John saw Caden standing by the door. He was in his usual state of readiness, wearing a simple white vest that revealed well defined muscles, with his long black hair tied together with a crimson band into a severe ponytail.
"Caden, I heard from Grandmother that you are the son of Aunt Reina. I first wanted to come to Aunt Reina to thank her for training me, then I wanted to personally thank you for saving me and Elena."
John walked over to where Caden stood and held out his hand in a confident, open gesture. Caden was a little stunned by the directness and the sheer warmth of the compliment. He looked over to his mother, Reina, where she only smiled and nodded her head at him, giving her silent approval.
Caden then looked back at John and could not help but smile, reaching out his hand to shake John's. "You know, you do not need to thank me, John. It was Grandmother's order to wake me from my slumber to come and save you, and that is what I did."
John blinked, a look of realization crossing his face. "I didn't know it was an order, but I am thankful nonetheless. I am always happy to meet a new family member, especially one who can fight like that."
Caden's smile widened, clearly pleased by the acceptance. "You know, I am impressed that you managed to survive long enough for me to come and find you. That wolf I fought was very strong… well, not that strong, but I mean, for you, he was leagues above, hehehe."
John immediately adopted a confused, challenging look. "What do you mean by not that strong? Pardon my French, but if I remember correctly, that werewolf beat the living shit out of you when he slammed you into that tree."
Caden protested vehemently, taking the bait instantly. "Yes, but I was not at my peak condition! Also, I punched him through the huge tree!"
John touched his chin thoughtfully, leaning into the memory with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Well, he did loosen the tree when he kneed you in the stomach. I did not like how he almost beat you, but that brief moment of the fight I saw was fire, I am not going to lie."
Caden looked genuinely irritated that his heroic rescue was being critiqued by the person he rescued. "He did not beat me, and I was rusty! You know what? I am not going to argue with you," he said, folding his muscular arms across his chest.
Looking at the two of them bickering like brothers over the finer details of a bloody battle, Reina could not help herself from giggling. The heavy tension of the past few days seemed to evaporate in the lightheartedness of the moment. "Hey, stop arguing over trivial things," she said, stepping in as a mediator. "John, tomorrow we are going to start your training again, so be ready."
"Yes Ma'am," John replied instantly, his playful attitude snapping back into a disciplined focus. He then turned back to Caden, his respectful manner fully restored. "Caden, again, thank you for rescuing me and Elena. I hope you can give me some pointers in the future."
Caden smiled, the mock annoyance vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. He reached out and gently patted John on the head, a gesture of genuine affection. "Sure, kid."
====
After John left, Caden walked over to the table and poured himself a glass of thick, dark blood. He took a long, thoughtful drink, the question that had been forming since the forest still lingering in his mind. "Mother, does the kid have any real potential?"
Reina walked over to look out of the tall, arched window, her gaze distant as she watched the clouds drift across the moon. "John has not shown a great deal of it lately, but I am certain he will surprise us in the future. He is a hybrid, after all."
Caden froze, his glass halfway to the table. His black eyes narrowed in sudden confusion. "What do you mean, Mother? You did not tell me he was a hybrid. Is the father a human being?"
Reina smiled gently, turning away from the window to face her son. "His father is Jiren Fang, a werewolf."
Caden could not believe what his mother was saying. He set the glass down with a heavy thud, the sound echoing through the quiet room. "How is this possible, Mother? Does Father know about this?"
"Your father was the one who told me, son," Reina explained, her voice dropping to a low and serious tone. "He said we must keep it a secret for the time being. Only a few in the castle know about this."
Caden finished the rest of the blood and then reached for a bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a large measure and drank it in one quick gulp, a distinctly human gesture for a moment of pure shock. "Jiren Fang. His father is one of the strongest warriors I have ever seen in battle."
"His grandfather hates him for being part wolf," Reina said simply, stating the harsh truth that governed the family's internal cold war.
"It is understandable, knowing Grandfather's history with the wolves," Caden replied, rubbing his temples as he tried to process the news. "But I hope he can eventually look at John as his grandson and not just the wolf that is in his blood."
====
After leaving Reina and Caden, John walked toward the back of the castle where Thomas and Carmilla were riding horses. The animals they rode were noble and well cared for. Thomas was mounted on a sturdy, caramel colored steed, while Carmilla rode a magnificent snow white horse that seemed to glow in the fading light.
When Carmilla saw John approaching, she waved enthusiastically and shouted, "John! Come ride with me!"
When John got near them, he shook his head with an embarrassed smile. "I do not know how to ride a horse."
Carmilla was genuinely astonished. In the Crimson world, horse riding was considered a basic skill that every noble mastered at a young age. She steered her white horse over to where John was standing and held out her small hand. "Grab my hand, John." She had a lovely, encouraging smile on her face that made his hesitation melt away.
John giggled a little and reached out his hand. Carmilla easily pulled him up onto the horse behind her, showing surprising strength for her size. John felt very nervous at first, clutching the back of the saddle with a tight grip, but Thomas rode up beside them and assured him that everything would be alright. For hours, they helped John, giving him tips on how to sit properly, how to steer with the reins, and how to feel the rhythmic movement of the horse.
After their practice session, John, Carmilla, and Thomas took the horses back to the stables. They decided to feed the animals themselves as a reward for the long day. Carmilla signaled to one of the stable boys to bring a basket full of fresh apples and carrots, and the three of them stood together in the quiet stable, enjoying the peaceful end to a chaotic few days.
Carmilla took one of the apples and offered it to her horse, the animal taking it with a gentle nudge. "John, so tell me and Thomas what you do for fun on Earth."
Thomas also took an apple and fed it to his horse, leaning against the wooden stall with interest. "Yes, John, tell us something interesting."
John reached into the basket, picking out a crisp red apple and holding it out for the caramel colored steed. He watched with a grin as the horse took it from his palm, the rough tongue tickling his hand. "Alright, calm down, you two." John then pondered for a moment on what to share, trying to find a way to bridge the gap between their worlds. "Well, me and my two friends usually go to the cinema to watch movies. Do you probably know what a cinema is?"
Both Thomas and Carmilla shook their heads in unison, looking completely blank.
"Figured as much," John replied with a chuckle. "Well, a cinema is where people go to watch a movie to entertain themselves. It is like a room with a huge screen where a visual story is told. It is almost the same as a storybook that you are reading where you see everything in your mind, except you see everything on a big screen with moving pictures and sound."
Carmilla was fascinated by the idea. "One day I also want to go to Earth and go to this cinema! Even though we do not have a cinema with a huge screen, we do have devices that can record events, like photographic jades, or we have devices that show a close up of how people fight in the Colosseum."
"Wow, that is so cool! Also, one day I will take you to the cinema, don't worry about it, Carmilla. So, we watched this movie where the people fight with glowing swords in space, where they have powers to push people with this invisible power."
Carmilla then chimed in with a knowing look. "Well, there are people who can also do that in this world."
John got excited, his eyes widening. "Really? Can they also teach me?"
Thomas giggled at the sudden burst of energy. "Hold on, John, you must first get stronger. Not even I am on that level yet."
"Okay, I will chill. So, in this movie, most of the people cheer for the hero of the story, but I am different. I like this one old man who is like a dark lord who shoots lightning bolts from his hands. I think that was pretty cool."
Thomas nodded thoughtfully. "In this world, there are people who can do that. They are very powerful individuals, often wielding elemental magic."
John thought for a moment, wondering if he could ever become like the characters in the films. "We would mostly hang out at my friend Freddy's house and play video games all day. That is what we mostly do during the day to pass the time."
"It must be nice to enjoy life like that, John," Carmilla said, giving the horse another apple. "We are always expected to excel in school. We do not have a lot of time to enjoy life like that because we are always training or studying. But times like these, where I get the chance to relax, I try to enjoy it to its fullest."
"So, what do you guys actually do?" John asked, curious about their version of school.
"Well, we do study languages, math, history, and science. We also sometimes go out with our mentors, where we hunt humans that are part of the assignment."
John was visibly shocked, his posture stiffening. "Do you kill them?"
Thomas gave a light sigh, the playful tone leaving his voice. "Yes, John, that is how it is, unfortunately. However, sometimes our mentors will not let us kill and just simply let us feed. Then they will compel the human to forget the whole event."
"Do you like to hunt humans?" John asked, his voice low with apprehension.
Both Thomas and Carmilla looked at each other and then back at John. "We love to hunt, John. It is unfortunately how we were trained, and it is also in our nature."
John looked down at the stable floor, a heavy sadness washing over him as he heard their answers. "Then I do not want to go to that school. I do not want to kill people."
Both Thomas and Carmilla knew that it was going to be hard for John to accept that hunting humans was simply the nature of a vampire. Thomas walked over to John and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. "It is okay, John. We understand."