Leng Wei could not tell how long he had been in the punishment cell. Time had blurred into a single expanse of darkness and pain. Every movement sent waves of agony through his body, as if he were being torn apart from within. He sat leaning against the cold wall, replaying the fragments of memory in his mind for the hundredth time.
"I killed... I've become a monster, just like them..." — the thought echoed relentlessly in his head. He stared at his hands in the semi-darkness. Ordinary, unremarkable hands—yet they had become instruments of death.
Suddenly, the door creaked open. The warden with silver eyes entered, followed by two vampire guards.
"Stand up," he commanded, his voice cold and leaving no room for argument.
Leng Wei slowly rose to his feet. His knees trembled, but he forced himself to remain upright.
"What... what will happen to me?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
The warden studied him carefully.
"Ordinary slaves who kill guards are executed immediately. But you... You're different. You're an anomaly." He paused. "My name is Jin. And I am responsible for... non-standard specimens."
"I never asked to be like this," Leng Wei whispered.
"No one does," Jin replied with a faint, cold smile. "But our nature does not ask for our consent. You've felt it yourself, haven't you?"
He was taken out of the punishment cell and returned to the common barracks. But everything had changed.
The moment he stepped inside, the conversations died down. All eyes were on him. Some looked at him with fear, averting their gaze. Others watched with undisguised curiosity. A few seemed to harbor a flicker of newfound hope.
As Leng Wei settled back into the barracks, one of the older slaves approached him silently and handed him a worn notebook.
"Li... asked me to give this to you if anything happened..." the man said, lowering his eyes. "He said you'd understand."
The notebook contained meticulous notes about the camp: patrol schedules, weak points in the fences, the temperaments of the guards. On the last page was a diagram of an underground tunnel leading beyond the camp, marked: "Unverified. Dangerous."
Leng Wei clutched the notebook tightly. Even in death, Li was still watching over him.
That night, the "voices" returned with renewed intensity. But now they sounded different—clearer, more distinct. He could make out not just moods, but entire phrases drifting from the guards' barracks:
*"...Specimen F-738... increased activity..."*
"...Blood shows abnormalities... requires further study..."
"...Transfer to the Academy next week..."
And through the noise, the same Voice cut through, no longer a command, but a statement of fact:
"They know... Too little... Too late..."
The next morning, as the slaves were being led to work, a thin girl with intelligent eyes slipped unnoticed to Leng Wei's side.
"My name is Mei," she whispered without looking at him. "I know what happened. And I know what they're planning."
"What do you mean?" Leng Wei grew wary.
"They're sending you to the Dark Academy. As a test subject." She slipped a crumpled piece of paper into his hand. "Remember this. And be ready."
That evening, in a secluded corner of the barracks, he unfolded the note. The messy handwriting read:
"Your blood is the key. They fear it. Use that. Wait for the sign. — A friend"
Leng Wei crumpled the paper, his heart racing. Who was this "friend"? And what did "the sign" mean?
Two days later, Jin returned to the camp. This time, he was accompanied by a group of guards dressed in different, more elite uniforms.
"Leng Wei," he announced before everyone. "By order of the Dark Academy Council, you are to be transferred from F-Sector camp to serve as an experimental servitor."
Before taking him away, Jin performed a strange ritual—he let a drop of his own blood fall onto Leng Wei's brand. The mark flashed with a bright crimson light.
"Interesting..." the vampire murmured. "My blood does not dominate yours. It... retreats. This only happens with those whose lineage is older than mine."
There was not just curiosity in his eyes now, but something akin to fear.
As he was led through the camp gates, Leng Wei took one last look back. He saw the faces of the other slaves—fearful, envious, hopeful. He saw the place where Li had died.
And then, he spotted a familiar face in the crowd—Lin Mei. She stood among the other half-bloods, her uniform clean, but her face pale and tense.
Their eyes met for a moment. She gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, then turned away as if by accident. But in her gaze, he read a clear promise:
"I will find you."
This isn't the end, he thought, gripping Li's notebook in his pocket. This is only the beginning.
Jin walked beside him, his silver eyes carefully studying Leng Wei.
"Do not be afraid," he said, his tone unexpectedly gentle. "It may be there that you find the answers you seek."
"Answers to what?" Leng Wei asked, frowning.
"To who you are... and what you are truly capable of."
The gates of the Dark Academy slammed shut behind them, swallowing Leng Wei into the unknown. His old life was gone. A new one, filled with danger and mystery, had just begun.