I woke to sunlight streaming through a window I didn't recognize.
For a few disorienting seconds, I had no idea where I was. The bed was too soft and the air too clean.
Then memory crashed back—Jeff falling, the ceremony, the blade, and Katarina.
I sat up quickly, my hand instinctively reaching for the massive greatsword propped against the wall beside my bed.
'Good morning, darling,' Katarina's voice purred in my mind. 'Sleep well?'
"Well enough," I muttered, running a hand through my white hair.
The room Cedric had given me was small but comfortable—far better than anything I'd had at the orphanage. A proper bed with actual sheets, a wooden desk and chair, a wardrobe for clothes I didn't own yet, and a window overlooking the training grounds.
I dressed quickly in the clothes Cedric had provided—simple black pants and a white shirt. It was pretty unremarkable. Then I grabbed Katarina and headed out to explore.
The executioner barracks were built into the castle's eastern wing, a series of interconnected corridors lined with identical doors.
I passed a few executioners in the hallway, and they nodded respectfully as I went by, though I caught the curious glances they threw at Katarina.
The massive crimson blade was impossible to miss.
I followed the sound of voices and clashing steel until I emerged onto the training grounds—a vast courtyard surrounded by high walls, the ground packed dirt worn smooth by countless boots and practice sessions.
And there, assembled in neat rows, stood what had to be fifty executioners.
All of them in formation.
All of them standing at attention.
Cedric stood at the front, his golden-accented armor gleaming in the morning sun. Kain stood beside him with his arms crossed.
I hesitated at the edge of the grounds, unsure if I should join them or wait.
Cedric's sharp eyes caught my movement. "Vlad! Get over here. You're late."
I hurried over. The assembled executioners watched me with varying expressions—curiosity, respect, suspicion, and in a few cases, barely concealed hostility.
I took my place at the end of the formation beside Sarah, who gave me a nervous smile, and Marius, who didn't acknowledge my existence.
Cedric waited until I settled, then addressed the assembled group.
"Listen up!" His voice carried across the training grounds with practiced ease. "As many of you know, we have new recruits this year. Ten candidates bonded with blades during last night's ceremony."
He gestured toward us. "Sarah Winters, fire manipulation. Marius Clay, lightning manipulation. And Vlad, Clan Ciro memory reading. To name a few."
A few murmurs rippled through the ranks, but Cedric silenced them with a look.
"Which means," he continued, "it's time for our annual training regiment. For the next two weeks, all new recruits and a selection of veteran executioners will travel to the border encampment near vampire territory. There, you will train, you will learn, and you will be tested."
My stomach dropped. Two weeks. Near vampire territory.
'Interesting,' Katarina mused in my mind. 'This should be fun.'
"The journey will take approximately one week," Cedric said. "Pack light but pack smart. We leave in an hour. Dismissed!"
The formation broke apart as executioners dispersed to prepare. I stood there for a moment, processing the announcement.
Two weeks away from the castle. Two weeks of travel. Near the vampire lands.
And I only had a limited supply of Luna's blood crystals.
I reached into my pocket, feeling the small leather pouch she'd given me. I hadn't counted them carefully, but there had to be enough to last four weeks, right?
'You should check, darling,' Katarina suggested. 'Better to know now than discover a problem later.'
She was right.
I found a quiet corner of the barracks and pulled out the pouch, emptying the crystals into my palm.
One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven....
Ten crystals total.
My blood ran cold.
Ten crystals for four weeks.
If I needed one per day to keep the bloodlust manageable, I'd run out in just over a week. Right around the time we reached the encampment.
'That's cutting it close,' Katarina observed, her mental voice lacking its usual playful tone. 'Very close.'
"I'll be fine," I muttered, tucking the crystals back into the pouch. "I just need to ration them carefully."
'And if that's not enough?'
I didn't answer.
I packed what little I owned—a change of clothes, the pouch of crystals, and Katarina—into a simple traveling pack and joined the other recruits at the castle gates.
Sarah was already there, looking nervous but excited. Marius stood apart from everyone else, his lightning blade strapped to his back, his expression cold and focused.
Kain emerged from the castle in full armor, followed by six veteran executioners I didn't recognize. Cedric wouldn't be joining us—the Grandmaster had other duties—but Kain would serve as our commanding officer for the duration of the regiment.
"Form up!" Kain barked. "We move out in five minutes. Stay together, stay alert, and don't do anything stupid."
The journey began.
The first three days passed without incident.
We traveled on foot through forests and across open plains, following old roads that cut through the countryside toward the border.
The veterans set a brutal pace, and by nightfall each day, I was exhausted.
But the bloodlust was worse.
Every night, I could feel it building. A gnawing hunger in the back of my throat that grew stronger with each passing hour. The scent of human blood surrounded me constantly.
It took everything I had not to react.
I consumed one crystal each night before sleep, letting the concentrated blood dissolve on my tongue. It helped, pushing back the hunger just enough to let me function.
But I could feel my supply dwindling.
On the seventh day, as the border encampment finally came into view on the horizon, I swallowed my crystal and realized I was in serious trouble.
The encampment was larger than I'd expected—dozens of tents arranged in organized rows, surrounded by wooden palisade walls and watchtowers.
Executioners moved between the tents, and the smell of cooking fires and weapon oil filled the air.
We were assigned tents—Sarah and I shared one section, Marius and two veterans another. The accommodations were sparse.
That night, as I lay on my bedroll staring at the canvas ceiling above, I pulled out the pouch and counted my remaining crystals.
Three crystals left.
And we'd be here for two week of training.
'You're going to run out,' Katarina stated plainly. 'Three days, maybe four if you really stretch it.'
"I know," I whispered.
'So what's your plan, darling? Run to vampire territory and hope you find someone to feed on? Or do you risk feeding here, surrounded by people trained specifically to kill vampires?'
I closed my eyes, the weight of the decision pressing down on me.