In Danger

Edward walked out of the family room without glancing at his siblings. Being the youngest up until recently, Edward was constantly picked on. It didn't help that he was one of the least talented, not only among the intermediate family but even the extended family which caused shame among the Sullivan family. His siblings were raised to value strength and vampiric pride above all else. The Sullivan family was a family of elegance. They embodied what true royals were; classist, elitist, oppressive, and pompous. Everyone acted the part except for Edward and his father. All of Adam's marriages were political and due to this fact, Adam had to portray himself as the stereotypical noble outside of closed doors. His wives hated his true personality. It wasn't until Charlotte, Edward's mother, came into his life and not only accepted him but loved his boyish and barbaric personality.

As Edward exited the door, the sight of the man leaning on the wall with his arms folded and eyes closed, stopped him in his tracks.

"What's going on little brother?" Maurice said condescendingly, not even opening his eyes to see his sibling.

Edward couldn't help biting his lip at the boy ahead of him. His brother, Maurice hated him the most after his twin sister Mary. Looking at the figure on the wall, he couldn't help but see the resemblance between him and his sister. They shared their mother's platinum blonde hair with Maurice's being shorter, only coming to his ears and parted down the middle. Maurice looked like a prince, with such masculine features as he shared Adam's looks and body. Almost opposite of Edward, who looked small beside both his father and the rest of his male siblings. Even Emily was taller. Her body was well toned and a bit muscular, but her curves made even the strongest of men salivate at a mere glance.

" What do you want Maurice?

Maurice walked toward his brother and wrapped his arm around his shoulder, which made Edward uncomfortable." I Just heard that my brother has found a new weapon. A sword. Are you still trying to sully this family's name with your silly attempts at power?"

Maurice smiled and chuckled," You see, I know our father favors you. I saw how he protected you first when the Sullivan family home was attacked," Maurice said while slowly circling Edward. He began tapping his finger on his lip, letting out a few " hmm's" along the way.

" I know father fancies your mother above all of ours. But who can blame him? Such a strong man, tied down by even stronger forces. He couldn't even love the woman he wanted."

Maurice walked in front of Edward who tried his best to maintain eye contact with his brother. Maurice pointed his finger at Edward's chest, "And you, the beneficiary of true love, though the weakest among us all. I won't let our father's foolish love ruin our family. His blind love and patience for you will be the downfall of our family. I intend to be the next patriarch. Whatever childish power grabs you have up your sleeve should cease to exist. After all, this Vulen may find himself hurt."

Edward could see through the lines. Maurice had threatened Vulen and for the first time in his teen life, Edward wasn't afraid of his brother. His eyes stared into those of Maurice's. Maurice could see the hate Edward harbored for him in his wide and bloodshot eyes.

" You may be stronger than me, you fucking pussy, but we both know you can't harm Vulen now that I've declared him my sword. Dad has already taken an interest in him. You'll be punished," Edward could barely contain his voice.

Maurice shrugged his shoulders as if he could care less about the consequences, " I guess we'll just have to see. Good-bye, little brother."

With that, Maurice walked away and Edward stood frozen in place. Vulen was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it. Maurice was one of the school's most prideful accomplishments. Maurice became a seven-core mana user at the tender age of twenty-three and brought a ton of success to the school because of it. With the amount of pull Maurice has over the students and even some teachers, there was nothing he could do. Edward gritted his teeth at his weakness. His lack of power put someone in danger. He knew that Vulen wouldn't care and would face it head-on, but it didn't make him feel any better.

' I need to warn him before it's too late.'

--

Vulen woke up, grimacing at his sore muscles. Eburhardt had made him work out until his body couldn't move anymore and when he recovered, he worked out again! The training Vulen did with Eburhardt, couldn't compare to the training he did back home, but the pills and food Eburhardt gave him, made him feel an unfamiliar strength. Vulen swallowed two mana pills from his stand, put on his uniform, and headed toward the cafeteria. As he walked down the hallway, he could feel something was off. Everyone's eyes looked at him maliciously. Vulen had become famous on his first day of school. Vulen, the barbaric, stupid elf who tried to fight a teacher.

These eyes felt just like those of his tribemates, but what had changed from just a day ago? And then it clicked.

'Edward took those eyes off of me.'

He finally noticed how different he was from the others at school. Most dawned uniforms made of the best fabric. Everyone, even the commoners, had gold, silver, and bronze pendants to show status. He had neither. No one knew his status. Vulen being friendly with Edward only made the rumors worse, but Vulen's actions and Edwards' absences had made it clear. To them, he was filth. A commoner with no manners.

When he finally entered the cafeteria, he tried his best to ignore those around him, but their whispers and remarks caused his chest to tighten. It felt like he couldn't breathe. This emotion. Something he'd never felt. Anxiety. Panic. The world around him began to spin. His breathing became uneven, but," Vulen, are you ok?"

A familiar voice. He turned around to see Edward, who didn't look much better than him.

" I-I'm fine. Uh. I'm just getting some food."

The poor attempt at lying only made Edward laugh. The pair grabbed some food with Vulen getting an abnormal amount of fries and Edward getting regular breakfast food.

" Vulen we need to talk. You are in danger because of me." There was no use in sugar coating it. He couldn't twist the truth here.

" How strwang are dey," Vulen said with a mouth full of fries. Edward's brows raised. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Any normal person would ask what happened and make a decision. With Vulen, there was no hesitation.

As Edward explained what happened, Vulen couldn't help but feel a bit happy inside even in the horrible situation. Even with Edward's status as a child of one of the most powerful martial families, they were alike more than they were different.

" You said that they can't kill me which means the worst they can do is torture me. I'll be fine Edward. If things get too bad, just leave me in the sun."

Edward's head tilted, " What do you mean by th-" but before he could finish, Vulen went to throw his tray in the trash before saying goodbye to Edward. He wouldn't be late for Eburhardt's training or he wouldn't be getting any sleep for days.

Edward watched Vulen leave the cafeteria, blind to a group looking at Vulen hostilely.