Drac couldn’t sleep the night that they had arrived at the Earldom of Castermere. It wasn’t exactly because of the new environment or the new bed but because of the thoughts that ran through his head all night.

The Second Prince was possessed and the demon was capable of changing the tides of the plans that Ocean had made. It wasn’t like he was doubting his Master but he couldn’t watch his dear friend Eric lose what he and everyone else had worked so hard just because one old hag couldn’t be satisfied with all the power she already had.

He was tempted to go and rip tbe Golden Serpent’s head the moment he heard from Ocean that Carlos was possessed and that it could pose some threat over their plan. But it was a relief and even for that Ocean had a plan.

Drac kept tossing and turning in his bed for hours before he gave up on sleep. Drac closed his eyes as he listened for a moment, and felt Eric’s steady breathing in the room right beside his. He was given a good room considering he was Eric’s personal guard for the Trials.

After a few more minutes, Drac got out of his bed and changed out of his clothes, putting on his training attire before he left his room with his sword.

The mansion was quiet in the early hours as even the dawn was a couple of hours away. Drac made his way out of the mansion towards the back where the butler had told him the training ground was. The Earldom was small and rarely faced any serious dispute so they didn’t have an army just a few guards that had been loyal to them for generations.

Drac stood in the center of the empty training ground and closed his eyes feeling the mana flow in his body. During the war, he had done his best to hide his fire element mana as it was only limited to the royal family in the human kingdom.

But as of now since no one was looking he wanted to work on it a little more. He knew there would be a problem if he was spotted but then again he could just make an excuse.

Drac unsheathed his sword and focused his mana, he envisioned his heart beating and sending the blood and mana flowing around his body. A small amount of mana circulating through his arms extended outwards and engulfed the steel of his blade and he opened his eyes slicing the air before him.

Drac’s movements were so fast that a normal eye could only see the red glint of the fire that trailed behind his blade.

Drac trained alone continuously for around and hour before he felt a presence sparking and he stopped abruptly mid-swing. He expected Eric but the presence was different, when he turned he saw the young lady of the household. Lysanne, dressed in a training outfit- a tunic paired with brown trousers and black boots along with a short sword strapped to her side.

She appeared shocked to see him and he was surprised to see her.

Drac blinked before he bowed to her and she also snapped out of her shock before curtsying.

"Good morning, erm..." She fiddled trying to remember his name.

"Drac Rayburn." Drac answered sounding impassive.

His body was covered in sweat with the mana exercise which made his shirt stick to his body like second skin.

"Good morning, Sir Rayburn." She said and Drac plucked up the edge of his collar from his chest to wipe the sweat droplets that were sliding down the sides of his face to his sharp chin.

"I’m not a knight, yet." He spoke and Lysanne blinked.

"Yes? Oh, I’m sorry, Lord Rayburn." She said and Drac released a low breath from his mouth.

"Just call me Drac." He said before he turned away removing his drenched shirt.

He could feel Lysanne’s eyes on his back before he turned his head to look at her.

"I can leave if you don’t want me here," he said and Lysanne brought her hands up.

"No, it’s fine. I’ll train over there." She said pointing at the other empty side.

Drac nodded once without a word before he walked over to the weapons stand that had a bench close to it. Drac placed his shirt on the bench before he returned to the ground. He looked at Lysanne who was swinging the sword on her side before he turned away training on his own.

It was surprising to see a young lady of a noble family who looked so frail to be wielding a sword. But his thoughts immediately was crushed as he recalled the face of the young girl he had seen years ago, the fragile looking girl who had created her own shadow empire and wielding more power than any weapon.

Drac didn’t use mana after that and only trained the usual tricks he had learned after sparring with the kids at Eldarf and with his Master.

Drac was aware of the presence which was lingering in his periphery, and once in a while as he turned during his swings, he saw her training with a serious face. But still, their eyes would meet for a fraction and he would turn away.

It went on for a couple of minutes before he felt her stopping completely, he felt her eyeing him and after a couple more minutes of swinging his own balde, Drac stopped and turned to look at her.

"What is it?" He asked without beating around the bush and Lysanne clenched her sword’s hilt tighter.

"You are really good with your sword." She said, though she knew only using the word good was like an insult to his skills.

Drac hummed and Lysanne continued, "How long have you been training?"

Drac pondered over it before he answered, "Since I was three."

Lysanne’s jaw dropped hearing that, "Since you were three?!"

Drac tilted his head unable to understand her shock, he had momentarily forgotten that humans weren’t supposed to start training for combat since that young age unlike the other species.

Lysanne’s gaze carried a mixture of awe and sympathy for him as she approached him.

"It must have been hard." She said and Drac maintained a neutral expression.

"Somewhat," he admitted as he recalled Clyde and his past at Mordino but then Ocean’s and everyone else’s faces came to his mind and a small, rare smile spread over his face.

"But now it’s all right."

Lysanne noticed that smile before her eyes drifted down to his tanned body and she noticed the large scar on his chest, right in the center. She wondered just how brutal his childhood must have been. Apart from that scar there were a few more minor scars that were scattered all over his well muscled body.

"Um... C-Can you spar with me?" She asked.

Drac tilted his head slightly and she quickly added, "I know it’s a little unlikely for a woman to wield a weapon and fight but, I have to learn and I’m already working hard for it."

Drac remained silent and then said, "It’s not unlikely for a woman to wield a weapon."

Lysanne watched as Drac ran a hand through his fiery red hair pushing them back from his damp forehead.

"In my life, among the incredibly powerful people I have seen, most of them are women... If you don’t have a problem then I can spar with you."

Lysanne blinked, her heart picked its pace because of his words.

Lysanne, unlike the other noble girls of the neighbouring territories wasn’t interested in the gossip or dresses. She was more of what the people who knew her described, a wild horse.

When she was young, she had a fiery temper that would make her explode at the people and she also loved running around and playing with boys. She loved horse riding more than playing house and she preferred wearing trousers than dresses.

Her father indulged her, while her mother tried to tolerate it as long as she maintained a graceful and civil decorum before other people.

As she grew, her fiery temper grew more controlled and she maintained a graceful appearance before the people while in private she would do whatever she loved.

Ever since her brothers were born, she had had more responsibility and she had found herself running behind her brothers and disciplining then to be her best exercise. She loved her brothers because they were just like her and even more.

But since she loved her parents she maintained the grace and serenity of her father and her mother’s strictness.

But all her life, she had been listening to people and her family tell her that wielding a sword was unseemly of a lady, especially in a peaceful territory as theirs. So, though she had her basic combat training she wasn’t allowed to go beyond that.

Still, she wouldn’t give up on it, she trained every day early in morning making sure that she was alone in the training ground and she revised her basics trying more tricks on her own. She was waiting for her brothers to grow older so that she could spar with them but it still had some more time.

Lysanne was surprised when she had seen someone in the training ground but what had stunned her was the speed with which the person moved. Her eyes failed to follow his movements which were so fluid and yet so powerful that she could feel the sound of the air being sliced. But what she really found fascinating was the way the blade glinted as if it wasn’t made of steel but of fire.

"All right." Lysanne said and got in her facing stance watching the tall, muscular young man before her.

Their blades clashed just in the time that Eric came out and stood watching the duo sparring. This was a completely unexpected scene for him so, he simply stood there and then after a while just leaned his shoulder against the doorway of the wall that was seperating the training grounds from the mansion. Eric stood there watching the spar with a playful smile.

"What a surprise! Is it spring already? I must tell Master about this."