Kaito awoke with a start, gasping for air.
His body was sore, every muscle aching as if he had been trampled. He blinked, trying to focus. The ceiling above him was stone, rough and dark, with small cracks through which thin rays of light spilled in.
"You're awake."
The voice was calm, almost amused.
Kaito turned his head, wincing. The stranger from before stood at a small wooden table, pouring water into a cup.
"Where… where am I?" Kaito managed to ask, throat dry.
"A safe place. For now." The man approached, handing him the cup. "Drink."
Kaito took it, his hands still trembling, and drank deeply. The cool water soothed his throat, but not the questions burning in his mind.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The man sat across from him. He was older, with sharp features and eyes that seemed to glow faintly in the dim light.
"You can call me Rael," he said. "And you? What's your name, bloodling?"
"…Kaito."
Rael nodded. "Kaito. You've stirred quite the trouble."
Kaito sat up slowly, his head pounding. "What do you mean?"
Rael leaned back. "You've awakened powers you don't understand. The beasts you faced — they weren't just monsters. They were hunters, drawn to your blood. Vampire blood. Dragon blood."
Kaito's heart raced. "I'm not a vampire. Or a dragon."
Rael smiled faintly. "Not yet. But it's in you. I saw it."
Kaito shook his head. "I don't want it. I just want to go back—"
"There's no going back," Rael interrupted, his tone firm. "You died, Kaito. This is your world now. And here, you are more than you ever were."
Kaito's fists clenched. "I didn't ask for this."
"No one ever does," Rael said. "But you can't run from it. The blood of ancients flows through you. The question is — will you learn to use it, or will you let it consume you?"
Kaito looked down, the weight of everything crashing down on him. The fight, the power, the fear. The truth.
"…I don't know how."
Rael stood. "Then I'll teach you."
The sun was high when Rael led Kaito outside.
They stood in a clearing, surrounded by towering trees and jagged rocks. The air was crisp, filled with the scent of earth and something faintly metallic.
"This is where you'll learn," Rael said.
Kaito looked around, uneasy. "Learn what?"
"To fight. To control your blood. To survive."
Rael picked up a long wooden staff and tossed it to Kaito, who barely caught it.
"First, we see what you can do."
Before Kaito could respond, Rael lunged.
The staff cracked against his, sending a shock through Kaito's arms. He stumbled back, barely holding his ground.
"Too slow," Rael said, striking again.
Kaito blocked, but his stance was weak. Rael's strikes came faster, more precise, forcing Kaito to retreat.
"Focus! Feel the power inside you. It's there!"
Kaito growled, swinging wildly. Rael dodged with ease, knocking him down with a sweep of his staff.
Kaito hit the ground hard, coughing.
"Again," Rael ordered.
Kaito stood, anger burning in his chest. He rushed forward, staff raised.
Rael parried, twisted, and knocked him down again.
"This isn't just about strength," Rael said. "It's about control."
Kaito pushed himself up, blood on his lip. "Then stop holding back!"
Rael's eyes narrowed. "As you wish."
This time, Rael moved faster, his strikes sharper, more punishing. Kaito struggled, each blow chipping away at his defenses. But as the pain grew, so did something else — a heat, rising from deep within.
His vision blurred, and for a moment, everything slowed. He saw Rael's next move before it happened, felt the shift in the air.
He moved.
Their staffs clashed, and Kaito didn't fall.
Rael grinned. "There it is."
Kaito's body felt lighter, his movements more precise. He struck back, pushing Rael. For a moment, he held his ground.
But only for a moment.
Rael disarmed him with a twist and knocked him down once more.
Kaito lay there, chest heaving, the energy fading.
Rael offered a hand. "Better. You're starting to feel it."
Kaito took it, pulling himself up. "What… what was that?"
"Your blood," Rael said. "It's awakening. The more you fight, the more you'll unlock. But you must learn to control it."
Kaito nodded slowly, his mind racing.
"There's more," Rael continued. "The hunters — they weren't the only ones who felt your awakening. Others will come. Some to kill you. Some to use you."
"Why?" Kaito asked.
"Because you're not just any bloodling," Rael said. "You're something rare. Something powerful. And power always draws attention."
Kaito looked out at the trees, the weight of this new world settling on his shoulders.
"What do I do?"
Rael placed a hand on his shoulder. "You learn. You fight. And when the time comes, you decide what kind of monster you want to be."
That night, Kaito sat by the fire, staring into the flames.
His hands still trembled, not from fear, but from something deeper — anticipation.
He could feel it now, the power within him, the blood of night and flame.
He wasn't ready. Not yet.
But he would be.