Carl sat slouched in his chair, a half-full glass of blood dangling from his fingers. In front of him, five empty vials lay scattered on the table—potent blood potions drained dry. And still, he didn't feel satisfied.
He brought the glass to his lips, but before he could drink, the door to his chambers creaked open.
"You're going to poison yourself, brother."
It was Lucius—his eldest sibling, and the undisputed leader of the vampires.
Carl didn't look up. "I can still drink more."
Lucius entered the room without haste, his footsteps echoing faintly against the marble floor. He made his way to the side of the room, pausing to glance at the discarded vials, then slowly circled behind Carl's chair.
"Tell me," Lucius said, his voice cold and controlled, "how did you lose the sword when it was right in front of you?"
Carl's grip tightened around the glass. "I couldn't see it. Somehow... that kid could."
Lucius leaned in, his breath brushing Carl's ear. "Someone who can see that sword isn't just some kid."
"Maybe he wasn't," Carl admitted, frustration edging into his tone. "But—"
Lucius cut him off. "Someone who can take that sword is no ordinary man. If Thorn accepted him, then he's something else. And you... failed to see it."
"There was something wrong with him," Carl said quickly, almost defensively. "He used vampire abilities."
Lucius stopped walking. His gaze sharpened. "What did you say?"
"He said mages had been experimenting—trying to replicate our powers."
"No one can mimic true vampire abilities," Lucius said, voice low with menace.
Carl hesitated. "He had no vampire traits. At least… not visibly. I even tried using Mind Compulsion—"
Lucius seized him by the jaw, forcing him to look up.
"You fool," he hissed. "The Goddess of the Moon reshapes her blessings as she wills. He resisted Compulsion. He wielded Thorn. That makes him her new champion—and you, my brother, let him slip through your fingers."
Then, without warning, Lucius threw Carl to the floor.
"You'll clean up your own mess," he said, turning toward the door. "Before this champion becomes as powerful as Nemesis."
With that, Lucius left, the door slamming shut behind him.
Carl remained on the ground, fists clenched, his pride in pieces—burning with rage and shame.
…
Leo spent the next two weeks honing his abilities, learning how to wield the power that now coursed through him. The sword, Thorn, Heart of Nemesis, was more than a weapon; it was a conduit of strength. With it, he had grown stronger in both close combat and ranged techniques, even though he rarely summoned it during practice.
Today, he was heading to the library in the lower city. Though Alexia's mansion contained nearly every book he could need—and his domain offered even more—Leo found something grounding in being among others. Being part of the crowd, even if just for a while, made him feel more alive.
In his recent sparring sessions with Klaus, he hadn't drawn Thorn. Yet even with just his vampiric enhancements, Klaus had been forced to fight seriously to win. That fact lingered in Leo's mind as he stepped into the library.
People turned to look as he entered. By now, most knew he was a student of one of the Magisters. Attention followed him wherever he went. Ignoring the stares, Leo chose a book on ancient Elvish language and found a quiet corner.
But reading was nearly impossible. His mind kept drifting—to the fact that he'd be leaving in just two weeks, and that, besides Alexia's tower, he hadn't so much as seen a glimpse of the floating city above.
After an hour of distracted study, Leo gave up and returned to the mansion. As he arrived, Klaus was just getting back too, his arms full of shopping bags.
"Back already, bookworm?" Klaus called, grinning.
"I couldn't focus," Leo admitted.
Klaus handed the bags off to Estelle and gave Leo a knowing look.
"Still thinking about not seeing the upper city, huh?"
"Who wouldn't? Everyone wants to see that place."
Klaus's grin widened. "Then let's go somewhere almost as good. You might not be able to visit the floating city, but I can show you the best places down here."
"Where?"
"You'll see," Klaus said with a mischievous gleam. He let out a sharp whistle.
A moment later, a carriage rolled up to the front door. Once they climbed in and settled into the plush seats, Klaus knocked twice on the wall.
"To the center!" he called.
Leo raised an eyebrow. "The center of the city?"
"Exactly," Klaus said. "It's time you saw it up close."
Leo knew what waited at the city's center. He had seen the structure from a distance before—a massive, oddly shaped building. He'd also read about it in the archives. The building was rumored to contain circles of magic capable of creating highly dangerous magical effects. Some even said it was the reason the upper part of the city could float at all.
After several minutes, the carriage finally came to a halt, its wheels grinding softly against the polished stone path. Leo stepped out and took in the scene ahead—an expansive square framed by lush greenery and dominated by three towering spires that loomed against the sky.
"Why did the carriage stop here?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the central tower still some distance away. "That one's not exactly close."
"It's easier to show than to explain," Klaus replied, already walking ahead. "Come on."
Leo gave him an skeptical look and followed.
The square around the strange tower stretched wide, like a royal garden more than a public space. Manicured hedges outlined winding paths, while flowerbeds in full bloom added bursts of color to the otherwise neutral tones of the city. The tower at the center had an unusual design—tall, cylindrical, and split between two distinct materials. The lower half was forged from dark, almost obsidian-like stone, while the upper portion gleamed with the city's trademark pale stone, clean and seamless.
Near the top, a wide circular hole cut straight through the tower—an eerie ring of emptiness. Through it, Leo could see patches of sky.
He'd seen the tower from afar before and remembered it being partially hollow inside—at least toward the top.
As they walked closer, Klaus gestured toward a glowing red circle etched into the stone, encircling the tower's base. It shimmered faintly in the sunlight.
"See this line?" he asked, stopping so Leo could observe it. "No one below Rank B can cross it. The line itself is a containment spell."
"Why?" Leo asked, leaning forward to get a better look.
"The mana pressure around this place is dangerously high. Low-rank mages could die, or end up in the infirmary for weeks."
They stepped over the line. A wave of invisible energy brushed against Leo's skin—cold, weighty, like walking beneath a rushing waterfall. He flinched instinctively.
"That was the barrier," Klaus said, glancing back at him with a slight smirk.
"Can we enter?"
"You're Lady Clayden's apprentice," Klaus said with a raised eyebrow. "You're more qualified than most."
Inside the boundary, the crowd thinned drastically. The few individuals moving about carried themselves with quiet confidence—robes tailored, postures erect, expressions calm. Leo noticed the subtle details: the embroidered family crests, the expensive boots, the way they glanced at him and then dismissed him as one of their own.
The tower's entrance was a monolithic door without hinges or handles, set flush into the stone. As they approached, two guards in polished armor stepped forward.
"Halt. State your business."
Klaus didn't hesitate. "This is Victor Black, apprentice to Grand Magister Lady Alexia Clayden. He's here to observe the tower."
The guards looked Leo over briefly, then moved aside.
"Welcome, sir."
Leo gave a small nod and followed Klaus into the structure.
The interior opened into a vast circular hall. Giant stone pillars rose to a ceiling high above—at least ten meters—and people moved briskly between them. Their footsteps echoed faintly across the smooth floor.
Leo scanned the chamber, his expression faintly underwhelmed.
"This is just the connector level," Klaus said, reading his face. "It leads to the real workings above."
He pointed to the pillars. "Each one is an enchanted lift. Just like the ones in the Council Tower, but older."
There were dozens of pillars, possibly more. Along the outer walls were arched passageways where people appeared and vanished in a near-constant stream.
Leo's eyes widened. "How many lifts are there?"
Klaus shrugged. "A hundred? Maybe more. Hard to tell."
"And which one are we taking?"
"The one at the very end," Klaus said with a grin.
They made their way to a lift embedded at the far side of the hall. As soon as they stepped inside, it activated with a low hum, lifting them upward at a smooth, steady pace. After what felt like a minute or two, the lift opened into another chamber.
This one was as large as the previous one. Gone were the pillars; instead, three massive crystals floated a few feet above the ground at the room's center, each one pulsing with an inner glow. They were the size of small houses, twice the height of a man. The room shimmered faintly from the mana they radiated.
People in white lab coats and black uniforms bustled around the chamber. Some were hunched over stone desks scribbling notes, while others monitored glowing glyphs hovering above terminals. Nearby, smaller pedestal were stationed near the crystals, where mages performed incantations with measured care.
Klaus tapped Leo's shoulder and pointed upward. "Look."
Leo tilted his head back. Suspended in the air above the crystals was a spell circle of immense complexity. lots of rings orbited its core like satellites, all rotating at precise angles. It looked less like a magic circle and more like a machine made of light and geometry. From the crystals below, strands of mana rose into the circle and then beyond, flowing upward into the sky through the hollow center of the tower.
"We're at the top?" Leo asked in awe.
"Yep."
"What is that thing? It looks like a magical circle."
"No idea. The science division's always trying out new things."
"Isn't it risky? Can't it corrupt us?"
"This tower's defenses are on par with a Grand Magister's private vault. No safer place in the city."
As Leo continued watching, a man in a white coat approached them. He had tousled hair, ink-stained cuffs, and a friendly smile.
"I see our little project caught your attention."
Leo turned to him. "What does it do?"
"We're refining the city's levitation spell," the man said. "Trying to lower the mana cost so we can use it more frequently."
Leo's eyes lit up. "If it costs less mana, you could apply it to smaller things—like carriages or a transportation device."
"Exactly!" The man extended his hand. "Lukas Binder."
Leo shook it. "Victor Black."
"Lady Clayden's student," Lukas said, clearly impressed. "You've got a sharp eye, Victor. Ever considered joining the science division?"
"I've thought about it," Leo replied. "But I'm already walking another path."
A voice called out from across the room. "Lukas! We need you over here!"
Lukas waved. "Coming!" He turned back to Leo. "You're welcome here anytime, Victor."
"Thank you," Leo said sincerely.
Once Lukas left, Klaus turned to him. "Ready?"
Leo nodded, and they retraced their steps, riding the same lift back down. Outside the tower, Leo paused and pointed to the massive ring of empty space at the top.
"What's that?"
"No idea," Klaus replied. "Rumor is, it's used in large-scale spellcasting."
Leo didn't press further. Some answers weren't meant to come easily. They boarded the carriage and returned to the mansion. After teleporting to the tower, Leo went straight to his room.
Tired from the long day, he barely managed to take off his coat before collapsing onto the bed. A nap before dinner, he decided, wouldn't hurt.
The secret meeting that was in two days, weighed on his mind. He needed to confirm what he'd suspected. whether Mr. Light and Arthur were, in fact, the same man hiding behind different names.