Chapter 9 An Urgent Meeting
By the next morning, the whole school had already gathered around the dead body. Students came from every corner of the academy grounds, pushing and squeezing just to see what everyone else was looking at. Some stood on their toes, others covered their mouths in shock. The air was heavy and cold, like everyone was scared to even breathe properly.
No one expected to wake up to this.
A murdered vampire. Right inside their school walls.
The students kept whispering to one another, each voice carrying fear and confusion.
“Thorned Veil… who is that?” one boy murmured.
“Who did this?” another whispered, shaking his head.
“This is heartless… wicked,” a girl said while holding onto her friend tightly.
Some were scared. Some were pretending to be brave. But all of them were confused.
Lyra, Echo, and Hunter joined the crowd slowly. Hunter was trying to protect Lyra from the push of the students, while Echo held her wrist gently. When Lyra finally saw the pale body on the ground, carved face and all, she gasped and quickly covered her eyes with both hands.
“I can’t look… it’s too scary,” Lyra whispered.
Echo placed her hand on Lyra’s back and rubbed it softly to calm her. “It’s okay. Don’t look.”
Hunter looked at the body for a long moment. “This is not normal,” he muttered.
Just then, Kael and the other top five students arrived with Master Gael. The crowd opened a space for them immediately. Everyone respected the top five and feared the Master.
Xavier bent down slightly, studying the wound on the boy’s chest. “Who could have done this?” he asked, turning around to scan the faces of the students.
Nobody answered. Because the truth was, every single person there was just as confused as the next.
A sudden voice came from behind the crowd. “Move,” the girl said quietly but firmly. Everyone shifted to the sides, and a girl walked in.
She was holding a long wooden stick, her dark hair falling straight down her back. She wore all white as usual, calm and quiet, not even looking around. Her steps were slow but confident. This was Azania the blind witch.
Even though she was blind, nobody would ever dare underestimate her. She was powerful. Some said she was even more powerful than Sirena. And even though she never joined the top five, everyone respected her because her abilities were rare and frightening.
Sirena folded her arms and hissed the moment she saw her.
“Didn’t even know you’re still breathing,” Sirena muttered bitterly. She hated the fact that Azania, who liked to stay in her room and mind her business, was still stronger than her.
Azania didn’t even turn her head. “You’re still as senseless as before, Sirena,” she replied without blinking.
A few students gasped quietly. Everyone knew Sirena loved trouble, but Azania was someone she couldn’t bully.
Azania moved closer to the body and went down on her knees. She slowly touched the cold chest, her fingers moving lightly across the carved letters. She said nothing for a long time. It was like she was listening to something only she could hear.
Master Gael stepped closer. “Did you see the killer?” he asked. Everyone watched her quietly. Azania’s powers were well known she could see the past and present just by touching someone.
Azania frowned a little. “I can’t see the face,” she said in a calm voice. “And I don’t know if the person is male or female. But…” she tilted her head slightly, “they are strong. Very strong.”
The students looked at each other nervously.
Kael’s jaw tightened. “The person practices witchcraft,” he finally said.
Juniper sniffed the air a little and nodded. “Yeah… dark magic. That’s why the body didn’t turn to ash. The assassin intentionally wanted everyone to see this.”
Damon folded his hands behind his head. “This is so interesting. Should we be afraid then?” he asked with sarcasm.
A couple of students scoffed at his attitude. Only Damon would say something like that in a moment like this.
Master Gael finally raised his hand. “Enough.”
The students immediately kept quiet.
“Get the body ready for burning,” he ordered. “We will find a solution to this.”
Two senior boys stepped forward and lifted the dead vampire carefully. Everyone watched silently as they carried the body away. The crowd slowly started to break apart, students whispering again as they walked away. Some were scared. Some were curious. And some just wanted to gossip about what happened.
As Master Gael turned to leave, he spoke again.
“You all should meet me at the office for an urgent meeting. You too, Azania.”
They all bowed respectfully as he walked off, leaving the yard silent and tense.
.
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