Illyana's Vampire Hunter Graduation Exam

Kara (POV)

That night, Kara and Illyana arrived at another vampire den.

"My, my, queen." Illyana bowed, but there was a playful glint in her eye.

"The time has come."

"Though I'm not so courageous, I'm glad I haven't disappointed your expectations, my queen." Her smile was teasing, but her tone still held respect.

"Good, let's go."

"Yes, my queen."

"Do you see this ballroom?" Kara pointed to the bustling entrance.

"This is the ballroom? Oh, I was expecting something a bit more... intimate." Illyana's grin was wide as she glanced around, her voice a little too sweet. "Please, give your orders, my queen."

"Below us is a gathering of vampires. I won't help you. In a moment, you'll need to figure out how to descend from the rooftop on your own. I'll also lift my shield, so how you hide your presence is up to you." Kara's calm voice sent a shiver down Illyana's spine, but she didn't flinch.

Illyana tightened her grip on the rapier, eyes still glimmering with mischief. "My queen, should I kill them all?"

"I want you to eliminate the vampires below. You decide how to do it."

"Yes, my queen."

Illyana moved away from Kara and, using the fire escape swiftly leaped from the rooftop to the ground below. Kara watched her every move with an approving glance.

"Not bad, using the terrain," Kara said, her voice almost soft with admiration.

Kara and Illyana stood on the rooftop, shadows draped around them like cloaks. Below, the vampire den pulsed with unnatural energy.

"Your Majesty," Illyana said with an exaggerated bow, the glint in her eyes bordering on mischievous. "Such an honor to serve."

"Cut the theatrics, Illyana," Kara replied, smirking. "The show's about to start."

Illyana straightened, brushing imaginary dust off her shoulder. "Though I might be a touch of a deviant, I live to exceed your expectations, Queen Kara." Her smile was teasing, but her tone held a thread of sincerity.

"Good. Let's see if you live up to them." Kara pointed to the entrance below. "Do you see that ballroom?"

Illyana arched a brow, glancing at the scene of the chaos below—vampires milling around like predators at a buffet. "This? A ballroom? I was expecting something with a chandelier and maybe less… sewer chic."

Kara tilted her head, unfazed. "Focus. Down there's a nest. Your job? Clean it out. I'm not helping you—at all. Oh, and I'll drop my shield in a second, so you're on your own to mask your presence. How you get in, that's your problem."

Illyana's grin widened as she adjusted her grip on the rapier. "And if I kill them all, will that earn me a gold star?"

Kara's expression stayed cool, but her eyes glinted with something close to amusement. "If they're all dead, I'll consider it."

"Yes, my queen." Illyana's tone was sweet, almost mocking, but she moved with purpose. Without another word, she darted toward the fire escape, her steps nimble and soundless.

Kara watched her descend with practiced ease, her lips quirking in approval as Illyana landed silently on the ground below. "Using the terrain," Kara murmured, folding her arms. "Smart. Let's see if you're as good with a blade as you are with snark."

From the rooftop, Kara stayed perched in the shadows, her sharp gaze locked on Illyana. The hunt was on.

Illyana landed with the effortless grace of a cat, her boots making barely a whisper as they touched the ground. She approached the ballroom entrance, her movements smooth but deliberate. Just as she reached the doors, two burly guards blocked her path.

"Hold up," one growled. "Private club. No invite, no entry."

Illyana tilted her head, her smirk curling like smoke. "Invitation, huh?" she murmured, her tone light but tinged with amusement. She could almost feel Kara's mocking gaze from the rooftop, daring her to improvise.

"Well, if that's how you play it…" With a burst of supernatural speed, she was behind the guard before he could blink. A quick, precise strike to the back of his neck sent him collapsing to the ground. His companion barely had time to register the movement before Illyana tapped the unconscious man's shoulder with her boot. "Not much of a gatekeeper, are you?" she quipped. "Guess I'm on the guest list now."

Sliding through the entrance, Illyana took in the ballroom. The dimly lit space had the moody air of an old noir film, though the crowd of vampires gave it more of a predator's den vibe.

She wrinkled her nose as a cacophony of off-key wailing hit her ears. "Ugh, this is the entertainment?" she groaned, glaring at the performers on stage. "I've heard alley cats in heat that sounded better."

Scanning the room, she noted the absence of humans. "No humans? Perfect," she muttered. With a dramatic flick of her cloak, she drew the rapier from her waist, its blade gleaming like a shard of moonlight. She licked her lips with a playful glint in her eyes. "Time for some fun."

She raised her rapier, aiming with deadly precision. In a swift motion, she unleashed four Shadow Arrows, each one zipping through the air with surgical precision. The performers barely had time to react before they collapsed, their screeches cut short. "Much better," she purred as silence descended over the room.

With the vampires on stage dead, the ballroom was thrown into chaos. Security and patrons, all vampires, bared their fangs and charged at Illyana.

"Oh, look. They're angry," Illyana said with mock sympathy, her tone dripping with amusement. "What's wrong, boys? Can't handle a little constructive criticism?"

"Howling like beasts. Bastards, you think you can overwhelm me with numbers. A bunch of wild dogs."

The first wave of vampires lunged at her, snarling like feral beasts. Illyana moved like water, her strikes fluid and unerring. Each thrust of her rapier left another vampire writhing on the ground, their regenerative abilities failing to keep up with her precise, devastating attacks.

One of them staggered back, clutching his side. "You're not a hunter. Who are you?"

Illyana tilted her head, feigning a moment of thought. "Who am I?" she echoed, her grin widening. "Why don't you take a deep whiff and figure it out?"

The vampires hesitated, sniffing the air. Their faces twisted in shock. "That scent... You're from the Vampire Council!"

A murmur spread through the room like wildfire. "It's about Frost! The Council knows our plan—they've sent someone after us!" one hissed.

"The Vampire Council!?" Illyana's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly suppressed the fluttering. What am I thinking? My queen's strength is unquestionable. Illyana dismissed the thought, keeping her expression neutral as she sized up her enemies. "None of you will leave here alive today."

Another sneered, though his confidence was clearly shaken. "We can't escape now. If the Vampire Council's sent someone, there's no going back. We might as well fight her. Kill her, and we might survive!"

"Some courage, mutts." Illyana's grin widened as she raised her rapier and stepped forward confidently. With a subtle shift, her blade sliced through the circle of vampires, dancing like a sliver of shadow and light. She moved with ruthless precision, each strike swift and deadly. Limbs fell to the ground, blood pooling at her feet. "Mutts. No matter how many of you there are, you're useless—just all bark, no bite."

"Is that all you've got?" she taunted, stepping over the broken remains of her foes. "Honestly, I expected more from Frost's loyal lapdogs. Guess you're as pathetic as he is."

Illyana wiped her blade clean as the last vampire fell, her smile never faltering. "Mutts," she said again, kicking aside a severed arm. "Always biting off more than they can chew."

"Don't underestimate us!"

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! The vampires unleashed a storm of bullets, the muzzle flashes painting the room in chaotic light. The barrage formed a deadly web aimed straight at Illyana.

She grinned, sidestepping the hail of gunfire with almost insulting ease. "Guns? Really? You'd think by now someone would've told you—I'm faster than your pea shooters. Adorable effort, though."

"Big talk, Council bitch!" one snarled, leveling a rocket launcher with a click.

SWOOSH—BOOM!

The explosion rocked the room, sending Illyana crashing through shattered furniture and onto the floor. A dark pool of blood spread beneath her as smoke curled through the air.

"Cough, cough..." Illyana's weak voice broke the silence. "So that's what a rocket launcher feels like. Gotta say... it hurts like hell." Yet even as she gasped for breath, her eyes glinted with amusement.

Before she could rise, massive hands slammed her down, pinning her to the ground. One particularly hulking vampire stepped on her face, sneering. "Still mouthing off, you little dog? Let's see you bark now!"

"Boss! Boss!" one of the lackeys yelled in panic, his voice cracking.

"What is it? Spit it out!" the leader snapped.

"It's the blood! It's—flowing! It's moving toward her!"

Illyana's body convulsed, and from her throat came a blood-curdling screech that stopped every vampire cold. It wasn't human—it was pure, unfiltered rage and hunger.

"You dare to do this to me?" Her voice was a low, predatory growl that rose into a triumphant snarl. "Now you'll see what happens!"

Blood-red light erupted from her body like jagged lightning, latching onto the vampires around her. They screamed as the tendrils pierced their flesh, draining them dry in mere seconds.

"Life Drain," she purred, her voice laced with mockery as she licked her lips, savoring the taste. "Who knew such filthy blood could be so… satisfying."

She rose to her feet with eerie grace, her once-weak form now pulsing with power. Her rapier clattered to the ground as her hands became her weapons. With brutal precision, she tore through the vampires around her, ripping them apart in a storm of claws and blood-red light.

Her laughter echoed through the chaos, wild and unhinged. "Now this—this is more like it!"

"Run! RUN!" one vampire screamed, the others scrambling toward the door in a blind panic.

Illyana moved faster than they could perceive, suddenly appearing in front of the exit, her grin wicked and wide. "Leaving so soon? Oh no, we're just getting started."

Behind her, an echo of her voice whispered darkly, "There are two of me now."

"That's right!" Illyana declared, her tone dripping with mockery. "Twice the rage, twice the fun!"

When the vampires raised their guns in desperation, her 'Corrosion' rendered their weapons useless as a wave of dark energy washed over them, causing the weapons to corrode into molten scrap.

"Guns again?" she taunted, shaking her head. "Sweethearts, haven't you learned?"

In a frenzy, the remaining vampires discarding their now-useless guns, charged her barehanded.

Illyana's smile didn't waver. Raising her arms, she unleashed a flurry of Shadow Arrows that punched clean through their bodies one after another, each bolt precise and devastating.

With a final flourish, she activated Life Drain. The red glow wrapped around her enemies, draining their blood in mere moments. What remained were brittle, lifeless husks that collapsed to the floor like deflated sex dolls.

Illyana brushed the blood from her face with a satisfied sigh, surveying the carnage. "Cleanup duty, done. Guess the Council's bitch knows how to bite after all."

"Run, you bastards!" Illyana's voice rang out, a mixture of cruelty and amusement. Her pale hands punched through chests with grotesque precision, sending severed limbs flying as her laughter echoed through the grand ballroom. A particularly unfortunate vampire lost his head—literally—with a swift kick that sent it careening into a shattered chandelier.

"Get up, you mutts!" she taunted, her grin wide and wild. The room was an orchestra of dripping blood and anguished cries, with Illyana conducting the chaos. "Is that it?" She tilted her head, mock disappointment painted across her face. "Fine. If you can't entertain me, I'll just take all your blood."

The red glow of Life Drain expanded, its light seeping into every corner of the room. Blood flowed like rivers, pulled from bodies, spilled drinks, and even the wine glasses on the tables. Wherever it touched, the glow left behind hollowed corpses and severed body parts. Illyana reveled in the destruction, her eyes sparkling with twisted satisfaction as the last vampires crumbled to ash.

She stood amid the carnage, her boots planted in a sea of ash and blood. For a moment, the wild grin faltered, confusion flickering across her face. "What... happened to me?" she murmured, staring at her pale, slender hands, trembling as if the overwhelming hunger still clawed at her insides.

The shrill wail of approaching police sirens shattered her daze. Snapping back to reality, she shook her head. "No time for an existential crisis," she muttered, her voice low. "First, I need to find my queen. The rest can wait."

With a swift transformation, Illyana's form melted into a sleek bat, her wings flapping as she darted toward the rooftops in the distance.

Kara stood atop the rooftop, her gaze fixed on the distant chaos as her mind raced. "Was it her nature? Did the enchantments on the sword transfer to her?" Her sharp eyes narrowed. "Very weird... But then again, I've never seen her injured—not once. Maybe it's not cowardice. Maybe she's avoiding something she doesn't understand." She frowned, the pieces of Illyana's dark past swirling in her mind. "Something happened to her in that institution. That much is clear."

Her musings were interrupted by the faint flutter of wings. "Hm? She's back," Kara muttered. Her heightened senses locked onto the incoming bat, its erratic flight suggesting exhaustion or injury.

Illyana landed awkwardly, her bat wings folding with visible effort before she shifted back to her human form. She straightened with a groan, brushing stray ash from her cloak.

"Where is my queen?" she murmured, her nose wrinkling as she sniffed the air dramatically. "No scent. Nothing. She was just here..."

Before she could finish her thought, an irresistible telekinetic force yanked her upwards. She flailed briefly before being dropped unceremoniously at Kara's feet.

Kara stood there, arms crossed, her expression unreadable. "Looking for someone?" she asked, her tone cool as ever.

"My queen, your servant awaits your command," Illyana said, kneeling with exaggerated respect, but her eyes still sparkled with a hint of mischief.

"Get up," Kara's voice was steady, but Illyana felt a growing unease in her heart, the playful glint in her eyes dimming slightly.

"Yes, my queen," Illyana replied, lifting herself from her kneeling position. She kissed Kara's hand with a quick, teasing peck before standing. "As always, your servant's loyalty is yours alone."

"How did the mission go?" Kara asked, exasperated with Illyana's antics, though the concern in her tone was barely perceptible.

"My queen, I completed it," Illyana's face grew pale, a brief flicker of something unpleasant flashing across her expression. "But…"

"Hmm, do you have anything you wish to tell me?" Kara inquired, her eyes narrowing slightly.

"My queen, I... think I went a little crazy earlier," Illyana admitted, her voice soft, almost embarrassed.

"Oh? How so?" Kara's expression turned serious, though there was still a hint of curiosity beneath her calm demeanor.

"I was careless, injured by a rocket, and my anger surged. I tried to recover my body, but there was no blood to restore me. Suddenly, I felt blood flowing toward me, and then... I went berserk. I, savagely, killed each target, draining them of their blood until everyone was reduced to mummified corpses. They turned to ash…"

Kara's eyes narrowed as she processed the details. Could this be related to her ability? She absorbs knowledge and skill through blood drinking... maybe this is a side effect? Strange… Kara's thoughts shifted, but her expression remained unchanged. She spoke aloud, "Let's return and check on you. We'll figure this out."

Kara's eyes narrowed, her sharp mind processing the revelation. Could it be tied to her abilities? Absorbing blood... knowledge... skill? A side effect, maybe? But why now?

Kara's expression remained calm, though her tone turned firm. "We need to figure this out. Let's get back to you and check on you. Whatever this is—it's not random."

Illyana nodded, her usual smirk replaced by quiet resolve. "Yes, my queen. I'll follow wherever you lead."

"Good," Kara said, turning away. "Because next time you 'lose control,' I'd like a little more warning before you turn any place filled with humans into a bloodbath."

....

Back at their hideout, Kara led Illyana to her bedroom. Without preamble, she gestured to the bed. "Take off your clothes and lie down."

Illyana's pale face flushed crimson—a feat she didn't think possible for a vampire. Her mind went into overdrive, performing metaphorical cartwheels. Is this it? Is she finally going to claim me? She bit her lip as she began to undress slowly, dramatically, her eyes never leaving Kara.

But Kara's next words shattered her fantasies like glass.

"Relax. I'm just going to check if there's anything wrong with your body."

Illyana froze mid-strip, her hopes crashing to the floor. She sighed dramatically, muttering under her breath, "Of course, you are…"

Kara ignored the comment, already casting detection spells. Magic shimmered in the air as her hands moved expertly, scanning Illyana's body. Mental probes and soul magic followed, their invisible tendrils reaching deep. Minutes passed, Kara's expression, neutral but focused.

Finally, Kara stepped back, crossing her arms as she met Illyana's anxious gaze. "Good news—you're fine. Nothing's wrong with your body or mind."

"Really?" Illyana asked, trying not to sound too relieved—or disappointed.

Kara nodded. "You've probably been deprived of blood for too long. When you were in the Underworld, your demonic nature compensated. But now that you're out, your vampire instincts are kicking back in. Give it a few days to balance out."

Illyana let out a breath, her lips curling into a smirk. "That's a relief. But, you know, it's weird—I didn't feel the usual hunger. At least, not the kind I had before you made me your knight, this was different." She paused, her grin turning wicked. "Not that I'm complaining. After all, I'd much rather feast on you, my queen."

Kara ran a hand through her hair, her patience wearing thin. This woman... She suppressed the urge to knock Illyana out cold. Sure, Illyana was undeniably attractive, but she was also Kara's subordinate—and that came with boundaries.

Ignoring the flirtation, Kara summoned a set of clothing from her subspace unit, tossing it onto the bed. "Here. This is your new outfit. Change into it later. Also, your new room is ready."

Illyana perked up at that, her eyes sparkling. "A new room? For me, my queen?" Her tone was innocent enough, but the playful desire lurking beneath was unmistakable.

"Yes," Kara said, either oblivious or pretending to be. She led Illyana down the hall. "It's done in brown marble with red velvet fabric. You'll like it."

But when they arrived, Illyana froze. "Wait… this is a coffin." Her voice rose, equal parts disbelief and horror. She glanced around the small, coffin-like space. "This isn't a new room. What happened to the new room? I hate coffins!" she said internally to herself in exasperation.

Kara turned, frowning slightly at Illyana's lack of enthusiasm. "Are you tired? You should rest."

"Oh, yes, I'll rest now," Illyana replied dramatically, throwing herself into the coffin with all the grace of a disgruntled cat. She didn't bother hiding the annoyance in her tone. As the lid creaked shut, she muttered, "I swear this thing is mocking me..."

Kara watched her with a mixture of exasperation and amusement. "Goodnight, Illyana. Try not to redecorate while you sulk."

From inside the coffin, a muffled voice replied, "No promises."