The throne room faded to black around him, and before Jaden knew it he was awake again. The sunlight started peeking through the blinds, signaling that morning had come. He groggily rolled out of bed, shielding his eyes. The sunlight didn't particularly hurt him, but it definitely caused him a great amount of discomfort.
Syrus was already up being the first amongst their friends to shake off his hangover, and happily smiled at Jaden as he slipped his uniform on. "Good morning bud! It's surprising to see you awake this early. Does that mean you're feeling better?" Normally, Jaden woke up in the morning with a bad attitude or just didn't wake up at all and stayed in. Maybe it was because he had drunk fresh blood that his energy was now fully recovered. In fact, he had never felt so invigorated!
"Actually Sy, I've never felt better." He thought back on what happened between him and Alexis and his cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. He didn't realize drinking someone's blood could be that intimate. Let alone, he never expected Alexis to volunteer for such a forbidden act. He didn't know if he ever wanted to do it again because he felt like he would just be using her, but he couldn't stop thinking about the taste of her blood.
The two finished getting ready and stepped out their dorm to go to school. Jaden shielded his eyes yet again as he felt the sun blare down on top of him, making him feel lethargic. "Are you sure you'll be okay? Maybe you should try covering up a little?" Jaden went back in their room and came out with a pair of sunglasses and a hoodie underneath his blazer, pulling the hood over his head which helped him feel slightly better. Was this going to be his new life? Forever avoiding the light and becoming a true creature of the night?
The two continued on their path towards the school, when they stopped to watch a duel commencing between an obelisk blue and another student in a white uniform. The obelisk blue lost with his life points reaching zero and Jaden glared, he could feel that sinister energy erupting during their duel. Syrus looked on, a little scared. "You've missed a lot while you were gone Jaden. Maynard has been recruiting people into his cult by challenging them to a duel. And if he beats them, they join him like mindless zombies. I don't exactly get what their organization is, but it feels sinister somehow. ¼ of the school body must be under his control by now." Which was saying something because Jaden had only been absent for a week. He got a lot done in that short amount of time.
Jaden could sense the lights influence during the duel and felt it as it infected the Obelisk student. "Calm down, Haou.." Jaden said underneath his breath, his eyes momentarily flashing gold. His other half could sense it too and he could feel the anger rising inside of him once again. Syrus could barely hear him as he whispered but heard enough to hear Jaden udder the name Haou. "Who's that Jaden?"
He rubbed the back of his neck. "It's no one Syrus. Hey, I'll race you to the school!" He said as he took off, leaving his best friend in the dust, "Hey, Jay! Come on wait up!" Exclaimed Syrus who sighed, running after the other Slifer.
Alexis sat in class already waiting for their lessons to start, staring at the clock as it almost rang 8am. Was Jaden going to show up? She sighed and rubbed the part of her neck where Jaden bit her last night. She could still feel it and the thought of Jaden's lips caressing her made her flustered all over again. She wasn't acting like herself last night. She wanted to help him no question, but ever since he bit her she couldn't get him out of her mind.
"Good morning Alexis! You look like you're in a good mood today! Did something nice happen to you? You didn't come home last night. So, tell us, is it boy problems?" Her two best friends Jasmine and Mindy sat beside her, teasing her as she thought about her favorite Slifer Red. Coincidentally, Jaden made it to class around the same time and went to his seat with Syrus accompanying him.
Mindy looked contently at Jaden while twirling her hair. "Is it just me, or does Jaden look more manly lately? He's totally hot now!" Alexis's heart skipped a beat when she saw him and she had to force herself to look away. "N-no. He looks the same to me… still dorky as ever.", she tried lying to herself. But Mindy was right. Ever since the school year started and she saw him for the first time in months, he didn't look like the same boy she met last year. Probably because of his recent transformation.
Jaden sweat dropped when he felt the gaze of almost every female student body looking at him. "Hey Sy, is it just me or are we being watched?" He could hear Haou's voice echo inside of his conscience, startling him. "That's because you're a vampire now. They can feel the regal aura you're giving off. Think of it as a mechanism for us vampires to get a quick meal. Cattle are attracted to us like moths to a flame." Jaden's eyes furrowed with anger as he thought back a response. "They are not cattle. There's no doubt, you're a damn monster. You have no sympathy at all." Haou's disturbing laugh resonated in his mind. "Never forget that I'm you. So as far as that comment goes, it takes one to know one."
Jaden continued mentally arguing with himself when he felt another strong presence enter the room. He whipped his head around towards the door and saw Maynard enter alone, his posse not following him as usual this time. His siblings were probably still recovering after their fight. Which leaves to question, why was Maynard here? Did he recover that quickly? Perhaps the werewolf was holding back on him.
"Oh no, Jay. It's that guy again!" Said Syrus who clutched to Jaden's arm afraid. "Don't worry Sy, I won't let him touch you." Maynard walked up to Jaden and the two rivals glared each other down. The female body started chatting amongst each other. Were they going to see a brawl between the two hottest guys in school? They only hoped so.
"Vampire, I'm not finished with you. I want a rematch after school. I need to avenge my siblings. They're both in critical condition because of you!" Maynard clenched his fists, resisting the urge to punch the young vampire in the face then and there, but he didn't want to cause a scene.
Before Jaden could reply, his mind started to escape him, and then his head hanged low. When he looked up, his eyes were glowing gold. Haou had taken him over again. Jaden mentally started yelling at his evil half. He thought he made it clear that his body was off limits unless he said it way okay! But Haou ignored his other self's plights.
"Did you not get enough of me last time werewolf? The outcome won't be different you know. I will defeat you over and over again. If I beat you enough into a pulp, maybe you'll finally learn your place." Syrus could feel the change in aura in his best friend and released his grip on his arm. Jaden would never talk to someone like that. He only saw it for a brief moment last time, but Jaden was giving off the same feeling he had when he defeated the siblings. His aura was so extremely dark and evil that even a human like Syrus could detect it.
"Well, this time won't be like the last time. I am a loyal servant to my master but even I can't respect his decision to let you live. Killing you will be my choice alone." Haou rested his head on his arm and titled his head nonchalantly, not really caring what the werewolf had to say. "That's what I hate about you wolves. Once you find a master, you're nothing but a lap dog. It honestly makes me sick."
Before Maynard could retort, the teacher came into the room and addressed the entire class, giving him no choice but to retreat and take his seat for the start of their lesson. But this didn't mean that they were close to being even.
"Jaden Yuki! I need you to report to the headmaster's office after class! He said he needs to have an urgent discussion with you!" Haou sighed, knowing that this wasn't his expertise. He hated consulting with humans. They majorly pissed him off. He was a king and didn't like being addressed to as a commoner.
His eyes shifted back from gold to brown and Jaden looked around confused, not being able to recall the time when Haou was in control of his body and stood up. "Uh, y-yes sir!" Everyone in class erupted into laughter thinking that Jaden was being nothing but his goofy delinquent self.
Class ended for the day and Jaden started making his way to the chancellor's office. He didn't know what he did to get himself in trouble this time but he figured it had something to do with him skipping school for five days straight.
Jaden continued walking and saw Aster leaning against the door near the headmaster's office, almost like he'd been waiting for him. "It's you. The pro duelist I beat on the first day of school. Did you want something from me?" Said Jaden as he approached the younger student.
"I don't know how much you remember of the last time we saw each other. But I just want to make it abundantly clear that you and I are enemies." The two exchanged glances with each other, the silence becoming unsettling between them. "Yeah yeah yeah. I get it, I'm a vampire and you guys need to kill me. I'm strangely becoming numb to these threats." Jaden said as he glared at the younger boy.
"You're a good guy Jaden. It's the spirit inside of you who's the real monster. The next time we see each other it won't be so friendly like this. You're not human, so I suggest you do some research on your own kind because you need to learn about what you are if you want to keep any ounce of your humanity. I swear right now, if you ever kill someone, I won't consider you a human anymore and I will kill you without hesitation. That is a promise." Aster walked past him, bumping shoulders and continued to walk until he was out of sight.
Jaden sighed; it seemed like everyone was out to get him. He didn't know what it meant to be a vampire, but inside he was still a human. He entered the chancellor's office, and as soon as his foot stepped through the door, he heard chanting like omens and his body felt incredibly heavy.
He fell to the floor clutching at his chest, out of nowhere it felt like it was hard for him to breathe. "I apologize for this Jaden but this is merely a precaution. We wouldn't want the Supreme King to attack us if you were to lose control. ", said the chancellor who sat at his desk. There were four men dressed in cloaks standing behind him with prayer beads wrapped around their arms. They were priests chanting mantras and Jaden could feel every word resonate in his body like shocks of electricity, making him become weaker.
"I know what you are. I had my suspicions when you single handedly defeated the Sacred Beast Cards but I didn't want to believe it. I didn't think in my lifetime I would ever see the revival of the Supreme King, but life is full of surprises. I only put the pieces together last night when I felt that wave of demonic energy. There was no doubt in my mind who could give off a force like that. "
Jaden still laid huddled on the ground, resting on his hands and knees. Every word the priests said rang in his head like a loud bell. "Just what do you want from me? Do you plan on killing me too?!" The chancellor looked at him with sadness in his eyes. "Of course not. You are one of my precious students. It's the opposite in fact, what we need is your help." Jaden looked up shocked. "My help?" The headmaster nodded.
"More precisely, we need the help of the other soul you harbor. Is it possible you can bring him out so that I can have a word with him?" Why on earth would Chancellor Sheppard want to talk with that monster, but he had no choice but to oblige. "Haou…" As soon as he said that name, dark energy erupted from his body and he slowly started to stand back on his feet. The chants no longer having any effect on him shocking the headmaster as well as the priests.
Haou looked around the room and smirked at the gawking faces of the humans around him. "Did you think those weak incantations could work on someone of my caliber? You humans are funny creatures." The headmaster cleared his throat. "I apologize my king. We merely wanted to be safe. Forgive us." Haou was delighted in the fact that someone was finally addressing him the way he deserved.
"I suppose I can forgive your insolence, human. Now, what is it that you needed from me?" Chancellor Sheppard stood up from his desk and walked over to the prince of darkness and kneeled in front of him. "Please! Save this school and my students! I have read the legends about how you live your life to fight off the Light of Destruction, you are a hero. I know you can sense the influence the light has on this place, and many of my students have already been taken over. I beg you, save their souls!"
Haou couldn't help but let a sinister chuckle escape his lips. Him, a hero? They were very mistaken. "You misunderstand human. I don't fight the light because I want to save lives. That doesn't sound like me at all. No, what I want is world domination. I plan to make the entire world my personal feeding ground! If the world was destroyed, there would be no one left to entertain me." The headmaster stepped back in fear, were his motives truly that sinister? This meeting was starting to seem more like a mistake every minute that passed.
"But you are described as the Gentle Darkness. Your existence is what gives our world life. Why would you want to take it away from anybody?" The King glared at him, his eyes cutting through him like hot knives. "You know nothing about me. I have my reasons. Human lives and your virtues are the least thing I care about. However, what I hate more than an arrogant human, is the light defeating me. So, I'll agree to protect your students and your school. But I will do it my way."
The king grabbed at his head in pain, he could feel Jaden struggling to take back control. "Damnit, out of time again?" He slowly sank to his knees and Jaden was once again back in control. "God, I hate when he does that. I feel like a prisoner in my own body."
Chancellor Sheppard walked over and helped Jaden to stand up. "I'm sorry about that my boy. I just needed to see if the Supreme King was on our side. He gave uhm, mixed signals. But he did agree to assist in our fight against the Society." Jaden sighed, just what did that guy say to the headmaster to make him so afraid? He was practically still trembling. "But before you leave, I have something else for you."
He reached out and grabbed Jaden's arm and wrapped a metal chain linked bracelet with a lock on it that had a cross engraved into it. Jaden stared at the piece of jewelry curiously. "That is a holy lock. It'll help suppress your innate urges. It's a standard model but the Vatican makes them to help tame unruly vampires that haven't yet been dubbed as threats. It won't have the same effect on you like it will on others, but it'll help you to blend in with human society. Come, stand by the window."
Jaden hesitated but followed the headmaster's instructions and stood by the window in his office. When the chancellor abruptly opened the blinds Jaden instinctively went to shield his eyes, but nothing happened. In fact, the sun just felt warm on his skin like it used to. He unblocked his face and started waving his hand in the sun's rays extatically. "This is amazing! The sun doesn't bother me!"
The headmaster warmly smiled at him, pleased by the results. He honestly didn't think that it would work considering how much more powerful Jaden was compared to most vampires. "Like I said, it's real purpose is to tame vampires. And to do that, it suppresses their powers so that they become more manageable. It's a more cruelty free way of dealing with vampires without resorting to extermination. The opinions of the Vatican are split down the middle you see, with half believing in the modernization of vampire hunting while others want to stick to their pagan practices." Jaden was extremely interested in this conversation, maybe he could finally get some questions answered that he'd been meaning to ask.
"You seem to know a lot about this topic Chancellor Sheppard. And just how many vampires are there in the world anyways? Are they like me?" The headmaster shook his head. "Of course, you'd be curious since this is all still new to you. But to answer your question, there are more vampires in the world than people realize. Most people don't even believe they're real, but that goes to show how diligent the Vatican is with dealing with infestations. They really know how to keep a secret."
Jaden tilted his head confused. "Wait, infestation? Are vampires born or are people turned?" The headmasters face turned deadly serious. "Yes, and yes. There are vampires who are naturally born like you. We refer to them as nobles. And then we have another class of vampire called second born. Those are humans who were attacked by a noble, and forcedly turned against their will. Only a noble can turn a human. But that's why the holy lock was invented, to help ease the mind of these victims." The Chancellors face fell into a frown. "You see Jaden, second born vampires don't have long to live after they're turned. Without a healthy supply of their master's blood, they become weaker and more feral until one of two things could happen. They turn into a savage beast driven by blood lust, or they die in five years from the day they were turned. Whichever comes first. If they could drink a nobles blood their lives could easily be extended by fifty years, but often times their masters abandon them. It's a cruel fate for those people."
Jaden sat listening intently. He was starting to feel disgusted with himself, knowing he had become such a despicable creature. Vampires are the scum on earth that only seem to live for self-perseverance and their own selfish reasons. He was starting to understand why Haou was the way he is, it's in his nature to be cruel. But Jaden grew up a human, so now his feelings were becoming conflicted.
"Why do you know all of this?" asked Jaden. The headmaster let out a nervous chuckle, it seemed he had revealed too much but he sympathized for the younger boy and couldn't just ignore his questions. "I used to work for the Vatican. In my youth I was a vampire hunter, but my views have changed. Instead of killing vampires I want to help the victims and make their lives comfortable until the very end. They didn't choose that life for themselves. I guess it's my way of atoning for my sins."
Jaden was surprised, he never knew that the headmaster had this side of himself. His heart was so kind. He found it very admirable about the man. "Well, I agree with you! I don't think they deserve to die! All they need is help! There's nothing much I can really do, but if given the chance, I want to help them!" The chancellor put a firm hand on Jaden's shoulder and smiled at the Slifer student. "You are a good kid Jaden. Don't ever let the Supreme King change that part of you. It's what makes you human." Jaden smiled back, a new passion igniting inside of him.
Aster was lurched over the toilet in his private bathroom at HQ, coughing uncontrollably and spitting up a little of his own blood. He clutched a hand to his throat, feeling that terrible sensation whenever he became like this. He refused to die, he couldn't yet! Not before he could exterminate the Supreme King!
Maynard entered his room and leaned against the door frame amused at seeing how pitiful Aster looked in that moment. "Feeling hungry, vermin?" Aster whipped his head around to face the werewolf, the hand clutching his throat had a familiar chain wrapped around his wrist, a holy lock. "It's none of your damn business, mutt." He forced himself to stand up and regain his composure albeit it was difficult for him.
"You didn't just come in here to start a fight with me, the master sent you didn't he? Is it about a new mission?" Maynard walked up to him and handed him a sheet of paper containing all the details for his next mission. "He wants us to continue to expand our influences outside of the school and onto the mainland. The school is almost completely under our control but we can't just stop here. He wants you to go to Domino City to exterminate any vampires you might find and to infiltrate the Kaiba Corp. building. Which we're in luck because there's going to be a field trip there soon. Take that as your opportunity and don't draw attention to yourself. Do not fail."
Maynard started to leave when Aster started mockingly laughing at the young werewolf. "What the hell is so funny, vermin?!" Aster pulled a hand through his tousled hair. "Fail? Like how you did when you fought Jaden? Don't think you'll be living that down anytime soon." Maynard grabbed him by the collar and snarled aggressively in his face. But then he smirked, seeing how Aster's eyes were glowing that luster red and he dropped him. "I don't need to do anything to you, you'll die on your own soon enough. That I can't wait to see." He then finally left, leaving an enraged Aster to contemplate by himself. There was no way in hell he planned to die before Jaden did.