A Week In Review

'She should be arriving today,' Vlad thought to himself as he sat in his solo dorm room skipping class for the third day in a row, since he arrived one week ago.

After communicating with Wednesday and learning of her plans, Vlad proceeded to leave the hotel in favor of truly stretching his limbs.

He started with scanning his surroundings to find his preferable blood bags.

While he did not truly care that much about who he drunk from, he refrained for so long after gaining his freedom simply because it had been far too long since he quenched his thirst. He knew once he started, many drained bodies would be left behind.

Therefore, he set out to a women's prison, scanning the minds of all who were there. Digging into their pasts with no care to be delicate, for many. He acquired much on that excursion.

An entire cell block was sipped like a fine wine, until he felt satisfaction.

The first drink is always the bloodiest.

After setting fire to the cell block and erasing any signs of his presence using the guards he compelled to make certain no one ever knew of his actions, he considered his options. His mind clearer than it had been in centuries.

Compelling the entirety of Nevermore Academy in order to convince them that he had been a student there for an extended period of time, was his first thought. It would establish him in the area, and allow him to give Wednesday unsolicited advice, as if he did not just arrive a few days before her.

However, he felt that went beyond the elegant and lets be honest, it was far too messy.

He had no interest in spinning such a tale with so many loose threads.

While compulsion was powerful, it also had its weak spots.

The wording had to be perfect, since the compelled will only do exactly what is instructed of them.

Therefore, if he were to give instructions, such as, "I have been attending this school since the beginning of the year, I am an average student, though while incredibly good-looking prefer my solitude."

The results would be exactly that.

However, if one were to ask anything specific about his time there, such as what he did on a specific day or what he did during a certain event, the compelled will draw a blank.

It was too tiresome to have to compel every single individual in such a long-winded manner, when there was a much simpler solution.

After compelling himself the fastest car he could find, since, while shadow walking allows one to fold structures and landscapes in order to pass through walls, or walk up buildings as if one were still standing on the ground, one can only go as fast as one can move and Vlad's body was only as strong as that of an athletic mortal, at the moment.

However, he could feel himself ever so slowly mending.

Not that he was truly worried about it.

A warrior who can only rely on one aspect of their being should retire the moniker.

While his body was weakened, his manipulation of energy and the magics of the world had never been more pronounced.

After all, shadow walking was something he only comprehended after observing the shadows in his surroundings upon his emergence.

In the past, he and his father would turn into a flock of bats in order to travel from one location to another when expediency was required, since while their speed on foot was astounding, their maneuverability and dexterity when flying was next level and very difficult to defend against.

With his new car, he made his way directly in the direction of Nevermore Academy. That is, until he realized how far it was, then, he made his way directly to the nearest airport.

As Vlad was traveling across the country, he could not help but feel the faint connections that existed between himself, and a few others spread throughout the world.

On the ground, he could only hardly discern it as prickling sensation in the back of his mind, however, in the sky, he could sense those who once faithfully stood with him scattered all across the planet.

He smiled at that knowledge.

He could feel that the ties that connected them were thin. Weak. The potency of the magics flowing through his blood, barely discernable in his weakened state.

However, while they could not feel him, he could feel them. Their lifeforces thrumming with energy.

As one of the first true immortals, he could feel all those that he granted the gift to, through their sire bond and blood based magic. There were so very few. Only those who chose to stand with him in the end were allowed to keep their connection to him.

However, he knew they all thought him to be dead.

Severing sire bonds is incredibly easy, but it takes a toll on one physically, due to the backlash of severing the connecting lifeforces. However, he did it anyway, despite his body barely capable of movement at the time.

All those who betrayed him, were severed from his source, as he sealed himself away.

If they knew such a thing were possible he was certain they would have planned more carefully, however that is one of the main reasons non ever knew.

Only he and his father truly understood sire bonds and the magic in their blood.

Instead of calling to them and announcing his return to the land of the living, he instead chose to continue on his path.

He lacked information and while he could force obedience, through the bond, it was never his way.

It went against his pride to have to force others to follow him.

Only when he would punish, would he sometimes express his true will over others through the bond.

So, while he did not know where they stood and what else was out there lurking in the world, he decided to take it slow. Fully heal and be fully capable before reaffirming his existence.

Vlad the Second, for the time being, will be no more.

The trip was quick.

He went around the city which housed the airport acquiring everything that he felt necessary. He truly missed his servants.

He created a background for use, found a renewable source of income, and acquired another mode of transportation, this time a sleek, black bike, from a dealership, paid for with cash.

With that, and all of his newly acquired belongings set to be delivered to his new domain, he proceeded to enjoy his road trip, never once releasing the throttle, except when he needed to stop to refill the tank. It was quite relaxing and the music, connected to blue tooth from his acquired phone (he did not have the patience to deal with phone dealerships) to his helmet, was not bad. Both old and new to him at the same time. He was beginning to like the dichotomy that came from being an individual of both the past and a nearly culturally parallel present, despite the added supernatural spice.

While he was never big into social media or anything of the like in his first life, he did always enjoy allowing others to look upon him with envy and admiration and while his looks were still similar, he was certain that his features had been enhanced to a level beyond his past selves handsomeness.

Nonetheless, Nevermore.

Upon his arrival, he walked leisurely through the school, testing his options, and gaining an understanding of not only the building, but also the supernatural culture as viewed by the students and faculty as a whole, and he had to admit, he was disappointed.

What was once a powerful group of entities and individuals that spread their influence throughout the world with pride, had been relegated to being viewed as weirdos, freaks, and others, by the generally pathetic and ignorant humans.

He instantly connected the dots.

The war he and his father fought spread to nearly every inch of the planet.

All those who sought power, took a side, resulting in the indirect decimation and direct birth of countless species and subspecies, just through their actions alone, not to mention the ones who followed in their wake.

However, what had the potential to become powerful entities in their own right, were severed from their connection to him and the ones his father sired and produced were severed from him as well, upon his true death.

Now, their bloodlines are at their basest.

They only retain that which their species naturally evolved to acquire upon their transformations, however none of the added benefits that come from being connected to him.

However, if that were all, there was still a chance they could hold their heads with pride.

However, he could not help but notice an incredible lack of truly potent bloodlines at the school.

Non who stayed loyal to him had their influence any where in the area.

It would seem to him that there is an exact barrier set up between those of true power and those that the common-wealth has come to know.

He did not mind this at all.

After gathering his information and forming his working conclusions, Vlad made his way to the principle's office.

He entered the room without knocking.

Looked the startled white-haired woman directly in the eyes, and spoke out in his naturally charming voice.

"My name is Dracul Dresden. I am a new student who has just been admitted into this institution. You do not know my background, however you believe it to be incredibly prominent and powerful, due to the fact that I was approved to be enrolled here over your head. You will handle all the necessary paperwork of my enrollment, leaving blank anything that you do not know. You will not attempt to contact anyone about me, because every time the thought occurs to you, you feel a fear deep, to your very core, that you cannot explain. You believe it to be your instincts, so you follow them. You will assign me to a single dorm room at the top of a building with a large window and it will be understood that I am only attending this institution in order to get to know other "outcasts" my age. My academic pursuits are solely in my own hands. You will inform all faculty of this and you will not suppress any rumors that arise, however you will instruct them to not spread them. Upon doing that, you will take a step back and let nature take its course. After I walk out of your office this one time, you will forget that you met me. The next time you see me will be our first meeting and all I have told you will be immediately done upon my exit. It is nice to meet you, Principal Weems."

The now named, Dracul Dresden, made his way out of the office and shadow walked back to the entrance of the academy. Fresh faced and ready to begin his new youthful adventure that was mostly denied to him in his second life, due to his father attempting to turn him into a "proper" warrior and perhaps he would learn something new. Perhaps.