The Supreme Vampire King

Chapter 7: Retrieving The Key

It was the next day, and the sun was shining brightly overhead as the start of a new era in Jaden's life was in full view on the horizon. He was finally allowed to live freely without the stress of his friends discovering his secret since they now already knew the truth, and he had never felt so relaxed and easygoing in such a long time. Not to mention that he had drank human blood for the first time in almost decade, and maybe that was the reasoning for why he woke up in such a good and energetic mood. "Rise and shine buddy! You don't plan on staying wrapped up like a caterpillar in bed all day, do you?" Jaden said as he was already dressed into his uniform, ready to get the day started as he shook Syrus who was still soundly asleep.

Syrus groaned as he slowly emerged out from his blanket which was tightly wrapped around his body, and he looked at Jaden with groggy eyes as he put his glasses on his face. "Come on Jay… Why are you awake so early? I thought I woke up early, but this is the first time where you've actually gotten up before me." Jaden flashed him a smile, and Syrus almost felt blinded at the radiance that his best friend was giving off. It was still way too early to match his energy right now. Why was he acting like this? "I don't know why either. I'm just feeling really good! I haven't been this energized in a super long time!" Jaden said as he jumped up on his feet and stretched his arms high above his head.

Syrus laughed at him nervously and pretty much figured out why Jaden was being more bubbly than his usual self. No doubt it was because he drank blood, and it was having a great effect on his body. He was glad that his best friend was feeling better than he was yesterday, but he didn't think he would be able to keep up with him if this kind of attitude persisted. He was keeping a mental note to himself that he should limit Jaden's intake of human blood, because if he didn't, he could kiss sleeping in goodbye. "I'm glad you're feeling better Jaden… But just give me a minute. My body might be awake but my brain isn't. Wake me up again in about another hour or so…" He said as he flopped back down, and as soon as his head hit the pillow, he was out like a light.

Jaden sighed to himself and decided to give up. Now he was starting to understand why Syrus was always aggravated with him whenever he had a hard time waking up. "Well, I don't know if you can hear me but I'll start heading out now. I'll see you later on campus." He said as he headed to the door and started putting on his shoes. He left their dorm room and walked down to the ground floor and took in a deep breath of fresh air. It was like all of his senses were heightened. The sun felt warmer and the sky looked bluer. Overall, it looked like it was going to be a beautiful day. But then he smelt a familiar scent in the air that left his nose twitching, and when he looked down at the cliff where the dorms were sat, he saw Alexis standing by the lighthouse, staring off into the sunrise. "What's she doing waking up so early? Is she always here at this hour?" Not like he would know, since he normally didn't wake up for another three hours from now.

He jogged down the path that led to the bottom of the cliff and made it to the harbor where the lighthouse was at. Alexis was standing all by herself as she let the warmth of the rising sun wash over her body. She stared off blankly with thoughts filling her head, which made her not notice when Jaden appeared behind her. "Hey Alexis. What are you doing out here all by yourself?" He asked her out of the blue, which made her jump back in shock. "GAH!" She screamed out while clutching her heart, which was thumping out of her chest. "Don't do that Jaden! You scared the crap out of me!" He laughed nervously as he looked at her apologetically. "My bad, I didn't mean to startle you." He said as he stood beside her, and they both started watching the sunrise together.

"Sooo, whatya doing? I don't think I've ever seen you around the Slifer Dorms at this hour." He asked her innocently. As she stared at him, Alexis blushed just from seeing his cute face which normally wouldn't bother her, but for some reason, being around him made her nervous. She looked away from him and cleared her throat. "I'm here every day… It was my brother's favorite spot on the island before he disappeared. I come here every morning because it brings me comfort, I guess." She said quietly, but loud enough for Jaden to still hear her. "What about you? You're up pretty early. Normally you're the last one to make it to class."

"To be honest, I think it's because of you that I'm awake right now. Up until this point, I was only drinking animal blood maybe once a month or so. But it doesn't compare at all to the real thing. Actually, you tasted really good. I like the taste of your blood, you're very sweet." He said with a smile as he continued to stare out into the ocean. Alexis's blush only grew deeper when she heard that. Does he even hear himself right now?! How can he openly say that without feeling embarrassed?! Was he trying to flirt with her or something?! "You must have a healthy diet! Because your blood was really nutritional! Haha!" He said, which made her sigh from stress. So that's what he was getting at when he was talking about the taste of her blood.

"Well I'm glad drinking from me was that enjoyable for you. Just let me know whenever you need some more. I'll make sure to keep up my diet so I still taste just as good for you next time." She said as she looked at him, and both of them started laughing together. "Thanks Alexis. And don't worry, I won't be asking for blood from you too often. I only really need it every two weeks but I can actually hold out a lot longer than that. But thanks for the offer." Alexis didn't know why, but she was feeling disappointed for some reason. Was it that she actually liked it when Jaden drank her blood the last time? Enough to make her want him to do it again? While inappropriate thoughts flooded her brain, she gasped and slapped her cheeks which caught Jaden's attention.

"Hey, are you feeling okay? You're looking kind of feverish." He said concerned. He saw how red her face had become and pulled her in so that he could lay his forehead against hers. He closed his eyes so that he could gage her temperature and hummed while he did so. "Hmm.. You don't feel hot. But then why is your face so red?" Alexis shuffled around uncomfortably because of how close and intimate they were standing next to each other. Like come on! Either he's oblivious to the situation, or he's doing this to her on purpose. Either way, it was making her feel some type of way and she didn't know what to do about it.

She gently pushed him away and crossed her arms while she scowled at him. "I'm fine! Really… Don't worry about me." Jaden tilted his head in confusion but then shrugged his shoulders and took her words for what it was. "If you say. Just let me know if you start feeling weak at any time. I did take a lot of your blood yesterday, and I still feel kind of bad about that by the way." Alexis couldn't help but giggle. Jaden was being so cute right now. He was so considerate about her wellbeing when he himself was bed ridden and close to death just yesterday. He really was the sweetest guy alive. "I'll keep that in mind. And I think I've had my fill of the sunrise for today. So do you want to maybe walk to school together?" She asked him hopefully.

He smiled at her and nodded his head in response. "Yeah, of course! I tried waking up Syrus earlier but he was too sleepy. So I'm happy that I get to at least walk with one of my friends to school." He said while rubbing the back of his neck. The two left the harbor and made it back up the hill where they started walking together to school. It took maybe twenty minutes before they finally reached the campus, and they immediately heard a giant commotion. In front of the school's entrance, there was a large group of students who were yelling amongst themselves, and that peaked their curiosity. "What's going on over there? Let's check it out." Jaden said as he walked over to the crowd with Alexis following closely behind him.

Both Chancellor Shepherd and Tsukune were standing in front of the entrance, blocking any students from entering. The angry mob in front of them continued to yell, while the two headmaster's tried to address them. "Settle down everyone! We can't hear your concerns if you all talk simultaneously like that! One at a time, please! And we will gladly listen to what you all have to say!" Begged Chancellor Shepherd who tried to quiet down his raging students. "Yesterday was the second time this week when the high level Monster Alarm went off! We came to this school because we were promised our safety with our admission!" Yelled an enraged Ra Yellow Student. "Yeah! It's not like any of us are ready to fight real enemy monsters! As of lately, they just seem to keep appearing! Are we even safe here anymore?!" Said a concerned female Obelisk student.

Tsukune sighed before he flared his demonic aura, which instantly brought the crowd into submission. He hated having to resort to that, but with the way they were acting, he really didn't have a choice. "I know how scared all of you must be, but I promise you, you will all remain safe. We have security for a reason. And with my presence as well as my secretary Miss Akashiya, we will continue to protect you for as long as we remain here. I'm already working on a solution for these random monster attacks. So I kindly ask all of you to wait patiently until we can fix that." He said, but immediately the crowd started winding up once more. "Oh yeah?! And just what are you planning to do about it you stupid vampire?! I bet you're the reason why all these monster attacks have been happening!" Said the same angry Obelisk Student who interrupted the assembly last time.

"I can assure you that my presence here has nothing to do with the attacks Duel Academy has been experiencing lately. My goal here is to help keep you safe, not put you all in danger. And since you're so curious as to what I plan on doing about the matter, I'll tell you." He said as he pulled a rosary out from his coat pocket. "Just like what we have at Yokai Academy, I will erect a barrier here as well. This rosary will act as the key that keeps the barrier active. It'll take a few days for preparation, but once the barrier is up it will help disguise the location of the island. It's a high level spell which is why I can't cast it right away. But once it's up and running, it will be like the Academy has just disappeared into thin air. Our enemies won't be able to find us after that." Tsukune said, and the crowd started to calm down some. The idea that the school would be hidden did make a lot of them feel better about the situation.

"Classes will resume as usual for the day, but once the weekend hits, I will give those who want too the chance to go home. The school needs repairs anyways so I was planning on shutting down the academy for a little bit to focus on repairs, but I understand if some of you want to go home. It's been a stressful week. So after Friday, I will send an email to all your families about this unexpected break. Are we understood?" Said Chancellor Shepherd, with Tsukune nodding approvingly beside him. They had stayed up all night trying to come up with a plan. The crowd finally gave up and everyone headed their separate ways except for Jaden and Alexis who walked over to speak to the headmasters.

"Wow, they looked like they really hated you guys." Said Jaden who had his arms folded behind his head. Tsukune sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't blame them for behaving that way. Yesterday was a total shit show. Kahlua showing up was unexpected, and she didn't hold back either. It's no wonder that they're all frightened after having to experience something like that." After Jaden told Chancellor Shepherd to wrangle the rest of the students, they went to the bunker that was used for emergencies only in case a situation like that were to ever happen. They huddled tightly and braced for impact when the vampires on the ground above continued to fight, shaking the Earth and leaving the students feeling fearful and hoping that the turmoil would be over.

Jaden frowned when he started feeling bad because he knew that he was the source of all the problems his precious Academy had been experiencing lately. "I'm sorry… It's all my fault. Because of me, everyone's angry and you're taking the brunt of the backlash for me." He said as he stared at the ground. Tsukune sighed before he smiled and started rubbing the top of Jaden's head. "Don't blame yourself. The tension between humans and monsters was already high to begin with. But after I set up the barrier, we shouldn't have to worry about your father for a long while. So keep your chin up!" He said with a wide smile that made Jaden feel all that much better.

Syrus came running up from down the road, breathing heavily as he ran as fast as his short legs could take him. "I told you to wake me up in a minute Jaden! I didn't think you'd leave without me!" He said while breathing heavily. Jaden laughed lightly in response. "Sorry buddy. I just had to stretch my legs out for a little; I was just bustling with too much energy." He said as the sound of the first period bell, chimed aloud on the intercom system. "Well, that's the signal for you students to head to your first class. Me and headmaster Aono will address the students who weren't here for our initial announcement this morning. So go ahead and scurry along before you're all late." Said Chancellor Shepherd as he sighed tiredly. They all said a quick goodbye before they started heading their separate ways.

Jaden, Syrus and Alexis were heading to their first period together when they heard another commotion coming from within their classroom. "Oh come on. What seems to be the problem now?" Alexis said as they entered the classroom. Once they entered, they saw that all the monster students were sitting together in a group while they were being hassled by the angry humans. Chazz was at the front of the group, taking the brunt of the backlash but was doing his best to keep his composure as they screamed in his face. It wasn't anything that he wasn't used too. He was used to humans and their mistreatment of his kind. "Like I said before… We had nothing to do with the monster attack yesterday." Chazz said while leaning his head against his hand.

"Oh yeah?! Well it had to be one of you freaks! Headmaster Aono said it wasn't him, but how are we to believe that this attack was at random?! The target has to be one of you guys! Two times! TWO TIMES this week we had to be put on lock down because one of your overlords appeared here!" Yelled a disruptive Slifer student. Jaden was starting to feel aggravated. Why couldn't everyone just figure out a way to get along?! Maybe it was up to him again to try and settle everyone's differences. He walked over with his posse in toe and stepped between the two feuding groups as he smiled with his usual, wide grin.

"Why don't we all calm down for a second? We're all fellow students attending the same school at the end of the day. We're family! So let's just leave them alone and give everyone time to cool off, sound good?" He said as he stood protectively in front of the monsters. The ringleader of the group scoffed as he stepped forward and smirked at Jaden. "Since when did you care about what we say to these freaks? If I remember correctly, you used to be on our side. Or at least, you always kept your opinions to yourself. You're outnumbered here anyways, so if you know what's good for you, you better back the fuck up before I make you." He said threateningly as he placed his hand on Jaden's chest and pushed him back, making him bump into the desk behind him.

Jaden wasn't known for losing his temper, but this guy was seriously starting to piss him off. Before he could even think of a clever comeback, however, Chazz sighed loudly behind him which made everyone look at him. "I don't need you defending me, Slifer Slacker. I've been trying to learn how to ignore ignorance, and so have these guys behind me." He said casually as he gestured to the other monsters sitting behind him. "We didn't ask for your help, and we don't need it now. So just go mind your own business." Chazz said tiredly. He didn't care anymore about what these punks were saying anyways, because after his fight with Jaden, he taught himself that getting their attention wasn't even worth it anyways. Jaden could have all their attention as far as he was concerned.

The ringleader's friend who was standing next to him leaned over to whisper something in his ear, and soon enough both boys started laughing amongst themselves. The other boy handed the Obelisk blue student a bottle of water and he started unscrewing the cap off. "Geez, do you smell that? It smells like dog! It's disgusting! Maybe we should wash the dog off!" He said as he squeezed the bottle tightly, causing the water within to explode and shower over both Jaden and Chazz. The humans started laughing and the Obelisk pinched his nose as he faked a gag. "Now it smells like a wet dog! Dude, you're fucking rank!" As soon as Chazz got wet, his ears and tail popped out and he transformed into his semi werewolf form and stood up, pushing his chair backwards as he slammed his hands down on his desk while he snarled. "That's it! You're fucking dead!"

But Jaden's reaction to getting wet was completely different from Chazz's. As soon as the water hit his skin, electricity started shooting throughout his body which made him scream out in pain. For you see, vampires might be strong but compared to most other monsters, they had numerous weaknesses. And their foremost weakness was the fact that they couldn't withstand water. Because if they were to ever get wet, they would be shocked like they were hooked up to a car battery. "AAAHH!" Jaden screamed out as he fell to the floor, with sparks of electricity shooting out from his body. On instinct, his eyes started glowing red and his fangs elongated due to the shock. "JADEN!" Yelled both Syrus and Alexis as they ran over to him to see what was wrong. "What's wrong?! What happened to you?!" Asked Syrus as he held onto his best friend to support his weight so he didn't completely sink to the floor.

The human students looked flabbergasted as they saw Jaden's appearance change, and they all started whispering amongst themselves. The ringleader was the first to react when he started smiling wickedly, and knelt down to pull Jaden's sleeve up, and revealed the D-Band he wore around his wrist to the rest of the student body, both human and monsters alike. "No fucking way! You mean to tell me that our school's best fighter is a fricking vampire?!" He said with mocking eyes as Jaden shot him a glare, even though he was still being affected by the water. "Well now it all makes sense now. We all thought you were human this entire time, and it just so happens that two vampires appeared on the island? You're the reason the school's been getting attacked lately, aren't you? Are your comrades trying to bring you back to their side or something?"

Syrus gritted his teeth as he stood up and punched the guy in the chest, which didn't do much but he poured all of his strength into that one hit. "You don't know what you're talking about! So don't even think about bothering my best friend!" He yelled out as he furrowed his eyebrows in anger. The Obelisk scoffed before he back handed Syrus in the face, which sent him falling to the floor while clutching his cheek. Jaden's eyes grew wide after seeing his friend get hit and he jumped up and grabbed the ringleader by his blazer and glared at him with his glowing red eyes. "What the fuck is your problem?!" He said as sparks started to fly out from his Rosario due to his suppressed demonic aura increasing.

"You're my problem. If you weren't here, the school wouldn't be jeopardized right now. But since you're weak because of the water, even though we're human, we should have no problem getting rid of you, right? The sooner you're gone, the safer we'll be! BOYS! HOLD HIM DOWN!" He shouted as three of his friends emerged from the mob and grabbed Jaden by his arms and pinned him down to the floor. The Obelisk walked over and sucker punched him in the face, which made all the other students start laughing. "Let's make this quick fellas. We don't want the waters effect to wear off before we're done." He said before they started wailing at him. Kicking, scratching and punching him.

Jaden shut his eyes tightly as he bared the pain, and tried to struggle as they assaulted him, but with his powers sealed away, there wasn't much that he could do. "Leave him alone!" Shouted Syrus as he tried to run over to his best friend, but two more people were holding him back from doing so. He desperately looked at Chazz with pleading eyes who was trying to avoid eye contact with the carnage in front of him. "Chazz! Do something! Or they're going to kill him, I'm begging you!" He said with tears pricking the corners of his eyes. And even though Chazz heard him, he didn't respond. Because deep down, he agreed that Jaden should die too.

"You're a fucking coward Chazz Princeton! All of you are cowards! How can you stand by when one of your own kind is being murdered?!" He shrieked as he let his hot tears pour out. Jaden looked at his best friend with his bloodied face as he shot him a smile. "Don't worry Syrus… I'll be okay. I promise- UGH!" He said as he was kicked in the stomach and flopped over on his side. Alexis watched with terrified eyes, but soon, her feet started moving on their own. She ran over to him and hovered over his body protectively while she glared at her fellow classmates. The Obelisk and his friends cracked their fingers as they lingered over her. "Move Alexis. We don't want to harm that pretty face of yours." He said with an evil grin.

Jaden looked up at her weakly as he tried to get her to move. "Don't be crazy! I can deal with it, so don't worry about me!" He said, but his eyes went wide when he saw Alexis starting to cry, with her tears dripping onto his face. "You idiot. How can you tell me not to worry?! Look what they're doing to you?! So… Instead of you protecting us all the time, let us help you instead!" The Obelisk sighed as he cracked his neck. "Well, you heard her fellas. She wants to be a fool by protecting a vampire, then let her. Knock her out if you have to, just make sure that we can get to the freak underneath her."

They all started crowding them and Alexis leaned forward and pulled Jaden into her chest, ready to use her body as a shield if she needed to. Jaden felt helpless as he watched them starting to beat Alexis next, with some of them even grabbing at her hair and trying to pull her off of him, but her determination kept her from budging. Alexis winced with every jab, but she smiled at Jaden as she continued to wrap her arms tightly around his shoulders despite being attacked. "Are you okay Jaden? Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't hurt you anymore…" But she was starting to lose consciousness as her eyes started folding and her arms went limp. Jaden clutched her close to him as he tried to protect her head, and even though it was for a split second, Alexis's hand brushed against Jaden's Rosario, and she accidentally pulled it off without any effort.

His seal clinked as it bounced on the floor, and his eyes went wide with shock as he continued to hold onto her. "No way… Did she really do what I think she just did?" He said, before his body became enveloped in purple light again. His demonic aura flooded from his body as he started to transform, and the crowd that surrounded them flew backwards and slammed into the classroom walls due to the sheer force of his energy. He was now in his vampire form, and inner Jaden smirked as he took possession back over his body. The Obelisk and his friends unshielded their eyes from the light as it died down. "What the hell just happened?! What's with this immense pressure I'm feeling?!" He yelled out confused.

Chazz backed up with the rest of the monster students when they immediately recognized that intense, black and evil aura. "It can't be! Not this guy again… Everybody, we need to leave right now!" The werewolf shouted as he started ushering the other monsters out of their seats and towards the exit. Alexis groaned as she opened her eyes, but what she saw was something that she wasn't expecting. Still wrapped within his ice cold arms, Jaden smirked at her with his fang poking out from his lip as he stared teasingly at her with his piercing red eyes. With his face right in front of hers, she blushed as she sat up while confused. "W-What's going on?! How are you in your monster form right now?!" She asked dumbfounded.

Jaden sat up as he rung his neck and shoulders, popping his joints that were tight and bruised from his beating. "I don't know. You tell me. You're the one who took off my seal. I guess that makes you my key." He said as he gestured with his eyes to his seal that was still lying on the floor next to them. He gently picked her up like a princess which made her blush even harder, as he placed her delicately on her feet. He picked up the Rosario off the ground and handed it to her for safe keeping. "Hold onto this. Since you're my key, it's partly your responsibility what happens to this now." He said as he put his hand in his pockets and turned his attention towards the cowering humans in front of him.

As she stood behind him, Alexis couldn't help but think how different Jaden was when he was in this form. He was so much more mature and seductive. He had a presence about him that human form Jaden didn't have, and it both terrified and excited her at the same time. How could this bad ass looking guy be the same sweet and innocent Jaden that made her heart pound? They were just so different, almost like they weren't the same person. She still couldn't believe it. Jaden smirked as he took a step towards the humans, with the ringleader being the only one to not back down as he shot him a toxic gaze. "Now then, which one of you is responsible for this mess?" He said in his deep voice that shook everyone's bones just from hearing it. "Because whoever is responsible is about to be in for a world of pain!"