Before Bjorn, a vast green landscape stretched out, perhaps a mile below. Rolling green lands spread as far as the eye could see. Snow fell gently, making the scene even more beautiful. Although he should have seen the silhouettes of distant mountains, what he saw instead were endless green lands with rivers flowing through them. In the distance, the outline of a huge city stood tall in the middle of the valley. Despite the distance, Bjorn knew this was the biggest city he had ever seen. "Come on, let's go," Bloodblade said, leading them toward the city. It took them about two hours to arrive. Standing on a hill overlooking the city, Bjorn saw an old, grand city. The city was so large that he had trouble comprehending its size, maybe calling it a small kingdom might do it justice. Nassau was the largest city Bjorn had ever seen, a city so large it didn’t have walls. Yet, the one before him seemed to surpass Nassau by far. But that was not all; a large wall circled the grander b

Bloodblade hurried them out of the inn and into the bustling streets. He moved swiftly, expertly weaving through alleys, taking shortcuts, and avoiding as many mages as he could. In three hours, they were beyond the city walls.“How long can you keep running?” Bloodblade asked suddenly.“As long as I need to,” Bjorn replied confidently.“Good. Follow me.” Bloodblade took off running, pushing Bjorn to his limits, or at least as much as Bjorn allowed him to see, as they left the city far behind.“Why are we in such a rush?” Bjorn asked.It was obvious something had scared Bloodblade, and whatever it was, it posed a danger to Bjorn too.“I’ll tell you when—” Bloodblade started.“No!” Bjorn interrupted. “I’m tired of running headfirst into danger without knowing why,” he said, struggling to keep his anger in check. “Tell me now, or I’m going back to the city to find another novice.” He meant every word.Seeing the determination in Bjorn's eyes, Bloodblade decided to reveal the truth. His

Bjorn and Bloodblade trained in a vast, open meadow, unaware that their journey had just become much more dangerous. Now, three factions of the Order, along with assassins and mercenaries, were hunting them.It had been a month since they fled the valley. Bloodblade kept them moving steadily southwest, avoiding any towns or cities. They seized every chance to train, just as they were doing now.In a large clearing, hundreds of meters wide, they sparred intensely. Bjorn realized why Bloodblade had earned his fearsome title. Bloodblade had a rare power called the blood source. He was born for the battlefield, where bloodshed was constant.Bloodblade could control blood. He could manipulate his opponent’s blood flow, immobilizing them or controlling weaker enemies. He could sense the life force of any living being nearby and track someone thousands of miles away with just a drop of blood, making him a perfect tracker and assassin.His blood-sensing abilities also gave him an edge in comb

As Bjorn and Bloodblade stepped outside, his shadow stealthily attached itself back to him, while the other shadow followed their stalkers, keeping an eye on the people following them. Bjorn and Bloodblade left the town with determined steps. Immediately after they passed the gates, they set off on a run. They ran at a fast pace, making sure that whoever was tracking them could follow them but not make it too easy since they didn’t bother covering their tracks for them.They ran for hours before heading into the wilderness. Immediately after they got into the forest, Bjorn released his first shadow to scout ahead and provide the location of adept-level beasts.Bjorn was taking no chances since they didn’t know the cultivation base of their pursuers. To make sure they survived, he was going to devour the life force of the beasts his shadow would find.“Do you think you can find adept-level beasts with your blood sensory skill?” Bjorn asked out of the blue.“Why are you after beasts w

While Bjorn fought the leader of the masked assassins, Bloodblade faced a fight on two fronts. He battled the assassin in front of him and struggled against the dark monkey's will inside him.Bloodblade rarely used this power because it put a huge strain on his body, leaving him extremely weak afterward. He also had to resist the will of the beast whose bloodline he was taking on. The ability to use any bloodline for a short time was extremely rare for a blood mage. But, like all power, it came at a great cost. Bloodblade had to fight to stay conscious and remember who he was, struggling against the bloodline's influence. If he lost, he risked turning into a mindless beast.Seeing Bjorn’s determination to hunt and devour beast lifeforce, just to be ready for anything, sparked something inside Bloodblade. He now understood why his father never spoiled him with resources, even though he could easily have done so. His father always pushed him to attain anything he wanted through hard w