BLOOD ACADEMIA
PROLOGUE
A little girl was running through endless woods.
Panting heavily, she could see wisps of clouds as she breathed in the night air. She had no recollection why she was there, and why she was running. All she knew was that she needed to escape as soon as possible before.
Who was she running away from? Who was behind her? Her mind was a total mess. Her heart was pounding heavily inside her chest.
But then, just as she was starting to see another town from afar, someone leaped from above and blocked her path. She yelled in shock and horror as she stumbled backwards, falling into the thick mat of snow below. The girl landed with a thud.
A low growl came from the front. She raised her head and saw the creature who chased her all the way to the edge of the town.
A look of true horror plastered across the girl's face when she beheld the monster. Standing several feet above her was the ugliest creature she had ever seen: a beast that looked like a pastiche of disproportionate flesh. Blood and saliva dripped from its cavernous mouth filled with large, sharp teeth.
The monster grinned sadistically and reached its arms out to her.
Before the terrified girl could even scream, a gigantic arm fell into the snow, followed by a splash of dark, dirty blood. Then, she heard an agonized cry somewhere. No--it wasn't somewhere, it was from the monster in front of her.
Everything happened so fast. The monster was slashed to pieces by an invisible blade. The next thing the girl knew, its huge head rolled on the snow and stopped right beneath her feet.
She looked at it with a mixture of horror, relief, and awe.
"Are you okay, Miss?"
The girl looked up and saw a handsome teenager standing in front of her.
"You really shouldn't go wandering around, especially when it's starting to get dark."
She looked at him with her mouth agape, not daring to speak. How could this young, skinny guy who barely looked like a child herself kill this huge monster?
But when he reached out his hand to help her get up, she took it. The boy gently helped her get up.
"Should I help you find your way home?"