Chapter 19

My hands shook as they clasped onto the wooden sword, I was nowhere near ready for what was to come, but I didn't seem to have much of a choice in this matter

When our blades clashed against each other I could feel the sword slipping away. I attempted to resist by strengthening my grip, but my efforts were futile. I was completely outmatched in every sense of the word against this senior who looked like he should be in a retirement home.

The older man created distance, and pondered, before dashing forward with astonishing speed, leaving me no time to react. Upon hearing the sword I should be holding, clattering on the ground behind me, I fell to my knees. 

"Samuel, you wield your blade with such inexperience and a lack of confidence. Are you truly the same person who stalked me for months while begging me to teach him?" He noticed my gaze fixed on the ground and gently raised my head with the wooden sword. "You should look at me while I'm speaking." Our eyes interlocked, his gaze was calm and stern, while mine was pitiful.

"Tell me Samuel is desperation the only thing you have going for yourself." As I listened to him, hazy memories from the past suddenly appeared in my mind. With my head lowered, I observe my hands shaking uncontrollably. "I."

Tar drips down my body and expands into a puddle beneath me. From within, arms stretched out and grabbed my body. I could feel them moving over my body, they were on my face, neck, arms, and chest. They pulled on my clothes as their voices screamed out their feelings, and one of them prominently stayed with me. "You don't deserve to live."

As he glanced downward, a hint of compassion appeared in the elderly man's gaze. He watched as the young man he knew for not that long grabbed his body with his own hands. He seemed utterly out of it with a black stare that was completely dead, watching him grasp his neck with both his hands the old man pulls them off. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, the old man's determination grew stronger. "If you show me persistence and desire to improve. Your lacking capabilities won't hinder you too much. So, stand up boy, and let your past wilt away, as the new you blooms."

As he helped me up, I could feel the world around me turn back to normal. "Sir, I-" Grabbing my shoulder I stop in surprise. "No more sir or mister. Stand tall and know change is coming, for your master is right here."

I stare at him in astonishment, my mouth wide open, before finally closing it and bowing. "Thank you for taking me in, master."

"That's better. Now follow me, I will take you to your room." The elderly man reflects on what happened just moments ago. "What type of demons are haunting you?" Not hearing these words, I follow him into the temple.

Valentine saw his hand moving next to her face as she moved her body. She displayed no emotions as she looked at the monster Samuel had become. He quickly changed direction and charged towards her again, but she effortlessly evaded every attack he launched.

Caught off guard, his sharp claws nearly grazed her, but before they could, she placed her hand on his chest, unleashing a surge of energy that forcefully pushed him aside. With a quick recovery, he smoothly got back onto his feet. As he rushed towards her, his actions were akin to a savage animal. 

With swift and powerful movements, she seizes his head and forcefully slams it onto the ground. "Is this all you got?"

With widened eyes, she tilted her head. As she gently brushed her cheek, she felt a tiny cut oozing blood. The wound closed back up, but what he had done surprised her. Around its body spikes of blood had shot upwards, she had luckily not been hit by any except one.

When she felt his claws digging into her leg, she retaliated by kicking him in the face. "Filthy animal." Even though her words were harsh, she had a slight smile on her face.

When the monstrous Samuel came to a standstill, he roared out loud, causing the blood that spilled from his body to move in Valentine's direction. Spikes shot up towards her, but from a certain point, it couldn't grow anymore. Valentine stared at him with glowing red eyes and a smile on her face. 

With a swipe of her hand, all the blood shot up into the air, and in its liquidity form, it flew in front of her. "It's cute what you are trying to do." With a nap of her fingers, all the blood turned into spears. "But if you want to leave another scratch on my body you'll have to try harder"

Samuel Dashed forward with an enraged roar and so did the spears. They charged through the air piercing both Samuel's hands. With their incredible speed and force, Samuel was dragged backward until they slammed into the ground. Pinned to the ground with both hands Samuel moved his legs to escape but they as well were mercilessly punctured by two more spears from above, rendering him completely immobilized.

Valentine looked at his gaze glaring at her, her eyes glowed a bright red, and after some time his expression started to change. From within, the feral Samuel could feel his blood moving around. He began to scream in agony as thousands of small spikes pierced out of his body.

Time passed by and not a single moment did the old man leave me alone. Waking up early in the morning, I sprinted down the mountain to fetch water and struggled to carry it back up. If I didn't arrive by sunrise the old man would put me through axillary training.

"You're late by two minutes." Sternly staring at me I huffed and puffed, but he didn't seem to care. He brought me a large basket filled with stones, and with a loud thud, he dropped it on the pavement in front of me.

"Again, can't I eat first?" From the glare in his eyes, I could immediately discern the answer. As I grabbed the basket-like backpack, I could feel its weight pressing against my back as I started running downhill. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I arrived back at the entrance to the temple, exhausted and relieved. "Finally, I can go eat."

"What do you think you're doing?" As I looked up, I saw him standing directly in front of me, his gaze fixed intently on mine.

"What do you mean? I'm going inside?"

 "When did I ever say you only needed to do it once?" Baffled by his words, I was dreading going back down. "But all the other times-" I couldn't finish my sentences as the old man talked over me. "Well, I changed my mind, so keep doing it until I say you can stop."

Disheartened I pick back up the bag. "Right." With shaking legs, I started my second lap.

"And address me by master!" I sighed as I heard his voice echoing in the distance. "Yes, master!"

Almost at the entrance, it was now my third lap, and I could barely hold on. Completely worn out I tried to get up higher, but it seemed impossible to do. My vision blurred, causing me to drop the bag off my back and collapse onto the ground.

Startled, I jolt awake, with the softness of my bed beneath me. "Was that all just a dream?" My eyes came to a halt as I fixed my gaze upon the nightstand, where a bowl of warm soup was placed.

"Now that you're awake-" Walking into my room, the old man was about to speak but paused upon seeing me vigorously devouring the soup.

As I noticed him in my peripheral vision, I instinctively placed the spoon aside and lowered my head. "Master." Afterward, I went back to consuming the soup.

With a cough, he interrupted me once more, causing me to shift my gaze towards him. "When you're finished, come to the courtyard. Don't think you can skip the rest of the training just because you fainted."

his words made my heart sink, but at least I had this delicious soup to help me through my sorrow.

When I left the temple, I noticed him seated on the chilly stone floor, legs crossed, and eyes shut. Upon opening his eyes, he looked at me. "Come and meditate with me."

"Yes, master." I mirrored his posture and closed my eyes while sitting beside him. It was in these moments that my mind could wonder, and it was always accompanied by a strange feeling that I didn't understand. As if someone was screaming the answer at me, but I still couldn't hear them. It didn't matter what day, or what time, I would see it at least once every day. That tower that seemed so mysterious, what is it?

The moment I opened my eyes, my master was standing right in front of me. "How much time has passed, master."

"Three hours or so." Not believing him, I looked at the sun that had moved quite a bit already. 'He wasn't lying about three hours had passed.'

As I rose, I still felt the soreness in my body from this morning, although it had slightly improved. I caught a whiff of something delicious and felt an urge to follow the scent. However, I was halted by an old man who firmly gripped my shoulder. "If you want to eat it, you better prove to me your worth, or it's going to be slop for you." As I turned, he presented me with a wooden sword.

"Are you ready?"

"I don't know I'm still sore." Despite having heard me, the elderly man dismisses my words and proceeds to attack me. As I blocked his blade, I exerted more strength into my sword, but I started to lose sensation in my arms. "Then you'll have to put in extra effort." Throughout the rest of the spar, I tried my best to keep up until the very end.

As I looked up at the sky, its beauty overwhelmed me and I longed for this to be everlasting. But what could end this, it was a question I never found the answer for nor understood why it clung so much to me. "Are you going to stay on the ground or are you getting back up." When I heard my master, I shook my head, trying to leave these thoughts behind. 'What am I thinking.'

Once I got back on my feet, master served me slop. Time began to pass by, and so fall left and winter came, but winter wasn't for long either, in spring we traveled more down the mountain to train, and summer was the hardest yet. When fall came back around, we were in the courtyard and stared at each other.

"Why have you called me, master?" When I observed master, he had a melancholic expression on his face. "Has it already been a year?" With his gaze upwards to the sky, he seemed to reminisce about something.

"Master?" Confused I stared at him.

"I enjoyed my time training you." I noticed a sad expression on his face as he stared at me. "What do you mean, master? We still have so much time we can send." My head spun as I couldn't comprehend why he was saying these things.

"Samuel!?" As the sky filled my gaze, I saw him leaving my sight. While falling backward, I waited for impact by closing my eyes, but when I opened them, I was standing in the courtyard with the moon up high and no one around.

As I sniffed, a familiar smell filled my nose - a sweaty scent. I couldn't explain it, but the aroma made me hungry, and my stomach started growling. Weirdly, I had a strong craving for something it was unusual, but the thought of blood lingered in my mind.

'Valentine?' Although I couldn't recall ever hearing this name before, what popped up in my mind was me feasting on an incredibly delicious meal.

'Where could master have gone?' I attempted to fight off the urge, and turned my head to inspect my surroundings, only to be engulfed in flames that consumed everything around me. Hysterically looking around I could now only see flames.

Gradually, a figure emerged before me, crouched on the pavement, their screams reverberating in my ears, and I instantly recognized their voice. As I approach him, I reach out and place my hand on his shoulder, causing his head to quickly turn towards me. His pure black eyes stared at me while tar-like tears moved down their face.

Creeped out by this, I instinctively walked away from him, when I did my vision distorted and everything turned black.

When light pierced my eyes, I found myself on a grassy plain with something underneath me, as I looked down to see what it could be I nearly went into shock. A body laid right under me and below it was a large puddle of blood.

A lot of time had already passed by, and Samuel still hadn't regained consciousness. Valentine who sat on a chair made from his blood looked down at the monster that had taken his place. 

Even though she usually held a stern expression, her eyes showed hints of sadness and disappointment. "Is this how it ends." Valentine gently touched her chest, exactly where her heart should be. "You were able to wield blood even before you fully transformed, but now look at yourself a mindless beast left with only one goal to devour me."

Valentine contemplated what to do she knew the risk when she started this, but it wasn't looking favorable. About twenty hours had already passed, but he still hadn't woken up.

With her head towards the crystals illuminating the massive cave they were in, the confidence she usually carried like everything she did was under her control had vanished, leaving only a woman wondering if the path she had chosen was worth it.

As she got up from the chair, it morphed into a spear and loomed right above Samuel's heart. Her mind raced as she stood ready to end it all. The spear shivered mid-air and so did her body with a deep sigh she opened her mouth. "I guess this is goodbye."

Right as she was to finish it, she swiped her hand to the right, causing the blood to follow. She fixed her gaze on Samuel's hands and feet as he absorbed the spears that had been impaled in them. 

When he got on both feet, she couldn't keep her eyes off him. "Samuel?" Hope had come back in her eyes as they held eye contact, had he done something many others were incapable of, had he come back to save her life?

What did leave her confused was his motionlessness, like a zombie his red eyes stared at her, but that was it. Valentine's heart pounded the longer this went on until suddenly she found herself on the ground with him right above her. 

nothing had changed he was still in his state of transformation he was still a mindless beast and now she was the one being held to the ground. She tried to use her mind to control the blood around her, but because of her state of mind, she couldn't think properly. Her motivation had hit rock bottom and no matter what she did the outcome wasn't going to change.

When he let go of her arms, she didn't even try to retaliate. With his back straight, he charged his hand straight for her heart. Ready for what's to come she had already steeled herself for this outcome before.

Valentine felt the impact on her chest but it wasn't what she expected, before the hand had reached her the claws had already disappeared, and now when she looked at Samuel she could see his human form once more.

As he opened his eyes, Samuel was surprised to find her lying beneath him. "Valentine? I'm sorry I'll get off right away."

When she saw him awkwardly trying to get off her she stopped him by clinging her legs around him. Valentine's heart raced as she got face-to-face with him. "Ssshhhh." She placed her finger on his mouth and leaned in even closer.

She grasped the back of his head and whispered in his ear, drawing him closer to her neck. "Don't I smell delicious?"

The fragrance I smelled seemed familiar somehow, making me incapable of controlling myself when it entered my nostrils. When I opened my mouth, my two upper Canines grew longer and sharper before piercing her neck. As Valentine felt her blood being sucked, she also opens her mouth and sinks her teeth into mine.