Centuries ago, when the Sanctum was still a private academy, Nana was sitting alone in the courtyard, where she could read by herself. She was sitting under her favorite tree, where it wasn’t too shady, but had enough light so she could see clearly.

 

Suddenly, a ripe red apple fell at her side. She looked up and saw a young girl, wearing the same uniform as her. She had a bright smile on her face as her feet dangled from the branch. Nana closed her book, leaving a bookmark.

 

“What are you doing up there?” she asked the smiling girl.

 

“It’s nice up here.”

 

“If Sensei saw you up there, you’d be in trouble.”

 

“Don’t worry,” the cheery girl said as she jumped down and landed on her feet. “See? I’m not hurt or anything.”

 

Nana simply nodded her head and went back to her novel.

 

“What’s your name?”

 

“Nana… And you are?”

 

“Mako. Kojima Mako.”

 

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“Mako...” Nana held the pocketwatch in her hands, seeing it rusted and the gold tarnished. A tear fell onto the broken glass as the clock needle remained stuck, frozen in time.

 

She remembers that day. That was the day that changed her life. If she had not met Mako, she wouldn’t be here today. She wouldn’t feel what she was feeling right now. Sometimes, she wanted it that way, for the pain to be gone.

 

But then, she had realized, she was already in too deep, and she couldn’t escape and deny it any longer. She had already fallen for Kojima Mako.

 

“Why? Why did things have to change?”

 

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“Nana..! Nana!”

 

Mako shot up from her bed, holding her chest as she was breathing rapidly. She looked and saw her older sister, fast asleep and kneeling against her bedside.

 

“What was I...” As she tried to think, another sharp pain hit her head, this one longer than normal. “N-Nana...”

 

“Mako...”

 

“Yes, that girl… Nana...”

 

Just then, her older sister stirred and saw Mako was awake.

 

“Mako..?”

 

“Natsuki, that girl… Her name is Nana.”

 

“Ah, is that so..?”

 

“I don’t know how I know… Something told me. I’m sure of it. She is.. Nana.”

 

Natsuki was still thinking about the previous night. There’s something suspicious about her. Nana seems to know who Mako is, furthermore, she tried to bite her. But did she know, what consequences it could have?

 

“Mako… do you remember your studies from yesterday?”

 

Mako simply nodded.

 

“Do you know what ‘taking the *Initiative’ means?”

 

Mako tried to think, but it can up a bit fuzzy. She couldn’t remember exactly.

 

“Initiative… That is...”

 

“That is what happens when a vampire bites someone and enslaves their will.”

 

“Y-yes… It is forbidden for vampires to bite their own kind.”

 

“Correct.”

 

Mako always had to be reminded of certain things. Once a day, Natsuki would always help with her independent study, to make sure she was okay. It was natural for her to forget things. She only did so to make sure nothing bad happened to her or anyone else because she had forgotten something important.

 

“We vampires have been able to suppress our thirst for blood and not lash out. But we must only feed on animal blood and our tablets until we are matured enough to withstand human blood.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Mako gulped a bit. She always hated the thought of drinking actual blood. The smell was too strong for her, and it felt so weird going down . No matter how much she tried, she always ended up vomiting it back up.

 

“You gonna be okay?”

 

She nodded her head.

 

“Don’t worry. You just have to wait to get used to it. You’re still sensitive because you’ve never drank human blood before.”

 

“Un...”

 

“Speaking of...” Natsuki took out a small packet. Mako gulped when she saw her take out a small pill. “It’s about time. You need to take it.”

 

“I-I know...”

 

Mako took the pill and held it in her fingers. She stared at it for a few seconds before she popped the tablet in . Natsuki handed her the water and let her drink. She gulped the pill down and coughed a bit before taking the glass in her hands and taking a few more sips.

 

“Don’t worry. You’ll get used to it.”

 

Mako simply nodded as her sister started to get up.

 

“I’m going to check on the others. You get some rest. A lot happened yesterday, so don’t force yourself.”

 

“Okay.”

 

After Natsuki left, Mako laid down in her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

 

“Nana...” she repeated the girl’s name. “Who is she?”

 

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“I found them...” A voice spoke up in the small room. The girl fixed her glasses glared down at the screen, a small red dot appearing on the radar.

 

“You did?!”

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Yup. After all this time… we’ve got their location.”

 

A short haired girl got up, a dark look in her eyes.

“Finally… I’ll get my revenge.”

 

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*Initiative - A vampire's will. When a vampires bites another vampire, the bitten will become completely obedient to them. However, this action is forbidden.