[KATXU'S POV]
Dairon moved his hand, his fingers twitching toward the hilt of his katana.
Immediately, Danryu, Kelly, and Poco rushed to my side, stepping in front of me and Ren, their bodies tensed, weapons ready. If Dairon attacked, they were ready to fight.
But before any of us could react—
SHING!
Dairon unsheathed his katana in a blur, the sharp ring of steel cutting through the night air. But instead of striking us, he spun around, his blade raised in defense.
CLANG!
A small, gnarled tree branch shot from the darkness, aiming straight for him. His katana met it mid-air, slicing it cleanly in two—but something was wrong.
The moment the blade split the branch, two splinters shot outward, one grazing his left arm, the other barely missing his right.
Blood dripped from the fresh cut on his skin.
We froze.
None of us had moved.
"Who the hell was that?"
I couldn't see anything—the forest was too dark. Only the dim lanterns behind us gave some visibility, but beyond that, the trees swallowed all light.
Then, three figures jumped out from the shadows, landing in front of Dairon.
The one in the middle—a broad-shouldered man with a scar over his eye—stepped forward. His grin was twisted with malice.
"Do you remember me, you vampire?" the man sneered. His voice carried pure hatred.
Dairon stood tall, unshaken. His sharp golden eyes barely flicked over them before he responded, his tone cold.
"I don't. And I don't care."
Even surrounded, even injured, his presence was still commanding.
But just as he stepped forward to strike—
His katana slipped from his grip and fell to the ground with a dull thud.
I gasped.
Dairon stumbled slightly, his hand twitching as he tried to move his fingers—but they wouldn't respond.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" The scarred man burst into laughter, gripping a similar gnarled tree branch in his hand—the same kind used to attack Dairon.
"You feel it now, huh?!" he mocked.
Dairon's arms remained still, his fingers barely moving.
"That stick was poisoned."
Danryu's eyes widened. "Shit."
"You can't move now, huh?" The man grinned wider, circling Dairon like a predator stalking its prey. "How does it feel? To be helpless? To have your own strength stolen from you?"
Dairon stayed silent, his face unreadable—but I could see it.
His breathing had slowed.
His arms weren't responding.
The poison was spreading.
"Before we kill you, let me introduce myself," the man continued, his voice dripping with resentment. "We are some of the many examinees from last exam—examinees who didn't pass because of you."
I felt a cold chill crawl down my spine.
"One of our brothers lost his legs because of you," he snarled, clenching his fists. "Because of what you did, he can never take this exam again!"
Dairon's gaze didn't waver. He didn't react, didn't justify anything.
The man's face twisted in rage and satisfaction at the same time. "Now that you can't use your sword… we can finally kill you easily."
I felt my fists clench.
"And by the way," the man sneered, stepping closer, "the poison is spreading as we speak. In less than thirty minutes, your entire body will be paralyzed. Worse—you'll die."
My pulse pounded in my ears.
"I could leave you like this," he continued, voice dripping with malice, "but I want you to suffer first."
Dairon remained stone-faced, but I saw it—his fingers were losing feeling.
And for the first time since I met him—
I wasn't sure if he could win this fight.
Dairon let out a small huff, lifting his gaze to the three men in front of him.
"Hah... You wouldn't have passed either, even if I wasn't there."
He smirked, his golden eyes glinting with something between arrogance and amusement, as if he was mocking them on purpose.
The scarred man's face contorted with rage.
"YOU MONSTER!!!" he roared.
The three men lunged at once.
The middle man swung his weapon—a crude, jagged iron cleaver, its chipped blade coated in a dark, oily substance.
The man on the left wielded spiked knuckles, his hands wrapped tightly in bloodstained bandages.
The third attacker, on the right, carried another twisted poison branch, similar to the one that had already weakened Dairon.
As soon as I saw them move, I reacted.
I grabbed Ren from my back, quickly tossing him toward Poco.
"Take care of him! Get out of here!"
Poco barely caught him, his eyes wide with shock.
"What are you doing, Katxu?!" he shouted.
But I wasn't listening—I was already rushing forward, closing the distance between Dairon and the three attackers before they could overwhelm him.
CLANG!
The man with the spiked knuckles threw a wild punch at Dairon's side, but I intercepted, blocking it with a swift kick to his wrist, sending his balance off.
Immediately, I spun around, ducking under the poisoned branch that the third man swung at me from the right.
CLANG!
I struck upward with my forearm, knocking his weapon away before he could land the hit.
My hands stung from the impact, but I couldn't stop.
Dairon, despite his paralyzed hands, didn't hesitate.
THUD!
He twisted his body, sending a brutal kick straight to the middle man's wrist, disrupting his cleaver swing. The blade clanged against the ground as the man staggered back, momentarily stunned.
"Tch—What the hell are you doing here, you moron?!" Dairon snapped at me, his breath coming out slightly labored.
"Are you CRAZY?! Your hands are paralyzed! How the hell do you expect to fight in this state?!" I shot back, dodging another strike from the man with spiked knuckles.
Dairon exhaled sharply, his eyes flickering with something dangerous.
"Don't underestimate me."
Even without his hands, he moved like a beast, his kicks fast, precise, and brutal.
But I could see it.
His breathing was getting heavier.
The poison was spreading faster than he expected.
And if we didn't end this soon, Dairon wouldn't be able to stand much longer.
CLANG!
I barely dodged a wide swing from the cleaver-wielding attacker, his blade cutting through the air inches from my face. At the same time, the guy with spiked knuckles lunged at me again, his fists aimed for my ribs.
I quickly twisted my body, ducking under the attack, and with a burst of strength, I kicked his legs out from under him.
"Ugh—!" He hit the ground hard, but before I could press my advantage, the third guy—the one with the poisoned tree branch—swung it straight for my head!
I barely managed to block it with my arm, but the impact sent a numbing sensation through my skin.
Damn it. If that branch cut me, I was done for.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Dairon still fighting despite his condition. His movements were slower now, his breathing heavier, but he refused to back down.
"Tch. If you're gonna fight, fight properly!" the middle guy sneered, slashing at Dairon with his cleaver.
Dairon countered with a vicious kick, aiming for the guy's stomach—but the poison was making him slower, and the attacker dodged just in time.
I saw it too late.
Dairon's body swayed, his balance wobbling as his muscles weakened.
He was about to collapse.
"Dairon—!"
The middle guy saw it too. He raised his cleaver to strike.
I moved on instinct.
"Stone Walls!"
I slammed a talisman into the ground, and thick stone slabs erupted between us and the enemy, blocking the attack just in time.
Without wasting a second, I rushed forward, catching Dairon before he could hit the ground.
"Tch—damn it!" I gritted my teeth, hoisting him onto my back.
The moment I turned, I saw Poco and Kelly running toward me.
"Katxu, this way!" Poco shouted.
I sprinted, dodging an attack from behind as I made my way toward Danryu.
Danryu saw me coming, his usual irritated expression shifting slightly when he saw Dairon's state.
"Heal him. He's been poisoned," I said as I dropped Dairon beside him and immediately turned back toward the enemies.
"It might take a while," Danryu muttered, kneeling beside Dairon, his hands glowing as his Vanes Awakening activated.
"Just do it!" I yelled, jumping back into the fight.
The three attackers weren't waiting.
The spiked-knuckle guy rushed me again, his fists glowing with a dull orange hue—probably some kind of strength-enhancement technique.
I had to move fast.
I sidestepped, grabbed his extended arm, and with a sharp twist, I flipped him over my shoulder, slamming him onto his back.
"Gah!" he coughed, but I didn't have time to finish him off.
The cleaver-wielding man and the poisoned-branch attacker came at me at the same time.
CLANG!
I barely blocked a strike from the cleaver, using a small talisman barrier to deflect the force, but the poison branch swept my legs out from under me!
My balance broke—
And suddenly, I was falling.
I realized too late—the ground below me was covered in spiky branches, a trap set by the enemy earlier.
If I fell into that, I'd be done for.
"Shit—!"
Just as I was about to hit the spikes—
WOOSH!
Something grabbed my collar, yanking me back mid-air.
My body jerked upward, and I suddenly found myself suspended—
Dairon was in front of me.
He had caught me, but he wasn't facing me.
He was looking straight ahead, at the enemy.
His golden eyes burned with an unnatural red glow.
The enemy closest to him—the one with the poisoned branch—froze in place.
His pupils shrank, his expression emptying.
Dairon whispered something, so softly I couldn't hear it.
And then—
The enemy suddenly lifted his own wristband, his movements stiff, mechanical—
"Submit."
His voice was hollow.
The next second—he vanished.
"125 examinees remaining," a booming voice echoed from everywhere.
For a moment, everyone was frozen.
The two remaining attackers stared, horrified.
Poco, Kelly, and Danryu all stiffened, their eyes wide with shock.
Even I felt my stomach drop.
"W-what the hell…?"
The man Dairon had just eliminated had erased himself.
Dairon finally let go of my collar, letting me land softly on my feet. He barely acknowledged me.
Instead, he turned toward the two remaining attackers.
His glowing red eyes pierced through them.
"YOU MONSTER!" one of them screamed, lunging forward in blind rage.
The other followed, both preparing to strike Dairon down.
WOOSH!
Before they could even reach him, two identical figures materialized between them.
Both attackers slammed into an invisible force, thrown backward by sheer impact.
The figures were Guardian Constructs—automated enforcers of the academy.
A voice boomed through the sky.
"Dairon, you have eliminated an examinee before the exam proper."
Examiner Dolfo's voice rang from nowhere, but the authority in it made the entire battlefield go still.
"As punishment, your chosen team will only have six members instead of seven."
Dairon remained expressionless.
"And as for those who were involved, you are all grounded until the exam begins."
The battlefield fell silent.
I could feel every set of eyes on us.
We had just broken a rule.
And everyone knew it.
***
Dairon was now resting in our apartment, his breathing steady but slow. He had collapsed earlier, the poison finally overwhelming him after the fight. Fortunately, Danryu had managed to brew an antidote, and after some time, the effects had started to wear off.
Luckily, only Dairon and I were punished with being grounded—along with the two remaining enemies from before. The others were still free to roam around.
Danryu and the rest were still outside, back at the bazaar.
I knew because I could hear them.
Even from here, Danryu's frustrated yelling carried through the streets.
"Idiots! I told you taking him in was a bad idea!"
"Danryu, calm down—" Poco tried, but Danryu wasn't having it.
"No! We all agreed to recruit him, and now we lost a team slot because of it! We're starting this exam with six members instead of seven!"
"But you still healed him," Kelly's soft voice chimed in.
"That's different!" Danryu snapped. "I wasn't gonna let him die, but that doesn't mean I have to like him!"
I couldn't help but chuckle a little. He was so pissed off, but he was also the first one to help Dairon.
Danryu's a weird guy like that.
I sighed, leaning against the chair, glancing over at Dairon, who was still asleep. His breathing was deeper now, a sign that his body was recovering.
Then—
His eyes snapped open.
A heavy, oppressive aura immediately filled the room.
Even after fainting, even after barely surviving, Dairon's intimidation didn't fade.
"Where are we?" he asked, his voice still low and commanding, but I could hear it—
The faint crack in his tone, the effect of lingering body aches from the poison.
"We're in our apartment," I answered, watching as he slowly sat up.
"What am I doing here?" His golden eyes locked onto me.
"You fainted after the fight. Danryu made you an antidote, so you have to thank him later."
Dairon scoffed.
"Hmph. But I never agreed to be on your team."
I rolled my eyes.
"And we never agreed to heal you. So deal with it."
Dairon exhaled sharply through his nose, then stared at me in silence for a moment.
Then, he spoke.
"I'll only join you on one condition."
I narrowed my eyes.
"What condition?"
His lips curled slightly.
"Let me be the one to kill you when the time comes."
"Hu—"
Before I could even finish my sentence—
WOOSH!
In an instant, he moved.
Faster than I could react.
One moment, he was on the bed—the next, he was right in front of me.
I barely had time to process what happened—his face was inches from my neck.
And then—
A sharp pain.
His fangs sank into my skin.
A warm sensation spread through me.
It hurt—but at the same time, it didn't.
My breath hitched. My body froze.
I didn't move.
I didn't fight back.
I didn't know why.
It felt strange. It felt wrong.
But at the same time, it felt too good to stop.
My fingers tensed, gripping the chair beside me for balance. I could feel his breath on my skin, the slow pull of blood, the heat crawling through my veins.
It lasted longer than I expected.
Then—
He let go.
I exhaled shakily, my body feeling weirdly weak.
Dairon was still close, his face hovering above my neck.
"What… did you do?" I whispered, my voice barely steady.
Dairon smirked, his golden eyes glinting dangerously.
"I put you under a Vampire Contract."
His fingers grazed the fresh bite mark on my neck, tracing it lightly.
"A mark that symbolizes our deal."
I felt something pulse under my skin.
A binding force.
Like something inside me had changed.
My heart pounded.
"What deal? I never said yes." I gritted my teeth.
Dairon's smirk only widened.
I was about to demand an explanation, but before I could—
My vision blurred.
The room tilted.
My knees weakened.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over me.
Then—
Darkness.
I collapsed.