Elena, who was still trying to enjoy her days off, was looking for John. She wanted to watch him train, but only found out that he was not with Reina by the training area outside. She thought it was weird that they weren't in their usual spot because this was their regular training time.
She stopped some of the vampire guards outside to ask if they had seen Young Master John training. The guards told her that John was indeed busy with training; however, Reina had decided to take today's session to a different, undisclosed location.
Elena nodded and continued to walk around the castle, a slight unease settling in her stomach. She eventually managed to spot Reina walking in a hurry near the central courtyard.
"Excuse me, Miss Reina, but do you maybe know where Young Master John is?" Elena asked, trying to sound casual, but her concern was evident.
Reina stopped, looked at Elena, and gave her a light smile. "John is in the underground training area. I left him with my son." She tilted her head, observing the maid's nervous energy. "Do you maybe want to see him?"
Elena blushed at the directness of the question and was a little hesitant, but she nodded her head lightly.
Reina smiled wider, her eyes gleaming with a hint of amusement. "Then what are you standing here for? Go support him."
===
John was standing opposite the prisoner named Russell in the fighting arena. John looked nervous and afraid of this man who looked very menacing. John called Caden over. "Listen, Caden, I don't think this is a good idea."
Caden smiled and acted confused. "What do you mean, John? Don't tell me you're afraid of this maggot of a human."
"Of course, I am afraid! You and Aunt Reina put me up against a killer. I can see it in his eyes! I am not ready for him yet. Put me against somebody my age."
"I am afraid I cannot do that, John; besides, don't you have faith in my mother?" John did not say anything; he just looked at Caden for a moment before Russell interrupted.
"Come, boy, come to daddy."
John was afraid. He was standing still in place. He closed his eyes and breathed in and out at a slow pace before opening his eyes and lifting his hands up in a fighting stance. Russell evilly smiled before he lunged at John. However, John managed to dodge Russell's attack.
"Almost got you there, boy. Do you want to know what they call me, boy?"
"I really don't wanna know," John said.
"They call me the Mad Prisoner," Russell said while rubbing his hands.
John then composed himself. He took a deep breath and then attacked Russell by moving closer and hitting Russell with a body shot. Russell grinned before giving John a straight punch to the face, which made John stagger. He then gave John a straight front kick in the chest, sending John flying.
Russell then looked at Caden. "You send me this joke to fight? I will kill this kid."
Caden smiled. "Just do as Mother says and fight, John. You can go all out."
Russell then laughed. "Okay." He stretched a little before attacking John again. At this point, John was already on his feet and waiting for the Mad Prisoner. John wanted to do a takedown, but the Mad Prisoner was already prepared and kicked John in the face. Blood leaked from John's nose.
John held up his hands. "Wait, I don't wanna fight anymore, I'm done."
Russell giggled evilly. "There is no giving up now, boy. I'm going to take all my frustration out on you." Russell then repeated kicked John while he was laying on the ground, punching him in the face until his face was all bloody. Tears, blood, and mucus leaked out of John's eyes and nose as he was crying and begging for the Mad Prisoner to stop his onslaught.
Caden had no emotion on his face as he watched his cousin being beaten to a pulp. "Guards, bring me a chair to sit on," Caden said aloud.
One of the guards came with a wooden chair. However, another vampire guard came and said, "Master, there is a maid who wants to come in. She said she is here to see Young Master John train. Should I let her inside?"
Caden then looked at the guard and began to smile. "Perfect, let her in. Bring another chair for the girl; I want her to enjoy the show."
Meanwhile, Elena was walking down the tunnel and could hear how somebody was getting beaten. She could distinctly hear bones breaking and then she heard a familiar voice scream. It wasn't the scream of a beast, but the choked cry of a person she cared for. "No, Young Master!"
She ran past the guard at extreme speed down the long, dark tunnel until she saw a big black door with the Crimson's crest on it. "Open the door! I am here for Young Master John!"
The guards did not hesitate and opened the door for her to enter. When she entered the room, she saw that the whole fight arena was dyed in blood. She was not a stranger to the sight of blood, but what shocked her was to see John covered in his own blood, whimpering on the stone floor.
When Russell saw Elena entering the room, he began to smile evilly. "My, my, what is a beautiful girl like you doing here? I guess you are also a vampire, seeing that this sight of blood doesn't affect you. Do you want to see something interesting, girl?"
As John was lying on the ground, his clothes were all shredded and his body was covered in his blood. Russell moved his hands to John's rib and he cracked one of the bones in John's rib cage, which made John scream in agony.
Seeing John in pain and screaming made Elena instantly furious, and she wanted to attack the Mad Prisoner, when Caden suddenly put his hand on her left shoulder. "Calm down, Maid." He then gestured for Elena to take a seat on the chair that had just been placed beside him. "Come, sit and enjoy the show."
Crack.
Crack.
More of the bones in John's rib cages were being broken by the Mad Prisoner, and John's screams could be heard throughout the whole room.
"Please, no more, no more, I beg you!"
Elena watched the whole incident and couldn't do anything. She only clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, but she did not look away, forcing herself to witness the horror.
Russell then moved a little closer to where Elena and Caden were sitting.
"Beautiful lady, the best part is coming up," Russell said when he held his hands to his ear. After a few minutes, a sound could be heard as the rib cages healed and snapped into place. "I like the sound of that, hehehe, just to break it again."
Russell turned around to see John crawl away. "Oh my, Daddy's little boy learned how to crawl."
He then moved closer to where John was. "This is getting boring now." He then turned to look at Caden. "Leech, is it okay if I break his neck?"
"Do what you please," Caden replied, his voice devoid of emotion.
Russell reached his hands out just as John was crawling, and he slowly lifted John up by his head, putting him in a standing guillotine choke.
"Any last words, boy?"
John kept silent and closed his eyes, not resisting at all, until he heard a familiar voice.
"Young Master John!"
When John heard Elena's voice, his eyes began to turn red and he felt a huge surge of energy entering his body. The pain, the fatigue, and the fear vanished, replaced by raw, pulsing power.
John immediately hit Russell in the testicles, which made the Mad Prisoner lose his grip and gasp in agony. Further, John then followed up with a front jump kick to the face. Russell was shocked, but before he could even react, John put his hands on Russell's neck and gave him a jumping headbutt to the face, slamming his skull into the prisoner's.
Elena cheered John on. "Yes, Young Master John!"
John came with a barrage of punches to Russell's body, breaking some of his bones in the process before finishing him with a spinning wheel kick, heel to the jaw, knocking the Mad Prisoner unconscious.
John stood there watching over Russell, who was laying on the ground, then he felt a hand on his right shoulder.
"Amazing, John. What the hell was that?" Caden said in astonishment, his usual cold composure momentarily broken by genuine shock.
Elena then appeared next to him. "Are you okay, Master John? Do you want to drink some blood?"
Caden, pulling his hand away, looked closely at John's left eye, which was still glowing red. He then thought: "Hmm, I see no veins under his eye, is that because he is a hybrid? Does it mean he is less powerful? John is very interesting, I want to see if he will surprise me again in the future."
Caden then clapped his hands, regaining his authority. "Guards, come get this maggot! Give him some healing potions and award him with food. Tomorrow, he and John will fight again."
John and Elena did not say anything as they knew this was part of John's training now. The young vampire talked a little with Caden before he left to go to his room, and Elena, of course, followed John.
====
Later that evening, Caden sat at the table with his mother, Reina, and his grandmother, Anna. Unknown to John, the room contained magic recording devices that had captured the entirety of the brutal fight. They were now reviewing the recording.
"That was a beautiful finish by the young vampire, you do not see that every day," Anna said, her voice carrying a rare note of admiration.
Reina, however, was clearly unhappy with the performance. "He was weak; he was beaten and tortured too much. He should have ended the fight sooner."
Anna gently disagreed. "Dear child, the boy is still young. Maybe he is not as gifted as Thomas or the others. Perhaps he simply needs more time, or maybe because he is a hybrid, his powers are decreased. We do not know now, but we will know with time."
Caden interjected with a chuckle. "Well, it was interesting to see that the maid was the one to give the young vampire a second wind, hehehe."
Anna's eyes sharpened. "He truly has grown attached to this vampire maid; I am glad. Reina, I have a small suggestion."
"Please, Mother."
"I want you to give John multiple people to fight after he gets used to fighting this prisoner named Russell." The intent was clear: escalate the difficulty until the boy's true strength was revealed.
Reina did not hesitate, immediately accepting the order. "As your wish, Mother."
"Good," Anna finished, satisfied.
=====
Meanwhile, John and Elena were sitting on the castle's roof, looking at the dark sky that was glittering with stars. The cool air and the quiet expanse were a welcome contrast to the cold, bloody arena they had just left. The young vampire's body had healed, but the stillness of the night was needed to soothe his mind.
They had been sitting in comfortable silence, talking for quite some time, before John broke the silence with a soft sigh.
"Elena, thank you for supporting me."
Elena smiled, leaning her head toward him just slightly. "This one will always be there to support the young master."
John smiled back, a genuine smile that reached his eyes despite the events of the day. "You promise?"
"Yes, Young Master John, I promise."