One helpful method to determine if you’re dealing with someone who may be severely irrational is to see how they react during an intensely emotional moment. Fear and anger can be extremely triggering for someone who lacks a calm and focused mind.

Let’s use the elder Velas sister as an example. She had just learned that her younger sibling had experienced a horrifying mental trauma at the hands of a monster. She’s also learned that the three valued family servants who’d been entrusted with protecting her sister have met their fates at the hands of that same beast and have died in a terrible and grisly manner.

Now she’s upset. She’s off center. She’s frightened for her sister and angry at how events have played out.

If she had a rational mindset, the first thing she would have done was breathe deeply to regain control of herself. Then she'd calmly collect all the available information to help determine the best course of action.

That’s what a disciplined warrior who wielded her power responsibly would do, yes?

Well, this little black-clad fruit loop chose to do the exact opposite of that. Instead of steadying herself, she decided to lash out and release her frustrations on the second of the only two survivors, because that wasn’t crazy or anything. Her ire towards me made no sense at all; I was the party’s bloody porter. What exactly did she think I could have done to her precious sister?

Oh, I’m sorry, that was me using logic and common sense. Two things that apparently don’t matter when you’re wealthy, angry, and (unhappily for me) capable of generating lightning from your fingertips. Forgive my lack of awareness. Let’s just jump to the part where this cu…confused young lady decided to toss a thunderbolt at me to relieve her stress.

With the speed of thought I managed to shift into my undead state just before the lightning struck me. I then clamped my hands tightly against the aluminum piping of the folding chair I was sitting on, which allowed much of the electricity to flow through me to the chair and then harmlessly into the soil.

Wait, did I say harmlessly? That might have been an exaggeration on my part, because my skin was now covered in random scorch marks. And they were itchy.

Also, my hair was on fire. Can’t forget that part.

Have no fear, I wasn’t in any pain. In my undead state, the only thing that could cause me physical discomfort was the presence of the divine. This insolent girl’s lightning packed quite a punch but there was no heavenly aspect to it that I had to fear.

All she’d really done was greatly upset me.

What I wanted to do at that moment was stand up, lightly brush off my clothing so that she could see that I was unharmed, then saunter over to where she stood, as though I didn’t have a care in the world while her mind tried to process what was happening. Then I’d grab her by the sides of her head so that I could use both of my thumbs to force her eyes open. Then I’d begin pulling the skin off her face with my teeth while forcing her to meet my gaze.

It would have been an enjoyable experience for me and an educational one for her.

Too bad it was the wrong environment for that sort of lark. So, instead, I shifted back into my human form, which had no difficulty feeling the pain of my new injuries and began screaming my head off while slapping my hair and trying to extinguish it.

Eventually, the healer, Cassie, came running to my aid, while the other students got in front of my attacker and began talking her down while one of those handy adult supervisors who’d done nothing to prevent this ridiculous violence, began hemming at the girl and asking her what her father would think of her behavior in a slightly peevish voice, as though she were refusing to eat her vegetables at dinner and hadn’t attempted to vaporize a fellow human being.

“Thalia, you need to do better, okay?” he nagged. “Just try to do beeeetter. Think of your position.”

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” she sniffed.

Ah, her name was Thalia. Thalia Velas, was it?

I made a mental note to remember that name for a later occasion.

What occasion might that be, you ask?

Oh, nothing much.

Nothing muuuch.

--

“Are you mad at me, bro?” Nick Pankratz asked me the next morning after the campsite had been packed away and everyone was loaded onto the two transports that would return us to the academy.

“Why would I be upset with you?” I asked him in a painful rasp. My voice had become sore from a night spent screaming in pain. Cassie was a talented healer for such a young person, but Thalia’s lightning attack had been altered by a skill point investment to cause severe pain that couldn’t be dispelled.

As I understood it, the skill didn’t increase her lightning’s damage or benefit it in any way, really. It just caused pointlessly intense agony to anyone that was struck by it, because whoever Thalia blasted, she wanted to suffer.

I was really learning a lot about that girl today. Thalia Velas was a sadist. How sad for her. Sadism is one of the most useless personality traits a person can have.

To a sadist, the reason other beings existed was to provide them with pleasure. And what to them was the thing they enjoyed most? Causing extreme suffering whenever possible. A sadist prolonged a fight for the joy of pummeling a helpless opponent. They also attacked the weak whenever possible and were overtly cruel whenever they could get away with it. It was a mindset in which one developed a powerful inclination towards detestable behaviors such as animal abuse and rape. It was a coward’s disposition held by outwardly normal people who were absolutely twisted inside.

In other words, sadists were living garbage. You’d think that having been a vampire for so many years, that I would have a natural inclination to torment the weak, but in this case you’d be wrong. The long march of time has taught me that savoring the pain of others is a worthless behavior. Indulge in it enough times and you’ll eventually lose the trust of others, but you will have a legion of former victims eager to someday return the favor.

Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

Just as I now intended to do for dear Thalia. But only when I was good and ready.

“I told you she was going to be pissed when she saw her sister,” Pankratz continued. “But I still feel bad this happened to you.”

“Ah,” I said bitterly. “Is that a fact?”

“You know it is, bro,” he said sincerely. “You and I are tight.”

“Then why didn’t you block it with your shield?” I asked him.

“Huh?” he asked with some confusion.

“Why didn’t you block her lightning with your shield?” I mumbled again. “You were just bragging about how nothing ever gets past you. Blocking a lightning bolt would have been great for your rep.”

“Oh. Well,” he said uncertainly. “I probably could have done that, but…well, no offense, Evans, but helping you out would have meant standing against Thalia Velas. I’m just getting started in life, man. I hope you understand.”

“Yeah, I get it,” I replied. And we spoke no more for the rest of the ride.

I truly wasn’t upset with him. I understood Pankratz’s point of view perfectly. He was being practical and made a choice that would better affect his long-term odds of prosperity. Why alienate a wealthy and influential household for the sake of a lowly wretch like Kyler Evans?

I’ve made far colder decisions throughout my life. Even with the element of attempted murder involved, this incident with Thalia couldn’t match the betrayals that I’d willingly committed to ensure my own success and survival. In comparison to those many burned bridges, this was naught but a child’s game.

Besides, why would I be affected by the betrayal of Kyler Evan’s friend? I didn’t know him. And he certainly didn’t know me. Keeping things at that distance would be best for everyone.

My expulsion couldn’t come quickly enough.

I spent the rest of the time staring at the landscape that the transport carried us through. It was a confusing mix of different environments that could vary wildly at different distances. I saw desert terrain give way to a random burst of forest growth within ten miles of each other. A bewildering blend of flora, fauna, and fluctuating climate.

Occasionally, the powerful guns attached to our ride would open fire, to warn off creatures that were too close for the driver’s comfort. How had humanity maintained their technological development in such a hostile and chaotic environment? Industry needs stability to provide civilization with its boons. What exactly was stable about a world like this?

I received my answer when we arrived at the city of Grandia, home to the Vandal Academy.

Grandia’s appearance wasn’t too dissimilar from that of any other twenty-first century North American city constructed with international influences in its design. What differentiated it from those that I remembered, was the protective golden dome of light that covered it. Even a mile outside its outskirts, I could feel the potent magic exuding from that light. It felt like stability, like…safety.

Well, this explained a lot. I was glad to not have to ask any silly questions. Although, I did now wonder how an undertaking of this magnitude had been performed. Was this dome a magic developed by mankind, or had it been gifted to them by the system? How many other cities operated under similar protection?

What I really needed more than anything else was a history book.

Well, we were heading to a school, weren’t we? Perhaps I could get one there.

__

Things happened quickly once we arrived at the academy.

As the transport pulled up to let us disembark, I beheld Vandal: a lavishly decorated old manor house on a large estate that had been converted into a center of education. I later learned it had been named after Conrad Vandal, also known as Vandal the wild sword. A local legend who was also the only S-ranked hunter that Grandia had ever produced. When he died, he willed his estate to a private trust whose sole purpose was to raise new generations of elite hunters using his exclusive training methods.

After I stepped off the transport, I once again found myself being accosted. Strong hands grabbed me from behind and spun me around to face an angry looking older version of myself with a much better haircut, dressed in expensive clothing.

Ah, this must have been my brother.

Wonderful. Clearly someone else that I had a friendly relationship with, yes?

No.

He slammed me against the side of the transport and glowered at me. “What did you do this time, you little idiot?”

“Save the day?” I choked out.

He gave me a hard slap. “None of your backtalk,” he said with a quiet intensity. “Anikka Velas is like a dear sister to me. Do you even know what an honor it was when I asked her to let you act as a porter for her first foray? This was an opportunity for you to make a valuable connection, you ungrateful little bastard. How could you fail at this? How could you make me look this bad?”

“I protected her,” I rasped. “Doesn’t that mean anything?”

“Why couldn’t you have just died instead?” he whispered with a hateful glare.

Okay. This was already a ridiculous situation to begin with but now it was going in a direction that I could only charitably describe as absolutely stupid. Why was everyone so eager to interpret events in such a way as to put the blame entirely on me?

“But wait, Lord Stragos,” you might say. “Didn’t you want to be blamed for things going wrong so that you could be expelled and left to your own devices?”

No. What I wanted was to be accused of dereliction of duty for showing up to the dungeon high. Or pretending to, anyway. I still wanted to be credited for saving Anikka Velas from the dungeon lord BECAUSE THAT WAS EXACTLY WHAT I’D DONE! I saved an innocent girl’s life and slew a dangerous monster! So, yes, I should be thrown out, but I should also be acknowledged for performing a valuable service!

But what had I received instead? Accusations and abuse! No, worse than abuse; humiliation and contempt! An attempt on my bloody life! I’d seen Thalia Velas’ eyes, damn it. She’d been surprised that I survived her lightning strike.

The witch had tried to kill me.

Her little sister’s hunter team did kill me.

Another person who should presumably have been pleased with my heroic actions was instead berating me for still being alive.

You know what? This entire situation was beginning to feel like a setup.

Just what sort of life did you live, Kyler Evans? Because it seems like the world itself was against you.

“Patrick!” cried a girl’s voice.

My brother pushed me away and turned to face a distraught looking Thalia Velas, the lightning bug herself. After rushing to each other, he kissed her lips and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. Wow, how about that? My favorite thing in the world. A loving young couple making a public display of affection.

Something told me that Patrick and I weren’t going to get along.

At exactly this moment, because the timing of the universe had been set for melodramatic, Anikka was wheeled off the transport. Patrick and Thalia were at her side at once, and I got to see something interesting.

Anikka was aware of her surroundings. She was looking at Patrick and her sister and smiling sweetly. That goblin chieftain had claimed he’d broken her mind by making her watch him torture her friends. He must have been an even bigger fool than I thought, because that was not the expression of someone who’d just recovered from a terrible mental trauma.

She looked like a cat that had awoken from a nap.

Thalia showered kisses on her sister, her face filled with affection and relief, and Patrick was now holding her hand quite tenderly. Wow, look at the intimate way in which his thumb circled her palm. I thought he said she was like a dear sister to him. What sort of a person touched their little sister like that? Certainly no one that I’d want to be around.

As they moved away, Anikka’s gaze suddenly shifted towards me.

She winked at me.

Then she began sobbing as loudly as she could while yelling, “Get him away! Please! Get him away from me! Get him from me, I can’t bear it! Pleeeease!”

The hostile eyes of everyone gathered there turned towards me and the looks they shared were not friendly in the slightest. Even my “good buddy” Nick Pankratz looked at me like I’d just brandished a knife at a toddler.

“Evans, what did you do, man?” he asked in bewilderment.

A hand came down heavily on my shoulder. It belonged to a heavyset adult in a school official’s uniform who asked me to come along quietly with him.

It took only one glance at my brother and Thalia to decide that going with the official was likely the safer option.

Ha. Anikka Velas.

Well played, you evil little thing.