บท 15: Vampire ranks

The learning room was once again filled with the cadets, their faces reflecting of fatigue. The grueling training sessions had taken their toll, leaving the young recruits physically and mentally drained.

Some of them still bore the shock of what they had witnessed on the courtyard—a scene that had left an indelible mark on their hearts.

Bran, in particular, wore a troubled expression, the weight of a friend's loss etched into his every feature. His hand came down upon his knee with a resounding thud, a gesture of frustration and helplessness. "I couldn't do anything," his eyes seemed to say.

Wanzi, their instructor, entered the room with his customary air of calm authority. "Today," he began, "we will revisit the ranks, for the white caps have arrived at our academy."

In the background, Lola followed her mentor, struggling to carry a sizable book. She eventually managed to place it upon the table with a noticeable sigh of relief.

Lola, her eyes searching the room, finally located Alfred. A rush of warmth and embarrassment colored her cheeks as their gazes met. She tentatively raised a hand, giving a slight wave.

Alfred, sprawled wearily across his desk, could barely summon the energy to keep his eyes open. The hunger gnawed at him mercilessly, and he muttered softly to himself, "Dinner."

Lola's wave went unnoticed by Alfred, lost in his own world of fatigue and longing for sustenance. Her pout was evident as she withdrew, her disappointment palpable. "Fine, you jerk," she muttered under her breath.

Wanzi, comfortably reclined in his chair, "Tod your eagerness earned you that today's lesson will represented by you." His eyelids drooped lazily, and he added, almost as an afterthought, "While I take a nap."

Tod couldn't hide his enthusiasm. His glasses were perched firmly on his nose, and his usual confidence was back in full force. He beamed and strode to the front of the class, smirking as if he held all the secrets of the world.

"First, let's start with the ranking of the vampires," Tod began, his voice brimming with newfound vigor. He glanced at Alfred, who had stirred from his half-slumber. "Alfred, wake up; you need to listen the most."

Alfred rubbed his tired eyes, attempting to shake off his drowsiness. "Oh, the lesson already started?"

He spotted Lola and greeted her with a smile. "Hi, Polly," he called out, his smile widening as he waved enthusiastically.

Lola, swept up in the moment, allowed her imagination to run wild. In her fantasy, a more handsome and charismatic Alfred dramatically swept back his long, blonde hair, casting a seductive wink in her direction. Her cheeks flushed with a mix of bashfulness and ecstasy.

Unable to contain her emotions, Lola turned away from Alfred, her face a deep shade of crimson. Her thoughts raced as she whispered to herself, "Ah, I can't take it. He will have my babies."

Tod, the self-proclaimed intellectual of the group, cleared his throat with a hint of self-importance. "So," he began, attempting to impart knowledge to his weary classmates, "a newly turned vampire is referred to as a fledgling. They possess more power than a regular human but lack control over their regenerative abilities and supernatural powers. Essentially, they're driven solely by their insatiable hunger. Think of them as being somewhat akin to our dear Alfred here."

Tod couldn't help but chuckle at his own jest, but the rest of the class greeted his humor with an awkward and puzzled silence.

It took Alfred a moment to catch on, but once he did, he erupted into raucous laughter. "Good one, nerd," he declared.

"Well, thank you," Tod responded, his gaze shifting briefly to Layla, who remained unresponsive to his jest.

He sighed internally, realizing that humor might not be his strongest suit. "Awkward," he thought to himself, "You're not a joker, just shine with your intellect."

Tod continued with his explanation, "The next rank is juvenile. Their hunger is slowly dying down, so they have time to learn about their abilities. This stage can last a couple of years," he continued, attempting to steer clear of any more jokes, especially ones that might provoke Layla.

Just as it seemed like he was making progress, Tod ventured into treacherous waters once again. "Just like our Layla learning about... becoming a woman..." he trailed off, his voice loaded with fantasizing.

A shocked hush fell over the classroom as all eyes turned to Layla, awaiting her reaction. Her expression one of disgust, and her voice icy as she addressed Tod, "Do you wanna die?"

Alfred, never one to miss an opportunity for humor, burst into laughter once more. "Good one again."

Tod's face flushed with embarrassment. He lamented internally, "Oh no, she hates me now and wants me to die."

Yet, his mind betrayed him as it ventured into a different territory. "I wouldn't mind dying by her hand, resting my head on her lap..." He inhaled deeply, seeking solace in the air.

Meanwhile, Wanzi, the instructor, was unfazed by the ongoing classroom drama. His fatigue had apparently caught up with him, and he continued to doze soundly. "You're doing great, Tod," he mumbled drowsily, offering his encouragement from the sidelines. "Keep going."

Tod cleared his throat, forcefully pulling himself back from his fantasy world. "Then we have the normal vampire that everyone knows," he continued, his voice returning to its usual informative tone.

"With age and the consumption of blood, they grow stronger and stronger. So, the older they are, the better it is not to mess with them. Then there are the ancients, who were gods to humans a long time ago. We've only faced a few of them, and their tales have been recorded in our codices."

"Adding to that, there's a mythos among the headsman that speaks of an even more powerful being than the ancients—the Alpha. Supposedly, the Alpha was the first vampire, but we don't have any concrete proof of its existence. Only a story that gave birth to that mythos, when a headsman expedition group's remains were discovered, with nothing left but clean-licked bones and clothes. One of them managed to leave a message written in his own blood that spelled 'Alpha.'" Tod continued.

Bran, though still carrying the weight of his friend's death, seized an opportunity for humor. "Well, one thing's for sure, they didn't see you," he quipped, a faint smile breaking through his somber expression.

The class erupted into laughter.

"Okay, calm down," Tod urged, however, nobody seemed to be listening to him. He glanced around the room, noticing that even Layla had a smile on her face.

Frustration etched across his face, Tod raised his voice, shouting, "I said, calm down!"

Rather than heeding his plea, the laughter only grew louder. Even Layla couldn't help but smile.

"Teacher, the class doesn't listen to me," Tod complained, turning to Wanzi for support.

Wanzi, roused from his slumber, pursed his lips and fixed the class with a stern gaze. He drew in a deep breath and let out a loud, piercing whistle that carried across the room, striking a massive gong mounted on the far wall.

The gong's resonance was deafening, and the sudden noise prompted everyone to clap their hands over their ears in reflex.

As the reverberations subsided, they gazed at the gong, which had been pushed deep into the wall, leaving a noticeable crater.

Alfred stared at the remarkable sight for a moment before shifting his gaze back to their teacher, Wanzi, who had already returned to his peaceful slumber.

With a simple instruction to continue, Wanzi returned to his peaceful state, seemingly untroubled by the noise he had just created. "Continue."