I opened the door to my room and made my way to the washroom to freshen up. The day had been long, but not without its rewards. I slid into the tub, closing my eyes, allowing the water to ease the tension from my muscles. My mind, however, remained focused. I needed to bring Lucian over to my side. For that, I needed information—everything about him. His interests, routines, likes, dislikes. What could I use to turn him to my advantage? I had initially considered asking Vasen to gather the intel, but then I had another thought: Yelena.

She needed more experience, to start taking on tasks that would earn her rewards, deepening her dependence on me. This would allow me to gauge how far I had bent her to my will, to see just how effective the two months of training had been. From what I observed earlier today, it had worked wonders.

I rose from the tub and slipped into a white silk robe. The room was dimly lit, and as I crossed to the corner where I kept my supply, I noted that the gallon of blood was already down by a quarter. I poured myself a glass and drank, feeling the warmth spread through me as I refined my lungs, sharpening my senses, as long as I could. Afterward, I went to bed, letting sleep take me.

At some point in the night, I woke and began the familiar routine of refining my lungs using the fireflies that floated around me. For two months now, this had been part of my nightly ritual. I continued until the first light of dawn streamed through the windows, chasing the fireflies away. Then, as usual, I rose, freshened up, and changed into my training clothes.

I walked down the hallway, dressed in a white shirt and trousers, a simple but functional outfit I favored for training. When I entered the hall, Lucian was already there, standing tall, his presence commanding the room.

"How are you doing, Lucian?" I asked, approaching him calmly.

"I am well, my prince. Thank you for asking," he responded, though his tone lacked its usual vigor. Over the past few days, I had noticed subtle changes in him. Nocturnals could heal from almost anything, so his physical appearance hadn't shifted, but his bearing had—his aura was heavier, his movements slightly wearier. This was why I had tasked Yelena with gathering information on him. There was something here, something I could exploit to bring him closer to me.

"Are you sure? You seem... off," I pressed, letting him know that I had taken notice.

"I appreciate your concern, but it's nothing that should trouble you, my prince. My thoughts are my own burdens to bear," Lucian said, his voice respectful yet distant.

"Well, if you ever need help, don't hesitate to ask," I replied, making sure he understood that I was watching, always.

"I will, my prince," he said, straightening his posture, slipping back into his role as the unshakeable trainer.

"Today is significant," Lucian continued, his voice sharpening with purpose. "It's time for our first spar. You've learned everything I've taught you about your powers. Now it's time for practical application."

This was the moment I'd been waiting for. A real fight. Finally.

"When do we start?" I asked, my body instantly tensing in readiness. My horns extended, my nails sharpened into claws, and my fangs lengthened. My power surged within me, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

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"Now," Lucian said, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished.

I felt a chill against my back and instinctively moved aside without hesitation. An ice blade slashed through the space I had just vacated, aiming for my heart. I scanned the room, searching for Lucian, when an ice spear whizzed past my head. A silver blade manifested in my hand as I swung at the source, but not at the weapon itself—I targeted the flicker of movement behind it. My slash, charged with energy, missed the figure by a hair's breadth, but not before the spear tore through my skin and grazed my skull before vanishing.

I expected the hit, so I didn't bother defending. Instead, I used the moment to counterattack.

I flashed forward, chasing the blur that was Lucian. Another spear of ice shot toward me, this time straight for my heart. I slashed at it, sending a wave of energy to collide with the ice, both vanishing in a deafening clash. My blade shifted into a silver whip, which I lashed through the air behind my back leaving a gleaming trail as it struck the figure launching the ice spear on my heart form my back. It met a cold, impenetrable shield, leaving a crack before Lucian disappeared again, another ice spear slamming into my back where my heart would be. The silver skin over my chest cracked but quickly repaired itself.

His speed was astounding, and his control over ice was flawless. This was going to be a difficult fight.

Sensing him behind me, I whirled around, the whip transforming into a longsword just in time to clash with Lucian's ice blade. He pressed forward, and I blocked again. I had learned close combat as well. Our blades clashed repeatedly as our figure flashed trough the air leaving a white and silver trail in their wake, sending sparks of silver and white as chunks of ice and silver essence fell, dissolving into the air around us.

Lucian's attacks grew stronger, and I blocked each one, but then, without warning, an ice dagger appeared in his other hand, aiming for my stomach. I attempted to summon a shield, but I was too slow. The dagger shattered my weak and unstable silver Shield, slashing through my flesh and leaving my intestines exposed. I felt the searing pain as essence rushed through me, knitting my body back together. I swung at Lucian, but he disappeared again, only for a rain of ice spears to fill the air, descending toward me.

I manifested a large shield, thick and solid, as it clashed with the barrage of spears there were some cracks on the thick silver shield but they were quickly filled again, but the spears were concentrated at my heart, tearing through the barrier. They struck my chest, cracking the silver covering over my skin tearing through my flesh and clashing with my silver heart before dissipating. My essence worked quickly, mending the damage, but the barrage continued, spears also tearing through my face, clashing with my skull.

A presence appeared behind me. I turned, summoning a crossbow. I released a barrage of essence-charged arrows, clashing with the spears aimed at me, and more flew toward Lucian's blurred figure. The arrows slammed into his icy shield, but with a wave of his hand, a freezing wind swept through the hall, turning my arrows to frost before they could reach him.

I had to end this. My crossbow shifted into a spear, and I poured almost all of my remaining essence into it. With a final effort, I hurled the spear toward him. It tore through the air, shimmering with silver brilliance. Frost began to form on its surface, but it still sped toward Lucian, who finally noticed the threat. He attempted to concentrate the freezing air to stop it, but the spear cut through everything, colliding with his shield. Time seemed to stand still as cracks spread across the icy barrier.

The shield shattered with a resounding crack, but Lucian moved just before the spear could pierce his heart. The silver brilliance changed its trajectory cashing at the retreating figure throwing silver spears to clash with it but it tore through everything even the very space itself.

Due to using a large amount of my essence in that attack the Shield covering my back from the Lucian's ice spears thinned until it finally cracked as the remaining ice spears embedded in my body, the essence rushed through my body mending the damage.

The silver spear embedded itself into the figure's back, but it dissolved into sparks before delivering the fatal blow to the heart.

I stood, panting, as the last of my essence mended my body. Lucian reappeared in front of me, a white spear aimed at my heart.

"Too reckless," he said, his voice as cold as the ice he wielded. Then, with a flick of his hand, the white cold spears embedded in my body vanished.