The training hall had to be the largest room in the whole mansion. Milas had ran out when he saw the sun in the sky with fluffy white clouds floating lazily across the blue canvas. Deogratius laughed at him before explaining that it was fake.
The ceiling was equipped with technology that allowed it to look like different environments. The large plain white hall was the same and could simulate environments that were also affected by the ceiling. The room would even produce artificial weather and the sun here had no effect.
Milas was intrigued by the technological marvels of the vampires and wondered if the human race would reach such a point. Deogratius walked to a control panel on the wall and changed the ceiling to a cloudless night with a bright full moon.
The lighting in the hall also changed and Milas felt the cool breeze of the night brush against his face. He took a deep breath and gazed at the stars that dotted the sky.
"AAAHHH!!"
Milas clutched his hand to stop the bleeding and he looked at the short sword that had hurt him before looking at the one who threw it. Deogratius was standing with his hands behind his back and a shelf with weapons was sinking into the ground behind him.
"Lesson one, be aware of your surroundings no matter the situation." Deogratius had answered the question that Milas had been asking. ' Why the hell did you stab me?'
"Now, let's see which weapon suits you." With that, Deogratius was upon him with a fist to the gut. Milas flew across the hall and hit the wall hard making him spit blood. "Lesson two, don't get disarmed unless it's part of your plan."
The short sword was thrown at him again but he caught it and held it in reverse grip. He then crouched low and waited for the next attack. Deogratius moved and Milas swung the sword but he felt nothing in his hand followed by pain from his lap. He grit his teeth and punched the figure standing before him only for his fist to completely miss its target.
Milas pulled the short sword from his lap and allowed the wound to heal. Deogratius was standing away from him with his hands behind his back and the shelf with weapons was rising behind him. He moved away from the shelf and told Milas to pick any weapon and attack him.
"If you land a single hit on me then I will let you do whatever you wish for a week." Deogratius had barely finished when a short sword was thrown at him. He caught the blade and saw Milas standing near the shelf. He picked two identical swords and viciously attacked Deogratius who only dodged.
Milas moved faster each time and Deogratius was having trouble with dodging. Milas saw an opening and kicked Deogratius on the knee making him stumble. He swung his left hand and aimed at his opponent's neck only to see his arm flying past Deogratius.
Pain was clouding his mind and he dropped the sword in his hand. His right hand was broken and a fist landed on his face. He unconsciously tried to touch his right hand only to realize that he couldn't feel the left one. He looked at his hand and saw a stump about an inch from his shoulder. Blood was gushing out but he hadn't realized it till now.
The pain from his missing hand overshadowed the broken one. Milas was about to scream but Deogratius grabbed his lower jaw and bent it out of place. Milas was experiencing a new level of pain. He writhed on the ground while trying to beg for mercy. Deogratius stared at him coldly before he stomped on Milas' leg turning the bone to dust. He then squatted near Milas and lifted his head by grabbing his hair.
"Lesson three, never beg your enemy for mercy. You may scream in pain but don't give them the satisfaction of watching you beg. This is important as its better to die from an enemy who hates yet respects you than to fall to the hands of someone who was disappointed by your inability." Deogratius let go of Milas and started walking away, he took out a flask from his coat and dropped it near the door.
"Lesson four, plan your moves carefully and don't make them obvious. Its better to plan things along the way based on the development of the situation as it makes you unpredictable. Also, the enemies can't leak your plan if you don't have one." With that he walked out and closed the door behind him.
Milas lay there covered in his own blood that had a strange shine caused by the moonlight. His wound had closed up but it didn't improve and his broken arm wouldn't heal till he reset it. He could only push himself forward while using his blood to lubricate his movement. It was a torturous process as one of his legs was useless and the other was trembling from pain.
Milas eventually reached the flask but was met with a new kind of impossible challenge, opening the flask. The metal casing made it difficult for Milas to pierce it with his fangs. His limbs were totaled and he couldn't call for help as his jaw wasn't fully healed yet.
Milas' dilemma was driving him crazy and the hopelessness of his situation was pushing him over the edge. He slipped away from sanity and started laughing at himself. His maniacal laughter echoed off the walls and made him feel like there many people laughing.
"Wow Milas, you survive so much just to be defeated by a flask. This has to be new record on dumb ways to die." Milas thought to himself as he stared at the hundreds of stars in the fake sky.
"You could use your blood aura to pierce the flask." A deep beast like voice suggested. Milas looked around and saw no one else so he accepted the fact that he had truly lost it. Well, he didn't have any ideas to save himself so why not listen to the suggestions his broken mind gave him. What could possibly go wrong?
"Ok, what do I need to do to use blood aura?" Milas asked while expecting no reply. "Just focus on your blood crystal and visualize a string of red energy flowing from it and leaving your body through the pores on your skin."
Milas was surprised but he still closed his eyes and focused on his blood crystal that was imitating a beating heart. He visualized the string and brought it out of his body through the only opening close to the heart... the stump of his severed hand.
"Now visualize it mixing with the blood you have spilled and the mixture becoming one with your body. Then imagine a sharp item attached to the red string and the item attacks the flask." Milas was following the instructions carefully but the string would snap everytime he tried to visualize an item. "Stop trying to make something complicated like a dagger and just make a needle. This will use less energy to form and allow it to be harder."
Milas followed the orders and a thin red needle floated in front of him with the sharp end pointed at the flask. The one who formed it had his eyes closed and was using a lot of energy to harden it. The needle pierced the flask before shattering and the pieces turned into blood.
Milas crawled to the flask and placed his deformed mouth over the hole he had made. He sucked out the liquid and warmth flowed through his body accompanied by the sweet taste of salvation. He didn't stop till he drained the contents of the flask and he lay on his back while his body healed.
"The voice in my head felt so real, I couldn't have imagined it. I wonder who it was." Milas thought to himself while the bone in his leg reassembled itself.
"I'm your guardian devil." The voice answered casually.
"Wait, isn't it supposed to be guardian angel?" Milas asked when he realized that the voice was indeed real.
"Do you think that you're worthy of an angle?" The voice asked back making Milas shut up. "I can't keep talking to you but I can only tell you to focus on improving your blood control. It's a vampire's assistant and essential for your growth. Get stronger and I will help achieve things that you can only dream of. But that requires that you survive so you have to persevere and get on this guy's good graces if you hope to get vengeance."
The voice went silent and Milas couldn't get in touch with it again. He stood up and looked at the stump that had stopped regrowing at his elbow. His leg was fully healed and the broken arm had reset itself. Milas was shocked by the miraculous effects of blood on his body. He grabbed a short sword and planned to leave the hall before forcing a servant to find him more blood.
The door opened and Deogratius was standing there with a raised eyebrow while looking at the one armed teenager.