Elena, who was still trying to enjoy her days off, was looking for John. She wanted to watch him train, but she quickly discovered that he was not with Reina at the usual training area outside. She thought it was weird that they were not in their regular spot because this was their scheduled training time.
She stopped some of the vampire guards outside to ask if they had seen Young Master John. The guards confirmed that John was indeed busy with training, however, Reina had decided to take today's session to a different, undisclosed location.
Elena nodded and continued to walk around the castle, a slight unease settling in her stomach. She eventually managed to spot Reina walking in a hurry near the central courtyard.
"Excuse me, Miss Reina, but do you know where Young Master John is?" Elena asked. She tried to sound casual, but her concern was evident in the way she fidgeted with her sleeve.
Reina stopped and looked at Elena, offering her a light, knowing smile. "John is in the underground training area. I left him with my son." She tilted her head, observing the maid's nervous energy with interest. "Do you want to see him?"
Elena blushed at the directness of the question. She was a little hesitant, her heart racing, but she eventually nodded her head lightly.
Reina's smile widened, her eyes gleaming with a hint of amusement. "Then what are you standing here for? Go support him."
===
John was standing opposite the prisoner named Russell in the center of the fighting arena. He looked nervous, his eyes darting toward the man who appeared incredibly menacing in the dim light of the underground room. Unable to shake the fear, John called Caden over. "Listen, Caden, I do not think this is a good idea."
Caden smiled, his expression one of mock confusion. "What do you mean, John? Do not tell me you are afraid of this maggot of a human."
"Of course I am afraid! You and Aunt Reina put me up against a killer. I can see it in his eyes! I am not ready for him yet. Put me against somebody my age."
"I am afraid I cannot do that, John. Besides, do you not have faith in my mother's judgment?" Caden asked. John did not say anything in response. He just looked at Caden for a long moment before Russell interrupted the conversation.
"Come, boy, come to daddy," the prisoner growled.
John was paralyzed by fear for a second, standing perfectly still in place. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out at a slow pace, trying to center himself before opening his eyes and lifting his hands into a fighting stance. Russell gave an evil smile before he lunged at John with surprising speed. However, John's instincts kicked in, and he managed to dodge the initial attack.
"Almost got you there, boy. Do you want to know what they call me?" Russell asked.
"I really do not want to know," John said, his voice trembling slightly.
"They call me the Mad Prisoner," Russell said while rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
John tried to compose himself. He took a deep breath and then launched an attack, moving closer and hitting Russell with a solid body shot. Russell merely grinned at the impact before delivering a sharp, straight punch to John's face that made him stagger backward. Before John could recover, Russell followed up with a powerful front kick to the chest, sending John flying across the floor.
Russell turned his gaze toward Caden. "You send me this joke to fight? I will kill this kid."
Caden remained unfazed and simply smiled. "Just do as Mother says and fight, John. You can go all out."
Russell laughed, the sound echoing harshly off the stone walls. "Okay then." He stretched his limbs for a moment before launching himself at John again. By this point, John had managed to get back onto his feet, waiting for the Mad Prisoner to make his move. John attempted to go for a takedown, hoping to use his weight to his advantage, but Russell was already prepared. He delivered a swift kick directly to John's face, and blood immediately began to leak from John's nose.
John held up his hands in a desperate gesture. "Wait, I do not want to fight anymore. I am done."
Russell giggled evilly, his eyes wide with a manic energy. "There is no giving up now, boy. I am going to take all my frustration out on you." Russell then began a relentless assault, repeatedly kicking John while he lay on the ground. He followed up by punching John in the face until his features were a bloody mess. Tears, blood, and mucus leaked from John's eyes and nose as he cried out, begging for the Mad Prisoner to stop his onslaught.
Caden showed no emotion on his face as he watched his cousin being beaten to a pulp. He looked entirely bored by the display of weakness. "Guards, bring me a chair to sit on," Caden said aloud, his voice steady.
One of the guards quickly returned with a wooden chair. However, another vampire guard approached and bowed. "Master, there is a maid who wants to come in. She says she is here to see Young Master John train. Should I let her inside?"
Caden looked at the guard and a slow smile spread across his face. "Perfect. Let her in. Bring another chair for the girl as well. I want her to enjoy the show."
Meanwhile, Elena was walking down the tunnel and could hear the unmistakable sound of someone being beaten. She could distinctly hear bones breaking, and then she heard a familiar voice scream. It was not the scream of a beast, but the choked cry of a person she cared for deeply. "No, Young Master!"
She ran past the guard at extreme speed, blurred movement in the long and dark tunnel, until she saw a massive black door marked with the Crimson family crest. "Open the door! I am here for Young Master John!"
The guards did not hesitate and opened the door for her to enter. When she stepped into the room, she saw that the fight arena was already dyed in blood. She was not a stranger to the sight of gore, but what shocked her to her core was seeing John covered in his own blood, whimpering on the cold stone floor.
When Russell saw Elena entering the room, he began to smile evilly. "My, my, what is a beautiful girl like you doing here? I guess you are also a vampire, seeing that this sight of blood does not affect you. Do you want to see something interesting, girl?"
As John lay on the ground, his clothes were shredded and his body was slick with blood. Russell moved his hands toward John's side and deliberately cracked one of the bones in John's rib cage. The sound was sickeningly loud, and it made John scream in pure agony.
Seeing John in pain and hearing his screams made Elena instantly furious. She prepared to launch herself at the Mad Prisoner, her muscles tensing for an attack, when Caden suddenly placed his hand on her left shoulder. "Calm down, Maid." He then gestured for Elena to take a seat on the chair that had just been placed beside him. "Come, sit and enjoy the show."
Crack.
Crack.
More of the bones in John's rib cage were broken by the Mad Prisoner, and John's screams filled every corner of the room.
"Please, no more, no more, I beg you!" John sobbed, his voice breaking.
Elena watched the entire incident, her heart breaking as she realized she could not intervene. She only clenched her fists and gritted her teeth so hard they felt as if they might shatter. She did not look away, forcing herself to witness every moment of the horror.
Russell then moved a little closer to where Elena and Caden were sitting, a twisted pride in his voice.
"Beautiful lady, the best part is coming up," Russell said as he cupped his hands to his ears. After a few minutes, a sickening sound echoed through the room as John's rib cage began to heal, the bones snapping back into place with a series of wet clicks. "I love the sound of that. I get to hear it just so I can break them again."
Russell turned around to see John trying to crawl away. "Oh my, it looks like Daddy's little boy learned how to crawl."
He moved closer to where John was struggling on the floor. "This is getting boring now." He turned his head to look at Caden. "Leech, is it okay if I just break his neck?"
"Do what you please," Caden replied, his voice completely devoid of emotion.
Russell reached his hands out just as John was crawling. He slowly lifted John up by his head, pulling him into a standing guillotine choke that left John dangling.
"Any last words, boy?"
John kept silent and closed his eyes. He was not resisting at all, his spirit seemingly broken, until he heard a familiar voice cut through the darkness.
"Young Master John!"
When John heard Elena's voice, his eyes began to glow a deep, piercing red. He felt a massive surge of energy entering his body. The pain, the fatigue, and the fear vanished instantly, replaced by a raw and pulsing power that felt like lightning in his veins.
John immediately slammed his fist into Russell's testicles, a move that made the Mad Prisoner lose his grip and gasp in sheer agony. John did not stop there. He followed up with a front jump kick directly to the man's face. Russell was shocked by the sudden reversal, but before he could even react, John grabbed the prisoner by the neck and delivered a jumping headbutt. The sound of their skulls colliding echoed like a gunshot.
Elena cheered for him, her voice filled with relief. "Yes, Young Master John!"
John unleashed a barrage of punches to Russell's body, the strength behind the blows breaking several of the man's bones in a matter of seconds. He finished the assault with a spinning wheel kick, his heel connecting squarely with the prisoner's jaw and knocking the Mad Prisoner unconscious before he hit the ground.
John stood there, chest heaving, as he watched over Russell's motionless body. He felt a hand settle on his right shoulder.
"Amazing, John. What the hell was that?" Caden asked. His usual cold composure was finally broken, replaced by a look of genuine astonishment.
Elena appeared next to him in an instant, her face a mask of worry. "Are you okay, Master John? Do you want to drink some blood?"
Caden pulled his hand away but kept his gaze fixed on John's face. He looked closely at John's left eye, which was still pulsing with a lingering red glow. He watched the light fade slowly, noting something peculiar. Usually, a vampire's transformation was accompanied by a web of dark veins under the skin, but John's face remained clear.
Hmm, I see no veins under his eye, Caden thought. Is that because he is a hybrid? Does it mean he is less powerful? John is very interesting, I want to see if he will surprise me again in the future.
Caden then clapped his hands together, his sharp palms echoing through the room as he regained his authority. "Guards, come get this maggot! Give him some healing potions and award him with food. Tomorrow, he and John will fight again."
John and Elena did not say anything in protest. They both understood now that this brutal cycle was a permanent part of John's training. The young vampire exchanged a few more words with Caden before turning to leave for his room. Elena, as always, followed closely behind him.
====
Later that evening, Caden sat at a table with his mother, Reina, and his grandmother, Anna. Unknown to John, the training room contained magic recording devices that had captured the entirety of the brutal fight. They were now reviewing the footage together.
"That was a beautiful finish by the young vampire. You do not see that every day," Anna said, her voice carrying a rare note of admiration.
Reina, however, was clearly unhappy with the performance. "He was weak. He was beaten and tortured for far too long. He should have ended the fight much sooner than he did."
Anna gently disagreed with her daughter. "Dear child, the boy is still young. Maybe he is not as gifted as Thomas or the others. Perhaps he simply needs more time, or maybe because he is a hybrid, his powers are decreased. We do not know for certain now, but we will know with time."
Caden interjected with a chuckle, leaning back in his chair. "Well, it was interesting to see that the maid was the one to give the young vampire a second wind."
Anna's eyes sharpened at that observation. "He truly has grown attached to this vampire maid. I am glad. Reina, I have a small suggestion."
"Please, Mother," Reina replied.
"I want you to give John multiple people to fight at once after he gets used to fighting this prisoner named Russell."
Reina did not hesitate, immediately accepting the order. "As you wish, Mother."
"Good," Anna finished, looking satisfied with the new direction of the training.
=====
Later that night, John and Elena sat together on the roof of the Crimson castle. They looked up at the dark sky which was filled with many glittering stars. The air was cool and the sky was very big and quiet. It felt much better than the cold, bloody room they had left earlier that day. John's body was already healed, but he needed the peace of the night to help his mind feel calm again.
They sat in a comfortable silence for a long time. John looked at his hands and thought about the forest where they had fought for their lives. Ever since that day, things felt different between them. They were not just a master and a maid anymore. They were two people who had faced death together.
After talking for a while, John let out a soft sigh.
"Elena, thank you for supporting me today. And thank you for everything else. I keep thinking about the forest. If you had not been there, I do not think I would be sitting here right now."
Elena looked at him, and her eyes were soft in the moonlight. "The Young Master does the same for me. We survived that forest because we were together. I will not let anything happen to you if I can help it."
John felt a warmth in his chest that had nothing to do with his vampire blood. He felt safe when she was near. "I feel like you are the only one I can really talk to in this place."
Elena smiled and leaned her head toward him just a little bit. "This one will always be there to support the Young Master. You do not have to be alone."
John smiled back at her. It was a real smile that reached his eyes even after all the hard things that had happened. "You promise?"
"Yes, Young Master John, I promise."
They stayed there for a long time, talking about small things and laughing quietly. For a few hours, the thought of the heavy training, the pain, and the pressure did not matter. Everything that had happened to John up until this point, going from a boy who lived a normal, carefree life to a boy thrusted into a world full of violence, seemed to fade away. The only thing that mattered in this moment was the silent, beautiful stars and the deep care they had for each other.