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~ Lilac's POV~ _________________________________________________________________________________________________
After having a shower and putting on Orion's t-shirt that came up to my knees, I came outside of the washroom and plumped on the bed. The blanket was really fluffy. My fingertips treaded along its surface, feeling the fabric.
Looking around the room, there wasn't much furniture. But the room was quite big. It had white walls, high ceilings, a simple table, and chair along with a huge window closed by white curtains. Darius and Orion told me they will help set my room up tomorrow. Also, the Academy pays for everything in the student dorms as we belong to a prestigious academy paid by all the rich people in the country. In return, occasionally, they request services from the Academy for solving mysterious cases using their powers. It was a mutual benefitting deal as they took care of all the required finances.
Apparently, this world is similar to my previous world. We are on earth, gravity is present, there are places where mobile phones, tabs, and other electronic devices are used. There are cars, motorcycles, buses, vans, and other types of vehicles that run on magic. However, within the Academy it is useless to have such devices as everything can just be taken care of with the flick of a finger. Also, the internet is useless as we make up a very small percentage of the population and if our powers exposed to the world, many people would try to possess that kind of power. It could prove to be destructive. I wonder in what way my power could be destructive. It is very true that the average citizens of this country do not have any information about the existence of magic.
I learnt a little about the different types of magicians and sorcerers. There were five different types of magicians based on how rare and strong their powers were. People in Class five have some magic powers, but they were mostly limited to people who worked as caretakers of houses and could communicate with animals and magical beasts. Additionally, these animals were all magical beasts who had superpowers. Class four consisted mostly of people who could talk to animals and take care of them. Class three consisted mostly of people who could make amazing potions or could cast protective barrier spells or shields when fighting in battles. For example, The Academy was inside a protection barrier that makes it invisible to everyone except those with magical powers or foresight. Class two consisted of people with strong magical powers who could fight against evil forces. The headmaster, Mr. Gerald, fell in this category. Lastly, Class one consisted of people with extremely rare and strong magical powers that could prove to be destructive in nature.
Additionally, all the legends and myths that we read in storybooks about vampires, werewolves, demons, sirens, and other magical beings were true. They existed in this world. We didn't have the time to discuss more as I was tired and they had to get rid of the scent of black blood on them, something about it being too strong and bothersome.
The floor that we lived on was a part of the upper class, consisting mainly of Class One and Two people. A butler was placed in charge of cleaning, bringing food and other household related concerns. He only showed up when you called out his name. He's dressed similar to the escort we saw earlier. There are a total of three other dorms like ours. Out of which only one has been occupied right now. The other two have been left empty. The Academy had everything here - libraries, spas, cafeterias, clothing stores, electronic shops, studying areas, potion shops, and anything else one could think of. They also have practice grounds which have shields surrounding them to prevent any magic from getting out of hand. The Academy is a city of its own. Further, only people who had a yellow compass called 'vortex' could enter this Academy.
In Ragnarök, there are multiple cities, out of which the main and nearest one is about a ten-hour ride from here. Only nature such as forests and rivers are present around the academy till the city. Magical beasts live in the nature surrounding the Academy. They have had good relationships with each other for a long time. However, if we travel South, there is a 'Dark Forest', where the most powerful and destructive beasts who do not live in harmony with others can be found.
Mental note to never go there unless its necessary. Apparently, that's where I was found earlier. Orion and Darius were assigned a commission to slay the demons there. These demons entered the city a few days ago and caused havoc. Ever since then, they have been eating people in different towns.
The job of the Academy, you may ask. It is to get rid of evil forces. Evil forces include demons, dark sorcerers, and magicians, which follow a force called "The Onyx". No one has found their leader yet. They told me I would get to know the rest later in classes. The first day of classes start tomorrow.
I sighed and smashed my face deeper into the fluffy blanket.
I wonder how mom and dad are doing. Do they know I'm missing too? Would they care? Will they keep a funeral for me too? I shook my head to get rid of those thoughts. I wonder about those words that the headmaster said earlier about missing people appearing here. Would they be here? We had promised to grow up together. I wish I could see them.
A knock pulled me out of my thoughts.
Opening the door, I saw Darius in only a grey t-shirt and sweats. He looked handsome as usual. I blushed clearing my throat.
"Yes?", I asked.
"Were you crying?"
"Huh? No!"
He reached out a thumb and gently wiped a tear running down my cheek. I quickly pulled back and wiped off the involuntary tears with both my hands. I was crying.
"So, you were crying!" He stated.
"I wasn't crying. This is just some dust probably!", I lied embarrassed of being caught.
"Dust?", he asked carefully looking around. Was that anger that flickered through his face? But it went back to the expressionless face. This guy! He really is like a stone. I remembered the name... 'Stone'... was the name of one of my childhood friends. Somehow, Darius reminds me of him slightly.
"Sleep in my bed." He spoke.
He definitely has some screws loose in his brain. "No! I'm fine." I lied; don't you get it?
"Those people usually do not leave a speck of dust. I do not know what that happened. I will call them now."
Just as he was about to call out the butler's name, my arm reached up to cover his mouth.
He looked down at me strangely as I shook my head side to side. "Its too late at night. I do not want to trouble them."
He nodded as he held my small hands in his big ones, closely examining them.
"What did you do in the shower?"
I pulled away my hands from his as a blush appeared on my face. I couldn't get the image of the demon that was attacking me earlier from my mind. It felt like the black blood was present on my hands. So, I scrubbed my hands thoroughly to get rid of the memory.
"Nothing. Why?".
He sighed. "I'll inform them first thing in the morning. Come to my room." He was taking things too far. I just wanted to be left alone.
Seeing the hesitation in my eyes, he replied, "I'll sleep on the couch, you can have the bed."
I nodded my head slightly, as my heartbeat quickened. I followed him to his room, which was just on my left. My room was the center one. There were two rooms on either side of mine. I shared a wall with Octavius, who I haven't met yet. Next to Octavius' room was Orion's room, while the farthest on the left belonged to Mason.
Entering his room, we were met with dark black walls. His bed also had black pillows and a black fluffy blanket similar to the one in my room. A table and chair were present. Photo frames consisting of who I presume to be Orion were present too. He only had a beside lamp on.
"Go ahead!" He went into his wardrobe and brought out a pillow and a blanket. I sat on the bed and slipped under the covers. It smelled just like him. I watched him settle down. He clapped once as the light went out leaving us in the darkness.
Feeling bad for kicking him off the bed, I asked him to come to bed. Anyways it was a huge bed that could very well pass as a king size bed. He hesitated at first, but then after being persistent for a while, he came up.
We both twisted and turned in bed trying to fall asleep, but couldn't.
My eyes had kind of adjusted to the little light entering the room through the edges of the curtain. I turned around to look at him. His eyes were already on me. Was he staring at me the entire time? I gazed at him for who knows how long. The way the moonlight danced across his skin, almost like kissing every exposed bit of it. For some reason, it gave me butterflies in my lower tummy again like earlier. Looking up at his face, he was still staring at me. His gaze was that of a sad one.
"So, what kind of powers do you have?"
I could feel his eyes on me. They kept switching between my lips and eyes.
"Fire."
I gasped. "Fire. That is so cool!"
"It is more of a curse.", he replied taking out his right arm from the blanket and staring at it.
Maybe someone got hurt in the past because of his powers. Gulping, my hands reached out to his and gently brought it down in between us. "In the past, I almost died in a fire, when I was younger."
His gaze didn't shift as he curiously watched every moment of mine very carefully. "But my best friends saved me."
Remembering the incident made me a little happy.
"Are you not afraid of fire?", he asked curiously.
"Why should I be? I was saved by my best friends. That way we became closer." I couldn't help the smile on my face.
"Beautiful!" He spoke.
"Huh?", I looked at him confused. Was he talking about me?
"You are beautiful!". My heart skipped a beat as I stared at him in astonishment. But his eyes only held sincerity. My smile dropped as I looked away.
"Haha, you are so kind to say that, Darius." There is no way he would think a cursed looking girl like me could be beautiful.
I felt the bed shift as he scooted closer to me. I could tell as the heat radiating off his body invaded mine, making my heart flutter. His other hand caught a hold of my jaw and turned me towards him, forcing me to look at him. "You are beautiful." Not a drop of lie was seen in his eyes.
I teared up a little and closed my eyes. "No, I have ugly grey hair, dull blue eyes and sickly skin that shows that I'm cursed."
I waited for him to agree with me, but he never spoke anything. I opened my eyes to see him hold a section of my long hair in his hand as he leaned over me to gaze longingly in my eyes, searching for something.
"D-Darius, what are you...?" He was intimidating.
He placed one arm next to my head to balance himself and kissed my hair while gazing at me with stark red eyes. The moonlight made those beautiful eyes shine brighter than before. I gulped as my body became warmer. My heart started pumping all the blood to my face as a response to what he did next.
"I love your hair; it is like silver that reminds me of the moon glittering over the ocean." He clutched tighter on my long strands of hair. His other hand that was holding him up was on my cheek, gently wiping away the tears. "Your eyes remind me of the deep blue sea. So vast that there could be yet another universe in them." He kissed my dried-up tears as I closed my eyes liking the feeling of his lips on my cheek. He then continued to gently trace his hand down my neck, shoulder, arms and all the way up to my wrist. "And your skin is so soft and rosy, just like Lilacs in full bloom." Looking at my hand with something like adoration, he placed a kiss there too. "Your scent drives me insane Lila!"
"But, most importantly, your soul is what I really love the most." He spoke as he placed his hand right over my breasts.
Every action, every word, and every expression he made, touched my heart like no one had ever before. I wanted to believe him for what he said. He loved my hair, my eyes, my skin, and my soul. No one has ever said anything like that to me. They only cursed at me for the way I look.
When did he get so close? He was so close that I could feel his breath fanning my face. His gaze shifted to my lips as he looked like he was struggling. But, for what? Kiss?
He shifted one of his hands on the pillow and clutched it tightly. His dark red eyes were glowing in the pitch black as his breathing quickened.
"Darius?". His gaze shifted to my eyes for a brief second and then went back to my lips.
Suddenly, his lips were on my neck, peppering kisses. I gasped at the foreign sensation, clutching the sheets in my hands.
"Lila..." His voice had changed to a much darker, deeper, and seemed greedier. My eyes closed on their own accord.
"Your scent is so addictive!". He spoke between kisses as he kissed one spot on the back of my neck that was sensitive making me moan. "It drives me insane!".
I covered my mouth with one hand in embarrassment. But he caught my wrist and held it captive against the sheets. "Do not hold back!" His whispers sent chills down my spine.
I tried not to make the weird noises again, but Darius kept probing in that one place harder, sucking on it and biting it. Soon, I felt something sharp touch my neck, "Darius..." I called out to him as I felt it pierce my skin.
A vampire? With fire powers? Have I ever seen that before?
I felt weak as my consciousness faded into a dream faraway.