The morning after breakfast should have felt normal.
It didn't.
I stood in front of the mirror, adjusting my college uniform, while Father's silver dagger rested hidden inside my bag.
A vampire hunter's weapon.
Given to me by my own father.
Life had become absurdly complicated.
I touched the crescent mark near my neck.
Still warm.
Still alive.
Seraphina had already left after breakfast, but her presence lingered like perfume in the house.
And her final words before leaving had not helped.
"Be careful today, my king."
Whenever a vampire woman said that, it usually meant my day was about to become significantly worse.
From downstairs, Kavya shouted,
"If your mysterious girlfriend is coming again, tell her I support this relationship!"
Riya shouted back,
"I want her autograph!"
Ananya's voice followed immediately.
"Both of you stop encouraging disaster."
Mother laughed.
Father remained suspiciously silent.
I picked up my bag and walked downstairs.
Mother handed me lunch like I was still ten.
"Eat properly."
"Yes, Mom."
Riya narrowed her eyes.
"You're being too obedient."
Kavya pointed dramatically.
"He has definitely been replaced."
Ananya sipped coffee.
"I've been saying that."
Father sat at the table reading the newspaper again.
As I passed, he said quietly—
without looking up—
"Don't bleed on the uniform."
I stopped.
Then gave the smallest smile.
"Understood."
That was our version of emotional bonding.
I stepped outside.
The city looked ordinary.
Cars.
Students.
Morning sunlight.
People rushing toward routines.
And yet beneath it all, I could feel it now.
The hidden world.
Predators behind human smiles.
Bloodlines buried beneath family names.
A city pretending to be normal.
Perfect.
I understood that kind of world.
College was only fifteen minutes away.
As I entered the campus gates, the familiar memories of Aarav's life surfaced again.
The library.
The classrooms.
The places where he had been ignored.
Mocked.
Bullied.
The weak boy who kept his head down and survived by staying invisible.
That version was gone.
And people noticed.
Students looked at me differently now.
Whispers followed.
Some stared.
Some looked confused.
Because I no longer walked like prey.
Confidence changed everything.
Halfway through the corridor, I heard a familiar voice.
Cruel.
Loud.
Annoying.
Armaan Khanna.
Of course.
Rich heir.
Campus parasite.
Professional disappointment in humanity.
He stood with his usual group near the lockers, laughing too loudly at something unfunny.
The moment he saw me, his smile faded.
Good.
Fear was educational.
He stepped forward.
"Well, well."
His eyes moved over me.
"You disappear for a day and suddenly start acting like a hero?"
His friends laughed on command.
Pathetic.
I kept walking.
That irritated him more.
He grabbed my shoulder.
Big mistake.
The hallway went quiet.
I slowly looked at his hand.
Then at him.
The assassin inside me calmly calculated.
Three ways to break his wrist.
Two ways to ruin his shoulder permanently.
One way to make an example.
I smiled slightly.
"Touch me again."
My voice was quiet.
Which made it worse.
"And I'll make you regret learning how to use your hands."
His expression changed.
There it was.
Fear.
Real fear.
For the first time, he understood something simple.
The boy he bullied no longer existed.
Before he could respond—
Heels clicked against the floor.
Slow.
Elegant.
Every student in the corridor turned.
And then—
She appeared.
Silver hair.
Crimson eyes.
Cold beauty wrapped in perfect calm.
Selene Lunaris.
Moonlight walking through a college hallway.
Even Armaan forgot how arrogance worked.
She walked straight past everyone.
Past whispers.
Past stares.
Past common sense.
And stopped directly in front of me.
The entire corridor froze.
She looked at me with calm crimson eyes.
Then, in a voice soft enough for everyone to hear—
"Good morning."
I sighed internally.
No.
Please no.
Not here.
Not now.
But fate had clearly chosen violence.
Armaan blinked.
Students whispered.
Someone dropped a notebook.
Selene tilted her head slightly.
"As expected…"
Her voice carried that elegant danger only ancient vampires seemed to master.
"You do look better in daylight."
I stared at her.
"Are you here to destroy my peaceful education?"
She considered it.
"Yes."
At least she was honest.
Then she reached up.
Her fingers lightly touched the mark hidden beneath my collar.
The crescent mark pulsed instantly.
Crimson light flashed for only a second.
But enough.
Enough for me.
Enough for her.
Enough to make Seraphina's warning from last night feel very real.
Selene smiled faintly.
"The second bond is impatient."
Around us, the students had reached spiritual levels of gossip.
Armaan looked personally offended by reality.
Then the classroom door opened.
And standing there—
arms crossed, expression dangerous—
was Seraphina.
Apparently, she had decided normal attendance rules no longer applied to her.
She looked at Selene.
Then at me.
Then at Selene's hand near my neck.
Silence.
Terrible.
Elegant.
Deadly silence.
Seraphina smiled.
Which was much worse than anger.
"How nice."
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"The transfer student arrived early."
Selene returned the smile.
Cold moonlight meets midnight fire.
"I dislike waiting."
Students in the hallway had stopped pretending not to watch.
Even professors nearby were sensing drama.
And somehow—
I, former king of assassins, feared two women more than elite death squads.
Because one thing had become very clear.
College life was over.
War had officially been declared.