Yeming: Blood Chronicle

The First Assessment

Claire barely slept on her first night at Yeming Academy. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man who had caught her by the Wangyue River. The strange sense of familiarity she had felt in that fleeting moment lingered in her mind, yet the harder she tried to remember, the more elusive it became. Only the dull ache in her neck remained, surfacing whenever she thought about the fateful night that had turned her into a vampire.

The morning bell echoed through the dormitory, pulling her from her thoughts.

Today was the entrance assessment for every first-year student.

The four roommates left the dormitory early. On their way to the academy’s western district, Akari kept taking deep breaths, her rabbit ears twitching nervously.

“You’re really worried, aren’t you?” Evelyn asked with a smile.

“A little.” Akari rubbed the back of her neck. “I heard today’s results will become part of our academy records. What if I do terribly?”

Evelyn shrugged. “It’s only a starting point. If everything were decided by the first test, there’d be no reason for us to study.”

Akari stared at her for a moment before laughing. “You know… that actually makes me feel a lot better.”

Claire walked beside them in silence. She wasn’t worried about being judged as weak. What unsettled her was whatever now existed inside her. If the academy’s device could truly examine a person’s bloodline, what would it discover within hers?

The assessment hall occupied a white stone building in the western district of the academy. Dozens of freshmen were already waiting inside. At the center of the hall stood a silver pillar nearly two meters tall, its surface engraved with ancient runes that emitted a soft, pale glow.

An instructor standing beside the device addressed the room. “This is your entrance assessment. The device will evaluate your bloodline, your current awakening stage, and your potential. Today’s results will not determine your future, but they will become your first official record at Yeming Academy.”

Following the roster, students stepped forward one after another.

Most displayed ordinary bloodline readings. Some had already begun awakening their abilities, while others showed no sign of supernatural power at all. The runes repeatedly lit up and faded, filling the hall with a steady rhythm.

“Akari.”

She stepped onto the platform and placed her hand against the silver pillar. Light enveloped her for several seconds before gradually fading away.

Awakening Status: Dormant.

Her rabbit ears drooped briefly, but she quickly smiled and returned to her place.

Evelyn received the same result.

“Looks like I’ll have to keep waiting,” she said with an easy smile.

No one seemed surprised. The entrance assessment merely recorded each student’s current condition. Many abilities awakened only after formal training had begun.

“Lillian.”

The moment she stepped into the circle of light, the runes carved across the pillar flared far brighter than before. A thin mist spread across the platform, causing several nearby students to blink in confusion. For an instant, multiple identical images of Lillian appeared before dissolving into smoke.

Ability Detected: Illusion.

Whispers immediately spread through the hall.

“She awakened before enrollment?”

“That’s a rare ability.”

Even the instructor regarded her for a few moments before giving an approving nod.

“Impressive.”

Lillian quietly returned to her place, her expression unchanged from beginning to end.

“Claire Ashford.”

At the sound of her name, Claire’s heartbeat quickened.

She stepped forward and slowly placed her palm against the cold metal surface.

One second.

Two.

Nothing happened.

Just as she was about to pull her hand away, every rune engraved across the pillar trembled simultaneously.

The white glow instantly shifted into a deep crimson. The runes flickered violently as though the device itself had fallen into chaos. A shrill alarm pierced the silence, drawing every eye in the hall toward her.

The instructor immediately stepped forward and examined the control panel, his brows knitting together.

Once.

Then again.

The result never changed.

Only four words appeared on the screen.

Analysis Failed.

The hall fell silent.

The instructor stared at the display for several long seconds before placing his own hand on the pillar. The runes quickly stabilized, confirming that the device itself was functioning normally.

He slowly turned toward Claire.

“You may step down.”

His voice remained calm, but his gaze was no longer the same.

As Claire walked back to her roommates, quiet whispers rippled through the room.

“Analysis failed?”

“Did the device malfunction?”

“Has that ever happened before?”

Keeping her head lowered, Claire silently returned to the others. She had never wanted to become the center of attention. Ever since entering the supernatural world, she had felt as though every secret hidden within her was slowly being dragged into the light, even though she herself knew almost nothing about what she truly was.

The instructor glanced across the hall, waiting until the murmurs gradually died down before speaking again.

“The entrance assessment is now concluded. Today’s results will be recorded in each student’s academy file and used as a reference for class placement.”

After a brief pause, he continued, “Before eight o’clock this evening, your class schedule will be sent to your communication device. Be sure to check your assigned classroom, timetable, and instructors. Tomorrow, you will officially begin your studies at Yeming Academy.”

“Dismissed.”

The hall immediately came alive with conversation. Groups of freshmen left together, eagerly guessing which classes they had been assigned to. Only Claire remained quiet as she followed her three roommates, unable to stop thinking about the four words she had seen on the screen.

A few minutes later, the assessment records arrived at the Headmaster’s office.

He reviewed them one by one until his eyes settled on the final name.

Claire Ashford.

There was no data beneath it.

Only four words.

Analysis Failed.

The Headmaster remained silent for a long moment before opening her file.

No clan affiliation.

No registered bloodline.

No records prior to her admission.

He quietly closed the file and took an old, weathered book from his desk drawer. Turning through its yellowed pages, he eventually stopped at a particular entry.

His gaze lingered.

“…A coincidence?”

He slowly closed the book.

Outside the window, the bell marking the end of the assessment echoed across the academy.

Claire had no idea that from the moment the words Analysis Failed appeared on the screen, her name had already begun attracting the attention of certain people within Yeming Academy.