The Extra Wants Control

Valeriana watched with a subtle surprise as Verona materialized in the chamber again so soon only a couple of hours had passed, her eyes scanning the room. Neveah was on the plush ice couch deep asleep.

Valeriana couldn't help but notice a change in Verona. There was a new weight to her presence, it wasn't that great maybe Verona hid it but it was there, for some reason this woman seemed different than the person who left a while ago. For a moment she thought it was an imposter but shook away that thought... It was proposterous.

Yes Verona was different but Valeriana just shook her head at the thought and focused on what is important, if she wished to share she would else it was not her business.

"He's still unconscious," Valeriana announced, " Still resting."

Verona knelt beside Neveah, her gaze lingering on his face. Then something unreadable crossed her crimson eyes... it was worry but was replaced with a hard resolve, then she met Valeriana's gaze.

"We need to address the imbalance within him," Verona stated, her voice devoid of emotion but authoritative. "His body is struggling to integrate the two energies also the bloodlines is a pain. He can't keep this up for long."

Valeriana frowned. "But how? And I think it's beneficial for him to have the two bloodlines."

"He can't even sense them, let alone control them. As for the bloodlines in short term yes it's great but in the long run he will be limiting himself. I'll think of a solution for that."

" Hmmm... Alright...." Valeriana was hesitant to accept but she knew Verona wants what's best for Neveah... Always.

Verona's lips curled into a humorless smile. "As for the energies... we overstimulate him," she declared, her voice ringing with a hint of reckless abandon. "We force his body to adapt and accept by bombarding it with both chaotic and serene energy."

Valeriana's eyes widened she was alarmed. "That's dangerous! We could cause irreparable damage!"

Verona continued. "It's not, we'll be there... We'll stop if something bad happens."

Valeriana remained silent, grappling with the implications of Verona's plan. She glanced at the sleeping Neveah, then gave a reluctant slow nod.

"Have you… adjusted to your own new energy?" Verona then asked.

Valeriana's looked at her eyes and said "It's… different," she admitted. "I've only managed to identify the serene energy. I think I'll call it Zera."

Verona's ears perked up, surprise passing across her features. "You were able to identify it? And manipulate it?"

Valeriana gave a curt nod. "Still in the early stages, but yes."

A pang of something akin to frustration flickered in Valeriana's eyes. Six months of relentless struggle, and all she had managed was a rudimentary understanding of this new energy source.

"Impressive.... in just six months? She had already identified and begun manipulating an entirely new energy source that was unknown to her before and I can feel it... She's already changing her power dependency from Mana and is slowly cutting her shackles. That's good she's becoming someone I can trust to keep my son safe..." Thought Verona looking at Valeriana.

Neveah slowly opened his eyes. His vision blurry for a moment before settling on an unfamiliar sight – it was not the Vampire castle setting he was used to... Herrw things were bright . He himself was on a couch with white cushions and pillows made of some snow that didn't melt even in the warmness of the room.He sat up slowly, a dull ache throbbing in his head.

Across the chamber, Verona and Valeriana sat deep in conversation. With Verona making occasional chuckle. He became curious and he couldn't help but eavesdrop.

Neveah heard Verona telling Valeriana of the time Verona caught him saying, " I am Vengeance... I am the night" Line. Also a couple of times he fumbled around the castle doing awkward things when he was fascinated with magic.

A pang of humiliation shot through him, he was embarrassed by his past actions.

Suddenly, Verona's gaze snapped towards him, her eyes locking with his. A knowing smile played on her lips.

"Well, look who's finally awake," she declared, her voice devoid of amusement. "Time to get back to training, my dear. This time, you get the privilege of learning from two fronts."

"You'll have the best of both worlds – his vampire side and his human side."

His vision blurred as Verona carried him like as sack over her shoulders and flew following after Valeriana who was leading.

When his vision cleared again, he found himself standing beside Valeriana and Verona at the base of a towering mountain. Then hidden passage, activated by a strange Circle emerged from the sheer rock face. With a shared look, the three of them entered the passage, disappearing into the darknes of the cave entrance.

The passage led them to a place that defied logic. Lush greenery carpeted the ground, vibrant flowers and grass bloomed and a clear river snaked through the landscape. There were also very small animals moving around. Neveah was surprised, his mind struggling to comprehend this hidden place within the mountain that seemed even bigger than the mountain itself...

It's like they were in a different dimension.

"This…" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper. "This is inside a mountain?"

Valeriana offered a gentle smile. "Welcome to my training ground, Neveah," she said.

Neveah straightened his spine, getting over his surprised state. It was time to train... AGAIN.

A silent exchange passed between Verona and Valeriana. Their eyes met, a silent agreement flickering within them. With a coordinated movement, they each raised a hand, forming glowing circles of energy – Verona's a pulsating ominous qnd destructive dark-crimson, and Valeriana's a shimmering white-blue.

"Neveah," Verona's voice boomed, devoid of any warmth, "your progress has been too slow. We're expediting things."

Valeriana added in, her voice full of authority that brooked no argument. "For better comprehension, turn human."

Neveah, caught off guard by their sudden intensity and seriousness just complied without question. He turned human, there was no visible change in his appearance he overall just looked the same.

Before he could voice his question, Verona was appeared infront of him so suddenly. Her fangs sank into the exposed skin of his neck, both Valeriana and Neveah were surprised by this sudden action.

" Consider this another of the experiments..."said Verona.

A strange sensation spread from the bite point, pulsing outwards and deeper into his body. A realization then dawned on Neveah. His forms, both human and vampire, were undergoing a radical shift. He felt his form contorting, his senses overloading.

The air crackled with Verona's signature chaotic energy. It slammed into him like a physical force, trying to enter his body through any opening it could find.

At the same time, the wave of serene energy, cool and calming, washed over him from Valeriana's outstretched hand. It felt foreign. It battled against the chaotic energy, both wanting to get inside of him.

Neveah grunted, his vision blurring. At the same time he felt like he was 'losing' his vampire form and his human form didn't seem 'human' anymore.

He was losing control.

Valeriana and Verona floated on the air, they watched as Neveah's body writhed under the onslaught of conflicting energies, a silent struggle rippling through his form. His features contorted in pain, his human and vampiric nature locked in a brutal tug-of-war.

Despite the chaos, a sense of something else pulsed from him – an awakening, a of some sort. Both women felt it, a potent energy signature. It wasn't human, nor strictly vampire – it was something altogether new..

Valeriana, her white-blue energy circle flickering erratically, turned to Verona, her voice laced with barely hidden panic. "What in the world did you do to him?"

Verona, remained impassive. Her eyes cold, however, internally worried . Also her eyes were shifting before finally settling to two diachronic eyes, one crimson, the other a deep violet.

"I gave him a chance to make a choice, his choice" Verona stated coolly, her voice devoid of emotion. "An opportunity to fight back, to integrate these energies and bloodlines on his own terms. I didn't want him to go along with a forced path."

Valeriana yelled. "A choice? He's barely conscious! And it's barbaric! Shouldn't you have asked him if he wanted this?"

Verona met her gaze. "Perhaps,Perhaps I… should have." She stated coldy.

Inside behind her cold mask however, a storm raged. Had she gone too far? Was it a bad choice? Will this cause irreparable harm to Neveah? She couldn't help but think, and fear washed over the vampire queen, a cold dread flowing down her spine.

The silence stretched, broken only by Neveah's ragged breathing and the crackle of warring energies. Decisions were made today and were about to be made today. Now Each one of them had things on their mind, two of them were worried deeply for Neveah and Neveah himself was confused about the sudden mess he keeps getting thrown into. He just wanted a power source...

And it's becoming more and more difficult as well as annoying and now he was regretting...

Maybe he shouldn't have ever touched a blessed...