the rock face.

I had made a mistake in getting so close to her. Her aura made my fangs come out, immediately.

"You've been ignoring me," I said.

"I couldn't risk us being seen together," said Dahyun. She dropped my backpack. "If someone had witnessed us at the hunt..."

"You say no one has looked you in the eyes before."

"No." She let out a breath. "And now that someone can, I can't look away."

I realized that I had gotten closer to her, and her chest was a centimeter from making contact with mine. Even though I was the one who had her pinned to the wall, I knew it was only because she was letting it happen.

I felt that tug in my navel, again. I didn't move away. "Am I the only one?" I asked.

Dahyun didn't need clarification. "No," she said. "Your aura... It's strong for me, too. I've been here for two years, so I know how to control my reaction to it."

"Great. I'm just embarrassing myself, then."

"No! It's cute."

I hesitated. "Before we were interrupted during the hunt..."

Dahyun's expression turned serious. "Yeah."

"What were you going to say?"

Dahyun leaned a little closer. "What if I told you... that I think you're my soulmate?"

"I'd think you're crazy," I said. "Soulmates aren't real."

"Not for everyone."

I thought about it. "The only mortal creatures with soulmates are... angels and demons."

"Right."

"Are you telling me that the rumors about you being part demon... they're true?"

"Not quite."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It's complicated."

I shook my head. "How are you supposed to find out?" I questioned. "If I'm your soulmate?"

"How do you think?" Dahyun asked. "We have to have sex."

My entire body tensed up. "Oh."

"I know. It's pretty bad."

It's not that bad, I thought.

"I've only tried to have sex twice, and both times I sent my partners to the hospital."

Okay, that was pretty bad.

"I won't force you," said Dahyun. "I don't expect you to risk your life for some stupid hunch of mine. But you have to admit..." She grabbed my hands like before. "This connection isn't normal."

"I'm a vampire," I said weakly. "That doesn't mean I have exceptional power."

"You were sorted into the Sayre Wing," said Dahyun, seeing right through my words. "That doesn't happen unless you're exceptional."

"Sure."

"Do you want proof?" Dahyun questioned.

"Proof of what?"

"Of our connection."

"I don't—"

Before I could finish, Dahyun leaned forward and kissed me.

My brain overloaded. My vision went red. I saw everything like I was looking through a fuzzy lens. I wanted to drink her, to feel her, to ravish her...

I wanted to breed her.

Dahyun pulled away, and my vision started fading back to normal.

"Well?" Dahyun asked.

"You don't want to know what just happened."

"I very much do."

"You said something, the other day," I said. "'In fire and blood.'"

"Soulmates sealed in fire and blood," said Dahyun. "It's a saying in my family."

"No." I backed away. "We shouldn't do this, Dahyun. Something about this feels dangerous."

"But that's what makes it wonderful!" said Dahyun. She walked towards me as. "Y/N, come on!"

"No. I'm sorry."

"I'll convince you!" she said.

"My answer will remain the same."

"NO!" Dahyun roared.

I don't know what happened, but two seconds later, I was the one pressed against the wall. Dahyun stood before me, so close that if I puckered my lips, we would be kissing again.

"You don't understand," she said. Something in her voice was different. "Together, we would have enough power to rule the world. Y/N, with you by my side, we could overthrow the very gods—"

I drew a sharp breath. Dahyun seemed to realize what she had said. She stepped back.

"I'm sorry," she said after a beat. "I don't know what came over me."

"Did you start feeling fuzzy?" I asked. "Your vision go red?"

She looked surprised. "How did you know?"

"That's what happened to me."

"I see."

"Should this not be proof that we're dangerous together?"

Dahyun wasn't saying anything. She was staring at my lips, like she was debating whether to kiss me again.

I put my hand up to her face and over her lips. It took every bone of concentration in my body to speak without tripping over my words.

"This shouldn't happen."

Dahyun pulled my hand down. "I want it to," she muttered.

"I never said I didn't."

I gently pushed Dahyun away. She reluctantly backed up. I walked away from her and grabbed my ruined rucksack.

"Give me until the Mash!" she said suddenly.

I turned around. "To do what?"

"To get to you." Dahyun seemed determined. "If you're still resisting by the time the ball comes around, I'll leave you alone forever."

"And if I don't agree to this?"

"Then I won't stop trying to convince you."

"That's a pretty big red flag."

"Who's going to stop me?"

I knew what she was capable of, and that I didn't really have any choice but to accept. "I want assurance," I said.

"How?" Dahyun asked.

"Make a vow."

Dahyun stepped forward. "Fine."

"Good." I took my knife from my pocket and cut into my hand. I held it out to her. "Your turn," I said, handing her the knife.

She hesitated. "I don't... Can I do this my way?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Dahyun collected a few drops of my blood in her palm. She turned around, so I couldn't see what she was doing. I heard the telltale sound of the knife along flesh, and saw a flash of golden light.

Dahyun turned back around. My knife was cleaned of my blood and hers. A light scar ran across her palm.

"I made the vow," she said. "Do you believe me?"

I nodded. "I see the scar."

"Okay." Dahyun gave the knife back, and spread her wings. "I'll do my best."

I watched her fly back up to the stairs. She was obviously hiding something. What, I didn't know. For now, I had to figure out how to get off this cliff.

I didn't find a solution more effective than climbing. It took me five minutes to get fed up with descending the rock face, by which point I said—

"Fuck it." I braced myself, and fell. The bruises and the sprained wrist were worth it—it would have taken me an extra half an hour, otherwise.

The Academy was provided a mysterious font of nectar, the drink of the gods. It was useful in small amounts to us inhumans, and always stocked in each dorm.

It was stocked in excess in the Sayre Wing, like they knew the most dangerous initiates were the most often wounded. I took a cup of it, enough to heal the injuries overnight.

I found Chan alone in his room. He was sitting on the floor, staring at claw marks on the wall beneath the window.

He saw me, and scrambled to his feet. He put on a smile. "Hey, Y/N—"

"Why are you always alone?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Chan faltered. "That's... a loaded question."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"You've heard of pankration?" he asked.

Chan sounded serious. He was hardly ever serious.

"Yes," I said. "They've told us."

Chan nodded. "If you make friends here, there's a chance you'd have to go up against them."

"Aren't the chances low?"

"They only go up every year. Based on the statistics alone, you have a one in ten chance of fighting anyone in your year at some point during your tenure at the Academy."

I knew I was reaching, but I had to ask. "Is that why you won't ask Chaeyoung out?"

Chan chuckled. "Yeah, that's part of it."

"When are the second year trials?"

"A week before yours. I know you kind of have to go, but..." Chan sighed. "I'd appreciate it if you don't watch my turn."

"I've seen you do bad things before, Chan."

He shook his head. "That arena... I hate that place. Something about it is horrible. It brings out the worst in you."

It was then that it hit me, that I had been lying by omission to my brother for a week. I didn't want this place to bring out the worst in me, either.

"I have something to tell you," I said. "About Kim Dahyun."

I explained everything. It was a little painful, at times, especially talking about mine and Dahyun's latest conversation, but I needed to tell someone.

Chan shook his head. "See? Me and Mother aren't the only two who think there's something special about you."

"Literally everyone thinks there's something special about me," I said drily.

"Yeah, well, the normal you is exceptional enough. Nobody else knows about the... other you."

That other me. The one that came out when I drank inhuman blood. The one I hardly remembered, or wanted to remember.

- - - - - - - - -

Dahyun had one of her hands wrapped around my neck. The other was high on my waist as she rolled her hips rhythmically. I felt as though I were endlessly sinking into a cloud. With every squeeze of my neck, the corners of my vision pulsated deep red.

"That's a good boy," she whispered.

There was a great fire raging in her eyes, out of control and all consuming. She looked down at our connection. I could see my member sliding in and out of her center, and every movement of Dahyun's hips was bringing more clarity to the intoxicating feeling.

Dahyun looked back up at me. Steam poured out of her mouth when she exhaled. "How does it feel?" she asked.

"Amazing," I heard myself say. When I spoke, it sounded like I was underwater.

Dahyun rode me harder. Her grip on my neck tightened. Her nails were cutting into my skin, now. Enough moisture was dripping from her pussy that I could feel it creaming around my groin. The tip of my cock made contact with a spot deeper inside her, and Dahyun moaned, casting her head up to the sky.

I saw her in glimpses. Her silvery hair. Her bare back. The curve from her shoulder to her neck. Her fangs, glinting in the moonlight. Her fingers, wrapping tighter around my throat.

Too tight. More than half of my vision had gone a deep red. If it weren't for the pants and moans coming from Dahyun's mouth, I could have imagined her laughing.

I found it within me to reach up. I wrapped my own fingers around her neck. My nails cut into her skin. Her blood was red like almost everything else, but some part of me felt like that wasn't its actual color.

I sat up. Dahyun readjusted, making sure she didn't lose our connection. "What are you doing?" she asked distantly.

I shifted my fingers, exposing a gap of skin on her neck. The scent of her blood was hitting me hard. I didn't know how to describe it, other than it smelled like the most pleasant thing I had ever sensed.

I bared my fangs to their full length, and sunk them into her neck.

Her blood rushed into my mouth so fast I almost choked. It was hot past comprehension, so hot that it should have melted straight through my body. The sensation when it hit my brain was so incredible that I could only tell I was climaxing when semen spurted from the tip of my member.

Dahyun let out another moan, and her inner walls fluttered against my shaft. I detached my mouth from her neck when her hand danced across the side of my cheek.

Perfect gold circles were suspended in her eyes, now pools of black. This was true equilibrium.

"Is this what you want?" Dahyun whispered.

- - - - - - - - -

I woke up startled and covered in sweat, with a painful erection making a very obvious tent in my sheets.

CHAPTER III: THE ARENA

One month later, it was the day of the second year pankration trials.

Tzuyu had invited me to attend along with a couple other first years. I should have figured that since she was a naiad, she lived underwater. We couldn't visit her dorm without magically modified diving helmets, and those had to be reserved two weeks in advance.

Tzuyu stuck to the dry paths, for our sake. She told me to meet at the mouth of the mound leading into the lake, a place everyone called "The Molehill."

Tzuyu was standing just off the path, chatting to an inhuman with strips of hair colored alternating black and white. They looked at me as I approached—they had one entirely white eye, and one eye entirely black save for a white iris.

"You're the vamp," they said. "From the first hunt of the year."

"That's me," I said. "And you are?"

"Lee Felix. First year. Uh, I go by 'they' these days, it makes the transformation confusion easier."

"Transformation confusion?"

"Felix is a half-breed, like me," said Tzuyu. "They're part werewolf, part shapeshifter."

"Before you ask, yes, that means any part of my body," said Felix. "It's incredibly useful."

"Part-werewolf," I said. "Do you live in the Sayre Wing?"

Felix shook their head. "No, I don't deal with the full moons like wolves do. The potion is enough for me. Your brother's a wolf, right?"

"Yeah."

"Bang Chan, right?"

"That's him."

"He's fighting tonight," said Felix. "You must be sweating bullets."

"Thanks for reminding me."

"We're waiting on one more," said Tzuyu. "A sixth year I know."

"You know a sixth year?" I questioned.

"Through this club I joined. 'Exorcism for Enthusiasts.'"

"That sounds like fun," said Felix drily. "These clubs love alliteration."

"Oh, she's here!" said Tzuyu. She started waving. "Nayeon!"

I had heard that name before, though I wasn't sure where. Coming over was a girl with blonde hair and war paint on her face.

"Tzuyu!" she said excitedly. She wrapped Tzuyu up into a bone-crushing hug, then turned to us. "I don't think we've met."

Felix and I introduced ourselves, and Nayeon reciprocated.

"I'm a banshee," she said. "It gets me into trouble, some times."

"You're dressed like you're fighting," said Felix.

Nayeon laughed. "Oh, gods, no. I'm just a big fan of the sport."

"Bloodsport?" I questioned.

"Yeah," said Nayeon. "The bloodier, the better, right?"

I was always surprised by the voracity of the student body at the Academy, especially their proclivity to choose violence every time.

I channeled that energy into what was probably an offensive question. "Aren't sixth years supposed to be super busy?" I asked.

"Oh, we are," said Nayeon cooly. "But I figured I would be a nice senior and introduce my younger club member to some other older students. I even told her she could invite others along, you know."

Felix paused. "Introduce us to others?"

"That was part of the deal." Nayeon looked at Tzuyu. "Right? I'll help you network, and then you'd consider joining my coven?"

"You're joining her coven?" I questioned. "That's incredible!"

"That's what I've been trying to tell her!" said Nayeon. "My coven is one of the most exclusive out there. And, we're guild-supported."

A coven was a society that supported a group of inhumans, as long as they were adequately trained in mana. They had more legacy than clubs, and even their own houses at the Greek Park just beneath the castle.

Guilds were like covens that existed outside of the Academy—corporations. If a coven at the Academy was guild-supported, it gave them an elite status.

It seemed like I was more interested in Nayeon's coven than Tzuyu. "What's your coven called?" I asked.

"Delta Upsilon Omicron," said Nayeon. "Unfortunately, ∆YO is female exclusive."

"By female, do you mean female all the time?" Felix asked.

"We make exceptions," said Nayeon. "Just no men. Men suck."

"Who else is involved?" I asked.

Tzuyu was getting embarrassed. "Y/N, you know it's rude to ask about—"

"No, I don't mind!" said Nayeon. "Nobody ever asks me about ∆YO. They're always too afraid."

That was probably a sign I was overstepping, but Nayeon seemed willing enough to share. "Go on."

"A couple people," said Nayeon. "A ghoul, Son Minyoung."

"I know her!" said Felix. "She's a fifth year, right?"

"Correct. But our most advanced member..." Nayeon grinned. "Yoo Jeongyeon."

Even I knew who Yoo Jeongyeon was. She was a seventh year, already a prime achievement in itself. She was also an ice elemental. Elementals were like naiads or dryads, but of a different breed. They were most attuned with their element, like they were one.

"You're telling me big shot Yoo Jeongyeon actually shows up to coven gatherings?" I asked.

Nayeon's smile wavered. "Well, no. She's far too busy. She has a work study on Olympus that's both classified and full time, so she doesn't have a lot of time.."

Felix coughed violently. "Mount Olympus? She's doing a work study with the gods?"

"One god," said Nayeon. "The North Wind."

I stared at Tzuyu. "She's inviting you, a first year, to join the same coven as Yoo Jeongyeon, and you're saying no?"

"I didn't come to the Academy to join a coven," Tzuyu muttered. "I came to get my training, and then return to my hometown."

"What are the chances you even survive until then?" Nayeon demanded. "Join up, and people will think twice before fighting to kill in pankration."

"You really should do it," said Felix. "It's for your own safety, right?"

"I can make up my own mind!" said Tzuyu sharply.

Nayeon held up her hands. "Okay. Fine. Let's just go inside, watch the trials, and you can decide."

With that, we walked into the Molehill.

The first few feet were dark, so dark that I was in want of a torch to light the way. It was only later that I realized it was probably intended to be this way: a descent into darkness.

After some time, a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. As we drew closer, I saw that the walls opened up from reinforced stone to enchanted glass.

It was beautiful.

The underwater village was an incredible combination of modern and ancient. It wasn't lit up in gaudy colors as shown in human films from hundreds of years ago. The architecture was this combination of steampunk and gothic, like it came straight from the mind of—

"Jules Verne," said Tzuyu. "He designed this place, almost a thousand years ago."

"It's a shame, really." Nayeon shook her head. "To think that he gave up his life here to travel to the human realm... It's hard to think that they would appreciate his mind as much as we do."

"Is there a chance he's still alive?" Felix asked.

"No way," said Nayeon. "We lose our immortality when we travel to the human realm—well, back when we could travel to the human realm."

"Have you been?" Tzuyu questioned.

Nayeon shook her head. "I was born a couple decades after. I don't think any students here are old enough to have been."

"Then again, if anyone was, would they admit it?" Felix asked.

"Nope." Nayeon sighed. "There's power in secrets, right?"

The major walkways were sheltered, meaning we could walk up to the arena without having to, you know, swim. It was a massive colosseum built from stone. Once, it might have been large enough to seat over fifty thousand, but an accident with a giant squid had reduced the upper levels to ruins. You could see the frame of those stands from the outside, with a mana barrier that skimmed the top of the arena and kept the water out.

"What are those?" I asked, eyeing the red laser field that covered the entrance ahead of us.

"Automatic checks," said Nayeon. "They cross-reference your mana signature with the blood test you took at initiation."

"Ah." My palms grew sweaty. "So, theoretically, if you... uh, failed your blood test—"

Felix laughed. "Mate, no one fails a blood test. It's un-fail-able."

"Theoretically. If you did. Uh, what happens if you pass through that laser?"

Nayeon shrugged. "Same thing that happens if you aren't registered in the system, I guess. Alarms go off, security drags you out, it's super embarrassing—"

"Yeah, I get the idea," I said.

"You shorted out the box, didn't you?" said Nayeon. "For your blood test."

"Yeah," I admitted.

"Lighten up, greenie. I did, too. There's no need to worry so much."

She was right—we all got through the field without any problems. Nayeon led us through the stands. She was popular enough that most people turned and looked at her when she passed.

"∆YO reserved a box," she said. "We're heading there, now."

"Do we have to go through all these people?" Tzuyu asked.

"Well, we could take the back route, but then I don't get to parade around in front of everyone." Nayeon blew a kiss at someone who had stood up to get a better look at her, and they sunk to their knees with a look of immense satisfaction on their face.

I matched my pace to Tzuyu. "Hey, you didn't have to invite me," I whispered. "I don't really care about any of this coven stuff."

"I know," she said. "I just hoped I'd have someone to back me up."

"Oh. Yeah, of course." I felt like a bad friend for not thinking of that as the first reason.

We had made it up to the box. Nayeon spoke to the security manning the gate, then ushered us through. "Go on," she said.

The front half of the box was thirty seats, sectioned off from the rest of the stands. Beyond that was a platform where fifteen inhumans were mingling around a long table of food and drink. I didn't have eyes for any of that. All I could see was Dahyun, who was sitting alone at the end of the front row of the box. My dream from weeks ago crossed my mind, but I quickly pushed it away.

I heard Nayeon speaking. "This is it! Say hi, get comfortable, try not to piss yourselves." She had evidently noticed who I was looking at, because she drew closer and muttered in my ear. "Good luck with that, buddy. You know who she is, right?"

Dahyun spotted us. She avoided looking above chest level, but when she waved, I could tell she was directing it at me.

"Fuck me." Nayeon patted my shoulder. "I guess she knows who you are. I knew you were hot shit, Y/N, but getting Kim Dahyun's attention as a first year?"

I ignored her. I was of half a mind to ignore Dahyun, too, but I couldn't resist her offer. I could feel dozens of eyes turn to me as I sat down next to her. I held onto my fangs, this time.

I cleared my throat. "So, now you don't mind being seen in public?" I asked.

"It was going to happen, sooner or later," Dahyun muttered. "Might as well be sooner."

"Why are you here?"

"To jerk you off while nobody's paying attention."

"What?"

"Kidding!" Dahyun sighed. "Believe it or not, I plan on joining this coven."

"Huh?" I laughed. "Why?"

"Is something funny?"

"A freak like you doesn't need a coven."

"Oh, how I wish that were true."

Tzuyu slowly sat down next to me. She didn't seem very comfortable to be so close to Dahyun, because when Dahyun went to get drinks, she started whispering.

"How do you know her?" Tzuyu questioned.

"It's a long story," I said. "We, uh, ran into each other last hunt."

"The same one where I ran into you?"

"Yeah."

"Y/N..." Tzuyu hesitated. "She's really dangerous."

"According to the Academy, so am I, right?"

"I know, but—" Tzuyu glanced around. "She's been known to do this. Draw people in and... take advantage of them."

I laughed. "Tzuyu, I have nothing for her to take advantage of."

"That's what they all think."

I had to admit, Tzuyu's insistence was getting to me. "Fine. I'll be careful."

Dahyun returned, and Tzuyu stiffened up. Dahyun tapped my shoulder and passed me two drinks. "One for your friend," she said.

"I don't drink," said Tzuyu.

Dahyun shrugged. She took Tzuyu's drink and poured it into her own glass.

I glanced back at the table. "I'm not the only guy here."

"Yeah, well, however much ∆YO hates men, most of them still like fucking them," said Dahyun.

"Doesn't mean we suck any less."

"Men suck," Dahyun agreed, nodding. "If only my soulmate wasn't one."

"Hey." I could see Tzuyu in my peripheral, and thankfully, it looked like she hadn't heard.

"Oh, boo," said Dahyun. "You'd better get used to hearing that word." She tilted her head. "Look, the bloodsport is about to begin."

Every trial, inhumans were put into either Group A or Group B. They waited in opposite rooms of the colosseum, and each freak only knew who they were facing when they walked outside. The first two, a merman and a centaur were being given an impressive ovation.

A loudspeaker was shouting their names: "From Group A! Aston Namorean!"

To our left, the merman raised his trident. Cheers followed.

"A Namorean," Dahyun said. "That means he's descended from the royal line. That's a lot of power."

"Group B!" went the loudspeaker. "Teraxon!"

To our right, the centaur adjusted his bow. He looked much more nervous than his opponent, and frankly, I didn't blame him.

"Let's keep a running tally," said Dahyun. "Who do you think will win?"

"Isn't this a rather morbid thing to be talking about?"

"Nothing we do is going to make it less morbid." Dahyun took a sip of her drink. "I was like you, at first. The only thing you can do is get used to it."

"Gods."

"The merman," said Tzuyu suddenly. "His trident looks like it can do some damage."

"Mm, I'm with you on that one," said Dahyun. "Bow and arrow against a merperson? Forget it."

It wasn't pretty. At the whistle, the merman leapt forward and swung. The centaur's head was on the floor before he could even nock an arrow.

"I didn't think it would be that quick," Dahyun muttered.

"Are all of these matches like this?" I asked.

"Most of them," said Dahyun. "Some of them are entertaining, in an 'I had a lobotomy and de-evolved by a few hundred thousand years' kind of sense."

"How wonderful," said Tzuyu.

I did my best to tune out of the bloodshed, but my attention was recaptured when the loudspeaker roared—

"Group A! Son Chaeyoung!"

"Oh, shit," I said, nearly falling out of my seat. "Chaeyoung."

"Ah, yes," said Dahyun. "You future sister-in-law."

I stared at her. "Have you been looking into me?"

"Yes, but that's not why I know who she is." Dahyun's pinky finger brushed my arm. "I make sure I know everyone in the Sayre Wing. Your brother's among them."

"Why aren't you in the Sayre Wing?" I questioned.

"Oh, I was sorted there my first year. It sucks. I decided to move off campus."

"You can do that?"

"If you have enough money, sure," said Tzuyu drily.

Dahyun smiled a little. "I like you," she said to Tzuyu. "You don't seem that afraid of me."

Tzuyu pursed her lips, but said nothing.

"You have money?" I asked Dahyun.

She sighed. "You don't know anything about me, do you?"

I shrugged. "I've hardly spoken to you."

"Aren't we amending that right now?"

"We can amend it later." I sat forward. "I want to watch this."

"I don't think you have cause for concern," said Dahyun. "I mean, her opponent..."

"Group B! Charles!"

Her opponent was a snowman. Literally. Three mounds of snow stacked atop one another, with button eyes, a top hat, and a carrot nose.

Chaeyoung stopped. I saw her bandages shifting, like they were tightening around her body.

The whistle blew. The snowman popped his nose off his face, and with his stick arms, threw it at Chaeyoung. It bounced off her harmlessly. The snowman's six stone smile morphed into a frown.

"Is this enchanted?" Chaeyoung picked up the carrot. "Enchanted items don't work on me. I'm covered in them, myself."

She threw the carrot into the air. It phased through the mana barrier, and started drifting away to the surface of the lake above.

Another carrot appeared on the snowman's face, but Chaeyoung had already made her move. Bandages were erupting from her sleeves, straight and sharp as knives. They tore the poor snowman's head from his body. A fountain of blood poured from the wound, ten times the amount that was in a normal body. By the time it was done, Chaeyoung was covered in crimson, head to toe.

"Gods," Tzuyu said, unable to look away. "That's gross."

"A lot of blood," said Dahyun. "Looooot of blood."

They cleaned up the blood quickly, then sent out the next two.

"Group A! Safi Moondancer!"

I bristled. I knew that name, too. She was a werewolf, living in the Sayre Wing a floor below Chan and I. She was already partially transformed, probably because she didn't want to waste time doing it in the arena. Her black hair was so long and thick that it obscured her ears and cascaded down to her three tails. It felt showy, but that was probably the point.

"Group B! Bang Chan!"

"Oh, FUCK!" I said, standing up and gripping the railing in front of me.

"What are the chances?" said Dahyun.

Tzuyu had stood up, too. I could see alarm flash in her eyes.

Chan walked out into the arena. He wasn't transformed, and he looked pale.

"What's wrong?" I asked, staring at him. "He needs to get ready!"

"He's done this thrice before," Dahyun muttered. "I'm surprised he hasn't figured out that it won't work."

"What?" Tzuyu asked. "What won't work?"

"See for yourself."

Chan put his hands up. His voice carried over the arena. "You don't want to fight me!" he said.

"Yeah, we know, buddy!" shouted someone from behind me.

I gripped the rail tighter. "Don't tell me he's going to surrender," I said.

"Not quite," said Dahyun.

Safi Moondancer laughed. "I think I do, Chan. You think I'm going to surrender?"

"You know me!" said Chan. "You know what I can do! I'm giving you a chance to—"

The whistle sounded.

There was a tense beat of silence, one that Chan broke with a shout. "Safi, just wait—!"

"Stop talking!" Safi growled. She leapt forward, her claws out. The stands started calling for blood, again.

"It's a stupid idea," said Dahyun. "There hasn't been a surrender in over 70 years."

Chan dodged, still not transformed. He kept shouting. "Don't make me do this!"

"Transform, whelp!" Safi yelled. "There's no honor in fighting a weakling!"

Chan was losing. Safi managed to scrape him on her third pass, a deep gash in his calf that sent him sprawling to the floor. She stood over him and planted her foot on his ankle. I was pretty damn far away, but I could still hear the bone crack.

I knew Chan couldn't lose this easily, but that didn't do much to calm my nerves.

"Come on, Bang Chan!" Tzuyu shouted, trying to make her voice heard over the others.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance!" said Safi.

Chan said something quietly. I could tell what it was from the movement of his lips: Don't say I didn't warn you.

In an instant, he transformed. This was not his normal transformation. Fur covered his entire body. More bones cracked as his limbs contorted, growing longer. His nose and mouth elongated into a snout, with black lips stretched tight over a mouthful of razor-sharp teeth. He looked almost exactly like he did on a full moon.

"That shouldn't be possible," said Dahyun. "Unless—"

"You're off the potion!" Safi yelled. "Do you understand how dangerous that is?"

Chan looked like some part of him understood what she was saying but he didn't have the mental facilities to respond. Instead, the primal part of him recognized a threat screaming at him. He reared forward.

"Has he done this before?" I demanded, looking at Dahyun.

Dahyun whispered. "Y/N, you shouldn't look me in the eyes—"

"Tell me!"

Dahyun shook her head. "No. No, this is new."

Safi was forced to take to the walls. She leapt atop one of the lights and prepared to jump to the next one.

Chan got there first. He threw her to the ground like a rag doll. Safi scrambled back to her feet, but only for a moment. Chan dug his claws into her sides. Safi yelped, and tried to shove him off. It was no use. Chan pulled something that looked suspiciously like a rib out of her body, and threw it to the side, leaving a trail of blood in its wake.

Chan roared, and I could just make out that he was trying to say, "Surrender!"

Safi's face contorted. "I would rather die."

Chan fulfilled her wish. He twisted her neck, so hard that her head almost tore clean off her body. He let her corpse slump to the ground.

People were cheering for Chan, but with his focused removed from his opponent, his senses were on high alert for more threats. He was surrounded by them, now.

Chan locked eyes with a dark elf in the stands who was jeering. He leapt at them, looking ready to take another life.

All it took was a single hair crossing the boundary for the security system to go off. A pink mana field shimmered into view, and Chan was thrown back to the ground before he could even get close.

There was some kind of enchantment on the mana field, one that caused Chan to start reverting back to his normal form. When he was back to normal, they brought out a stretcher and carted him off the field, still in the fetal position.

I stood up. "I need to see him."

"That would be hard," said Dahyun.

"I don't care."

"You didn't let me finish." Dahyun stood, too. "That would be hard, without me."

I cast an apologetic look Tzuyu's way. "I know you wanted me to back you up—"

"No, go!" Tzuyu insisted. "Make sure he's okay."

Dahyun led the way. Nobody stopped her, not until we reached a door manned by two guards.

They knew who she was, so they didn't try to touch her. "You aren't supposed to go past this point," said one of them.

"But I am going to go past this point," said Dahyun. "Is that a problem?"

"You would need permission from The Administrator."

"I can go speak to The Administrator."

They let us through.

"You know The Administrator?" I whispered.

"Hell, no," Dahyun whispered back. "No one knows The Administrator."

"So, what? You lied?"

"What are they going to do, check with The Administrator? Come on, through here," said Dahyun, holding open a door. "The arena medbay."

It place was enchanted to be larger than the mess hall, filled with rows and rows of hospital beds. The medics didn't bother us, probably because they were focused on important matters. Chan was at the very end, separated from everyone else by ten empty beds.

I rushed over. He was connected to a nectar drip by a bronze wire running up into his forearm. The screen hovering in the air showed his vitals were steady. His eyes were darting back and forth beneath his closed eyelids. I had seen this happen, before.

"Hey, Chan!" I patted his cheek. "Chan, it's Y/N."

"What are you doing?" Dahyun hissed.

"It's fine, I've done this before. Chan!" I hit him a little too hard.

"Ow!" Chan groaned. He cracked his eyelids open. "Y/N?" He averted his eyes when he spotted Dahyun. "And the amalgam."

I resisted the urge to slap him again. "What the fuck were you thinking?"

"Oh, I know, it was a bad idea," he murmured, closing his eyes again.

"A very bad idea," said Dahyun.

"I only skipped one potion."

"And this is, what, the tenth time that's happened?" I said. "Wolves have gone mad after skipping less! You should have seen yourself—" I stopped.

Chan was laughing. After a few seconds, it turned into a cough. He swallowed heavily. "Y/N, one of the side-effects is memory loss. I have almost no idea what happened in there."

"That's why you wanted to do this? So you didn't have to remember? What are you, sad you've had to kill people?"

"No," said Chan. "I'll do what I have to. I was hoping to make a statement."

"Oh, yeah?"

"Maybe if they remember what I can do, they won't throw themselves to their deaths."

"Most of them would rather die, just like her," said Dahyun. "Everyone who surrenders loses everything. Sponsorships, honor, rank. Most of them lose their family."

"You would risk your live to prove a dumb point?" I questioned. I gritted my teeth. "No more of this. You take the potion as you should. Nobody is going to surrender, Chan."

"Yeah, I get it." He sat up. "Y/N, can I give you some advice?"

"What?"

"When you get in that arena? Don't hesitate. It makes it easier."

Those were the words running through my head a week later, when I stepped out into the arena.

The loudspeaker announced me. "Group A, Y/N!"

Being on the receiving end of the cheers was different. It was a constant din that was shocking at first but quickly devolved into background noise. The blood dripping down my open wrists was hot. I had bled myself more than ten minutes ago, to ensure my system was firing on all cylinders. It had already stained my pants deep maroon, but that was something I could worry about later.

All that matter now was my opponent, the banshee emerging from the other side of the arena.

"Group B! Huening Kai!"

The banshee bared his teeth, sharpened to points. "You're the vamp from the Sayre Wing," he said.

I nodded. I probably should have said something intimidating, but nothing came to mind.

The whistle sounded.

Huening Kai let loose a horrible screech. Most of the spectators covered their ears, but I didn't have the luxury. I darted away from the shockwave advancing towards me, avoiding it thanks to my heightened reflexes.

Don't hesitate. I didn't plan on it. Before he had the time to let out another screech, I closed the distance between us and raked my claws across his chest.

It should have been fine, from here. He would fall to the ground, I would make the kill. But I hadn't thought things through.

When banshees use their abilities, their entire chest cavity is put under an immense amount of pressure. When I did damage to Huening Kai, the blood sprayed out onto my face like a squib popping. Some of it got in my mouth.

I saw red.

It was terrifying yet exhilarating, like I had shot jet fuel into my veins. I could sense everything. Time dripped by like molasses. Huening Kai fell to the ground for fifteen seconds. I watched it happen, trying to soak up the feeling.

When I finally moved, my entire body tingled. I felt like I was on fire, and I loved it. I closed my fists, and starting punching him against the wall. One to the ribs. Another to the shoulder. A third to the chin. It was only then that the banshee started to react, his face slowly scrunching up in slow motion.

I hit him again, and again, and again. It was only when I laid off and admired my work that time started flowing at normal speed.

Who was this creature to me? I was stronger. Faster. Better. Who was he to dare and face me?

One of Kai's eyes had swollen shut. I grabbed his face. "Look at me," I hissed in a voice that wasn't mine.

He met my gaze. Something washed over his face. His expression of pain morphed into one of pure terror. His pupils dilated, so severely that they took over nearly all the white in his eyes.

"If you want to give up, now would be the time," I said.

"I surrender!" he said, so loudly that it shook the air. More blood gushed from his chest.

I let go. "What did you say?"

"Please, I surrender!" he repeated.

I felt control returning to my body. I had dropped to my knees. I stood up, still staring down at him.

Huening Kai's eyes returned to normal. His expression of terror remained. "Wait, no." He tried sitting up, but ended up sliding back down the wall. Blood was pooling between his lips.

I stepped back. My mouth was dry. I wanted to speak, but no words were coming.

"I didn't mean it," he said weakly. "I didn't... I didn't mean it!" he screamed. More blood spewed from his chest wound.

"Don't yell," I said weakly. "You'll bleed out—"

"What are you? What the fuck are you, huh?" He was crying, now. "What did you do to me?"

There were guards marching into the arena. One of them grabbed my shoulder roughly. "You're done," they said. "He surrendered."

"I didn't mean it! I DIDN'T MEAN IT!" Huening Kai was being pulled onto a stretcher, still screaming. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" His sobs cut through the air until he was taken back inside.

It was only then that I realized the crowd had gone silent. They were all staring at me.

A/N: This part is so long that my fingers hurt from scrolling so much. I hope your fingers suffer a better fate.

Yeah, I had way too much fun writing this. In my opinion, next week's part 2 is better than this first part. It's also longer. Take that as you will. We've still got the Monster Mash to cover, and some possible shenanigans afterward...

Hope you guys are liking this so far. I'll see you next week.

with love,

jolofjester