Amongst the Creatures of the Night, the most humane were the Vampires.
The Hyenas looked too bestial to pass off as humans and weren’t exactly capable of humane interaction.
But for Vampires, it was different.
Take away their crimson eyes, pale skin, pointed ears, and exaggerated canines and they could pass off as normal humans.
Unfortunately, this didn’t stop them from being treated the same as the other Cryptids.
They were treated even worse than the other Kindred for the reason that apart from the Banshees, they were the most dangerous set of Night Creatures.
This was why Claudia was so shocked by the news given by the homeroom instructor for the underground college which was located just beneath Kro Institute and was used to educate the Night Creatures.
Subjected to discrimination and prejudice ever since becoming a Vampire over 50 years ago, Claudia had always wished for a day when she would be able to walk the surface freely and enjoy life just like humans do.
But of course, such a wish couldn’t come to pass with the current situation.
The one time she dared to show herself in public in her true form, she was beaten and nearly killed.
She had to stay in bed for a while before she managed to recover.
A traumatic experience that taught her to respect her boundaries.
Yet before her was a golden opportunity to step on the surface without having to feel scared about being attacked.
She couldn’t help but question it.
As her voice resounded throughout the entire hall, naturally, everyone’s attention fell on her causing her to regret opening her big mouth in the first place.
"Uh..." she found herself unable to even hide in the darkness since everyone present had night vision.
Her homeroom instructor, the middle-aged man with white hair, looked her over briefly before he spoke up.
"Are you surprised, Claudia?"
Claudia gulped as she nervously nodded in response.
"Well, don’t be. The new leader of Krobridge, Monarch Damian has decided that from henceforth, we no longer have to stay in darkness. That we can finally enjoy the night just like the humans do."
Claudia couldn’t help but listen in awe at her instructor’s words.
Though she lived on the surface and had seen the night sky, there was a difference between experiencing it with fear and experiencing it with freedom.
She sorely wanted to know what it was like to live freely without the fear of dying just because of who she was.
"Now go and prepare. Soon, our people will be free from the oppression of mankind!"
With those words, the instructor promptly took his leave, allowing the students to chat amongst themselves.
Compared to before the unexpected news about the festival, the mood had improved as the students showed anticipation for what was to come.
Claudia was one of those that was quite excited but due to not having anyone to share her excitement with in the dark hall, she promptly took her leave.
Built in the same style as Kro Institute, the underground college was built after Krobridge became a Stronghold.
It was all to avoid clashes between the human students and Cryptids students.
Of course, when the college was built and the time came to choose who would stay where, it was a no-brainer.
Few protested, saying Kro Institute was initially built for Night kindred, and ended up dying before they could make issues out of it.
And so, since that time, several centuries ago, Night Kindred had made use of the college to study etiquette, hygiene, politics, history, and the like.
It also taught them about the supernatural and how to make use of their varying Domains.
In any case, the underground college was separated into different areas.
There was the dormitory which was further split into male and female, the lunchroom, the lecture halls, the training rooms, and finally, the staffroom.
Claudia strode through the hallways connected to the lecture halls and made her way to the dormitory that was located on the west wing.
Along the way, a few curious gazes were sent her way but she chose to ignore them as she slowly picked up her pace.
Surprisingly, no one approached her or even attempted to communicate with her.
Claudia knew the reason why and knew that it would be easy to deal with the situation but she chose not to do so.
Instead, with her head held high, she walked proudly until she got to the female dormitory.
She walked over to her room and after entering, closed the door behind her and locked it for added measure.
Due to her... title, Claudia was privileged to have a room all to herself.
Letting out a sigh, she tossed her bag on the floor and promptly fell into the coffin placed at the center of the room.
"Ugh, they should learn how to hide their thoughts." She couldn’t help but mutter as she recalled the stares and the thoughts she managed to glean from those watching her.
She chuckled softly, after all, there was a time that she would have felt angry but ever since a certain someone came into her life... she no longer cared about what others thought.
All that mattered... was her.
"Speaking of which... since we’ll be allowed to leave early, I can have some fun before heading home." With a sly grin, Claudia began to cook up a scheme.
With the news that the dormitories were to be evacuated by the next day, Claudia didn’t hesitate to pack her bags and after thoroughly cleaning up her room, prepared to leave.
Glancing at her coffin, the presence of a plain silver ring stuck in a corner quickly caught her attention.
She reached out and picked it up before sighing. "I nearly forgot this."
Then as a certain thought came to mind, Her expression shifted from pure joy to a more melancholic tone as she muttered softly. "I wonder if there’ll be a day when I don’t have to wear this to hide my identity."