Bride To His Darkness
Chapter 166: Two Last Borns

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.

Regaining his footing, Maurice eyed Ivan warily as he tried to regain his stance. He realized he had underestimated both his opponents speed and sense of humor, but it was a good thing since he is now fully aware of what to expect at the event. Gathering his courage, he composed himself and raised his stake with determination. "Alright, Your Majesty. I’m ready for round two!" He declared, and Samantha couldn’t help but facepalm at his nonsense bravery.

He’s doomed!

Ivan grinned at Maurice’s undeterred response, revealing his sharp canines that had Maurice shivering internally.

"Excellent! Let’s keep it lively. We’ll switch places." He beckoned Maurice over with two fingers.

"Come at me." A dangerous glint flashed in his eyes.

Samantha really wanted to tell the both of them to stop, to end it here as she couldn’t bear the sight anymore, but before she could speak, her brother yielded to Ivan’s daring call as he raised his stake and lunged first, looking prepared to fight, but in one swift move the vampire had evaded his attack yet again, to Maurice’s building frustration. Before Maurice could even sight his presence, he was being cleared off his feet, making him fall hard to the ground with a light thud. His back connected with the ground as he let out a painful groan, and he squeezed his eyes shut as he hadn’t anticipated that impact at all.

The vampire King did a smooth flip and was up to his feet in seconds, looking more energized than ever as he waited for Maurice to rise up, and Maurice couldn’t hide his awe as he watched the vampire who barely seemed to be placing any effort in their fight. It felt like he was giving himself one of those warm-ups, and it only aggravated Maurice as he didn’t like to be played with in this manner.

Picking up his wooden stake, he was back to his feet again except, unlike last time, he swung his stake wildly at Ivan. As the dueling continued, Ivan showcased his supernatural agility as he effortlessly dodged Maurice’s clumsy attempts at countering. From Maurice’s little act alone, Ivan already detected his weakness and strength, and though the human had agile movements to his credit, Ivan’s many years of experience proved him to be more than a match.

"Nice try, Maurice!" And in one sweeping movement, Ivan grabbed Maurice’s wrist and effortlessly hurled him to the ground again, his eyes twinkling with mischief at Maurice’s slight wince. "If this had been the real event, you’d be out by now. Hmmm.... I’ve left many openings for you, countless times, but it seems you really are inexperienced in this kind of thing. I won’t hurt you too much since you’ll need the energy for tomorrow."

"Can you both stop?!" Samantha eventually raised her voice at the two of them. It was a voice that demanded their attention, whilst they both paused to look at the young woman who was about making her way towards them. "Please, it’s enough! You said it yourself he would have been out by now so why are you both dragging this?"

"Are we dragging this?" Ivan inquired from Maurice who shook his head. "See?"

"Then why are you holding him in that position, what if he breaks his arm or something?" She questioned Ivan who still had Maurice trapped to the ground, and it was obvious he wasn’t taking her seriously cause she could see his lips twitch into a cunning smile.

"Do you want me to release him?"

"Yes."

"Fine," he agreed, "...but I’ll need a kiss to soothe my nerves." He demanded, and he took in Samantha’s frown which only made him fall in love with her the more. Just how can someone look so damn attractive when mad??

"What?! There’s no way my sister’s kissing you! You’re insane to even request that!" Maurice suddenly defended as he struggled to free himself from Ivan’s firm hold, but each struggle only increased the pressure applied to his arm, and he let out another painful wince. Samantha suddenly realized she was interfering with the matters of two last borns.

"Do you need me to burst your bubbles?" Ivan whispered, "the more you struggle, the more pathetic you become. I could release you if you just begged me." He continuously taunted.

"I don’t need your sympathy!" And just like that, Maurice did a turn on the ground and sent an abrupt kick to Ivan’s chest, using his distraction to his own advantage, and it was his turn to do a dramatic flip as he got to his feet, successfully freeing himself. Ivan stumbled back twice, and he had to admit that he didn’t sense that approach coming. Frustration filled Maurice’s face as he darted forward once more, still undeterred, and Ivan evaded all of his wild strikes, the young man’s sword now a blur of desperate swings.

When Maurice stopped swinging to catch his breath, he realized the vampire King was nowhere at sight. "Huh... where did he..?" Turning around, Maurice spotted the vampire leaning against a tree, his hands resting gently on his hip, as if waiting for Maurice to realize that he was swinging at absolutely nothing but the air.

"Are you quite done, Maurice? Because I wait with bated breath to see your improved ’anticipation’" Ivan teased with an exaggerated yawn. If there was one way to get at an opponent to unleash his very best, it was by irritating them, mocking them till they can no longer stand it, and from their brief interaction, Ivan had come to the conclusion that that was the push Maurice needed in order to get stronger, hence, he’ll have to use this method from now on.

Maurice, who was unaware of the vampire’s intention, simply glared at Ivan while also trying to catch his breath. He could feel sweats rolling down his forehead but this man, he didn’t even look like he was trying to put in any effort. "You’re not taking this seriously, are you?" Maurice dared to question him. "I’m trying my fucking best here!"

Ivan grinned devilishly, narrowing his eyes as he pulled away from the tree. "Oh, but I am, my dear Maurice. Watch closely!"

With a swift motion, Ivan lunged forward again, but his unanticipated move led to Maurice stumbling backwards in complete startlement, whilst he accidentally tripped on a stray root and eventually crashed into a stack of training props, sending them clattering to the ground.

Samantha’s hands found their way to her lips as she watched her brother get tangled in the props.

Ivan raised an eyebrow, his amusement reaching a crescendo. "Hmm... You seem to have stumbled upon your own cape!" he exclaimed, barely hiding his laughter behind a hand as the position Maurice had rendered himself in was too funny not to laugh at, even Samantha had to look away to avoid offending her brother.

Maurice, now red-faced and tangled amidst the props, couldn’t hold back his own laugh as he chuckled sheepishly. "I.... suppose I’ve managed to disarm myself with style."

Ivan extended a hand to help Maurice up, but the brown-eyed lad averted his gaze elsewhere. "I’m not so weak that I can’t help myself up."

"Of course, if it helps you sleep at night." And Ivan recoiled his finger. He watched as Maurice tried to disentangle himself, but still stayed close in case the lad drops his pride and asks for help.