Chapter 10

  Bloodline Hunt: Part 7

  The academy felt more gloomy than usual. The children sluggishly roam around the hallway like zombies, exhausted from having to run laps around the school last night while being scolded by their instructor.

  “Childish antics will no longer be tolerated.” One of the kids repeated the instructor’s words in a mocking tone. The children giggle at themselves while also mimicking the instructor’s voice.

  Everyone fell silent as Anna stepped into the academy. She yawned, exhausted from being yelled at by Olive and forced to write an apology letter to Caleb. A letter, she immediately threw away the moment she left the house.

  The crowd parted for the little girl as she moved with a confident gait that many would’ve considered arrogant if they hadn’t seen her fight yesterday.

  Anna could hear them whispering something about her. But she didn’t care. None of them would step up and face her, not after seeing her display of strength.

  Now that she puts the kids in their place. She can finally focus on more important matters, such as dealing with Jeze.

  “Anna!” The loud and energetic voice made Anna jump slightly. She jumped even harder when she saw a tower of books rushing towards her. “Anna!” The stack of books suddenly stopped, causing a few of them to fall and reveal Nandi’s face.

  To Anna’s surprise, Nandi appeared livelier than most students, although the dark circles under her eyes made it clear that she still hadn’t gotten any decent sleep.

  “How did you learn to fight like that?” Nandi’s eyes sparkle with curiosity. The kids loitering near the girls listen in on the two conversations, equally curious about how a girl who never participated in any physical activities defeated one of the strongest kids in their grade.

  Before Anna could answer Nandi, the school bell rang, signaling the start of another long day. Everyone in the hall collectively let out a groan.

  Nandi tugged on Anna’s sleeve, still waiting for her answer. Anna scanned the dispersing crowd, searching for any sign of Jeze and her goons. “My father trained me,” Anna said, barely able to stop herself from laughing. The lie almost sounded like a joke. She barely had any memories of Aiden spending time with her or Aaron.

  “Did he also teach you how to cancel someone else's spell?” Nandi asked excitedly. Anna raises an eyebrow, surprised that the girl has noticed she has manipulated Caleb’s spell.

  “Your father must be incredibly strong!” You think he will teach me how to use magic like that?”

  “It isn’t that impressive. I only managed to do that because Caleb is sloppy at casting spells. Against a more skilled mage, it’ll be impossible to interfere with their magic.

  “But you even manage to grab his spell out of the air. That shouldn’t be possible. You should’ve lost your hand for even attempting something like that.

  And normally, you would. Abaddon said in his head. No one in their right mind would ever attempt such a foolish act unless they were desperate. Which Abaddon most certainly was when he learned the trick.

  In a battle where projectiles are constantly flying back and forth, and you can barely cast a spell because the other mages are constantly pressuring you. In that situation, you only have two options: adapt or die. And Abaddon most certainly adapted. Since he couldn’t use a spell in a panic state, he decided to use theirs instead.

  I’m still surprised I survived that battle. Abaddon fondly thought back to his past achievement. And how satisfying it was seeing the shock on a mage’s face when he threw back their spells, they were so proud of.

  “Anna.” Nandi impatiently tugged Anna’s dress. “Can you tell me how you did that?”

  Anna stared into Nandi’s pleading eyes. Normally, Nandi was a docile creature, but whenever magic came up, she became quite aggressive. As someone who was also fascinated with magic, Anna found that trait of Nandi’s endearing.

  “A mage can’t hurt themselves with a spell they cast. So, whenever someone throws a spell at me, I just add a bit of my mana, so it becomes mine.” Although that’s easier to say than. To perform that trick, you need insane reflexes and incredible mana manipulation.

  “Can you teach me how to do that?”

  Anna, ponder the question. Abaddon’s bloodlines could see magic, allowing them to manipulate it far more easily than other mages and perform techniques many thought impossible, like grabbing and using someone else’s spell. She didn’t think anyone other than his bloodline could rival his mastery of magic until he noticed how observant Nandi was.

  “It’ll be hard. But you should be capable of it too. Although it’ll take a lot of training.”

  “Really?!

  Anna smiles at the enthusiastic girl. Like Aaron, Nandi had potential that Abaddon wanted to hone and use for his goal.

  “Sure, when there’s time, I’ll gladly teach you.”

  Elated, Nandi skips to her classroom. Anna followed the girl, picking up any books she had dropped. Nandi’s excitement immediately vanished when she saw Caleb. The boy who used to pick on her every day now sat alone, his face down on the desk, his friends snickering behind his back.

  “I told him he can keep his throne, but it looks like the other kids kicked him off it.” Nandi stacks of books said. Nandi’s eyes widened in shock at the realization that Anna was holding all her books now. “You don’t pity him, do you?”

  Somehow, Nandi could feel Anna’s burning red eyes observing her through the books. “I- “Nandi stopped. Unsure of what to say.

  “If you don’t have an answer, I’ll give you one. Don’t waste your energy pitting a weakling. He challenged me to a game of pride and loss. Now, he must deal with the consequence of being a loser.” Anna said loud enough for everyone to hear, including Caleb. Everyone's eyes shifted to Caleb, expecting him to snap, but he remained silent, his gaze never leaving his desk.

  Satisfied with the boy’s inaction, Anna headed to her desk, now fully confident no one else would stand in her way.

  A letter with Anna's name written on it fell from her desk as she sat down. She glances around the room before opening it.

  Meet me on the roof after school. I want to talk to you.

  A trap? Anna thought. She couldn’t think of any other reason someone would want to meet her in such an isolated place.

  “What’s that?” Nandi leans over Anna’s shoulder. Curious about what she was staring at so intently.

  “A trap. Probably made by a kid who isn’t happy with the current hierarchy.” Anna handed Nandi the letter as if it had nothing to do with her.

  “Oh!” Nandi exclaims, her face brightening as she reads it. This isn’t a trap, Anna; this is a love letter!”

  “What?”

  “See, there’s a heart on the bottom of the letter. Maybe someone fell in love with you when they saw you fight yesterday.”

  “Maybe,” Anna said as she calmly crumbled the paper and tossed it away like the apology letter Olive made her write.

  “Ah! What are you doing?!”

  “Not interested.”

  “B-But.” Nandi stammers. Before she could finish speaking, the door to the classroom suddenly opened. The kids quickly scattered, practically diving to their assigned seats as the teacher entered the room.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “We should go to the roof when school is over,” Nandi whispered.

  We? Anna thought, but decided to say nothing as she still didn't know if she wanted to meet the person. If it is a trap, it’s best to deal with it now while I’m aware of it. And if it isn't, it'll be amusing seeing who fell for me. Anna leans back in her chair. She idly stares out the window, more interested in the clouds than whatever the teacher is teaching.

  The day went by painfully slowly. No thanks to Grish changing the student's schedule, forcing them to stay in class all day as a punishment for yesterday’s fight. The sounds of children playing outside were torturous to everyone trapped inside the building.

  At some point in the teacher’s long, endless lecture, the bell rang, snapping half the class awake. Anna kicked Nandi’s desk to wake her up. The girl jolted out of her seat. Still drooling, Nandi frantically scans the room for whatever haunted her dreams, her body trembling uncontrollably. It took a moment for her to calm herself

  “Sorry, bad nightmare,” Nandi said, giving Anna a weak smile. Fear was still evident in her eyes. "So, are you going to the roof?”

  “Might as well. I have nothing else planned today.” A genuine smile spread on Nandi’s face. For some reason, Nandi followed Anna with such enthusiasm that, for a moment, she thought Nandi was the one who received the love letter. As soon as the two girls stepped out of the classroom, they were immediately met with an obstacle.

  “Um, which roof?” Nandi asked. The academy was a massive building. Calling it a labyrinth wouldn’t be an exaggeration. Not to mention, the academy had a few sister buildings that shared its name. “This building has multiple roof access points. Plus, given how vague the letter was, they might mean the roof on one of the dormitories.”

  “I doubt it. The person who wrote that letter knew what class I was in and exactly where I sat. I’m sure they expected us to go to our building's side of the roof.”

  “If that’s the case, we’re heading to the old part of the Academy.” Nandi happily guided Anna through the junior side of the school, all while explaining the old side of the academy. Before, this became a place to teach kids. It was an embassy that used to hold meetings between Kalm and Haos. Ever since the fall of Kalm, the building has been turned into an outpost and then eventually an academy.

  It almost felt like they had entered another building when they entered the old side of the academy. An eerie silence consumed the cold and empty hall. Dust and cobwebs nearly covered every inch of the hallway. “Everyone tends to avoid this place,” Nandi explained, the enthusiasm she had earlier vanished the moment they stepped into the old side of the academy.

  “I’m not surprised,” Anna said as she wiped the dust off one of the windows to peer into a room. Inside was a chalkboard and a large wooden conference table that took up most of the room. “I doubt anyone wants to be reminded of a dead nation, especially one that vanishes in a single night.”

  “Are you sure this is the right location? No one ever comes here.” Nandi nervously glances around, half expecting a ghost to appear out of nowhere.

  “Then this is the spot.” Anna walks ahead of Nandi towards another flight of steps. Rusted old chains blocked the way to the roof. Anna ripped the chains off the wall and climbed up the steps. Her eyes glowed faintly as she walked up the stairs, searching for any mages that might be hiding. On the second flight of steps, she noticed a random scrawling on the stairs, a faint energy emanating from the letters.

  Anna stopped, surprised to see an actual magical trap. Spells quickly deteriorate after being formed. It takes a powerful mage or someone skilled in manipulating magic to create a spell that lasts a while.

  Or perhaps my knowledge of magic is outdated. Anna took a step closer to the spell. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the marking seemed to hold the spell in place. It reminded Anna of the oath that was etched into her skin.

  “What’s wrong?” Nandi peeked over Anna to see what she was looking at.

  “Nothing; I just realized I need to study more.” Anna stepped on the trap and continued to walk upstairs. Given how little magic the spell gave off, Anna figured it was just an alarm that alerted whoever set the trap.

  At the top of the stairs was a rusted metal door. It creaked loudly as the two girls pushed it open.

  The roof was bare. The only thing of note was the clear view of the flat field that stretches to the mountains.

  “Are we on the wrong side of the school?” Nandi frantically scanned the open area, searching for clues, while Anna sat on the railing, looking out at the open field.

  “Relax, they’ll be here soon.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Just a feeling,” Anna said as she looked into the distance. Her dark hair flows behind her as a chilling gust of wind brushes past the two girls.

  The amber light from the setting sun imbued the pale-skinned girl next to Nandi with an ethereal glow. She stared in awe at the almost picturesque scene before her. For some reason, Nandi found herself enamored by the red-eyed girl; sometimes, she believed she was a princess from a fairy tale.

  “Is something wrong?” Suddenly, the girl Nandi was staring at was now directly in her face.

  “I’m fine!” Nandi shouted as she quickly backed away. “I’m just a bit cold.”

  “If you want to leave, you can.”

  “Not happening!” Nandi unintentionally shouted. “I want to see this blossoming love with my own eyes.” Her cheeks burned with excitement as she thought about Anna secretly meeting her lover on the roof.

  Anna chuckled, amused by the girl’s antics. “You seemed to be really into this.”

  “Of course I am! My mo-“Nandi froze. For an instant, Anna could see fear in her eyes. The same fear she had when she woke from her nightmare. “-I mean, I used to read a lot of romance stories.” Nandi awkwardly cleared her throat. The bubbly energy she had a moment ago completely vanished.

  “Anyway, who do you think gave you the letter?” It was obvious Nandi was trying to change the subject. Anna decided to humor the girl instead of pushing her.

  “I don’t know.” Anna crossed her arms, thinking about the question. She didn’t pay much attention to any of the kids in her class because they always avoided her.

  “None of the girls seem interested in me as far as I can tell.”

  “Huh, girls?” Nandi stared at Anna, wide-eyed as if she had heard the most absurd thing. Anna quizzically tilted her head. It took a moment for her to realize what was wrong.

  Ah, right. I almost forgot I’m a girl now. Abaddon looked down at himself. No matter how many times he sees it or even touches it, his mind refuses to accept that this is his new body. Sometimes it felt like he was looking at the world through someone else’s eyes.

  “T- Two girls going out...” Nandi muttered to herself, her cheeks burning with excitement. “That’s so wrong! But that makes it all the more exciting!” Nandi screamed. Anna stepped away from the girl, worried she had accidentally awoken something in her.

  “You looked like you’re having fun.” A blonde boy stepped onto the roof, wearing a cocky smile.

  “Yeah, I figure.” Anna sighed in disappointment as she turned to face Caleb.

  “Huh, Caleb? Wait, did you write the letter?” Caleb silently smiles at Nandi’s question. Horrified, she backed away, her back slamming into the cold metal railing. “No way, then that means you fell in love with Anna during your fight!”

  “What?! Where did you even get that idea from?!”

  “She’s lost in her delusion; ignore her.” Anna took a step forward, and Caleb instinctively backed away. “I have to say I’m disappointed. You had plenty of time to prepare for me, and all you did was set a mere alarm spell.”

  “You came here knowing it’s a trap?” Caleb grinds his teeth, frustrated.” Your arrogance disgusts me.”

  “Is it really arrogance when I have already proven I’m better than you?”

  A cackling echo throughout the stairwell interrupted the back and forth between the two kids. “You hear that melody?”

  “The little ones have become cocky lately. We should visit some of the children’s classes later….” Two voices came from the stairs, belonging to a man and a woman. Anna glances at the stairs. Something dark darted from the entrance and straight at her. She turned her head, avoiding whatever flew at her.

  “Anna!” Nandi screamed as she ran to Anna’s side. Anna calmly rubbed her cheek while keeping her eyes on the stairs and Caleb. She thought she had avoided the attack. But the blood running down her cheek told her otherwise. “Ah!” Nandi's body stiffened when she saw the blood, her face turning pale.

  “After all…” The woman calmly kept talking as she climbed the steps. “…It’s a senior duty to humble their juniors.” Two more people step onto the roof. Both appeared to be around sixteen to seventeen years old. A black owl with a singular large eye in the center of its face flew past Anna, landing on the girl's shoulder.

  “Huh, so that’s the spawn of Abaddon. She’s cuter than I thought.” The girl smacked the back of the boy’s bald head.

  “What?! I’m just saying I’m surprised. I always thought the children of Abaddon would look like goblins or something!” The boy shouted while rubbing the back of his head. The girl glared at the boy momentarily before turning her icy stare back to Anna.

  “I suppose she has potential. But it’ll take a lot of effort to reach my level of adorableness.” Wearing a smug grin, the girl places her hand on her hip, proudly showing off her body. The first thing Anna noticed about the girl was that she wasn’t wearing the academy’s uniform. A dark red sweater-like dress tightly hugged the girl’s slender frame. The owl opened its wings as if trying to pose just like its owner. “Well, what do you think?”

  Anna ignored the posing girl’s question and returned her attention to Caleb. “This is it? I was kind of hoping you would’ve brought more.”

  Caleb snickered at Anna’s question. “They’re enough. With her strategy, I don’t even need to intervene.”

  “Her?” Anna's expression darkens. Only one woman came to mind. her head. Anna’s eyes glow faintly as she searches for any lingering spells. Unsurprisingly, she found one wrapped tightly around Caleb’s head. The spell was faint; most mages wouldn’t have been able to sense it. In fact, Anna was confident she would’ve never noticed if she wasn’t wary of Jese’s ability.

  Looks like subtle hypnosis. It is too weak to fully take over a person’s mind, but still strong enough to influence their action. The poor kid probably thinks he’s doing all this of his own volition.

  Nandi grabbed Anna’s dress to get her attention. “Anna, w-what do we do?”

  “….” Anna silently looked at the trembling girl clinging to her dress. “How good are you with abjuration? Specifically with creating barriers?”

  “I’m decent at it, I think.”

  “Good, then this probably won’t kill you.”

  “Huh? What do you mean, prob- “Anna grabbed Nandi by her collar and flung her off the roof.

  “Anna!!!” Nandi screamed as she fell.”

  “If the impact doesn’t kill you, go get help,” Anna said, not checking to see if Nandi survived the fall.

  “Sacrificing yourself to save your friend? How cute of you. Black as it may be, I guess Abaddon’s offspring possess a heart.”

  Anna smiles at the older girl’s remark. She would’ve gladly fled and left Nandi behind. But she knew Nandi wouldn’t last that long in a fight, plus she wasn’t sure if she would get far because of her illness.

  “Sacrifice?” Anna chuckled at the word. “Please, I’m not that kind. I got rid of her because she would get in my way. So, whose first?”