The vampire did not linger once he left the premises. His stride stretched into a blur, the earth beneath his feet cracking with each step. To an outside observer, his speed would appear terrifying—comparable to a shadow tearing across the world—but the look on his face betrayed none of that intensity. His crimson eyes were half-lidded, his mouth relaxed, almost bored, as though he were taking an afternoon stroll rather than crossing lands in less than a heartbeat.
Two days passed in this manner. He neither faltered nor slowed, as though time and distance were nothing more than a minor inconvenience. On the morning of the third day, he arrived at the edge of the so-called Forbidden Forest.
He paused, surveying the sprawling mass of trees.
"Forbidden?" His lips twitched into a smirk. "More like… supervised. Dangerous enough to scare villagers, tame enough for ambitious academies to send their little cubs."
His eyes gleamed with amusement. A decent training ground. If the dean weren't such a stubborn bastard, I'd recommend this place. Hah. He'd sneer at me anyway… like always. Who cares?
The vampire inhaled slowly, tasting the air. And then he noticed it. Silence.
No birdsong. No rustling of prey. No soft scampering of rodents. The forest was dead still, as though emptied of all life.
"Oh?" His voice carried a light chuckle. "So the goblin was right. Something lurks here."
He followed the faint trail of energy threading through the forest floor—a casual marking, yet deliberate, like a beast staking its claim. The trace pulled him deeper, guiding him through twisted roots and veils of mist until he stepped into a clearing.
There, his gaze immediately latched onto a towering tree.
And within it—he felt eyes.
---
Caelum lounged upon a branch, his body draped lazily across the wood. The sun filtered down in golden shafts, warming his skin. In one hand, he absently held a squeaking, half-chewed animal; its lifeblood dripped down in tiny droplets, feeding the soil below.
Strangely, he felt fulfilled. As though the forest and he had become one. The sway of leaves mirrored his breath, the whisper of wind seemed to hum with his pulse. At times, he thought he might vanish into the trees altogether—like some spirit that had always belonged here.
But today… something was wrong.
The moment that presence entered the forest, every hair on his body rose. His heartbeat quickened—faster than when he'd faced the spiders, sharper than when he had brushed against death. His body entered a state of frozen vigilance, instincts howling.
When the vampire's eyes pierced the tree canopy, Caelum knew—no illusion would save him. The camouflage he had relied upon countless times felt paper-thin before that gaze.
With a resigned breath, he whispered to the tree. The bark shifted, branches groaning, lowering him gently to the forest floor.
The vampire watched, an amused curl to his lips.
---
The figure before him was strange. Human? No. The aura was wrong. The boy—if one could call him that—looked feral. Wild. His eyes gleamed with an animal's sharpness, his posture brimming with untamed hostility. Beastkin, perhaps? But no… beastkin were calmer, more grounded. This one radiated raw instinct.
What an odd little creature, the vampire mused. Seventeen? Eighteen? Too young for such eyes. Too feral for a civilized race.
Caelum's muscles tensed. He didn't understand why this man didn't strike. Is he toying with me? Trying to lower my guard?
He made his decision.
"Branch Whip!" he hissed.
Vines shot forward, thick and thorned, lashing toward the vampire. Almost instantly, he followed with another. "Thorn Burst!"
The ground erupted with jagged spikes, a storm of sharpened growth tearing toward the intruder. Sweat dripped down Caelum's temple. His Verdant Sight—his most reliable sense—had utterly failed him. He couldn't see the man's strength, his mana, not even a flicker. It was like staring into the void.
He didn't stop there. "Forest's Call!"
The clearing shuddered as roots surged upward, branches twisting to his will, the entire forest responding to his cry. He thought the vampire would freeze in illusion. His strongest combination—the culmination of days spent learning to bend the wilderness itself.
And yet…
A hot breath ghosted against the back of his neck.
Caelum froze, his body locking in primal terror. The clearing, his magic, the chains of wood and thorn—all were behind him. How?
He didn't ask. Instinct moved him faster than thought. His claws slashed, imbued with the faint glow of his bloodline mana, reinforced by the precious fragment of moonlight mana he'd been saving.
The claws struck true—barely. A shallow graze streaked across the man's face, a thread of blood welling up.
Caelum's heart pounded. At least I drew blood.
But his triumph was short-lived.
Chains burst forth, shimmering in blood-red light. They wrapped around his wrists, biting deep, pulling tight no matter how violently he struggled. The forest trembled as his magic faltered.
"Interesting…" The vampire's voice purred behind him, low and eerie, a predator savoring a curious prey. His smile widened, fangs glinting. "Instinctual. I like it."
And Caelum, for the first time in this forest, truly understood what it meant to be hunted.