The wind whipped past Ren's ears. Cold. Fast. Weightless.

His stomach still hadn't caught up with the fact that he was floating. No—not floating. Flying.

The girl held onto him effortlessly, her grip firm but casual, as if she had done this a hundred times before. Ren, on the other hand, was still clinging to her like a lifeline.

His body refused to relax.

"Y'know," she mused, tilting her head as they soared higher, "for someone who's Esper, you look terrified right now."

Ren's jaw clenched. "That's because I don't trust you."

She gasped dramatically. "How rude! After I took the time to show you something cool?"

"Cool?!" His grip tightened on her arms. "You jumped off a building. With me. No warning. Nothing."

"Yeah, yeah, details." She waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, you're still alive."

Ren exhaled sharply through his nose. "Barely."

"Oh, don't be a baby." She suddenly spun midair, flipping them upside down.

"OI—!"

Ren felt his stomach flip. His brain screamed down, down, down— but the sensation never came. The city stretched below them, neon lights and streetlamps forming a glowing map of Academy City. Everything looked so small.

"Relax," she chuckled. "You won't fall unless I let go. And I'm in a good mood, so—"

"PLEASEEEEE"

She laughed. "Okay, okay, fine. I'll behave." With a smooth motion, she righted them again, their bodies settling into a slow glide. "Better?"

Ren inhaled through his nose. Exhaled. The panic in his chest slowly, reluctantly, untangled itself.

"…A little."

She smirked. "See? That wasn't so hard."

Ren shot her a glare, but she wasn't even looking at him.

Her gaze was on the city.

And for a moment, he saw what she saw.

Academy City at night was a sight most people never truly stopped to take in.

From this height, it was alive. A massive web of light and color, blinking signs and holograms stretching as far as the eye could see. Main roads glowed gold with streetlights, while side alleys pulsed with the blues and purples of vending machines and shop windows. The higher districts—the ones where the rich kids and top-tier researchers lived—had buildings so sleek and polished they reflected the moonlight like mirrors. Meanwhile, the lower districts—the dorm-packed student zones—were an uneven sprawl of rooftops, messy neon, and faint music drifting from unseen speakers.

Further out, he could spot the Research Zones—clusters of massive labs and factories, their glass windows flickering with dim, sterile light. Test sites. Experiment chambers. Places where Espers had their limits measured, recorded, locked down.

And beyond that—

The Wall.

A massive, imposing barrier that marked the boundary between Academy City and the outside world.

From down there, it was something you barely noticed—a distant structure, rarely thought about. But from up here, it was huge. A silent, looming reminder that this city was its own universe.

A world that didn't care about what lay beyond.

"…You're staring really hard," the girl's voice pulled him back.

Ren blinked. "…It's different from up here."

"Right?" She grinned. "I love flying at night. Feels like the city belongs to me."

Ren glanced at her. "You fly a lot?"

"Almost every night." She stretched lazily, her cloak fluttering. "Sometimes I just wander aimlessly. Sometimes I follow trains, or eavesdrop on people in rooftop bars—"

Ren narrowed his eyes. "That's creepy."

She smirked. "Only if I get caught~"

Ren rolled his eyes but said nothing.

They drifted lower now, skimming over some of the more familiar areas of the city.

District 7—home to most of Academy City's student dormitories. Rows upon rows of identical buildings, laundry hanging from balconies, lights still flickering in some rooms despite the late hour. Somewhere down there, he knew, his own dorm stood, probably as empty and quiet as ever.

They passed over District 10, an older, more industrial part of the city, where abandoned buildings and unused warehouses stood in clusters. Ren had heard rumors that Skill-Out gangs used this area as a hideout, though he had never bothered to check for himself.

Then—District 15.

Bright. Loud. Overflowing with entertainment. Massive malls, game centers, rooftop cinemas—this was the shopping and nightlife hub of Academy City. Even this late, it was alive, students and workers still out and about, walking through the glowing streets, the occasional Esper using their powers in small, subtle ways—a girl levitating her shopping bags, a guy skipping across rooftops with bursts of air from his palms.

Ren exhaled. "…It's weird seeing it like this."

The girl tilted her head. "Weird how?"

He hesitated, then shrugged. "Dunno. Feels… different."

"…Different in a bad way?"

Ren thought about it.

"…Not really."

She grinned. "Told you flying's fun."

He scoffed. "I wouldn't call 'being dragged through the sky by a reckless vampire' fun."

"Rude! I'm an amazing tour guide."

"Oh yeah? Where's my brochure?"

She gasped, eyes sparkling with mock betrayal. "Wow. Okay. You want a brochure? I'll make one. Full color, with little maps and everything."

Ren smirked. "Looking forward to it."

They kept drifting, moving slower now, the adrenaline of the flight settling into something… calmer. More peaceful.

The girl's voice softened.

"You really were brooding, though."

Ren glanced at her. "…And?"

She kicked her feet lazily. "Just saying. It must've been something really bothering you if you decided to mope on a rooftop in the middle of the night."

Ren didn't answer right away.

His eyes drifted back to the city. The skyline. The glowing towers.

"...You ever feel like this place decides your worth before you even do?"

She blinked. "Oh? More metaphors? I like it. What kind of worth we talkin'?"

Ren's fingers twitched.

"...Like a book with a price tag printed on the cover. Before anyone even reads the story, they already know how much it's worth."

The girl hummed. "...So they told you your price, huh?"

He didn't respond.

She smiled. "Then just rip off the tag."

Ren scoffed. "Not that easy."

She shrugged. "Never said it was."

Silence stretched between them. Not uncomfortable, just… there.

Then, she grinned. "Wanna see something cool?"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "If it involves falling to my death again, pass."

She giggled. "Nooo, I promise this one's fun."

And before he could argue—

She shot upwards.

Ren cursed, gripping onto her as they soared higher, higher, higher—

Above the city, above the skyline—until they finally broke through the clouds.

And then—

The world turned quiet.

The air was thinner. Cooler. The city stretched far below, tiny and distant, while above them, an endless sea of stars filled the sky.

Ren stared.

His grip on her loosened slightly.

She looked at him, eyes glinting.

"See?" she whispered. "Cool, right?"

Ren exhaled, breathless.

"…Yeah."

Ren swallowed, still staring at the vast sky above them. The way the stars stretched endlessly, the city so small beneath him—it was something he had never imagined experiencing.

He hesitated, then muttered, "…Teach me."

The girl blinked, tilting her head.

Ren glanced at her. "Teach me how to fly."

A slow smile curled on her lips, fangs barely peeking out.

"I can teach you to be free," she murmured. "But there's a condition."

Ren narrowed his eyes. "…What condition?"

She leaned closer, her breath cool against his skin.

"Let me drink your blood."