Charm moved through the Seraphi halls with a steady, practiced step, like a ghost that could slip in and out, unnoticed, despite her wild aura. Empathy was her game—deep, raw, gritty empathy that let her do more than just feel; she amplified emotions, could make someone drown in their own despair, or feel like the king of the world, all with a single flick of her focus. Right now, she was tuning into Adrian, who was like a twisted symphony of love, fear, and a whole lot of pride. And yeah, that mix had her confused. She couldn’t read his little sister Xyra for some reason—nothing but a void where feelings should be. Felt the same with Selene and Celesse too, like trying to punch through steel walls. But Adrian? Always broadcasting strong, raw feels like he had a neon sign on his soul.
Before she met the Drakovs, her crew was the only family she knew: her, Payback, Frostie, and Sister Georgina. They’d been raised together, shaped by the twisted lies of Sister Georgina, told from day one that Ennuy was some kind of monster, a threat to their very existence. It was only when they joined V.A.E.P.—the Villain’s Academy of Exceptional Performance—that the real truth was dropped on them by Nosferatu himself. Ennuy? Not the monster they’d been trained to believe. Charm had been shaken to the core, feeling something she hadn’t felt in a while—a sliver of guilt.
As she slipped into the classroom, Adrian’s voice dropped off, and she froze. The little girl standing near the front, rocking a bunny onesie like it was a royal robe, looked right at her. Instinct hit Charm hard; there was something off about this kid, something that ran deeper than just age or aura. Charm felt the hairs on her neck stand up when Nyxara's eyes locked on her, drilling through her with a bluntness that could shatter glass.
“I smell blood on you,” Nyxara said, casual, like it was a comment about the weather. “Hand it over. Now.”
Charm’s hand tightened on the vial of love potion Morwen had slipped her. She took a step back, heart racing, but before she could even blink, Nyxara was in front of her, eyes blazing. A wave of bloodlust crashed over her, so thick and dense that Charm felt it sink her down to the ground like she was wearing lead. Her breath caught as she tried to push back against it, tried to breathe under the weight, but that greed rolling off Nyxara was like a black hole, pulling everything in.
The girl snatched the vial from Charm’s clenched fingers, examining it for a moment before downed it like it was a shot of Henny, eyes never leaving Charm’s. “More,” she demanded, a hunger in her voice that went deeper than just physical need. Charm could feel it now, a tidal wave of raw emotion was hitting her in waves, filling her with a suffocating, monstrous greed—it devoured everything in its path. It was a hunger that only wanted to consume that she couldn’t switch off, couldn’t control. She fought to breathe, her lungs like they were filled with concrete, her own emotions drowned under that endless craving. It was blinding, and all it wanted was more.
Just then, a sharp prick hit her arm, and she snapped back, her head clearing as the overwhelming greed faded to something she could handle. Adrian stood next to her, syringe in hand, an apologetic look on his face. "That one’s for me, little sis,” he said softly, taking back the vial. He sighed, pulled out a spare, and refilled Charm’s empty one before tilting his head back and downing it in a single smooth motion.
A grin slipped onto his face as he looked down at Charm, the laughter bubbling up before he finally let it out. “A love potion? Damn, someone’s desperate.”
Charm rolled her eyes, catching her breath, regaining her composure as she picked herself up. "Yeah, well, you can have your laughs, but You don’t even know,” she shot back.
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Bree slipped back into the Seraphi classroom, feeling the weight lift off his shoulders. No more holding back; it was time to let his true self breathe. But as he stepped inside, he was hit with a wild scene. The lights were dim, and everyone was glued to a documentary, a massive projection of Kaelen on-screen explaining intergalactic space travel. Kaelen was out here breaking down how to ration supplies, keep your wits sharp in zero-g, and the challenges of surviving in the cosmos. It was high-stakes knowledge, a window into a whole other level.
Xyra sat at the front of the room, leaning back in her seat with this laid-back swagger that said she was already plotting on all that space territory. She turned to the class, eyes sharp and lit with that wild ambition. “This right here,” she said, her voice strong and gritty, “ain’t just knowledge. This is power. My pact? We’re taking that power, and we’re pushing it to every planet we touch. The galaxy is up for grabs, and we’re gonna make sure it knows who runs it.”
The students around her were silent, hanging on her words. Xyra had that energy about her that made people stop and listen. She continued, “Y’all got choices now, career paths right here to lock in. Some of you will keep the lines open from the farthest reaches, mastering communication tech for distances that make Earth look like a speck. Others, you’ll get into space science, figuring out where everything’s at—asteroids, dark matter, the works. Some of you? R&D, baby. Developing tech that’s gonna make any opposition fold. And guess what?” She leaned in, grinning. “We got a cheat code for all of it.”
She pulled out a bag of deep purple buds, crisscrossed with silver veins and sparkling with crystals. “This right here,” she said, shaking it for everyone to see, “is the Insta Strain. Adrian whipped it up after studying the way our old man’s stash worked. This ain’t no regular green. You smoke this? You’re getting a full rank of knowledge straight up. That’s a fourth of the whole damn course in one session. You’re gonna know your stuff instantly. Downside?” She shrugged, popping a small bag of snacks on her desk. “You’re gonna get hungry. But don’t worry—I got that covered.”
Everyone was wide-eyed, the room electric with excitement. Some were already passing around rolling papers and getting ready. Xyra leaned back, lighting her own joint, as some of the students sparked theirs up. Bree took his seat, watching Xyra set the tone. Her ambition was contagious, and everyone in the room could feel it.
Bree reached for his own strain—a little different from the others. The label read “Medicinal” in Adrian’s messy scrawl, and it was mostly CBD-heavy. Bree had his eye on a doctor’s path, and he didn’t care if some of them threw him side-eye for it. A couple kids muttered about it, whispering that the medicinal stuff didn’t hit as hard, but Bree tuned them out and lit up. For him, it wasn’t about the high; it was about gaining something real, something that’d let him give back. He took a slow drag, feeling the mellow effects spread through him as he joined the smoking circle.
“Look at Bree,” one kid muttered, smirking. “All serious with his CBD joint, like we’re gonna need doctors out there.”
Bree rolled his eyes, taking a calm, deep hit. “Yeah, and when y’all bust a lung in zero-g, guess who’s patchin’ you up?” The kids laughed, a couple clapping him on the back, and Bree settled into the session, glad to let loose a little.
Meanwhile, the room was thick with the haze of smoke, and Kaelen’s voice droned on from the documentary, layering onto everyone’s vibes. They weren’t just watching anymore; they were feeling the whole experience like they were floating right alongside Kaelen. A couple students even started chatting about what they’d do if they got out there—who they’d challenge, what systems they’d conquer. It was like the Insta Strain was unlocking that bigger ambition in all of them, letting them imagine themselves on the grandest stage.
Xyra watched them all with pride, a smirk on her face. “Yeah, that’s it. Picture it, claim it. This is the beginning.” She exhaled a cloud of smoke and leaned back, eyes flicking to Bree. “Doctor Bree, huh? Respect. Keep it locked in. We’ll need you out there.”
“Appreciate it,” Bree said, raising his joint. He felt a new surge of confidence in his path, like this was exactly where he was supposed to be. The galaxy didn’t stand a chance.
As the smoke thickened, they kicked back, the sound of soft laughter mixing with Kaelen’s steady voice explaining the realities of space. It was gritty, raw, and real.