Slaves of Blood

Valery walked away from his class and went to the map area. At the foot of the mountain was a dark, damp, mossy crevice. 

Inside, there was not much more than a few small stalactites and a small stream of water.

Upon entering the cave Valery had to keep her hands away from the many mosquitoes that were in the cave. Valery saw the unnatural amount of mosquitoes in the cave. 

She quickly understood that this was created by her teacher, as a hunter he must know various ways to attract insects, animals and magical beasts. 

Valery walked cautiously so as not to make too much noise. She had researched bats long ago so she was prepared. 

Bats have sensitive ears just like vampires, only bats can use the ability of echolocation. Something vampires can't do. 

In addition to insects, some of them eat fruits and insects. 

Valery, with her keen eyesight, quickly found a bat hanging down, its wings covering it like a blanket, it looked like an insect-like hood. Its head protrudes from the hood it creates with its wings. Its nose seems to occupy most of its face, it has small eyes and ears of a good size but not large. 

It is an Indian bat, Valery discovered its species very quickly.

"Why are you so lonely?" Valery frowned at the sight of the lone bat.

The bat did not respond but flapped its ears at Valery's voice, spread its little wings and its little hunt began. 

A high-pitched scream came out of its mouth and it caught every mosquito it could find with its echolocation.

Valery watched it hunt, but could not help but think of the bat's loneliness and her own loneliness. 

The Indian bat is quite sociable and stays in colonies of bats, so finding a solitary one must be rare. Well, Valery didn't know that. 

Valery paid attention to how it flapped its wings, how it caught each insect as it paused on the walls before hopping off for another round of mosquitoes.

'Did you lose someone too? just like katerin? just like me?' thought Valery watching his companion's flying dance.

"How horrible is loneliness" her voice echoed in the cave.

x-x-x

Valery returned two hours after seeing the bat, but there was not much to see. Only as it was eating, then it was leaning again on the roof of the cave. Sometimes it was flying around the cave and leaning on different parts of the cave. 

But for the most part she watched it sleep, the few times she saw it move, they were minimal and simple actions.

But she sympathized a lot with the bat, she sympathized with its loneliness.

When she came down the stairs, she saw none of her classmates, only her teacher sitting in a wooden chair, his hat covering his face, looking as if he were asleep. 

But from the beginning he should have realized that Valery had arrived. Only the teacher stayed still to make it look like he was asleep and not have to respond to the students.

"Professor... I'm done" Valery kicked his chair to shake it.

"Tsk tsk girl you can't repeat other people's sleep."

"I'm done... now I'm waiting for you to explain more about the transformation class." 

"I think I said it didn't I?" The professor settled back in his seat before continuing to speak.

"You have to understand the animal that touched you, their habits, their feeding, their actions, how it feels. I even remind you to imitate them for a while." 

"I saw all that but I didn't imitate it... next time I think I'll do better, thank you professor" Valery's serious face brightened up a little more and then she went to her room.

Valery walked down the corridors to her room. She had been feeling strange for a while, at first Valery thought it was because of the loneliness of the bat or because of Lissandra's death.

But it wasn't, she didn't feel sad or overwhelmed. Even if those feelings resembled what she felt, it was nothing like that.

But she felt that pressure in her chest, similar to when she was anxious or fearful.

The silence of the corridors seemed to deepen, dulling her ears. Valery quickened her pace, but she did not run.

It is forbidden to run at the academy.

But today she could make an exception, she moved her steps and before she knew it she was running.

Just as she was about to turn a corner.

A pained murmur reached her ears and she stopped immediately at the corner. She could hear well what was happening on the other side of the corridor.

"Please calm down," said an awakened voice, full of pain.

"No, that's not the answer I wanted," said a dominant female voice, before the sound of flesh being torn.

"Ah!" She had barely begun to scream, when the scream was muffled by something.

Valery didn't look at anything, but it didn't take a look for Valery to know what was happening. They were extorting that student, for something....

Valery could intuitively guess why... because Stelle had already asked her for something similar.

In the academy there are many nobles who have lost their fathers, there are many nobles, almost all of them have lost their fathers, only the strongest ones have not died. The war eliminated the adults and left inexperienced young people in this unknown world.

In addition, political wars are not allowed in the academy.

Valery could not help, but she could buy time for the victim.

She took out a silver bell, it was one she found on her way back. The evaluators must have taken that bell around for another evaluation.

Valery pulled the bell up before running away from the scene. She had to run and go in another direction to go to her room, still running she then heard the bell fall. 

Surely now the evaluators should go straight to the scene to check what was going on.

Throwing a silver bell means nothing, but it will draw attentions of those guarding the corridors. 

She reached her room, entered and closed the door quickly. 

She remained silent. In front of her door she then heard footsteps as fast as the wind.

She leaned against the door, took a deep breath even though she didn't need to, but it worked to calm her down. She looked around her room, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

She put her hand on her forehead, she felt afraid. 

She had sympathized with the girl, at the same time she felt afraid that she might be next. 

She is not a warrior, she is a noble implement that takes care of constructions.

"Let's fight a war, only to fight each other later," she said helplessly, with fear, with regret. 

"Goddess please help me" Begged Valery, 

Goddess, please..." she murmured again and again that same phrase.

Imposing

With fear

Regretful of feeling happy for her parents' struggle, conflicted with the pride she had towards them.

Yet there was no answer to her pleas. 

A plea filled with fear and despair. 

Her friend, Stelle had already made a move to get nobles under her government. 

Many more must be doing the same, the academy era must be waging a political war from the first time they arrived. 

She was ignorant.