“Just in time,” Draken said as they came in. “Your admission process only needs your seal of approval to be complete.”

On hearing this, he turned to Draken. “I don’t have a seal of approval.”

Before Draken could speak up, the woman cut him off. “You’re a child so you won’t have one. Your blood will serve as the seal.” She came up from behind Draken’s desk and approached Michael. He took a step back in response.

Noticing she had done something she shouldn’t have, she paused. “I apologise. That must have been too forthcoming. You don’t even know my name and I approached you so freely. My name is Celeste Shah and I am one of the headmasters of this school.” She added a tiny bow as she finished her introduction.

Michael studied her for a moment. She matched Max’s description of the magical headmaster. He steadied himself, unsure if he should apologise. She cleared her throat.

“Since you don’t have a seal of approval, we will use your blood for the seal. It won’t hurt, that I can promise and when we’re done, you’ll be able to go down to the Hall. The Selection Ceremony will soon begin.”

“Are you sure it won’t hurt?” he asked. His question was directed at Draken.

He gave a nod. “You’re in safe hands. Nothing to fear for. She’s a pretty capable witch.”

…

Max dropped Michael off at the Hall after a surprisingly painless blood… transfer? He didn’t know what to call it but according to them, he was now a member of the school. That aside, he was amazed at the number of monsters that were in the Hall right now. He couldn’t tell what a lot of them were but he was excited to be here.

The tables in the hall were filled with students and on the other end, he could see what looked like the school staff. They were all sat on either side of a grand, long table and in the middle were the chairs belonging to the headmasters. The chandeliers floated around and the ceiling cast the illusion of the night sky.

The students surprised Michael. There was chatter and the occasional rowdiness but for the most part, they had order. Michael was even more in awe when Draken appeared. The chatter died down, and it felt like the students were anticipating, just waiting for him to say anything.

Draken stood in front of the high table and it came as a slight surprise that Michael could hear his voice despite the distance.

“Greetings everyone and welcome to a new term at the magnificent Eldritch Institute. As is expected, we have some important guests joining us for this term and as school customs dictate, they will be sorted into one of three houses.”

“You already know what the houses are, so without further ado, let us begin the House Selection Ceremony.”

Needless to say, the entire hall erupted in an applause. The event seemed like a big deal to them and Michael was excited at the prospect of being a part of it. Now there was just the question of him knowing what the ceremony entailed.

The Hall shifted, with the lights growing dim with the exception of the lights in front of the staff area. They blazed a bright blue.

The air shimmered near a podium and a woman materialized—not walked out, not stepped forward, but simply became present as if reality had adjusted to include her. She gave a warm smile as her eyes met the students.

“All first years form a straight line,” she called, her voice carrying without strain across the vast hall. “The ceremony begins now.”

He looked closely and he could see a small orb on the podium. His best bet was that it was part of the ceremony.

He noticed a line forming and joined it, missing the curious gazes thrown his way. “When I call your name, walk up to the orb, prick your finger, place it on the orb and gaze into it. It will decide which house you fall under.”

The instructions were clear but Michael had one particular issue as he thought back to the seal of approval scenario. Maybe he would wait until it’s his turn.

The line moved forward as Celeste called names. Every time a student was selected into a house, a loud voice from the orb would say ‘WELCOME!’ It said this in three distinct voices and Michael recognised two of them so it was safe to say that the voices belonged to the headmasters. When the voices boomed, the older students applauded and welcomed the first years.

“Michael!” came the voice of Celeste.

He could hear whispers as she said his name. Perhaps they were wondering how or why he didn’t have a last name. He could feel every gaze in the hall as they bore into his back. He fidgeted. As he walked, he caught the gaze of Draken and Celeste who surprisingly offered to help but was left astonished when he didn’t take it.

When he came to the orb, he was at a loss for what to do. He decided to mimic a student that had come before him. He closed his eyes and bit down forcefully on his finger. Barely fighting the urge to shout, he placed the bloodied finger on the orb causing the mist to swirl.

For about a minute, the mist swirled and then, there came a thundering sound.

“WELCOME!”

Michael could tell something was wrong when he saw the look on Celeste’s face. He turned quietly to look at Draken and his face bore the same look, albeit more controlled than Celeste. Murmuring slowly began to fill the hall and it was clear that this had never happened before. The teachers were definitely a lot more confused than Celeste and Draken and the students were the worst,

“This is unprecedented,” Celeste said as she silenced the crowd. “In all the years we have done the selection ceremony, never before have we had a case where all three voices were heard.” She paused as all eyes were now on Michael who found it difficult to face the crowd of monsters.

“I think the answer is quite obvious,” Draken said, composing himself. “Since we all clearly heard all three voices, the best solution would be for the student to select a house for himself.”

It was a fair statement but Celeste had to clarify, especially if the council were to catch wind of this. “Are you sure, Headmaster?”

His response was a nod.

“Alright then,” she said, directing her attention back to Michael, “turn around and state clearly the house you wish to join.”

His face was one of horror, something that didn’t go unnoticed by her. Her response was a smile, trying to reassure him that it was okay.

“Turn around and state clearly the house you wish to join.”

Michael’s heart hammered. He knew so little—just names and the basics. Vampire house had Max, had those friendly, as far as he knew, students who’d welcomed him. Werewolf house probably meant pack loyalty, something that sounded appealing to someone who’d never belonged anywhere. Sorcerer house was magic, pure and simple.

But when he thought about his time here, he had been under the care of a vampire. He owed it to Max to be among his people. The students he met were nice and while he couldn’t guarantee everyone would be like that, it was the devil he knew.

He turned, his voice clear: “I want to join the Vampire house.”

The Vampire house erupted in cheers at the words he spoke. For the first time, Michael felt a sense of belonging. He didn’t even know them and they were all happy for him. It was a good feeling. He hoped it wouldn’t change.

He walked back to officially join the Vampire house at their table as Celeste continued the remaining part of Selection Ceremony. Deep down, he was happy at the welcome he received from the students at his table. He exchanged a few pleasantries with them and his mind was made up, tomorrow he would become a Vampire.

…

The Selection Ceremony had concluded and Michael currently found himself being swayed by the collective wave of students from his house. He didn’t know what to do as conversation erupted around him from various students trying to catch up with themselves.

“Hi Michael,” a voice said, pulling him out of the chaos. He turned to the side to the see the group of vampires he and Max had met earlier.

“Hi,” he waved awkwardly at her and her friends.

“It’s easy to get lost in the wave of students,” she said as they continued their march in unison.

The cold mountain air was fresh, the night dark with only the light from the walkway to guide them to their dormitory and within a few moments, Michael saw it again. The Vampire Dormitory, a mighty tower of dark stone came into view. It was the second time he was mesmerized by the small castle. There were small green lights perched on different corners of the castle something he had failed to notice earlier.

“What are those?” he asked the group of three, “those green lights on the building.”

“Oh, those,” one of the boys said as he turned his sight towards the green lights that Michael saw. “They are our dormitory’s gargoyles. I’m sure Max told you what gargoyles are.”

He gave a nod. They soon reached the entrance to the dormitory. The door was thick, blackened oak and stood about eight feet, tall enough to let most students through. As the students got closer, the doors swung open, allowing the flood to march through.

The warmth of the common room was a stark contrast to the cold mountain air. The flames burned brightly, illuminating the entire common room. Tapestries lined the common room showcasing various art. Dark leather armchairs were scattered over the room alongside small tables beside them.