A few days had passed. On the training field, Bruno found himself facing Flávia and Selena simultaneously. It was an uneven fight, but ideal for pushing his limits and testing his newly developed abilities.
His feet cut across the ground with astonishing speed, while tree roots sprouted and swirled around his body, forming almost a living defensive sphere. With every collision of attacks, the sphere would shatter and rebuild itself. Flávia wielded her ice abilities, while Selena unleashed flames with devastating intensity.
From above, dozens of ice pillars crashed down, colliding with Bruno's root sphere. Arrows, swords, spears, and even fiery beasts charged at him, testing his reflexes and endurance. Amid this bombardment, he noticed something: an aura began to fade. Flávia was about to advance. East? Maybe southwest? No… Southwest, upper section…
He was wrong.
An ice rapier tore through the sphere's lower northern section, breaking his defense and disrupting his focus. Flávia lunged, thrusting toward Bruno's leg.
Boom!
An explosion rang out before the impact, the result of several fireballs floating along the edge of the sphere. The attack itself launched Bruno away, safely distancing him from Flávia.
While flying through the air, he sensed an attack from his flank: Selena appeared at extreme speed, delivering a punch wrapped in flames that struck his ribs and sent him crashing violently to the ground.
As he fell, Bruno moved his hand slightly before hitting the ground. A dense mist spread, fully concealing him, and as he touched the soil, he vanished into it.
Then, he suddenly reappeared before Flávia, who furrowed her brow in irritation. It was only a clone — a low-level, auxiliary skill.
— Tsk. — Flávia huffed, advancing with her rapier and destroying the copy. A wasted second.
Roots shot up from the ground, trapping her legs, while Bruno emerged from the smoke, smiling. With a subtle gesture, he tapped her lightly on the forehead, and Flávia let out a cute little huff. Satisfied, Bruno continued advancing toward Selena, creating another clone in front of him while he himself flew right behind, camouflaged by the mist, confusing his opponent.
The clone was an inferior existence — nothing like an avatar, incarnation, or doppelganger — merely a formation of Vitae shaped by a minimal spiritual thought, possessing almost no strength. It advanced blindly toward Selena, with Bruno following closely.
Under the mist, he quickly located the clone, and upon seeing it, casually destroyed it with ease. But without Selena noticing, a shadow darted forward at high speed, and another tap struck her head before she could react.
Bruno's victory was sealed.
— Buff… — Selena let out, resigned, as if she had been tricked.
— You clearly cheated, Bruno! — Flávia shouted from afar, irritated. — It was supposed to be a training duel using only one power! Your focus was nature control, but you used flames, mist, and clones!
Bruno paused for a few seconds before replying:
— My nature control only serves as a defensive tool and for nearly useless attacks. You are using your strongest elements. Besides, the rule clearly stated that auxiliary powers are allowed as long as they are not direct attacks.
— And the fireballs? — Flávia asked, narrowing her eyes.
— They were to locate your position and move me away from your strike. They protected me and prevented me from losing.
Before the discussion could continue, a figure appeared from the mist, snapping her fingers. The haze dispersed into the sky. It was Valessia, dressed in training attire. Acting as the match judge, she declared:
— By the rules, Bruno is the winner. He maintained the focus of his training. You two, as always, relied too heavily on your main elements and failed to explore what could have been done.
Flávia and Selena, frustrated, pinched Bruno's waist almost simultaneously, prompting a restrained smile from him.
Valessia continued her critique:
— Bruno, using roots for defense and constriction was excellent. The mist to obscure the overall view, the clones to deceive Flávia and Selena based on their personalities, and the fireballs for repositioning… everything was perfect.
She then addressed the others:
— Flávia, your mastery of ice is impeccable, and the way you conceal yourself using the area's moisture is incredible. Your proficiency with the rapier is flawless, but it's a pity you didn't explore its full potential.
— Selena, your flames are destructive and terrifyingly powerful. Moreover, you switch perfectly between offense and support, making you extremely adaptive.
Valessia concluded her observations, leaving the trainees to reflect on their abilities. Flávia and Selena were accustomed to such analysis and didn't dwell on it, but Bruno began to deeply contemplate how to further improve his powers.
There was room for overall growth without conflict. The four primordial vampire powers — flame mastery, his extremely shallow thunder divergence, spear proficiency, hand-to-hand combat, nature manipulation, and his light energy field — could all be enhanced in a coordinated manner. Bruno knew his journey was just beginning.
Author:
I went back