"You got me. Didn't think you would use an illusion spell. Stuff like that is hardly seen in our clan." Rel faintly smiled.

"Yeah Piri is a Crown wannabe." Ital said with a mocking tone.

Piri smacked him in the back of the head.

"I value a smart victory over just brute forcing my way through like you. Besides, it's thanks to me that you guys aren't actually twitching on the ground right now."

"Hey! You don't know that! The ones he beat up weren't even really us. So how do you know if we would be beaten badly or not?"

"Want to find out?" The color of Rel's eyes shifted back to the crimson red of a vampire. He glared at Ital with a sinister smile, as if he were looking at an ant he was about to squash.

Ital shivered and hid behind Piri.

"Uh... No sir..." He said nervously.

The bloody hue in Rel's eyes disappeared and he let out a wholesome laugh.

"I'm just kidding. Actually, you guys are starting to grow on me. If I have the time, I'll call you guys over and give you some tips on how to improve."

Ital's eyes lit up. The cowering fear he had been exhibiting earlier vanished as if it was never there to begin with.

"That sounds great! Wow Rel, you're way cooler than Mr. Raven."

"Uh... Ital?" Sly tapped Ital on the shoulder.

"What? Don't you think so too? Mr. Raven is always so dark and depressing. He's always so serious and unpleasant to approach. I'm actually secretly glad that he's leaving us for a while."

"Is that so?" A cold voice called out from behind.

Ital froze, he had completely forgotten that Raven was only a small distance away. He felt a hand grab him from behind and was viciously thrown off the lion and onto the ground.

"Wait wait!! Mr. Raven it was just a joke! How can anyone replace such an experienced and wise teacher like---Ahh!!"

A huge flock of crows began swarming Ital's body, forming a black dome that left no gaps. Screeches of pain and regret could be heard as the other two remaining children shook their heads.

"If you're going to disrespect me, have the brains to do it when I'm not around! However, now that I know that you're going to insult me behind my back, I better give you the beating for that now while I still can!"

"Hey Raven, shouldn't you be a bit careful? The barrier is down, so all that screaming can be heard from miles away." Rel joked.

"Hmph! All I hear is a reckless young boy paying the price for pissing off a flock of crows! Nothing suspicious about that."

Rel sighed. Raven was not a careless person. If he said no one would bat an eye at his torturing of Ital, then it was definitely so. While he was one of the most respected instructors within the clan, he had a short temper, which Rel learned very quickly back when he was under his tutelage.

The agony lasted for five minutes before Raven let out a quick whistle. The crows dispersed and Ital's trembling form was revealed. He was curled up into a ball and had multiple red marks covering his body and face. His uniform was in shreds as well, reduced to rags after the assault.

"Hopefully the next time I see you you'll have matured a bit and have some sincere respect!"

Sly and Piri sighed at the sight of Ital's wretched figure.

"You think we should help him? That 'lesson' was a bit harsher compared to Mr. Raven's usual ones." Sly said with a hint of concern.

"Just leave him be, he deserved it. Besides, didn't you say he always comes back stronger from stuff like this? He should be thankful for such a thorough beating."

With one final scoff, Raven shifted his attention from Ital to Sly and Piri. Reaching into his coat pocket, he threw a bottle of green liquid towards Sly.

"Take him back to his room and use that to tend to his injuries. If all goes well, we will meet again one year from now."

Sly nodded. He summoned a backpack and put the bottle inside. Dismissing his lion, he slung Ital's injured arm over his shoulder.

"Good bye Mr. Raven. We wish you the best of luck on your mission."

Sly turned towards Rel.

"It was also nice meeting you Rel. You're a pretty cool guy and just as strong as the rumors say. I hope you'll take good care of us."

After giving their goodbyes, Sly and Piri left for the school dorms. Rel dropped to the ground and let out an exhausted sigh.

"Man... Before coming here I was already tired, but now I feel like I won't be able to leave my bed for the next few days. I didn't expect those three to be such good fighters."

Raven pulled out a bottle of red liquid and threw it at Rel. Unscrewing the lid, he wafted the scent a couple times before taking a large gulp. As the liquid entered his body, Rel felt a warm sensation course through him as some of his energy returned.

"Corpse blood... It's at least a week or two old as well. C'mon Raven, its our first meeting in years and you give me a bottle of this? I know that fresh blood is hard to come by, but at least share some blood that isn't over a week old."

"You lost to children. I am simply giving you what is proportionate to your performance."

"Fair enough..." Rel finished the rest of the bottle and stood up.

Casually walking over towards Rel, Raven stuck out his hand and delivered a hard sucker punch into Rel's stomach.

"Ugh!" Rel collapsed to his knees and began to gag. The punch was heavy and a trickle of blood started to leak from the corner of his mouth.

Raven frowned as he looked down at his former apprentice.

"What happened recently? From what I saw during the fight and the punch just now, you seem to be missing a significant portion of your power. Even if you were caught off guard, my punch shouldn't have reduced you to this state. Tell me, who attacked you?"

Rel coughed a few more times before catching his breath. He wasn't surprised that his former teacher noticed his condition. Even though he did not have the natural gift of the gab like members of the Crowns, Raven was always able to see through Rel's thoughts as if he were transparent.

"It was the Blood Clan. They attacked me last night and afflicted me with some sort of curse that sealed away my powers. I thought I dispelled it, but when I got back it resurfaced and I found I could only use around half my true strength."

"The Blood Clan... I've heard that they have been sending people to recruit powerful vampires from other clans to aid them in their cause. Let me see if there is anything I can do about it."

Raven let out a sharp whistle and three crows came to his side. He took out a small knife and made a tiny incision in Rel's arm. Blood began to leak onto the ground and the crows began stare and peck at it. The birds analyzed the blood for about two minutes before one of them turned and cawed at Raven.

"I see."

Because Rel drank the corpse blood, his regenerative abilities were greatly accelerated. The wound on his arm had already healed and the only thing that remained was a tiny scar that began to fade.

"This is bad. It looks like you have been afflicted with a special kind of blood bond that has connected you with another person. The bond is similar to a slave contract and gives one full control over the powers of the other."

"The Blood Clan member who cast this curse on me has free reign on how much power I can release?" Rel was exasperated.

"Unfortunately, yes. Many of the spells used by the Blood Clan, especially the curses, are very dangerous and can do things that are simply unfathomable even by our standards. I have a feeling that unless you kill the caster, who is most likely the one you are bound to, you will not be able to remove the curse."

"How will I do that? With this curse sealing away my powers I won't be able to lay a single finger on the caster."

Raven let out a thin smile.

"Maybe you won't have to. After all, don't you have three crafty and energetic young vampires under your wing now?"

Rel didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He understood Raven's intention and couldn't find a way to refute him.

"You got me there. Anyways, before you go, tell me about this mission. Don't give me that it was for my sake line. You're too valuable of an instructor for the clan to send you out. What is your purpose?"

Raven's face darkened. His expression grew three times fiercer as if he were recalling a very aggravating memory.

"You're not the only one who is having problems because of the Blood Clan. Ever since their former lord was usurped they have been getting more and more violent. They have been escalating their attacks on humans and more and more attention is being drawn onto our race. I've been sent to do some reconnaissance and to take down a few of their most aggressive teams."

"Is that all? I may not have the most up to date information, but I heard that the current lord of the Blood Clan has been sitting on the throne for at least fifty years. They have made far bigger moves during that time, but you still never went out. I don't want to be rude Raven, but is there something personal involved?"

Raven brushed his hand over his face. He stopped when he got to the enormous scar that ran from the upper part of his right eye down to his cheek.

"In addition to the Blood Clan, the Church has started to escalate things as well. We have already lost quite a few teams to them over the last couple weeks."

The Holy Order, referred to by vampires as The Church, was a secret human organization that was aware of the existence of vampires. Living as ordinary clergymen during the day, members of the Holy Order were skilled vampire hunters that carried out massive hunts and exterminations at night. They carried special weapons that allowed them to kill vampires as if they were normal humans and some of them even possessed holy magic. While all church-folk weren't necessarily part of the Holy Order, or even aware of the order's existence, it was a fact that the organization was associated with the church. Because of this, vampires usually steered clear from the church in all aspects as to not draw the slightest attention towards themselves.

"From the reports of those that survived, one of the lead hunters is the one responsible for giving me this."

Every apprentice Raven ever had, including Rel, wondered where he got his signature scar from. Raven was a renowned fighter within the Sifr Clan and was famous for leaving every fight without a single scratch on him. Therefore, many were curious as to what terrifying monster was able to place a permanent wound on his face. However, whenever someone asked he would always brush it off and remain in an irritated mood for the rest of the day.

Rel felt a sense of pride and trust when he heard these words from his former teacher. This was the first time Raven had ever given information about his scar to someone in his entire life.

"I see... In that case, please be careful. A lot of people would mourn if something unfortunate were to happen to you."

The sternness on Raven's face lessened and a sincere smile formed.

"That is why I told you, my best and favorite student. If I don't return, I'll at least die knowing I've left a strong legacy behind and someone who can avenge me."

With those final words, a flock of crows descended from the sky and converged upon Raven. They covered his body and when they dispersed, he was gone.

"Good bye."