The Character That Was Never Written

Zeres extended his hands again, mana hovering in his palms.

"Coil and Restrain. Dark Fragment: Night Shackles" he chanted.

The air trembled slightly, then a dark magic circle began forming—slowly.

Zeres’ head turned at Professor Elyssa, confusion appearing on his face.

"Idiot! Focus! " Professor Elyssa yelled.

His body jolted, then the black magic circle forming before his palm broke and shattered into pieces.

"I told you to focus" Professor Elyssa sighed.

Zeres scratched the back of his neck, then he stretched his hands again.

"Coil and Restrain. Dark Fragment: Night Shackles" he chanted.

"Focus"

Sweat started forming in on forehead, then a black magic circle started to form slowly—until it was complete.

Looking at the magic circle, he tried releasing the spell—

All of a sudden, the magic circle trembled, thea mana surrounding it dispersed them it shattered again.

"This is hard" he mumbled, frustration flickering in his eyes.

"It will take time, don’t rush"

He tried again, again and again.

And now

"Phew" he wiped the sweat on his forehead, so the first try for shortening a spell had so much mana expenditure.

"Coil and Restrain. Dark Fragment: Night Shackles"

The wind swept strongly, his hair fluttering behind him yet he remained focused.

His hands extended mid-air as a black magic circle was forming at a pace better than before.

The black magic circle shimmered after reaching the end point.

It was now complete.

Then he released the spell, black chains erupted from the circle itself, it whipped the wooden dummy before it completely coupled around it.

"Well done, you’re done for the basics" Professor Elyssa said, then she let her mana seeped out as a book wrapped in leather flew straight to him.

"Read this for now, come back here tommorow." She said, already turning on her heel towards the door.

Zeres stared at the book, then he grabbed it before leaving the training grounds.

________

"I miss this place" he mumbled, his gaze drifting towards the secluded park.

Tall trees covered the entrance, dried leaves dropped on the ground.

He stared at it for a moment, then he entered.

"There it is" he muttered under his breath before settling on a tall tree.

"Just what’s the content of this book?" He scanned the book carefully.

It looked untouched, as if he was the only one who will use it.

"Is there no dark-affinity on humans?" He asked quietly, as if the air might answer.

It might be right, after all, the church has a great influence on the empire.

Central Noble’s Faction.

The Church.

He sighed as he leaned on the tall tree heavily.

"It feels awful" he mumbled, barely audible. "People treating you as something they could use."

He raised his hand, his palms stretched wide as if he could somehow grasped the sky.

"How beautiful" he marvelled, his eyes fixed on the blue sky above.

Zeres loved the sky, he liked the idea that the sky somehow represents success—the terminology that people had used when you’ve reach you goal.

Soaring high into the sky

And so, from that sense, he had a question—how about not dreaming of soaring high into the sky, but dreaming on how to become the sky itself?

The sky is vast, endless, yet also so free.

That was the simple reason Zeres came to like it, he wanted to live solely for himself—not out of responsibility nor out of sympathy.

In this life, he simply wanted to live the way he had always dreamed.

_____________

"I’m home" Zeres said, his elbow leaning on the door as he took off his leather boots.

"You’re quite late, been busy? " Ryndol asked, he was sitting on the wooden chair, on his hand was a fork and a knife.

He was slicing a meat.

Staring at it, Zeres chuckled lightly. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

On the first day, Ryndol had refuse to eat meat, saying he wouldn’t hurt an animal. And yet here he was, busily devouring one plate of meat.

"What’s the occasion? You’re quite late" Ryu asked from the side, he was wiping his own hand with a white cloth.

"Been busy training"

Crossing the house, he arrived at the table, then he styled on it comfortably.

"How’s the business doing? "

"We’ve had a total of 8 customers using those private chambers." Ryndol replied, his gaze never leaving his plate.

"The appraisal shop is doing well" Ryu interjected. "You could see our income if you want."

"Just on time, I could feel my puch being light this days." Zeres smiled, satisfied.

It seems it was a good idea bringing the two in.

Sitting on the round table, they continued to eat t a decent pace, occasionally talking and bantering.

While outside, the sky had already turned dark, countless stars hang above the night sky.

Streetlights illuminating the streets of the Helva district as carriages rolled on the hard ground.

____________

In a place where the scent of candles drifted across the room.

An old man stood there, unmoving; the sunlight seeped through the gap of the curtains casting over his polished face.

In a table beside him, several yellow parchments rested there.

They were records

Records of a certain vampire appearance.

"Bishop, when are we going to take a move? " a voice asked behind him.

"Soon" the bishop replied curtly, still standing there like a statue placed by someone.

Just then, he moved

His hands dusting of the dirt on rye white cloth draped over his shoulders.

"It’s already time" he said, turning on his heel, he stepped outside of the room.

"Who’s the one scheduled for interrogation today?" He asked, his expression calm as he crossed the silent corridors.

"The one on the third cell your excellency"

The bishop nodded, taking a torch, he went down the basement.

The sound of cellar being opened echoed as the bishop stepped inside.

"Grr, what do you want from me!" A vicious voice echoed from the dark cell.

"You’ll be having a companion soon, you can wait for it." The bishop said flatly, then he extended his hand, palms stretched at the dark cell.

"Scorch of Holiness" he chanted.

A beam of golden energy appeared, then it made the dark cell brightened for a moment.

"Ahhh! You bastard I’ll kill you! "