"Well, what do we have here.....?"
Those were the first set of words that escaped Brad's mouth as soon as he arrived at the Academy.
He stood in front of the pile of rubble, staring at the destroyed buildings with widened eyes.
Though, he could already feel the piercing gazes of the students. He knew that if they could, they would have already pounced on him by now.
"I'm gone just for a day, and I return back to this?" he muttered.
It was truly surprising.
A few minutes later, he heard all that had happened from one of the students, though the student was glaring at him while talking.
They believed that if he was present, all this would have been avoided. At the very least, this amount of destruction would have been avoided.
"Tch.... I can't help but blame him for my missing necklace," a girl frowned as she looked away.
After explaining why he wasn't present yesterday and saying some words of encouragement—consoling those whose things were destroyed or went missing—he decided to check out other buildings in the Academy.
The sun had yet to fully rise, so the teachers and Principal Orion weren't present yet.
A FEW HOURS LATER.....
Orion cleared his throat as he stared at the crowd of students in front of him.
This hall was different from the one they usually used. That was because this was the hall in the second-year section of the Academy.
It was bigger, and they decided to use it because both first-year students and second-year students were currently inside.
The second-year students were dressed properly in their school uniforms. As for the first-year students.....
The majority of them were still in their nightwear, making them feel very uncomfortable, especially the girls. Only a few of them managed to find either their uniforms or another set of clothes that were still wearable and hadn't been burnt from the battle yesterday.
Orion's gaze swept past the crowd of students before he began.
"This surely isn't a good morning," he began, "so I won't say that."
"Just like the teachers, I was also shocked when I arrived at the Academy this morning. It was something I never expected."
The students were all quiet as they stared at him.
"I know that it was definitely surprising to see a Vampire in the Academy, and some of you are yet to recover from that shock, but thankfully, Alex was able to protect you all in place of me and the teachers."
Orion paused for a few seconds before he continued.
"As for the second-year students, the majority of them weren't even present in the Academy due to the nature of the missions they go on."
"But the ones who were present are still annoyed by the fact that Alex set up a barrier and they weren't able to support," Orion said.
A first-year student instantly chuckled. "Annoyed, huh? Those second-year students talk big, but they can't even do anything."
"I agree. If they're so supportive, then where were they when shit was going down?"
"Hiding, I guess. And apart from that, if they were strong enough to support Alex, they would've certainly been able to break through a small part of that barrier and join the battle, but I'm very sure nothing like that happened."
"Shut up! Aren't you ashamed? We first-years weren't even able to do anything. Don't try to shift it all to the second-year students."
The murmurs among the students increased, as some even began insulting each other.
Orion's voice boomed in the hall, instantly silencing all the students.
"We, the Academy, are to blame for what happened. We will take full responsibility for this."
"And also, no one should blame Brad for this," Orion added. "His request for a two-day leave was granted, so he wasn't even present."
Orion kept talking about how it was the Academy's fault, and he also apologized for the missing and destroyed items.
"So, the teachers and I have come to a decision," Orion said. "There will be a holiday for all the first-year students for two reasons."
For a second, the hall was silent, and then.....
"Wait.... I think my ears aren't working properly...."
"H..... Holiday? Am I dreaming?"
"Yes! Finally..... I can see my mom!"
"Hahaha! I bet those second-year students are wishing they were first-years now."
"You do know they don't care, right?"
The crowd, especially the first-year students, was in an uproar, unable to contain their excitement.
Orion cleared his throat and continued. "Like I said, for two reasons. Firstly, we need to rebuild the dorm buildings and also the other destroyed buildings. Secondly, I genuinely believe that some of you need time to clear your heads."
"You can also consider this as a way for the Academy to apologize for what happened," he added.
Before the students could begin murmuring again, Orion quickly spoke.
"The first-year students will be notified when it's time to return to the Academy."
Arin squinted his eyes, staring at the system screen in front of him.
[An Unwritten Event is happening.]
'Hmm, this holiday won't be more than three days at most,' he thought. 'Building back the destroyed buildings is a piece of cake for this Academy.'
'The main reason for this holiday is probably for the students to clear their heads, and also as an apology.'
"Finally," Orion said. "Clothes have been prepared for the first-year students who are still wearing their nightwear. And also, your parents will be informed about the current situation and your arrival."
After a few more minutes, Orion's speech ended with him saying that the Academy would get to the root of this issue and make sure nothing ever happened again. Though, there was still this lingering fear in the hearts of some of the students..... The fear of the Vampires.
What happened last night was a reminder that there was a race called the Vampires..... A race that was once at war with the humans and then suddenly vanished two years ago.
But now, from the look of things and with what happened last night..... The Vampires were returning.
Was this, perhaps, a sign of another war?