In a dungeon at the center of the city, humans, elves, and vampires who had lost control were imprisoned in separate cells. Guards passed every thirty minutes by all the cells before going back upstairs.
"Brother Samuel, I'm scared."
"Don't worry. I'll find a way to get us out of here, Lin."
A 16-year-old boy and a 14-year-old girl were locked in cells beside each other. The boy, Samuel, tried his best to calm his sister. Both had been captured when they were meeting his fiancée, who had also been taken by the vampires.
Clutching the blood bars, he tried to break them with sheer strength, since the blood shackles somehow drained the magic of whoever was bound by them. He managed to move them slightly, as he was a third-circle mage with a decent physical body despite being thin. He was also in his second year at Astrong, progressing toward the fourth circle.
'Damn it, I have to get out of here with my sister, find my fiancée, and figure out a way to disappear from the vampires' sight.'
He had already given up on leaving this dimension since he didn't know how to get out of it. His plan now was to find a hiding place where the three of them could stay safe.
'Damn, I can't do it. If I had trained my body, I could have done something.'
Mages could train to stay healthy, but most didn't dedicate themselves to it, leaving that part to circle evolution, with only a few training their bodies — either because of weak magic or to improve overall strength.
Even though he ranked 30th in the second year, he wasn't one of the strongest, being the last in his class. He had to think carefully, even considering facing the guards, but they seemed to be at least fourth- or fifth-circle, making it impossible.
'Am I really going to let the three of us die here? My sister…'
"Brother Samuel, what is that?"
He looked at a wall where a small hole opened in the cell across from his, where some uncontrolled vampires were chained inside. Two people came out — a boy and a girl, both masked.
"Corvina, let's go in, take what we want, and return."
"Yes, master."
They wore necklaces that marked them as vampires. Samuel quickly told his sister to hide under the cell bed, which she did immediately, frightened.
"These bars are quite strong. Should we use magic?"
"We can't make noise, so I have another way."
The boy pressed a different necklace on his neck and took out a small box of medicine with blood inside? When he touched it to the blood bars, they began to melt away completely, leaving just enough space to slip through.
"This blood really is incredible for them."
"As always, master, you're amazing."
"They were physical bars and had been here a long time, so it was easy. They were going to replace them next week, so we came just in time."
Samuel couldn't believe his eyes as he watched them leave that cell. After closing the hole, they simply looked around, searching for something. He didn't know who they were, but it seemed like the only chance for them to survive.
"We have only twenty-eight minutes, so let's hurry."
"Hey, you two, can you help us? Of course, in exchange for something."
Sylas noticed the boy in front of him. To tell the truth, he hadn't come to rescue anyone, cruel as it was. He himself didn't like that choice, but it would be too dangerous otherwise.
'The other humans seem ordinary, and he's a third circle. Maybe he's the best option — if something goes wrong, at least he could help.'
"First, you'll have to wait, human. I'll think about the way back, but I can help you if you send a signal in case any guards show up."
Samuel nodded quickly, watching him leave. He seemed like someone who made smart decisions, appearing when most humans and elves were asleep so as not to make any noise. Samuel himself was sleepy but couldn't rest because of his frightened sister.
'He also came when the uncontrolled vampires were unconscious, unable to drink blood. He has a lot of information… this may be our only chance.'
Sylas and Corvina moved quietly through the cells, making sure no one was awake. They stopped at a different cell with a round metal door. Remembering the original story, he placed his blood on the wall beside a hole. It should only open with vampire blood — or better blood.
This door fed on blood, and the higher the quality, the more "obedient" it became. After a while, the door turned red, taking the shape of a small bat, looking incredibly satisfied as a crescent moon symbol began to appear on its belly.
"What is this?"
"A blood monster — like a spirit, we could say. I just made a contract with it. This is its animal form, and it will need time and blood to assume its best form."
Excited, Corvina scratched its head, but it bit her, making her recoil. The bat spat out her blood and perched on Sylas's shoulder. Irritated, she already disliked the creature.
"But what was it doing here, master?"
"Since no one managed to make a contract with it, they left it as a guard in exchange for good blood."
Sylas scratched its head, which it accepted happily, sticking its tongue out at Corvina, who nearly exploded with rage.
'That damned… calm down, Yumeha. The master may be interested in it, but his heart is mine.'
"But what was it guarding?"
"The daughter of a ninth-circle who was thinking of joining the rebellion. But since the council imprisoned his daughter, he stayed with them to the end, leaving both ninth-circles on their side."
With this, the war would be balanced. His plan was to strengthen the rebellion's side since he didn't have the level to join this war directly. What he planned to eliminate were the council's grandchildren, the same age as Yumeha, who would be the next generation. They were at his level, so it was possible.
"In this war, I'll be more of a strategist than a real fighter. Yumeha, when we return, we'll free the humans, elves, and certain vampires."
"I don't like the idea of freeing vampires, but I'm fine with that."
"In exchange for their freedom, I'll offer a deal that will make them useful in this war, even if most aren't mages."
Entering the cell, he saw a girl in a dirty white outfit, with white hair, red eyes, and scars all over her body. She was still very beautiful despite them. As he approached, she lifted her head, pure hatred in her eyes.
"Who's this new bloodsucker? Did you come to torture me too?"
Both were surprised because they had found someone who hated her own race. Enrico had never seen her in the original story, but this was interesting.