Chapter 166: Two Last Borns
The court of celestial Valor was empty by the time Ivan led Maurice and his sister into the opened training ground, and Maurice could vividly remember watching the two strange vampires clash at this exact spot earlier today. The sun was gradually starting to dip along the horizon, casting long shadows across the training ground, while Ivan and Maurice stood at the center of the strange ring that was intricately designed to look like a bat.... A very scary-looking bat - Maurice mentally noted with recognition.
He glanced at his sister who stood at the safer side of the arena, whilst she shook her head with her gaze stern. A silent warning reflected in her eyes, indicating her brother should change his mind and flee from there before he gets severely hurt by his own foolish request, but to Samantha’s disappointment, he averted his gaze instead, ignoring her warnings like they meant nothing before turning around to pick the wooden sword that had been neatly placed on the props.
"Lord help him." Samantha murmured her concern as her gaze was transfixed between a man she had mixed feelings for and a brother who was about to get killed by him.
"Alright Maurice, let’s see if you’ve paid good attention to your first lesson today." Ivan said, his voice dripping with amusement as he lifted his hand, and to both siblings astonishment, his sharp, elongated fingernails were revealed before their eyes, and he instructed, "Remember, the key is to anticipate your opponent’s move before they even happen, be it a human or a vampire. I’m sure Herbert made you aware of this number two rule already?"
Maurice, whose nerves were audibly clashing with his bravery, held up his wooden stake which was hastily crafted and out of place in the presence of a vampire King. He simply cleared his throat, masking his anxiety with an echo of confidence, and then he frowned, his grip on his sword subconsciously tightened as he tried to place his mind into concentration mode.
"Right, right. Anticipate," he muttered under his breath, still partially unconvinced that such supernatural training was necessary.
With a sudden burst of energy that left Maurice gaping, Ivan lunged forward without warning, and it was a move Maurice had failed to predict as it happened without notice or preparation. However, Maurice found himself too slow to react and barely escaped with his life as Ivan’s attack slashed through the air inches away from him. Samantha had covered her eyes with her palm when she imagined the worst would happen at Ivan’s merciless strike, but when she peeked through her fingers, her heart eased to some extent to see her brother was still alive.
But for how long? The duel clearly wasn’t over.
"Nice try, Maurice, but speed is crucial, and you’re too slow, even for a human." Ivan called out, his voice laced with suppressed laughter as he turned around to look at the half paranoid Maurice. "Try to keep up while you still can! You can’t risk losing this event, can you?" He taunted with unhidden deliberation.