The dojo room was silent, save for the sound of Aiden's breathing. The blood bond still thrummed in his veins, his body brimming with new power, but Victor's piercing gaze left him unsettled.
"You've taken the first step," Victor said. "You've awakened your Night King blood. But raw power means nothing without discipline. If you cannot control it, it will consume you—and them." He gestured toward Selene, Lilith, and Ophis, who stood quietly at the edge of the room.
Before Aiden could respond, Scathach Scarlett stepped forward. Her crimson hair flowed like fire, her presence sharp as a blade. She circled Aiden once, her eyes studying him as though he were prey.
"Stand." Her voice was cold and commanding.
Aiden straightened, trying not to falter under her gaze.
Without warning, Scathach lashed out. A blur of motion, faster than his eyes could follow. A fist slammed into his chest, hurling him across the dojo and smashing him into the wall.
Selene cried out, but Victor held up a hand, silencing her. "Do not interfere."
Aiden groaned, dragging himself up. His body ached, but he clenched his fists. Lightning flickered faintly at his fingertips.
"Again," Scathach ordered.
She came at him with a flurry of blows, each strike sharp enough to split the air. Aiden blocked one, two—then her foot caught him in the ribs, sending him sprawling again.
Lucien whistled low from the sidelines, already comfortable watching the chaos. "She's not going easy on him. Guess that means she likes him."
"Likes him?" Lilith muttered, her arms crossed. "She's trying to kill him."
"No," Victor corrected. "She's teaching him the same way she taught me. If he cannot endure her strikes, he has no right to call himself a Night King."
Aiden stood once more, blood trickling from his lip. "I… won't fall again."
This time, as Scathach charged, Aiden's instincts flared. The lightning within him surged, his body moving faster than before. He sidestepped her punch, his own fist striking forward.
It connected — faintly — grazing her cheek.
The room froze.
Scathach touched her cheek, then smiled faintly for the first time. "Not bad, boy. You have teeth. But your control is sloppy." Her hand suddenly glowed crimson, blood forming a blade from her own veins. "Now… learn to cut."
The next round of training was brutal. She forced Aiden to push his blood like a weapon, shaping it, controlling it — even as lightning threatened to burn through his body. He stumbled, failed, collapsed, but each time he rose again.
Hours passed before Scathach finally relented, her blade dissolving back into her veins. She gave Victor a curt nod. "He'll survive."
Victor smirked. "Good. Then he'll grow." He turned to Aiden, whose body was trembling with exhaustion. "You are no longer a boy. You are a vessel of two powers: lightning and blood. One belongs to your bond. The other belongs to your bloodline. Learn to balance them, and you will stand above all others."
Aiden wiped the sweat from his brow, nodding slowly. "I'll… I'll master it."
Victor's eyes gleamed. "You'd better. Because the Church will not wait for you to catch your breath."
Far away, in the marble halls of the Vatican, the Cardinals of the Third Choir gathered. The failed assault on Xul Academy had enraged them, but also revealed something more terrifying.
"The boy," one cardinal whispered. "He awakened the blood of the Night King. The prophecies… they may be true."
Another cardinal slammed his fist on the table. "Then we move faster. We summon the Crusaders of the Third Choir. Let them burn the entire city if they must — but that child will not be allowed to grow."
Back in the mansion, Aiden collapsed into his bed, every muscle screaming from Scathach's lessons. Selene slipped in silently, sitting by his side.
"You're reckless," she whispered, brushing his hair from his face. "But… I believe in you."
For the first time, Aiden allowed himself a faint smile before his exhaustion pulled him into sleep.
The storm of war was brewing again, and this time, the Church was bringing their full wrath.