The court yard was silent again.
Woo jin sat on the cold stone ground ,
breathing hard ,and his hands shaking uncontrollably .His visions were still blurry from panic , and the world felt distant , like he wasn't fully inside his own body.
Master Yoon knelt in front him,
his face showing worries and concern .
"Woo jin!... look at me ," he said ."Are you hurt anywhere ?
Woo jin tried to speak ,but was unable to say a word.
His heart still raced, the memory of what just transpired kept on replaying over and over again —the glowing red eyes , the claws sweeping through air, the sudden voice inside his head ,the impossible timer floating before his eyes .
He was still alive .
But he didn't feel alive. Everything felt surreal
Master Yoon lifted his chin lightly ,
"Breathe ,Slowly . In.... and out ."he said
Woo jin followed , though is breath was uneven .After a moment he managed to let out a word ..
"He ...." his voice still shaking ,
"-He tried to kill me. Master, he was a vampire ..."
Woo jin's voice trembling,
But ...why ? why me ?
Master Yoon didn't answer immediately,instead he stood and walked towards the place where Woo jin had nearly lost his life . He scanned the ground, the air ,the shadows, and surroundings .
Woojin watched silently as all this was going on.
He has never seen his Master this disturbed.
His Master always seemed calm,but there was something different about him today. His eyes were cold, sharper. As if he was staring into a problem he didn't know how to solve .
After a long moment ,Master Yoon spoke .
"Woo jin ... tell me exactly what happened without leaving any details out."
Woo jin hesitated .
How was he supposed to explain something he didn't understand him self ?
Woo jin was quiet for a moment,
he took a deep breath and started to narrate what happened .
" Just as I was about to draw water from the well, I turned back only to see a man, standing at the entrance of the courtyard. Fear immediately gripped me.
I didn't here him come in ,
He stood there , staring at me ,
his eyes were glowing ,Red" !
Master Yoon nodded,listening closely
"And then ...He moved ." Woo jin swallowed ." Fast .Too fast .
a moment ago he was at the entrance ,in a matter of seconds his hands gripped my neck ,
I couldn't react ,I froze .I thought I was going to die."
His hands clenched unconsciously .
"But then ..."
He paused .
should he say it ?
Should he mention the voice ,
the floating words ?
The strange instinct that moved his body ?
Master Yoon noticed the hesitation ,
and asked ,
"Then what ?"
I... heard something .A voice .Not a person."
He tapped his head lightly ." it spoke inside here .Like ... Like a command ."
immediately he mentioned it,
Master Yoon eyes sharpened ."A voice ? he asked
Woo jin nodded slowly ."it told me something ... about danger .And then... I moved."
Master Yoon said nothing .
Woo jin continued,
"Words appeared in front of me floating like light .It said something about .....surviving.A task . "
he looked up at master Yoon ,
in frustration
"I don't understand any of it."
it feels like am starting to loose my sanity .
Master Yoon finally exhaled ,long and slow .
" Stand", he said
Woojin blinked ."what?"
"Stand" he repeated
Woo jin tried to push him self up,
his legs still unsteady ,
it feels like he is going to fall back to the ground,
if he tries to stand.
after struggling for a few mins.
He was finally able to get a hold of him self .
Master Yoon circled round him once ,
observing .
Then he suddenly swung is sheathed sword towards Woo jin shoulder —
Woo jin flinched backward,dodging without thinking .
Both of them froze .
Woo jin stared at his teacher ,eyes wide ."I ... I didn't meant to —"
"I know", Master Yoon interjected .
He lowered is sword .
"That movement wasn't yours .It was... something else ." he said
Woo jin's heart pounded .
So he wasn't hallucinating .He wasn't imagining things .Something inside him has awakened .
Master Yoon looked troubled —more troubled than Woo jin as ever seen him.
"There are many strange things in this world,"the old swords man said . But what you described ...I have never heard of it .Not in any record ."
Woo jin's stomach tightened .
"So... Something is wrong with me?"
"No" Master Yoon shook is head firmly .
"Not wrong .But something has awakened inside you .Something dangerous ...and something rare ."
Woo jin didn't feel relieved .
if anything ,fear tightened inside him even more.
He remembered the vampire's words:
"I came here because something... called me ."
Was the "some thing " inside him?
And if one vampire could sense it ...
Would more come ?.
Just as panic began creeping back into his chest ,
a soft tone echoed in Woo jin's head .
Ding .
Woojin stiffened .
There it was again .
The voice .
The system.
Floating text appeared before him in bright blue light .
Master Yoon noticed his expression ."What is it ? What do you see ?"
Woo jin raised a trembling hand toward the air.
I...something just appeared ."
He read it out loud .
"TASK COMPLETE" "Reward unlocked" "Skill Gained: => Adaptive Reflex**"
Woo jin's breath caught.
A skill? He had a skill?
Master Yoon frowned. "Adaptive… reflex?"
A new line of text appeared.
"Skill Description: Body reacts instantly to danger with automatic movement. Effect increases with threat level."
Woo jin's skin prickled.
So that was why he could dodge those attacks. It wasn't strength. It wasn't speed. It wasn't him.
It was this… system.
Master Yoon took a step closer ,
his voice serious .
"Woo jin," he said , do not tell anyone about this ,
not even the elders .Nor the guards .Nor the academy instructors.No one ." he repeated
must know about this ,
this stays between us.
Woo jin swallowed .But "why?
"Because people fear what they do not understand,"Master Yoon said ."And something like this ....it will attract attention .
The wrong kind of attention ."
Woo jin nodded quietly .
The wrong kind of attention like today..
"What now ? Woo jin whispered .
" We train ,"Master Yoon said firmly .
"We have to prepare . You are barely 18.
You have less than a year before the academy .That gives us enough time to strengthen your body ,sharpen your senses ...and find out what exactly you carry inside you ."
Woo jin felt a small spark inside his chest .
Not confidence ,Not bravery .
Just ...hope
Then Master Yoon turned toward the gate .
"But before anything else, we need to know how a vampire got into the Villa without been sensed ."
Woo jin stiffened .He hadn't thought of that .
The villa was protected by barrier stones —old artifacts placed around the permetre that reacts to a vampire presence .They were sensitive ,powerful and always active .
But today...
They hadn't reacted at all
"Something is wrong ,"Master Yoon muttered." Very wrong ."
He walked towards the corner of the court yard— where one of the barrier stones was placed.
Woo jin hurried after him.
Master Yoon knelt beside the stone, touched it , and his expression darkened immediately .
This barrier... has been drained."
Woo jin felt the air on his arms rise.
" Drained? by what ?
Master Yoon didn't answer.
instead, he asked quietly :
Woo jin before the vampire appeared... did you notice anything strange ?"
Woo jin hesitated at first , then remembered .
"The black mark ," he said quickly ."Near the well ,
it was warm when i touched it ."
Master Yoon head snapped towards him.
" Show me".
Woo jin led him to the well .
But when they arrived —
the mark was gone
Not faded,
But gone .
As if someone had wiped the stone clean.
Master Yoon touched the ground and frowned deeply.
"This... is not good."
Woo jin felt a cold weight settle in his stomach.
"What do you mean?"
Master Yoon stood his face serious .
"That mark must have been part of a rune .A summoning sign....
or a locator spell."
Woo jin blinked. "A spell? But vampires can't use human magic, right?"
"Ordinary vampires cannot," Master Yoon said. "But older ones… the ancient ones… have strange abilities."
Woo jin felt as if the world tilted slightly.
"So—he was old?"
Master Yoon didn't answer. His silence was worse than any confirmation.
Woo jin forced his shaky legs to stay steady.
"What… what do we do now?"
Master Yoon placed a firm hand on his shoulder.
"You should take a rest," he said. "Your mind is shaken. Your body is exhausted. And that… system of yours has drained a lot from you."
Woo jin hadn't realized it until now, but his legs were trembling nonstop.
"I'll repair the barrier and contact the outer guards," Master Yoon continued. "But you should stay inside the house.
Woo jin nodded.
He followed Master Yoon back, walking slowly, each step heavier than the last. When he reached the doorway, he turned back and looked at the quiet courtyard.
The place he had nearly died.
The place where something inside him had awakened.
The place a vampire had spoken his name without ever hearing it.
Woo jin felt his chest tighten.
Everything had changed.
Nothing would be ordinary again.
A small blue window flickered in front of him.
"New Feature Unlocked: Status Screen" "Would you like to view it?"
Aeran stared at the glowing text.
He took a deep breath.
"…Yes."