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It had already been months since Rev began attending Kincaid Academy, and it was tough to say, but he was already getting used to it. It was a shocker to him when he had found out he wasn’t actually a human… but a revenant. Though, he got used to it somehow. The only downside he hated about being a revenant is how he’s immortal. It doesn’t matter if he jumped off the school roof multiple times, because he comes back. It doesn’t matter if he beheaded himself, he’s still… ALIVE.
Waking up after that vampire. Attending his classes. Going to lunch. Attending more classes. Heading back to the dorms after showering. Yeah, he was used to this schedule.
He also was never alone as that vampire, Mark Dracula, kept following him around with that fuckass cat in his arms. Despite Rev always being angry or annoyed, he couldn’t deny that mark was tolerable to have around. Sure, he’d prefer to be alone, but Mark’s presence was... tolerable.
Raven, that stupid cat, dies like every week. Electrocution, explosions, potions, falling from the dorm window. You name it. And yet, she revives all the time. Mark calls it a 'miracle’. Rev calls it ‘a nuisance with nine thousand lives.’
In alchemy, there was Bella Donna and… Wendy. that annoying ass wendigo. Bella was tolerable, but Wendy? Oh, she was ANNOYING. She held a grudge against him after she was in the way while Rev and Bella were… trying to get the cauldron, and the cauldron tipped onto Wendy, and she became pink, then she was turned into a toad by Ms. Baba Yaga. And worst of all? She keeps calling him ZOMBIE BOY! He’s not even a zombie! He’s a REVENANT.
Then there is Sera. Sera’s more tolerable than everyone, if Rev were to be honest. Although she does sort of… annoy him? She’s still chill. Rev still remembers when they were in the Void and they needed that special salt, so they went through all that trouble to get it, but Sera could’ve just summoned it the whole time… he also remembered how she crashed out at Wendy and beamed her through the window. That was a shocker, Sera was usually all chill then she rages at Wendy and makes Rev her teacher… He didn’t even have a choice!
Yeah. That was Rev’s undead life. Monsters, spells, potions, chaotic… friends, and one way-too-cheerful vampire who never left him alone.
--^^--
So, when Rev woke up that morning and didn’t hear Mark’s stupidly cheerful “good morning, Rev~!”, he figured that maybe today would finally be peaceful. But by the time lunch came and went, there was still no vampire, and the peace was starting to feel… weird. He didn’t like weird. Weird meant something was off.
By the last class, Rev had already caught himself glancing around more than once, expecting Mark to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
He tried to ignore it, but by the time the sun started dipping, it was impossible not to notice how quiet everything felt. No stupid jokes. No footsteps following him. No Raven meowing at his feet.
When he got back to the dorm, he saw Raven curled up in Mark’s coffin, alone. Rev bent down to look at her, his scowl deepening.
“Don’t tell me he forgot to feed you again,” he muttered.
The cat just blinked at him.
Rev sighed. “... Great. Guess I’ll just find him before you die again.”
And with that, he set off.
--^^--
Rev ran a hand through his messy hair, pacing down the dim hallway that buzzed faintly with the hum of flickering lamps. The walls seemed to lean in with every step he took. The school always felt a little too quiet when Mark disappeared, like the shadows themselves were waiting for something dramatic to happen. He rubbed at his temples, muttering under his breath.
"Alright, think..." he mumbled. "If I were an overdramatic vampire with too much free time, where would I-"
"Hi Rev."
Rev froze mid-step, head snapping toward the voice. Sera was leaning casually against a locker. The faint scent of ozone followed her like she'd just fallen out of a lightning storm, typical angel flair.
"Sera," he grunted, shoulders slumping. "Have you seen Mark?"
She tilted her head with her bored expression. "Nope. why?"
Rev's eye twitched. "It's just weird not seeing him hanging around. Do you think you could look for him as well?"
"Sure," she said with a shrug, expression unreadable.
He rolled his eyes and stomped off before she could tease him any further.
The air grew warmer as he entered the alchemy wing, sweet and metallic, laced with the faint hiss of bubbling potions. Bella was there, sleeves rolled up, her curls bouncing as she hummed to herself while stirring a cauldron that shimmered violet. Glass bottles clinked on the counter beside her like a choir of ghosts.
"Bella," Rev called out as he approached. "Have you seen Mark?"
Bella looked up, eyes bright with that usual... glimmer. "The vampire? Not since this morning. He was talking to the ghost janitor outside. Said something about going to Mr. Lovecraft's office during class."
Rev frowned, "Mr. Lovecraft?"
"Mhm. He looked fine, though," she said, returning to her potion.
"Right. Fine."
But something about it didn't sit right. Mark and 'fine' rarely existed in the same sentence. That gnawing little thought followed Rev as he made his way down the twisting corridors towards the faculty wing. The faint chatter of students faded until only the echo of his own shoes filled the air. Then, of course, he ran into her.
That wendigo. Surrounded by her little entourage of bitches like she owned the place. The scent of smoke and herbs filled the main hall as they cackled over something probably cursed. When Rev accidentally brushed past her, Wendy spun around with a glare sharp enough to peel paint until she saw who it was.
Her smirk bloomed instantly. "Zombie boy! Back from the grave again? Hehe."
Rev's jaw clenched. "Have you seen Mark?"
"Ooh, someone's worried," she teased, stepping closer. "Don't tell me the big bad Revenant can't function without his sparkly bloodsucker friend."
He growled, voice low and gravelly. "Answer the question before I throw you out the window again, Wendigo."
Wendy laughed, waving him off with a lazy flick of her wrist. "Relax! Haven't seen him. Try the faculty wing if you're that desperate."
He muttered something unholy under his breath and stalked away, ignoring the laughter that followed him down the hall.
By the time the sun dipped below the academy's towers, the world was bathed in deep violet light. The campus was quiet, too quiet, and Rev's irritation had long since replaced any sense of worry. If Mark was still chatting with Mr. Lovecraft, that meant either:
1. He was trapped in a lecture about 'The Ethics of Vampirism,' or
2. He had somehow joined a secret cult meeting and forgot to invite Rev.
Both possibilities made his eye twitch.
He was halfway across the faculty courtyard when he spotted movement ahead. A tall silhouette gliding across the cobblestone path like it owned the night. The cape. The posture. The dramatic Flair. Rev sighed audibly. "You've got to be kidding me."
Mark turned, moonlight catching in his pale hair, and smiled like he'd been waiting for this exact moment all day. His coat billowed in the wind, despite the wind being very much... nonexistent. "Ah, Rev! There you are! I was looking for you in lunch after classes, but Mr. Lovecraft wanted to discuss next week's assignment."
Rev folded his arms. "So, you've been fine this whole time."
"Of course! Why wouldn't I be?" Mark tilted his head with that infuriatingly pleasant smile.
Rev stared for a long, unimpressed moment. "You've been gone all day."
"Well," Mark said cheerfully, "Mr. Lovecraft has a lot to say about ethics, and I had a few... philosophical questions."
Rev groaned, "Of course you did."
"Oh, and Raven fainted in his office, but she's fine now! At least I think so... I put her back in our dorm!"
"Yeah, she looked awesome when I found her half-dead in your coffin." Rev muttered. She wasn't actually half-dead, she was fine, but it didn't kill anyone to... exaggerate things a bit.
Mark gasped dramatically. "You checked on her? Aww, you do care!"
Rev clenched his jaw once again before turning to walk away. "I DO NOT care about that cat I just don't want to clean up her dead body again." Which he never did, it was Mark who mostly looked after her despite Rev being the owner of Raven.
"Aw, you say the sweetest things," Mark said, following closely behind. Rev didn't bother replying, but he didn't tell him to shut up either. And that silence, between the two of them, was answer enough.
--^^--
When they finally got back to their dorm, the place felt still. The curtains fluttered slightly from an open window, carrying in the cold bite of evening air. Raven, sitting on Rev's bed, looking as if she'd been scheming, turned her glowing eye toward them. There was something mischievous about the way her tail flicked.
Instead of running to Mark or curling up on Rev's shoulder like usual, Raven bolted straight for the window. Mark's eyes widened, "Oh, no."
Then she leapt. Mark shrieked, coat flying as he sprinted out the door to retrieve her, while Rev just stood there, deadpan, watching it all unfold. He didn't even move because honestly? This was routine, Raven died almost every single day.
He waited until Mark was out of sight, his dramatic footsteps fading down the hallway, then sighed, shutting the dorm door behind him. The quiet that followed felt heavier somehow, the kind of stillness only the dead could appreciate.
Rev kicked off his boots, dropped onto his bed, and stared at the ceiling for a long moment. Finally, he let out a tired laugh, half-annoyed and half-relieved, before closing his eyes.
Just another day in the afterlife.