Slowly, he visualized multiple blades forming from the mixture. The blood rose, twisting into sharp, gleaming weapons that floated in the air around him. For a moment, he felt a surge of triumph.
"Good," Lucius said, nodding approvingly. "Now, maintain control."
Edmund tried to keep the blades stable, but his concentration wavered. The blades began to wobble, then suddenly lost their form, splattering blood across the room.
"Damn it," Edmund muttered, frustrated.
Lucius's expression softened slightly. "Perfection comes with practice. Keep at it."
...
As the training session concluded for the day, Edmund felt exhausted once more. He was making progress, but there was still so much to learn.
Later, he headed to the royal dining where Sasha was waiting for him. She greeted him with a warm smile and a playful glint in her eyes.
"How was training today?" she asked while pouring him a glass of blood wine.
Edmund collapsed into a chair with a sigh. "Intense. I'm still having difficultly, keeping the blood blades stable."
Sasha chuckled, handing him the glass. "You're too hard on yourself. You're doing better than most vampires could even dream of."
He took a sip, savoring the rich flavor. "I know, but with the banquet coming up and the so called performance, I can't afford to make any mistakes."
Sasha's eyes twinkled with amusement. "Well, just remember, if you can handle dancing with me, you can handle anything."
Edmund laughed. "You're right. Speaking of which, I still need to practice those dance steps."
She stood while offering her hand. "Shall we?"
They moved to the center of the hall, and Sasha began guiding him through the dance steps. Edmund stumbled a few times, but her light-hearted teasing and encouragement kept his spirits up.
"Careful, you don't want to step on my toes again," she joked as he misstepped.
"Sorry," he said with a sheepish grin. "I promise, I'm trying."
"You're doing great," she assured him, her eyes warm. "You just need a little more smoothness."
After their dance practice, they sat down together, enjoying a moment of quiet companionship.
This was the royal dining place and it was incredibly beautifully decorated but the family never ate together so Edmund could goof off here for as long as he liked without having to worry about anything.
As the night approached, Edmund went on to continue his light essence night practice. However, he added something new to his personal night activities.
...
The next morning, Edmund woke early, ready for another day of training.
The palace was buzzing with activity as preparations for the banquet continued. The excitement was high, and it fueled his resolve.
As he walked through the halls, he overheard snippets of conversation among the palace staff and guards.
"The crown prince's awakening banquet is all anyone can talk about," one maid said excitedly.
"I heard they're sending vampire warriors to neighboring kingdoms to find that rogue vampire," a guard replied. "They still haven't caught him."
Edmund felt a pang of guilt. He knew he was the rogue vampire they were searching for, but he could never reveal it. That was a secret he'd have to carry to his grave.
The morning sun had barely risen over the Darkblorne Kingdom when Edmund arrived at the training grounds. The air was crisp, and a thin mist clung to the grass, creating a mythical atmosphere.
Master Lucius and Lady Aisenburn awaited him at the edge of the field. Master Lucius, with his stern demeanor and sharp eyes, stood with his arms crossed. Lady Aisenburn with her elegantly flowing silver hair and a calm, composed presence gave him a light smile.
"Good morning, Your Highness," Lady Aisenburn greeted with a nod.
"Today, we will focus on refining the exercises you will be performing at the banquet," Lucius announced. "Vampires are well known for a number of things and two of the main ones are stealth and speed. We need to make sure that yours is up to par."
Edmund rolled up his sleeves. "I'm ready."
---sss
Master Lucius stepped forward, his voice authoritative. "The first exercise is an obstacle course. You will navigate through it as quickly as possible. Speed and agility are crucial. You have three minutes to complete the course."
Edmund glanced at the obstacle course laid out before him. It was a daunting array of hurdles, climbing walls, narrow beams, and pitfalls designed to test every aspect of his physical prowess.
"Begin!" Lucius commanded, starting the timer.
Edmund sprang into action. He vaulted over the first set of hurdles with ease, his body moving with the speed he had honed through countless hours of training.
Fwhooom~
As he approached the climbing wall which was over four meters in height, he leaped as his fingers found patches on the rough surface to hold. He scaled it swiftly with his muscles burning with strength.
"Keep going, Edmund!" Lady Aisenburn called out. "Maintain your speed!"
He reached the top of the wall and swung himself over, landing lightly on his feet. Ahead of him lay a series of narrow beams suspended over a pit. He focused, his eyes narrowing as he moved quickly but carefully with impeccable balance.
Halfway through the course, Edmund encountered a series of rotating platforms. He timed his jumps perfectly, leaping from one to the next with agility that left him barely a moment to catch his breath.
Lucius noted every movement. "Faster, Edmund! You're running out of time!"
Edmund activated internal accumulation at this point and pushed himself harder. His calves pumped as he sprinted towards the final set of obstacles.
A series of swinging pendulums were aligned before him. Their heavy metal forms threatened to knock him off course. He darted between them with incredible speed, his reflexes sharp and unerring.
Finally, he crossed the finish line, skidding to a stop just as the timer beeped.
"Two minutes and fifty-three seconds," Lucius announced, a rare hint of approval in his voice. "You made it within the time limit."
Lady Aisenburn smiled warmly. "Well done,Your Highness. Your speed and agility have improved significantly."
Edmund breathed out in a relaxed manner. "Thank you, Master Lucius, Lady Aisenburn."
He didn't feel tired in the slightest. He was well aware that had he tried such an obstacle course while being human, he wouldn't get to the finish in even ten minutes time. The obstacle course might have even spelt his end due to how dangerous it was.
"I want to go again," Edmund suddenly announced.
"But your highness, you already..." Lady Aisenburn didn't get to finish her statement before Edmund interrupted.
"I know. I didn't use accumulation from the start because I wanted to see how fast I'd move without it. But now, I want to go at it from start to finish while using accumulation," Edmund stated.
Both vampire instructors couldn't stop him. Just as Edmund said, he went at the obstacle course one more time.
« Activating Internal Accumulation »
Edmund gathered blood at certain points of his body and pushed himself forward once more.
Fwhoomm~
This time he moved at a way higher speed than earlier.
Master Lucius and Lady Aisenburn couldn't believe their eyes as they watched Edmund scale the obstacle course at quick pace.
He didn't even need to climb the four meters wall like earlier, he completely leapt over it.
At the 57 seconds mark, he had already scaled it completely.
"What's next?" Edmund asked upon returning to their side.
'We might be breeding a vampire monster...' Lady Aisenburn wasn't especially astonished by his feat because any vampire was capable of that. However, she was astonished by his rate of improvement.
"The second exercise will test your stealth," Lady Aisenburn explained. "You must move through a designated area without being noticed. One of a vampire's natural abilities is to hide their presence until they're upon their prey. You will need to utilize this skill."
Master Lucius nodded. "The area has been set up with several guards who will be actively searching for you. Your task is to reach the other side without being detected. If any guard senses you, they will signal, and you will have to start over."
Edmund took a deep breath, centering himself. "Understood."
Lady Aisenburn led him to the edge of a dense forest that bordered the training grounds. "This is your starting point. The guards are already in place. You have ten minutes to reach the marker on the other side."
"Good luck," Lucius added, his voice firm but not unkind.
Edmund nodded. While they weren'y looking, he slipped into the shadows.
« Activating Dark Veil »
He activated his Dark Veil, blending seamlessly into the darkness.
They had expected Edmund to use normal means since Vampires were naturally capvle of hiding their presence to an extend. However, they believed he would be detected multiple times since he was still a newbie. They hadn't expected him to possess an ability that practically made him undetectable in the dark.
The forest was thick with trees and underbrush, providing ample cover but also numerous obstacles.
He moved silently with his senses heightened. Every rustle of leaves, every snap of a twig could give him away. He stayed low, his movements fluid and precise. The first guard was ahead. His presence was marked by the faint glow of his eyes in the dim light.