Chapter 16-Combat invitations

Chapter 16: 16-Combat invitations

Maisa arrived outside Professor Primrose’s classroom nearly half an hour before the lesson was due to begin.

The corridor was strangely quiet, with only a handful of students having arrived that early, most wandering lazily through the halls or chatting by the windows overlooking the moonlit courtyards.

The earlier excitement surrounding the student council had faded into murmurs, but Maisa still caught curious glances drifting her way before quickly looking elsewhere.

She lowered her head instinctively. The attention made her uncomfortable. Every curious stare reminded her that she wasn’t supposed to exist here and was, in fact, an outsider.

’Just get over this day. They’ll forget tomorrow,’ she thought.

She tightened her grip around the notebook that Zolani had lent her and quietly slipped inside the classroom.

The room itself was enormous. Rows upon rows of dark oak desks curved upward like an amphitheatre, all facing a polished black platform at the front where Professor Primrose would teach.

Behind the lecturer’s podium stretched an enchanted chalkboard that shimmered faintly beneath moonlight filtering through towering gothic windows.

Each desk bore a small silver plaque engraved with a student’s name. It reminded Maisa that this wasn’t merely a school. It was an institution where every student had already been measured, categorized, and assigned a place depending on the blood running through their veins.

She slowly searched the room until she found her own, Maisa Loven. Her fingers gently brushed over the engraved letters.

For a brief moment, she simply smiled. It wasn’t her real surname, but it was hers now. It was the name keeping her safe and alive. She quietly sat down and put her bag down.

Then she frowned. There were already several objects resting neatly on top of her desk. Five folded cards, each one was jet black.

The paper itself felt unnaturally heavy, almost like leather instead of parchment. Across every envelope, elegant writing displayed only one thing, her name, Maisa Loven.

Her brows knitted together. "Who left these?" She asked and glanced around the empty classroom.

With no soul in sight, she didn’t know who to ask about the cards. Her curiosity won, and she picked up the first card and opened it. Inside, again, single words had been written. It was a name which read, Fenwick.

There was nothing else on the card. There is no purpose for sending the card or an explanation. She opened the second, the third, and the fourth one. Each also had a name and nothing else; Joam, Brylle, and Zaden.

Maisa stared at the card for a long moment. "What...is this?"

She turned the cards over again and again, but the results were the same. There was still no message. "They look like beautiful stationery," she said to herself. "But why leave only names?"

Her hunter instincts immediately disliked it as nothing about the cards felt friendly. Something about them carried dangerous intent.

Before she could think further. "Maisa!" someone called her. She looked up at the one called her name.

Sapphire practically burst through the classroom doors. Her usually cheerful expression had completely disappeared.

She rushed straight toward Maisa. "There you are! I’ve been looking for you."

Maisa blinked. "What happened?"

"No time to explain," Sapphire grabbed her wrist. "Come with me."

"W-Wait!"

Maisa hurriedly gathered her notes before Sapphire practically dragged her from the room. She had no idea why her first night at school was becoming so eventful.

The corridors outside were strangely empty. Students weren’t heading toward classrooms. They were all moving in one direction at a fast speed.

"Why is everyone running?"

Sapphire didn’t slow down. "Class has been postponed."

Maisa looked confused. It was her first night at the academy, and she had no idea what was going on. However, it sounded like something big was about to happen. "Postponed?"

"For an hour. Professor Primrose made the announcement."

"Why?"

Sapphire looked at her like she’d asked why the moon existed. "There’s going to be a fight."

Maisa frowned. "A fight?" She asked, her emotions stilled. She didn’t get why a fight would get class postponed.

"I forgot you’re new," Sapphire sighed while weaving through the crowd. "Veris academy has strict rules. No student is allowed to fight outside designated combat."

"So?" Maisa was still confused. A human school would never postpone a class for a fight. Vampires were truly strange.

"If two vampires hate each other... they challenge one another to a fight."

Maisa listened carefully. She needed to learn more about the way the school ran to survive.

"They use fight cards to challenge their opponents. It’s scary," Sapphire feigned a shiver.

Her hand instinctively tightened around the black envelopes still tucked beneath her notebook. "Fight cards?"

Sapphire nodded. "Official combat invitations. The challenger writes their name and the challenged vampire accepts by placing their palm over the card," Sapphire started explaining as they continued to move through a sea of students and also headed their way. "The moment it’s accepted, the duel becomes academy law."

Maisa slowly blinked. "Those cards... are they black..."

Sapphire continued before Maisa could interrupt further. She hadn’t heard what Maisa was trying to ask.

"After that, Professor Primrose or another instructor supervises the duel. With them in charge, no outside interference is allowed. Revenge and ambushes afterwards," she made clear. "It keeps the academy peaceful."

Maisa actually found herself impressed. "That’s surprisingly organized," she let out and still couldn’t help the strange feeling twist in her heart.

"It has to be. Those are the school rules," Sapphire answered. "If students settled disputes themselves, the academy would become a battlefield. Can you picture vampires baring their fangs at other vampires. It’ll be a bloodbath."

They descended another staircase. The roar of hundreds of voices gradually reached Maisa’s ears. Then Sapphire’s expression darkened. "Unfortunately... some high-ranking vampires abuse the system."

Maisa looked at her. "What do you mean?"

Sapphire’s jaw tightened. "I’m sure you’ve already noticed the prejudice against lowborn or turned vampires in the school," she said, heart heavy. It was the cruel truth of the academy.

Maisa immediately remembered Addessa. The way the blackblood heiress looked down on her, she even recalled Kriza and how she acted during the orientation.

"High-ranking vampires sometimes challenge Redbloods," Sapphire was sick to the stomach about the unfair treatment. "And it’s not because they’re angry but because they know they’ll win."

Maisa’s stomach tightened. "Isn’t that unfair?"

Sapphire laughed bitterly. "When has vampire society ever cared about fairness?"