CHAPTER 16: JUDICIUM SANGUINIS

My fight is about to begin, yet I still don’t know who my opponent will be.

The pairings are decided on the spot, so that neither vampires nor their familiars can sabotage their rivals in advance.

Right now I’m alone with Ayra in a private waiting room, where we’ll remain until our turn comes.

It’s the first time I’ve seen this place, since last time I had waited lying on Ayra’s bed, half-conscious—I had just awakened after being turned into her familiar.

«I warn you, don’t you dare lose!» Ayra exclaims, stomping her foot with a spoiled air—she looks exactly like her little sister Priscilla when she does that.

She has been repeating the same thing for almost two hours, all the time we’ve been in here.

Yeah, I get it already, damn it—I’m not deaf!

«Don’t worry...» I reply once again, visibly annoyed. «Rather... isn’t there a risk that—using the Blood Words—I might kill my opponent?»

Ayra shakes her head.

«Do you really think that after all the effort we put into training our familiars, we would let them die so easily?»

«I hope not...»

«The arena where you fight is surrounded by a special barrier. That magical screen not only separates the stands from the arena, but also preserves the vital functions of the two human familiars. In other words, no matter how serious the wounds are, at the end of the battle all major injuries will instantly regenerate, while the minor ones... well, you’ll carry them as a reminder—a price to pay for your weakness.»

A barrier around the arena... yes, now I remember.

When I unleashed the Visanguis for the first time, I recall hurling Gerard against something like that—an invisible wall that materialized at the moment of impact.

At least they care a little about our safety, even if it’s only to prolong their amusement...

«Now that I think about it... when your sister Clotilde stepped in to calm things between you and Sasha, she mentioned... what was it called? Judicium something—»

«—Judicium Sanguinis?» Ayra cuts me off.

«Yeah, that. What is it?»

«Simply put... it’s the method we use to settle disputes between noble vampires. The law of Mildelar is simple: when two noble vampires want to assert their claims against each other, they can resort to Judicium Sanguinis—a duel to the death.» Ayra explains with a certain pride, as if she’s proud of such a barbaric custom.

«Humans abandoned those primitive practices centuries ago...» I murmur with a trace of disapproval.

«That’s because humans are a weak race. And I don’t just mean strength or magic. You let yourselves be ruled by anyone who claims the right to do so, too submissive to raise your heads and fight back against what you know is unjust. You’re so weak that a single man, a little more charismatic than the rest, can manipulate millions, driving them to kill each other. We vampires, on the other hand, are ready to stake our lives, to risk everything to defend what we believe in. The Judicium Sanguinis is nothing more than that—the highest expression of vampire freedom and courage!»

Ayra’s words, the passion and fire in her voice, strike me hard.

She’s right—damn it, she’s absolutely right.

My fate as a familiar, and that of thousands of other humans like me, proves it.

We’re unable to break the chains of slavery that keep us on a leash.

Instead of lifting our heads, instead of dying for freedom, we choose to endure daily torture, their torment, their humiliations—because we’re too cowardly to fight back, too used to suffering in silence since the days of our own world...

«Your expression tells me you’ve understood the greatness of the Judicium Sanguinis,» she comments, noticing my dark, brooding gaze as I drown in a tide of self-pity.

«In a way...» I murmur. «Aren’t you vampires afraid that humans might rebel? You’re making us stronger, giving us powers we never even dreamed of back in the human world. Aren’t you worried that one day this could turn against you?»

Ayra lets out a soft laugh.

«Foolish boy... do you really think we’re that careless? Your dormitories are in such remote corners of the kingdom that, even if you tried to escape, you’d starve long before reaching Noxscura, the capital of Mildelar where we are now. And even if, by some miracle, you managed it... well, think of this: even my stupid, useless little sister Priscilla—far weaker than me—could wipe out every familiar in your dorm with ease. The soldiers of the Scarlet Army, the kingdom’s military force, would crush any rebellion instantly. There’s no danger at all, not even in the unlikely chance you tried to rise against us.»

«The army that defends the kingdom...» I repeat, puzzled. «And exactly who are they defending you from?»

«Unfortunately, vampires aren’t the only race in this world—not yet, at least. There are others who sometimes dream of invading our borders. But on this continent, there’s one race that, under the rise of the second moon—the Dark Moon—gains power enough to trouble us: the lycans. Alone they’re not much of a threat, but in packs they become formidable opponents, even for seasoned vampires. And they outnumber us dozens of times over.»

The Dark Moon... I remember Ayra had only mentioned it in passing, and even then with a trace of fear in her voice.

Now I understand why.

If they can trouble beings as powerful as vampires, they must be just as threatening and deadly.

A knock on the door of the small waiting room cuts our conversation short.

«Princess Ayra Volkom, it is your turn.»