- Leo -
The forest was silent.
Not the kind of silence that comforted—but the kind that made Leo's skin crawl. No birds, no wind. Just the quiet crunch of leaves beneath their boots as the recruits marched behind the two commanders. It wasn't a long walk… but it felt like it stretched for miles.
And Leo wasn't fully here.
His eyes were open, his feet moving—but in his mind, he was back in the blood hall. Strapped to that metal bed, tubes draining the warmth from his veins. He remembered Haru's still body in the corner of the cell. Milo being dragged away. The cold voice of the vampire commander echoing across stone.
And through it all… the face of the girl who saved him.
Nora.
Her voice had cut through the chaos. Her eyes had looked at him—not like he was a victim, but like he could become something more. A fighter.
That memory burned like a brand behind his eyes.
I won't be weak again. I'll become stronger. No matter what it takes.
A voice snapped him back to the present.
"We're here," Kazuya said.
The structure ahead was hidden beneath tangled roots and moss-covered rock. From the outside, it looked like another ruin swallowed by time—but as the hidden gate slid open, a metallic groan revealed thick steel walls and a narrow tunnel leading down.
This wasn't a shelter.
It was a fortress.
Inside, the corridors were lined with dull lights and reinforced doors. The air was dry and cool, humming with quiet energy. It felt more like a command base than a safe house.
The recruits were led through twisting halls until Ryosuke stopped in front of a sealed door.
"This is your orientation," he said. "Sit. Wait. Someone will be with you shortly."
He pushed the door open.
Leo blinked.
Desks. A chalkboard. Rows. Neatly arranged like the classrooms of his past life. Except here, the silence wasn't bored students or lazy teachers—it was tension, heavy and unfamiliar. The faint scent of old paper and cold metal filled the air.
They all filed in slowly.
Leo took a seat in the center.
Ryo dropped into the one beside him with a groan. "Weird, huh? Feels like we just stepped into school again."
Leo gave a short nod, his eyes scanning the room. "Yeah... except this time, it's a school for war."
Ryo chuckled. "Better than math class."
But Leo wasn't listening anymore.
His thoughts drifted again.
Nora.
He could still see the way she moved—sharp, precise. The way she looked at him like he mattered.
"Hey," Ryo elbowed him. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"
Leo blinked. "What?"
"That girl. The blonde one. What was her name again?"
He hesitated. Then muttered, "Nora."
Ryo smirked. "Knew it."
"Shut up."
Click.
The door opened.
She walked in without a word. Long blond hair braided at the top, flowing down her back. Her black rebel uniform fit like armor forged of dignity and fire. And those blue eyes—icy, clear, and burning with purpose.
Leo's heart jumped.
He looked away quickly.
Don't stare. Don't be weird.
She stepped to the front of the room and turned to face them.
"My name is Nora Astel," she said, her voice firm but calm. "From this moment on, you're not just survivors. You're recruits of the rebellion. I'll be your instructor—and it's my job to make sure you understand exactly what you're up against."
Her gaze swept the room, pausing just a moment on Leo before continuing.
"First," she said, "let's address what you already know. The vampire regime released a virus that wiped out every adult. But that wasn't the only effect."
The room tensed.
Leo leaned forward.
"The world itself changed," Nora continued. "The land, the animals… everything. Most cities were swallowed by forest. The virus didn't just kill—it transformed. The planet fought back. Mutated. Animals evolved. Grew larger. Meaner."
She paused. Her tone shifted—lower, sharper.
"Wolves. Bears. Even household pets—many were wiped out. But those that survived… changed. They became something else. Something darker."
A scoff from the back: "So now we've got vampires and mutant dogs. Perfect."
A few nervous laughs. Leo didn't laugh.
He remembered the deep, unearthly howl he once heard near the edge of the trees. How even the rebels tensed at the sound.
Nora silenced the room with a raised hand.
"I know it sounds like too much," she said. "But that's why you're here. To learn. To survive."
She turned to the chalkboard and wrote a word in sharp, white strokes:
WEAKNESSES
"Forget what you think you know," she said. "Sunlight. Silver. Holy water. None of that works. Vampires today are stronger. Smarter. You try fighting them with myths—you die."
"So what does work?" Leo asked aloud.
Nora didn't hesitate.
"Two things: Cursed Weapons and Calamity Weapons."
Whispers erupted. Another recruit raised his voice. "What the hell are those?"
Nora stayed calm.
"Cursed Weapons are created through a ritual involving four people—each contributing willpower and blood. The ritual must be focused and controlled. The process takes time—sometimes ten minutes, sometimes an hour. But if it drags on… it can kill you."
A chill ran down Leo's spine.
"But once complete," she added, "you'll know. The weapon doesn't look different. But it feels alive. Like it chose you."
"What about the other one?" another asked. "The Calamity Weapons?"
Nora turned back to the board. She wrote in thicker letters:
CALAMITY WEAPONS
"They're forged by the world itself," she said quietly. "Each one is locked inside a forgotten temple. If you enter the trial, it tests you. Not just your strength—your fears, your past. The deeper parts of who you are."
Her eyes scanned them all, serious now.
"Some pass. Most don't return."
Silence.
This wasn't a lesson.
It was a warning.
I don't want to just survive anymore. I want to become someone they'll never chain again.
And Leo felt the fire in his chest stir again.
I don't care how hard it is. I'll pass that trial. I'll earn that power. Because I refuse to be a victim ever again.
No one spoke.
Not after what Nora had said.
They were recruits—but the reality of what that meant was finally sinking in. This wasn't about being part of something bigger. This was about surviving a world where monsters wore skin and hope bled out quietly.
Leo sat frozen, still reeling from that last word—Calamity—echoing in his chest like a bell rung too hard. Around him, he sensed the fear ripple through the room. Some kids fidgeted, others stared blankly. One boy near the corner had gone pale. Ryo shifted in his seat, glancing Leo's way, eyes tight.
Nora set the chalk down.
"I know this is a lot to process," she said, softer now. "But none of you were chosen by accident. If you're here… it's because you survived something most people didn't."
Leo's hand twitched against the desk.
But surviving isn't the same as living.
Then, without fully thinking, he raised his hand.
Nora nodded. "Go ahead."
"I overheard something," Leo said carefully. "Back at the vampire fortress… I heard two of them talking about the 'Dark Flame Virtue' and the 'Bright Flame Virtue.' They said they needed both."
The room tensed. Even the air seemed to hesitate.
Nora's expression didn't crack—but her eyes narrowed slightly.
She said nothing at first. A long, still pause stretched between them.
Then she exhaled and stepped away from the board.
"That information is classified," she said calmly. "Only high-ranking commanders have access to the full details."
"But you know something," Leo pressed.
A beat of silence passed.
Nora's eyes met his again. This time, there was weight behind her gaze. Caution. Regret.
"I know enough to say this," she replied. "If the vampires are searching for those Virtues… then something terrible is coming."
A chill ran down Leo's spine.
Terrible?
Worse than everything we've already seen?
Some of the other recruits looked at him, then at each other—uneasy. A few whispered beneath their breath. Ryo sat rigid beside him, fists clenched in his lap.
Before Leo could ask more, Nora straightened.
Her voice shifted again—sharp and commanding.
"If that's all, then we begin now."
She stepped back, her presence snapping everyone to attention.
"You'll be trained in three phases. Phase one is survival: physical conditioning, endurance, mental discipline. You'll be pushed to your limits."
She turned toward the door, then paused and glanced back.
"Form two lines outside. Five in each. Now."
Without hesitation, Leo stood.
Ryo followed beside him. The others moved more slowly, still trying to digest what they had just heard.
Outside, the air felt colder, the sky overcast. The training grounds stretched behind the facility like a battlefield carved into the earth—open fields, wooden dummies, sparring circles, obstacle towers, and a series of broken stone walls that looked like ruins from another era.
Leo lined up at the front, Ryo beside him. He tried to still his hands, but they kept twitching.
Nora walked along the line once, silent, assessing.
When she reached Leo, her eyes flicked down to his stance—then up to his face.
"You've held a sword before," she said quietly.
He nodded. "Barely."
"You moved like it was instinct," she said. "That's rare."
Leo didn't know how to respond. The image of the vampire he'd killed flashed through his mind—the feeling of the blade in his hands, the hum of power.
"It wasn't just me," he said. "It was your sword. It felt… alive."
Nora gave a small nod, but didn't respond.
Then, loud enough for all to hear, she said, "Let's begin."
What followed wasn't just training.
It was war preparation.
Nora didn't treat them like kids. She treated them like soldiers. Every push-up, every sprint, every time they fell and were told to rise again—it wasn't about breaking them. It was about shaping them.
Leo's muscles screamed. His lungs burned. But he didn't stop.
I can't be weak anymore.
At one point, one of the girls stumbled on the obstacle wall and fell hard, scraping her palms. Leo hesitated—then doubled back, grabbed her arm, and pulled her to her feet before sprinting ahead again. She didn't say anything. Just nodded, her breath ragged.
The others started to fall behind—panting, groaning, even vomiting in the grass. But Leo kept going.
After the second round, Nora paused them.
"Half of you are already collapsing," she said. "And this is just day one."
No one spoke.
Leo looked down at his trembling hands. His chest rose and fell in shallow bursts.
I'll get stronger.
No matter what it takes.