⚠︎ This chapter has mentions of murder and blood consumption.
♬ Everybody's Watching Me (Uh Oh) - The Neighborhood ♬
''I would bring forth your doom if that meant that you would remain by my side until the world finishes burning.''
The flickering lights, strong smell of disinfectant and those damn uncomfortable white walls that make one feel like going insane. Walking through the hallways of the biggest hospital for vampires in the country is like experiencing a drug high. The Bloody Bank is a hospital located at the outskirts of Iris City, in an old rundown building that could fall apart with the slightest of winds. Most of its windows are broken, the old wooden floor squeaks at every step people take inside and the gardens are filled with dead and poisonous plants. Although the place is without a doubt a terrible looking hospital, it's still famous and incredibly busy, as vampires tend to be quite sentimental.
As one can assume due to the name, not only the Blood Bank is a hospital for injured and sick vampires, but it is also a place where the blood humans donate to vampires is stored and then it is distributed to those who live in Iris City.
Donating blood for vampires is done in cities across the country and it's a completely voluntary act, in case there is a shortage in human blood, vampires are instructed to consume the blood of large animals, which is extracted before an animal is put down for human consumption. Animal blood is also stored in the Blood Bank, however the demand is quite smaller, since to most vampires, animal blood tends to taste like paper.
Nicolas Algeo always hated hospitals, especially those with such an eerie atmosphere. His shoes are loud as he walks around the Blood Bank looking for his older brother's office, his red eyes analyzing the place filled with ill vampires and expressionless nurses. If the situation wasn't so dire he would never step foot there.
The office is at the end of a long corridor where half of the lights don't work. For a place so important in Iris City, one would expect that they would have the money to fix a measly light. This place is a dump, Nicolas thinks, pushing his hair back and sighing with frustration before opening the door of Zacharie's office.
Cramped and damp, that's how it feels inside the small office, filled to the brim with books and loose papers, not to mention the snake tank on the side with no snake and the desk that is drowned in documents. Behind the pile of trash is Zacharie. He's by far the only Algeo brother that took most of their father's features, sharp jaw, striking red eyes, a short and badly trimmed beard to match his unkept wavy red hair. He's too skinny again, Nicolas thinks, as his older brother tends to get too engrossed in things, forgetting to eat and sometimes even forgetting to shower, which was the worst part in his honest opinion.
"One day you'll disappear if you keep forgetting to feed", Nicolas says, pushing documents off one of the chairs so that he can sit on it, Zacharie doesn't even raise his head, Nicolas sighs, snapping his fingers on his older brother's face. "Hello? Earth to a useless older brother?"
If anyone asked the Algeo brothers who is the brother that dotes more on the youngests, they would for sure say Nicolas or Levi, however if they ask the one that cares the least, it would be Zacharie, at least in their perspective, maybe because of the difference of age or generations, but the eldest always found hard to connect with his brothers.
He probably should try, but he was always so used to being trapped in his jobs that he doesn't know how. Even his wife was threatening a divorce because he missed their date because of a new batch of blood that arrived. Surely it's not his fault that he's the only competent hematologist there, to do the blood's quality control, however it is his fault for not calling or even texting her.
"What do you want, Nicolas?" Zacharie's voice is low, he sounds sleep deprived and malnourished, both in which he probably is.
"I'm hurt, why do you assume I would only seek you when I need something?" Nicolas pretends to be hurt, touching his chest and pouting. Zacharie only looks at him with a blank expression. "Fine", he admits. "It's not for me, it's for Eryx", the mention of the youngest makes the eldest drop the papers he was looking at.
"What happened to him?"
Nicolas laughs, "Oh look, even you care about our baby brother?"
Those taunting words make Zacharie blush with embarrassment. "Just get to the point Nicolas".
"Did you know Mom almost named him after her father? That old man's name was Alfred, Alfred, that's absolutely atrocious".
A sigh leaves Zacharie's mouth, "Nicolas".
"Fine fine fine", the man says, leaning back onto the chair, staring at his older brother. "He managed to turn".
Those words shock him less than what he thought it would. "How?"
"We're not sure, that's why I brought you this", Nicolas takes a vial of blood from his pocket. "Don't worry I used a sterile needle and made sure to not saturate the blood", he says, foreseeing the nagging.
"There's no use, even so, the blood is too old, you clearly didn't store it properly", Zacharie's voice is serious as he points to Nicolas' pocket. "Just ask him to come here during the week".
"He can't, he's at the Academy".
Again, even if he's supposed to be shocked, he just isn't. Why?
"He can come after the introductory week for tests, I'll talk with Milo", Zacharie says, grabbing his phone, Nicolas leans over, pushing his brother's hand away from the device.
"Why aren't you shocked?" He asks.
Zacharie blinks slowly before sighing. "You know Elara has her prophetic dreams", he says, scratching his head, unsure how to explain his wife's vivid dreams. "She told me she dreamed Eryx was at the Academy as a vampire and that he was going through a trial of life and death."
As a past target of Zacharie's wife's prophetic dreams, Nicolas ponders, leaning back onto the chair again, his eyes focused as he attempts to unravel those words. Elara's dreams aren't meant to be taken lightly, differently from those with the ability of seeing the future she can see more than mere events, she can see a person's soul, intent and even if such events will be positive or negative, however they're all subjective and up to her own interpretation.
And sometimes she tends to be quite dramatic.
"I see, I'll text Eryx so that he reminds Milo about it then, because you know how that sleepyhead is" He says with a sigh, not sure how to interpret things just yet.
"Well, when it comes to Eryx and Luc they all try to be responsible", Zacharie says, defending Milo, Nicolas shakes his head.
"When Eryx was a child he slept so much he forgot to take the sick boy to the hospital, so no, I'm not going to fully trust that sleepyhead".
"It was just once and he was quite regretful later", Zacharie comments, earning a glare from Nicolas.
After a few moments of silence, Nicolas feels a cold moving thing on his legs. What the… he looks down to find Zacharie's annoying pet snake. A 6m long scarlet long-fanged snake, a species of snake created with a vampire's blood, it lives around 400 years and feeds on blood just like a regular vampire. And just like its name, their fangs are so long it doesn't fit inside their mouth and their skin is red and shiny just like a ruby.
"Fuck, lock this shit up", Nicolas says annoyed, pulling his legs up so that the snake doesn't touch him, Zacharie smirks softly.
"Cupcake is just hungry" he says with amusement clear in his voice.
"Don't name a deadly snake with such a cute name", Nicolas scoffs, disgusted. "You're not bringing this to my place when you come to visit the baby".
Zacharie freezes, now he's surprised.
"Baby?"
"Azrael and I are adopting", Nicolas says, blushing, even if in front of his younger brothers' and mother he sounded confident, he can't help but feel like a child when he's in front of the eldest's eyes, after all for long years he was his precious only younger brother.
"Congratulations", Zacharie says, his tone cautious. "Are you going for a newborn or a child?"
"Newborn, we're talking with a few women that are pregnant and thinking about adoption". Nicolas says, resting his head on his knees, still recoiling, afraid of the pet on the floor. "I'm unsure if we'll adopt a human or vampire, a few years ago I would say vampire but after the experience of living with Eryx as a human…"
"I don't think you should adopt a human, Nicolas, that'll only bring them inside a world they don't belong in", Zacharie points out, worried. "Did you tell mother yet?"
"Yes, this morning… She just complained about the fact that you don't have a child yet", his words make the other sigh.
Zacharie scratches his head, frustrated. "I already told her we have no intention of having children".
"Well, you know mother, stubborn as a mule".
"Ha, that's true", the eldest laughs, staring at his younger brother with care. He wishes to ask more, but he's scared of perhaps overstepping his bounds.
"That reminds me…", Nicolas says after a moment of silence, his expression is wary. "Eryx came out…"
"From where?"
Nicolas looks at his brother as if he's incredibly stupid. "From the closet you moron, he told us this morning… I'm just telling you in case he tells you later, you can't have the same reaction you did when I came out".
The older brother shakes his head. "Nicolas I already asked for forgiveness so many times, you're aware at that time none of us was aware of how being gay worked".
"Either way, being denied my own identity was quite harmful, if I didn't have Azrael…" Nicolas trails off, his eyes becoming distant, as if he's reminiscing about something. "Eryx is our baby brother, and probably the last Algeo child to be born from mother since Father is dead, so I don't want him to be in harm's way".
"I agree", Zacharie nods. "He deserves peace now that he finally turned".
"For that we must completely unravel what caused his transformation", Nicolas puts his feet on the ground again, getting up from the chair and cautiously looking around to see if Cupcake wasn't around him. "I'm going to go to them, I have work to do and Azrael and I have a date later today".
"I don't really need to know your plans", Zacharie grabs another paper from his desk as he speaks.
"Mother will throw a dinner to celebrate our choice to adopt, please come with Elaria", Nicolas says, awkwardly, he sure wants the approval of his older brother, just like always.
"Sure, you should throw it during the weekend so that Luc and Eryx can come", the eldest comments.
"Of course, who do you think I am? I'm their favorite brother!" His words make Zacharie chuckle. "What? You don't agree? Why? You think it's you?"
"No, I'm quite self-aware, however I'm pretty sure Levi is their favorite brother, especially to Eryx since they play the violin and go to concerts together", Zacharie comments, putting his papers down to look at Nicolas who's blushing out of anger.
"I refuse, Eryx told me I'm his favorite when he was a kid!"
"Things change in a decade even if we believe it doesn't".
"Shut up, I'm leaving, you're speaking nonsense", Nicolas turns to leave but stops at the door, glancing at his unkept older brother once again. "For all that counts you're my favorite older brother", he says leaving the room.
Zacharie stares at the office's door dumbfounded. "I'm your only older brother you rascal", he mutters to himself, laughing right after.
✦
A shiver runs down Mael's spine together with the cold morning wind, he rubs his arms, attempting to warm himself up. He's wearing a long beige coat with a black suit underneath and a black beret, his long hair in a low bun just so it doesn't become messy due to the windy weather. His red eyes are focused on his older brother. "Do we really need to do this in a cemetery?" He asks, clearly uncomfortable as he looks around, hoping that the only souls there are from the dead.
Ezekiel scoffs as he drags the bodies of the dead young men towards the grave he just desecrated, there are a lot of laws being broken right now, and as an officer of the law, Mael can't help but feel guilty for his own actions and choices. Three young men died in front of him, stripped from their clothes and with a clean hole in their foreheads where the dead shot was given.
Perhaps the centuries tend to make you insensitive to these things, or maybe it's just Ezekiel's job that robbed him from guilt, but Mael isn't even 70 years old, and looking at those cold corpses is making him sick. "Can't you hurry up?" He asks, he's not going to tell his brother that what they did is wrong, or some moral speech since he's a detective who solves murders himself. Because he's the one that suggested killing those boys after all.
To vampires, human lives are as precious as they're useless, on one hand they're the source of their food and they can't live without them, however, humans are feeble and hypocritical beings that infuriate vampires by mere existence. So, killing humans is something most vampires are against while others are in favor of, not that anyone could kill humans, due to the strict law imposed 500 years ago after the war.
If anyone found out what they did, not only Mael and Ezekiel would be convicted to death, but their whole family would be dragged down with them. So this must remain deep into the ground, buried with the other skeletons of other people's secrets.
"Don't worry Mael, everything will be fine, you tied all loose ends", Ezekiel finally speaks once he finishes covering the grave, making sure every speck of dust is in the right place. "Since this was already a fresh grave, no one will question about the marks", he continues, putting his hand on the youngest's shoulder, his deep red eyes staring straight into Mael's soul. "It's time for you to forget this, don't worry about guilt Mael, I'll carry it for the both of us".
Mael blinks slowly, a gush of wind passes him, almost taking his beret away, but he holds it still, he looks around the cemetery, the place is empty besides him and his brother who are seated in one of the stone benches. He was there to solve something with his older brother, what exactly it's hard to say as he doesn't seem to remember.
He erased my memory, he observes, looking at Ezekiel that is staring at his phone with a frown, the man always looked down rugged, like a thug, but the fact that he carries way too many secrets for the sake of their family's peace of mind, already earns him the respect he deserves.
"Do you think Eryx will be fine at the Academy?" Ezekiel asks, his voice is low and deep, the concern in his voice not matching his scary expression.
"We all had to go through it, he'll be fine", Mael nods, looking at the bleak sky, covered in grey. "He's an Algeo at the end of the day".
"I'm just worried he might relapse", Ezekiel sighs, rubbing between his eyes, clearly tired.
"You think he might start taking drugs again?" Mael asks, pondering about the scenario. "I guess that is possible, even if his body was cleansed during the change, he could still have psychological attachments to the drugs".
"I should call Milo", Ezekiel says, clearly more worried by the minute, getting up with his phone ready to call their brother. Mael laughs softly, pushing his brother down to sit again, that, besides being two times bigger than him, complies.
"Calm down bro, we need to trust Eryx a little, plus, Milo is probably asleep right now". Mael's voice is soft, he sighs, it's been not even 24h since Eryx turned, but all of their lives have already turned 180°.
He looks at his older brother who's focused on his phone, probably still debating on sending a text to their other brothers.
It's funny how Mael always struggled with identifying with his brothers, especially the older ones, not only he was the youngest for a very short while, but when he was born, all of his brothers were already out and about, even if he and Levi have a very short age difference compared to the others, he never had anything in common with him.
And when the youngests were born, he had already stopped growing and was living in another vampire city on the outskirts, so he never had a connection with them either.
Compared to any other brother, he always felt like an outsider in his own family.
He isn't anyone's favorite brother, heavens, he's probably not even in their top 3, even so, the moment he saw Eryx and his bright orange eyes, just like their father, he couldn't help but feel deep inside him that right now he should get his shit together and be a big brother for his suffering younger one.
The whole reason why Mael became a detective was because of their father's suspicious death, and also because he wanted to piss off his older brothers who had a hand in crime. Even so, after 20 years as an officer of law, he always purposefully avoided any cases that could even graze his brothers and even turned some of his colleagues the wrong way when they were investigating Nicolas' business.
He always was proud to say that 'the law is above my personal relationships', however as a good hypocrite he always put family first, even if he isn't sure if his family even likes him.
The realization that Ezekiel chose to erase his memory to spare him from the agony and guilt is what makes Mael wonder if he should really remain a detective after all.
Do I even like this job? He thinks to himself as he watches the clouds slowly moving in the sky. I wanted to be a painter… Another sigh leaves his lips, this time getting the attention of his brother.
"Something wrong Mael?" Ezekiel asks, putting his phone away, his expression of worry makes Mael laugh. Should he be worried about working on something he doesn't even like that much when his brother had to give up his dream because of a brutal accident?
"Do you ever wonder?" Mael asks, his tone is soft as the wind gushes through them, making him hold his beret in place again. "What would your life be like if you never had to give up ballet?"
The question drives Ezekiel silent, but it doesn't take long for him to shake his head, his answer clear even before he starts speaking. "I don't worry about such things", his voice is deep as he stares straight into Mael's eyes. "I don't hate what I do right now, if I would dwell in the past, I wouldn't be able to enjoy the present".
Mael becomes silent, giving up his dream must've been hard to Ezekiel, but he had the support of the family. Would he be given the same grace? Will the family care about him like they do with Nicolas' adopting a baby or Eryx becoming a vampire?
Is he important as well?
Or he's just lost in between his older well-established brothers and his doted younger ones?
✦
Congratulations on choosing your target and turning the tides away from the heroine!
Your path is slowly being forged.
*Please note that your target cannot be changed, you'll succeed once you reach 100% likeability with said target, however you'll also be able to see your likeability with other targets in order to prevent the heroine from reaching her ending as well*
What's with the weird tip? Eryx wonders, his hands sweating profusely as he takes deep breaths, it wasn't easy choosing his target, and the fact that he cannot change it is also something he isn't sure he won't regret later on. He is somewhat satisfied with his choice, after all he did use almost all two full minutes to think about it. Thinking not only about the interactions he had with the targets before the ceremony, but also on his memories from the game, which aren't many. I should use my last seconds to check the changes in the status window, he thinks.
Status window
Name: Eryx Algeo
Age: 19
Species: Newborn Vampire
Affiliation: Algeo Family ; Link Academy
Title: Bastard of the Algeo Family ; Link Academy's freshman
Thirst: 10%
Chosen target: Sevan Helge
Progress: 22%
Heroine chosen target: Luc Algeo ; Sevan Helge ; Aster Faucher ; Kitsu Ueno ; Prometheus Onasis ; Nash Vega ; Cassius Felix
Heroine's progress: 25%
Active Missions:
Defeat the heroine! (In Progress)
Attend the entrance ceremony of Link Academy (In Progress)
Halfway there (New) (In Progress)
Your own path (New) (In Progress)
Skills:
Thirst - (Inactive)
Heartbeat - (Inactive)
Algeo's Soul - (Available for use)
Newborn - (This skill will be deactivated once you consume enough blood)
Phoenix - (Available for use) (4/4)
I have two new quests, he notices, checking them out as time starts to flow around him slowly. One of the quests is for him to reach 50% likeability with his target while the other is for him to choose a proper major at the end of the introductory week. Both are of assistance to him and the rewards are decent. Reaching 50% likeability will give him a higher probability to trigger meeting events with his target and choosing his major will give him 5% likeability by itself if he chooses the "right" one. What would even be considered right in this scenario? Something that fits me or the same as the target?
Even if he wishes to dwell more in his quests and choices, the loud sound of the microphone having technical difficulties drives the whole crowd silent, his bright orange eyes go to the stage where his target is.
There are a couple of reasons why he ended up choosing Sevan Helge as his target. The first reason is that he was the only one that seemed even slightly friendly towards him, even if it was because of a favor to a teacher, he'll at least answer and interact with Eryx compared to Nash, for example. Kitsu laughed at his face, and even if he didn't take it personally, he still didn't enjoy it. Aster seemed like a lot, and Eryx doesn't really know how to deal with that type of person, the same with Cassius as he seems like a wildcard, plus Eryx isn't a fan of being around drugs when he just became clean, even the legal ones.
In the end he was between Prometheus and Sevan, however the musician seems like an airhead, plus him being friends with Aster surely makes Eryx life harder. So in the end he chose Sevan just because it seemed easier to at least progress his likeability. Even if he wished to go back and change his choice, he can't. There's nothing saying we must date anyway, he thinks, staring as the members of the Students Council take the stage. He just needs to like me 100%, that can be a platonic type of like, right? He attempts to calm himself down, he must stay strong to his choice, if he falters even a little, the future of his family might be doomed.
"Welcome to the academic year 498 of the Link Academy", Sevan's voice is projected through the whole garden filled with students. His speech is short and concise, speaking about the members of the Students Council, opening the door for those who want to partake in, and also explaining how the Academy works and how everyone can find their dorms. Truth be told, Eryx tuned out half-way as he was more worried about the new system notifications he had gotten.
[NEW FEATURE AVAILABLE]
Check the likeability you have with the other targets! You cannot change your choice, but you still can become a rock in the heroine's path of flowers!
To check your likeability with the other targets, just think about it.
Try it now!
Eryx hesitates, after all if he checks and his likeability is higher with someone else, he might regret his decision, even so, it is a good idea to befriend some of the targets to at least keep them away from the heroine. I wish I could see the individual likeability she has as well…
[NEW FEATURE AVAILABLE]
Just as you thought about it, the system that roots for you granted your wish!
Now alongside the likeability you have with the targets you'll be able to see the heroine's as well!
Isn't that nice?
Is the system reading my mind? He wonders, a bit freaked out by the sudden message, not that he could do anything even if he knew for sure that the system can read his mind. He never heard of another vampire being able to read minds, see the future, read emotions or even read certain aspects of one's mind, sure, but to be fully capable of reading another's thoughts? At least there isn't any record of it.
Fine, I should check, he sighs, looking at the stage where Sevan is still speaking, his serious white eyes focused on the crowd. I really hope I don't regret it.
Likeability Chart
Luc Algeo: 96% (Heroine's: -3%)
He can't help but laugh at such a sight, he has 96% likeability with his own brother? One that claims from the bottom of his heart to despise him? I wish I could frame this, Eryx thinks, but he's also glad that the heroine has negative likeability with his brother as he really doesn't wish to see Luc all in love in this lifetime. Seeing Nicolas and Azrael during holidays was enough trauma for at least a century.
Kitsu Ueno: 2% (Heroine's: 32%)
A meet cute was enough to get her 30%? He thinks, glancing at the man next to him, he didn't exchange any other word with Kitsu after their interaction earlier, however thinking about the premise of the character of being dangerously in love, it makes sense that he would fall for her quickly. How does a harem route work when one of the targets is a psychopath? He wonders.
Nash Vega: -45% (Heroine's: 45%)
Now this pisses him off, he has exactly the same number as the heroine, but his is negative. He barely even spoke to the boy and he hates him? This is extremely unfair, he thinks, reminiscing about the fact that Nash was his former target when he played the game, he can't help but feel betrayed.
Prometheus Onasis: 51% (Heroine's: 1%)
Oh, he freezes when he sees the number, why does he have such a high likeability with Prometheus? Maybe I should've… He stops himself from thinking further, if he goes down that spiral he will never move forward.
Cassius Felix: 4% (Heroine's: 54%)
Holy shit, what did the heroine do to get such high likeability with that annoying piece of shit? Eryx shakes his head, he's never befriending him either way, so there's no reason for him to actually care. If she was in a route where she needed to reach full likeability with only him then maybe he would've cared.
Aster Faucher: 23% (Heroine's: 48%)
I don't even want to know why he likes me so much when we just met, Eryx thinks, feeling shivers down his spine for just thinking about the Mayor's son. He'll never know how to deal with popular and outgoing people, and he doesn't intend on starting it now.
Sevan Helge: 22% (Heroine's: 0%)
Huh? How is it possible for him to have exactly 0% likeability with her? It's almost as if he doesn't know her. But I saw her talking with him, Eryx thinks, trying hard not to smile, even covering his mouth with his hand. This is fucking hilarious, he doesn't even knows her enough to form even a minimal amount of thought about her person.
After all, it's impossible for someone to have 0 impressions of someone, even if they just met. Perhaps he was truly ignoring her at that time. Eryx can't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment, even if he truly only managed to get 2% likeability with Sevan, as the other 20% were given as a system reward.
''This is boring'', he hears Kitsu commenting next to him in a murmur, his eyes go to him, even if he did annoy him by laughing at him, he sure seems like the best contender to become his friend at least. I just hope his psychopathy doesn't spread to friendships.
''We should at least hear it, we're the ones that benefit this the most, after all'', Eryx says, as the speech is explaining how most facilities work, something that is definitely more helpful to freshmen than any others.
Kitsu looks at him, ''Where did you disappear to earlier?'' He asks as if he wasn't so engrossed with meeting the heroine that he didn't even notice Eryx disappeared until much later.
''Do you even care?'' Eryx asks, driving the other silent. He sighs, he should stop being so defensive, however it is hard to make friends when the last ones he had were taking advantage of him. Luckily for Eryx every time he was taken advantage of by his past friends, he was so damn high that he couldn't remember anything afterwards, and maybe that was the only good thing about that all. ''Do you know which major you're entering?'' He asks after a few moments of silence.
''Business'', Kitsu answers, ''You?''
''I don't know yet'', Eryx says with a shrug, ''I'm not particularly good at anything''.
''You don't need to be good at something to learn it'', Kitsu points out, and sure maybe he is right, Eryx isn't really there to study after all. ''Plus, I don't think your major influences your goal much''.
Eryx scoffs. ''Yeah''.
The speech ends after a few minutes, he chats with Kitsu Ueno a while more, exchanging numbers before walking to different sides of the garden. He seems fairly normal, he thinks as he walks towards the stage, I guess we really can't judge people so easily. Of course he means in the sense that Kitsu seems normal while he's really a crazy psychopath.
Sevan is surrounded by students when Eryx finally manages to reach him, a situation similar to how Aster Faucher was before, however in this moment is more due to the fact that he is the Students Council's President and those students have questions not ulterior motives. Well, Eryx does, so sure, some others might have as well, just like the heroine, standing next to Sevan, who's speaking softly to him. She doesn't play around, huh? Eryx thinks, while he sits on one of the steps of the stage, watching and waiting, just then noticing.
I can't smell her, such realization makes him realize why no one ever thought she was human, she doesn't smell at all, how is this even possible? He asks himself, as he watches the heroine accidentally fall on top of Sevan. And maybe that's it, the moment the man finally notices her, his white eyes glancing at her softly as he holds her arms, pushing her away gently. Eryx can't hear what he says, but he can guess by the way Sevan's lips move. ''You're quite clumsy'', his tone is probably rude and cold, but that is just the setup of his character.
As a way to soothe his own mind, Eryx checks the likeability chart again, seeing how the 0% of the heroine didn't even move, maybe that wasn't it, maybe he didn't really notice her, or perhaps that is a lie, that number is a mask of his own feelings.
Even if Eryx knows the system has no reason to show him fake numbers, what can he do when the life of his whole family is at risk? Can he really trust this mysterious system?
The heroine hangs around for a while more, but once the students start to disperse towards the dorms she has no choice but to leave as well. When only the members of the Students Council remain near Sevan, that's when Eryx gets up from his spot and approaches him, again it takes the man a couple seconds to recognize Eryx. Maybe he's one of those people that are face blind?
"Eryx, you waited" he points out, his tone is monotone and his voice is like a whisper in the wind, almost melodical. His white eyes are serious as he turns to talk with the other members accompanying him before turning to Eryx again. "I already thought of a solution for you".
"That was quick", Eryx says, holding onto the rim of his own uniform's jacket, he feels awkward now that he's supposed to romance Sevan, not that he wasn't before, after all even if he knows he's gay, he never even kissed someone. Or at least if he did, he was high enough to not remember it.
"Yes, we do have other gay students, after all we're not a small Academy", Sevan makes a gesture for Eryx to walk with him towards the dorms, he does so without hesitation. "However, considering your family, and what your brother told me, I think you'll be taken advantage of if put on with the wrong roommate".
What did Milo tell him? I mean sure he's not completely wrong but how gullible he thinks I am?
"I'm not sure what my brother told you, but I'm not a complete pushover", he mutters, Sevan glances at him for a couple seconds as if saying not even you believe that with his eyes.
"Since Mr. Algeo requested me to keep an eye on you, the most logical way to solve this conundrum is…", they arrive at the dorms building. "By being your roommate", he completes as he grabs a pair of keys from his pocket.
In this moment Eryx does everything he can to not smile. After all, being roommates with Sevan is the easiest way to become closer to him. Thank god, Eryx thinks, simply nodding so that he doesn't give away his own feelings.
They start walking towards the dorms hallway, "Dating is a natural process of growing up, however partaking in sexual acts in the Academy is strictly forbidden, so please keep this in mind going forward. I can't forbid you bringing other guys into the room since there's no rule in the Academy rulebook on being gay, but I would be grateful if you kept the other rules in mind". They stop in front of the dorm room number 33 and Sevan unlocks the door.
The room is simple, small, but seemingly cozy. There are two single beds, a small window, two desks and two wardrobes, everything in different tones of brown. Close to the door there is another door that Eryx opens to see a small bathroom.
"We have our own bathroom?" He questions.
"That's because members of the Students Council sometimes end activities after the shared shower room is closed, so we all get rooms with bathrooms." Sevan answers, grabbing one of his bags and opening on top of the desk. From it he removes a few papers and other utensils. "I'm rarely in the room, but my hours are erratic, so don't even think about trying to bring someone here thinking you'll get lucky".
Oh, fuck, Eryx thinks, if Sevan is rarely there so what good will do being his roommate? Maybe I can join the Students Council, I remember that being a choice in the game. The thing is, what would Eryx do there? He's not exactly good at administration or anything like that. Maybe I could sit in a corner and play the violin for them, he thinks bitterly, diminishing his own abilities.
"Which roles does the Students Council require?" Eryx asks, there's no harm in trying.
Sevan stops and turns to look at Eryx, his white eyes show no emotion. "Are you interested?"
"I don't know, I'm not really good at many things so I don't know how much help I can be" he states sincerely.
"Well, we're in dire need of a Treasurer, Teacher mentioned you won a couple math awards", contrary to his eyes, his words show eagerness, as if he was waiting for Eryx to offer himself. How much did Milo talk about me? He wonders.
"Well, yeah, I won a few national and local awards, but nothing too impressive", he says, sitting at his bed, his heart pounding. Eryx was always good at math, it came easy for him, his first award was when he was 5 and then every year he was 1st or 2nd place on the National Math Olympics, however perhaps due to his bad friendships he was always told his achievements were not impressive, and it got so engrained in his mind that no matter how good he is at something, he'll never be good enough, for his friends, for his family.
Even when his brothers said they were proud of him, there was this voice inside his head telling him that they were just lying out of pity.
"You mean the Math Olympics?" Sevan asks, leaning on the desk. Wow, he's really pretty, Eryx thinks as the sunlight reflects on his white eyes, mesmerizing, like a diamond.
"Yeah, I think I won 10 out of the 14 I took part in", he says, scratching his hand, feeling it burn as he starts to feel uncomfortable. I should've stayed quiet, now he'll think I'm pathetic.
Sevan frowns. "Why are you speaking as if you lost?"
A sigh leaves Eryx's lips. "I just don't like speaking about those awards, they're just childish…"
"Childish? Who told you that?" His words sound cautious, but his eyes remain cold.
"Well, it's just something silly to make children feel better, you know? Humans don't really care about these things" Eryx says, his eyes on his feet.
"The National Math Olympics are dual-race, you went against humans and vampires, and at least by what I saw in my schools it is quite the big deal" Sevan says honestly. "I wondered why I never heard about the winner, it makes sense since you were a human". He continues, analyzing Eryx's expression. "Vampires are quite prideful. You should be proud of your achievements, it's not everyone that can win 10 out of 14 Math competitions".
He isn't sure if Sevan is being sincere or just saying that to make him feel better. Either way, Eryx has a hard time believing him. "I can try to run the Treasury if you don't have anyone better".
"I doubt anyone here or even in the country ever won that many math competitions, so I don't think there is someone better". Sevan says, searching for something inside his bag. "You can have a week trial along with the introductory week if you'd like".
"Sure".
Eryx pauses.
"Can we date other members?" His words are slow and cautious, he doesn't want to risk losing likeability points, but he should ask either way.
Sevan stays silent for a moment, he seems surprised by Eryx's question, yet he doesn't show in his expression. "It's not forbidden, however, is that your goal by joining?"
He is unsure of what is the right answer in this situation, he was fine with telling Kitsu about it because he wanted to test the waters, however Sevan seems to be a bit more strict with these subjects. But, what's the point of pretending to be studious or interested in something else when his whole life for the next few years will be dedicated to finishing quests and surpassing the heroine in a romance game, then his goal is, at the end of the day, to romance someone.
"I spent 19 years trying to turn, I forgot to live, you know", he says without looking at the other. "So of course one of my goals at the Academy is to find a boyfriend". You, if possible, he completes in his mind but doesn't say a word.
"Why?" Sevan asks, "Is romance something that important in someone's life?"
"Did you never date someone?"
"I never saw the need to". Sevan answers almost immediately.
Eryx can't help but look at the man in shock, "Not even desires?" He can't help but ask.
Sevan ponders. "I do feel attraction towards others, if that's your question. I just never felt the need to have a relationship".
"Didn't you ever wonder how it would feel to be wanted? Desired?" Eryx can't properly understand what Sevan means, and he can't help his own curiosity.
"Sure, but I dedicate a lot of time towards my studies and extracurricular activities, so I just pushed such things to the back of my list," Sevan says. "Graduating as a competent Architect is my priority, so I can let dating for the future."
"Don't you think you'll regret not enjoying your youth in the future?"
His question seems to make the other wonder, maybe he never talked about this with someone else, or perhaps he's just taking Eryx's conversation seriously.
"I never thought about it like that, I should research more about this subject before giving you a proper answer", Sevan grabs his phone, writing something in it before turning to talk with Eryx again. "I have a meeting now, we can talk about this again later, you can come to the Students Council's room tomorrow after lunch and I'll show you around and show you how most of it works."
"Oh, sure", Eryx says, feeling a bit awkward by the sudden answer of the man.
The other leaves and suddenly the room is way too quiet, for the first time in 19 years, Eryx has no one barging into his room to talk with him, and he can't hear the faint voice of his brothers in the background. He's alone. And he isn't sure if he likes it.
It'll be like this for a good part of the next three years, he thinks to himself, closing his eyes and laying down on his bed. The past 24h were so chaotic that he can't help but fall asleep once all the tension he's been holding up suddenly goes away.