Infinity in the Void – Freedom in the Abyss

With the instruction of the Principal, John Titor, I jumped out of the window, I didn't break because I'm not that rude, just opened it and leaped out.

"Is she always like this?", I heard the Principal talking.

"Unfortunately, yes. My lady has a tendency to jump out of high places.", Enna replied with a sigh.

Anyway, I landed on the tiles with a roll and some Reverie goo to absorb my fall. Then I quickly retracted it so that it does not ruin the property value of this castle.

I walked with purposeful and steady steps, getting a better look at the whole academy. To my right, there are the dormitories, two whole dome-shaped buildings that are almost as tall as this castle. Then to my left are the buildings made for the specialized classes.

Since some of the subjects are dangerous, none of them are very close to each other.

There is also a stadium— no, gladiatorial pit is more like it... why the hell would there be a ROMAN style gladiatorial pit here?!

Oh, and a prison on the far side too, connected to the wall of the volcano. That must be the place to contain the takeover cases.

Now... my destination is the 20th floor. So a bit more jumping down...

I jumped off the edge, summoning Reverie to make my descent slower. And with Survive's calculation, the 20th floor should be...

"Here.", I kicked the window open, breaking it's hinges at the same time.

I ended up in a classroom, where there are a few students staring at me. I just gave them a nod and left without a word. Oh, one of them took a picture of me. I gave them a wave and a smile.

Now, the Teacher's room. It should be at the end of the hallway... ah, found it, just a door with the label of Teacher's room, nothing fancy over at the top.

I entered, "Hello? I was told to take the psychological test here."

The room has a... round table for some reason, a big one too with 120 seats, and blinders separating the work tables. This placement is... odd.

Of the five teachers here perked up, he was a middle age man with long white hair and beard, and blue eyes like that of a predator seeking it's next meal. For clothes, he wore leather armor of all things, a longsword hanging by his waist.

"Oh! You must be Silver Royal!", he jogged up to me with a cheerful tone.

"Hello, I did say I would attend Ataraxia, correct?", I smiled, "I'm here for the psychological test."

He nodded, giving out a hand for me to shake, "The name's Albert Gerandel, Gem Holder of Jean-Henri Fabre."

"Charlotte Silvi, Gem Holder of Survive, Humanity's Will to Survive.", I gave my introduction.

"It's so great to see you're finally at our academy! Maybe you can bring a new and exciting space to this campus!", he's certainly excited for someone called The Insect King.

With a few more words of formality, he led me to a room connected to the Teacher's Room, a classroom with three people, all around my age and...

I brighten up, smiling. My dear friend is here, after all.

I look at the Asian girl with long black hair and dark brown eyes, who wears a horrified expression on her face.

"Fuck me...", she muttered.

"The evaluation will start in a few more minutes, so go around and chat with your future fellow classmate!", and with that, Mr. Gerandel left the room.

I made my way over to my friend, sitting down next to her.

"Hello, Hoa. It's so nice seeing you again.", I leaned in closer.

"H-Hi, Charlotte... how have you been?", she tried to keep up her smile.

"Everything is going well for me, I got away from my bodyguard and my guardian.", with Athen being sent away and Seria having to deal with all the hate online, "And how have you been, my dear friend."

For some strange reason, her eyes dilated from dark brown to a fiery red, "Oh, everything is going according to plan! I got a few more—"

I put my finger on her lips, silencing her, combine with my sharp and intense azure gaze, I shut her up.

"Quiet now, my dear friend. I will have a good chat with you after this test.", I glance at the other two... who are in their own world flirting and the like.

"For now, let's get onto the test."

After I finished my sentence, the door swung wide open with a kick. It was the same red man I saw while eating breakfast.

"Hello, soon-to-be-students.", he was bored out of his mind, "I'm here to give you your psychological evaluation test, to make sure you don't go all murder murder on the school ground."

He walked up to the teacher's podium, "My name is Alucard Strigoi."

That's just Dracula spelled backward.

"That's just Dracula spelled backward.", Hoa pointed it out before me.

He gave her one look and smiled, baring his fangs, "Congratulation for being the however many people to point that out. Indeed, I am motherfucking Dracula, or Vlad Tepes if you would be so kind."

"Is—", the other boy tried to speak, but he froze on the spot under the gaze of Vlad.

"Yes, I did impale over ten thousand people, alive. I was pretty mad that day so who cares! Everyone must've had one of those days.", he spoke casually for such atrocity. But it was one of those day.

But... Hoa smiled with glee. Well, she's pretty much meeting her idol right now, being a vampire and all.

Also, Vlad Tepes... The First Vampire Lord, Gem Holder of Dracula, the Saint of Impalement. The first and only person to bear a Biblical Gem that is based on himself. It was a surprise to see the King of Romania being a teacher here but what can you do when the country you were supposed to rule is a democracy. Oh, and Romania is the country with the largest vampire population in the world.

He's just chilling around being a hero and all. His situation is kinda similar to Seria, being beloved by his people for defending them countless times.

"Now, enough about me.", he clapped his hands, "Are there anyone here immune to hypnosis?"

Only I raised my hands.

"Fuck... this will be a lot harder without hypnosis.", he rubbed his face with an audible sigh, "Hah... Jesus fucking Christ, it's a pain to do this but could you please answer truthfully for everything I'm about to ask?"

"That depends on how personal they may be.", I answered, crossing my arms.

"Nothing personal, just the reason you went here. Making sure that you aren't planning doomsday or something similar.", he shrugged. Then he clapped his hands, drawing our attention, "Now all of you, I'll put a Silent Spell into the room to protect your privacy. And I had already taken an Oath to not speak a word to anyone about what I hear in this room so no worries."

All at once, everything was covered in an eerie silence... this is... great.

"...", I tried to speak but no words came out of my mouth, my smile widen even more, "..."

It's true! I cannot make any audible sounds!!

"...", I kept going, "..."

Are you... saying swear words right now?

Yes, I am. It won't matter if everything is silent.

Damn~ cheating the system~ I was hoping something would happen~!

Very good, My Lady.

Malice, don't encourage her.

Vlad walked over to the other girl first, leading her out of the silent zone. Asking her a few questions then putting her in hypnosis with a gaze, asking those same questions again.

I can lip reads, so I know what to answer.

Then it was the boy's turn, led by the Vampire Lord. And did what he'd done to the girl.

Next was Hoa, giving the same questions. But I could see that he was more interested in her than the other two. Her round was way longer too.

And finally, me. He led me up to the podium, with a caution against me.

"So, let's start with the basics. Why do you want to learn in Ataraxia instead of going to Libertas in America?", he pulled down his glasses, looking at me with his slit eyes.

"Because Abigail told me to.", it was Issac but whatever, close enough I guess.

"Why would she send you here?", he continued.

"She sent me to Hell as a fun trip. Why would I know what she was thinking in her head?"

He stared at me for a moment, a hint of sympathy from the Vampire Lord was present, "I'm sorry for your loses."

"Your kind words are appreciated."

Nobody knows what Seria wants, except for screwing over Britain, everything she does is an enigma.

"Now, do you have any psychological problems?", he continued to ask.

"Too many to list. Want me to give you a few?"

"...Please proceed.", he gulped.

=0=0=

"...and sociopathy.", I ended the long list.

"You should be in a mental asylum. Not even me, fucking Dracula, have that much!", his reaction was expected.

I'm a whole damn list of problems needing to be solved.

"So... am I kicked out of the academy?", I tilted my head.

"No, but your stay will be longer than others... five or even six years.", he replied, trying to note down every single one of my problems on his phone.

"How many years does it usually take a student?", I questioned.

Vlad proceeded to explain, "Usually two to three years, these Gem Holder Academies have the objective of helping Gem Holders integrate back into society and have the certificate saying that 'You are not a danger to society'. The longest student we have is Okita Mitsuki, she's four years in and is going to graduate in December."

"Oh, I met her. What was she like before?", gotta ask more about that fun person.

"Oh, she picked fights with everyone she came across. She even picked a fight with JC! That girl was pretty wild back in the day. She also became the mascot of Ataraxia for some reason, not sure how or why.", he sank into deep thought for a moment.

"Anyway, to my last question.", his bloodred eyes glowed, emitting a pressure that would make people quiver, "Are you capable of destroying the world if you wanted to?"

Can I? I smiled, showing the devious smile Seria would usually show.

"I certainly can, I have the Survival Instinct of the entirety of Humanity in me.", I touched the black jewel on my chest, "If the world poses a threat to my survival... then that's just unfortunate."

If I have to fight against the whole world, if I am the cause of human extinction... as long as it is for my own survival, then the price is well worth it.

"Do you think you can take on the entirety of humanity yourself?", he narrowed his eyes.

"I am much more capable than you can ever imagine. You would be surprised at what lengths humans would go through for survival. And what I would do for my own prosperity."

"Hmm... this will be troublesome. But at least you passed the criteria, minimal in fact.", Vlad sighed, lifting the silent zone, "Fuck it, you all passed! Tomorrow will be the practical test, go to the Colosseum at nine in the morning, sharp."

And with that, he left the room by transforming into a black cloud of mist. I glanced back to Hoa.

"Can you do that?", I asked.

"What? No, I'm a different—", she shut herself up before going further. She glanced at the other two before getting up to run past me.

Of course, she tried to escape me, but I followed her with light and soundless steps. Exiting the classroom, I see that Mr. Gerandel is not here... anyway, I chased after Hoa.

Hm, she seemed to have vanished. No worries.

I went back inside the Teacher's Room, opening the windows, and jumping out. My world expanded, letting me "see" everything...

Hoa certainly can't turn into mist and escape. But... she can turn into heat and travel at the speed of a heatwave. A rare Vampire race, one blessed by the Madden Flame, or the Living Flame. An Energy Vampire.

Ah, got her.

"You can run, but you cannot hide.", I summoned Reverie, breaking my fall and leaving a hole on the ground as I retracted the goo of imagination to cover my entire body.

A wave of hot air crashed into me, and Hoa reformed in pain as if she just hit a concrete wall.

"Like I said, you cannot escape me, my dear friend.", I smiled, grabbing her hand firmly.

Vampires are humans who are bitten by a species of bat called Strigoi, a human-size bat in fact, and survived the venom of the thing. Sensitive to light, a thirst for raw meat and blood, and with those who can perform magic... well, they can shapeshift into all kinds of animals, and mist too. That's why most Romanian are Vampires, due to an outbreak of Strigoi seven hundred years ago.

Hoa on the other hand, certainly has some drops of Romanian blood in her. I know because I tracked her bloodline down, the techs in Babel are amazing. So the common conclusion is that becoming a Gem Holder must've activated her vampiric bloodline.

Not that I cared, I was just bored so with nothing better to do, stalking and finding everything about my dear friend is a way to kill time.

And I won't let all of that research go to waste. Hoa, you are coming with me.

"We are going to spend some time together, just~ like~ before~"

"Please, Charlotte... I just want to be left alone!", she look as if she was about to cry. But I know, she is just faking it.

"Beg."

Hoa just look at me with wide eyes, "W-What?"

"Beg me to let you go.", my smile widens, "I'm not forcing you or anything, you just need to beg me until I feel like it."

"You are cruel.", she said the obvious, "Why... must I be friends with you?"

"Because I—", I let go of her hand, leaving her confused. Well, there was a teacher coming to check things out.

"What's going on here?", she came with a frown, "You two are..."

"Charlotte Silvi, just having fun with my friend.", I smiled, not even trying to hide my evil deeds.

Let's see... long white hair with strips of black, blue eyes with intense scrutiny. Her chest is... not that large, no, they are completely and utterly flat like a pancake. Even that femboy king Romulus has more of a chest than her. But that white business suit looks nice on her though.

"You...", she clicked her tongue, "You guys aren't even enrolled yet, so please for the sake of whatever deity you worship, don't fight here!"

"I'm an Atheist.", I bluntly said.

"Fuck... how do I deal with this type...", she sank into deep contemplation.

Meanwhile, Hoa had already turned into hot vapor and escaped. Hm, might as well go back.

"Enna, we are going.", I commanded while walking toward the parking lot.

In the next second, my maid landed right next to me, with Charles in her arms. That was certainly an entrance.

"H-Hey! You can't just leave like that!", the teacher yelled at us.

"Of course I can.", I turned back to face her, walking backward. A smile spread across my face, "After all, I am yet to be a student here."

Now, let's go to the safe house, I want to check it out.