One week later.
On the training ground of the Black Stone Tower, Bell knelt on one knee, his hands pressed against the rough stone floor.
Sweat dripped from his chin, hitting the floor and splashing into tiny droplets.
His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving violently, but his eyes were more focused than ever before.
“Rise.”
He spoke in a low voice.
Mana surged from his palms, spreading along the ground like invisible roots tunneling into the cracks of the stone.
The earth element began to gather.
A crude lump of earth rose from the ground, slowly, inch by inch, shaping itself into a silhouette that barely resembled a human form.
It had no facial features and short, stubby limbs, looking overall like a low-quality clay sculpture.
But it stood up.
Bell gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead bulging.
“Forward.”
The dirt puppet took a stiff step forward, then another.
The movements were mechanical, yet they were undeniably real.
“Stop.”
The dirt puppet halted in its tracks.
“Raise your hand.”
The dirt puppet slowly lifted its right arm.
A weary but genuine smile finally tugged at the corner of Bell’s mouth.
He had succeeded.
“Interesting.”
Leovet’s voice came from the edge of the training ground.
He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, those all-seeing eyes staring at the crude dirt puppet.
“In all the earth element magic I have seen, there are only three common uses.”
“Defense, shaping, and suppression.”
“But this thing of yours...”
Leovet walked up to the dirt puppet, reached out, and tapped its head.
Thud.
A dull sound echoed.
The dirt puppet did not budge.
“It can actually accept commands and maintain autonomous action.”
Leovet turned around, looking at Bell who was slumped on the ground.
“How did you think of this?”
Bell panted, licking his dry, cracked lips.
“In my previous life... I saw an anime.”
“The protagonist could summon shadow soldiers to fight for him.”
“I thought, since mana can be used for shaping, why can't I make them move?”
Bell’s voice was soft, but every word carried a near-obsessive persistence.
“The earth element is inherently heavy and stable.”
“I simply added a simple mana circuit on top of the shaping.”
“Like... installing a gear inside them.”
Leovet remained silent for a few seconds.
Then, he laughed.
There was an excitement in that smile, the kind one feels when seeing a prey reveal its fangs.
“Excellent.”
“You have found your own path.”
He walked over to Bell, reached out, and pulled him up from the ground.
“But this dirt puppet is merely a toy for now.”
“It is too slow, too fragile, and the mana consumption is too high.”
“Next week, I want to see at least three dirt puppets, and they must be able to execute different commands simultaneously.”
“Do you understand?”
Bell gritted his teeth and nodded.
“I understand.”
“Good.”
Leovet let go and turned to walk out of the tower.
“That is all for today’s training.”
“Go to the medical office and check on your maid.”
“That girl Tia has been annoyed to death by your little vampire these past few days.”
Bell blinked, momentarily stunned.
Lilian...
He had almost forgotten that Lilian had been recuperating in the medical office all week.
The fang that Cecilia had brutally snapped off still showed no signs of regrowing.
Bell dispelled the dirt puppet on the ground, and the crude humanoid figure instantly crumbled into a pile of loose soil.
Dragging his exhausted body, he walked out of the Black Stone Tower.
...
The door to the medical office was slightly ajar.
As Bell pushed the door open, the sound of lighthearted conversation drifted from inside.
“Lilian, does it really not hurt anymore?”
There was a hint of worry in Tia’s voice.
“It doesn't hurt, Sister Tia.”
Lilian’s voice was soft and carried a trace of weakness.
“Thank you for taking care of me these past few days.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, it’s what I should do.”
Tia’s voice was full of bashfulness.
“Bell... he is really good to you.”
“Every night after training, he comes to see you.”
“Even though he never says anything, I can tell he’s very worried about you.”
Bell stood at the door, his hand pausing for a moment on the handle.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside.
“Bell!”
Tia stood up immediately upon seeing him, her cheeks flushing slightly.
“You... you’re here.”
Bell nodded, his gaze passing over Tia to land on Lilian in the hospital bed.
The silver-haired vampire girl sat quietly by the edge of the bed. Her crimson eyes flickered with obvious emotion the moment she saw Bell.
“Master.”
She spoke softly.
Bell walked to the bedside and looked down at her.
“How is your body?”
“Much better.”
Lilian’s voice was calm.
“It is just...”
She opened her mouth, revealing the empty gap.
The left fang had still not regrown.
Bell’s fist clenched at his side.
“It will come back.”
His voice was soft but carried an unquestionable certainty.
“I will find a way.”
Lilian looked at him, and for the first time, a trace of complex emotion surfaced in those crimson eyes.
“Master...”
“You do not need to go this far for me.”
“I am merely a tool.”
Bell did not speak.
He simply reached out and gently stroked Lilian’s long silver hair.
The movement was very light, yet it carried a long-absent tenderness.
“You are not a tool.”
“You are my...”
Bell’s words paused for a split second.
“Partner.”
Lilian’s body trembled slightly.
She lowered her head, hiding her expression from Bell.
“Yes... Master.”
Tia, watching from the side, practically had stars in her eyes.
“Bell, you’re so good to Lilian...”
There was a hint of envy in her voice.
Bell withdrew his hand and turned to Tia.
“Tia, thank you for your hard work these past few days.”
“No... it was no trouble at all!”
Tia waved her hands frantically, her cheeks turning even redder.
“I’m happy to be of help to you.”
Looking at her innocent face, a faint, almost imperceptible pang of guilt crossed Bell’s heart.
Using her...
Leovet’s words echoed in his mind once again.
“Tia.”
Bell suddenly spoke.
“Yes?”
Tia looked up at him, somewhat nervously.
“If... I mean, if.”
Bell’s voice was very soft.
“If I ran into trouble, would you help me?”
Tia was stunned for a moment.
Then, she nodded vigorously.
“Of course I would!”
“You are my... friend, after all.”
When she said the word “friend,” there was a hint of cautious anticipation in her voice.
Bell looked at her and remained silent for a few seconds.
“Thank you.”
He turned and headed toward the door.
“Bell!”
Tia suddenly called out to him.
Bell stopped and looked back.
“You... you look very tired lately.”
There was a trace of worry in Tia’s voice.
“Make sure to get some rest.”
Bell nodded.
“I will.”
He pushed the door open and walked out.
The heavy wooden door closed behind him.
In the hallway, Bell leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.
He was exhausted.
It wasn't just physical fatigue.
More than that, it was mental torment.
It had been a week.
Cecilia had been unusually quiet this week.
She hadn't come looking for him.
She hadn't brought him any more lunch boxes.
She hadn't appeared in his sight at all.
This silence was more unsettling than any threat.
Bell opened his eyes and looked at the half-open window at the end of the hallway.
Moonlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a deathly pale glow on the floor.
He had to become stronger.
Before she acted out again.
...
At the same time.
Deep within the library of the Terra Branch.
A slender figure sat quietly at a long table piled high with ancient texts.
Cecilia.
She wore a pure white dress, her silver hair draped over her shoulders.
Spread out before her was a thick, yellowed ancient tome.
The pages were densely packed with the names and effects of various forbidden magics.
Her finger gently traced across one of the pages.
“Immortality spell...”
She murmured to herself, a hint of infatuation in her voice.
“Not enough.”
“These are still not enough.”
She flipped to the next page.
Her eyes grew brighter and brighter.
“Found it.”
She stopped on a certain page.
The title of that page was written in blood-red script.
“White Tower Society”
A sickly, twisted smile slowly curled onto Cecilia’s lips.
“Big brother...”
“You won't be able to escape.”
She reached out and gently caressed the blood-red rune on the page.
“Once I find the way.”
“We can be together forever.”
“Forever...”
Her voice grew softer and softer, eventually vanishing into the depths of the silent library.
Moonlight spilled through the window, illuminating her flawless face.
That smile was as pure as an angel’s.
Yet it carried a suffocating, distorted madness.
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