⚠︎ This chapter has mentions of blood consumption.
♬ SUPERHUMAN - Dorothy ♬
''Life is made of choices, events that take you through different paths depending on it, if you could leave it to fate to decide your future, would you gladly give it the baton or would you run away with it, desperate to keep the control over your own life?.''
How Eryx managed to fall asleep is beyond even his own comprehension, however he managed to sleep for a few hours before his alarm went off. The night before was a blur, but the decision of asking his brother to erase whatever it was afflicting him was probably for the best. All he remembers was bits of information, that whatever it was that he went through from when he got to his room to Ezekiel's arrival, it is better forgotten.
After his brother erased those memories, all Ezekiel and Mael told him was to let them solve the rest and focus on his adaptation as a vampire and entry to the prestigious Link Academy. I also need to think what course I'll take, he thinks as he leaves his bed.
It takes him around an hour to get ready and pack his bags, his whole life changing in less than 24h, he stares deeply into his now orange glowing eyes, it's surreal how he wished to be a vampire so badly and now that he is one he's unsure if this was really what he wanted. Being constantly told that because he was human he was going to die before his brothers or that he would never truly be family to them because of it… Before he recalled his previous life memories, he would think those people were right and feel bad about himself, however now he can't trust those words. How his brothers instantly mobilized themselves to help him, how even though he was constantly causing trouble they still remained by his side… He's truly loved.
I have dad's eyes, he thinks getting closer to his own reflection, his fingers lingering near the reflection of his eyes. Luc will hate this, he snorts, still staring deep into his own gaze. I wonder how the other brothers will react.
A knock on his door interrupts whatever thoughts he was about to have. "Eryx, come eat, we must leave soon", Levi's voice is hoarse, he sounds tired, as he was probably up until late solving his younger brother's documents for enrollment.
Eryx opens the door to face his brother whose red eyes were surrounded by heavy dark circles. "Thank you, Levi", he says. His brother stares at him in silence for a second before nodding.
"Mael told me you got your memories back after feeding last night", he comments, grabbing the bag from Eryx's hand without a word and walking towards the stairs. The boy follows him. "Be careful at the school, most will assume you were transformed, but since we don't know what triggered your switch, you can't let them know what truly happened".
"How will they know if we don't know what happened, dear brother?" Mael mocks Levi as he walks towards the end of the stairs, he was wearing the same clothes from the night before, but his hair is slightly wet, as if he catched a light rain. "Morning, ruffian", he says towards Eryx, messing the younger boy's hair with a light smile, pretending the night before didn't happen, probably what is best since the boy himself barely remembers.
"Funny, and I'm the one babying him", Levi comments, twisting his nose, leaving Eryx's bag by the door and walking towards the dining room where their mother, Margaret, Ezekiel and his other brother, Nicolas is.
Nicolas is the second oldest brother, and one of the very few vampires in the world who's older than 500 years, of course there were others in Iris City since it's the oldest vampire city built, but the population of vampires older than 500 are less than 5%, since the vampire and humans war that took place exactly that many years ago. Both Nicolas and their older brother Zacharie lived through the war, and also were close advisors for their deceased father.
Just like all the brothers, Nicolas has red hair, styled back and just a bit longer than Ezekiel's, but still short, his eye is red like their mother's, but his other eye is grey, because during the war he lost one of his eyes, which was later replaced with an eye made of glass. Differently from his other brothers, Nicolas was the most present one in Eryx's life, maybe taking the role of father to himself due to their age difference and their actual father's passing.
"Eryx!" Nicolas screams, running towards his brother and hugging him tight. "I was so worried about you, why didn't you reply to my texts?"
"Calm down drama queen", Mael says, sitting at the table and grabbing his glass of blood. "Ezekiel confiscated his phone last night," he points at the tallest brother who's eating in silence, the red blood painting his pale lips red. "I went earlier to buy him a new one", he completes tossing Eryx a brand new phone. "It has our numbers saved and a tracker, don't even think of trying to disable it, you're a newborn, you need to be monitored" he says, now directly to the younger brother.
Eryx sits down, followed by Nicolas who sits next to him and gives the boy a few bags of blood. I didn't notice I was this hungry, he thinks as he starts devouring the blood bags. While he drinks the sweet yet stale blood he pays attention to his brothers' conversation, that was about him of course.
''I can't even begin to unravel what happened last night'', Mael sighs, leaning over the table, resting his head on it, just to receive a small slap from his mother for his lack of manners. ''Outch mom, gimme a break!'' He says, but still corrects his own posture.
''We need to take a blood sample and ask Zacharie to analyze it'', Nicolas says with a smile as he pushes more blood onto his younger brother's hand. ''After he changed jobs from the Mayor's office to that Blood Bank I thought he was crazy but it sure is nice to have a hematologist for a brother right now''. He comments with clear disgust in his words. Nicolas and Zacharie's relationship was quite strained after the war, especially because it was just them for a while before Ezekiel was born, and sharing PTSD can sometimes be more negative than positive.
''Says the crime lord'', Levi mumbles with his cup on his mouth, but everyone listens either way.
''Don't speak of your brother like that Levi'', his mom scolds with a sigh, she seems tired, probably because after her husband's passing she now has to raise eight rowdy sons who don't seem to ever grow up even if some are centuries old. Not only that but only two of them even have partners of their own, making the woman grow worried about them.
Nicolas and Zacharie are the only ones in relationships, while Zacharie is married to another vampire woman for two centuries already, they still haven't produced any offspring, and Nicolas, well, he won't be having children any time soon since his partner is another man. It took his parents four decades to accept him, and now his partner is well-liked in the family. However the other children are, well, being children, although Ezekiel, Milo and Levi are more than one century old, none have ever brought a date home, they probably had relationships as all of the Algeo brothers are good-looking and their family well-seen in society, but they never brought them to meet their mother.
Maybe because she didn't react properly to the first two that did.
But now that the centuries have been piling up, she feels the emptiness that a never-growing family has, especially when you're never-dying. Someday she wishes to have grandchildren, not only children of her own, however maybe that's too much to ask when they're a family that already lost so much with the passing of the family's head.
''Oh, right'', Nicolas says as he pets Eryx's wavy hair, ''Azrael and I are thinking of adopting'', as if reading his mother's mind, his words bring shock to everyone present, except Eryx, to whom the brother had already confided thinking about it.
''I can't believe my gay brother is going to have a child before my older straight married one'', Mael comments, always acting like a kid near his older brothers. ''This is insane, I need to smoke'', he says, grabbing the cigarettes from his pocket and leaving the room.
''That is great news, Nicolas'', their mother says with a smile. ''Are you thinking of adopting a boy or a girl?''
''Boy, of course, we need to keep the family curse'', he comments with a laugh at his mother's terrified expression. ''I'm joking mother, we don't know yet, we're still thinking about it.''
''I for once am happy for you, bring Azrael over for dinner sometime'', she says, trying to hide her flustered expression due to her son's joke.
''If you two have a kid, who would be the mother?'' Margaret asks, her voice sounds like a flute, melodical and calming, there is a reason why their mother kept her as all of her sons' nanny.
Nicolas sighs, ''We will both be the father, Margaret, please keep up with the conversation'', he comments slightly annoyed.
''Sorry, it's hard to understand the younglings'', she says, blushing. Not that she needs much effort, since Nicolas has come out for quite a while, even before Eryx was even born. ''I can't understand how a man can love another man''.
''Well, that's your own prejudice to deal with'', Nicolas says with a shrug, grabbing a napkin to clean Eryx's mouth. He always treats me like a baby, well compared to his 558 years of age, Eryx is surely a baby.
''I'm also gay'', Eryx says, leaning back onto the chair, if he could make a painting right now all of those present in that room would be looking like they saw a ghost. Ezekiel's reaction is the most terrified there, as if Eryx had just said he'll kill himself. Of course in his past life, he never really thought about his sexual orientation, he didn't exactly enjoy romancing men nor women, but maybe that was due to the accident he suffered as a child that affected his brain slightly, however in his life as Eryx he was definitely attracted to men, probably because his brain was functioning properly now. Not that he can remember exactly what accident he had and why he was so affected by it, but what's the use of mulling over his dead body? ''Why are all of you so surprised about this?'' He asks.
''You're probably just confused'', Ezekiel is the first to speak, his words are almost a whisper, he can't even bear to look at Eryx. ''You're still young, you're just trying to copy your older brother''.
''Well, I lived 19 years as a human, I definitely had time to find myself while I thought my life would be short'', Eryx strikes back, even if he didn't tell his brother's, he's going to the Academy to romance a male target in a race against the heroine of this world, it would be far worse if they found out by rumors or by the mouth of others. ''Just because Nicolas is gay doesn't mean I was influenced by him''.
Nicolas, on the other hand looks conflicted, his face screams that he wishes to say those same words to Eryx, that he's just confused, that it's just a phase, but due to his own life, he cannot bring himself to actually say it.
''I can't believe even you can't trust my own words!'' Eryx sighs, ''Well, whether you believe me or not won't change much, I just thought I should come clean''.
''Since when?'' Nicolas asks, trying to make sense of the whole situation since the youngest never showed a hint of such preference, but he never showed the other way around as well.
Ezekiel flinches, as if he knows something, but none of the brothers notices it, only the mother who remains silent through the whole ordeal. It took her so long to accept Nicolas, and now her youngest is also deviating from the path she thought for him, she's unsure how to even react to this.
''I don't know?'' Eryx answers, holding his arm, ''I guess since middle school?''
''Ha'', Levi laughs. ''You're a baby Eryx, you don't even have the age to have sex yet''.
''Actually, he's already considered an adult, remember?'' Mael is the one who speaks as he comes back to the dining room. ''Even if he hasn't stopped growing yet, the fact he's entering the Academy today means he's coming of age''.
''Even so-'' Ezekiel tries speaking but is cut by Mael.
''At his age we were also engaging in such acts, older brother, do not try to berate him''. Mael says coldly, driving the other brothers to become silent. Mael sits down, his long hair brushing against his eyes as he looks at Eryx. ''Even so, after all that happened to you, do you really still have time to think about boys?''
The boy flinches, it's not that he wants to think about boys, the future of their family relies on him doing so. And him telling his brothers' about his sexual preference that he truly just came to understand fully not long ago, is simply to prevent any blood to be spilled, as he is quite aware of his position as the youngest, especially now that their father is gone and their mother has no intention of re-marrying.
''I just wanted to tell you, I guess I shouldn't have'', Eryx mumbles, getting up from the table, leaving his flustered brothers behind.
But Nicolas follows him. ''Eryx, wait'', he grabs the youngest's arm. ''I'm sorry about this, we're just worried about you, everything is so sudden, you're changing way too fast, and as your older brothers we just want you to take your time growing up''.
''I know'', Eryx sighs, ''I just wish you of all of them were more understanding, you know how hard it is to come out to a bunch of old-fashioned vampires'', he says shyly, feeling insecure about the whole situation, can he truly go through this?
Especially considering he still hasn't told his brothers about the dead body he fed from yesterday or his new foresight power.
''I'm sorry, this is just too much for this old man'', Nicolas says, embracing his younger brother. ''We love you, you know that, right?'' Eryx nods, enjoying the hug.
''That's too corny'', Mael comments, walking past them. ''Just use protection if you're going to do anything, vampires also carry STD's.''
''Take care… If you need just call us'', Ezekiel says before opening the mansion's door. ''I need to leave for work…'' He trails off, looking at Mael. ''I'll be back at night'', then his eyes go back to Eryx, his gaze is always piercing, but with his memory intact he knows Ezekiel means no harm. ''Good luck at school''.
''Thank you, brother'', Eryx says with a soft nod.
After Ezekiel leaves, Mael is also quick to leave, followed by their mother and Margaret that said something about going to meet a friend, and lastly Nicolas leaves, saying he must speak with his partner about the news on Eryx. Someone would think I'm really his son, he thinks after hearing a whole nagging session about the importance of safe sex. I wasn't even intending on having sex.
Before he and Levi leave the house, the door of the mansion slides open right as they were about to open it, revealing another one of their brothers. They sure love making dramatic entrances, Eryx thinks.
Milo Algeo is strikingly beautiful, from all the eight brothers he is by far the one who's looks are most awe inducing, his droopy red eyes are mellowy, his lips are of a perfect heart shape, his nose is sharp and elegant, his eyelashes long and constantly fluttering due to his constant state of sleepiness and his red hair is wavy like Eryx's and reaches his eyebrows giving him a soft appearance. As the fourth brother he is considered by many to be the ''middle'' brother, but all the man truly cares is about sleeping and architecture.
''Milo? Why are you here?'' Levi asks as he grabs Eryx's bag from the ground.
The man yawns before answering. ''Because the baby needs to use his uniform'', oh right, he has this annoying habit as well, Eryx thinks annoyed, Milo tends to call both Eryx and Luc babies. Because in his eyes they're still three-year-olds. Which is incredibly annoying to both young boys. He shoves the uniform on Eryx's chest, ''Change up, baby, you'll be late''.
''Why didn't you…'' Levi begins but stops himself with a sigh, aware that there is no use in being annoyed at his older brother. ''Just be quick Eryx, you can't lose the entrance ceremony''.
✦
During the whole car ride to the Link Academy, all Levi did was nag his older brother while Eryx was busy checking his new phone. ''...I can't believe you left the school! You're a professor for fuck's sake!'' Levi yells as he pulls over alongside the line of cars in front of the Academy. He sighs with frustration, there isn't much to do when any of the brothers decide to do something, unfortunately all eight of them were born with their father's stubbornness, that's one of the reasons why no one was able to stop Eryx from finding the drugs and taking them, even with all the support and attention he was receiving. He always found a way, be it asking friends or looking for it in the dark alleys, leaving his phone at home so his brother's couldn't track him, erasing his texts history and even taking the drugs out of home so that they couldn't see him high.
Of course, now Eryx is completely clean, the scare he had the night before was enough to completely fright him up. Exchanging sexual favors for drugs was easy to do when he was high, but the idea of going further and selling his whole body was… terrifying. And since he became a vampire, everything he ever wanted, he sees no reason to take them anymore, and the addiction was cleaned when his whole body changed so he must refrain from falling down that pit again, as there might be no return if he does so.
I was lucky, he thinks, closing his phone and looking at his brothers, Levi is still scolding Milo, which is just yawning and ignoring every word of his younger brother. Eryx snorts, he truly loves his brothers, remembering his past life only makes him appreciate his family more, as he can't know when will be the last time he'll see them. There's no use being sad over the past, he reflects, even if he misses his older sister, she is long gone and he can barely remember her face and name. All he can do for her is succeed in finishing the game she set up for him and saving his new family, as that's what she always taught him to do.
After his parents died in that accident and he suffered severe injuries in an accident he barely remembers, he was never able to properly show his feelings, not even able to actually feel them, which he regrets deeply, so now he doesn't want to regret his choices or never say the words he wants to say. ''I love you'', he says, blushing violently, it's weird to say that to his brothers out of the blue, but he felt the need to. Maybe he should've said that before at the table, where more of his brothers were present. Levi turns to him with a shocked expression, while Milo just reaches back and pats him on the head.
''I love you too, baby'', Milo says with his low voice followed by another yawn. Levi looks at their older brother with a dumbfounded expression but he turns back to the youngest instead of commenting on the lack of manners of the older one.
''I love you too, Eryx, but why so out of the blue?'' Levi asks, blinking slowly as if he's trying to understand the situation. Sure, he rarely ever said his feelings out loud, but he just doesn't want to leave this world without ever telling his brothers that he loves them.
''I just thought I should tell you'', he answers, trying not to become redder than he already was, his neck and ears becoming a bright tone of scarlet. ''I was always so scared of dying before you that I never thought about telling you that I appreciate and love you guys'', he says, tuning to escape more of this conversation, almost regretting being honest.
He grabs his bag leaving the car and finally looking at Link Academy, the place he'll spend a good part of his next three years and then leave to become an important piece of vampire society. The Academy not only is huge, beating even the Algeo mansion in size, but is also one of the oldest buildings in Iris City, located at the heart of it, it was previously owned by a primordial vampire that died at the war 500 years ago and was repurposed with the goal of teaching the younglings and introducing them into the vampire society as they stop growing.
Its building is made of stone and has not only the main building where classes take place, but also a mixed dormitory for all the students, a cafeteria building where a lot of food options is available, a sports building, arts building and nature building, where students of different courses could spend their free time and further develop their projects and study. A total of six buildings compose the Link Academy, where vampire students from all over the world come to study, not many are allowed to attend though. First you must get a recommendation letter, then you must pay the high tuition and lastly you must pass the first week of admissions where they'll determine if you have the right profile for the school. Not many people are kicked out of the Academy during the first week, since most students there pay a lot of money to be there, but such can happen if you anger a teacher or go against the established rules.
There are around 80 courses you can choose, however there isn't even near the amount of students required for each course, so some aren't always available, it all depends on the students' choice during the introductory week. In the game you could choose between ten courses, and your choice influenced the likability of the chosen target. After the introductory week you were also supposed to choose your target. So assuming this will be the same, Eryx has one week to make a decision and hope the heroine doesn't make the same decision. This place is packed, he thinks, it must have around 500 students there, some returning for another semester and others coming for the first time. Compared to human schools, there aren't a lot of people, but considering they're the elites of vampires, then it's quite surprising to have that amount.
How was the heroine able to pay the tuition? He questions in his mind, if she managed a scholarship, then there was someone from the inside assisting her, which is by itself a crime in the vampire world, to assist a human to infiltrate one of the most high profile Academies in the world. Not that Eryx was playing by the rules, he was admitted last second and he only got in because of his older brother and family name.
Attending an Academy is obligatory for any vampires over 19, so if he wasn't able to enter Link Academy he would've gone to one of the small ones, which would be negative to the reputation of the Algeo family, since all of them attended it, except Nicolas and Zacharie, because they're older than the Academy itself.
''This place is exactly the same'', Levi comments as he puts his hand on Eryx's shoulder. ''Take care, Milo will assist you with your feedings, just be careful with your roommate''. The youngest nods. ''And you make sure to keep an eye on Eryx, you always treat him like a baby but never take care of him as one'', he nags Milo who simply yawns. Levi sighs, ''I don't know why I even try'', he mumbles to himself before leaving.
Eryx turns to Milo, who starts to walk without a word, but once they cross the Academy's gate, which is filled to the brim, he stops and turns to the youngest. ''Baby, just text me if you feel hungry, and don't try to leave the Academy grounds, it's dangerous'', his voice is low as if he's about to fall asleep. ''Take care'', he says before kissing Eryx's forehead and leaving.
His cheeks burn with embarrassment as everyone stares at him, his brother unaware of what he did, more worried about going to his office to take a nap. He's a walking disaster, he thinks, and he can almost feel the understanding gaze of Levi on his back although his brother is long gone. The moment he enters the Academy grounds, he can feel it, the gazes recognizing his hair color, the whispers of rumors and when he finally arrives at the back gardens, where the entrance ceremony will take place, it doesn't take him long to spot his youngest older brother.
Luc is laughing, holding a basketball and moving around in the Academy's basketball team's uniform, his hair is short and straight, his red eyes are soft and his build is one worthy of any athlete. Complete opposites, that's what he and Luc are, while one excels in sports and socializing the other is considered a weirdo by many, a bastard by even more and his biggest talent is being able to make fast calculations in his head.
When his bright orange eyes meet his brother's red ones he can tell that no one told Luc he was going to be there, the pure horror on his face was clear as day, and he was walking towards him as if he was about to catch a murderer.
''What are you doing here, Eryx?'' His voice is enough to grab the attention of everyone surrounding them. ''And why are you wearing these stupid contacts?'' Just like Levi he grabs Eryx's chin, analyzing his eyes, and once he realizes those were real he snorts. ''You finally did it''.
''Nice to see you too, brother'', Eryx says, taking a step back. From all of his seven older brothers, Luc was the only one he never got close enough to, maybe because their age difference is minimal, or maybe because he took his spot as the beloved younger brother. Or even maybe because for whatever reason, Luc blames Eryx for their father's death. Even so, he can't help but care and love his older brother, even if he's the person he dislikes the most in the world. Hate is just another shape for love after all.
''Ha'', Luc smirks annoyed, ''You should have remained human'', with those welcoming words he leaves to go back to his friends, but it is already too late as everyone already is whispering that the supposed human of the Algeo family is there and is a real vampire. He can even already see the amount of rumors he'll need to navigate during the next three years.
But now, he must focus on what is right there in front of him.
Mission Accomplished!
Congratulations for completing your mission (The youngest deserves a good school life!).
Would you like to receive your rewards?
Y/N
Already? Mael and Ezekiel sure are quick… He thinks in surprise, looking around to see if anyone is looking at him weird or noticing the orange screen in front of him, but all looks he's receiving are those of people surprised by his presence not seeing a weird orange translucent screen showing missions on it. I wonder if I'm hallucinating, but what happened the night prior wasn't a hallucination, and the fact he was able to see the future wasn't fake as well.
He discreetly presses Y.
Again, his brain is filled with information, this time his conversations with his sister about the game became clearer, he can even see the appearance of some of them, making it easier for him to even remember who's route he played.
A Sub-quest was updated!
Introduce yourself to all of the targets (In Progress):
There's nothing like entering a new semester to meet new people! All of the targets are at the entrance ceremony and it's up to you to find them and introduce yourself to them all before the heroine!
Win this race and gain +20 likability with your target when you make your choice!
Target's met (1/7)
Huh? Eryx is in complete shock, not because of the sudden update to the mission, but because of the amount of targets, when he played the game there were only 5 targets, not 7. And he already met one of them? The only one he spoke with there was… Hell no. The mere idea of his brother flirting with the heroine makes him nauseous. Of course he's never going to choose his brother as his target, but the idea that it is even an option is sick.
That's when he recalls his sister mentioning extra capture targets they were developing to put in an extra content of the game. No wonder an influential family like the Algeos wasn't in when I played, he thinks with a sigh, if Luc is a capture target of the extra content, then he would've been introduced after I dropped the game.
Not that he really remembers much of any of the targets, but he at least knows their names, and having one he doesn't even know who it is… Well, it isn't hard to figure it out, I just need to see who is extremely good looking. As a clear rule for any romance game with several targets, they must all be breathtaking beautiful, and that makes the fact that Luc Algeo was a target make sense, since he was not only popular, good-looking and from a rich family, but he was also a contender for the next Vampire Olympics as a member of the official basketball team of the Posy Republic, the nation where they reside.
But he shouldn't dwell long on his brother, the entrance ceremony will start in around an hour, and he must meet all of the targets before it does. So he starts looking around, but then he stops, why not use his future sight? He has three uses from his last feedings, and that will help him find them quicker
But he isn't able to even use it when he's about to, a person bumps into him, making his bag fall onto the ground. ''Shit'', he whispers. ''Look where you're going!'', he says annoyed, bending over to grab his bag, tapping it to remove the pieces of grass and soil from it, and just when he looks up a new notification is received.
Kitsu Ueno
The Fallen Prince
19
Perhaps the system was guiding the targets to him, just like in the game, or maybe it was just luck. He vaguely remembers him, as he was really popular in the game and his face was big in the loading screen. Black hair and eyes, soft features and a cold expression, a man with pale skin and eyes that remind you of ravens, a cold and quiet beauty, he was the quiet and mysterious character, not Eryx's taste, and he remembers his sister saying one of his endings involved him killing the heroine because he thought she was cheating on him. Too crazy for my taste, he thinks, but regardless of his personal taste, he still must introduce himself to him to complete the mission.
''Sorry'', Kitsu says, bowing, he's polite but his eyes are dull and cold, as if his mind is somewhere else.
''It's okay'', Eryx answers, as he still is staring onto the other's face, analyzing how surreal it is to see him there in flesh and bones. He is good looking, if he wasn't crazy… He thinks the other is also tall, being almost as tall as Ezekiel, almost a tower near Eryx, who always had the lowest stature of the brothers and from the boys in his classes. ''I'm Eryx Algeo'', he says, not really sure how much the system would consider an introduction, perhaps saying his name is fine, after all he's probably keeping his distance from him.
''Kitsu Ueno'', the other answers, but that's basically how far their conversation goes, as none of them are good with social situations. But just when Eryx was about to awkwardly leave, he's struck with luck once again.
''Hey, if it isn't the Prince!'', a loud and cheerful voice approaches them, immediately Eryx recognizes his target, or at least the one he chose when he played the game.
Nash Vega
The Captain of the Swimming Team
20
From all of the targets, he's the only one where the bad endings didn't involve deaths or heavy injuries, just pure heartbreak, he was also the easiest to romance, as the heroine at least. However, differently from the game, he has no set of choices or a heart meter where he can tell how much his answers are being positive or negative.
Exactly like he was in the game, Nash is bright, his bright blue eyes shine in a surreal tone, his thin lips are like usual up in a sweet smile, bringing up his dimples, and his short blonde hair is wet, meaning he just came from the pool, what is further confirmed by his training bag and the varsity jacket with his name on it.
He puts his arm around Kitsu Ueno, making the other show a clear discomfort expression. ''Don't touch me'', his tone is low and he pushes Nash away, who looks confused but his bright eyes don't dim at all.
''C'mon don't be like that, my dad said to take good care of you!'' He says cheerfully, ''Did you already make a friend?'' Just then he looks at Eryx, and that's the first moment his expression ever changes, both in game and in life. He looks truly disturbed to see him there. ''Eryx Algeo?'' He speaks as if those words were weird and disgusting.
Fuck, why does he hate me? This complicates things. ''Yes, nice to meet you…''
''Nash Vega'', although he looks completely disgusted he still shakes Eryx's hand, introducing himself. ''Uhm, I'll see you later Kitsu…'' He says uncomfortably, turning his gaze to Eryx hesitantly. ''Eryx.''
''See you'', he replies either way, he mustn't show he noticed the man's discomfort towards him.
''It's because of your brother'', Kitsu says, not looking at Eryx, his eyes fixated on the stage where the Student's Council were organizing for the ceremony. ''He became the second best swimmer after Luc joined the team''.
''Oh'', Eryx whispers, it makes sense, his relationship with the targets won't be the same as the heroine's, after all, he's: a vampire, from a prestigious family and the youngest brother of famous and scary vampires. It's hard not to know your own brothers' reputation.
All of his older brothers have infamy, and the fact that his two eldest brothers fought in the war 500 years ago, makes so that there are very few people that could possibly even go against them in prestige and reputation. So even if Luc pisses off the Captain of the Swimming Team, there's nothing Nash can do, he can't kick him out nor try to outshine him.
''You have a heavy burden to follow'', Kitsu says again. He's way more talkative than in the game, Eryx thinks, but perhaps that means that he has no interest in him whatsoever, since one of the premises of him was to be a cold and distant person to whom he likes until he becomes more and more infatuated.
''I don't intend in walking in their shadows or try to outshine them'', Eryx answers with a shrug, adjusting his bag on his shoulder, ''I'm not here to become the best at anything,'' he continues, he doesn't even think he has any special talent to be able to do so. From birth he was the failure of the Algeo family, no special talent, no special characteristics and a human. Now, all he wants is to enjoy finally being a vampire and completing the missions so that his family remains safe and well.
''What's your goal here then? Why not go to another Academy?'' Kitsu's question sounds bitter, maybe he was jealous of Eryx's words.
There isn't much to say, he is there because his brothers went there, because he became a vampire just the day prior and doesn't have much of a choice since he must beat the heroine. Not that he can say any of that, so he looks deeply into Kitsu's deep black eyes. ''To find a boyfriend I guess'', his answer sounds stupid even to himself, but that is basically the summary of everything.
His reaction is much of a surprise as Kitsu starts laughing, as if Eryx was hilarious. ''Sure, my bad, I guess I should know better than to try to pry into Algeo's business''.
Eryx tilts his head, watching as Kitsu laughs slowly, waiting for him to stop so that he can speak again. ''I'm not joking, though''.
Kitsu's expression becomes serious but his eyes show pure disbelief. ''You entered the Link Academy, just so you could date?''
''Yeah, that's pretty much it'', sure it is quite more complicated than that, but he isn't going to fake a reason or even try to pretend he's there to form a legacy just like his brothers', he's far from being as exceptional as them. ''My brothers' are quite overprotective of me, I wouldn't be able to date staying home, and when I start dating, not anyone would be able to withstand them, so I need someone of a decent background''.
''I can understand that, but there are easier ways to find a date than entering this place'', Kitsu comments, as if Eryx was stupid for being there for such a reason. ''You could just enter a dating app or something''.
Eryx snorts, ''Sure, as if my name alone wasn't a caller for weirdos and scammers'', he says. ''It isn't that easy to find someone to date, you know'', he looks at Kitsu who seems truly interested in what he's saying, which feels weird. ''Why, you're interested?''
Kitsu's disgusted expression should be used in psychology text books, as it was exactly what one would imagine such an expression to be, he doesn't even attempt to pretend not to be disgusted. His eyes do make Eryx feel bad, sure he wasn't considering the man either way, but such extreme reaction sure wasn't what he was expecting either well.
Considering most of the targets are straight or at least bi since they're into the heroine, some are bound to not see me in such light, he thinks with a sad expression, which Kitsu mistakes as an answer to his own.
''Wait, I don't mean you're disgusting or anything'', he attempts to explain himself, his flustered gaze is weirdly different from how he's portrayed in the game, something Eryx finds utterly fascinating. ''It's just that I'm not into men, plus, you're the youngest Algeo, someone needs to be crazy to date you''.
You are crazy though, Eryx wants to say but he remains silent, thinking if he should remain there or leave so that he can go find other targets.
But as fate - and probably the system itself - plays in mysterious ways, he's not able to do either, as someone coincidentally falls onto Kitsu Ueno. Even if the system didn't tell him, Eryx could tell that this girl is the heroine.
Seren Mila
Heroine
19 years
Long wavy golden brown hair, sweet emerald eyes, perfect and common features, and most importantly the perfect stature to make the male leads see her as an innocent herbivore. The heroine is exactly how she's portrayed in the game, beautiful enough to the attention of the male leads to make sense yet generic enough so that anyone can reflect themselves on her. At least that was what his sister told him when she was explaining the game concept to him in his past life.
''S-Sorry'', she says, blushing, her movements are so perfect, she bends over ever so slightly so that Kitsu helps her up, yet her words are swift and delicate so that he feels she's inoffensive. The game that is rigged in her favor from the start, finally begins. ''I tripped'', she continued, her eyes meeting Kitsu's.
This is what sister called a 'meet-cute'? Eryx wonders as the two seem to be into their own little world. As if time was slowing down just for them, which it wasn't, so instead of standing there and watching the heroine progressing her own quest, he moves, leaving the two to develop their own relationship.
A Sub-quest was updated!
Introduce yourself to all of the targets (In Progress):
Targets met: (3/7)
Considering there is still 50 minutes left before the ceremony begins, Eryx remains calm, looking around to check if he can spot any of the other male leads, and that's exactly what he does. It's easy to see the ones that shine differently from the rest, after all this world revolves around them.
What isn't easy is approaching a person surrounded by others.
''Excuse me'', Eryx says, walking closer to the group of people surrounding the man. Fuck, this annoying popular trope is so unecesary. He thinks, cursing those who enjoy the popular, cheeky and playboy male lead, he remembers his sister saying that conquering someone that everyone wants is an appeal most people enjoy, but what's so fun about dating someone that probably said the same exact words he says to you to someone else. It's just pure manipulation.
Of course, his appearance makes it clear why he was, by far, the most popular one in the game.
Aster Faucher
The Mayor's Son
20 years old
The most played route, the most famous target in game and outside of it, the route of mysteries that made so many fans create fanpages dedicated to analyzing and exploiting his personality and personal life. Or at least that's what his sister told him, as he never found him all that interesting.
However, the same can't be said about him right now.
Breathtaking, that is one word that describes Aster perfectly, silky white short straight hair that reaches the middle of his forehead, sharp features, fox shaped bright purple eyes, soft white freckles on his cheeks, that match his hair, eyelashes and eyebrow, lean body with not too many muscles as athletes, but just enough to not be put to shame close to them, and just the height most people would consider ideal for a man. He is, by any means, perfect. And annoyingly popular, Eryx thinks as he finally is able to reach the man, as he was surrounded by men and women alike, everyone trying to at least introduce themselves, and the man was there in the middle of all, with a white perfect smile, introducing hismelf as if everyothe there didn't already knew his name.
He's the son of a politician alright, he thinks, remembering once when his older brother Zacharie was talking about the mayor, saying how the man was annoyingly perfect at all times, as if he's wearing the perfect mask to control the population of the city he serves for 600 years. Maybe Aster is also wearing a mask.
Either way, Eryx wants to get done with the quest and move on to the other target, however before he tries to speak with Aster he spots it, another male lead. Wow, this is definitely not a coincidence, the system must be helping me.
Prometheus Onasis
The Genius Musician
19
From all the male leads, this is the one Eryx knows from more than just the game, Prometheus is the biggest musician in Iris City, perhaps even in the Posy Republic, he was by all definitions, a genius, he was able to reproduce any song after listening once, he knew how to play any instrument he put his hands in, and his compositions were played all across the world as masterpieces. At age 8 he was already playing in renowned orchestras. His family wasn't well-known before, but through the name of their only son, now they're one of the richest families in the Republic.
The reason why Eryx knows all this and him is because Levi, who works with the production of musical instruments, worked with him once to make a unique violin for him.
Prometheus has an appearance that reminds Eryx a lot of his brother, Milo, soft features, mellow light pink eyes, but he's extremely tall, probably as tall as Ezekiel, his chestnut hair is long and usually in a low ponytail and his skin is of a soft and pale tone of brown. Everything about him feels warm, but his standoffish gaze makes it hard for others to approach him, so his presence near the Aster Faucher becomes offuscated although he's by far more famous than the Iris City Mayor's son.
So Eryx makes the choice to introduce himself to the musician first. "Excuse me," he says, getting closer to the man who looks at him as if Eryx is an animal he's observing. He looks as if he's about to sleep, just like Milo, impressive, Eryx thinks as he continues. "Are you Prometheus Onasis? I'm a big fan?" Although such a name is recognizable by anyone, they don't pay attention to Eryx's words, as right at that moment Aster is dazzlingly laughing. Definitely not choosing him, he thinks, annoyed.
"Who are you?" Prometheus asks, his question sounds offensive to Eryx, not because he's a narcissist who thinks anyone should know who he is, but because he is indeed someone anyone would know, at least of those who live in the vampire world. Not only because of the rumors surrounding his birth, but also because the Algeo family is extremely influential throughout the world.
Either way, he doesn't shake or stutter, "I'm Eryx Algeo" He introduces himself with a soft smile, silence ensues, not only between them, but it suddenly becomes quiet near them. He turns to see that everyone is now staring at him, why? Because Aster Faucher is staring at him as well.
"You're Luc's brother?" Aster asks, his voice is deep, reminding Eryx of the sound of a bass. The man approaches him, touching his arm, making him flinch in response. "Wow, you look nothing like your brother!"
"I do consider myself to be a perfect mix of all my brothers so I'll disagree with you", Eryx answers, more often than not he would avoid long answers when dealing with people he finds annoying, but it's enough to speak about his brothers to make the boy speak more than 5 words at a time.
Aster laughs again, with the corner of his eye he can see all the people that are surrounding the white haired man sighing in admiration. "Sure, that's the spirit!"
Now Eryx is annoyed, but he isn't the only one.
"What are you doing?" Luc's voice is clear behind Eryx, he sounds angry.
"I was just telling your brother how different you both look", with those words Aster puts his arm around Eryx's neck. Fuck, this dude is fucking annoying, he curses, his gaze goes to Prometheus, who seems utterly uninterested in what was happening.
Even if he can't look at Luc's expression, by his voice Eryx knows Aster seemed to strike a cord. "Faucher, you should focus more on your legion of fans instead of my… younger brother".
"How could I not when he's the infamous baby of Luc's phone?" Huh?!
"What does that mean?" Eryx can't avoid asking, curious.
A basketball hits Aster on the head. "Shut the fuck up you conceited asshole!" Luc yells, grabbing the attention of even more people.
"Can someone explain it to me?" Eryx begs, anything that makes Luc that flustered is worth knowing.
"Go find some friends Eryx, don't mingle with assholes, or I'll tell Zacharie you're hanging with the Mayor's son", his threat is on point as their older brother always told them to stay away from the Mayor and his family as they're a nest of snakes.
"Ha" Aster laughs, his expression is one of disbelief. "Should he tell your brother that you hang up with this loser of a Mayor's son?"
Time is passing, this is fucking useless, Eryx thinks, sliding off Aster's grip as the man seems more focused on Luc.
A Sub-quest was updated!
Introduce yourself to all of the targets (In Progress):
Targets met: (5/7)
That counted?
Well, at least now he only has two remaining targets to meet and… 20 minutes left?Fuck…
Although Eryx was truly interested in speaking more with Prometheus, as he wasn't lying when he said he was a fan, he must run to finish the quest. The only ones left are the one I don't know and the student council president, he thinks, walking away from the mess that place became, leaving behind a crowd that was curious about the fight between the two good-looking prestigious kids.
He doesn't need to look far to find who he was looking for, after all, the student council president is the one that'll make the speech, however there it was, the heroine again, introducing herself.
True to his character design the man seems mostly uninterested in the heroine, focused on his tasks, enough for Eryx to be able to approach him organically.
"Hello", he says, approaching the group of student council members and the heroine, "I'm new to the Academy and I have a personal question about the dorms", of course he has no questions. But to be honest, he's strongly considering the student council president as his target, because he seems slightly normal.
Sevan Helge
The Student Council's President
20
As all of the leads, Sevan is gorgeous, he's not the tallest, but he's just tall enough, his short auburn hair is styled back, giving him an adult vibe, his white eyes are hidden behind his glasses, his body is slim, perhaps even too skinny, his lips are blood red, a strong contrast to his extremely pale skin. He's almost the exact depiction of vampires humans imagine.
"Yes?" Another member of the student council answers but it takes Sevan a second to recognize Eryx and speak to him.
"Teacher Algeo told me about you", he says, his tone is calm and serious, his voice sounding like the wind. "If you have any issues, please don't hesitate to approach me", his words are sincere, whatever it is that Milo told him, it works in Eryx's favor.
"What did my brother tell you?" He asks.
Sevan looks at him for a moment before answering, "He said his baby brother was entering the academy and asked me to take care of you as the president of the student council."
Eryx nods, that sure sounds like Milo, especially the baby part of the sentence. "I understand, I'm Eryx Algeo", as needed he introduces himself extending his hand which Sevan takes it.
"Sevan Helge".
A Sub-quest was updated!
Introduce yourself to all of the targets (In Progress):
Targets met: (6/7)
Thank god I only have one left, Eryx thinks with relief. But time is ticking and he has no idea who's the last target he's supposed to meet.
"So what's your doubt?" Sevan asks.
"I heard the dorms are mixed, are the rooms mixed as well?" He asks.
"No, as that could lead to indecent acts", Although Sevan seems to find Eryx's question to be redundant, he still answers calmly.
"But… um…" he says as he thinks, "I prefer having a girl as my roommate", he takes a deep breath, what even is he saying? He should've thought about a decent question before approaching them, but he was pressed for time.
"Why?" Sevan asks, tilting his head, his white eyes focused on Eryx's.
This time, Eryx approaches the man, leaning over so that he can whisper in his ear, startling Sevan. "I'm gay", his words are soft, only for the Student Council's President's ears.
Sevan nods, he's taking Eryx's question seriously, is this the effect of Milo Algeo's special request?
"I see, unfortunately we cannot change the rules even due to your… circumstances".
"Isn't the objective of separating the students to avoid indecent acts?" He asks, blushing.
"Yes, don't worry I'll come up with a solution in a moment, after the ceremony come talk with me again", Sevan says, glancing at his watch. "Thank you for being honest and not taking advantage of the situation", he's sincere.
Eryx remembers that Sevan was quite popular as well, due to his appearance and personality, something along the lines of not being an honest person, one of those people that treats those he's interested in with cold and rude words while being deeply in love. Maybe that's why he's ignoring the heroine so adamantly, he thinks, although the heroine left a while ago, probably going to the other targets.
He isn't sure if she's a real person, a manifestation of the game or maybe someone under the same circumstances as him, however he doesn't care in the slightest if it won't stop him from beating her, the more he worries about her, the less will he actually progress in his own quest.
Only one left and I don't have much time, he thinks, this time he finally uses his future sight, as he has no time to lose looking around to see who's hot enough to be a male lead. In his future sight all he sees is the back of a man smoking behind the stage, there's no need for more information than that, though. He moves quickly, time against him. Oh he's a male lead alright, Eryx thinks with a scoff, as he spots the man.
Cassius Felix
The Actor
21
Black short hair with light blue highlights, piercing yellow eyes, tall just like all the others, a decent built body hidden under black clothes and a leather jacket, to match his bad boy look he's wearing sunglasses that are hanging at the tip of his nose and on his fine lips is a half-lit cigarette. He's good-looking and has the right type of attitude for the players to want to fix him, at least that's probably what his sister was going for when designing him.
''Look if it isn't the bastard of the Algeo family'', his voice is deep and hoarse, probably because of the cigarette because he coughs right after speaking.
Eryx can't hide his expression of disgust, sure Mael also smokes, but he always does so far from him, the smell is strong and he can't say he enjoys it. When he was hanging with his human friends they often smoked, but it was far more illegal than a mere cigarette.
''And you are? A chimney?'' Eryx jokes, grabbing his arm, awkward, he isn't sure how to get to know the basics about this new character he never saw before.
''Ha, funny'', Cassius says, tossing the cigarette on the floor and stepping on it, his voice becoming clearer now he has stopped smoking. ''I'm Cassius Felix, my mother is friends with yours'', he says as if suddenly Eryx was supposed to know who he is.
''Oh, sure'', he answers, looking away.
''You don't know who I am, do you?'' Cassius asks, walking towards him. ''Didn't your mom ever mentioned me?''
Eryx shakes his head, all his mom ever talks about at home is about his brothers and deceased father, well, sometimes she would talk about music and flowers as well.
''Well, she talked about you a lot to my mother, about how worried she was about her human son'', his words carry a strong accent, he's probably not from the Republic.
''Not a human anymore'', he points out.
Cassius nods, looking Eryx up and down. ''Surely''.
''So, you're a senior?'' He asks, trying to keep the conversation going until the message saying he completed the mission appears.
''Yes, how could you tell?''
''Freshmens wouldn't be smoking behind the stage, and the second-years have those dead-fish eyes'', he observes, making Cassius laugh.
''And what about seniors?''
''They all look like they've seen the end of the world and nothing else matters'', his words make the man fall silent.
''Does that include your brother?'' He asks, as Luc is also a senior.
''Perhaps''.
The man laughs again. ''You're quite interesting Eryx Algeo'', ugh such a male lead line, Eryx thinks, and maybe that could work in his favor, since he seems at least slightly interested in him compared to the others, although he isn't sure if risking it with a character he knows nothing about is a good idea.
Especially considering he barely remembers anything about the game anyway, and he only knows what his sister told him because of the system rewards.
''I beg to differ'', another voice comments, Eryx turns to see Sevan leaning on the corner of the back of the stage, staring at them. ''The ceremony is about to start, what are you two doing?''
Cassius wraps his arm around Eryx, why do they keep doing this? ''Can't you guess by looking at us Mr. Glasses?'' The smell of smoke is quite strong, he observes as the man leans closely to him.
Sevan twists his nose in disapproval, ''You should stop trying to be a rebel Cassius, it doesn't suit your…'' he tilts his head. ''Everything''.
It's interesting how all male leads know each other one way or another, be it friends or enemies.
''Ha'', Cassius snorts, ''You're one to say''.
''Just join the freshmans, Eryx'', his tone is softer when talking directly to Eryx, ''We'll start in two minutes, and you, if you start another fire at the academy I'll be obligated to cancel this year's New Year's Play'', his words make Cassius' expression change from playfulness to pure horror.
''You wouldn't!''
''Try me'', the Student Council's President says before turning to take his place on the stage.
''I should go'', Eryx says, backing off from the man and running back to the crowd, as the notification he was waiting for finally appears.
Mission Accomplished!
Congratulations for completing your sub-quest (Introduce yourself to all of the targets).
Would you like to receive your rewards?
Y/N
He presses Y as soon as he reaches the same spot he was before, right next to Kitsu Ueno, who's now playing with his phone, distracted, from the distance he spots the heroine speaking with Nash Vega.
This time the reward is simply future likability increase with his target, it's nothing very special, but it'll help him beat the heroine either way. The sound of the mic being turned on catches the attention of the crowd. His gaze goes to the stage where Sevan Helge is standing. He looks good even from that distance, his glasses shining with the sun.
But Eryx doesn't pay attention to what Sevan is speaking as another notification appears in front of him.
Due to the Heroine's early choice you're left with none!
Oh no, the Heroine already chose her target, due to this unprecedented action, you must hurry and choose yours!
Heroine chosen target: Luc Algeo
Heroine progress: 2%
That's gross, Eryx thinks, but even before he can properly react, another message appears.
Oh no, it seems that the Heroine decided to go rogue!
The Heroine's target changed.
Heroine chosen target: All 7 Targets (Hidden Harem Route)
Heroine progress: 3%
Eryx stares blankly at the orange screen in front of him, there's no way he can even fathom what just happened, first he was just grossed out, after all he didn't want the Heroine as his sister-in-law, but after so, even worse news came to be. What the fuck is a harem route? Sure, he knows what the words mean, but what they mean in this specific context is all confusing to him. He never even heard his sister mention such a thing to him.
Since when does this exist? What do I do now?
Due to the Heroine's choice the system decided to open an exception just for you!
No shit, how else would I even stand a chance? He thinks, annoyed.
[FORCED ACTION]
Suddenly a red screen with warning signs appears and time seems to stop around him.
Choose your target!
This action is permanent and cannot be changed.
Due to the Heroine's choice, you're forced to make yours right now.
Time: 00:02:00
I have 2 fucking minutes to choose? Eryx thinks, starting to become desperate, he doesn't know nearly enough about all the targets to make his choice based on it, and even if he went based on his guts anything can go wrong. Should I just choose who I found the most safe? Even so nothing guarantees he'll make the right choice, he could also choose based on purely attraction, however that doesn't seem right as well.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Please choose one of the following as your target:
Sevan Halge Aster Faucher Nash Vega Kitsu Ueno Cassius Felix Luc Algeo (Unavailable due to blood relation) Prometheus Onasis
Should I be glad at least that my own brother isn't an option? Eryx thinks, laughing dryly, completely dumbfounded, he thought he would at least have a week to choose, being pressured into things was never a good situation for him as he easily panics.
Fine, take a deep breath, he tells himself.
Now it's time to choose.