Ascendant Path of a Lustful Vampire

Chapter 17: Combat Magic (1)

***

-The Next Morning-

-At Lochxen-

Everything about Lochxen Academy was made in affluence and rich in history. The structure itself had stood for hundreds of years, nurturing talents for just as long, but it was constantly getting refurbished and upgraded and never allowed to fall into disrepair.

As most of (sometimes all) the students within its walls are members of nobility, Lochxen strives to make them feel as comfortable as possible.

The Academy was divided into sections dedicated to each ’Year’, so the First years did not share their cafeteria with the entire Academy. It was just a large space with luxurious furnishings and ambience where they gathered to have their meals.

Kaya was eating while seated opposite a girl whose bright amber eyes were looking all over.

”He’s not here,” the girl said in an almost singsong voice.

”Who?” Kaya asked, confused.

The girl whipped her head around, causing her golden brown hair to bounce,

”Caius Von Helsing,” she clarified, ”He’s not here.”

Kaya blinked and then chuckled,

”He doesn’t stay at Lochxen, Eloise,” she said.

”I know that,” Eloise said with a laugh while rolling her eyes,

”I just wondered if he’d join us. I’m sure he’s allowed.”

”He must be,” Kaya said with a nod but she knew Caius wasn’t going to come.

Eloise raised a fork of food to her mouth and as she chewed, she asked,

”Think he’ll talk to anyone other than you today?”

”How should I know?” Kaya asked with a shrug.

Eloise opened her mouth to say something else when a voice called out to her from about two tables away,

”Hey Eloise, try this roast!”

Eloise and Kaya looked over and the one talking was a grey-haired boy with light blue eyes whom Eloise recognized as Baler Khione.

”Is it good?” Eloise asked with her eyes slightly wide.

”So good,” Baler said and made the gesture of a ’chef’s kiss’.

Eloise was already out of her chair. The roast that had been recommended wasn’t available on her and Kaya’s table so she moved so gracefully over to Baler’s table to grab a piece of the roast.

With a taste, her eyes went wide.

”Oh, gods!”

She spent a few minutes chatting up Baler and the others at his table. The table she would have been sitting at if she had not chosen to sit with Kaya for breakfast.

Speaking of Kaya,

”I can take this, right?” Eloise asked with a gesture to the tray of the roast she had just tasted.

”Of course,” Baler said with an eager nod and after flashing him a beautiful smile that had him flushed, Eloise left with the tray.

As Eloise returned to her table, she smiled apologetically at Kaya for having been away for too long.

”Sorry,” she said.

”It’s fine,” Kaya told her genuinely.

”Try some,” Eloise said referring to the roast.

”Nah. Besides, we have to get going or we’ll be late,” Kaya said.

”What?” Kaya said and looked at the time. Indeed, they had less than ten minutes before the start of class.

She immediately wolfed down the rest of the roast and chased it down with a goblet of juice.

Soon, she and Kaya were walking ahead of the crowd of their fellow students toward the Combat Magic classroom.

When Kaya stepped through the doorway, she blushed at the memory of what she and Caius had done there the day before. She could have sworn she saw patterns on the ground where they had rolled over smacking faces and her face got even redder.

”Are you alright?” Eloise asked with concern.

”I’m fine,” Kaya said quickly and rearranged her expression before looking up at the spectator seats to see a familiar face.

The students who trooped in after Kaya and Eloise also paused and took a few seconds to observe a handsome Caius leaning back in his seat with his eyes directed at the classroom’s high ceiling while casting spells in steady succession.

He never let the spells actually come to being, he just cast their spell circles before canceling the cast to cast another. Like a repeated leisure practice.

Caius seemed to notice he was no longer alone because he looked down at his fellow students, his purple eyes widening slightly in surprise to see them. And then he smiled—a smile Kaya believed would weaken any girl’s knees—as he said gently in greeting.

”Hi.”

•••

The rest of the class answered his greeting and found their seats while Caius felt a bit embarrassed like he had been caught doing something shameful and of course, he hadn’t. Spell practice was common and he wasn’t actually doing it for no reason but rather in preparation for what he knew was to come.

Caius watched Kaya walk over to him, followed closely by a girl with bright Amber eyes and full golden brown hair that stretched past her shoulders to the middle of her back. She was every bit as pretty as Kaya but without the subtle elvish features that made Kaya’s beauty look more exotic.

The amber-eyed girl had the makings of a star. Looking at her, Caius felt like this had to be how people felt when they met celebrities which was interesting because he didn’t know who she was. It was just an aura she had about her.

The girl was smiling at him.

”Good morning,” Caius told Kaya.

”Morning,” Kaya answered and blushed like his face only made the memory of yesterday even more prominent.

Caius’ eyes went from her to Eloise who was holding out a hand.

”Good morning...” he started and trailed off like he still didn’t know her name even though he was developing a reliable guess.

”Eloise. Eloise Nightingale,” Eloise introduced herself, ”Good morning.”

”Good morning, Eloise,” Caius said, ”I’m Caius Von Helsing.”

”Yes. I should know,” she said in a singsong voice and when Caius raised a brow in confusion, she clarified,

”I reminded you of it yesterday at Orientation. Do you not remember?”

And now Caius did.

He had been so focused on remembering who she was by the descriptions in the original story that he hadn’t remembered that she was the first person he talked to when he ’arrived’ in this world. To be fair, at the time he had been very disoriented.

”Of course I do,” Caius said with a little laugh, ”But I was a little out of it at the time.”

”It’s fine,” Eloise said and as the seconds ticked by, she realized she and Caius were still shaking hands and she was not looking away from his face. Specifically his eyes. There was something about them...

And then Caius released her hand and broke the stare connection to free her from the charm he knew was taking hold. She, after all, had to get a seat now as their class was minutes away from starting.

Eloise took a seat on the other side of Kaya who was surprised.

”Eloise, you don’t have to...” Kaya started to say thinking Eloise was here for her benefit.

After all, the group Eloise had sat with yesterday was currently waving her over and she wasn’t going to them.

”No, no, I want to be here,” Eloise said in a sweet voice as she signaled to her ’usual’ seating group that she was going to stay right where she was.

Even as she signaled to them, Eloise was looking at Caius which told Kaya that her friend’s decision to stay had nothing to do with her.

Meanwhile, Caius’ eyes followed Eloise’s signals and saw a grey-haired boy drop his hand now that Eloise had turned away from him. The boy’s eyes met Caius’ and he had a strange expression on his face before looking away.

’Grey hair. Baler Khione,’ Caius identified before he continued moving his eyes to identify the other members of the group.

First, there was the brown-haired boy with warm brown eyes and a cute face. Identifying him was easy by his association with the others at the table,

’Doran Langston.’

And finally, there was the boy with dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He was handsome but the playful smile that was almost always on his face was his most prominent feature.

’Aurelius Du Aristide; The Main character, the Chosen One. The Golden Light. The Apostle...’

Caius wasn’t just tossing out titles and he wasn’t fawning like a fan. Those were just things Aurelius would eventually get called/was already getting called at select locations in the world.

Like he could sense the eyes on him, Aurelius looked over and raised a brow when he saw it was Caius who had been watching him. He didn’t look suspicious. He didn’t look worried or threatened. He just raised his hand and waved.

Caius raised his hand as well and gave a wave in return. His first interaction with Aurelius. And one that, if not properly managed, could lead him to the death he was here to avoid; His own.