"Healers! Now!" Cedric's voice cut through the chaos like a whip crack.
Three figures in white robes rushed forward from the crowd, their feet pounding against the stone as they sprinted toward Jeff's broken body.
They dropped to their knees around him, hands already glowing with soft green light as they began their work
I stood frozen, watching them assess the damage. One healer's face went pale as his hands hovered over Jeff's shattered legs. Another pressed fingers to Jeff's neck, checking his pulse while muttering prayers under her breath.
The third healer. An older man with a gray beard, leaned close to Jeff's face, examining his eyes. His expression darkened.
He gestured urgently to someone behind me. I turned slightly and saw a man in silver armor with bronze accents approaching. Not as ornate as Cedric's golden-marked armor, but clearly someone of rank.
"What is it?" the Vice Captain asked, his voice was sharp and commanding.
Wait, why do I know this voice....
The healer leaned in, whispering something I shouldn't have been able to hear from this distance.
But I did.
"Vice Captain Kain, this boy... he's been under compulsion. A vampire's compulsion."
My blood ran cold.
Compulsion. That's what I'd done.
I'd used vampire magic on him.
And now they knew.
Kain's jaw tightened. He glanced at the crowd, then back at the healer. "Are you certain?"
"Positive. The signs are unmistakable. Dilated pupils and the favt that he doesnt feel the pain yet. Someone commanded him to do this."
"Keep this quiet," Kain said firmly. "We don't need a panic. Treat him and say nothing to anyone else."
The healer nodded and returned to his work.
Kain straightened and walked directly to Cedric, leaning in to whisper something in his ear. Cedric's expression didn't change, but I saw his hand tighten slightly on the hilt of his blade.
My enhanced hearing picked up fragments of their conversation.
"...compulsion... vampire in the area... security..."
Cedric nodded once, then turned back to address the crowd. "The boy will be taken care of. This tragedy will not stop our ceremony."
He gestured for me to follow him toward the platform, but before we could take more than a few steps, a voice rang out.
"Wait!"
Marius pushed through the crowd, his face twisted with indignation. "He hasn't been through the initial trials! You can't just let him skip ahead!"
Several other candidates murmured in agreement. Kain stepped forward, his bronze-accented armor catching the torchlight.
"The boy is correct," Kain said, his voice carrying authority. "All candidates must complete the three trials before attempting the bonding. It's not fair to those who have already proven themselves."
I knew that voice.
Cold recognition washed over me like ice water. The voice that had said "this is mercy" before driving a dagger into my side. The voice that had ordered them to throw me into the ravine.
Kain. The Vice Captain had tried to kill me.
I stared at him, but his face was hidden behind his helmet's visor. All I could see was the gleam of his eyes through the narrow slit.
Cedric held up a hand for silence. "The ceremony is open to all who are of age. There were reports that Vlad was dead. Clearly, someone attacked him to prevent his attendance."
He let that sink in, his gaze sweeping across the assembled executioners. "If we deny him now, we're punishing him for being a victim. That is not justice."
"Then test him now," Kain said flatly. "In front of everyone. Let him prove he's worthy like the others did."
Cedric studied Kain for a long moment, then nodded. "Very well."
He turned to face the crowd, his voice projecting across the courtyard. "Vlad will undergo the three trials here and now, before all witnesses. First. The test of mind."
My heart hammered in my chest. I hadn't prepared for this. I'd thought I'd just slip in during the chaos, get to the blades, and—
"Vlad," Cedric's voice snapped me back to attention. "A vampire has taken hostages inside a church. What do you do?"
The crowd went silent. Hundreds of eyes fixed on me.
I took a breath, thinking it through.
Church.
Hostages.
Vampire.
Then it clicked.
"Nothing," I said clearly.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone shouted from the back, "He's one of them! He has no heart!"
"He's vile! Of course he wouldn't save them!"
"The cursed boy shows his true nature!"
"Grandmaster, you can't seriously consider—"
Marius's voice cut through the noise. "See? He's not fit to be an executioner! He'd let innocent people die!"
More voices joined in, a rising tide of anger and disgust.
"I always knew he was rotten!"
"Vampire-touched filth!"
"Send him away before he corrupts the ceremony!"
Cedric slammed his blade into the stone platform. The sharp crack echoed like thunder, silencing everyone instantly.
"Explain your answer, Vlad," Cedric said calmly.
"Vampires can't enter churches," I said, meeting his gaze. "They can't step on holy ground. If a vampire has taken hostages inside a church, it's a lie. Either the vampire is outside and there safe inside, or there are no hostages at all and it's a trap."
Silence crashed over the courtyard.
Then the murmurs started.
"Wait... is that true?"
"I didn't know vampires couldn't enter churches."
"How does the vile know that?"
"He's right," an older man's voice called out. "Vampires are repelled by holy ground. It's basic lore."
"But how would he know?" someone else demanded. "He never went to the academy!"
"I heard he used to sit outside the school and listen through the windows," a woman said. "Poor thing couldn't afford proper education."
"He wasn't allowed in the school," another voice corrected. "They banned him because of his curse."
"So he taught himself?"
"Apparently better than some of our actual students."
A few nervous laughs scattered through the crowd. I caught several candidates shifting uncomfortably, realizing they wouldn't have known the answer themselves.
Cedric's weathered face broke into a slight smile. "Correct. The boy knows his lore better than most who had formal training."
He let that sink in, his gaze sweeping across the assembled candidates pointedly.
"Next," Cedric continued without pause. "The test of strength."
An executioner approached carrying a massive greatsword. The blade had to be at least five feet long, the steel gleaming in the torchlight.
He handed it to me, and I nearly dropped it from the sheer weight. It caught me off guard. I hadn't prepared myself for how much the blade was gonna weigh.
It had to weigh at least forty pounds.
"Hold the blade straight out in front of you," Cedric instructed. "Arms extended. Do not lower it."
I gripped the leather-wrapped handle with both hands and lifted the sword. I made my arms trembled slightly as I extended them fully, the massive blade pointing straight ahead.
If I didn't make it look like I couldn't hold this blade, someone would probably notice how much stronger i've got in such a short time.
Then two executioners approached, carrying chains. Heavy iron chains with cylindrical weights attached to each end.
They draped the chains across my shoulders, and the weights hung down on either side, pulling at me with brutal force.
The metal bit into my skin through my torn shirt.
My arms shook. The sword dipped slightly, and I gritted my teeth, forcing it back up.
"Five minutes," Cedric announced. "Beginning now."
The first minute wasn't too bad. My vampire strength carried me through, though I had to focus on keeping my arms locked.
"He's holding it steady," someone whispered.
"For now. Give it another minute."
After focusing on the blade almost became lightweight in my hands. But to make it look like this was a challenge.I started involuntarily shaking my arms.
"His arms are shaking."
"Any second now..."
"No one his size should be able to hold that long."
Three minutes. The sword wavered. I could hear whispers from the crowd growing louder.
"Wait, he's still going?"
"How is the vile holding up this long?"
"Three minutes with that much weight... that's impressive."
"Maybe he's not so weak after all."
"Must be some kind of trick."
Four minutes passed by.
"Four minutes! That's longer than half the candidates who passed earlier!"
"The cursed boy has strength?"
"This doesn't make sense."
"How is this possible?"