Chapter 17: Trail

It's been six weeks since I've been locked up here. It's been extremely boring. I've spent my time trying to create more magic spells. I also practiced with my Bloodless Weapon.

My skill Copy evolved into Perfect Copy. It is now able to copy a skill to one hundred percent of its proficiency. Regeneration has also evolved, and I've gained two new skills.

[Immunity] makes it so that no poisons can affect me.

[Poisoner] allows me to create poison from my body, but I first need to consume it. This skill also tells me the exact effect of the poison I consume.

These two skills alone are useless, but when they are used together, they are very powerful.

"Ughhh... How long will I have to keep staring at this white roof?" I sighed, lying on the bed, my arms spread.

"If I had at least a book or something," I said, turning to lie on my side.

Should I just use up most of my magion and go into second sleep?

"Yes, let's do tha—"

Click.

I quickly looked over—the door was opening. A guard was entering.

"Get up!" he ordered.

"Hey, what's happening?" I asked, confused.

"Don't ask unnecessary questions," he said, putting restraints on me.

These cuffs restricted my magion. Was it the red orb in them doing it?

"Come, follow me," he ordered.

He pulled me by the chain connected to the cuffs. I felt like an animal being led by its owner.

"Can you at least tell me where you're taking me?" I yelled, demanding an answer as I followed him out of the room.

"Quiet down!" he yelled, his voice louder than before.

We exited the room and arrived in a hallway stretching left and right. We proceeded to head right. The hallway looked just like the room—pure white. I noticed there were more rooms like the one I came out of. We climbed stairs for quite a while until we arrived at a corridor, then took a left, stopping in front of two large doors.

Both doors began to open. They were heavy—it was clear by how long they took to fully open.

"Go!" the guard ordered, slightly pushing me forward.

I stumbled into the room. I looked around and saw the place was mostly made of glass that glowed with a rainbow color. It almost looked like a greenhouse. But what immediately caught my eye was the seven Vampires sitting at a giant round table with an opening at the bottom—each of them a Vampire Lord and the head of one of the Seven Noble families.

"I shall now announce those present," a Vampire wearing glasses announced.

Was she a servant?

"Theodore Klein, Rank 1

Hilde Lumair, Rank 2

Mira Miore, Rank 3

Vlad Starloom, Rank 4

Zander Basteuen, Rank 5

Jacks Rhiler, Rank 6

Headmistress of Scarlet Academy, Elizabeth Scarlet.

And lastly... Student of Scarlet Academy, Silver Lustra."

Why were all these people gathered here? Even Theo's father was here. No, more importantly, why was I here? This was also my first time seeing our headmistress, Elizabeth. She looked to be the size of a child, wearing a red hooded coat much larger than her body.

"Silver Lustra, we have all gathered here to decide your punishment for killing a Vampire," Elizabeth said in a gentle tone.

"I say we just lock him up. Why did we even have to gather for a mere student?" Vlad said in a deep voice, displaying his inconvenience.

"Vlad!... Don't throw your little tantrums here. This is a serious case!" Mira yelled at Vlad as she stood, slamming her hands on the table.

"What?" he said, looking angry.

"Guys, I know you two hate each other, but calm down. You're setting a bad example for us in front of the student," Jacks said in a calm, nonchalant tone.

"What did you just say, Rank Six?" Vlad asked mockingly.

"The hell? Rank has nothing to do with this, moron," Jacks said, punching a dent in the table as he stood up, his expression full of anger.

"What did you just call me?" Vlad asked, his face turning red with rage.

"Stop this clown show now. We are in the presence of Elizabeth," Hilde said, her demeanor elegant.

"Tsk... Fine, you got lucky, Vlad," Jacks said with contempt.

"Hahaha, I got lucky?" Vlad laughed mockingly before his expression turned to one of rage.

"What?... You want me to prove it?" Jacks asked, unleashing his magion.

"Sure, if you can. But try not to get crushed!" Vlad yelled, unleashing his magion as well.

Both of their magions were like nothing I'd ever felt. I fell to my knees—the pressure was pushing me down, and it wasn't even aimed at me. This felt completely different from Victor's. His felt dangerous and overpowering. This just felt heavy, like a boulder pressing on my back.

"Silence," Elizabeth said in a soft, gentle tone.

It was as if her voice was the only thing in the room. It was the most beautiful sound I had ever heard.

Immediately, both Vlad's and Jacks' magion seemed to disperse.

Vlad and Jacks glared at each other with scorn before taking their seats again.

To be able to command a Vampire Lord with just her voice… I couldn't see her face as she wore a hooded coat. Was she maybe—

"Silver... I apologize for the unsightly behavior you just had to witness," Elizabeth said in a soft, apologetic tone.

I stood up from the ground, my hands still cuffed in front of me. I looked toward Elizabeth.

"We will now begin the hearing," the woman in glasses said before stepping to the side of the room.

"Silver, why did you kill Kent Ylohv?" Elizabeth asked.

Although she asked in a gentle manner, I felt like I couldn't lie—not that I intended to.

I was nervous and scared. Any one of these Vampire Lords could snap their fingers and end me. But I took a deep breath, calming myself, and began to explain.

"I did it because he tried to kill Emily. When I entered the infirmary, he was pointing a spear at her while she was asleep," I answered.

"Do you know why he did that?" she asked.

"I do... He was working for the Fallen, if he himself wasn't one."

"How do you know this?" she asked again.

"Previously, the Fallen targeted Emily during the Vampire Ceremony. I concluded that Kent was sent to finish the mission the previous Fallen had failed," I explained calmly, all my earlier anxiety fading.

"If that is true, then why do the Fallen want to kill Emily so badly?" Mira asked raising a brow.

"She told me that the Fallen who attacked us in the forest was a servant who worked for her family. She overheard him mention the End—"

Tap.

"What just happened? Where am I? Why is everything dark?" I exclaimed, looking around.

There was a dark dome around me. My night vision didn't even activate. It looked solid, impenetrable.

"No need to be afraid, Silver," a gentle and soft voice said.

It was Elizabeth. She walked toward me. I could see magion radiating from her feet with every step she took. Light emanated from her body—she was the only thing I could see clearly.

"I want you to keep quiet about the Endless Night," she said, now standing in front of me.

Why does she want me to keep quiet? Wait, what if she's also a Fallen?

"Why? Don't tell me… Are you also a Fallen?" I exclaimed, stepping back cautiously.

"No. Calm down. I'm telling you this because there is a Fallen among the Seven Noble families," she said calmly, trying to reassure me.

"How could that be? Shouldn't you be able to use Ei to check?" I asked.

"I did try checking, but everyone seems innocent," she replied.

"Then how do you know there's a Fallen among them?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.

"The fact that the boy you killed was a Fallen," she said confidently.

"So my thinking was correct… But how are they able to hide it?" I asked, intrigued.

"We don't know. But something we discovered is that it's related to magion wavelengths through Magia," she explained.

Magia was a renowned organization where the best magion researchers studied and advanced their research.

"Silver, would you be willing to join Magia?" she asked, stepping closer to me.

The hood covered the top half of her face, so I couldn't see her expression clearly, but her tone was serious.

She wanted me to join them? I only knew the basics of magion.

"Miss Elizabeth, how would I even pass their entrance exam when I know so little about magion?" I asked, concern evident in my voice.

"Silver, you probably don't realize how talented you are. I have never seen someone with such high magion sensitivity," she replied, taking one of my hands. Her hands were very small.

"Miss Elizabeth?" I asked, flustered.

"Do you feel this?" she asked as she sent a tiny bit of magion through my body.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

"That proves how talented you are. The amount of magion I sent through you was as thin as a string, yet you felt it clearly. Not even the top researchers at Magia could do that," she said, encouraging me.

"But Miss Elizabeth, I'm not confident in my knowledge of magion," I answered with concern.

"You can learn during your time in Scarlet Detention Center," she said, releasing my hand.

"What do you mean?" I asked, startled.

"You will have to spend a year there to take responsibility for what you've done," she replied.

"What? But why? Wasn't he a Fallen? Why should I spend time locked up?" I asked, clenching my fists but keeping composed.

"I can't tell you the reason now. And we are Vampires—what is a year compared to our immortality?" she said gently as she turned and walked away from me.

That was true… but still. I could've used that time to grow stronger.

"Miss Elizabeth, can I please think before making my decision." I asked.

"Yes." She replied.

"Thank you." I said.

"We should go back now. Silver, remember: do not say anything about the Endless Night," She said softly, only turning her head slightly to look back at me.

"Yes," I replied, sighing as I closed my eyes for a brief moment thinking about the choice I will have to make.

"You have grown, Silver," she said faintly, smiling at me.

What did she mean by that? Well, never mind. I guess I'll be staying in that boring room a little longer.