"Well, well look at this convocation of students," Crolwer said as we met up with him and Zane at Shepherd's gate. Though there was an oddity this time, namely me, there should be seven keys but he had called eight of us.

Well, I guess we were about to find out.

"Some of the best duelists of our school and what's this someone looks a little lost," Crowler said and clicked the floor with my boot heel.

"He is not, Chazz was invited," Jayden said but before Chazz could open his mouth I slammed my heel on the floor making a very crisp sound, I had moulded my face into a very agitated face. I looked like I would rip the three of them apart if they made a single squeak and my glare showed exactly what I thought of the argument.

Alexis spoke up from beside me, "Let's just go in?"

Crowler nodded and opened the door.

"Come on in and gather…"

———

——

—

"Sacred what now?" Jayden looked thrown for a loop.

"[Uria, Lord of Searing Flames, [Hamon, Lord of Striking Thunder] and [Raviel, Lord of Phantasms]. The three beasts," Shepard spoke with all the gravitas he could muster.

I interrupted him, "Why are they named after angels?" realising that all eyes were on me I apologised, "Sorry, just thinking out loud."

"You know the myths?" Shepard asked and I shrugged, "I am Christian."

"You are?" Alexis asked, "Yeah but more of a non-believer than anything. Anyway, carry on."

"This Academy was built partly to…" I knew this so I tuned him out.

"So that is why the eight of you are here, the beasts lie beneath the academy, there are seven duelists called the Shadow duelists that covet these cards. And I am afraid one of them is already here," Shock went through them all and I facepalmed.

"So I am guessing we have to beat them in shadow duels?" I had a mirthless smile and the chancellor looked shocked, "How do you know that?"

I shrugged and pulled out Jinzo, "Bested the spirit in one and he wanted to join me. And Jayden has fought two."

He looked at his two professors, "And why was I…never mind. We have more important matters. The first arrived in the thick of last night's storm."

"Obviously," Bastion shrugged, I agreed the best time to sneak onto an island and the poor fucker still gets caught. My card network. Oh, the storm would have blown it to bits won't it? Not that I care. I don't even know why I bothered when I knew the important bits.

"And how do we protect them exactly?" Alexis asked.

He produced seven keys, "By guarding these when all seven have been assembled only then can they open the seal."

"One for each of you to guard," I raised my brow, "In case sir your eyes have stopped working, eight," My black full-finger glove—newly bought—circled the room.

"Well, that's for you to decide. Who will not, you kids know each other better than I do."

"You say protect but you just mean target," Bastion retorted to the man.

He nodded, "It is true. The seven riders will seek you out."

"In a shadow duel?" I guessed, "Yes," He admitted, "By command of an ancient edict, the keys must be won in a duel."

"Of course, you can back out, I won't blame you, the riders play for keeps after all, but if you feel up to saving the world…" He pushed the keys to us.

Jayden was the first, "Hah," He said as he slung it on, "Hey it fits."

Zane was next, "I too accept."

Bastion dragged his hand over before picking a piece, "It would be my honour."

Alexis took the next and glanced at me, I shook my head. The rest turned to me, "Sorry boys and Alexis. Not into the whole Hero thing." I said as I pulled away.

Banner was the first to stop me, "Mira, this is a chance to be part of something bigger than yourself…" I cut him off, "That's the problem professor, this is too important. Too big for me."

"Mira, you deserve a key you are possibly in the top three…" I cut off Bastion, "You fool. You talk like ranking matters."

"It does, Mira, the best duelist goes first after all!" Jayden exclaimed.

I walked over to him and dunked a solid slap over his face, he reeled back a bit, "What was that for?"

"You fool! You have played a shadow game! More than any of us! You know lives are at stake! And what do you talk about? Bloody, who is the strongest?" I took a deep breath, "With the stakes at which we are fighting? Do you know what I would do? Take Syrus hostage and kill Chumlee. Hang his corpse in front of your dorm. Tell you exactly what would happen if you won. You! Ah! I have had it! You people! Prep school, sheltered morons have no sense of what war is and what you are about to fight. This is why I don't want to be in the bigger picture. Because it includes you morons."

I walked out of the room.

Time for Vampire hunting. Well mostly hunting for immortality but semantics.

———

——

—

"Well, what's her problem?" Jayden asked as he rubbed his cheek, the girl packed a mean slap.

"I am afraid Jayden her problem is exactly right Jayden, while I doubt any would take their fight to the extremes the girl is willing to go, they will employ similar tactics," Shepherd said as he sat down on his chair, "Your opponents are still human they have conscious and would not go so far. That girl. I am just glad she is not our enemy."

"Mira is…" Alexis began, "In my experience the best person to go to when you need help with twisted things."

"Twisted things?" Zane asked, "Yeah," Alexis hung her head down, "She is very good at those things. I am going after her."

"Now?" Zane asked a little unsure as to why.

"Yes, Zane. To my…best friend," She greeted her teeth at the word.

"Why was she so angry all of a sudden?" Chazz asked, "Angry at Mira?"

Jayden smiled a very silly smile, "Oh that, no it was probably cuz she and Mira are best buddies."

"That's what I said, are your ears slacking off too?" Chazz punched back.

"No Chazz, it's nothing," Jayden stopped talking about it, remembering that it was very much not his story to tell.

"So what should we do, Chancellor? If it is as you say…then we will be dragging our friends into it," Zane asked but Shepard bit his lips, "Don't run away from fights, while the riders may be wicked they are still human and as long as you give them their fight. They should not target your friends."

"So just lay down and take it? I wish Mira was here then, she can be a proper vindictive bitch about things," Chazz added.

"If she is like that, then I am glad she is not on the team, otherwise, things might escalate from a war in the shadows to one fought over mh student's corpses," Shepherd brought out a cigar from under his desk, one thing he had promised to keep away.

—————————————————————

"So…what is that?" Alexis pranced into my room as I steadied my crossbow at my shoulder, it was not as good as a gun but Japanese gun laws were annoying.

"This my dear is a shoulder-levelled folding stock compound crossbow with tungsten bolts that can rip through steel plates," I proudly showcased my baby to her, she was a bitch to import but she was here.

"And why do you have it?" Alexis looked tempted to leave the subject alone but asked in resignation anyway.

"Insurance."

———

——

—

"Alright what is going on?" I asked as I nudged the sleeping blonde next to me awake, "Alexis…"

"Mhh, Mira, don't, not there…please others will…" What are you dreaming about? Anyway, "Get up," I shook her awake and as she rubbed her eyes she shot me a dis enthused glare, "What is it? I was having such a nice dream too…"

I pointed to the glow that was starting to overtake the room leaking in from the edges of the room.

"What is happening?" She asked and I grabbed my deck in my hand.

/At least this one catches on quickly. The first duel./ A voice broke all silence and it all went blank.

———

——

—

"I will beat you and I will be getting that key, oh and just to make sure I bought some friends," Edge lord nine thousand with a half-cut Red Eyes mask spoke as the veil around us lifted to reveal our friends. And a ten-foot drop into a volcano.

"You know I warned that exactly this would happen," I deadpanned as Syrus and Chumlee just shrank behind me, "At least you had the decency to dress us up when you kidnapped us." I flickered the teal bubble that was keeping us in and sighed, "What a waste of time this is."

"No…oh hey Mira," Jayden went from panicked to calm quickly and while that made me want to strangle him for not taking my life seriously I knew that barking at him would not help.

"Hey Jayden, now please win this duel quickly," I said as Night shroud interrupted, "You make light of me, I will crush him and then drop you into lava."

"Mira! I am so glad you are okay!" Alexis shouted from the teal platform she was on with Jayden as she turned to Edgy edgy lord, "You better let them go or else."

"Jayden just duel him already…"

———

——

—

"So this is your brother?" I asked as I sat on a seat in the nurses' office and as Alexis stacked another wet towel on his head she nodded.

"You don't seem all that bothered for someone held hostage over vats of Lava," Chazz spoke and I shrugged, "It was what it was. First time I played the damsel in distress. A novel experience."

Zane sighed, I leaned back into the chair, "Hey Jayden that amulet you completed. Mind lending that to me for a couple of days?"

Jayden looked down his neck, "This? Sure," And tossed it over to me.

Catching I picked myself up, "Time to ruin someone's hopes and dreams." They all stared at me, "What?"

—————————————————————

"Please this is a practical Joke," Crowler granted out of his mouth and I just sighed.

"Jayden's in the hospital because he duelled a mask possessing Alexis' brother over lava. While I was held captive. Sounds like the plot of a B-action flick other than you know, it happened," I shot back at him, "The vampire is probably real, is probably a shadow rider and probably here to murder us, well you guys," as the six riders looked at me.

"Yes, so be on the lookout for anything strange," Shepard addressed the gathered crowd.

"Oh please, Mira you can not be serious…" Crowler.

———

——

—

"Oh, a crimson red carpet? You like to keep the motif, don't you?" I joked as I walked over the velvet that somehow supported my weight over water. Physics can go fuck itself.

But as I stopped to take my next, the fog over the lake cleared and a carriage galloped into view.

"Mira!" I heard the call and turned to look behind me, at the keykeepers. Meh.

"So, an unexpected guest has come along with the expected ones? No matter what, a mistress greets all her guests properly," An ethereal voice that flickered and veined into existence was sharp, and piercing but like it would fade away at any moment.

"Oh," I took a deep bow, "It's an honour greeting such a wise elder."

"Elder?" The fog cleared as the woman in red stepped out, her green hair flowing behind her red velvet dress, "For Vampires such a thing as age is meaningless."

"What are you doing there young lady? Come back this instant!" Crowler shouted from behind me. But I ignored him. Ignored all of them.

"It might be for you my lady but for someone so short-lived as I? It means a lot," I told her as she hummed in agreement and walked closer.

"At least you know some properties, I thought I had awoken in the age of brutes otherwise," I nodded, "But enough pleasantries, tell me why you are here, you carry no key, so you have no quarrel with me. And I would rather let a good girl as you go."

"Simple I am here to duel you, I wanted to test the famed might of the long-thought-to-be-extinct vampires," I shrugged.

"What are you saying, Mira?" Zane butted in, "You can't duel a rider."

"Why not? As Calmula, the last of the vampires, I would like to indulge you but you know duelling me comes with a price, it will be a shadow duel and will you play?" I nodded and deployed my disk, my deck already slotted in.

"Alright if you lose your soul will be trapped in one of my dolls…" I cut her off, "And I win, your immortality is mine."

"And so, you show your true colours. Fine." She smiled a sickly sweet smile.

"Wait, Mira! You want what?" Chazz almost fell forward, "You want what?"

"Immortality," the vampire said, "She should be grateful very few in the world can grant her agelessness, and I am included in those few," I shrugged, time to go and make a bitch out of this vampire.

Mira-4000

Camula-4000

"Since I am the host I go first and summon [Zombie werewolf(1200 atk)] and lay a card face down and end my turn," I dropped all pretence, "That's it? For a bitch with a loud mouth that was quite weak."

"Oh I will show you, won't I?"

(A/N: Camul's draws are from the anime while Mira's are random.)

[Sonic Bird, [Witch of the Black Forest, [Senju, [Senju] [Black illusion ritual] and, "I draw," [Harpey's FD].

"I summon, [Senju(1000 def)] in defence mode and with its effect, I get to a card from my deck and I choose, well you all know it, want to take a guess Camula?" I asked her and she shrugged, "Maybe a [Relinquished]?"

"How does she know?" Chazz shouted and I gave him an impish smile, "Chazz what is she?"

Chazz looked confused for a moment and said, "A vampire?"

"Yes and tell me, haven't you seen bats flying near your rooms? Looking through windows? Say when you were tuning your deck?" I shrugged as faces dawned on the crowd, "Then she knows our decks?" I laughed, "Yep, the lady there is clever."

Not enough though, I had snuck my [Chaos Emperor] and [BLS: Envoy] out before she even arrived, and snuck them back in just an hour ago.

She's in for a mean surprise.

"Back to the duel, yes I draw [Relinquished]."

But I was not summoning it, "Just one more card and you are done you know that?" Not [Relinquished] though. I was going to [Emperor] this bitch.

Her irritated face made quite a sight. Was it because I revealed her trick? Who knows.

"So you will, but till then, I summon, [Vampire Bat(800 atk)] in attack mode, and all my zombie monsters gain 200 atk," I shrugged, "This is going to hurt isn't it?"

"Quite so, attack, [Zombie Werewolf(1400 atk)] destroy her monster and [Vampire bat(800 atk)] attack her directly."

Manju was gone and when a thousand bats struck I felt myself being cut and flesh being torn into a thousand pieces, I fell to my knees as I bit back every bit of pain that rippled.

"Mira! Are you okay?" That was Zane, right? I couldn't tell.

Calmula looked at him, "If you are so worried about her, why don't you step in place of her Darling? I will not even take her soul."

Zane tried to step up, but fuck you. I was not so weak, I am Mira Heylel, your fucking nightmare.

Mira-4000-800=3200

"Bitch, we are not through," I said as I stood up.

Mira-3200

"Draw!" I shouted, "Hahhahahahha, Get fucked Bitch," [Black Lusture Soldier: Envoy of the Begining].

(A/N: She rolled a 40 so it was either this or Chaos emperor)

"I active my card [Harpy's FD]. Your back row goes to hell. Next, I play [Black Illusion Ritual] and toss [Witch of Black Forest]. I get a [Relinquished] but he doesn't matter." I laughed hysterically.

"I know you spied on my deck to bitch when I was showing it to Alexis last night, but do you know? I pulled this card out of it days before. Just so you could not see it. I banish [Manju] and [Witch] from my graveyard and summon [Black Luster Soldier: Envoy of the Beginning]."

Her face, which was the picture of calm cracked.

"You peasant! This can't be!" She shouted as black magic rolled from her and shot towards me only to be eaten by the charm around my neck.

"Get fucked, [Soldier(3000 atk)] end this, attack [Vampire Bat(800)]

Camula-4000-2200=1800

"Due to [Lustre]'s special ability, you get even more fucked, he can attack again. So, die."

Camula-1800-1800=0.

"And that's how you do it bitch," I said as the disk disengaged and I walked over to her.

She did not look down though, her eyes lit up and she laughed, "Well then here is your immortality. My daughter." What? Her body bristled into purple goo as it lunged towards me. It was lightning quick as I covered my face with my arms and braced.

It was white for a moment and the next I could not feel my heart.

Oh, that bitch!

And when I looked down I saw a card in my hand. "Camula. Oh, YOU PRETTY LITTLE BITCH!"

"Do not call your mother a bitch," A translucent shadow appeared in front of me, "Camula. Do you think when I asked for your immortality I meant for you to make me a hemophilic fuck?"

"But it is the only immortality I can offer. My daughter," She was there but just a shadow now.

"So now what?"

"Simple dear you are a Vampire. And of the Royal kind. The last on the Earth in fact," I stared at her, "Last how? I did not ask for your soul."

"You asked for immortality, the only way for a vampire to make another immortal is to give their blessing to them. I did. You are now Mira Heylel, the first of her name, and the last of a once proud species that once walked the Earth. Your life will be perilous or so I would say but all your enemies have long since withered and died," She pranced around in the shadow, "And since I gave my blessing to you, I am now your mother."

"That is not how genetics work," I said in the most deadpan tone possible.

"Oh really? Want to get a blood test?" Fuck off, fuck right off.

I ignored the bitchy thing and turned to the audience, "That's one more rider gone." I grumbled as they kept gawking shell shocked.

"What?" I asked as Banner pointed to me, "Your hair Mira," My hair? I pulled a lock from my side, Icey white.

"Camula, do you know I liked my hair?" I ground my teeth as I said.

"Then dye it, though a Royal Lady does not hide her features," Her shadow whispered.

"Is that why you dressed as a street whore?" I asked and offended she screamed, "DO NOT CALL YOUR MOTHER THAT. YOU HEAR ME?"

"Jesus lower your volume I do," I shrugged and the others looked at me like crazy, "Mira…why are you talking to yourself?" Bastion asked.

"Oh, you can not see or hear Camula can you?"

———

——

—

"So, you are now a Vampire?" Alexis asked and I nodded, as I ran a blood test in the nursing room.

"Riteo, and I have the shadow of a Shadow rider who is calling herself my Mother flying around me at all times," I said as I grumbled as the machine spat out the results, I was a normal human being. According to the test. But the fact that I bent soft steel with my hands and the fact that I had no pulse was also obvious.

"You know if you showed this result to a doctor they would say that I am a recently deceased body and you know from me talking to you, that is bullshit," I said as I palmed my hand.

"So, are you going to start sucking our blood?" Jayden asked from his bed and I rolled my eyes, "Nope, not unless my blood bank strat fails."

"Oh cool," He said as he laid back down.

"You know, I feel like this was the natural outcome," Bastion said, "You ask a vampire for immortality…"

I gave him a deadpan stare as I said, "According to Camula, one week, I need to drink blood once every week. Also Bastion, vampires are said to be scared by sunlight and garlic and those do nothing to me! Or Camula!"

Alexis was smiling through the whole thing, and I had no clue why, "So why are you so happy?"

She was rattled off guard and then settled herself, "Well if you are dependent on human blood you won't be able to cause human extinction."

I paused at that, true, I could not if I wanted to survive, but, "You overestimate me to the point of madness Alexis."

"I am sure you could do it if you put your mind to it. But now you can't!" Why the hell are you so supportive of me ending the world?

"...I hate you so much right now Alexis," She giggled it off, "I am just glad you did not kill her."

I sighed as I looked at the clock, it had struck twelve, "She very much had the intention to." I jumped back and Camula materialised right next to me. And so did the rest.

"What the—" I was cut off, "Language young lady, I had been tolerating your tongue because this was a shock to you but no more. You will learn to behave like a proper lady befitting her title of Queen."

You do not get to tell me what to do!

"What Queen? What title? What kingdom? Face it Camula, it's all long gone," I was not going to behave like an aristocrat no matter what, they are a dying breed.

"How dare you, if you weren't my daughter I would have slapped you for your words, I will have you know the Romans paid tribute to me," I laughed at her, "You mean the Byzantines? They are gone, Camula. All gone. There is no Eastern Rome anymore. Time has left you behind, time that you catch up."

"That is why! That is why I am so cooperative with you!" She said as her finger struck me, and then I realised she was there physically there, "You will help me move forward and I will help you back."

"What?" I was baffled by her words.

"I saw it, your childhood, when one becomes a mother she can see someone's greatest regrets. Yours is your childhood. You regret it," I froze, I do? No, I don't. I didn't have any to…"Oh, you mean that…that I regret not having one?"

"You don't even know it, do you? The blood, the carnage, fighting, the butchery, the ruthlessness, the sheer madness. I am here to give you one that is not that…"

What? She can. No, "Fuck off, I don't need it. It might be a regret, but it is one I can live with. I was a kid and fought back. Not just fought back, I owned it. And I am damn fucking proud of it. I don't need no one to replace it."

"So be it, but a mother has to try. And see the state of you all," Her eyes wandered to the rest of the room, they were tired and deflated, lacking sleep and most of all baffled. They had five more to beat. Five that I was not gonna give a shit about.

"You are all coming, with me," She said as she snapped her finger.

———

(A/N: I always wondered why Camula did not just go the old-fashioned way to increase the vampiric population and that's what I came up with, they can't. I will explain later.)