Aldric spoke calmly.
"When I explained it, it might have sounded like there are a lot of steps."
"But in actual practice..."
He looked toward Draven.
"It's almost instantaneous."
"The moment you make eye contact with your target..."
"Everything happens at once."
"Now give her a command."
Draven's eyes remained fixed on Kaelira.
He thought for a moment.
Then—
"Attack."
A brief pause.
"Free yourself."
Kaelira's expression suddenly changed.
Her body moved instantly.
**WHOOSH!**
She twisted violently and lunged toward Aldric.
Aldric raised his arm.
**BANG!**
He blocked her attack.
A grin appeared on his face.
"What a good teacher I am."
Kaelira immediately attacked again.
**SWOOSH!**
Aldric shifted to the side.
Her claws passed dangerously close to his face.
He caught her arm.
Then—
**THUD!**
He struck her.
Kaelira's eyes rolled back.
Her body went limp.
Aldric caught her before she could hit the ground.
He looked down at her unconscious body.
"Lab rat..."
"Your job is over."
He sighed.
"Now go back to sleep."
Aldric turned around.
He carried Kaelira back toward the vehicle.
He opened the door.
**CLICK.**
He placed her back beside Nia.
Then—
He closed the door.
**CLACK.**
Aldric returned to Draven.
Draven looked at him.
"Next."
Aldric stared at him for a moment.
Then he smiled.
"Alright."
He folded his arms.
"Next will be shapeshifting."
He pointed toward himself.
"Vampires have several forms they can take."
"Bat."
"Wolf."
"Depending on the vampire's bloodline and strength, there can be other forms as well."
Draven's eyes narrowed.
"So can I transform into more?"
Aldric smirked.
"Most likely."
"But there's something you need to understand first."
Draven listened.
"Shapeshifting isn't an illusion."
"You're not creating a false image of yourself."
"You're actually changing your entire being."
"Your bones."
"Your muscles."
"Your organs."
"Everything."
Draven looked down at his own hands.
"So I have to control my entire body with mana."
"Correct."
Aldric nodded.
"Your mana allows you to guide the transformation."
"You need to understand what you're changing and maintain control throughout the process."
"Without proper control..."
He paused.
"You could end up with an incomplete transformation."
Draven raised an eyebrow.
"That sounds fucked up."
"It is."
Aldric smiled.
"Now..."
He stepped backward.
"Watch me."
Aldric closed his eyes.
Then—
He released his mana.
**WHOOSH!**
Dark mana erupted from his body.
It wrapped around him like a black mist.
His silhouette began to distort.
His shoulders narrowed.
His arms shrank.
His legs bent inward.
His entire body compressed as his bones and muscles rapidly shifted beneath his skin.
His clothes disappeared into the swirling darkness surrounding him.
The transformation happened so quickly that Draven barely had time to follow it.
A moment later—
A small black bat stood where Aldric had been.
The bat flapped its wings.
**FLAP. FLAP.**
Then—
Aldric's voice came from the bat.
"It's actually really easy."
Draven stared at him.
The bat continued.
"I can't really explain how to do it."
"Since I can remember, I've always been able to transform."
Draven narrowed his eyes.
"So you were just born knowing how?"
"Pretty much."
The bat flapped its wings once.
"But I can only transform into a few things."
Draven nodded.
"A bat."
"A wolf."
"A rat."
"And mist."
He paused.
"You've shown them to me once before."
The bat nodded.
"Yeah."
Then—
Something strange happened.
The bat's body suddenly split apart.
**FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!**
One became two.
Two became four.
Then eight.
Within moments—
The air around Draven was filled with black bats.
Their wings beat rapidly as they circled him from every direction.
**FLAP! FLAP! FLAP!**
Draven's eyes narrowed.
Aldric's voice came from one of the bats.
"But there's something else."
Draven looked around.
"I never said I could only transform into one."
The bats continued flying around him.
"You see..."
"Everyone thinks they're all real."
"But only one of them is."
Draven's eyes narrowed further.
"The others?"
"Clones."
"They're made from my mana."
The bats continued circling him.
"They look exactly the same."
"They move exactly the same."
"And unless you know what you're looking for..."
"It's impossible to tell the difference."
Draven watched them carefully.
His gaze followed each bat as they moved through the air.
Then—
He pointed toward one.
"That one."
The bat stopped.
Aldric's voice came from it.
"...How did you know?"
Draven shrugged.
"To me, it was obvious."
There was a brief silence.
Then—
Aldric's voice came from the bat.
"What a stupid explanation."
Draven's eyebrow twitched.
"You're the one who said it's hard to tell."
"So maybe do it better, dumbass."
The bat's eyes narrowed.
"Shut the hell up."
The surrounding bats suddenly vanished.
**POOF!**
Dark mana scattered through the air.
Aldric returned to his normal form.
He crossed his arms and stared at Draven.
"Let's see you give it a try."
Draven looked at him.
Then—
He looked down at his hands.
He slowly opened and closed his fingers.
He could still feel the dark mana flowing through his body.
*So I have to change my entire body...*
His eyes narrowed.
*And use my mana to control the transformation.*
Draven took a slow breath.
"Alright."
He released his mana.
**WHOOSH!**
Dark mana immediately surged around his body.
Aldric's eyes widened slightly.
Draven's expression remained calm.
He focused entirely on the sensation of his body.
His fingers began to shrink.
His arms followed.
His bones shifted beneath his skin.
Draven's eyes narrowed.
Then—
His entire body began to transform.