The journey back to the castle took eight days and eight nights. The forest tested him with hunger, fatigue, and endless silence, but Naro endured, moving with the patience of a predator.
When the gates of his castle finally came into view, the purple-eyed fairy darted out with a gasp, her wings scattering faint motes of light.
"Master! You're finally here!"
Naro brushed past her, raising a hand dismissively.
"Prepare food."
His tone left no room for questions. She pouted faintly but obeyed.
Naro immediately sat down in the hidden chamber of the castle and began the refinement process for the Blood Dash Nyx.
Refinement. It was the very essence of this world. To climb through the realms, one had to refine step by step. The principle was absolute: gather all of one's aura and nyx into one spot, fuse them together, and temper the body and soul until they aligned with the next rank. Advancement could only be made in order. A cultivator at rank one would require multiple rank 2 nyx to push into rank 2, and so on. No one could cheat the process. Even if a rank one somehow held the fortune of owning a rank 6 immortal nyx, their body would shatter long before ever touching the immortal realm.
Some nyx could be found, seized, or stolen directly. Others had to be refined into existence.
The Blood Dash Nyx fell into the latter. It was a relatively simple blood path nyx, only rank 2 in its base form, but with the potential to grow stronger over time. To create it, the requirements were straightforward: the blood essence core of a vampire, and the user's own blood as the binding medium.
Naro placed the crimson essence core on the stone floor before him. It pulsed faintly, like a heart still beating long after death. Without hesitation, he drew a knife across his palm, blood dripping steadily onto the glowing core. The ritual demanded repetition—ten offerings in total, one each day, across ten days.
And so he followed it.
Each day he reopened the wound, letting his lifeblood sink into the core. Each day the object changed, dark veins spreading across its surface, the glow deepening from faint red to a heavy crimson. By the fifth day, the air of the chamber had grown thick and metallic, the faint scent of blood clinging to every breath. By the seventh, he could feel the core tugging at his aura, as though testing its compatibility.
Naro endured, calm and steady. His will had long been tempered by three centuries of battle—pain meant nothing.
On the tenth day, the core finally cracked apart. What emerged was no longer the vampire's essence—it had transformed. Floating gently above the shattered fragments was a small, sharp crimson shard, shaped like a fang streaked with lines of black. It pulsed faintly with restrained speed, waiting for its master's command.
Naro reached out, the object resting cold and heavy in his palm. A thin smile tugged at his lips.
"The Blood Dash Nyx."
He stood, slipping the shard into a hidden compartment of his robe. As he left the chamber, he noticed the purple-eyed fairy hovering in the corridor, peeking nervously at the sealed door. She quickly tried to hide her worried expression when she saw him, but her glowing eyes gave her away.
Naro brushed past her without a word, though a faint trace of amusement lingered in his gaze.
"Now that I have this," he said quietly to himself, "I'll need to find the rank 3 Blood Pierce… and gather a few more rank 2 blood nyx if I want to refine myself to rank 2."
…
Far beyond the reaches of shadow and ruin stood the legendary Kingdom of Aurora, known throughout the lands as the Radiant Kingdom. Its towers gleamed like jade under the sun, its streets were paved with polished stone, and its rooftops shone with glazed tiles of every color, catching the light like scattered jewels. Wealth and order flowed through every corner of the city, and the people lived in comfort beneath banners of gold and white that fluttered proudly in the wind.
Within Aurora's grand knightly academy, rows of rank 2 trainees stood in formation, each dreaming of glory. Among them was a boy named Lloyd, his reddish hair glinting in the sunlight, his sharp features hardened by determination. Behind his unwavering gaze lay a single purpose: vengeance. Years ago, his mother had fallen to the fangs of vampires, and in his heart burned a vow to one day strike down the strongest of them all—Dracula himself.
At Lloyd's side stood two companions, bound not just by training but by years of friendship. One was a golden-haired girl with radiant eyes and a beauty that drew every glance, her presence as bright as the dawn. The other, a thoughtful boy with short black hair and an intellect that often set him apart, carried himself with quiet resolve. Together, the three of them had grown from childhood within Aurora's walls, and together they now stood at the threshold of destiny—each determined to carve their names into the history of the radiant kingdom.
After weeks of grueling drills, the trainees were finally granted a short respite. For the first time in months, they could relax without the weight of their training regimen pressing down on them.
"Sheesh, finally! It's been so long since we had a chance to breathe. What do you two think about getting some pastries?" Elizabeth asked, her golden hair catching the light as her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Mmm… I would love something sweet for once," Darian replied with a grin, pushing his glasses up his nose.
Lloyd gave a small smile, though his expression quickly clouded. "Sure… I guess."
Elizabeth's smile faded, and she leaned in with concern. "Why the long face, Lloyd? You've been acting strange these past days."
Lloyd let out a heavy sigh. "It's Thalgor. He treats us like absolute shit. Barely trains us, barely even looks at us. For someone who's supposed to be our mentor, he's nothing but a selfish rank 5 knight."
Elizabeth and Darian fell silent at his words. Everyone in the kingdom knew Thalgor's name. He was no ordinary knight—he was the man who once clashed with Dracula himself, defeating the vampire king and forcing him to retreat. The very same man who held the legendary rank 5 nyx, Conqueror's Sun—an artifact so powerful it could strip vampires of their greatest weakness and let them walk freely beneath the sunlight.
It was this single nyx that stood as the wall between Aurora and the vampire legions. And it was also Dracula's most precious prize. If it ever fell into his hands, no mortal kingdom would be able to withstand him.
The girl looked at Lloyd for a moment and said with a small smile, "Ugh… don't worry about him. We've got all this free time now! Let's just enjoy ourselves and have some fun."
Lloyd let out a soft chuckle and felt his tension ease. "Yeah… you're right," he replied, brushing off his earlier frustration.
The three of them went to the marketplace, spending their hard-earned silver coins from the knight academy on pastries, trinkets, and small indulgences. Elizabeth twirled in a few new outfits, her golden hair bouncing with every movement. She looked at them with a playful grin. "How do I look?"
Lloyd turned bright red, his hands clenching slightly at his sides. "Uh… hm… you look… decent…" he muttered, trying—and failing—to sound nonchalant.
Elizabeth laughed, lightly nudging his shoulder. "Decent? That's it? Really, Lloyd? You make it sound like I just… walked out of the bakery!"
Darian chuckled quietly, shaking his head behind them. "You two are hopeless."
Lloyd's blush deepened as he awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "I-I mean… you look fine… perfect, I guess… maybe." He waved his hands, embarrassed, as Elizabeth's laughter rang like bells.
The girl grinned, leaning closer with a teasing glint in her eyes. "Careful, Lloyd… or I might start thinking you actually like me."
He choked on his next word, sputtering. "W-what? N-no! I mean… that's ridiculous—"
Darian groaned and muttered, "Oh, come on…" but couldn't hide his amused smile.
As the sun dipped toward the horizon, painting the sky in shades of gold and crimson, the trio made their way to a high vantage point in the kingdom. From there, the view was breathtaking. Aurora stretched endlessly before them—rows of wooden houses with intricately carved beams, cobblestone streets illuminated by lanterns, and banners that shimmered in the evening light. The city looked alive, majestic, and utterly serene.
Darian leaned against the railing, exhaling a deep, contented sigh. "Ah… it's been a while since we just hung out like this."
Lloyd nodded, his eyes softening as he gazed at the kingdom below. "Yeah… I miss when we were kids… before the… vampire attack."
Elizabeth's smile faltered, and she shook her head gently. "Let's not talk about that tonight. It's too beautiful a night for sad memories."
Lloyd and Darian both nodded in agreement. They sat together, watching the city lights flicker as the stars appeared above. For a few precious hours, there were no worries, no training, no threats—just laughter, friendship, and the quiet magic of Aurora at night.
And for the first time in a long while, all three of them felt truly at peace. They spent most of their breaks with similar days.
…
The castle shook under the weight of the storm. Thunder rolled across the skies, rain slashed against the stone walls, and the cawing of ravens echoed through the empty Forrest. Within his hidden chamber, Naro moved with deliberate calm, taking his time to gather his thoughts. Each shadow in the room seemed to bend toward him, reflecting the careful plotting of a mind honed over centuries.
He had one goal in mind: to take advantage of this second life to its fullest. But unlike before, recklessness would be fatal. Every step had to be measured, every action calculated.
At the beginning of his plan, he needed to reach the rank 2 realm—a critical threshold that would grant him the power and flexibility to move freely and pursue higher objectives. After that, his path would lead him to the Radiant Kingdom, the very heart of mortal power, and eventually, to whatever leverage he could find against the legendary knight Thalgor.
But Naro's memories from his previous life reminded him sharply: the blood path was forbidden. Should any sign of it ever be revealed, the consequences would be swift and merciless. Even a hint that he possessed a blood path nyx would make him an immediate target, and Thalgor—or any other knight loyal to Aurora—would see to it that he never lived to act on his ambitions.
Every move had to be subtle. Every encounter had to be planned.
His first step was simple, at least in concept: gather every rank 2 nyx available and refine his own cultivation to reach the rank 2 realm. Each nyx would not only boost his power but also mask the true source of it. And quietly, in the shadows of his strategy, he planned to secure the Blood Pierce Nyx—a rank three blood path nyx whose potential he already understood from memory.
Naro's eyes narrowed as he looked over the map of the lands he had drawn from memory. Forests teeming with life, ruins abandoned long ago, vampire dens, and trade roads swarming with unsuspecting merchants—all of it was opportunity. He would move like a shadow through the world, gathering power while keeping his true nature hidden.
The storm outside mirrored his thoughts, lightning illuminating the blackened corners of his mind. A thin, cruel smile tugged at Naro's lips.
With that, he readied his gear, packed carefully, and stepped into the night. The rain drenched his cloak, the cawing of ravens following him like a dark chorus, but Naro walked on— every step bringing him closer to power, and closer to a plan that would unfold exactly as he intended.