After the long and exhausting day of shopping, Bruno returned to the castle completely drained. He barely touched the bed before falling asleep.
When he woke up, he noticed something curious — his sleep duration was decreasing, exactly as Flávia had casually mentioned a few days ago. The clock read 5:50 a.m. He got up with unusual vigor, washed his face, brushed his teeth, and prepared himself. A silent excitement grew inside him — today would be his first day of training.
Flávia was still asleep. She had said that, at first, it would be better if he tried taking the first steps on his own. And he had agreed. With the little he had already understood, he hoped at least to ignite the first spark. Since the previous day, he already had a vague idea of what he would do. Flávia had made it clear: alone, he just shouldn't try to transform. Beyond that, he had freedom.
Upon arriving at the training field, Bruno began with a brief stretch — a remnant of his old gym routine. Although it was now difficult to get hurt, the gesture brought him focus and familiarity. After warming up, he walked to the shelf at the edge of the field. A true arsenal lay before him: spears, swords, bows, daggers, knives… even more exotic weapons like a spiritual scepter, black ropes, a small hand scythe, a silver trident, bisentos, clubs, various axes, and three iron chains with clasps at the ends.
It was common, as Flávia had told him, for vampires to specialize in one type of weapon — something that almost became an extension of the body. Three of them caught his attention. A simple wooden spear adorned with a small flag below the blade. A slightly curved dagger with a closed moon symbol carved into the hilt. And a thin chain with a clasp, extremely light and maneuverable, as if it had a life of its own.
Bruno paused before them, listening to the distant sound of the wind among the stones. The decision would not be easy. Hesitant but excited, he decided to test the three weapons. He started with the curved dagger, gripping the hilt firmly and stabbing at the air, as if thrusting into a shadow before him. He tried quick movements, arc cuts, low feints. At first, he liked it. It was light, adaptable, and easy to carry — discreet.
But soon a thought arose: daggers are stealth attack weapons. And, honestly? That didn't suit him. As a man, he saw no reason to hide or strike from behind. That wasn't the type of strength he wanted to master. He discarded the dagger without ceremony. Next, he tried the thin chain with a clasp. It weighed about fifty kilos — unthinkable for a normal human. But for him now, it felt just like an extension of his body.
The chain was surprisingly maneuverable, flexible, alive. He twirled it, threw it, retracted it, made it coil around the training dummies and bind them like a serpent. It reached distances with ease, wrapped around targets, opened space — and, besides that, it was beautiful. It had an almost hypnotic aesthetic, as if every movement Bruno made danced in the air with violent elegance. It was there that he knew. This was the weapon he wanted. The chain offered reach, control, and presence. This would be the one with which he began his training.
Then he picked up the spear. It was simple — perhaps even basic to the eyes of an experienced warrior — but to Bruno, it had exactly the aesthetic he liked: long, balanced, direct. He began using it slowly, trying frontal strikes, side cuts, and improvised spins. Soon he realized: it was definitely a difficult weapon. He had to change his hand positions on the shaft several times. His feet stumbled on wrong moves. A poorly executed spin almost made him fall.
But with each mistake, he saw his potential shine. The tip of the spear allowed long-range attacks with strength and precision. It created excellent space to retreat, defend, and counterattack. It could be thrown violently… and if someday he could combine it with telekinesis or mind control magic? The damage would be devastating. His strikes were wild but flexible. Hostile, but beautiful. Without thinking much, he decided right there: he would divide his training time between the chain and the spear.
With the chosen weapons, he began applying them in combat. He started with the spear, advancing against the training dummies with quick thrusts, side cuts, and improvised throws. As the blows continued, his mind projected scenarios — imaginary counterattacks, perfect dodges, precise defenses. He spun his body, kept a firm base, rehearsed retreats and charges. He fantasized real fights. The spear, though incredibly versatile, made no concessions. It demanded full attention.
Each poorly calculated strike unbalanced his center, each wrong angle nullified the attack's force. Several times, he had to change grips, move his feet, attempt a new spin — seeking something he barely knew how to define: stability. But it was like trying to hold the wind. He knew this was only the first training session — and alone, no less. His technical knowledge was shallow, his body still adapting to the new rhythm. Still… the more he used it, the more he saw himself with it. It was as if, with each failed attempt, the spear accepted him a little more.
After the initial excitement with the spear faded, he began training with the chain. It seemed made for him. Extremely malleable, light, like an extension of the arm — alive. But now calmer, feet on the ground, adrenaline lowering, he began noticing something important: using the chain was far more complex than it appeared. It had a certain fluidity similar to the spear… but was completely different. With the spear, his center was balance. With the chain, his center dissolved — it did not affect him… he affected it.
Basic movements worked: simple throws, short spins, direct attacks. But if he tried to go further… it ruthlessly reminded him of his lack of skill. Every time he tried to wrap it around the dummy, he mistimed it. When trying to move it again after a throw, it simply fell, indifferent. There was no rhythm. He couldn't redirect the attack just with body movement — as if an invisible connection with it was missing. It was as if the chain obeyed not to force, but to dance. And he still didn't know how to dance.
Fully focused, he returned to training. He alternated between the spear and the chain, trying to explore each calmly and intentionally. The lack of skill was evident — but curiously, it did not discourage him. He failed, adjusted, tried again. Time passed like a slow thread. While panting, sweating despite the light morning cold, he heard a familiar voice echo across the field: "Good morning, Bruno. Training early, huh?" Flávia. She wore elegant and practical training clothes, as if made for the night.
"Good morning," he replied, still breathless. "I just started, around 6:30." She raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised, and let out a soft laugh. "It's already 10:48." The words struck him like a surprise stab. "I trained for over four hours…?" he murmured, incredulous. Still surprised, he asked: "And you? Why only appear now? What time did you wake up?" She smiled, a little embarrassed, and answered naturally: "Around 9:50."
"As vampires, we do strange things," she continued lightly. "I, for example, only need to sleep two hours every two days… but I like sleeping about ten each night." Bruno was slightly impressed to learn that Flávia only needed two hours of sleep every two days. But the fact she chose to sleep ten hours per night… well, that didn't surprise him much. Even humans did that for pure pleasure — imagine beings as ancient and intriguing as vampires. He simply nodded lightly and sat down to rest a bit.
Flávia discreetly clapped twice. In seconds, a servant appeared and approached smoothly, carrying a glass of water. He accepted with a brief nod and thanked her. Upon looking closely, he realized it was the same white-haired girl who had been behind Flávia on the first day he arrived in that world — standing by the bedroom door. But he didn't pay much attention to the coincidence. He simply drank the water slowly, feeling the cool liquid soothe his dry throat. Three minutes later, he stood up again. His body still felt tired, but the will to continue burned stronger. He was not close to mastery… but he felt something inside him was about to awaken.
Flávia approached promptly, somewhat impressed by Bruno's focus on white-weapon training. She carefully observed the instruments on the ground, then turned to him with a curious expression. "A spear and a chain?" she said, slightly surprised. "I didn't imagine you would choose these. I thought you'd prefer something with more impact and destruction… like axes, clubs, or gauntlets." Without hesitation, he replied, "These weapons don't seem cool to me." She smiled and nodded slightly. "Well, now that you're a bit familiar with them, we can move forward. Let's try to improve your mastery in two important pillars: Nex Imperium (power control) and Fluir Vitae (vital energy). We'll start by adding them to the weapons — to strengthen them."
He looked a little confused. "But… wouldn't it be better to focus first only on weapon mastery? Without influencing with powers?" Flávia nodded understandingly. "Of course. Learning to wield a pure weapon is essential. But in a real battle, if you can't strengthen your weapons with Fluir Vitae or increase your attacks with Nex Imperium…" she paused briefly, her gaze serious, "You'll just be a lamb ready for slaughter." Bruno swallowed. The logic was simple — and terrifyingly real. He nodded silently and then assumed his position.
Flávia began explaining, and he listened with full attention. She picked up a thin sword and began. "When you use Fluir Vitae on a weapon," she said calmly, "it becomes more durable… and can incorporate other powers of yours." She took a deep breath, and her aura began expanding, flowing up her arm to her hand and over the thin blade. The weapon began to glow with a faint metallic shine, as if its durability had increased.
In seconds, it was completely covered by a translucent, sharp, and alive water aura. Without warning, she spun her wrist and made a horizontal cut to the left, striking the void. The blow created ripples in the air, as if reality itself had been scratched, though no visible damage occurred in the field. Bruno nodded, impressed with the precision and control. After a brief moment to absorb it, she continued: "Now, Nex Imperium… goes beyond simply adding Fluir Vitae to the weapon. It transforms the blade. It makes the energy not just surround, but be assimilated by the weapon."
Once more, she sent vital energy to the sword. But now, something had changed. The sword emitted a cutting aura — as if it wanted to slice everything ahead. Flávia then performed a simple thrust. What followed was a clean, direct cut that extended about a meter ahead of the blade, as if it had sliced the air purely by will. She paused, breathed deeply — and continued. "And when you combine Fluir Vitae with Nex Imperium… You increase the limit of your control and of the weapon itself."
Once again, energy flowed through her body and into the sword. This time, the blade became robust, almost unbreakable, surrounded by an ethereal water aura. But now there was something more — a supernatural sharpness, as if it could even cut thoughts. With a simple, almost effortless motion, Flávia struck the final blow. The air was torn. An absolute cut pierced the training field, extending like a bluish line in space, surrounded by a cutting water aura so sharp it seemed it could float for a hundred years without disappearing.
Bruno was impressed. Scared, even. Flávia had used only basic Vitae and Nex, without even deepening them… and still performed such a devastating strike. He couldn't help but imagine: what if she used both powers to their fullest? Worse… she hadn't yet used any of her affinity elements. The water aura was just part of her Vitae's natural mutation — not a chosen element. And then an even more unsettling thought crossed his mind: what if she used her Count form to the maximum? A shiver ran down his spine.
Flávia said little. She just smiled and pointed to the field with her chin. "You should try." She approached and spoke in a low but firm voice: "Remember the feeling yesterday, when you tried to use the Mist? Try to feel it again." Bruno nodded, approaching the training dummy. He gripped the spear more firmly, closed his eyes for a moment, trying to recall that sensation… the internal heat, the pressure under the skin, as if something wanted to burst out.
He opened his eyes and started with diagonal strikes. But nothing happened. The fatigue from the morning training already weighed on his arms, and frustration threatened to return. Even so, he persisted. He began controlling the rhythm, regulated his energy expenditure, adjusted the force of his movements. Gradually, his body entered a flow. And without realizing it, something inside him awakened. Power Control activated. He channeled Vitae internally — more instinctively than technically.
Then, with a diagonal strike of the spear… the tip became covered by a thin, almost imperceptible ethereal aura. But before disappearing, it tinged bright red, the color of a living flame. The blade cut the training dummy clumsily, imperfectly… but it was enough. The dummy was split in half. And in the next instant, a small flame emerged from the wound and spread across the straw torso as if alive. Flávia, beside him, looked visibly shocked. "You did it!" she exclaimed, her voice animated, almost too much for her usual tone. Then another voice sounded, calm and curious: "Indeed… your talent is for fire."