*One week later*
The students gather around the notification board for the upcoming mock battle. Sephiram squeezed his way to the board to see what was posted.
"Just as I thought. Classes Beta to Mike are only applicable to the mock battle."
"And our class is excluded? What a bummer." Sephiram flinched in surprise to see Ian and Mark standing beside him. "Yo, Seph! It's been a while!"
"You scared me, Ian!" Sephiram regained his composure. "And Mark too."
"You haven't hung out with us lately." Mark pouted. "So, how was your trip with Anissa last week?"
"We're fine. Actually..."
They went to the farther part of the schoolyard, as Sephiram told Mark and Ian about the prior events last week.
"I see," Ian said in a low voice to avoid their conversation being overheard by other students. "So, you are the man with the mark of the lilies. Did you tell Mina about it?"
"Not yet. I was debating myself first if I tell you guys or not since I wanted to keep this information to myself."
"Come on, Seph!" Mike flings his arm to Sephiram's shoulder in a friendly manner. "You're still our friend! We vowed to each other since we were children that we would protect you the day you learned that you are the man with the mark of the lilies!"
"Mark..."
"And I suggest that you should tell Mina about it," Ian added, crossing his arms. "She would be worried and left out if you didn't tell her that."
Sephiram went silent after he heard about Ian's suggestion. He doesn't want to get his friends involved after he learns the truth before the events last week. As he explained to them earlier, it was a long debate whether he should tell his friends or not. Mark's recalling of fulfilling their promise as children somehow ended his hesitations.
"Thank you, guys." Sephiram smiled. He was lucky to have many friends. The two guys shared his sentiments as well.
*
After their first period of class had ended, Sephiram searched for Mina in the swarming crowd of students. "Mina!"
Mina responds to his call. "Oh, Sephiram. What's wrong?"
Sephiram ran towards her. "There is something I want to tell you about. Can we go to the rooftop garden?"
"Sure."
*
"What is it that you are telling me about?" Mina asked him when they reached their destination.
Sephiram took a deep breath. He doesn't know if it is the right thing to do but the person in front of him must know. He looks at Mina seriously. "Mina, did you know the story about the man with the mark of Fleur-de-lis on his left shoulder?"
"Yes, I said that story to you when we were children. It's about the man that was sought after by the Vampire God for 300 years and he was dead when he found him throughout the years. It was just a fairy tale to keep us behaving when we were younger."
"Mina, that 'fairy tale' that we heard of is real." He placed his hand on his chest. "I'm that man."
Mina was shocked.
"It happened last week when Krishna invited me to his estate," he explained to her. "There, I found out that I was the reincarnation of the prince of the Lilitus Kingdom that was destroyed by the Vampire God 300 years ago. At first, I didn't believe that because I knew that they were situated on the mainland, but after I touched the weapon that belonged to the prince, it all became clear to me. Sooner or later, Ci- the Vampire God will know that I'm here in Libertas and they will launch an attack. So, Mina will you still consider me as a friend after all of this?"
Mina thinks about this thoroughly.
She and Sephiram had been very close since they were kids long before they met Mark and Ian, and she knew about the mark on his left shoulder since she saw it herself. She thought the tale of the man with the Fleur-de-lis on his left shoulder was only an old fairy tale told by her grandmother to keep the kids in line.
But now, it has proved to be accurate, and that person is in front of her.
The man she had longed for.
"Seph," she hesitates to speak her opinion out. She was afraid. Afraid of the possibility that the Vampire God will take the man from her due to a reason that only he alone could explain.
She hung her head, thinking what she would say next. "I don't know what to say. I'm...overwhelmed immediately when you say that to me."
"Mina..."
"At first, I thought to myself 'You're lying. There is no way that he could make this up to stay away further from me'. Then I realized, 'What if you said was all true?' So," she lifts her head and looks at Sephiram with a gentle smile on her face. "I will protect you, both as a soldier of Libertas, as well as a friend."
"Mina..." Sephiram was fortunate to have Mina as his confidant. He knew he did the right thing telling her the truth. He approached her and gave her a tight embrace. Mina was shocked by his action. "Thank you." Mina embraced him back in return.
Unbeknown to them, Sasha hid in one of the walls of the garden, overheard the entire conversation, and decided to leave before the two noticed that there was someone else on the rooftop.
*
"Ah, it's you, Vidal. What can I do for you today?"
"All right, Sliversnow. Will you explain to me what I have heard from Davis himself?" Sasha demanded as she found Krishna at the library. The latter was taking a book from the bookshelf for him to read. "So, you overheard everything. I knew that you would find out about this sooner or later." He smiled.
"I'm only following orders from the principal to make sure that no one will tell this to Sephiram. And now you've ruined it." She grabbed the man by the collar, causing the book he was holding to drop on the floor. "How will you fix this mess now?"
"Do you think," Krishna looked at her thoughtfully. "All of us here will keep this from him. Sooner or later, the Vampire God will know his exact location and by the time that happens, it will be too late. It's better to tell him sooner than later."
Sasha lets him go. "I don't know what you are trying to achieve here but," she took one step forward and gave him a threatening look. "One wrong move or you'll face me. I don't care if you're the heir to the Sliversnow clan or an important figure but in here, I'm the boss here, understand?"
Krishna straightened up his ruffled collar. "Of course." he bowed. "I'll understand."
"Good" she steps back. "The next class is about to start at around 5 minutes. I don't want any of my classmates to be late." And by that, she leaves him alone.
Krishna picked up the book he dropped and put it back in its rightful place. He looks at the departing Sasha. "Still hasn't changed. You are still as bossy as ever."
He picks another book without looking at its shelf as he looks at the retreating Sasha and sees an image of a woman like her, only wearing a military uniform instead of her school uniform. "Lieutenant Sasha Elias."
Yes, he remembers his past life clearly.
Krishna at first shrugged them off as mere dreams, but upon taking Sliversnow's traditional ritual of taking the weapon of his ancestor as well as his meeting with Sephiram, it now became clear to him who he was in his past life.
He was Krishna Sliversnow I. The founder of the Sliversnow Clan, the leader of the semi-primal beast rebel forces that contributed to the Beast Lord's downfall.
And the confidant and right hand of Prince Sephiram von Lilitus, the prince whom Sephiram's past identity is.
He opened the book despite knowing that he would not read its contents. 'You may have currently been getting what you want, Cicero.' He thought, referring these thoughts to the Vampire God. 'Yes, you did help us seal the Beast Lord, but if there's one thing that we, the Lilitus Elite Force will be standing in your way, we will not be handing His Highness over to you.'
*
The class went smoothly as he expected. Sephiram felt relief when all the heaviness in his chest had been lifted, knowing telling his friends about what he had learned last week was the right thing to do. He gazes at the window, looking at the scenery before him.
The city is surrounded by mountains with a barrier placed upon which serves as a protection against vampire attack. These factors bring humanity to live in peace for 300 years. He wondered: What if this peace wouldn't last forever?
His thoughts were cut off when the professor announced that the Class dismissed and left the room. Westeria passed by the leaving professor as he entered the room and placed the file he was holding on his desk.
"May I have your attention please?" All the students stopped what they were doing and did as he said.
"As you all know, there will be an upcoming mock battle in the following weeks." He looks at the class. "And you know that this Class is not included in this event."
"May we know why we are not included in the mock battle?" Marcus asked.
"Upon what happened in the supposed to be your mock battle, the principal and the military evaluated your abilities and skill. And they concluded that from now on, you will be taking real-time missions."
Cheers erupted from the whole classroom.n
"Yey! A real battle!"
"Finally, I can polish my skills now. I'm getting rusty!"
"Hope I can make it back alive."
"However!" Westeria added that the noises began to die down. "Not all of you will be taking one mission at once. By that, we will be assigning you specific missions. From logistic tasks to subjugating vampires outside the city. The mission will be handled by yours truly."
"Aww, I thought all of us would be taking subjugation missions!" Fred whined.
"And here I thought you would be crying over that you would not be taking part in the subjugation mission," Misty called out to Fred. "What a crybaby."
"Say that to me on my face, pipsqueak?!" Fred roared.
"Ha! Now who's talking? At least I am confident in my abilities, unlike yours."
"Why you-"
"ENOUGH!" Westeria shouted at the top of his lungs while slamming his hands on the desk in anger. "I'll dispatch both of you to the Logistics Department if you don't stop!"
Fred and Misty stop shouting at each other.
"Now," he continued. "Your first mission is to subjugate the vampires that are stationed outside the city. According to reports, these vampires are stationed in the mines and used as dumping sites. The humans sent there consist of traitors and rebels. The scouts that are dispatched to monitor the situation returned and found out that it's getting worse every single day. So, the President has no choice but to act before the third millennial anniversary, therefore, we will send a small group to go to the mines, kill the vampires in that area, and rescue the captive humans." He looks around the class. "Any objections?"
No one responded.
"I take that silence as none." He took out the file that was lying on the desk and flipped the pages. "I now call out the names of the students who will dispatch in this mission."
"Wait wait wait! We are not prepared for this!"
"Please not me, please not me!"
"I'm scared…"
Westeria sighed at the scene in front of him. The class is in disarray as they prayed/hoped that they would/would not be called.
"I'll start with Misty Hestia." Misty looked at Fred with a smug look on her face as her name was called. Fred only clenched his fist and gritted his teeth in irritation.
"Marcus Chanttel." Marcus slumped his shoulder as he was called.
"Lena Titus." Lena raised a fist bump in the air.
"Krishna Sliversnow VX" Lena puts her hand down as Krishna smirks at her.
"Ingrid Leblou." Ingrid only fans herself.
"Ciel Sirius." Ciel only straightens his sitting position.
"Ryan Tessalonica." Ryan only cowered in his desk in fear.
"And finally, Sephiram Davis." Sephiram turned his head when his name was called.
"The rest of you will be on standby. For those who are called, wait for further instructions from your assigned supervisor for this mission. Now, class dismissed!"