Kael was still lying on the ground, gasping for air. Exhaustion tore at him mercilessly, and his entire body ached. He hadn't slept or rested since arriving here, and now—after claiming a new bloodline—the burden had grown even heavier.
And yet… he laughed.
A breathless, relieved kind of laughter. His fingers reached up to run through his hair as he grinned faintly.
"Damn… that hurt like hell," he whispered.
He sat up slowly and spoke inside his mind.
"So, Shadow Blood… what do you think of the bloodline?"
A deep chuckle echoed back.
"Haha… you little brat. It was excellent—unreal in its purity. But… sadly, it was already tamed. I didn't even need to torture it."
Kael smiled wider. That meant it was done. The Shadow Blood had fully absorbed it.
He closed his eyes and focused on the left side of his chest—the same place the strange shadow had pointed out before. A moment later, he saw it…
Threads. Countless threads. Hundreds, maybe thousands. All tangled together, forming a web so complex it resembled an ancient riddle etched into his soul.
He tried to untangle them. Slowly, carefully, he separated one string, then another… but something went wrong, and the whole formation snapped back into place.
Again, he tried. And again, he failed. No matter how careful he was, he couldn't make progress. Frustration crept in.
He let out a long sigh as the fatigue returned with even more weight.
"This… is going to be really hard."
*****
At the gate's entrance, the boy who now carried the purest bloodline in the entire Kaldras family stepped out.
Valdren greeted him with overwhelming joy, lifting him into the air as if he were the one who had just earned the bloodline himself.
But Kael was beyond drained. And the puzzle of the threads weighed heavily on his mind. His joy faded the moment he thought about it.
"You did incredibly well," Valdren said warmly. "You have to tell me everything that happened. Come on, let's celebrate. I'll treat you to a real meal."
Then he paused and looked Kael over.
"And we need to go shopping too."
Kael frowned. His clothes seemed perfectly fine to him—Silvana had picked them out after all. He glanced at his teacher's attire. Valdren's taste was… unusual, at best, at least compared to the people Kael had met so far. But Kael held his tongue and asked,
"Shouldn't we report this to the Lady and the Elders first?"
Though deep inside… he really just wanted to sleep.
Valdren smiled knowingly.
"Don't worry. You've got a solid excuse. I'm the one who dragged you away."
He paused, then gave Kael a mischievous smirk.
"Oh, and by the way… your training starts today."
Kael's face dropped. He could barely stand—how could he possibly train? He forced a small smile and tried to reason.
"Master, I'd love to begin training right now, truly. But I'm completely exhausted—especially after taking the bloodline. Could I please rest for just a little while first?"
Valdren clapped his hands.
"What a good student you are. Not even resisting! Don't worry, I'll grant your wish."
Kael let out a faint, relieved smile.
"Great, then—"
"Let's start training now!" Valdren shouted gleefully, grabbing Kael by the arm.
Kael's face twisted.
"You damn bastard…" he muttered silently.
And with that, they vanished from the chamber—leaving behind only Valdren's fading laughter, the silence of the still guards… and the corpses of the fallen sentinels.
But something else remained.
The gate hadn't closed yet.
Without a sound or scent, a colossal terror emerged—its form a mass of shadowy limbs like twisted tree trunks. It reached out with eerie patience, gripped the corpses, and slowly pulled them back inside the gate.
Boom.
The gate slammed shut.
The guards didn't move. As if nothing had happened. Even the blood that had soaked the floor had disappeared.
*****
Kael and Valdren appeared in a large square arena—walled on all sides, yet bright with glowing light.
Kael touched the ground and immediately looked around in panic. Then, his stomach twisted, and he bent forward and threw up.
Valdren watched calmly.
"Ah… maybe I pushed a bit too far," he said casually, then began scanning the arena.
"Oh! My dear student, how are you today?" he called out brightly.
Kael wiped his mouth and raised his head.
There, in the corner, sat a girl.
She wore the same black training uniform from the academy. Her long black hair flowed down her back, and her eyes were an icy blue—like mirrors reflecting nothing. Her face was stunning, yet cold, and her skin pale as snow. Her figure was slender and graceful.
Kael stared at her for a long moment, not realizing it. The girl met his gaze briefly, then stood and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Master," she said quietly.
Valdren chuckled.
"Always early, as usual."
She nodded politely. "I slept here."
Valdren's expression twitched, but he forced his smile to stay.
"Then let me introduce you to your new fellow student—this is Kael. He's the newest member of the family."
The girl looked at Kael again, then lowered her head once more.
"Welcome," she said softly.
Something about her felt strange to Kael. She was quiet… too quiet. As if she had no emotions at all. But in her beautiful features, he could see deep exhaustion etched beneath the surface.
"Kael, this is Elmyra—my first student. She'll be your partner from now on."
Kael stood and bowed silently in return.
"Alright!" Valdren clapped his hands. "Let's begin training. Kael, run around the arena thirty times. You have ten minutes. Elmyra, grab your sword—we'll spar."
Elmyra already had her sword in hand. She nodded and took her place.
Kael stood frozen.
Thirty laps? In ten minutes? He couldn't even move his arms properly. He searched for an excuse.
"Master… um… I don't have proper training clothes."
Valdren gave him a flat look.
"Your outfit's ugly anyway. Just train in it."
He smirked.
"Or take it off. You have underwear, don't you?"
Kael had only been bluffing to avoid training. He didn't want to ruin these expensive clothes either. But when he glanced at Elmyra, the thought vanished instantly.
He had no choice.
"You bastard…" he cursed silently.
Valdren laughed as if he'd heard the thought.
And truly, for Kael, this was going to be a very, very long day. And it was only the beginning of the torment.
*****
Back in the grand hall, the elders were still seated, silently waiting for Kael and Valdren to return. A long time had passed since the pulse shook the fortress… but they hadn't shown up.
Selene sat with her eyes closed, her calm radiating through the entire chamber. No one dared speak. No one dared leave.
They all knew Valdren well. He didn't care about formalities. He may have taken Kael elsewhere for the day… and still, no one dared to complain.
But thoughts raced freely behind their silence.
Then, at last, Selene opened her eyes and sent an internal pulse to everyone present.
"You may leave."
Everyone rose without a word, bowed deeply to her, and left the chamber in silence.
Only Selene remained—along with Silvana, whose joy still lingered beneath her calm demeanor. She walked to her sister's side.
Selene turned to her with a radiant smile.
"Congratulations, sister. You may adopt him now."
Silvana smiled warmly. "Thank you."
Selene's tone shifted slightly.
"Then don't forget our agreement. When the time comes, you must do what we discussed."
Silvana's expression darkened, and she lowered her gaze.
"Yes… sister."
But deep within, peace was far from her heart.