Nine years had passed.
The boy who had first stood in that throne room—confused, weak, and completely out of place—was gone.
I was no longer that person.
Now I was fourteen years old.
Older.
Stronger.
And far more dangerous than the kid who once accidentally stumbled into the middle of a vampire court.
Still…
Sometimes I wondered if I really understood what kind of path I had stepped onto that day.
Because the moment the Queen decided to train me…
My life stopped belonging only to me.
Training was about to begin.
I arrived at the training grounds early that morning. The air was cool, carrying the faint scent of iron and damp earth. The wide stone arena stretched out before me, its surface scarred with countless marks from swords, claws, and magic used in battles long before I ever stepped foot here.
Lilith walked beside me.
She had been visiting me every day since the Queen decided I would train here. At first I thought it was just curiosity… but after a while, it became routine.
Every morning.
Every training session.
Every time I thought I might collapse from exhaustion.
She was there.
The soft rustle of her cloak followed each step she took as we crossed the training ground together.
"You're early," she said casually, glancing at me.
I shrugged.
"If Atherion is the one training me," I replied, "I'd rather not give him another reason to make things harder."
Lilith smirked faintly.
"Smart."
A cold breeze moved across the arena, carrying the distant sound of metal striking metal from other training areas.
I looked around the massive courtyard.
This place was where warriors of the empire were forged.
And now…
It was where my training would begin.
Atherion stood in the center of the training ground, his tall figure unmoving like a statue carved from stone.
The morning light spilled across the arena, glinting off the scars that marked the ground from years of brutal training.
When he saw me approach, his sharp eyes settled on me calmly.
Then he spoke.
"Today," Atherion said, his deep voice echoing faintly across the training yard, "is the last day I will be teaching you."
For a moment, I thought I had heard him wrong.
"The last day?" I repeated.
Lilith, standing nearby, looked just as surprised.
Atherion folded his arms behind his back, studying me the same way he had the first day we began training.
"You have learned everything I can teach you," he said calmly.
His gaze moved over me carefully, almost like he was measuring the result of nine years of work.
"Your body is strong."
"Your control has improved."
"And your instincts in battle…"
He gave a faint nod.
"…are finally worthy of the training you received."
The wind moved softly through the training yard, carrying the quiet sound of distant weapons clashing.
Then Atherion added one more thing.
"But today…"
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…we will see if you truly learned anything."