John had a shocked expression on his face. "What do you mean by the wife of Uncle Zeno? Isn't he married to Aunt Cassandra?"
Reina smiled gently, her eyes glittering with amusement. "Hehehehe, yes, Cassandra is his wife, but I am the first. Also, he sent a message to me, telling me that the mission he is on will take longer than expected, and he asked me to train you."
John became excited immediately. "So when do we begin? Let's go!"
Reina smiled at John's enthusiasm. "I heard that you are a special case—a mix between a vampire and a werewolf—but the strange thing is that you just awakened recently." She then moved forward until she was close to John and held up her hand, palm out. "Punch my hand."
John was confused. "Uhm, why must I punch you?"
"I want to see how powerful your punch is," she explained simply.
"Okay then," John replied. He threw a quick, standard punch, hitting Reina's hand. She gave no reaction, her hand remaining perfectly still.
"Is that all you got?" she challenged.
"No, I got more where that came from," John retorted. He then readied himself, channeling all his nascent strength into a punch, hitting Reina's hand harder than before.
*BAM*
"Weak, you are weak," Reina stated, but her eyes held a spark of interest. "But we will start slow." John felt a little disappointed that he had not gotten any reaction out of her, but the assessment only fueled his determination.
Reina beckoned John to follow her to the training ground. This area was vast, filled with other young vampires—kids and teenagers—some training seriously and some playing.
Reina called two boys over and introduced them to John. The first boy's name was Nate, who had a bald head, and the second was Tip, with long, braided hair. Both boys were sixteen years old.
Reina led the three of them to a fighting ring. "I want you to spar with these two boys, John. I want you to fight until you can't keep going, but you are going to push yourself to the limit."
"Is this going to help me get stronger, Aunt Reina?" John said nervously.
"Yes, you need fighting experience. You have power, but you don't know how to use it yet."
Tip volunteered to spar first, but Reina told him not to take it too seriously and also not to use full power. First, the two boys showed John how to throw proper punches and kicks, correcting his technique. Tip sparred with John for two intense hours until Nate took over and sparred with John for three hours straight.
John was utterly exhausted. The training was brutal and intense. As a normal human being, he would have collapsed long ago, but he had managed to last due to his awakened strength and endurance.
The next day, Reina gave John instructions to do 600 push-ups in one setting. John managed to do 200 push-ups, struggling through the last repetitions. Afterward, he was ordered to jog 35 km. John was able to complete 25 km through sheer willpower and a growing vampiric stamina.
After three months of this grueling regimen, John got significantly better at everything and managed to execute all of Reina's difficult orders. His body was managing to adapt and evolve rapidly. In doing so, John became both faster and stronger.
"Splendid, John. You are becoming stronger," Reina said with a proud expression on her face. "I have not seen anybody become stronger in such a short timespan except my firstborn."
"So, how many children do you have with Uncle Zeno, Aunt Reina?" John asked, sipping on blood from a plastic bottle that was clearly marked with an Earth brand.
"I have three children with Zeno, two boys and one girl," Reina said.
"And what are my cousins' names?"
Reina began to giggle. "You will see them in due time, John. They are currently sleeping, preserving their strength, just like many of the knights we spoke of. Now, do another 100 push-ups and go wash yourself. We are done for the day."
After training, John went to the sleeping chamber of his grandparents. When John entered the room, Leonidas and Anna were both there.
"Hi, Grandma, hi, Grandpa, how is it going?"
Leonidas looked at John for a few seconds. His expression was cold and filled with visible disgust and contempt. Without a word, he turned and abruptly left the room.
John felt profoundly sad and disappointed. It could be clearly seen in his facial expression. He looked at his grandmother. "He doesn't like me very much, does he, Grandma? It's probably because I am part werewolf."
Anna felt sadness for her grandson. She knew that her husband still harbored deep resentment toward werewolves, despite the fact that the Great War was over and the two races had formed a truce. The enmity still burned in some, including Leonidas.
Anna stood up from the chair and walked up to John. She slowly stretched out her hands and tenderly caressed his cheeks. "Don't worry, honey. I am sure he will love you as much as I do, given time."
John gave Anna a warm smile. "Thanks, Grandma."
"Grandma, I want to go to visit the town again. Can I go?" John asked, eager for a distraction and a chance to test his new strength and weapons.
"Of course, honey, but you have to take someone with you. Do you have someone in mind?"
John smiled. "Yeah, Elena."