The Orientation Hall wasn’t supposed to be far -at least, that’s what Lyra had implied. But destinations had a way of being a lot easier to find when you weren’t wandering a magical university that seemed to delight in breaking the laws of geometry for kicks. Every path felt like it was leading somewhere important, and every turn seemed just unfamiliar enough to keep me guessing. My Sight helped, catching flashes of movement and glowing auras, but it was more like following holographic breadcrumbs than navigating with a GPS.
When you forget to ask for directions, rule number one: find someone else to ask. And besides, I figured my obvious newness might actually work in my favor. People were usually more forgiving when you owned your ignorance.
That’s when I saw her.
Leaning against a wall, scrolling through a floating hologram-like it was the most casual thing in the world, was a young woman of extraordinary beauty. Pretty much like every other girl here. I mean come on, statistically it just wasn’t fair. Her crimson hair spilled over her shoulders in a loose braid, her posture radiating boredom and focus in equal measure as she lounged.
You might ask how I knew what she looked like, and that’s a retrospective narrative -if you must know. I am filling in the details, and it is more compelling than saying she looked like she was made of liquid light. The shape and shades of translucent energies that made up her aura left nothing to the imagination and yet didn’t actually reveal any of the naughty bits.
Actually, that was pretty good.
In front of her was a sleek, tablet-like device -but it wasn’t just a tablet. The image above it hovered, rotating lazily in midair. With a flick of her fingers, the holographic interface shifted, icons rearranging themselves like obedient soldiers. It was like watching Minority Report come to life, minus Tom Cruise.
I no longer had any considerations regarding her potential reception of me.
After seeing the staggering variety of students and faculty around the University -literal angels strolling alongside demons, beastkin chatting with Fae’ri- I realized I’d been worried over nothing. No one batted an eye at me, a newly minted vampire with two supernatural familiars in tow. I definitely wasn’t the weirdest thing on campus.
“Excuse me,” I said, stepping closer. “What is that?” I asked, feigning ignorance.
She glanced up, her sharp green eyes locking onto mine. For a split second, her expression was annoyed, but it melted into intrigue almost instantly. Her lips curved into a smirk as she straightened, the boredom in her posture replaced by curiosity.
“New guy, huh?” she said, her voice lilting with amusement. She gestured to the hovering device with a casual flick of her fingers. “This? It’s a Halo. You don’t have one yet?”
I shook my head, trying to keep my tone casual. “Just got here. Still figuring things out.”
Her eyebrows arched. “Declan Mor,” she quietly declared.
“Yeah,” I said cautiously. “How did you know-?”
“What? Your name?” She laughed, and it was a full-body activity. Declan found himself immediately fascinated with her. He wondered if there was more glamour happening, but a quick glance at his status screen showed nothing out of the ordinary.
“I’m Kalia,” she said, her smirk widening. “Reporter for the school paper. I know everyone. Heard you got in without a proper invitation. That’s… rare.”
I shrugged. “Guess I’m just lucky.”
Kalia studied me like I was a particularly interesting puzzle. Her fingers paused mid-swipe -having never stopped while we conversed- and the Halo froze in place, its holographic image shimmering faintly. “So,” she said, her voice dropping slightly while remaining conversational, “what do you think about the disappearances?”
The word sent a prickle of unease down my spine, but I kept my expression neutral. “Disappearances?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow and keeping my tone light. “I can’t say I’ve heard anything about that.”
Her expression darkened, the teasing edge replaced with something more serious. “Students have been vanishing,” she said, crossing her arms as her gaze locked onto mine. “No one’s talking about it -at least not openly- but there’s a pattern. They disappear without a trace. No warnings, no explanations. It’s been happening for weeks.”
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“Interesting,” I said, leaning casually against the wall while my mind churned. Weeks. That meant this wasn’t some one-off incident. “Any theories?” A genuine whodunit. Not a bad start to my campus life.
I’d been to college before, don’t get me wrong -but it wasn’t for me. Instead, I turned my attention to day trading and freelance I.T. work to make a living. DOGE to the moon baby! That’s my motto.
Kalia tilted her head, studying me again. Her words brought me back to the now, “Plenty,” she said, her voice tight. “But no proof. Not yet.” Her confidence flickered for just a second, a hint of frustration breaking through her polished exterior. “If you notice anything strange, let me know. I’m trying to connect the dots, but no one else seems to care.”
I nodded slowly, letting the weight of her words settle. “Will do,” I said, offering her a faint smile. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
Her smirk returned, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes this time. “Don’t mention it. And welcome to the University, Declan Mor. Try not to vanish.”
With that, she flicked her fingers, and the Halo responded instantly, its holographic interface lighting up with a swirl of colors. I watched her go, my Sight catching the faint trace of her aura -sharp, determined, and flickering with barely restrained energy.
I pushed off the wall and continued on, her words echoing in my mind. Disappearances. Whatever was going on here, it was already starting to feel like I’d walked into something much bigger than myself.
Quest Unlocked: Vanishing Shadows
Objective: Investigate the strange disappearances of students at the University. Uncover the truth behind their vanishing and determine the cause.
Bonus Objectives:
* Discover the source of a rumored shadowy presence haunting the campus grounds.
Threat Level: High.
Rewards:
* +XP (Variable based on progress and discoveries).
* Unique Item: [Unknown Token] (Function: Unknown).
* Access to Restricted Areas (Temporary).
* Enhanced reputation with University factions (Dependent on results).
System Commentary:
"Well, this isn’t your average missing-person case, is it? Looks like you’ve stumbled into the University’s most whispered-about mystery. Missing students, shadowy culprits, and secrets hiding in plain sight -sounds fun, doesn’t it? Just remember: those shadows aren’t always empty. Good luck!"
Accept Quest?
[Yes] [No]
This time I hesitated a moment longer before eventually choosing yes.
On the one hand, it wasn’t really any of my business. I was here for one reason, and one reason only. To find a cure. And I already had a system-backed quest for that. I didn’t need to fall into a digression and potentially stir up unwanted trouble for myself.
Then again, I couldn’t very well leave the innocents to their fates, could I? And besides, I always loved a good mystery.
Smiling in satisfaction at having one more quest to give me purpose, I made as if to start walking towards the Orientation Hall -and froze.
Then I swore -loudly, at myself.
You guessed it. It looks like being supernaturally attractive is a double-edged sword. Because I’d forgotten to actually ask for directions. Again.
So instead I decided to try my luck, I picked a random direction and started walking.
∞
I spent the time as I walked like any other self-deprecating wannabe student, directionless and not knowing whether I made the right choices in life. In other words, I was lost.
…Seemingly hours later, though without a watch, and with a sky that was strangely slow to change -it was hard to tell- I was contemplating how best to navigate the maze of a school. It was ridiculous, the sheer scope of it. I felt like I was lost in the Ways again. Only this time there were no random doors I could try my hand at.
I was still pondering this when Kalia found me again. She wasn’t hard to miss, with her confident stride and that ever-present Halo device floating beside her like an obedient pet. The hologram flickered and shifted as she gestured, each movement precise and fluid. Her smirk widened the moment she spotted me.
“Declan Mor,” she said, sauntering over to me like she owned the place -or maybe just the conversation. “You’re harder to pin down than I thought. I was starting to think you’d vanished already.”
That caught me off guard. It didn’t seem like much time had passed. But I recovered quickly, playing along. “Not yet,” I said, leaning casually against a nearby column. “But it’s nice to know you’d miss me.”
She laughed, the sound soft and rich, her green eyes gleaming with mischief. “Oh, I’d miss you, alright. You’re practically my biggest scoop. A vampire waltzing into the University uninvited? That’s headline material.” She tilted her head, her tone dropping into something more conspiratorial. “If it weren’t for the you-know-what’s,” she whispered softly.
“Disappearances,” I volunteered.
“You know, I was planning to pump you for some information…” she said matter of factly, “but after our last conversation, I don’t expect you’d have learned much in the short time you’ve been wandering.” She gave me a wink and a nod, then breathed on my neck as she leaned in to whisper in my ear. “So, I was thinking, maybe you wanted to pump me instead. You know, since you didn’t actually ask for directions.”
She was about as subtle as a blowtorch, and I had no idea why. Once again I checked my statuses, and still nothing.
Was there some sort of pheromone or something I was giving off? Why were so many attractive women brazenly flirting with me? I mean, I was no slouch, physically speaking. But I’d never had so many come onto me in such a short time.
Maybe there’d been a memo.
“I was thinking,” she said slowly, hesitating slightly, though the mischievous glint in her eyes told me it was deliberate. “If you’re as good at everything as you are at making an entrance, maybe you could… help me with a little project of mine.”
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