Ashes and Stardust

The low hum of chatter in the room went silent, when the history professor entered, with a black robe trailing behind him like shadows. He was tall and slender, with grey hair pulled back into a low tie, and had sharp light red eyes that looked like they had seen centuries even though he probably hadn't lived more than sixty years.

"Good morning, class," he said in a voice smooth and dry, like old parchment. "I am Professor Lupin Thorne. I hope you've come prepared, to brace yourselves for a healthy dose of truth. History, after all, does not flatter."

He reached the front of the room and set down a thick leather-bound book with a loud thud, the kind of sound that warned everyone this was not going to be an easy lecture.

"Today, we begin with the Great War of Dark Ruins, when gods blessed the lands with the two most powerful celestial beings to fight against the dark forces. These events may seem distant to you now, but I assure you… history always has a way to crawl back into the present when you least expect it."

Eve straightened in her seat, her pencil poised, ready to take all the important notes for future reference. She could feel Ivan's presence beside her but maybe a little less daunting because of the earlier exchange between them. 

Professor Lupin's gaze swept across the room, landing briefly on her before moving along.

"You there, what do you know about the blessings bestowed by the gods upon the various species?"

Eve blinked, caught off guard. She stood up from her seat to opened her mouth to answer, when a smooth voice spoke beside her.

"She's new. Give her a moment to catch up," Ivan said coolly, his tone respectful but firm.

Professor Lupin raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by the defense by none other than the vampire prince, but said nothing further. His eyes drifted by at Eve, as if asking her if she would still like to answer.

Eve was equally surprised by Ivan's interception, but was somehow grateful for him trying to get her out of the sticky situation.

Eve had studied about this, so she answered after clearing her throat, "Good morning Professor, I've studied about the blessings bestowed by the Gods to a certain extent back in my kingdom, so forgive me if my answer doesn't cover everything."

She paused briefly then continued, "I have read that after the great war had ended, the celestial beings were called back to heaven. After they left, the Gods blessed the human race with power in their blood to prevent the resurgence of dark forces. 

One side received the blessing of the God of Fire, transforming them into powerful Vampires, some of whom possesses rare gifts. The other side was blessed by the Goddess of Light, turning them into Lumens, who also bear unique abilities."

Professor Lupin, who had expected nothing of value from the so-called Lumen princess, was clearly impressed with her knowledge. 

Ivan, on the other hand, maintained his casual stoic expression, had his lips curled up ever so slightly upon listening to her answer.

One reason was that she had managed to bring a dumbfounded expression on an arrogant professor's face, and the other was that she was beginning to prove his theory wrong that she wasn't just some clueless princess.

Professor Lupin nodded and responded,"Very well, that answer is correct. If you keep this up, you might be able to cover your missed semester. Just don't let this get to your head. You may sit down" 

He then turned his stern eyes to the class and said, "You heard her, the powers blessed by the gods upon humans, who had once been crushed under the weight of dark forces, thousands of years ago. 

But not everyone received this blessing. Only those who possessed a pure heart did. This was to ensure that the powers bestowed by them would not be misused for nefarious purposes." 

He then turned to the board and began drawing a rough map of the ancient continents.

Eve settled back on her seat and wrote two words in her notebook and pushed it towards Ivan to see 'Thank you.'

He gave her a side eye and then shifted his focus towards what the professor was explaining next.

The class ended after an hour, during which both Ivan and Eve took notes.

As they walked, Damien and Cece joined them once again. Cece walked ahead with Eve and remarked, "That was a great answer. Honestly, it was a joy to see Professor Lupin caught off guard like that." she chuckled.

Eve smiled modestly, "I just answered what I knew, my family has always been strict with me when it comes to studies."

Cece gave her an understanding look and said, "Ah, one of those households. Same here, my mom once quizzed me at a family banquet."

Hearing this Eve laughed softly, her laugh sounded like gentle chimes of bells.

Behind them, Ivan who was walking with Damien heard her laugh for the very first time. To his surprise, he found himself wanting to hear it again. His eyebrows drew together with the direction of his own thoughts again.

Damien beside him said dramatically, "Easy there cousin! You gave me a fright back there, when you spoke to the Professor in Evelyn's defence." 

He shook his head in disbelief, "I almost thought you were an impostor sitting there."

"Did our sweet Evelyn melt that glacier you call a heart?" He asked with a wide grin plastered on his face.

Ivan didn't react to his brother's antics, he knew how Damien loved to push people's buttons.

Keeping his expression flat, Ivan replied dryly, "I only said it to get back at the arrogant professor."

Damien let out a chuckled, "And here I thought, the world was coming to an end to see you defend anyone!"

Soon they entered the potion class. This time Eve and Ivan took a seat next to Damien and his partner Emily. Cece and Edward were seated in front of them.

While others were settling in, Cece introduced her partner Edward Weaver, who was also from the Kingdom of Luminear and belonged to a noble house of Marquess. He had a handsome face with pale blue hair and eyes. 

Eve knew his household but never interacted with him, thanks to her step mother.

Edward bowed his head respectfully to the royals of two kingdoms in front of him."Your Highness, a pleasure to meet you both." 

He offered a nod of acknowledgement to Damien and Emily.

Next was Damien's turn to introduce Emily.