(Silver's Pov)
I woke up early on the day of the Vampire Ceremony, probably because I was excited.
But why did I dream about Marcus last night? I can't exactly remember it, but it wasn't a good dream.
I should probably visit him after I finish moving into the Academy Dorms.
Well... I guess it's time to start getting ready to head to the hunting grounds.
After cleaning myself and eating, I headed to the Academy.
Scarlet Academy was the place where the ceremony would take place and where we would spend our time after becoming Vampires, until we turned 20.
***
"Wow... So this is the famous Scarlet Academy. It's as fancy as they say, not to mention huge," I said to myself, looking at the massive structure in front of me with awe.
I entered through the front gates of the Academy and headed to the back where the hunting grounds were.
"Okay, is everyone here now?" Professor Muland asked, marking through our names in a notebook.
Did they just wait for me to arrive?
"Now, I'll explain what you need to do," he said, placing the notebook on the table behind him.
"All of you will have to hunt Thorned Rabbits, one of the weakest known monsters, and kill them. You all know what to do next, right?" he said, looking straight at me as though testing if I knew.
"Yes, sir," the group loudly answered, myself included.
"And bring the horns, they will indicate how high you scored." He said while removing a glove.
"Then the ceremony has officially begun. Now go, Newlings, go hunt!" the professor said, pointing his index finger upward and firing two consecutive high-level Air Bullet spells into the sky. The spells collided and created a loud noise, signaling the beginning of the ceremony.
We all rushed into the forest. We were allowed to hunt multiple Thorned Rabbits—the more you captured, the higher your score would be.
I decided to set up a small camp in the woods where I could make a trap to capture a Thorned Rabbit. They were known for being fast, but also incredibly gluttonous, so I used that fact to my advantage.
I built a box-like structure using sticks and cloth, which I placed on the ground with a piece of meat inside. I attached a string to the door that I could pull to close it anytime. Then I waited in a nearby bush until a Thorned Rabbit fell for my trap.
I waited for at least two hours.
Until...
Finally, one entered the trap. I quickly pulled the string, and it got caught inside.
Finally! I've caught one.
So, this is what they look like. It'll probably be painful to get impaled by the sharp horn on its head.
I better stab it from behind.
So, I just have to kill it now and absorb its magion to become a Vampire, right?
I went to my bag and took out the dagger I had brought from home. The teacher did tell us to come prepared, after all.
I pointed the dagger at the Thorned Rabbit. It was still eating—truly as gluttonous as people said it was.
"Sorry, little guy," I said, proceeding to drive my dagger into its flesh.
It felt almost like stabbing a pillow full of hardened muddy water...
Wait...
That can't be right. When I pulled out my dagger, the rabbit's whole body became full of thorns.
The thorns were then fired at an extremely fast speed toward me. I tried to move out of the way, but I was too slow.
Luckily, I put my arm in front of my face; otherwise, my whole face would look like a cactus.
"Phew, that was close," I sighed in relief before inspecting my arm.
Thankfully, only my arm got hit. The trap it was in blocked most of the thorns.
Argh, but it hurt, and I felt a burning sensation where the thorns had hit me.
I probably shouldn't take the thorns out yet. That would just cause my arm to bleed.
So... that's why it's called a thorned rabbit.
The creature was finally dead. Were the thorns just a last-ditch effort to injure me?
Well, I should probably start the ceremony now before the magion dissipates.
I put my hand out toward the rabbit's corpse and focused on sensing the magion inside it.
Yes, I sensed it—this golden light resembling thousands of threads was magion.
Magion was the essence of all; everything possesses magion. It could be classified as the life force of a being, also representing the amount of power they hold.
I began to absorb it into my body through my hand.
I shouldn't rush. I need to absorb as much as I can. Slowly... Let it spread through my whole body...
Badump.
My heart started to beat fast—extremely fast and loud. I felt weak.
Badump.
My body was burning—no, it was more like the inside of my body was burning.
Badump.
"What's happening... My eyes," I screamed in pain, putting my hands over them and crouching on the ground.
Badump.
My eyes began to burn... but it was more painful than anything I'd ever felt before.
Bad...
What just happened?
My heart... did it just stop? Am I going to die? Did I mess up the ceremony?
My eyes... I feel dizzy... My vision is fading...
When I opened my eyes again, I was in a strange place.
An open field full of grass, with a giant tree standing in the middle of everything. The whole atmosphere felt clean and clear—I had never seen such a beautiful place.
"Did I really die?" I said, looking around, my face full of anxiousness and panic.
Then... does that mean this is the afterlife? I can't believe I really just died.
"Damn it!"
I screamed, feeling regret, despair, and anger at myself for dying so easily.
"Child, you are not dead."
I heard a soft, soothing voice speak.
"Who's there?" I yelled, fear spreading across my face. I couldn't even imagine what kind of being had just spoken.
The voice carried an unimaginable amount of magion, but oddly enough, it wasn't overwhelming.
"Don't be scared, child. I shall not harm you."
The beautiful voice calmed me somehow, even though I didn't know why.
"Who are you?" I asked again. This time, I spoke calmly instead of yelling.
"Go toward the tree," the voice said.
I walked toward the big tree in the center of the field.
As I reached it, I felt my entire body flood with magion. I felt energized, more alive than ever before.
"Look up," the soft voice instructed.
I looked up and saw a small figure sitting on a tree branch. It almost looked like a fairy, but there was something different about her—something I couldn't quite define.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, far more so than anyone I'd ever seen—even Emily.
Maybe... she was the most beautiful being in existence.
"Where is this place? Is this the afterlife?" I asked, clenching my fists and hoping it wasn't.
"Do not fret, child. This is where you will receive your magic."
"What? Really?" I said, collapsing to the ground and sighing in relief. So, I wasn't dead.
But what was this place? I clearly remembered passing out.
Does that mean all of this is just in my head?
"Press your hands on the tree, and you shall receive your magic," the fairy-like girl said with a faint smile.
I placed both my hands on the tree, feeling magion leave my body and enter the tree.
Suddenly, three orbs fell from the branches—one white, one purple, and one dark blue.
"What are these?" I asked, intrigued by the orbs that had just appeared.
The tree hadn't had anything on it before, but when I touched it, these orbs seemed to bloom.
"Those orbs contain your magic, Silver."
"Really? All of them?" I exclaimed, my face lighting up with excitement.
Yes! I'd gain three types of magic! Only a few in the entire world possessed three types of magic.
But... how did she know my name?
"If you absorb the magion in these orbs, the ceremony will be complete," she said, watching me carefully.
I began with the white orb. Its magion felt fast yet slow at the same time—a paradoxical energy.
Next, I absorbed the purple orb. Its magion felt as though it was there... but also not there, like it existed on the edge of reality.
Finally, I absorbed the blue orb. Its magion was cool and refreshing, washing over me like a gentle tide.
"Congratulations," the girl said, flying toward me. "The ceremony has been successfully completed."
She was tiny—so small that she could fit in the palm of my hand.
"Here, this is your Race Gift. Accept it," she said softly, her smile kind, before gently kissing my forehead.
As soon as her lips touched my skin, I began to feel dizzy. The last thing she said before I passed out was:
"Remember... Sei and Ei."
***
When I woke up, I was back in the real world. The cage with the dead Thorned Rabbit was still in front of me.
I felt incredible. My senses were sharper, my eyesight better, but there was something missing.
I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but still, my body felt undeniably better than it had before I passed out.
What excited me the most, though, was testing what magic I had gained.
Now... how was I supposed to do that again? What was it called? Sei?
So, I just need to close my eyes and say the word "Sei," right?