Recruit’s Excursion

Inside a lecture hall, a multitude of students were seated—this included Layla and Mia, who sat several rows down from the back. At the front of the room stood an elderly man before a wooden podium.

He appeared to be in his late 50s, with short, spiky gray hair, a short gray beard, and blue eyes that appeared to be filled with wisdom. Despite his elderly look, he gave the impression of youthfulness, as though he were in his early 20s.

"Good afternoon, recruits! I am Professor Lee!" Professor Lee smiled. "Now, how many of you are excited to learn a bit more about this world?"

It was their first theoretic class about the history of vampires and the world that came into being because of it. Also, in this class, they would learn about the beginning, long before vampires and demons alike invaded Earth. Many students were excited; however, that wasn't the same for all. Others considered it pointless: this won't make us stronger! What's the point? Who cares about history?

Those were the consensus thoughts of those who thought this class was pointless.

Well, Layla, on the other hand, didn't consider this class pointless, nor did she desire to learn about history. The reason was simply that Layla had already been taught about the world from being a slayer in her past life and her lessons from Camilla, which detailed the vampire side of history.

"Recruits, I know theoretical knowledge might appear boring or pointless to those who deem this class to be meaningless. But I assure you, if you pay attention enough, you'll surely find the class a bit more interesting and meaningful than you presume."

The recruits kept their silence; his words gave no proof, so, naturally, many didn't believe him, while some did.

"So let me begin by asking all of you. What is life before vampires?" Professor Lee inquired, his wise eyes scanning the class. "Your answer doesn't have to be correct; just make an attempt. Oh, Miss Anna, would you like to give it a try?"

"Humans once dominated the Earth."

"Correct, but not entirely. That was a good try, Miss Anna; you may sit down." He said and turned his back to them, "Yes, it was true that humans once dominated the Earth…"

"But there is more to it than that. Humans were the most intelligent, imaginative, adaptable, and resourceful species in the past, long before the Earth was invaded by vampires."

Professor Lee continued, "At that time, humans numbered in the billions and nearly covered the entire world. Ruined, barren land wasn't a common place, and instead there was beautiful green scenery with a bright blue sky."

As he spoke, the recruits grew more shocked, and they started to whisper amongst themselves. It was clear to some that they once dominated the planet; however, the majority, specifically those who didn't have a background, couldn't believe they once dominated this world.

The whispers quickly made the classroom loud, and Professor Lee quickly gestured for them to calm down. It was a good thing that they were excited to learn something they'd previously thought would be pointless, but whispering amongst themselves would only cause chaos and nothing else.

"It looks like you're ecstatic to learn about history. Good, excellent even. It makes this class even more enjoyable for everyone wanting to learn. Haha." Professor Lee smiled, stroking his chin. "I'll ask you, why wasn't Aether ever employed before the invasion?"

The entire class was silent. It appeared as if no recruit had an answer to his question. All they knew was that they couldn't use Aether without the use of etheric tools; however, a hand did go up after a small sigh escaped Layla's mouth.

"Yes, Miss Layla."

"Firstly, humans, at the time, didn't possess any etheric technology, nor any other methods of channeling or the Aether palace, which stores Aether. Secondly, aether on Earth before the invasion was too thin for humans to sense or utilize it, which is why they used the element of electricity to power everything instead of what we use now, Aether."

"Precisely, Miss Layla! Before the invasion, there was no such thing as Aether, and vampires were only considered a myth; however, we've forgotten the history before the invasion; it's been long forgotten over time." His face turned sour but reverted to its earlier smile. "Enough of the sad talk. For the last hour and a half of the class, we'll be beginning with the invasion."

He began his lecture on the invasion with the day the catastrophe struck a century ago. It was just a normal day, and nothing unusual was happening. People went about their daily lives when suddenly it happened...

The skies tore apart across the seven continents, giving those who saw it a sense of the world ending; however, not a soul ran as their eyes locked onto the tears in space, shocked. As the tears grew, pale, otherworldly hands clutched onto the rift's edge, pulling them further apart—it was then that the first vampires emerged from the rift, their beauty immediately attracting the eyes of them all.

This was followed by the endless vampires, who spread outward, attacking any and all humans in sight. Some of those bitten were turned, while many died. Cities were destroyed, followed by vegetation as the continents changed to fit the progenitors. Animals in North America turned into demons, called "shadow demons," while others followed suit, becoming demons matching the progenitors' attributes.

This wasn't all; the vampire invasion brought a mutation to the world—the world grew several times its size due to the overflow of Aether from the rifts, and in doing so, it brought a mutation to the Earth's natural metals. These metals channel the aether smoothly, giving humanity hope and a way to fight back.

~~~

Professor Lee was correct—well, for almost all of them—when he said the longer they'll listen to him, the more interesting the lessons will become. The hour and a half since he began the invasion was spent as if it were a minute. The class ended so quickly that it left them eager to learn more, even though Professor Lee did not do much but simply talk.

In the end, it might not have helped them in their growth, but they knew a lot more of their origins and enjoyed learning something that didn't involve combat or slayer duties. It felt a little refreshing to see something new for the first time.

"It's unfortunate, but the class has ended; we'll continue with my lecture in two days." Professor Lee smiled. "The class is dismissed."

After history class was over, it marked the end of classes for the day, and they made their way back to their dorms; however, that was shortly interrupted by a feminine mechanical voice on their wristwatches.

[Recruits: Layla and Mia. please report to the chairman's office.]

"I wonder what he has in store for us." Mia voiced both of their thoughts as they headed towards the chairman's office. "Maybe it's a mission?"

~~~

Upon arriving before the chairman's office, they knocked and were quickly welcomed in with a warm smile across the chairman's face, who was seated across the desk, wearing his fancy black suit.

"First, have a seat!" He gestured for them to sit in the two chairs before the desk. Once they took their seats, he continued, "I'll get straight to the point. I've called you two here because of a recruit excursion coming up in less than a week, where all the recruits will get their first-hand experience in battle fighting demons, and I'll like for you two to go, not as recruits but as temporary slayers."

"Your duties are fairly simple, which are to ensure the safety of the recruits and make sure there are no casualties. You'll have the same status as the professors, but it'll be temporary, and you'll go along with the professors so as not to be pressured if a problem does occur." Nixon smiled, and his eyes met theirs. "So... do you accept? I'm not going to force you, but I believe you're perfectly suitable for this! And if you're unable to decide, I'll give you until the mission to do so."

"We'll do it!" They answered with a smile at the same time.

"That's good to hear! I'm glad you two chose to do it." Nixon sighed—he was relieved to hear that they agreed, and immediately at that. "You can return to your dorms now."

"Yes, sir!"

Heeding his words, they returned to their dorms to find Eve and Leia waiting for them. As Mia went into the kitchen to make dinner, Layla seated herself comfortably in the middle of her bed and pulled out her Aether circulator before turning it on. Naturally, as a vampire, she didn't need an aether circulator to cultivate her aether inside her and increase it; however, she used it to conceal the fact that she could manipulate without the use of etheric tools.