A World Anew

The sheer scale of this place was incredible. My eyes finally rested on the woman in front of me, she was changed, different. Her hair was no longer raven black, it was a shade of red; crimson like blood. Her skin had darkened slightly, like that of a lighter complexion than her usual porcelain pale.

"What happened to you?" taken aback by her sudden change of appearance.

"My usual form draws unneeded attention, it is not ideal for our current circumstance," her usual cadence was still there, so it was certainly her, "now come along, we have much to do."

I follow her through the hustle and bustle of the crowds that drowned the streets; I finally took a look at everyone, they weren't normal. Beast-folk with fur covering every appendage; humanoid creatures with pointed ears, creatures with green skin, some that are smaller than knee height. A complete array of completely mythical creatures... What had I stumbled upon?

"Do not dally child, stay close, lest you be lost to the crowd." the woman continued to beckon me closer to her. I think I saw a slight smirk, but who knows, this woman seems to have no emotion, must've been something my mind conjured. I stayed close behind her, this new world had opened from the cabin, I know that much is true, but how? There was magic where I was from, but no one truly could utilise it. However, here it seems like it's a part of every fundamental procession. 

The woman took a turn past a group of fur-laden humanoids into a shop. I looked up at the sign, it had a yarn and thread on it -- a tailor, surely.

She steps up to the counter, "Two sets of uniforms for the academy, please." 

"Two sets?" I ask, my eyes perusing the shop interior, it was covered in cloth, hundreds of hangers with different types of clothing on display. 

"One for summer, one for winter, child." 

I nod my head in acceptance of her answer, "Ah, right. By the way, what's your name? I never asked."

"All in due time, child."

She always called me that, child. It didn't irritate me at first, but now it grew into something I disliked, it was demeaning, even if she was my so-called saviour, it does not give her the right to belittle me. "I am no child," I finally bite back "I have a name."

She turns, her gaze fixed upon me, my spine shudders at the very look she exudes, "Do not talk back, child, as for your name, I will dictate that soon too."

"Dictate my name? What are you talking about?" I couldn't seem to speak too loudly, perhaps in part due to being in public, or perhaps it was something else influencing this, regardless, this store was quite popular after all. My question was met with silence, the tailor brings out the uniforms. They were nicely wrapped up, no wrinkles on any piece of cloth there. The woman took both of them and then handed the tailor what seemed to be two gold coins. Strange, we didn't use gold coins back home.

She pivots and walks out of the shop, she doesn't even look at me, but I know exactly what she wants me to do, follow. I stay behind her as we meander through the streets, my eyes dart around, I haven't had a chance to see such a wonderful place before in my entire life. My life had consisted of a dingy village, rustic in nature, and full of death. This place seemed like the complete opposite, lights covered the street, even in daylight I could make out what these signs said that hung so valiantly in the sky. They were not tethered to anything, instead they opted to fly around in a singular general location that complimented what they were signalling towards.

The woman finally comes to a stop, it was a large wooden building; the building itself was normal to me, that comparison stopped when I had looked at it with more focus. The building's edges were coloured in jade, the door frame with rubies, the pillars of wood were etched to seem like columns of a grand mausoleum. A sign that floated above, casting an ethereal light that read;

'Forsten Inn.'

She wasted no time and entered, the innkeeper seemed to know her; it seemed weird at the time, how she was in a disguise and yet people recognised her, she had the entire place fooled completely. I wonder what they would think knowing that she was a vampire. Were they also treated harshly in this seemingly new world too? She took a key from the innkeeper and continued upwards, climbing up the stairs and reaching a door, where she opened it and sat down on a stool. She pointed her finger to the stool ahead of her, urging me to sit down. The clothes we had gotten from the tailor now rest on the bed.

I enter the room and close the door behind me, something I had learned from my years living in a relatively dangerous place. My legs buckle and I land on the stool, facing her, my legs stick together, awaiting for her to speak.

"As I mentioned before, you will be going to the academy. The name of this institute is 'Inevire Academy' it is the greatest, most accredited institute. To enter, you must pass an entrance exam, and you must pass, for those who do not, die."

"Die? What kind of school is this?"

"One that puts power above all, now here are a few rules that are imperative that you follow.

First, never mention that you were sired by me, do not even mention the Nevere clan.

Second, do not be influenced by the folk that attend this place, you will be alone, and your 'peers' would rather see you dead than alive to take their credit.

Third, you will be given a new name, as the old you, is dead now." Her monotony just buried the words deeper into my psyche, I had so many questions, but I knew that she would withhold the answers from me.

"What are you?" 

"Something better left unsaid, but as a token of my trust in you, dear child, I will give unto you my name," her face shifted, an otherworldly glow encompassed her entire being and she went back to how she was when we first met. "I am Morgana, do not mention this name to anyone, for it will surely spell your demise. Keep it close to your heart. I do not wish to see you dead child, quite the contrary, actually. I want you to cultivate your power, but I cannot mentor you through this. Vampires must do this alone."

"What about the old world?" I still missed my mother and Darius so much, Morgana must have answers about them.

"The worlds are both one and the same, it is simply the veil that keeps you from seeing this world. A thin veil that I have scratched away for you. Do not fret, your friend, your family, they are safe. However, you do not have the power to reach them right now, they are much further than you think. Think only of gaining strength. Only through strength will you be able to reach your goals."

"But you seem powerful enough, Morgana. Why can't you help?"

"It is against the laws that bind this world, now, for your new name. So you may be reborn as one of my own, officially."

She utters a few words in a language completely unknown to me, my legs give out, my torso keels forward and I find myself before her on the floor.

"Arise, Gian, newly found child of Morgana Nevere."

The weights that had bound my body to the floor lifted, and me along with them. 

"Now go, for you have much to do, have no fear, Jeon. For I do not abandon any of my children, you will meet children from different vampire clans, different species altogether. Focus on becoming better, you are a new-blood, you are weak. Go."

I take one last look at her, "next time, you will tell me everything."

She nodded her head, she understood my confusion, but I could not understand her insistence on keeping everything away from me. Alas, I am a new-blood, and now I had to forge my own path to power. I change into the uniform and sling a linen bag over my shoulder, holding the very top closed.

Inevire Academy, here I come.