Despite an entire night having passed, I barely slept—my mind plagued by endless worries: my mistress’s health, the resentnt and hostility from nearly all the familiars in the Lunae Novae dormitory, and the death I narrowly avoided... It hasn’t been an easy day. Yet, Ayra shows no sign of improvent.
This morning, Daphne was the one to wake . «My dear little sister has yet to regain consciousness, and I can’t allow you to fall behind in training. Ayra ntioned that today you were supposed to have a special session with Clotilde on Vis energy control, so I will accompany you. I’ve already spoken with my father—King Drakhul—and he has agreed that you will be my temporary familiar until your mistress fully recovers.»
I have to admit, luck has smiled upon —I couldn’t have asked for a better substitute. Daphne is undoubtedly an exceptional mistress and a vampire worthy of admiration. And, I won’t deny it, she possesses an almost unparalleled beauty—one so striking it’s intimidating. When she speaks to , I can barely hold her gaze, as if I were facing a world-renowned, breathtaking actress.
The training was set for 10:00 AM at the Valakys family’s private training center, but by 9:30, we are already here—alone, of course, given how early we arrived. To my surprise, Daphne informs that Sasha and Levreshka, along with their familiars, Gerard and Dorje, will also be joining this special training session. Strange that Gerard didn’t ntion it to ; Levreshka probably forgot to tell him.
«The training starts in half an hour... why are we here so early? And Kajetan, isn’t he training with us?» I ask, pacing around with a bored expression.
«When it cos to Clotilde, you always have to arrive at least thirty minutes early if you want to avoid a serious scolding,» Daphne replies with a shrug. Then she adds, «That woman is as strong as she is strict, and it’s no coincidence she’s one of the three supre commanders of the Scarlet Army. As for my dear familiar... well, this afternoon, he has a very important match—against the second-ranked combatant—and he preferred to be alone and focus.»
I didn’t think Clotilde was that strong. Sure, Vespera did say she considered herself second only to Clotilde, so I knew she wasn’t just so weakling, but being one of the supre commanders of the army defending Mildelar—and consequently one of the strongest vampires in the kingdom—I didn’t expect that. It’s quite unusual, considering she’s supposed to be a princess.
Anyway, it’s a sha that Kajetan isn’t training with us this morning. Because of the tension at the ti, I didn’t get a chance to fully observe his combat style and understand its secrets, and I had hoped today would be the perfect opportunity. Too bad...
Monts after Daphne speaks, a red beam crashes down from the sky, exploding into a blinding light the instant it touches the ground. It can only be Clotilde—her entrance is identical to the one she made when she interrupted the skirmish between Sasha and Ayra. Sure enough, as the red light fades, Clotilde erges, accompanied by her petite familiar, Angelica.
At the sight of that little girl, a pang shoots through my stomach, as if my body instinctively recalls the brutal blows Angelica used to knock out with absurd ease during the demonstration match. Since then, I’d like to think I’ve improved—not in mastering Vis energy, unfortunately, but that’s exactly what today’s training is for—yet if I had to face her again, she’d probably take down just as effortlessly.
Clotilde isn’t just a vampire of terrifying strength—she must also be an exceptional trainer to have turned a girl no older than thirteen into such a powerhouse. After all, as a commander, she’s surely accustod to training her troops.
A girl no older than thirteen... wait a second—how is that possible?
Ayra told that, according to the kingdom’s laws, the maximum age for forming a Binding Ritual with a familiar is twenty-one. Clotilde is over thirty, which ans that when she bonded with Angelica, the girl must have been, at most, two or three years old. And I seriously doubt a child that young could fight. How does that make any sense?
I voice my doubt to Daphne, who looks genuinely surprised, staring at as if I’d just asked the most obvious thing in the world.
«Strange that Ayra never ntioned this to you,» she says, raising an eyebrow. «Even stranger that you’re only realizing it now,» she adds. «To put it simply, Sanguis energy doesn’t just grant us the ability to use Blood Words—it also extends our lifespan far beyond that of ordinary humans. On average, a vampire’s life expectancy is nearly ten tis longer—we can live up to eight hundred years.
Our physical and ntal growth mirrors that of humans during the early years, but once we reach forty, we hit our peak developnt. From that point on, our bodies remain unchanged for about seven hundred years. Only after that does the Sanguis energy within us start to deplete, triggering the aging process. Does that make sense so far?»
I nod, and she continues.
«That said, Ayra must have told you that, during the BindingRitual, a small dose of Sanguis energy is injected into the familiar’s body to activate their Vis energy. That was the exact mont you awakened your Visanguis energy—but I assu you already know that, or at least I hope so... To answer your question, that small dose of Sanguis energy, once assimilated by the familiar, extends their lifespan to nearly half that of a vampire, drastically slowing their physical developnt. In Angelica’s case, she has been here for ten years, yet her body has only aged by two. I hope that clears things up,» she concludes with a soft smile.
On paper, it all sounds amazing—if not for the fact that living this long also ans enduring pain and suffering for even longer.
I can’t even fathom the hell experienced by those unfortunate enough to end up in the hands of particularly cruel and violent masters. I will never stop thanking whatever existing or nonexistent deity for allowing the privilege of serving Ayra. If not for her, I have no idea how long I would have lasted before plunging into absolute despair.
Clotilde’s gaze turns particularly serious as she locks eyes with Daphne. Then, with a nod, she signals her to step aside, and Daphne complies. The two move a fair distance away from us, and with a simple wave of her hand, Clotilde conjures a red energy field around them, forming a semi-sphere that completely isolates them, preventing us from seeing or hearing anything happening inside.
I have no doubt they’re discussing what happened in Noxscura—the Crimson Requiem ambush, Vespera, and Ayra’s Shadowshaper form. As one of the highest-ranking figures in the Scarlet Army, Clotilde is most certainly tasked with investigating the incident.
I shift my gaze to Angelica, standing rigid and motionless like a miniature soldier. Her expression is serious but slightly forced, as if she’s struggling to maintain it. I offer her a timid smile and a small wave, and she, after a quick glance at the red bubble where the two sisters are talking, hesitantly does the sa—only to imdiately snap back to her composed, frowning deanor.
That small act—checking on Clotilde before acknowledging —leaves puzzled.
The most obvious explanation is that she fears being punished if Clotilde catches her breaking her disciplined composure, even for a second—but I don’t want to believe that.
Punishing a familiar over sothing so insignificant would be absurd. Then again, vampire cruelty stopped surprising long ago...
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