My eyes opened. I felt strangely fine — no pain, no fatigue — which, in fact, didn't seem like a good thing.
Honestly, I don't know why I felt that way. It's as if something bad had interfered… or maybe something good, but with bad intentions.
By the way, where am I? I wondered, confused, observing the simple room around me. It wasn't a place I recognized. It didn't even look like the training grounds.
I stood up, still not understanding anything, and walked to the door. I lightly turned the handle. It opened slowly, revealing a long corridor.
With slow steps, I stepped out. But I was quickly noticed by a maid, who ran off the moment she saw me.
— Did I do something...? — I muttered, confused.
My question, however, was quickly answered — a woman appeared, running excitedly toward me.
— Nerys is going to help you train today! — she said, grabbing my arm and dragging me at full speed to the training grounds.
— H–hey, slow down!
I tried to ask her to go easier, but she only stopped once we reached the field.
— Say: "Nerys is going to help you!" — she said excitedly, like a child showing off a new toy.
Finally, I got a better look at her. She had long, vibrant red hair, and a sculpted body with a generous pair of breasts. Her height was around 1.75 meters — slightly short for a vampire.
She seemed extremely energetic. Curiously, she spoke about herself in the third person… which, strangely enough, was kind of cute.
— Pleasure to meet you. Are you Flávia's younger sister by any chance? — I asked, genuinely curious.
— Oh, sorry! Nice to meet you, I'm Nerys! And no, I'm not Flávia's younger sister… I'm the older one! Nerys is over 400 years old, silly!
— Four hundred years!? — I asked, surprised. — What level are you? Count? King?
But she looked at me as if I'd said the dumbest thing in the world.
— Neither. Those levels don't represent real strength. They're just a baseline — a ladder to help weaker vampires find their way.
She said that with such obviousness that I felt like a complete idiot.
— Wait… what do you mean?
— You don't know? — she asked with a strange look. — Those levels are made to encourage the growth of weaker ones and to create a simple path to follow.
My confusion only deepened.
— Do you think this is a movie? That you're going to train until you hit some specific level? That's shallow! Very shallow.
— But enough talk! My mom told me to help you with the four main vampire powers.
— Do you mind stepping back a little? Nerys is going to show you how to use the four powers efficiently!
— Sure, I replied, stepping back a few paces.
She began the demonstration with seriousness. First came the Vitae Flow.
— The Vitae Flow is an ability that all races possess — some more innately, others with more difficulty.
An absurd amount of energy appeared in her hand.
— It can be shaped however you want. I, for instance, use it for hand-to-hand combat. Watch.
The Vitae swirled around her hand and then vanished. Then she stepped forward and threw a punch. The blow tore through the air and opened a crater in the ground.
— Now, the Nex, she continued, taking the same stance as before.
This time, there was no visible energy release. No aura. No glow.
But the impact of the punch was devastating. Instead of a wide crater, a deep hole opened, as if piercing the ground down to the abyss.
— W–wait, wait, wait! — I interrupted, shocked. — How did you use Nex without channeling Vitae? Or without releasing energy?
She looked at me again like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
— That's not strange. Flávia and Selena didn't show you?
— No. Even in serious fights, I've never seen them do that.
— That's normal. They must be hiding their full power.
The calm voice that followed was unmistakable.
— Serapynhe...?
She approached, with that typical air of superiority.
— The level of power that's openly shown is rarely the true one. Many hide their abilities. When the time comes, you'll understand naturally, she said before vanishing.
— Then why did you show up if you weren't going to explain anything!? That woman…
— Ahem, ahem! — Nerys cleared her throat, catching my attention. — Time to continue! Save your questions for the end.
The next power was Nox.
Without warning, a thick mist spread, covering everything. I couldn't see even a hand's length in front of me.
And then, a bat landed on my shoulder… before flying off and transforming back into Nerys.
— See? Impressive, huh?! — she said, laughing excitedly.
— Amazing… How did you do that?
— I can't tell you. My mom said I should just show you, to open your perception. The rest is up to you. Now I'll just watch, she said, climbing a tree and sitting with a mischievous smile.
— This family… Aside from my Flávia, they all seem mentally unstable. Poor little bat... Grew up surrounded by lunatics.
Still somewhat stunned, I began trying to replicate what she'd shown — and of course, failed several times.
How do you channel Nex without leaking Vitae?
How do you use the Vitae Flow with maximum efficiency?
How do you create a Nox like that, out of nowhere?
And that transformation… how?
I sat on the ground, flooded by theories. It was obvious that Nerys's strength and experience played a huge role. But there was more. If it were simple, she wouldn't have bothered to show me.
Meanwhile, atop the tree…
— Mom… are you sure I shouldn't explain? He really seems very confused…
Nerys finally said what she was thinking.
— Confused? Yes. But he started thinking. He has poor talent, but an extremely high level of effort. If you explained everything, it would break his essence.
If he got comfortable… that would be a shame.
Serapynhe's explanation silenced Nerys. Deep down, she knew how calculating her mother was.
At the same time, a strange chill ran down Bruno's spine.
---
Elsewhere
POV: Flávia
— AAAHH! That wretch took my husband! — Flávia screamed, her face completely possessive.
She could be sweet with Bruno, but was ruthless with anyone who got too close to him.
Like mother, like daughter.
Serapynhe took what she wanted without ceremony. Flávia held herself back… but only until the lights were off.
Did Bruno know this? Obviously, yes.
Deep down, he was similar to Serapynhe… with some traits of Flávia. The result? A completely dysfunctional family.
— I hope my Bruno's okay… — she murmured, already missing him.
But then her eyes revealed something else. A strange feeling.
— Bruno… is going to find out I lied to him…
She raised her hand to her head, sighing.
— I hid my true strength… didn't tell him everything about the ritual that made him a vampire… And I also forgot to mention that, with the ritual… we're officially married.
— Nah… He'll forgive me. I'll see him now in August, for his birthday. I'll explain everything nicely… But what should I get him as a present?
She stood up excitedly.
— If they stole Bruno from Little Bat… then Little Bat will go to Bruno!
📜 Thank You for 20K Views! 🩸🔥
Today, on Sunday the 27th, the novel reached 20,000 views!
Honestly, I don't even know how to thank you all properly… but I truly want to give something back for this amazing support. ❤️
So let me ask you:
👉 Would you like something special?
A bonus chapter? An alternate scene? Or maybe extra chapters throughout the week? Let me know what you'd like in the comments!
🌑 I'm also planning something called the "Crimson Week", a special event that will be triggered if we hit two goals:
🎯 50 collections + 10 comments
If we reach that, I promise to:
📌 Release 3 chapters per day for an entire week
📌 And on one day of your choice, drop 5 chapters at once!
Let's keep building this dark, magical, and intense world together.
Thank you so much for every read, vote, comment, and for being here.
— With gratitude (and blood in my eyes),
Bruno_O_Opinador