Yeming: Blood Chronicle

Lantern Rite

Moonlight filtered through the dormitory windows, laying pale ribbons of light across the stone floor. A cool breeze drifted through the corridor, carrying the scent of damp grass and leaving the Class D dormitory far quieter than the lively square outside.

Claire stopped in front of Room D-217. The silver runes carved into the wooden door glowed faintly as she pressed her student ID against the lock. A soft click echoed through the hallway before the door slowly opened.

The room was larger than she had expected. Four beds occupied the corners, each with its own desk and bookshelf.

A petite girl with shoulder-length white hair was the first to greet her. A pair of rabbit ears twitched as she hurried over to help with Claire’s suitcase.

“You must be the new roommate. I’m Akari,” she said with an easy smile. “I’m a rabbit spirit.”

“Claire Ashford.”

Akari’s eyes drifted to the student ID still in Claire’s hand. They immediately brightened.

“So the rumor was true.”

Claire looked at her curiously.

“I heard a vampire would be assigned to our dorm this year. I wasn’t sure if anyone believed it.”

There was no fear in her voice, only genuine excitement. The warmth of her smile eased the tension Claire had carried since arriving at the academy.

Across the room, another girl looked up from adjusting the white flower in her long black hair.

“I’m Evelyn. Nice to meet you.”

The last roommate barely lifted her head from the book she was reading.

“Lillian.”

She offered nothing more before returning to the page.

Akari suddenly checked the time and clapped her hands.

“Perfect. We can still make it.”

“The ceremony is about to start,” Evelyn said as she closed her wardrobe. “You arrived at just the right time.”

Akari turned back to Claire.

“Tonight is the Lantern Rite for all first-year students. It only happens once a year. Come with us.”

Claire hesitated for a moment before nodding.

If she had truly decided to begin a new life here, she couldn’t keep hiding from the world forever.

The four of them left the dormitory together.

Students filled the white stone paths leading toward the river. Some walked with black wings folded behind their backs, while others had fox tails swaying gently or silver horns gleaming beneath the floating lights. No one stared. No one seemed to care. They laughed, talked, and walked side by side like ordinary university students.

For the first time since entering the supernatural world, Claire wondered if this place might not be as lonely as she had imagined.

A few minutes later, the crowd gradually slowed.

Beyond the trees flowed a wide river beneath a crimson moon. Thousands of students stood quietly along both banks, their eyes fixed on the water.

Claire found herself holding her breath.

This was the first time she truly felt she had crossed into another world.

The deep toll of an ancient bell rolled across the river.

Conversations faded until silence settled over the crowd.

A man dressed in a black ceremonial robe stepped onto a stone platform overlooking the river. Embroidered across his chest was the academy’s crest, a crimson drop of blood embraced by a silver crescent moon.

“Welcome to Yeming Academy.”

His calm voice carried effortlessly through the night.

“Today marks your first step into this world. From this moment on, neither your bloodline nor your fate will determine your future. The path ahead belongs to you alone.”

As his speech ended, the senior students stepped aside, revealing long tables draped in black cloth. Resting neatly upon them were rows of white paper lanterns.

Freshmen were called forward one group at a time.

When Claire’s name was announced, she accepted a lantern with both hands. Its thin white paper was stretched over a bamboo frame engraved with delicate silver runes. At its center rested a tiny crimson crystal, glowing with a gentle rhythm that reminded her of a heartbeat.

Following the instructions, the freshmen descended the stone steps leading to the river.

Standing beside her, Akari lowered her voice.

“My grandfather always said that if your lantern sinks before reaching the end of the river, it means you still haven’t found your true path.”

Evelyn smiled softly.

“He also liked scaring children.”

Akari laughed without arguing.

Claire remained silent.

She stared at the crimson crystal glowing in her hands.

If everyone truly had a path…

Where would hers lead?

“Release your lanterns.”

At the instructor’s command, thousands of freshmen knelt by the river together.

One by one, the lanterns drifted onto the water, joining countless others until they became a shimmering river of light flowing beneath the crimson moon.

Claire watched quietly as her own lantern disappeared among them.

Perhaps one day…

She, too, would find a place where she truly belonged.

The final toll of the bell echoed across the river.

The Lantern Rite had come to an end.

Students gradually left the stone steps, their conversations returning as the solemn atmosphere dissolved into the lively energy of the evening.

Claire remained where she was, watching the countless lanterns drift farther downstream until they became distant specks of light.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps rang out behind her.

A group of students rushed down the steps, weaving through the crowd. One of them accidentally slammed into her shoulder.

“Sorry!”

The impact caught Claire off guard.

She stumbled backward. The stone beneath her feet was still damp, and her shoes slipped.

For a split second, her body tilted toward the river.

Then a hand caught her wrist.

The grip was firm, steady, and impossible to resist.

Claire was pulled forward before she could fall. She lost her balance for an instant, stopping only when she found herself standing inches away from the stranger.

She looked up.

He was nearly a head taller than she was. Under the glow of the crystal lanterns, his features were calm and composed, framed by dark hair that shifted gently in the night breeze. His deep brown eyes met hers, quiet yet strangely captivating. They didn’t resemble the eyes of any supernatural race Claire had encountered since arriving at the academy.

For a fleeting moment, her heart skipped a beat.

A vague sense of familiarity surfaced without warning.

It vanished before she could grasp it.

The young man seemed to pause as well. His gaze lingered on her for only a heartbeat before his expression returned to its usual calm.

He released her wrist.

“Be careful.”

His voice was low and gentle.

Claire quickly withdrew her hand.

“Thank you.”

He gave a slight nod, then walked past her without another word.

Within moments, he disappeared into the crowd.

Claire unconsciously watched him go.

Something about that stranger felt… familiar.

She couldn’t explain why.

It was as though a forgotten memory had brushed against her mind, only to fade away before she could see it clearly.

After standing there for another moment, Claire let out a quiet breath and turned toward the dormitory.

Above her, the crimson moon hung silently over Yeming Academy, watching as another story quietly began.