The wind from the northern cliffs carried the scent of iron and mana. Below, the City of Blossoming Ether sprawled endlessly, its towers glinting under the pale wash of evening light. Caelum stood beside V on the overlook, his cloak rippling faintly, his expression calm—perhaps too calm.
It had been a week since they entered the city. Three months since he'd crawled out of the mortal stage, burned through the ninth limit, and crossed into the realm of the supernatural. His mana had grown colder, denser—alive. The sigil on his forehead now glowed faintly under moonlight, a mark no longer just of awakening, but of something… ancient.
And yet, amid the newfound strength, something else had awakened.
A hunger.
It gnawed quietly beneath his ribs, slow and deliberate, like the steady tap of dripping blood in a silent cave. It wasn't the mild craving of exhaustion—it was primal, insatiable, and disturbingly specific. His mind whispered images: flesh tearing between his teeth, the hot gush of blood flooding his mouth, the dying shivers of a body collapsing beneath his hands.
He drew a slow breath, forcing the thoughts away. The faint emerald aura swirling around him flickered once, violently, before stabilizing. Oh how he missed his days in the forest.
V noticed.
The vampire's golden eyes turned to him sharply, pupils narrowing. "Your aura…" His tone was neutral, but edged. "It spiked."
Caelum stiffened slightly, lowering his gaze. "Did it?"
"Yes," V said, studying him with that predator's focus that only a vampire could wield. "What were you thinking about?"
Caelum's jaw flexed. The faint glint of his canines caught the light as he bit down the truth. "Nothing," he said softly. "Just—trying to keep my mana in check."
He turned away quickly before V could look into his eyes. They were glowing faintly—a soft, unnatural red flickering beneath the usual calm silver-gray.
V didn't push. But he didn't stop watching either.
---
The two descended from the overlook, the path winding into the outer ring of the city where training fields and mana altars gleamed faintly in the twilight. The air here pulsed with dense, cultivated energy—thick enough that the mana veins beneath the stone glowed like molten rivers.
"Tomorrow," V said after a long silence, "is the Academy's selection day."
Caelum blinked once, the words pulling him back from his haze. "Tomorrow?"
"Yes. You'll be evaluated, ranked, and sent to your assigned division. Don't underestimate it—most of those who enter won't leave with dignity intact."
He looked over at Caelum, whose gaze had shifted to the horizon again, expression unreadable. "The Raven Academy isn't a place for the weak. It's a place that consumes the ambitious and spits out the broken."
Caelum's lips curved faintly. "i can't count the number of times you've told me that."
V raised an eyebrow, half amused. "You really are strange."
"Maybe." He tilted his head, the faint glimmer of the forest sigil catching the moonlight. "But I didn't come this far to stop at entry exams."
V's gaze softened briefly. "You'll do well. You've improved faster than I expected."
He paused, then added, "I assume your new abilities are part of that?"
Caelum didn't hide the faint smirk this time. He was surprised the vampire noticed"Mm. You could say that."
The forest domain he now commanded had deepened—become wilder, sharper. He could bend its form now, shaping the terrain, commanding phantom vines that tore through steel. And alongside it, two new skills had emerged during his advancement:
[Verdant Maw] — a manifestation of his will that allowed him to summon spectral vines or roots capable of devouring mana and flesh alike, feeding it back into his reserves. It's almost like an updated version of the veine lash ability but this is more stronger and... dangerous.
[Lunar Pulse] — the embryonic form of his Moon Mana cultivation; a technique that purified his energy and granted devastating bursts of concentrated mana at the cost of physical strain.
Even now, both abilities pulsed faintly within him, whispering promises of chaos and control. He was so happy to finally gain a moon related ability.
---
"V."
The vampire hummed in response.
Caelum's tone had shifted—calmer, lower. "You said the selection process… they test potential, right?"
"Potential, compatibility, mana control, adaptability," V listed lazily. "They'll also try to make you bleed, just to see if you panic."
"Good," Caelum murmured. "I won't."
The faintest smile touched his lips. It wasn't a happy smile.
V glanced at him sideways, catching the gleam in his eye. " I never knew you'll be this excited."
"I am."
He wasn't lying. The guide's words echoed in his mind—"At the Academy, your lunar cultivation shall begin."
A new path was opening. A new hunger to feed.
V smirked, mistaking the trembling of Caelum's fingers for anticipation. "Don't lose yourself tomorrow, little beast. And don't spill much of that precious blood of yours expecially in front of a vampire or blood related race....on second thought do, haha! it'll be fun to watch."
Caelum laughed softly, the sound low and controlled. "I'll try not to."
The vampire turned away, cloak fluttering, but as they began to walk back toward the city gates, Caelum lingered a moment longer. The night was cold and clear, and the moon hung like a watchful eye above.
He raised his hand, feeling the faint pulse of power beneath his skin—the surge of mana, the hum of life, the whisper of death.
His reflection in the metal of his gauntlet looked almost normal. Almost.
But deep within, something darker stirred, restless and eager.
Tomorrow, he thought. Tomorrow, I'll begin.
And this time, he didn't know if he meant the cultivation—or the killing.