Two days after the false breakthrough, Milas could be seen strolling across the compound of the school with Asher. There were no more investigators and the guards that would normally hang around the academy entrance were diligently patrolling.
A few students could be seen moving around but the numbers were low even though the sun was setting. For vampires, dawn and dusk were some of the best times to go for a walk. It was the only time when the sun was bright enough to warm them yet not too much that it became uncomfortable.
The low numbers could be explained by the fact that most parents decided to homeschool their children after the incident. They had lost trust in the academy's ability to protect their offspring but even then, there were a few who still came back.
The students who had returned had varying expressions. Most were jittery and on edge while others were pretty much normal. Milas could tell that the ones who acted normal had most likely not encountered any trouble. They were somewhat afraid due to the reaction of the others but that was it. People never really appreciate or fear something till they experience it for themselves.
Then there was a third group. They were the ones who took the brunt of the attack. They had faced death and somehow survived with their sanity relatively intact. There was a coldness that hid in their gaze. A coldness that was as deadly as a sharpened blade.
In some, Milas could see a murderous glint. These were the ones who had probably taken a life for the first time and gotten over the trauma that accompanies it. Turning to Asher, Milas' expression couldn't help but twist. He thought that he had figured Asher out long ago but he wasn't sure anymore.
' How can he be so normal after what he went through? He basically saw me die and now I'm alive yet he doesn't even change how he acts around me. But I can't exactly expect the same guy who sacrifices a limb just to land a hit on his opponent to be normal. I have to be wary of him. Something seems off about his behavior.'
Even though Milas thought this, his face remained the same. Maybe the greatest irony was that Milas didn't even realize how little the life of another meant to him. The day he killed the old lady who had nursed him back to health, he had run for fear of punishment. Even to this day, Milas didn't feel the burden of guilt on his shoulders. He only felt regret for losing a place to stay.
Even as they walked, Milas continued to plan his escape. He had come up with multiple plans but he faced a major problem that was difficult to solve. Milas could forge as many ideas as his brain could produce but his own nature prevented most of them from being viable.
He could deny it as much as he wanted but Milas knew that he was neither a planner nor a schemer. He rarely did things unless the situation demanded it. Even his fighting style was more of reacting to attacks and countering. He would only strike first if the opponent was weaker or to provoke them into striking. To put it simply, Milas was lazy but his environment never gave him the chance to indulge in his laziness.
Milas snapped out of his thoughts when Step showed up out of nowhere and latched onto his arm. To this, Milas could only shake his head. Ever since her parents made her come back to the academy, she had stuck to Milas like a shadow.
Asher gave Milas the same look he gave him the first time this happened. Milas was aware of the way the situation might look to others but he didn't really care. He just couldn't see her as anything more than his sister. Even though his arm was buried in the crevice of her ample chest, Milas found nothing sexual about it.
Looking down at her, Milas couldn't help but realize something. Step was actually quite short. He never really thought about it but she could barely reach his shoulder and he wasn't that tall. Turning to Asher, Milas couldn't help but frown. Sensing the gaze, Asher met Milas' frown with a raised eyebrow.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"You're taller than me."
"What's your point?"
"I was taller than you when we first met. How are you taller than me? And don't tell me that you've had a growth spurt cause it's only been a few weeks."
" It's a ghoul thing." Milas waited for a few moments before he realized that Asher didn't plan on saying anything else.
"That's it, that's all you have to say?"
"I thought that we established the fact that we don't have to explain ourselves if it's something that won't affect others." After saying this, Asher completely ignored Milas. Seeing the look that Milas kept giving Asher, Step decided to intervene. She didn't like seeing her friends arguing.
"Ghouls don't have a fixed height and the reason for this is a bit complicated and mostly just speculations. Ghouls tend to get violent and uncontrollable when there's no one to rein them in. So they often fight to establish dominance or at least that's what the history books say since it doesn't happen anymore.
"The only thing I'm sure of is the fact that ghouls use height as a form of hierarchy. The taller ghouls get more respect from the shorter ones which reduces the fights for dominance. As a half breed, Asher shouldn't be experiencing these growth changes but I guess the ghoul part of him must be stronger than the vampire part."
"If It's such a simple thing then why is he so emotional about it."
"He must have his own personal reasons." Step answered with a shrug. Milas looked at Asher's side profile for a moment before strong vibrations from his bracelet caught his attention. Milas was wondering what the vibrations meant when he realized that every other student seemed to be experiencing the same thing.
The illusory screen, that would normally appear when someone taps the clear crystal on their bracelet, suddenly popped up above every students wrist. There was a single sentence displayed but it got everyone moving.
"You have three minutes to reach the first year's hall for an emergency meeting."
Milas along with everyone else who was going about their business paused for a second before heading to the meeting. The first year's hall was an enormous building that was actually quite hard to notice. It's front was plain and it's height, though tall, was dwarfed by the library and the administration building that stood on either side of it.
It was only when one saw the inside that the true scale was revealed. The inside was almost twice as large as the outside and the main colours were black and blue with some splashes of white. On the ceiling, the school insignia of a wolf's head with a sword stabbed into it glowed dimly. The walls of the hall were lined with framed pictures of outstanding first year students of the past.
Milas chose a seat close to the wall on the right with Step and Asher seating to his left. He shut his eyes and his mind immediately drifted to a problem he had been experiencing ever since his false breakthrough. He couldn't meditate as well as he could before the breakthrough. Everytime he tried to circulate blood energy, it would get sucked into his bones.
Milas didn't want to seek help from Van but he had no other choice. He had basically turned the library upside down but there wasn't even a single mention about false breakthroughs. "I give up! What's happening to me? I know that you are aware of it so just tell me what you want in exchange for the information."
" If your bones are devouring your blood energy then feed them till they are satisfied. An idiot could figure this out. Maybe not because you just proved me wrong." Van said before Milas felt his presence vanish.
" Good evening students, I don't have much time so I will address those who are here and let you inform the rest. We are all aware of the incident that occured during the weekend game that led to the death of twenty six students." The principal said as his eyes scanned the seated students. Most hadn't even seen him get on the stage and some were still walking in.
" Investigations prove that the attack was caused by the Crusnix, a group of vampire cannibals that has existed for many millennia. The group fell centuries ago but small attacks like these still happen. The Lord has expressed his utter disappointment at your lack of skill. Therefore, this year's wolf hunt will be done by the academies and not the military. Anyone who tries to skip the wolf hunt will have disobeyed The Lord's orders and will be punished. The punishment is immediate banishment. The Lord's son will also participate and he will also be banished if he returns to the settlement before the wolves are dealt with. You have two weeks to prepare." The principal said before he disappeared from sight. The hall was filled with stunned silence. Even the few teachers who attended had there mouths wide open.
Milas was the only one who was frowning because of something Van had told him.
" You will do everything I tell you to do if you wish to be strong enough to survive this."