Chapter 9: Curse, Bat Ears, and the Wrath of Noctaria

Professor Aristolfo's voice, thin as the sound of a nail scratching a chalkboard, echoed through the makeshift courtyard. His skinny finger, which looked more like a dry twig, trembled as it pointed to a nauseating family tree diagram, floating in the air like a cosmic jellyfish.

"— And so it was, my dear potential erudites," the professor's drawn-out voice rasped through the air, prolonging the syllables as if he were drawing poison from an hourglass, "that the glorious Noctarias sealed the… Pact… of… the… Lunar Blood…" A dramatic pause, calculated to generate maximum suspense. His small, bright eyes flashed with an almost fanatical fervor. "…ensuring… their… hegemony… over the… lesser clans…" Another, even longer pause. "A… glorious… feat… undoubtedly… although…" He lowered his voice to a whisper almost inaudible to non-vampires. "…costly. Oh, yes… terribly… costly…"

While the professor reveled in his own suspense, Gabriel felt a shiver run down his spine. Seraphine, sitting beside him, remained imposing and calm, but there was a tension in the air, something that made Gabriel uncomfortable. She's probably planning my slow and painful death for daring to exist in the same dimensional space as her glorious vampiric presence – and, worse, for witnessing the Nose Incident.

Seraphine's pale fingers gripped the chair with such force that the wood seemed about to burst. The sound of creaks and groans echoed, as if an ogre had taken it upon itself to press the chair hard enough to crush it. It wasn't a good sign. Gabriel gulped. But wait… it wasn't the curse. She was just angry… Seraphine-level angry, of course, but still, "just" angry.

And then… the glow. Seraphine's pink hair, normally smooth and sleek as vampiric silk, began to glow with a reddish hue, small sparks dancing like embers. It was a clear sign of extreme stress. Red alert, take shelter in a bunker level.

Gabriel gasped as he saw, on top of Seraphine's head, small but powerful bat ears emerging, twitching with every movement. Even her nose, which was normally delicate, was transforming into a grotesque bat snout. Gabriel gulped. Am I going to turn into a vampire like her? At least I could wear gothic clothes and think I'm the coolest… although, with my luck, I'd be the most boring vampire ever.

"— Does… anyone… know… what… this… curse… is?" Professor Aristolfo concluded his rhetorical interrogation, his finger pointing to the diagram like a hungry vulture over an unlucky rabbit.

Gabriel touched his neck, where Seraphine had bitten him. A shiver ran down his spine.

And then… Fay's irritating voice made itself heard, coming from his hand, straight from the stamp he carried. "Tsk, tsk, Player… Such morbid thoughts! Are you going to turn into a vampire now? Or maybe you're wishing for a transformation to look more like your 'friend'? Hehehe…" Fay laughed, with that irritating sarcasm as always.

Gabriel rolled his eyes mentally. Great. Now the talking stamp has decided to mock me.

Seraphine, with her keen vampiric senses, clearly heard Fay's comments. She looked at Gabriel with absolute contempt, giving him a withering look.

"— Aff," she scoffed, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You thought that," she pointed to the bite on his neck, "would turn you into a vampire? That's just to mark you as my dog, you stinking little 'player' spot."

"— Wow, how romantic!" Fay mocked, in his mind. "— She marked you as property! Are you going to wear a collar now, maybe? And what about a muzzle to keep you from biting other 'dogs'?"

Ulric, the werewolf sitting behind Gabriel, leaned forward and whispered with a malicious grin, "— Bro, did you see Noctaria? She looks like a cat with its tail on fire."

Gabriel, distracted by his own thoughts and trying to deal with Fay's comments, was doodling in his notebook. He was scribbling a chibi version of Seraphine with her ridiculously small and disproportionate bat ears.

"— She's always about to explode. What's new?" murmured Gabriel, without taking his eyes off the drawing.

"— Natural born artist, huh, Player?" Fay interrupted his thoughts again. "Are you going to draw yourself as a loyal puppy at her feet? With a collar and a chew toy? Hahaha…"

Gabriel blushed, irritated both by Fay's comments and by the situation. How does this crazy goddess have nothing better to do than torment me?

It was then that Seraphine's icy voice cut through the silence of the room, and she turned to Gabriel with a clear threat in her eyes.

"— Speak up, worm," she hissed. "— I didn't hear your psychological analysis."

A deadly silence fell over the room. All eyes were fixed on Gabriel. Great. Now he would be humiliated live and in color for all the Faytherian students.

"— Get ready for the show, Player!" Fay sang in his mind, with malicious glee. "— I love a good drama… especially when you're the protagonist! Hahaha…"

Gabriel, feeling the cold sweat run down his spine, raised the notebook like a pathetic shield, showing the chibi drawing of Seraphine with the bat ears. A nervous smile appeared on his face.

"— Being honest? You reminded me of a generic anime villain, you know? The one who only speaks in evil laughter and meaningless catchphrases!"

And then, of course, it happened. Gabriel's involuntary magic. The drawing came to life. The ink ran and swelled, forming a fluffy pink bat with its small wings flapping frantically. The creature flew in circles around Seraphine's head, emitting a high-pitched "kyaa~".

"— Oh, how cute!" Fay exclaimed, with false sweetness. "— Does it poop glitter? That would be a great gift for Seraphine!"

Seraphine's face, from pale, turned red as a supernova. The sparks in her hair intensified, crackling like popcorn in an infernal frying pan.

And then… CRONCH!

Seraphine crushed her chair with a single hand, destroying the furniture in a pile of magical splinters. "— And there goes the chair… and probably your chance of surviving this class." Fay commented with a tone of false regret.

Professor Aristolfo, instead of being frightened, seemed ecstatic, almost delirious. His eyes shone with a disturbing intensity. "— EXACTLY!" he exclaimed, pointing to the wreckage of the chair. "— See, my young ones! The residual energy of the Noctaria Curse! The shame, the fury… it all manifests physically, not only in the grotesque transformation, but also in collateral manifestations!" He approached Gabriel, as if he had found a walking test case.

"— This is better than the glyph lab! You, young man, are a walking test mine!" Aristolfo grabbed Gabriel by the collar, his eyes shining with excitement.

"— Well, now I'll need to provide a new chair…" He made a magical gesture and the chair rebuilt itself.

Some students chuckled softly, but the sound died quickly when Greta slammed her hand on the table. The room fell silent, and everyone felt the weight of her gaze. She didn't need to say anything; her presence said it all. Seraphine looked at her, her eyes still shining with frustration, but upon receiving the chocolate from Greta, her face softened slightly.

"Eat this, Sera," said Greta, her voice deep, without patience.

"— Or I think, instead of crushing desks, you'll end up crushing a human." Greta directed a *heavy and direct look at Gabriel, her stern expression conveying a not-so-subtle warning. "Just a friendly warning, for your own good."

In the translucent aquarium, Lira undulated elegantly, her delicate fins moving gracefully. On the glass, iridescent bubbles slowly formed, dancing for a moment before bursting, revealing luminous words in the Siren language: B-E-W-A-R-E.

Gabriel gulped, his throat dry and tight. A chill ran down his spine, and he felt a sudden shiver at the back of his neck. "Sometimes I really forget," Gabriel thought, his heart racing in his chest, "that I'm literally surrounded by mythological creatures who could reduce me to bone meal with a simple snap of their fingers. Or, in Greta's case, with an orc-powered hand slap."

The strangled cat-bell finally rang, releasing Gabriel from his historical and existential suffering. He began to pack his things, determined to leave the room as quickly as possible and avoid any eye contact with the furious vampire.

"Hey, Gabriel, right?"

The deep, friendly voice startled him. Gabriel turned and saw Ulric Lobislambiel, the smiling werewolf, extending his hand. "Ulric Lobislambiel, nice to meet you! I heard you're new here, a 'cultural exchange student,' is that it?"

"Yes, that's me," Gabriel replied, shaking Ulric's furry hand. "Gabriel. Nice to meet you."

"So, enjoying Faytheria? Have you tried a good rare steak around here yet? It's to die for, literally!" Ulric joked, with a playful glint in his yellowish eyes.

Gabriel smiled awkwardly. "I haven't had time to… explore the local cuisine in depth yet."

"Well, you should! We could go eat a 'Faytherian stew' sometime! It's like a… hmm… how to explain it to a 'cultural exchange student'… it's like a… meat stew… well… 'seasoned'… that we love around here!" Ulric continued to chatter excitedly, oblivious to the growing glacial cold emanating from the desk next to him.

CRONCH!

The sound of wood being crushed made Gabriel and Ulric jump. Seraphine, who until then seemed to be solemnly ignoring them, had just bitten her desk again. Only this time, the bite seemed to have been delivered with even greater force, almost splitting the wood in half.

Seraphine raised her head, her ruby eyes now incandescent, not at Ulric, like last time, but… directly at Gabriel. A gaze loaded with anger, frustration… and, perhaps, just perhaps… a hint of… jealousy. She pouted and huffed!

"— Any problems with your desk, Lady Noctaria?" Ulric asked, his voice now more cautious, clearly sensing the sudden change in the atmosphere.

Seraphine finally looked away from Gabriel, as if only now she had noticed the werewolf's presence. "The only problem, canine worm," she hissed, her icy voice cutting through the air, "is your presence… the smell of wet Chihuahua… polluting the environment with your… lupine vulgarity."

Ulric frowned, slightly hurt by the gratuitous rudeness. "Lupine vulgarity? What's your problem, Sour Little Vampire? Just because I was here talking to the 'exchange student' you freak out? Are vampires also friendship police now?"

The mention of the word "friendship" seemed to have touched a particularly sensitive nerve in Seraphine. She straightened up even more in her chair (now dangerously unstable due to the dental attacks), her gaze fixed on Ulric with an almost… possessive intensity.

"Friendship?" Seraphine repeated, the word sounding like venom dripping from her tongue. — Ohohohoho — muffled laughter with the palm of her hand. — "Indeed, only a stinking wolf would make friends with an insignificant and 'player' human like this insect."

Gabriel felt his face flush slightly at the unexpected (and unflattering) mention of his name. "Hey, take it easy, Seraphine, you don't have to be so rude," he mumbled, trying to defuse the situation before the vampire decided to bite more than the desk.

Seraphine completely ignored Gabriel, as if he were a mere insect buzzing in the distance. Her ruby eyes remained fixed on Ulric, flashing with anger and… jealous possessiveness.

Seraphine rises from her desk with a theatrical air, grabs her bag, and with a twirl to throw it over her shoulder, she "accidentally" hits Gabriel hard in the head with the bag, almost knocking him over the chair with the force of the vampire, leaving him dizzy.

— Ohhhh Sorry for my carelessness, I hope I didn't hurt you too much, little human creature. Hoohohoho — muffled laugh with the palm of her hand, she turns, tossing her hair dismissively, and leaves with her friends.

Ulric widened his yellowish eyes, watching Seraphine walk away with a mixture of admiration and caution. He turned to Gabriel, who was still trying to process the impact of the "bag attack".

"— Holy shit, 'Player'! Are you okay?!" Ulric asked, approaching and helping Gabriel straighten the chair, with a heavy hand on his shoulder. "— You better be careful around here, you know? The girls in this school are… ah… let's say you have a problem… I think!" — Ulric concluded with an amused grimace and a sheepish smile, half embarrassed, half complicit. "— Like, a… 'vampirically explosive' problem, get it? But… hey, on the bright side… at least now you have her attention, right? Attention… that kills, but attention! Hoohohoho!" — Ulric laughed, a muffled and half-nervous sound, half unsure whether he should laugh or run away from the icy aura that Seraphine had left behind.

Gabriel blinked, still a little dizzy from the bag attack and Ulric's half-frightening, half-amusing "advice." He scratched his head, trying to process it all. Girls are scary, thought Gabriel, massaging his sore neck.

It doesn't matter if they're from Earth, Faytheria, or Pluto. Girls are strange, scary, and with an alarming tendency for aggression with blunt objects. Strangely interesting, he admitted to himself, as he massaged his sore neck and watched Seraphine walk away through the corridors of the Arcane School, with a theatrically offended gait and a trail of jealous danger in the air.