The academy outskirts were divided into two halves. One of these halves were currently being used as part of an expansionary project commissioned by the school. Everyday the construction crews would be hard at work, filling the area with the sound of heavy vehicles and power tools.

On the other hand, the second half was much more tranquil, being a well kept nature reserve. Aside from the pretty flowers, clean rivers, and regularly mowed grass, it's trademark was a mountain trail that led to a very scenic view point of the entire campus. Although the trail was somewhat long, it used to be very popular among students, especially graduates. In the past, it was basically tradition to journey to the summit of the mountain for the sake of basking in nostalgia.

Unfortunately, this changed one year when a student was found brutally murdered at the top of the mountain. Nobody saw the body, but it was said that the corpse was so badly mutilated that not even an autopsy could be performed. During this time, rumors began to circulate about what happened, ranging from the work of a secret cult to a supernatural attack. After this incident, the tradition of graduates climbing up to the top of the mountain ceased.

Within the nature reserve of the outskirts, a man of around thirty years of age lay next to a tall elder tree. He had a fierce expression on his face that was made even fiercer by a large scar that ran across his right eye down to his lower cheek. Surrounding him were a flock of crows that were unnaturally comfortable in his presence.

Laying on the thick branches of the tree above were two boys and one girl, all of whom seemed to be academy freshmen. They each wore the academy uniform and were reading what seemed to be a school guidebook.

One of the boy's, a young red-head with passionate eyes, put down his book and let out a yawn.

"I heard that one of the clan's greatest prodigies goes to school here. They say he's so talented that even elite squads from the Crowns and Blood Clan want to recruit him. I can't wait to challenge him and see how good he really is."

Sitting on another branch across from him, a girl with bright hazel eyes and a long black ponytail scowled.

"Are you kidding me Ital? You can't even beat Sly! What makes you think you can win against one of the clan's greatest?"

"Shut up Piri! Unlike you, I actually have ambition! Besides, the last time I challenged Sly, I survived a full minute longer then before. I might have lost every fight so far, but I keep coming back stronger! As long as I win once, that's all that matters! Right Sly?"

Positioned at the shadiest branch in comparison to the other two, an intelligent looking boy with blonde hair and gray eyes chuckled.

"Don't bully Ital so much Piri. He may be the weakest among the three of us, but he's got heart. Every time he comes to me for a rematch, he always finds a way to surprise me. If I'm being honest, he might have the most potential out of all of us."

"Don't encourage him! The way he fights is too reckless! It may be okay now, but in a real battle he would be dead within seconds. Especially since he doesn't have any other summons and only uses that stupid---"

Before Piri could finish, she was cut-off by Ital who threw his student manual at her. With minimal effort, she caught it midair and put it to the side.

"Kong is not stupid! He may not have any special abilities, but he's loyal and works well with me. He's way better than those skanky sprites you summon." Ital fumed.

"What did you say?! Want me to beat you up right here and now? I'll give you a beating so hard that you won't even be able to summon that stupid beast for an entire week!" Piri eyes flickered with red for a moment before returning to their original hazel hue.

"Bring it! I'll--"

Just as Ital was about to make a move, he was swarmed by a flock of crows. They obscured his vision and started pecking him on the head. Barely seeing past the layers of black feathers in front of him, he also noticed a group of crows doing the exact same thing to Piri. Sly, who was the only one not surrounded by a cloud of feathers, looked down and smiled amusingly.

Below, the scarred man was no longer sitting and stood upright at the base of the tree. His arms were crossed and he stared at Ital and Piri with an irritated expression.

"What are you idiots doing?! Can't you see we are still in a public space?! Furthermore, the sun hasn't completely set yet! You guys are entering your secondary level education, show some discipline!"

"Yes sir..." The two groaned.

With a scoff, the scarred man snapped his fingers and the crows surrounding the two children dispersed. Ital and Piri rubbed their heads in pain.

"Ital!"

"Yes sir!" Ital jumped and stood at attention upon being called.

"You were the most excited to see the prodigy studying at this school weren't you? Well, if you weren't so busy bickering with Piri, you would notice that he's already within viewing distance!"

The eyes of the three freshmen widened. They immediately descended from the tree and narrowed their eyes to see a tall and handsome young man walking towards them.

"He's so good-looking..." Piri's face flushed red.

Ital snorted.

"Is this really the guy? I was expecting some kind of monster, not some pretty boy. He doesn't look so tough to me."

"Appearances can be deceiving. I mean look at us. You talk the biggest game, but you're the weakest in our group." Sly jokingly said.

"Hey! Do you want to figh--"

"Shh... He's coming."

Rel yawned as he made his way towards the four vampires waiting for him. When he arrived, the man with the scar walked up to him and extended his hand.

"It's been a while, Raven." Rel shook the man's hand and smiled as if he were reuniting with an old friend.

Raven had the same stone-cold face he wore when dealing with the three freshmen. Although, there was a hint of warmth within his gaze that wasn't present earlier.

"Indeed it has, I hope your skills haven't declined too much ever since you left my tutelage. Anyways, your former teacher has come to you because he is ready to claim his debt." He made a beckoning gesture and Ital, Piri, and Sly came forward.

"This is Ital, Piri, and Sly. They have recently enrolled in your school as freshmen. Remember how I agreed to convince the elders to grant you independence and freedom from the clan's politics? Now I need a favor from you. I want you to take care of these three for me."

Rel sighed.

"So you want me to babysit three kids for you? Have the elders finally lost patience with me and are now sending you to take away my freedom bit by bit?"

Red veins popped out of Raven's pale forehead.

"You little brat... I'm actually doing you a huge favor here. I'm going on a mission for a while so I need someone to watch over them. This mission was originally assigned to you, but out of the kindness of my heart, I decided to take it instead out of consideration for your 'freedom'. Besides, it'll only be for a year at most. If I'm not back by the time you graduate, I'll get someone else to fill in for you."

Ital leaned in and whispered to Sly and Piri.

"Wow who knew Master Raven had a soft side. He's never that nice to us."

"If that mission was assigned to you I bet he would've sent you off a day early." Piri mocked.

Raven turned his attention towards the three junior vampires.

"Alright you three, listen up. This is Rel, he will be in charge of you for the next year or so okay?"

Each of the three children had different expressions towards Rel. Ital's eyes burned with an energetic desire for competition, Piri's cheeks blushed with adoration, and Sly's eyebrows raised in cool skepticism.

Ital stepped forward and pounded his chest a few times with his fist

"Sup Rel! I'm Ital! I heard you are one of the clan's greatest geniuses! Well I'm somewhat of a genius myself! Let's spar! Right here, right now!"

Piri face-palmed.

[He doesn't learn does he? Oh well, he'll probably calm down after another thorough beating. Mr. Raven did that when he became our teacher and after that Ital never challenged him again.]

Raven did not interfere and moved off to the side to observe. He wanted to see how Rel would handle the situation.

Rel raised an eyebrow at the hot-blooded boy. He was in no mood to fight and was quite tired, but after seeing Ital's enthusiasm he relented. The energy radiating from his fighting spirit was slightly contagious and actually rejuvenated him a bit.

"Since you're so eager, I don't see why not. Do your friends want to join in too?"

Ital turned around, and with a cocky grin on his face gave a thumbs up towards Sly and Piri. Piri sighed and turned towards Sly.

"Up to you Sly. If you go I'll go."

"Let's do it." Sly said without hesitation.

Piri shook her head. She had a feeling he would say that.

Even though the sun was setting, Rel knew that there was a good chance some students might pass by the reserve. Therefore, he decided to move to an open field near the mountain trail before starting the fight. It was an ideal spot, as the majority of the student body avoided it due to the rumors surrounding the area.

Rel and the three vampires faced off twenty meters apart from each other while Raven spectated from the side. He sent out a flock of crows to circle the area and alert him if anyone passed by. Just for good measure, he also had one of his crows create a soundproof barrier to prevent the sound of battle from attracting attention. This crow was identical to the one Rel had and set up its barrier the exact same way too.

"Okay kids, you can start whenever you're ready." Rel said smugly while loosening his tie.

"Roger!" The irises of the three children turned crimson red and the ground lit up as red sigils began to appear.