The Sharpest Blade (My Vampire System Fan-Fic)

He drew a deep breath, smoothing out his shirt—tailored, sharp, and just the right shade of black that whispered authority without yelling for attention. He straightened his collar, ran his fingers through his shaggy blonde hair trying to force it to behave. As he stood outside the door, anxiety was coiling in his stomach. Vorden reminded himself that he had fought over a century of various wars and encountered beasts that would test the mettle of any warrior. Hell, he WAS a beast that would. For a long time. Yet, the prospect of meeting General Neely filled him with a nervousness he had all but forgotten.

The General's office was stark comparatively when looking at the rest of the facility, yet undeniably functional. General Neely's office was a triumphant cacophony of antiquity and organization. The air was thick with the scent of cigars and wood polish—a nostalgic aroma that might have put any other individual at ease. But the steadily rising wind of excitement that coursed through him felt more like the current of a brewing storm.

There was an oversized desk that was spotless and much like a model home, it had all the things that a desk ought to have, perfectly placed in very intentional places. The only thing however that could readily be identified as modern technology was the extremely large and very thin computer screen that faced away from Vorden. The room had a modest charm. Adorned with tarnished medals, maps that whispered tales of battles fought, and weapons that had long ceased to be mere objects but echoes of history. Well cared for and preserved, mounted and hung on the walls. It was a space that radiated the gravitas of a seasoned soldier. Namely what Vorden could see were several antique wartime weapons. A rapier mounted next to a longbow, both extremely aged. There was a photograph, very old looking as well, with what looked like a company or regiment of some sort, all dressed in military uniform, large smiles on their faces. It was matted and had an inscription beneath it. No doubt a family heirloom of some ancestors of the General.

Vorden's eyes made their way around the entire room again, before finally settling on the man himself, who was seated at his desk as they entered the room. Private Smith had opened the door, stood aside, and allowed Vorden to walk inside before she quietly shut the door behind him. He stepped into the room, feeling both as though he should salute and as if saluting was far too formal for such an occasion. Vorden had been pondering this when the sound of the door closing made him jump a little, to his embarrassment.

General Neely looked up from behind his imposing oak desk, where he was meticulously looking over something he had pulled up on his computer. He was in his twilight years, his silver hair framing a weathered face that seemed carved from granite. Those piercing eyes roamed over Vorden at first glance, weighing him. Noticing Vorden's startled reaction, a smirk flashed across the General's face just for a second, and just as fast it was replaced with a professional yet stern smile. Vorden thought that maybe he had imagined it? He shook off the thought and returned the smile, as he reached his hand out to accept the outstretched hand the general had offered him for a solid handshake.

"Vorden Blade, at last we finally get to meet. I am General Neely, but I'm sure you already figured as much. Please take a seat!" The voice was gravelly, steeped in experience, and Vorden found himself obeying almost instinctively. Sitting in one of the two empty chairs he had gestured to which sat in front of his desk. "Your brother has told me many great things about you! I am truly excited to see your ability in action! 6 abilities, I can't lie that makes me a tad bit jealous".

The general returned to his own seat and leaned back, his demeanor shifted to one of measured joviality. With a bit of a narrowed eye and a modicum of momentary scrutiny he said with a smile on his tone, "You're a bit young for a veteran of the Dalki war, aren't you?"

Vorden chuckled—an awkward laugh that surprised even him. Sergeant Vorden Blade, here he was, a newcomer yet steeped in an illustrious legacy. "You have no idea, sir. Let's just say I'm many centuries worth of experience packed into a body made for...well... believe it or not, a body made for and already proven in battle." The statement hung between them like an olive branch extended in peace.

Neely smiled, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening. His inspecting gaze continued for a few moments, almost as if he was trying to discern if he was being honest or not. After another minute his voice finally cut through the tension brewing in the room that had begun to press down on Vorden. "You remind me of someone. An old buddy of mine, we were in the same company—daring, brash, good man, but thought he could charm his way through anything". He had started to look off into the distance as if he was lost for a second in the memory. Suddenly remembering that he was talking to a person in front of him he cleared his throat, leaned slightly forward, then looked back to his guest. "Let me give you a piece of advice, kid: charm only gets you so far in this world. Trust in your skills first."

KID?!

Vorden was dumbfounded.

He clearly doesn't know I'm older than him.... By a LOT.

While slightly confused, he still wanted to be respectful. Vorden hesitated, but in an attempt to sound confident, said firmly, "I appreciate that, General. Though I can assure you that I'm neither just charm nor brute strength; I'm honestly a little bit of both. With a heaping helping of the elements on the side, of course". Again there was a pause and scrutinizing gaze before a reply.

"Let's hope you get to show that off in your classes," Neely said with a wry grin. "Everyone is excited to see the famed Blade ability at work!" The general stood up suddenly.

Vorden felt a flicker of dread. "Everyone sir?" Vorden struggled to ask.

Neely quirked an eyebrow. "The rest of the staff of course. Although everybody had been thinking Sil would be the one to join us..." Neely started to trail off, but stopped himself and smiled quickly. "Now, follow me; I'll show you to the instructor's lounge."

Vorden trailed after the General through a labyrinth of corridors. A few other faculty members passed them by, but none seemed to hold as much of a position as to be introduced, at least as much as Neely thought. They appeared as mere mirages, swirling in and out of focus amid the anticipation jangling violently within Vorden while he pondered the General's words. When they reached a central set of double doors, the General pushed them open.

Then, with the same enthusiasm as a child showing a new friend their beloved baseball card collection, he said loudly, "Welcome to the staff lounge. You'll find most of the rest of the faculty milling about. They are an eccentric bunch, I assure you." He smiled, seeming pleased with himself.

Vorden braced himself as he walked into the room. It was spacious, decorated with an array of maps and trophies encapsulating the history of the military and former Academy's legacy. A long, wooden table dominated the center, surrounded by perfectly matched chairs. Much like the staff, he imagined.

As soon as he entered, the conversations dimmed slightly; all eyes turned toward him. Every pair of eyes felt like they were evaluating him, sizing up what this flawless stranger could possibly contribute—always an amusing yet crippling sensation.

"Ladies, gentlemen, this is Sargeant Vorden Blade, our new Elemental ability instructor," Neely introduced with a flourish. The crowd murmured greetings, and several pairs of eyes sparkled with mischief or flattery—or a sultry mixture of both.

Vorden couldn't help but notice a trio of older female instructors exchanging coy glances. One, a tall woman with striking glasses and an unruly mop of gray hair, blinked as if realizing that her jaw was hanging slightly open. She muttered something under her breath, possibly a compliment, while attempting to fix her disheveled appearance in a way that had him trying to suppress a grin.

Suddenly, he stood at the center of inquiry, all curiously hungry for an introduction that suddenly felt too much for Vorden. He desperately searched for a savior, but the general had somehow slipped away and was nowhere to be seen.

"Nice to meet everyone," he stammered, his calm demeanor testing its limits. "I'm, um, excited to be here." The laughter that ensued only deepened his warm embarrassment, and he could feel the curious gazes pinning him in place.

The trio of women approached him, eyes glimmering with a mix of intrigue and mischief?

"Hello, Sergeant Blade," one of them, an affable woman chirped. "It's too bad the great Sil couldn't join us for the term. Is he doing alright?"

"Not to worry," Vorden quipped, he caught himself speaking in a rather irritated tone of voice. "He is just incredibly busy with his work. However, I am his brother, and we share the same ability. Also, having been a part of the many battles alongside my brother... I should think I can certainly handle a few unruly teenagers."

"Well, I do hope you are as skilled as your brother?" another one, her gray hair coiling in wild curls, tittered softly. "Heaven knows we're not exactly anything to write home about, but of course we can hold our own. However 6 abilities is unbeleivable! Astonishing".

"I am not sure what everybody is going on about, I am sure that all of those stories about the Blade man are highly exaggerated. Those kinds of war stories always are... " the boldest one stated. She had been the only one thus far that Vorden had seen wearing beast gear. Nothing flashy, just some light armor that looked to be of a relatively high tier.

A bit of rage began to build up within Vorden. He found it difficult to handle hearing anybody bad mouth Sil. He tried to regain his calm. He thought for a second as a few people began to stare in their direction, and he looked around for a way out of this mess.

Vorden forced a smile and laughed, the tension disappeared like mist at dawn. "I can assure you that if anything, stories of my brother and his accomplishments are downplayed if not unknown altogether..." The venom dropped from each word as he spat them out. In that moment Vorden wanted nothing more than to collect the six strongest abilities in the room and squash every one of the ungrateful wretched from existence. He however held it together and instead said "Of course that is my brother, Sil always was an anomaly in our family, none can touch him with regards to power. It's tact and creativity where I shined. With our other brother who is unmatched in his mastery of martial arts and pure cunning, the three of us together truly are reason why so much was possible". Vorden was lost in his memories at that point. He simply wanted to defend Sil and instead found himself feeling nostalgic.

He shook it off and became painfully aware of the several faces staring at him with confused or concerned expressions.

Get it together man, you aren't Raten, you can't just snap.

As he suffered through their banter further he suddenly realized that he missed home already. Vorden began to dread the coming months, feeling the loss of a sense of belonging that he hadn't realized he had actually felt back home.

Thankfully, somebody else made a comment, changing the subject and Vorden was just as swiftly ejected from the line light from which he so desperately wanted to escape. Remarks flew back and forth, chit chat, and sporadic laughter slowly overcame the room again.

He engaged with a few more of the instructors and shared anecdotes about mundane concepts, current events, or teaching in general. He was interested in making his way around the room, to find out which subjects were tought by which individuals.

And as the afternoon wore on, amid light conversation echoing off the high ceilings, he heard a small argument going on in a corner of the room between two individuals somewhat removed from the groups of instructors. He couldn't help but feel drawn to the two for some reason. Something about one of the voices cut through the noise in the room, and Vorden couldn't ignore it.

He tried to slowly sift through the bodies, without causing a stir or drawing too much attention. He tried to act inconspicuous so he could get a glimpse of the origin of the voice without being noticed. To his surprise he happened to see a middle aged man with salt and pepper hair combed back, facing his direction in a heated debate with a brown haired woman whose face Vorden could not see as she was faced away. The gentleman wore glasses, and had a rather respectable mustache and gotee that looked groomed and well cared for. He had a vein in his forehead bulging as he clearly tried to make some point in their discussion.

He got a tad bit closer, as he pretended to be listening to a different conversation, and not get noticed. Finally making his way as close as he could in an attempt to see the woman's face. He was finally close enough to catch their conversation more clearly.

"Yes, they were I am telling you a fact Morton". The man, who was apparently called Morton scoffed and roles his eyes disrespectful. With his arms crossed he merely shook his head and replied.

"Jade, I don't know what they are telling you kids in school these days, but it is not possible for a human being to live for over a millennium. It's simply folk tales and fantasy, propaganda. Everybody loves a hero story". His face grew more smug with each word as his condescension seaped out of every pore, and radiated off of him in waves.

Hearing his words Vorden's ears perked up. Who were they talking about? He excused himself politely from the handful of individuals he had been speaking to and crossed the distance between where he stood and the smug teacher named Morton. He crossed the distance very fast, and very quietly.

Morton looked around as if he was looking for an escape route. As his head reached his right side were before there had been noone he jumped, suddenly there was Vorden, seemingly out of nowhere which caused him to do a double take quickly.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but I overheard what you were saying and thought I may be able to provide some clarity on the..." Just then, as his gaze shifted from Morton to the brown haired lady that he was speaking to Vorden's heart stopped. He froze, ice cold rushing through his veins. He simply stood frozen, stunned into silence.

"Ummm, on.... The subject?" The woman asked apprehensively. Drawing Vorden's brain back from his stupor. He shook his head, but had a hard time not staring at her with a shocked expression.

"Wait, what? I'm sorry, I just.... I lost my train of thought". Vorden apologized feeling his ears turn red. His mind has gone completely blank because he never could have imagined, that right there in the military academy, without any warning, he would in fact meet the woman whose face had appeared to him in his dream, in the reflection of the broken mirror he had encountered as he slept. If he hadn't been looking directly at her he may not have believed something so outrageous. Yet there she was, she is real. He tried to salvage the moment, and hide his absolute bewilderment.

"I apologize, I realize that I haven't officially met either of you, my name is Vorden". He put out his hand to shake hers and noticed Morton's out also. After an awkward exchange of glances, they both looked at one another and then back to Vorden as they each tentatively took his hand shaking it in turn.

"Morton" the gentleman said smirking as he shook aggressively, obviously trying to assert some form of archaic dominance. Vorden nodded quickly before returning his focus to the lady.

"I.... I'm Jade, Jade Brightmoor. It's lovely to finally meet you". She smiled softly, and Vorden was again enthralled. He couldnt help but feel drawn to her warmth, the woman that saved his life in his dream. As unbelievable as it was, with her deep, brown eyes like pools that one could fall into, there was no mistaking them. He examined her face again and again until it became awkward.

Feeling embarrassed by his strange behavior and focused attention, Jade began to grow increasingly concerned.

She attempted to look anywhere but at him as his intense stare made her nervous. "Um... Uh, what.... Was it.... What was it you were saying now?" She looked by that point like she might have simply turned and run away.

Luckily, Morton actually came through and cut in. "He was going to tell you that you have your so called facts dead wrong". He leaned in slightly as he put air quotes up as he said the word facts, ensuring that he was in fact in Vorden's line of sight. Grabbing the Blades attention.

Unfortunately he was beyond discussion by then. Unable to finish his thought. His face shifting to an expression of panic, Vorden wanted to drop to his knees with relief when the day was saved by General Neely, who reappeared at that exact moment. Bursting through both of the double doors at once it was impossible to notice his reentry. He immediately began speaking loudly over everybody in the room.

He announced that after a tense phone call he had just had, the accomodations had finally been figured out and that everybody could now check their assignments on the communicators and that they were able to go to their rooms any time they like. A ripple of relieved sighs and sile t celebration made it's way through the room.

Then, as if it was the only reason that any of them had suffered through socializing with anybody else in the room, one by one the crowd began to trickle out. Slowly at first, most trying to pretend like that wasn't the only thing preventing them from leaving. However as more people slowly raced unspoken with others in an attempt to reach the door first without looking like they were.... Well, actually racing each other, the attempts became less subtle. Finally, especially after the general left to take another call, the remainder of instructors quickly took the opportunity to vacate the room as quickly as possible, including Vorden.

Thankful for the interruption of his conversation and livid at himself for being so dumbfounded and making a fool of himself, he stopped around a nearby corner to breathe and check his assignment. More than anything not wanting to bump into Jade. Still freaked out, he knew only one thing. Whatever this was, however it happened, he did not trust that girl. And he needed to do some research to figure out what was going on, as soon as possible. Vorden took his time getting to his room, hoping to miss the traffic of the others, and especially hoping he wouldn't accidentally run into Jade.

He thought to himself as he grimaced,

This is going to be a really LONG semester.