A warm welcome for a fool

The school had a modern and streamlined interior. Not the style I'd expect from vampires, but it undeniably fit the place. The main hall was large and open, with black and red bean bags and benches arranged into circles along the sides. The walls had a white base paint with murals depicting various moments of vampire history. The main one showed a king leading his army to battle, his metal armor shining in the moonlight, sword readied. It was a true work of art. In the middle two glass elevators stood back-to-back. On both sides of the hall, tall arches connected the other wings of the building. I already knew I'll get lost in here.

I followed Alistair to the left. The king's office was – surprisingly - on the first floor. If it were mine, I would've asked for a big glass room on the top of everything. Gaediel missed out on the scenery.

This was the first real door I've seen inside. It was made of mahogany and had metal letters on it to inform us that this is indeed 'Principal - King Gaediel Blackblood' 's office. It looked ridiculous, but I wasn't in the mood to laugh.

Alistair knocked. "My king, lady Avalynn Thorn has arrived."

"Send her in." I felt my pulse in my throat. Calm down Ava, and remember what Donnie told you.

I stepped inside.

This wasn't the first time I saw the king. He was on the news nearly every day, announcing changes, reacting or being reacted to. But this time, it was real. His cold, gray eyes analyzed me, looking for small bumps in my clothing that would mean I have hidden weaponry. My father did the same with strangers. When he saw that my tunic and skinny jeans had nothing to hide, he leaned back in his executive chair. He had the body of an ancient warrior, so he seemed a bit out of place in the unexpectedly normal looking principal's office.

I felt his cold aura push against me, a telltale sign of vampires. I used my power to shield myself from it.

"Welcome to the Land of the Black Blood, Avalynn." He gave me a genuine smile. I smiled back, a bit less genuinely.

"It is an honor to meet you my king."

"Is it now?" He seemed amused. "You are here as a student, and I am your principal. Useless honorifics get in the way of honest speech. Just call me Gaediel. It is the name my sire gave me, and I am not ashamed of it."

He reacted like Donnie predicted. I can handle this.

"Okay. Good evening, Gaediel." I said.

"Much better. So, why did you come here?"

His question was a bit sudden. He really must hate small talk.

"I admit I only skimmed through your papers, since you came on such a short notice."

"My old school was overrun by frost giants. They are on the move. Dad didn't want me to miss out on school, and this place has a pretty good reputation, so he put me on a plane, and now I am here, tired but excited." I summed it up quickly. Mary-Anne made all of this up.

"Yes," he shuffled around some papers. "Yglrvid High, right? I am sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. Nobody got hurt, but the building is now in ruins and there are some ox carcasses lying around. Not the ideal space for learning," I shrugged.

"I've read that you're a novice pyromancer," he said. Changing the subject, huh? I really wanted to give him the whole story Mary-Anne had planned for me, but he was the leader of an entire continent, so I'm guessing he has better things to do. It's okay for me.

"Yes, I am." I was more than a novice, but pyromancy is rare and also highly regulated due to the fact that vampires and other mythical creatures burn very easily. Only Hunters had the means to learn real, dangerous pyromancy, so I had to limit myself.

"Care to demonstrate?" Gaediel looked at me with anticipation. Has he never seen a pyromancer before?

"Sure," I said.

At first, I wanted to just summon a few floating flames that were only useful as a sources of light, but Donnie had told me that the king likes those who are not afraid to use their power, so I decided to conjure a flame cloak.

Fire surrounded me instantly. It didn't hurt me, but whoever was standing too close could feel the heat. Gaediel's eyes went wide, and he pushed his chair back in shock.

"Blood of the Ancestors! You are on fire!"

His initial surprise quickly vanished, but he still looked concerned. Vampires were hardly on fire, and it was never a pleasant experience.

I extinguished the flames. Gaediel pulled himself back to the desk.

"I'll be honest with you; I was expecting an oversized lighter."

"This is more fun," I said.

Gaediel laughed. "Fun. Yes, it's certainly more fun."

I heard a bell going off outside. The classes have begun. Gaediel looked slightly annoyed. He handed me a map and some papers. Looks like our meeting was over.

"I really enjoyed our little talk, and I wish we had some more time, but I have duties I can't ignore. Go back to the dorms if you feel tired, or you can join class 6B and introduce yourself."

"I am way too excited to sleep. I'll join the class." He nodded.

"I will talk to you later then," he said with a smile. I said goodbye and went out the door, but his voice stopped me. "And Avalynn,"

"Welcome to Blackblood Academia."