The class ended shortly after that and it was time for lunch. Lunch concluded in the blink of an eye and they were now in the V-Yr1 for species studies class. This time, only vampires were in the classroom.

The door opened and in walked their professor. A large man that stood at around the same height as Headmaster Draken, but bigger. He had neatly styled salt-an-pepper hair and a well-groomed full beard. His eyes were light-blue and they were fierce. Michael had to admit, he was impeccably dressed in a black three-piece suit with polished black dress shoes.

It would seem that the teachers in the school had a penchant for suits.

“Good afternoon young Vampires,” he greeted, taking full strides as he stood in front of them. “Welcome to Species Studies but before all that, Michael.”

Michael was surprised at hearing his name and he slowly stood up, trying his best to avoid the eyes that turned to look for him. There was no doubt that they all saw his selection ceremony.

“There you are young lad. The headmaster has asked that I conduct your transition. Are you ready?”

There were mutters going round but he couldn’t quite make them out and he seemed lost in thought. Julian gave him a nudge.

“Y-Yes.”

The professor smiled. “Very well then, come here.”

Still trying his best to avoid their gaze, he slowly made his way to the front of the class.

“Don’t fret,” he said as he dug a hand into a pocket and brought out a blood bag. “I assure you, the process isn’t as painful as one would think. I’ll just need you to take a sip of this here bag of blood and while it sounds disgusting to you, it won’t hurt you.” He held the bag to Michael.

While the words of the professor were to calm him, Michael’s head was once again a mess. He had made up his mind on taking the blood but he was still scared especially with the events of the selection ceremony.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and after some seconds passed, he took the blood.

“Is it s-sweet?”

The professor blinked at the question before letting out a chuckle. “It is the sweetest by blood standards so don’t worry about that.”

He looked at the bag – the professor had already opened it – before bringing it close to his nose. It smelt nice almost like it was calling him to feed. In truth, he didn’t know when he brought the bag to his mouth and overcome with bloodlust, he went through the entirety of its content, and the empty bag dropped to the floor.

Michael couldn’t tell how but when the blood approached his mouth, he felt a strong sense of attraction. The first sip filled his being with a strong rush, a hunger unlike any he had felt in his life. He emptied the bag, wasting no time as his mind was devoid of the presence of others in the room with it. There was only one thought on his mind: blood.

When he had finished with the blood bag, he let it fall from his hands and he turned to look at the professor. His mind was overwhelmed with information. His vision was different: sharper and more refined. He could hear voices even though there was silence in the classroom. Where were those voices coming from? His nose immediately became aware of different smells. The hair on his body stood on all ends. Nothing he had tasted in his life was as sweet as the blood he just consumed.

Amidst the overwhelming information, there was an almost monotonous sound. He tried to focus on it, and with every passing second, it became clearer.

“Just relax Michael.”

While Michael was being overwhelmed with the sudden rush of information that attempted to override his brain, the Professor had been muttering three words to him over and over.

He needed to calm himself so they could start their lesson. The boy’s eyes were glowing in an unusual pattern from standard vampires and his fangs were still elongated, his canines and the premolars that stood next to them. At the very least, it didn’t look like Michael would be addicted to blood and soon, he snapped out of his daze.

“Welcome back.”

He blinked and immediately, his hands made way to his teeth. They had returned to normal.

“It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sudden rush of information but you’ll get used to it in time. Congratulations on becoming a vampire. You may return to your seat.”

Michael gave an awkward bow at the man before making his way to sit by Julian. No one could tell but he couldn’t contain his glee.

“Now for the sake of the young one who has joined us today, I will be going over beginner level introduction. I am Professor Andrei of the House of Godric, and I welcome you to Species Studies.”

“What we will be doing today is simple. I will be going over what a vampire is and what that entails. It’s beginner class and I understand if I will bore you but it is a necessity. A vampire is the reanimated dead and while I am aware yours is a little different.” He directed his gaze at Michael as he said this part. “However, I believe your abilities still function similarly to ours.”

“A vampire’s abilities are mainly a function of two things – age and blood. The older a vampire, the stronger they are, and the more blood consumed, the stronger they are. This however doesn’t mean you should go around consuming blood because it’s quite easy to get addicted. If it gets to that, the Vampire Council will be forced to put you down.”

“The first thing that comes to mind when talking about vampire abilities is superhuman strength. A vampire who was just turned can output more power than the strongest of athletes. It doesn’t matter if it’s lifting or striking strength, we are superior and with strength comes the power to endure that strength.”

Michael could clearly tell that his body was different. There was new found energy flowing through him and he could tell he was stronger than he once was, far stronger.

“Vampires are fast.” As he said this, Andrei blurred out of the sights of the students.

“We are faster than most monsters out there.” They heard a voice and when they turned around, they could see him at the back of the class. Michael was impressed. Speed was definitely a handy ability to have.

“With superhuman speed comes superhuman reflexes and agility.”

Michael saw something leave the Professor’s hand and it came as a surprise that he was able to catch it. It was a small pebble. It was relatively easy for him to track it. Andrei ran back and now once again he was in front of the class.

“Vampires are immortal. Now immortality is a tricky phrase because there are multiple definitions of it, but what this means a vampire will continue living forever because they won’t age. A vampire can still die but they won’t be killed by the passage of time.”

This struck Michael as odd. He currently had the body of a thirteen-year-old. Does that mean he would remain like this forever? There was a slight panic in his mind because he didn’t know how he would maintain this child body forever. He had to ask.

“Um, professor. I have a question. If I am to live forever, does it mean I will remain in this body without aging?”

“That’s a good question and while that is the first thing that comes to mind, that is not how the vampire magic works. The magic that makes us vampires transforms the body to a worthy vessel. With time and with blood, your body will age, not unlike humans age, into a state where it will no longer find the need to age. That will be you as a worthy vessel. However, this isn’t the case for vampires that were turned past their prime. They would remain in that state forever.”

Michael understood what he said and now he felt a little bit relieved.

“Like you noticed earlier, Michael, all your senses have been heightened. You must maintain composure that you do not get overwhelmed by the amount of information that floods your brain.”

He gave a nod. It was true that the amount of information that entered his brain when he transitioned had nearly overwhelmed him, but now, he felt he had better control. It could also be the reason why all the students appeared to be so in control. They are used to handling large amount of information and they have been able to practice maintaining their composure.

“Alongside enhanced senses, came enhanced emotions. A vampire feels far deeper than nearly any monster. All emotions are heightened: anger, happiness, sadness, all of them. When a vampire feels, they truly feel. Controlling emotion is more difficult than controlling one’s senses, and when we lose control over said emotions, we become something else entirely. Something a lot worse than just being a monster.”

Michael arched an eyebrow. He wondered what the professor meant by “become something else entirely.”

“And so as to not be left out, we were also gifted a form of magic in mind compulsion and telepathy. A vampire can make any human and even some other monsters do their bidding, so long as it is something the mind can handle.”

At this point, Michael could notice the atmosphere of the students shift. Even the professor picked up on this.

“I see the lot of you are interested in mind compulsion and for good reason. Once mastered, it is a very helpful ability. Mind compulsion and telepathy tend to be confusing for most. Telepathy being notoriously very difficult to learn, much less, master. With it, a vampire can conjure and manipulate a person’s dream and make them see illusions.”

All these abilities were of great importance but telepathy would be an issue with Michael. If the other students didn’t look like they could grasp it, who was he and what exactly was he capable of.

He shook his head. Perhaps that’ll be the first thing he gets good at. Besting the class in an ability they have yet to master.

“But,” Andrei’s voice sounded, before they could get caught up with your squads. “With all these strengths also come weaknesses, weaknesses that are a fair trade off.”