Page 247 of Eternal Ruin

At once, every vampire in the vicinity fell to their knees, clutching their fangs. Painful groans reverberated as if they were growing new fangs.

Samson’s eyes widened, a flicker of light parting his night eyes.

Kidan’s heart raced as she lowered the blades. Maybe she didn’t have to shatter them. Holding them was somehow… enough.

Adjoa reached for Sacro’s bent back, alarmed.

“Sacro?”

After a moment, Sacro slowly straightened, tasting his fangs.

“Did it work?” Adjoa whispered.

Every breath was held. Sacro moved toward June, the one who had never graduated Dranacti, never killed.

June offered her palm, swallowing.

Sacro pricked her finger and brought it to his tongue, not once pulling away to spit it out.

He lifted his head and smiled. “We can drink from any human.”

A roar of cheers erupted once again. Kidan’s eyes widened, and she swayed.

Dranacti no longer applied.The bond between actis and dranaics was no more.

She’d truly done it. She stared at the blades in her hands, still feeling her veins rush with power. It would have been a shame to destroy such a beautiful creation.

Kidan smiled. This was only the beginning.

June smiled too, her eyes creased, tears of joy flowing.

“Bindbreaker,” Samson whispered in wonder. He rested his hand on Kidan’s shoulder, and she tensed, ready to fight. But there was a rare light in his face—unrestrained and awed. He squeezed her shoulder with ice-cold fingers, and… laughed.

A laugh that sounded too normal, almost human.

“You. All this time I had been looking for you.” Even his voice wasn’t his own, almost childlike. Pure.

Confused and disconcerted, Kidan did not pull back.

Samson turned to the crowd. “This is only the beginning!” he shouted. “Find the mask the dean stole from Adane House and bring it to us. The sun artifact has suppressed our strengths but no more. It will be shattered soon! Once we are truly unleashed, we will crown a new Sage!”

Kidan’s ears buzzed with the sheer exaltation from the crowd. As suspected, some slipped away quietly, hurrying to inform the dean or others.

Let them.

Let them know she was coming.

In the distance, Kidan could hear a divine sound.

Uxlay campus. Screaming.

In the faceless crowd, she searched for a familiar set of night eyes and twists. An amused smile.

I did it, Yos. I did it, so where are you?

A sharp pain tore across her temple. She groaned, stumbling. Samson reached for her but she shook him off, getting down from the raised platform. The blades in hand, she wove through the crowd, catching glimpses of wonder on Adjoa Piran’s face, approval in Osa Rojit and Mikhail Temo. But she was too far away to hear them and in urgent need of privacy. Her mouth felt weird, aching and burning. She didn’t want to throw up in front of all these people.

Her stomach heaved dangerously.