Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance, the sky a bruised palette of dark greys and blacks. Sheets of relentless rain battered the cobblestone streets, creating a solemn melody of hissing and splashing that echoed through the narrow alleyways.
Hidden from the eyes of the city, a shadowy arena stood at the heart of the darkness, illuminated only by the flickering glow of gas lamps.
'How can he be so strong!?'
Nikolai's breath came in short, sharp bursts as he faced the squire across the slick, blood-streaked ground.
His body ached with a dozen wounds, each movement a fresh agony. The relentless rain soaked through his clothes, chilling him to the bone and mingling with the blood that flowed down his skin.
"Haa.... Haa... It hurts to breathe, fuck... this damn setup."
Today seemed like his life might change for the better, given a chance to work for the most affluent company in his city despite his lacking talent and qualifications. However, instead, he met an arrogant and uncaring vampire princess, Selene.
'Did it all start from there?'
Earlier that day—a chance encounter that had turned his world upside down. She was strikingly beautiful, with an icy demeanour that matched the cold arrogance in her eyes.
Nikolai had made the mistake of insulting her, a reckless move born from frustration and ignorance. In a fit of spite, she accepted him as her employee, then attempted to turn him into a dhampir, her venomous bite meant to be a curse rather than a gift.
'She promised I would become stronger, to fight her battles like a dog. The damned arrogant little witch.'
Now, he found himself thrust into a fight he never wanted, pitted against the squire of one of Selene's suitors. Her suitor had insisted on a bond between their families through marriage, and as was customary, their squires would fight until one side submitted or died.
The stakes were high—not just for his life but for his father's as well. The money he would earn from this brutal contest was the only hope for a heart transplant for his ailing father.
The dhampir, a sinister figure with eyes that glowed a sinister red, sneered at him. "Ready to die, human dog?"
A low growl escaped Nikolai's throat, surprising even himself.
He shook his head, trying to clear the fog of rage and desperation that clouded his mind. He had to win this fight; his father's life depended on it. Meanwhile, the pendant around his neck, a gift from his late mother, pulsed faintly with an eerie glow, a constant but enigmatic presence.
"I am no dog, you arrogant prick!"
The dhampir lunged with a mocking smile, and Nikolai raised his arm to block the strike. Pain seared through his limb as the blood-forged rapier sliced into his flesh. He staggered back, his vision blurring with the intensity of his pain and the relentless downpour.
Despair clawed at the edges of his mind, threatening to pull him under.
He glanced up at the stands, where Selene watched with a detached interest, her crimson eyes flickering with something akin to amusement. She had set this in motion, her cruelty a catalyst for his current predicament.
Yet the moment he turned away, a look of concern flashed across her arrogant face, unseen and forgotten in the heavy rain that drowned out the spectator's voices.
"Your kind doesn't belong here," the dhampir taunted, circling Nikolai like a predator. "You're nothing but a pawn in a game you don't understand. Even with the princess's blood, you failed to evolve!"
Nikolai's grip tightened around the pendant, its warmth a slight comfort in the face of overwhelming odds. He had no choice but to fight through the pain and survive. For his father, for the future he had promised him.
The dhampir lunged again, his blade a blur in the dim light. Nikolai tried to dodge, but his injuries slowed him down. The rapier sliced across his chest, drawing a fresh line of blood. Nikolai felt strange, unable to focus or control his movements.
He fell to his knees, gasping for breath, the world spinning around him.
"Haa.....Ha.... No..."
A memory surfaced, unbidden. His mother's voice was soft and comforting as she placed the pendant around his neck. "This will protect you, my son. Remember, you are strong! No matter what anyone says, and mother... Mother will always be with you!"
With a roar, Nikolai felt something deep within him stir. A primal, feral instinct surged to the surface, drowning out the pain with a raw, untamed power. His heart pounded against his ribs, each beat echoing the roar of the storm above.
It was like the rain feared his bellowing roar as it momentarily stopped, the dark sky trembling with grey clouds before his long roar ended.
Pain seared through his arm again, but this time, it was different. It was a transformation, bones cracking and reshaping as his hand morphed into a massive, clawed appendage.
The transformation was swift and brutal, razor-sharp claws extending from his fingers. He stared in shock and awe at his new limb, a terrifying yet powerful manifestation of his hidden lineage.
The dhampir hesitated, eyes widening in disbelief. "What are you?"
Nikolai didn't have an answer.
All he knew was the overwhelming urge to fight, to survive, to kill! He launched himself at the squire with no finesse or skill, pure speed and power, with his newly formed claw slashing through the air with deadly precision. The dhampir's rapier was no match for the raw, feral power that now coursed through Nikolai.
Each clash of their weapons sent shockwaves through his body, but instead of weakening, he felt stronger, more alive.
His senses sharpened, the world around him coming into startling clarity. He could hear the dhampir's heartbeat and smell the metallic tang of blood in the air. Drawing on his newfound power, he dodged the next attack effortlessly and countered with a ferocious swipe of his claw.
The dhampir staggered back, a look of shock and fear replacing his earlier arrogance. Nikolai pressed his advantage, his movements a blur of speed and savagery. With a final, powerful strike, he drove his claw into the dhampir's chest, feeling the life drain from his foe as he collapsed to the ground.
As the dhampir fell, lifeless, to the ground, a strange sensation washed over Nikolai. A surge of energy coursed through his veins, making his muscles tense and his senses heighten. He glanced down at the pendant around his neck, its glow intensifying momentarily.
A strange window appeared in his vision before a voice whispered inside his mind, displaying his attributes:
Strength: 12 (+1) Agility: 11 (+1)
The numbers meant little to him, but the power he felt was undeniable.
He had absorbed something from his fallen foe, a gift—or perhaps a curse—bestowed by his mysterious lineage.
Nikolai looked at his clawed hand, the reality of his transformation sinking in. He was not merely human; he was something else, something far more dangerous. The pendant's glow faded, but the questions it raised burned brighter than ever.
Who was he truly, and what other secrets lay hidden within his blood?
The storm raged on, thunder roaring and lightning splitting the sky, but in the arena's heart, there was only silence and shock. Nikolai stood amidst the rain and the blood, a primal power surging within him, yet his mind and thoughts only sought answers.
As did the confused and beautiful ruby eyes of Selene, who watched the arena, unbeknownst to herself at the moment of Nikolai's victory, her lips curled into a slight smile.
"So he truly was a member of the Volkov lineage, ah, dearest father and mother, please do not blame your daughter for choosing our sworn enemy. It was a complete accident! I swear."
The darkness from the storm masked half of her face. The vampire princess smirked before it twisted into a distorted smile. She loved her father and mother, and the pressure created because of her bloodline and her father's main wife, who controlled the family.
'If only my father could have loved my true mother instead of marrying another woman and forcing me to call her mother... It makes me hate him when my actual mother acts like everything is fine as long as he loves her!'