Blood Academy Snippets

Scene: Cole asks Icarus for a potion

Cole walked across the school, the clock striking the new hour. Five o'clock. His hands shook and his movements held power and determination, but Cole was tired. His nightmares had not stopped, if anything, they had gotten worse. Every night Cole would close his eyes only to reopen them to whatever place Ryuk wanted to send him.

It was not the real Ryuk. He knew that. Ryuk was still locked up due to a crime Cole committed. Part of him said Ryuk did not deserve it and that it should be him in the shadow prison. The rest thought Ryuk went too far with what Cole wanted and that he deserved every second of it. But both parts thought, no, knew, it was Cole's fault.

Cole stopped in front of one of the doors to the fifth tower. He looked down at the shrunken head hanging from the doorknob. The shrunken head tilted up at him. The creatures were hard to understand. Eyes and mouth sewn shut, making them blind and giving them a lisp.

"State your name." The head swayed as it spoke, voice sounding irritated.

Cole swallowed thickly. "Cole, Cole Hyde. I need to speak with someone."

The shrunken head hummed in consideration, or even mock of the action. It shook its head. "You are not of this house; I cannot let you in."

Cole growled, grabbing the creature by the hair it hung from. "Listen here you pest. I am here on important matters. So, either you let me in. Or I will cut out your tongue." He hissed.

The shrunken head huffed, muttering out a "Fine."

Cole let the shrunken head go. The door swung open. Inside looked warm and inviting, a soft sea green, sage and matcha green as the main colour scheme. The lanterns and flames of the chandelier were a soft orange, kind to Cole's eyes unlike the ones in the Mercury tower that constantly gave him a headache. The floor is covered in Brazilian walnut wood. Paintings and tapestries hung from almost every wall and statues or Zen fountains in the corners.

Taking in a breath, Cole stepped inside, the door closing behind him. Immediately, Cole felt warm and welcomed. He expected the Amethyst dormitory to feel like this. But the tower of Pluto? Well, he didn't really know what he was expecting. But this certainly was not it.

Cole glanced around, fiddling with his blue bracelet. He looked around, trying to spot a familiar face.

Then a voice called out to him. "Cole? Is that you?"

Cole turned to his left and there he found Kayla. She was in her usual red hoodie and black shorts, looking a little more lively than last year, her hair clearly longer and better taken care of. But she didn't look all that happy to see him. Though she did not look angry either.

He smiled nervously, running a hand through his hair, his beanie left in his room. "Hey. I was hoping Dante would have told you that I'm-" He gestured down to himself.

"Alive. And possessing a body of your own." She finished, her eyes raking over his body.

He nodded. "Yeah. I quite like it actually." He shook his head. "But I will speak to Dante about informing the rest, so it is not as much of a shock. I truly apologize. For both this and my past actions."

Kayla hummed with a raised eyebrow. She sighed. "That would probably be wise. But I doubt you're here just to make your presence known."

Cole laughed lightly. "You always were smart. I am uh..." He looks around, making sure no one was purposely listening in on their conversation. He steps closer to Kayla, speaking in a hushed voice. "I need to see Icarus. I heard he could fix almost anything."

Kayla rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but shut it instantly. Cole's eyes looked pleading. Her jaw set tense. "You're serious?"

Cole nodded. "Dead."