The Queen of Vampires

Training

Mira slept, having nightmares about Lois and her group killing her over and over. The nightmares were odd since she haven't had a dream since she woke in the coffin so the nightmares were scary. She knew she was dreaming yet she couldn't wake up. It was like she was being force into a dream. She tried to wake up again. The pressure became stronger, pushing her more. She couldn't stay in those nightmares any longer. She had to get out. If she had to stay in there a little longer, she fear that she would go insane. She had to break out. She pushed with all her mental strength. The pressure seemed to c***k a little. Another push and it would be broken. She pushed, again with all her mental strength. She could hear a c***k and she woke. Merlin was standing there, looking at her, "You were able to break through that. Impressive."

"So you did that?"

"No, a stranger came in here through your ward and did that. Of course, I did that. I need to know your strength to teach you in magic."

"Were you using your full strength?"

"No, only 40%."

"What? You are so strong."

"Don't look disappointed at yourself. Strength is something you gain from practice. Just like physical strength, you need to train your mental strength. I would say that you have a lot of raw potential."

"Thanks. How do I train my mental strength?"

"Chess? Board games? Near-death experiences? Your will to live and your will to continue living."

"I am kind of bad at board games."

"No one is, at the start. I am sure you will be better after a game or two with me. I will teach you. That's why I am here. Come on now. After we are done, you will be better than most."

They spent almost all day, Merlin explaining to her how magic works and teaching her how to play chess.  She didn't understand how he win every time against her. It's like he know her next move and planned for the next 15 moves. At first, the matched were over in a minute. However, as time passes, she started to understand how the game works but she still couldn't beat him. It's like he was playing mind games on her. She tried everything she could think of to win against him. She tried to trick him too but he saw through her trick instantly.

"Ahh...How can you win every single match?"

"Experience."

"Seems like I am the only one in the group that lack experience."

"Yes and it seems like you are the one with the highest potential in everything."

"Potential means nothing if I died."

"But if you live, you will be better than everyone."

"There's one problem with that."

"What is it?"

"I don't want to be better than everyone. I like to be normal."

"The fact that you drink blood isn't normal. The fact that I can do magic isn't normal. The only normal one in our group is Arthur. And his life force is connected with me so he too isn't normal."

"Well, Lois said you know more about magic. Tell me."

"I'll tell you later. Right now, Arthur is waiting for you. He want to train you in sword fight."

"Who is scheduling this behind my back?"

"...Lois..."

"Damnit. I will deal with her later. Where is Arthur?"

"He's on the training ground. Just go straight from here. After a minute or two, you will see Arthur in the middle of a clearing."

"Thanks."

True to Merlin's words, Arthur was waiting for her. He could be judged as a jerk.

"About time you are here."

"Blame Merlin."

"No, I'll blame you. Now let's get started."

This was even worse than Merlin's mental plays. After each match, a bruise was added to her body. They looked ugly on her body but it was a reminder that she wasn't good enough. She couldn't land a hit on her. But he was able to land a hit on her every time. Maybe it was a way of him improving her reflexes. The only times she was able to block was when he used the same trick again but he always land with other tricks. It seemed like he knew all of the fighting styles because he used them to beat her. He was able to beat her because he knew a wide variety of fighting styles. She either block or evade some blows, thanks to her enhanced vision and reflexes but he moved too quickly even for her. After their training session, her body now had a collection of bruises. Her whole body was sore.

"Meet me here tomorrow, same time."

"What? I have to endure this again?"

"Yes, no complain now. Go."

He really was a jerk. And he yelled after her, "And don't heal those with your special way. Heal those in a traditional way."

He was a huge jerk. She walked to her room, exhausted mentally and physically. After getting into her room, she took her clothes off and took a long bath. Are baths even allowed in the rooms? After taking a long bath, she looked at herself in the mirror. Her face and body were filled with bruises. And he said she wasn't allowed to heal them. But he said she could heal them in a traditional way. That would means that she could heal using herbs. She called her animal friends, "Hey, friends. Can you gather some herbs for me? I need to heal."

Then the door opened. She grabbed her sword and got into a stance. There was indeed two human, with a mask standing, outside her room.