The next day in the Vampire Kingdom began exactly as the previous night had ended: dark, cold, and with Kael irritated.
Technically, there was morning. Vampires called morning the period when the mist became less dense, the red lanterns were extinguished on some avenues, and the palace's stained glass filtered grayish light instead of pure darkness. To Kael, it was still night by another name. The capital remained gloomy, the towers remained sharp against the sky, and the air still had that metallic smell that seemed to be part of the stone itself.
He stood in the same training courtyard as the day before, arms crossed, staring at the ground as if the ground were guilty of something.
In front of him, a long mark crossed the reinforced stone. It was thinner than the cracks from the previous day, less destructive, and far more precise. Beside it, there were four smaller marks, each the result of a different attempt. None was perfect, but all showed progress.
