A large island far away from the mainland has been seen. If you look at it from a bird's view, you notice that the mountains formed a perfect circle, and you will see plains and rivers inside it. From a bird's perspective, it is only a deserted island.
But when you see it further, the plains and rivers enclosed in the mountains are only camouflage.
Because inside the "plains and rivers" view, lies a metropolitan city. A city where humanity's last bastion resides.
Libertas. A hidden city within the mountains. The mountains surrounding them became a perfect hiding place for humanity, away from the vampires that persecuted them. There, people can enjoy their lives freely and create their futures and ideals without fear. They have their government, culture, and set of rules that lasted for three centuries.
The people of Libertas are aware of the conditions of their fellow people outside the island and its current state thanks to the Vampire God's rule. In order to hide the city from above view and avoid being detected, a technology called "Muffula" creates a large barrier surrounding the city, making the island look deserted and untouched. With Muffula, people don't have to fear the vampires hunting them down.
But the government has plans to fight the Vampire God. To kill the vampires, they crafted weapons called the "Solaria", from ores that shine in the sun and can be wielded by soldiers and cadets that the government trained to kill the vampires.
These cadets attend the Libertas Military Academy and there, they learn the world's history, the Vampire God's threat to the world, humanity's lost freedom...
And the man with the Fleur-de-lis mark.
The Government and the people of Libertas believed that this man would save humanity from the Vampire God.
And unknown to them, one man in Libertas is born with the destined mark.
*
A 19-year-old boy is in front of the mirror before wearing his glasses and putting in his blazers. His short, dark blue hair was carefully combed before setting the brush down. He looks again in the mirror and takes a deep breath.
"Okay." He said to himself. "This is your first day at the Academy. Don't be nervous."
"Sephiram!" A woman's voice called for him from below. "Breakfast is ready!"
"Coming, Mother!" Sephiram answered and left his room.
*
Ms. Davis, Sephiram's mother, called out to him in the dining room when she heard her son going down the stairs. The two have been living in their tiny but cozy home for years, not knowing the whereabouts of her second son's father, while her oldest son from a different man (who passed away from an uncurable illness when her oldest son was seven) was away on a mission. Ms. Davis saw her son entering the room, wearing the uniform of the academy which consists of red pants, a white blouse that is tuckered under the red blazers that are buttoned nicely, and a red necktie that is tuckered under the said blazer. On the left side of the blazer is the Academy's logo, which is the white lily with a sword thrust it upward.
"I can't believe you are now entering Libertas Academy." Ms. Davis said, teary-eyed. "My only son, grown into an independent young man."
"Stop embarrassing me, mother," Sephiram said, blushing. "I'm only 19 and still growing."
"I know that but eat your breakfast first before going." Ms. Davis said as she got the remote control to turn on the TV before sitting down for breakfast, which consisted of eggs and bacon. "I wonder what the news is today."
'The Court has passed a new law that enables the youth to choose their career in the future. Meanwhile, three months from now, the Government of Libertas is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the nation's founding and how the city is still safe from the vampires' invasion thanks to Muffula.' The female newscaster reported.
"It's almost 300 years, huh?" Ms. Davis said. "Luckily, we are born in this city or else we will be livestock to the vampires."
"Is life outside Libertas dangerous?" Sephiram asked while eating his eggs.
"From what I have been told by my grandma, people there are living in fear every day." Ms Davis explained. "The Vampire God has abducted people for his food and sexual desire. A certified hedonist, if I call it."
Sephiram continued eating his breakfast, thinking about the people outside Libertas suffering under the Vampire God's rule. He is thankful that he was born in Libertas where he can live his life freely.
"Now finish your breakfast or you will be late from school, young man!" His mother snaps out of his thoughts.
Sephiram was shocked by his mother's voice. "Yes, Mother!" and hastily ate his breakfast in a hurry. After eating, he stood up, rushed to the door and hastily put on his shoes. His mother followed him.
"Son?"
"Yes, mother?" He said while tying the lace of his shoes.
"Make sure that you do not show that birthmark on your first day of school," she advised in a worried voice.
Sephiram stopped what he was doing and touched his left shoulder with a deep thought. He has had this birthmark ever since he was born and throughout his life, he was told to hide it.
"Yes, mother. I know that." he smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Then he pecked his mother a kiss on the cheek. "I'm out now!"
"Be careful!"
*
The city is bustling with people on one sunny day. People who go to work and come to school through their cars and bicycles. Sephiram crossed on the other side alongside other people who were crossing as well. As he walked his way towards the academy, he saw a girl with blond hair fashioned in a braid wearing the academy uniform which consisted of a red and black checkered short dress with a red blazer and a black necktie. She also wore stockings that were below her knee. Like him, the logo of the Academy is located on the left side of her blazer.
The girl noticed Sephiram and waved at him. "Seph! There you are!"
"Mina!" Sephiram ran near to her and ended up huffing when he reached her. "I can't believe you will be enrolling here in this Academy."
"Same to you." Mina giggled. "So, shall we walk together?"
"Sure."
As they continued walking, they saw students wearing the same uniform walking to the academy as well. They decided to blend in with them.
"Seph?" Mina suddenly asked him.
"Yes, Mina?"
"Have you ever imagined what life would be if the world didn't descend into chaos?" She wondered to herself.
"What do you mean?"
"It's almost 300 years since the Vampire God conquered the world," Mina said. "While we are hiding here, living freely; people outside Libertas are suffering from his rule. Not only that, but he also sought after a man that has the Fleur-de-lis mark for unknown reasons." Then she looked at Sephiram, who had a scared expression on his face.
"Come on, I'm kidding at the last part!"
"It's not funny, Mina. That's my birthmark that you are talking about." Sephiram retorted. "But it's only a fairy tale, right?"
"It's only a fairy tale! I'm sure others have the same mark as you have."
'I wish that was only a fairy tale.' He thought to himself. 'Ever since I was young, I was plagued with nightmares. And I was in those nightmares, and they felt so real that I wanted to wake up and forget about it.'
*
"Listen up, you newcomers!" The Vice Principal's voice echoed throughout the auditorium where all the students were gathered for their opening ceremony. He is a short but fat man in his forties with a white mustache. "Drill this into your heads and memorize it in your memory: you are humanity's last hope so do your best and don't let those sons of a-"
"Language, Vice Principal." The principal, who is a calm old man in his fifties, scolded him as the students laughed at the scene, making the Vice Principal blush in embarrassment.
The Vice Principal cleared his throat. "As I said, you are humanity's last hope! We won't let our fellow people outside our beloved island suffer from the vampire's rule! Be proud that we are human!"
"I can't believe that Vice Principal is such an idiot," Sephiram muttered to himself while facepalmed.
"I think he is stressed due to his hypertension." A boy with short blond hair agreed with Sephiram. His brown eyes filled with mischief. "And there's more: I heard that the principal's daughter is here at the Academy."
"Making gossip again, Mark, and - what? You said the principal's hot daughter is attending the Academy?" Another boy with black hair asked Mark.
"Yeah, and she's the top notcher of our batch. Ain't that wacky?"
"Mark, stop making gossip. I will not cover you if you're in trouble." Sephiram scolded Mark. He turned to the black-haired boy. "And you, Ian. Stop flirting with every girl you see."
"Even Mina?"
"Ian, for the love of everything that is Holy, stop."
"These guys are making a scene." A short-haired brunette girl said to Mina as they watched Ian try to pluck Mark's spiky hair but was restrained by Sephiram.
"At least, Sephiram is the sanest of them, Carol." Mina sighed.
*
As the students went on their way to their respective classrooms after the ceremony ended, Sephiram, Mark, and Ian approached Mina and Carol. "Are you guys being in the same class?" he asked.
"Yes, we are. And you and the two troublemakers are in the same class as us, Fleur-de-lis boy." Carol said.
"Carol!" Mina scolded her friend. "Have the five of us made a promise before not to call Sephiram that?"
"Whoops!" Carol covered her mouth and turned to Sephiram. "Sorry, Seph."
"Apology accepted." Sephiram forgave her. "But I don't know how long I will be able to hide this birthmark of mine," he added as he placed his hand on his left shoulder, where his birthmark lay.
"Have you found a way to get rid of that mark?" Ian asked.
"I don't know if there is," Sephiram answered. "You guys knew that I was born with this ever since. Also, we knew that we heard some stories that the Vampire God sought the man with this mark for 300 years."
"But all are ended up in failure, right?" Mark then patted his back for comfort. "Come on, Seph! It's just a fairy tale! I think the Vampire God has been found that person outside Libertas!"
"But according to what my great grandfather told my grandma, he killed those people posed as that guy," Mina said. "For 300 years, many humans impersonated that guy to get to his graces, but the Vampire God cannot be fooled by them. He slaughtered them like animals."
"Well, that's the price of impersonation!" Mark laughed.
"Yeah, and it's not helping on my condition, and we are late in class!" Sephiram said and began to run for the classroom. His friends followed suit.
Little did they know that a pink-haired girl who was in twin tails listened to their entire conversation.