Venos sneaked out of the academy. Have the others heard her? Probably, if not the students, then the professors sure did. But for some reason, they let it slide. They know Karlo isn't inside the academy walls. They aren't dumb. But what could possibly be the reason he's not yet punished? She should leave Karlo alone and investigate the city as she planned.

Her arm is still healing after that day. What will her uncle say about the lost horse? He paid for him, didn't he? Dear God, things really aren't going so spontaneously, aren't they?

She could pretend, sometimes, that things her uncle says to her, don't bother her, but come on! She knows they do. She still remembers how he would do all these things for her when she was younger.

To this day, those memories last. Every year, he gets more distant. It's all for preparation, people say. He needs to prepare her for the worst because, after all, she's the cursed child.

On the bright side, she's no longer recognized as one. Her arm is healing properly and she won't need any kind of medical treatment.

She even made friends, that is definitely something to be thankful for. The city is truly beautiful, all these buildings, loud laughter from people, in the middle of the night. That must be fun. She heard about those ballrooms. People dancing, dressed in spectacular clothes. So many candles make it look so bright and high. Like something out of this world. She had to go see it.

Unlike academy professors, these people are not experts. She can sneak in on them. Or perhaps, she doesn't have to. The doors are open. Should she go inside? Inside, she could see people dressed the way she is. That means that not only royalty can attend. There are some middle-classed citizens.

Venos waited a bit to find a group of people so that she can smoothly tag with them and go inside unnoticed. When she came inside, her eyes shut themselves from the brightness.

Everything inside was so... bright. Made out of gold, probably. Royalty dressed in warm colors, such as red, yellow, and orange.

Middle-classed citizens were dressed in cool colors, such as green, blue, and purple. They created quite a contrast. Even so, they still didn't glow as the royalty did. Their jewelry occupied the majority of views. Venos started to regret her decision.

She turned to leave but stopped when she saw her missing roommate. What a relief for her. She ran towards him. The closer she got, the slower she moved. Venos thought she was about to see him in his uniform, but that wasn't the case.

The clothes he was wearing could only belong to royalty. For some reason, Venos felt betrayed. He didn't get punished because he is royalty. What was she thinking, getting out of the academy in the middle of the night?

After all, if royalty is against you, you can expect to be murdered at any time. They are in charge, after all. She wasn't much into politics, but those were the basic rules. Every history book says so.

In this ballroom, full of royalty, she felt like a peasant. Which probably, she was. She went out and tomorrow she might suffer the consequences. She can lose her only chance she had of having a job, of being an educated Zanna. She lowered her gaze.

Where was that voice when you needed it? For a moment, Venos felt so many emotions, that her mind couldn't form thoughts into sentences. She was losing herself. Here comes the feeling of non-existence. She couldn't focus... until she heard Karlo talking to someone in the distance.

"Hi man. How's it going in your own world?" Karlo was asking with a more gentle voice. "My own world?" She could hear it in a confused voice. "Yep. You have one?" There was a pause. "I suppose so." The answer came a bit indecisive.

Venos looked up at them again. "Well, in my own world. Let me think, oh yes, absolutely nothing." "Why nothing, a lady such as yourself?" "Exactly because I'm a lady." "Explain." "There's not much you can do if you're a lady not interested in guys, in gossip, in fashion, and such." "So you're saying that you're special." "No. Not yet." "Not yet? You have some sort of... plans?" "That... not either. More like someone who wants to have plans."

"Guess I can't help you if you can't help yourself, but I can offer you a dance." The girl looked somewhat pleased and a bit unsure. "Sure..." She slowly accepted. Venos felt more at peace, after this scene and even more at peace looking at their dance.

"Why are you so slow?" The girl asked. "So that we can talk and get to know each other better. After all, I don't think I caught your name." The girl smirked. "You don't need it. This way we can get to know each other, without our ancestry interrupting our relationship."

"You are aware of the fact that I already know you belong to the royalty, are you?" "Of course, but you don't know which one." "Alright, I agree to your terms." Venos was pleased with this, indeed. They were all just kids, after all. Every mistake, at this point, is possible to correct, just like every relationship is possible to make.

The only thing stopping children to interact are adults. In the academy, parents are absent, meaning that there's no way they won't form strong bonds for the next eight years. She left the ballroom, smiling.

If Venos was to compare the city to the Zanna village, she would come to the conclusion that the city is far better to live in. There was no prejudice about her. That's why the city appeared so ideal for Venos. She was a child herself and the things she was occupied with were only friends, academy, her uncle, the voice, and things evolving around those ones. Her mind didn't allow her to go deeper than that, she just didn't have enough experience; at least for now.

Which doesn't mean she won't have any, after all, a lot of experience does, in fact, come around preteen and teen years. As she walked back, she noticed a man who was yelling. "Come in. Come in, you won't regret it." There was a massive number of people surrounding a house. The house looked big and fine, not like the palace and ballroom, but good enough.

She decided to visit because the sun was nowhere to be found in the sky. Inside the house, people were dressed a lot like her. Nothing special. Which she liked. Women formed a circle around one man, who seems to have a reputation.

Venos kept searching for something more satisfying and so she found it. The room full of people, she couldn't see any of them, unfortunately, because it was so dark in the room. But she was able to recognize shapes and to feel other people pressed to each other.

Yet, they were so silent. "Here! I have found the keys. Have you cleaned everything already?" "Yes, I have. Let's go!" Venos could feel the mass of people moving forward. Did they get a room for themselves? She heard someone locking the doors behind her.

If they don't end this soon enough, she's going to be late for the academy. The only thing she can do now is hope. "Alright, who's ready for some truth or dare game?" Yelled a man. "Yeah, forget the truth, dare is the only thing you'll get." He finished right before the mass started laughing.

Venos never heard of that game before, but it's a game, so it can't be too bad. "Alright, alright, let me begin. I'll choose my man Amerigo over here. Amerigo I dare you to kiss that old woman in a colorful dress." The mass went wild after that.

"What're you afraid of boy, can't give a good ol' granny a kiss?" Laughter became louder and louder with every new comment. Venos instinctively shielded her eyes from the horrible act. Other people seemed to like it very much, though.

Once the kiss was over, Amerigo spoke again. "Oh man, it was really good, actually!" The mass then made some kind of happy, excited... noises. What did she get herself into? Venos tried to appear as small as possible so that no one can see her and dare her.

"Amerigo, your turn!" "I got this. Helena, do you allow your hybrid friend to dance in these clothes." Another wave of laughter can be heard. "See, I bought them just for tonight's occasion, ya like it." "Why don't you ask him?" "Oh, it's him? Do they have a gender? Oh whatever, I don't mind."

Hybrids are genetically modified humans who contain animal genes. 

They have modified long ago before technology was destroyed. The majority of people, if not all, didn't know that and they chose to believe that hybrids were lesser beings. Probably to continue the tradition of believing so and because it also made things easier to finish. Why bother cleaning the house, if you can just get yourself a hybrid.

"Aren't you his mistress? Oh, wait, your husband has a lover, nevermind." People laughed so much at these comments, meanwhile, Venos struggled to understand them.

"Hey hybrid! Mind showing me some moves in these or is cleaning the house the only thing you hybrids are good at?" People screamed at this, they started making comments and in the end laughed again.

"How do I know if I'm good at it? You might get disappointed." And now, the room was filled with silence. Venos recognized that voice, it was one of the three voices she heard on her way to the academy.

He is a hybrid? Is this some kind of a club for insulting other people? Others seemed to be doing just that and somehow enjoyed it? Or not? Venos was at the same time terrified and confused.

"Oh don't worry, you can't disappoint me in these." Amerigo handed a red crop top and a very short red skirt to the hybrid. Venos couldn't remember his name, so she forced her mind to think about that. The hybrid took the clothes and excited the mass of people. The public moved to make space for the hybrid. Everyone expected him to change his clothes right then and there. Which he did.

Just not the way others expected. He changed, without showing all of his skin. The majority of people were a bit disappointed, Venos wasn't a part of that majority. When he removed his gown, others saw him in his new red outfit.

The hybrid moved and mesmerized the public. It's like his moves had something otherworldly, something blessed and something damned. The contrast in his movement balanced to make an incredible harmony. Or was it like a perfect discord? Venos herself couldn't help but admire him.

The public started making sounds to form the music which went perfectly with the hybrid's movement. For one moment, he wasn't made of flesh and bone, he was flowing like a river. The other moment, he was strong and still, like a mountain.

Not to mention, his appearance was a work of art in itself. His hair had a color between light brown and blond. It is shoulder-length and wavy. It is impossible to ignore and it made his dance that much better. His skin has that creamy sort of color, covered in beautiful soft fur. His feet are brown and resemble those of a goat.

His nose has the black color on its ending and is directly connected to his black upper lip with some kind of a black line. His teeth, surprisingly, white. His light brown eyes, attractive with a hint of threat in them, enough to make any princess jealous.

His appearance was truly, as people would call it, angelic. At the top of his head, stood the horns. Something that people often associated with the devil. Because of that, people would describe his appearance as an angel with the devil's horns.

When he finished dancing, everyone clapped and Amerigo spoke. "Take those clothes as your possession, you earned them. Remember, this is enough to make any man pay. How may I call you, hybrid?" "Anthrax, I suppose." "Well then, Anthrax it is. Who will you dare?" "Everyone. I dare everyone. I dare you to finish this game." The public whined, but Amerigo yelled. "You heard him, beauties need rest. Am I right Helena?" Helena rolled her eyes in response.

Venos was so relieved at the time. She followed the mass to the exit. Interestingly enough, the sun can't be spotted anywhere in the sky. Venos felt like she took forever. She slowed down her walk and turned to the fancy house once again and looked at the window. Looks like the man who women admired was talking to Anthrax. It wasn't until later that he raised his fist and hit the hybrid.

Venos turned around quickly and walked as fast as she could towards the academy. She's tired of everything, so she might get some sleep, after all. As soon as she closed her eyes, she heard a few words before the dreamless sleep occupied her. 'Why didn't you help?'