Chapter 1: Awakening.

P8. The final question?

After we heard that the final exam would be a question, it left the remaining applicants in relief.

We were asked to enter another room.

Inside this room was just one desk and on that desk was a cage with a bat inside.

“A bat?” I heard the applicants ask.

The bat looked at us and began to speak.

“So you are the remaining applicants,” He said with a high-pitched voice.

Following that the others were confused and shocked to hear a bat could speak.

“It spoke?”

“You heard it speak, right?”

“It… can speak?”

The bat became frustrated hearing those questions.

“QUIET!” He shouted.

Everyone went silent.

“I am not a ‘it’. My name is Cryos and I am an instructor at the academy, “ He said with a firm tone.

It was clear that he took offence to be called an ‘it’.

“Now that I made myself clear I will explain the next step,” He explained.

The applicants gave all the attention they had to Cryos.

“When being called you will stand in this circle,” He said, indeed on the floor in front of him was a circle wide enough for one person to stand in.

“I will ask you the question and if answered correctly you will be accepted at the academy,” He said.

It seemed simple enough but he didn't reveal what the question was, and neither did the instructors.

They made sure to keep it a secret until Cryos could ask that question himself.

I found this both interesting and strange to go to great lengths just to keep one question a secret.

The applicants and I all waited outside the room and one by one Cryos asked one applicant to enter at a time.

Leyla also seemed curious as to what this question could be.

“What do you think the question is?” She asked once again, stroking her chin.

I had no idea, to be honest.

“I guess we will find out,” I said.

As time passed the applicants went inside and came out in excitement as they had all passed.

“I PASSED!”

“I MADE IT!”

“Finally,”

It seemed that the question was not difficult by the fact that no one failed to answer it but when the others who still needed to enter asked what the question was, the people who answered went quiet and chose to ignore them.

“Hey!”

“Tell us!”

Understandably this caused some of them to get frustrated.

My best guess was that Cryos had told them not to reveal the question to the people who needed to answer it.

“Leyla Gilfelia,” The instructor called, opening the door for her.

Leyla looked at me anxiously.

“Good luck,” I told her with a smile.

She nodded her head “Thank you,” She said quietly.

I watched her enter the room and the instructor closed the door.

30 seconds…

1 minute…

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2 minutes…

3 minutes…

The door opened and she came out with a smile walking toward me.

“I passed,” She said with relief.

I saw the remaining applicants looking at her desperately wanting to know what the question was but they knew she wouldn't tell them.

I also didn't ask her since I didn't want to burden her with guilt by her not being able to tell me.

“Next! Ilyias,” The instructor said.

Finally, it was my turn to enter the room.

“Good luck,” Leyla wished with a smile.

I nodded my head in appreciation.

I walked up to the door which the instructor opened.

I walked through the door and the instructor shut the door behind me.

Standing inside the room I walked up closer to Cryos who was inside his cage.

“Stand inside the circle boy,” He instructed.

I wasn't called ‘boy’ in a very long time. It felt strange being called that.

As instructed I stood inside the circle only a few feet away from the table.

“Look into my eyes,” Cryos said.

His eyes? Seems weird for a mere question but I'm not here to judge.

I looked into his eyes and in an instant was surrounded by darkness.

Looking around I was in an endless darkness no light could be seen nor sound could be heard.

“You are in my mind,” I heard Cryos's voice echo around me.

I was inside his mind or rather my mind was, my actual body was still inside the room just like the second trial with the red eyes.

The actual ability of this skill was the mind domain, individuals with a strong enough mind can trap other minds breaking their spirit rather than the physical body.

The stronger the mind the stronger the domain.

“In here nothing can be hidden from me including lies, if you lie about your answer then you will be punished,” Cryos's voice echoed louder.

In other words, if I try to give him a wrong answer or don't mean what I say when answering, then he will destroy my mind.

“Please proceed,” I said, not being afraid of a mere mind domain.

“Very well, answer me this…” He paused.

Let's hear what this mysterious question was.

“Who is the Vampire King?” He asked.

What a question I almost began to burst out laughing.

“The Vampire King you seek is right here,” I said.

“Absurd!” He shouted with frustration.

“YOU DEAR TO TARNISH THE NAME OF OUR KING!” He shouted even louder.

The endless nothing of Cryos's mind was filled with Cryos's avatars varying in size.

“We are many but also one,” They all said at the same time.

They launched magic attacks on me.

I created a magic barrier blocking the countless attacks.

“How could you block that many attacks?” Cryos asks.

“You need to do better than that,” I said.

I created hundreds of magic circles….bolts of lighting emerge from the magic circle.

I used the spell Aeas destroying all the avatars with the lighting spell.

“WHAT?! In this space I am invincible! No one could attack me inside my mind domain!” Cryos said in confusion combined with panic.

“That's what you think,” I told him.

The space began to crack everywhere around us.

“What…what are you doing?” Cryos screamed in fear.

I slowly began to destroy his mind domain with my mind.

“Impossible…Impossible…!” He yelled in panic.

“Time to show you that I am the King,” I said.

The mind domain was destroyed and we were back in the room.

“Impossible. How did you? All that power I felt…” Cryos was not able to ask one question.

“Now Cryos it's time you answer me a question,” I walked up to him glaring down at him.

He couldn't escape from his cage and began to quiver in fear.

“What question,” He asked with a shaken-up voice.

“Who is the Vampire King? I asked him the same question.

He went silent not wanting to answer.

“Let me be clear, my name is Cassius Xeonos, your true King,” I revealed myself to him for a specific reason.

I sensed doubt in the question he asked. I could tell that he didn't believe in Dracula which is why revealing myself to him posed no threat rather than an advantage.

I could get a valuable ally.

“Answer me Cryos?” I said with a firm tone.

Cryos looked at me and then began to lower his head.

“You are Lord Cassius. You have returned after all this time,” Cryos said.

I didn't sense any lies from him so he spoke the truth and meant every word.

“I need to speak with you but it would look suspicious if we waste more time,” I said. It's been 6 minutes since I entered the room which was longer than usual.

“I understand my Lord,” Cryos said.

“Continue the exam as usual, we can find time to speak at a later date,” I told him.

I exited the room.

“Ilyas!” Leyla shouted in worry.

She rushed over to me.

“Did you pass?” She asked with her eyes wide open showing concern.

She must have thought that because I spent more time in the room with Cryos than others, it would mean I failed.

“Of course, I passed,” I replied.

Leyla's concern was quickly replaced with a bright smile from ear to ear.

“Great! I look forward to being your classmate,” She said with excitement.

I felt the same, it's been a very long time since I felt emotions this positive.

During my reign as the King in time of the Tragic War the only emotions I felt were; regret, sadness and pain.

I never thought I could feel happiness again but Leyla proved me wrong.

Thank you, Leyla.

“I look forward to it as well,” I replied.

As time passed all the applicants answered the question Vallerie Tepes gathered all of us outside, she took to a stage addressing us.

“Congratulations to you all! You have passed the enrollment exam! You will be given your uniforms tomorrow morning inside your dorm rooms! Each of you will get a key with a room number which is your assigned dorm! Boys and girls have separate dorm areas! I wish you all a great journey and look forward to seeing your growth! Vallerie shouted.

The instructor walked to us with blue and pink keys.

Blue is for the boys and pink for the girls.

I was given a blue key with the number 99 on it.

We were shown to the dorms by an instructor.

The dorms were located in the upper section of the academy.

After the instructor left I made my way to room number 99.

I unlocked the door with the key and entered the room.

The room was spacious and had a huge shelf, a desk and a nightstand with a lamp.

There was also a separate bathroom.

I lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

“Let my academic journey begin,” I said.

The next day my uniform was hanging outside my door.

The uniform was made out of an orange blazer and pants with a white long-sleeve shirt to wear under the blazer.

Dracula theming the uniform orange was because of my orange eyes, just what was his angel?

I put on the uniform and made my way to my classroom.

Inside the class, I saw the other applicants who all passed the exam.

We were now in the same class.

Leyla was sitting in a place with a free seat.

“Can I sit next to you?” I asked.

Leyla looked up at me.

“Yes please do,”

I pulled the seat from under the table and sat next to Leyla.

“Are you ready for your journey?” Leyla asked.

I turned my head to face her.

“Of course I am…” I said.