"First-tier talent!" Principal Stanley announced in a happy tone.
Bon relaxed his tense nerves. A part of him felt sad that his talent was below his sister's, but when he heard his family's happy cry and turned to see his sister's joyful face, the seed of jealousy that was about to sprout in his heart disappeared instantly.
A disbelieving look appeared on the faces of the majority of the nobles, especially from the Aaron clan.
They couldn't believe that a family with low status would be able to give birth to not only one genius but two geniuses. They threw envious looks at Tibu and his wife who were hugging their daughter in happiness. It hadn't been long since they were granted a noble title, now it was certain their ranks would be greatly elevated from today's result.
Unlike Rosaline and Judi who received origin blood from the Lord of their family, Bon received his from the Count. However, the people were surprised when Count Aaron shared more than three drops of his Origin blood.
It was a huge five!
Ric's face turned harshened. He had been happy about awakening as a first-tier talent, but now he felt overshadowed. Not only did Rosaline surpass him in talent and potential, but even two previous plebians had more talents than him.
He felt humiliated! Even his clan wasn't that proud of his talent anymore.
After Bon, the few Plebian vampires among the first years were called to the stage, however, only one had a good talent, a third-tier talent, and was recruited into the Hayes family.
Unlike the noble students who awakened their dormant bloodline by receiving Origin blood, the plebian girl had no origin blood and was able to receive a drop from a top noble vampire in the Hayes family. However, her fate was decided. In exchange for such a gift, she would have to serve the noble and his family, such were the lives of the plebians. But, she wasn't sad and was instead happy. In fact, the other plebian students threw her envious looks. Her status could no more be compared to theirs from hence forth.
After calling out all the names, Teacher Julian rolled the list in his hand but he didn't leave the altar.
The somewhat noisy hall also became silent.
Several minutes passed yet no vampire moved, neither were there pressing looks on their faces.
Light footsteps drifted into the hall.
The nine lords who stood at the front of the hall suddenly fell on their knees as they spoke respectfully:
"We greet our liege!"
The other vampires followed after them, as they knelt and bowed their heads, "We greet our liege!"
This would be the first time that the majority of them would see their progenitor, as only the lords were able to come in contact with her. Even the Counts, the leaders of the families could only see her on rare occasions.
This time, only Stefan remained standing, as Arlo also joined Joe in kneeling.
Donned in a white dress with complex and intricate designs, Scarlett entered the hall. Following right behind her was Arianne who wore a white suit with matching color as her grandmother's. The suit covered with several black designs hugged her young and slim figure.
Immediately when Scarlett entered the hall, she used her spiritual energy to raise Arlo from his kneeling position, before flashing him a wink. Arlo smiled in response before shifting his attention to Arianne. Arianne who had her snow-white hair tied into a pony tail looked especially attractive to Arlo at the moment. Her cold yet concentrated ruby eyes caused Arlo's heartbeat to speed up. However while Arlo looked at Arianne attentively, Arianne didn't look his way almost as if she didn't notice him.
Scarlett smiled wryly at Arlo who ignored her and continued forward only to stop. Arianne simultaneously came to a stop too.
Scarlett's eyes widened slightly as she stopped before Joe. Stefan who was beside Arlo greeted her but she only replied passively. Stefan wondered why she reacted in such a way but he soon shifted his attention to his little sister.
"Relax, I believe you will do well!" He rubbed Arianne's hair. As her brother, how could he not notice her cold look was to mask her nervousness?
Arianne finally could not hold it any longer but she still didn't want to reveal how she truly felt so she fell into her brother's embrace. Feeling Stefan's gentle rub on her back, her nervousness slowly lessened.
Arlo at the side wanted to say something but in the end, he remained silent. He knew Arianne was angry because of what he said earlier during the day, and he wanted to apologize to her. However, now wasn't the moment. He didn't want to affect her mindset when she was about to undergo one of the most important events of her life.
Scarlett who stopped before Joe gently raised him. Joe was surprised at Scarlett's treatment. His eyes moistened when he thought that Scarlett considered him the same as Arlo.
However, when he raised his head, he noticed she didn't even look at him and instead had her entire attention fixed on the pitch-black snake coiled around his snake.
Scarlett stretched out her hand toward the snake causing Joe to flinch. He was just about to caution her when his eyes widened.
The pitch-black snake which always had its eyes closed opened its starry eyes and rubbed its head against Scarlett's palm.
"I see..." Scarlett's ruby eyes shone as she gazed into the eyes of the snake that seemed to contain countless stars, "...That place is about to open."
Scarlett finally shifted her gaze to Joe, "You have met a great partner. Be sure to treasure her!"
Joe's eyes widened when he heard Scarlett's words. It took him a while to process the meaning as he was mesmerized by Scarlett's transcendental beauty when she smiled.
Scarlett ignored Joe's lost look and instead continued further into the hall, with Arianne following right behind her.
Stefan who looked at his sister's back with a worrying look that was not present before looked at Arlo from the side of his eye, "Are you both fighting?"
Arlo didn't reply and instead watched Arianne and Scarlett silently.
Throughout the small exchange, none of the vampires, including the lords and Evangeline raised their heads for a moment and instead remained on their knees. This saved the majority of those whose faces turned ugly when Arlo and Joe were raised by their liege from being revealed. In particular, Jude, Toon, Count Hayes, Count Cromwell and Lord Cromwell had intense reactions. A calculating look briefly flashed before Count Cromwell's face but he quickly withdrew his thoughts for the moment.
Arriving before the altar, Scarlett's voice drifted into the ears of all those in the hall:
"Rise!"
Principal Stanley and Julian quickly walked down from the altar before bowing respectfully.
Scarlett climbed the altar and Arianne knelt before her.
All the vampires in the hall looked at Scarlett and Arianne with respectful looks as they waited with bated breaths.
"Hahaha!" Scarlett burst into laughter, fascinating not only the lords but even Arianne and Stefan. They knew Scarlett's temperament very well and it was because they were familiar with her that they were surprised to see her laugh.
"Did you think you could hide from me?" Scarlett suddenly stopped laughing and asked with a mocking tone.
Question marks appeared on the heads of all those present in the hall.
It was then...
Two shadows quickly streaked toward the door, however before they could leave, Scarlett raised both her hands and both shadows appeared in her grip. She clutched tightly onto the neck of a dark wolf and a dark-haired boy.
Applying a bit of strength to her left hand, she snapped the neck of the wolf before throwing it beside Arianne.
The eyes of all those present in the hall widened at the unexpected development. The reaction of those from the Hayes clan was especially intense as the boy caught by Scarlett was from their clan.
That is right! The boy caught by Scarlett was the first-ranked student among the second years. Arlo recognized him as the other left a deep impression on him during the day with just his presence.
Scarlett threw a glance at the Hayes clan which was starting to make a fuss, causing them to go rigid. She silenced the hall with just a look before shifting her attention to the boy before her.
"Who gave you the courage to appear before me?"
Peg, the boy caught by Scarlett glared at her resentfully. He had successfully infiltrated the Academy for more than a year, without revealing himself. He was able to suppress a strong dark direwolf and turn it into his life beast. With just the wolf, he was able to suppress his mates so he had never had to fight directly. The others viewed him as a monstrously talented student who didn't have to reveal his strength to dominate his class. He was viewed as a mountain that could never be challenged. Yet at this moment, all his effort went down the drain. How was he supposed to know Scarlett would attend a ritual she rarely appeared in?
He glared at Scarlett and barely choked out some words, "...Evil Lord will kill you...hehe...all hail the evil lord..."
He didn't get to finish his words however as Scarlett crushed his skull with just her pure strength.
His body was covered in darkness and soon after, his corpse disappeared without a trace.
"Let us continue with a ritual!" Scarlett spoke to Arianne. To her, what just happened was insignificant.
"Drink!"
Instead of drawing blood from the pillar, Scarlett gestured to the wolf. Arianne nodded before she took a deep breath.
She unconditionally trusted her grandmother. Her teeth turned into fangs before she tore into the wolf's neck.
*Gulp! Gulp!*
Gulping sounds echoed within the silent hall and soon after...
Arianne's body started transforming. Her snow-white hair lengthened greatly until it reached her heels. Her eyes and nose slowly disappeared as her body slowly transformed into a fearsome monster. What remained on her face was a wide mouth filled with sharp teeth.
Arianne who had been basking in the blood of the wolf suddenly raised her head and released a fierce...
*ROAR!*
The complexion of all the vampires in the hall greatly changed. All the first-year students collapsed on the ground as they coughed blood. Rosaline, Judi, Bon, and the others were included. Some of the second-year students also fell but a majority of them were able to hold on.
All the vampires in the hall could feel their blood rampaging within their bodies. It was almost as if their blood wanted to leave their bodies and flow toward Arianne. In fact, the blood of the first-year students and the few second years rose into the air before congregating above Arianne's head. It was a marvelous sight.
Even Evangeline, one of the strongest in the hall had her head covered in sweat as she forcefully suppressed her boiling blood.
Throughout Arianne's transformation, Scarlett had a wide smile on her usual cold face as she gazed at her granddaughter in appreciation.
The blood that had congregated above Arianne had formed a massive ball about two meters in diameter.
The student's painful groans drifted into Scarlett's ears prompting her to stop her granddaughter's rampage.
Arianne's now massive mouth which was still raised as she roared was suddenly covered with a hand.
The berserked Arianne flinched and went still as even without eyes, she could see the massive presence before her.
Arlo's eyes widened to the limit while Joe fell to his knees as he trembled in fear. He couldn't bear to continue kneeling before the presence that appeared within the hall. In fact, a few breaths later, he fell unconscious from the overbearing pressure. All the first-years and second-years also fainted and only a few third-year students and fourth-year students could barely hold on.
The rest of the vampires who were finally able to control their blood fell to the ground in reverence.
The globe of blood above Arianne had long poured down.
Scarlett's hand covered Arianne's mouth as her body overlapped with the image of a gigantic monster that reached the ceiling of the great hall.
'It is the same as the image summoned by the pitch-black snake!' Arlo thought as he remembered the night in the mountain forest when the pitch-black snake had summoned a creature to save them.
'No!' As he looked at the overwhelming pressure that was radiated by the monstrous image that enveloped Scarlett, Arlo denied his previous thought.
'There is no comparison!'
Nobody noticed the intelligent starry eyes of the pitch-black snake coiled around Joe's neck looking at Scarlett in awe.