The Smell of Old Books and Blood

Chapter 1: Assignment

There were two reasons why you'd be enrolled in Teyvat Akademiya. The first reason was seemingly normal. It was one of the hardest schools to get into, on the cusp of being Ivy League level. The school was great to put on your resumé and had so many majors to delve into! It was perfect for anyone.

The second reason... well, that was for people like Kaveh, who's parents' parents' parents went there. It was not only tradition, but it was the safest way for people like him to get accustomed to humans. And going to this school was Kaveh's dream as soon as he learned about it.

The Teyvat Akademiya was located plop in the middle of the Sumerian Ocean. About a 20 minute boat ride from Port Ormos. Or for people like Sagonomiya Kokomi, a five minute swim. They called it the "University Island" but there was much more than university there and the Island was huge! It was more of a large city if anything. But why was a university on an Island in the middle of nowhere?

When the Teyvat Akademiya first opened, it was a school for all occult and supernatural beings alike. For those who were different than the humans to finally fit in and feel like they could have normal lives. Get proper jobs. Have hobbies. And most importantly- interact with others. Kaveh understood that more than anyone. For a century now, his mother had kept him locked up in the same house. Of course, he understood why. A baby Kaveh going around and feeding off any human he saw wouldn't be the most discreet for them. And he didn't want to end up like the rest of his kind that were brutally executed. He only had one friend as a child.. but that's a story for another time.

Ah- his internal monologue hadn't gotten messy... where was he? Oh right! Unfortunately for the Teyvat Akademiya, people began to become suspicious when their human children didn't get in, but managed to get into Ivy League schools with no problem. Eventually, they had to start letting humans into the University that met requirements to enroll. But that didn't backfire in the slightest. Now, people like Kaveh had the ability to learn how to coexist with humans. And if things went awry, there were easy ways to deal with wiping memories.

Humans were always something that intrigued Kaveh. How could such weak beings be so bold? So willing to put themselves in danger just for something that peaks their interest. Kaveh wished to have that kind of confidence. He hoped the Akademiya would help him learn that. Was confidence something you could learn?

Lucky enough for Kaveh, social confidence was surprisingly not something he had to learn. Kaveh had easily become popular with humans males and females alike. He questioned what made him so intriguing. Was it the way his porcelain skin contrasted to everyone else's? Or was it the naturally charismatic aura vampires gave off? He'd never know. But his crowd of fan girls and fanboys never let up.

Well... unless he had something to do with it.

Alhaitham was a freshman just like him. A human one to be exact. They shared Trig together and Computer Science. Both were classes Kaveh didn't care much about but needed to get out of the way. Who knew Architecture Majors had to be so knowledge about math and computers. Gross. He just wanted to get to the artsy stuff. Art was- no Kaveh, don't ramble. You have more complaining about Alhaitham to do!

Ah yes- Mr. I-have-no-respect-for-anyone-but-myself. Kaveh would often find himself studying in the library since his roommate always had his boyfriend over. It wasn't much of an issue. Kaveh liked Cyno, even though he was a human intruding in their space. It was easier to deal with because Cyno knew about his and Tighnari's identities, so they could rest comfortably. But he didn't want to bother the two, even though Tighnari constantly said he wasn't a bother. They deserved their alone time. And Kaveh concentrated better when he was in tm he library anyways. At least, he used to. Until Alhaitham's group of fangirls decided to start showing up everyday and making a racket, loudly gossiping about "how hot" the human was. He was okay at best. Nothing compared to his own looks as a vampire. But it was so distracting! One time, he even went up to the human before he left, asking him to deal with his little posse. The only response he received from the other was him pointing to his ears, strangely, and shrugging before walking off. Bastard thinks he could ignore him? Asshole.