Episode 09 - Blood
1496 Words
The sky was overcast. The morning air felt heavy, as if nature itself sensed something monumental was about to unfold.
At the Velmonthe family training arena, everyone was in position. Dreadmour stood tall on the wooden platform, his face like stone. Vyrelith sat in her designated chair, arms crossed, eyes sharp. Don Thalor and Elaria stood at the edge of the arena, flanked by their sons—Lucien, Darian, Evren, Riven, and Thorne.
Kaizer was already in the center of the ring, dressed in black training gear. His expression was calm, but his eyes carried weight. He still remembered yesterday—Leona collapsing in the bathroom, nose bleeding, body frail. But family orders were absolute.
Leona appeared.
Her steps were slow but steady. She wore dark grey training clothes, her hair tied tightly. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were sharp. No smile. No hesitation.
She stood opposite Kaizer.
Silence.
Dreadmour raised his hand.
“Begin.”
No bell. No countdown. Just silence… and then movement.
Kaizer didn’t move. He simply stared at Leona, trying to read his sister’s condition. Leona stood firm. Her breathing was fast, but she didn’t flinch.
Vyrelith’s voice rang out, sharp and commanding.
“Kaizer! Don’t go easy on her. She’s your sister, yes. But today, she’s your opponent. Defeat her.”
Kaizer exhaled. He stepped forward, slowly.
Leona braced herself.
And finally… the fight began
More than an hour had passed.
Leona could barely stand. Her body was covered in bruises and cuts. Blood streamed from her brow, lips, and elbow. Her breathing was ragged. Her training clothes were torn, her skin battered. But the worst of it—her left arm was fractured from Kaizer’s earlier blow. She tried to lift it, but all she felt was a sharp, stabbing pain deep in the bone. Kaizer stood before her, his face tense. He no longer attacked. He knew Leona had reached her limit.
“Leona… that’s enough. You can’t go on,” he said softly.
Leona tried to rise, her knees trembling. But her body collapsed again onto the wooden floor of the arena. She gripped the ground, trying to breathe, trying to summon strength… but there was nothing left.
“I… I can still…” her voice barely audible.
Dreadmour stepped forward.
“Get up. The fight isn’t over.”
Vyrelith’s voice rang out from her chair, sharp and cold.
“If she can’t stand, she’s not a Velmonthe.”
Elaria stepped forward, fury in her eyes.
“She’s badly injured! Her arm is fractured! She fainted yesterday! What more do you want?”
Dreadmour didn’t flinch.
“She hasn’t surrendered. As long as she hasn’t surrendered, she must fight.”
Kaizer turned to his grandparents, his voice tight.
“She can’t stand. She’s not defeated. She’s hurt!”
Vyrelith rose to her feet.
“If you can’t finish the fight, then you’re not fit to be a Velmonthe either.”
Leona tried to lift her head. Her vision blurred. The sounds around her began to fade. Her breathing slowed. Blood dripped from her nose onto the floor.
And finally… her body gave out completely. She lost consciousness.
“Leona!” Thorne shouted.
All her brothers rushed into the arena.
Darian knelt and gently lifted Leona’s head.
“She’s unconscious…”
Evren and Riven lifted her body from both sides, while Lucien cleared the path. Kaizer stood behind them, his face filled with guilt. Elaria wept, clutching her daughter’s fractured arm.
“We need to get her to the recovery room. Now.”
Dreadmour said nothing. Vyrelith sat back down, her expression blank and for the first time… the entire Velmonthe family fell silent.
No one had won.
Outside the recovery room.
The door was shut tight. The Velmonthe family’s private nurses were inside, treating Leona. The faint sounds of machines and doctors’ instructions echoed through the hallway.
Elaria stood directly in front of the door, her body trembling. Tears streamed down her face, refusing to stop. Don Thalor placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her, but Elaria pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.”
She turned toward Vyrelith, who had just arrived, walking slowly with her cane.
“You’re horrible,” Elaria said, her voice shaking.
“You’re cruel. You have no heart.”
Vyrelith didn’t respond. She simply stared at her daughter-in-law with that cold, unreadable expression.
“She’s just a girl. A daughter. A sister. She’s not a warrior. She’s not your puppet!”
“She’s a our Velmonthe,” Vyrelith replied calmly.
“She’s my daughter!” Elaria shouted.
“She doesn’t belong to you. She doesn’t belong to this legacy of blood and ego!”
Leona’s brothers stood behind them, silent. Darian clenched his fists. Thorne looked down. Evren and Riven exchanged glances. Lucien watched Kaizer, who remained frozen, his eyes locked on the recovery room door.
“You forced her to fight even though she fainted yesterday. You yelled at her like she wasn’t human. You humiliated her in front of everyone. You… you nearly killed her.”
Elaria broke down again, sobbing harder. Her voice cracked. Her body swayed.
“Her arm is fractured, do you understand? Her bones are broken. She’s bleeding. She’s unconscious. And you still wanted her to stand up and fight?”
Vyrelith finally spoke, her tone calm but cutting.
“If she can’t endure, she doesn’t belong here.”
“You’re cruel!” Elaria screamed, her voice rising.
“Cruel! You’ve never loved anyone. You only love this family name. You only love power!”
Don Thalor tried again to calm her, but Elaria pushed him away.
“I will never forgive you if anything happens to Leona. I will never forgive you until the day I die.”
Vyrelith looked at the recovery room door.
“She will live. And she will be stronger.”
“She’ll live… but with trauma. With scars. With fear. Is that what you call strength?”
No one answered.
Several minutes passed.
A nurse stepped out of the recovery room.
“She’s stable. But she’s still unconscious. We’ll need to monitor her for the next 24 hours. Her left arm… it’s badly fractured. We’ve wrapped it and administered pain relief.”
Elaria rushed into the room, followed by Don Thalor and their sons. Leona lay on the white bed, her face pale, her left arm heavily bandaged. The machines beside her beeped softly, showing a weak but steady heartbeat.
Elaria sat beside her, holding Leona’s right hand.
“Sweetheart… Mommy’s here.”
Kaizer stood at the foot of the bed, his face shattered.
“I… I shouldn’t have…”
Lucien placed a hand on Kaizer’s shoulder.
“You just followed grandma words. It's not your fault.”
Kaizer nodded slowly.
“I just want make her to be strong. But I.....”
Outside the recovery room, Vyrelith sat alone.
Her eyes stared at the floor. Her hand gripped her cane tightly and for the first time… she looked sad.
Slowly, the memories began to return.
Years ago.
Leona was just three years old. Her hair curled softly, her eyes wide and shining. She would run around the house, always searching for one face she adored most—her grandmother’s.
“Grandma! Grandma! I wants to sit with Grandma!”
Vyrelith, still stern and busy with family affairs at the time, would pretend not to hear. But Leona never gave up. She would tug at her grandmother’s robe, climb into her lap, and hug her tightly and one day, Leona spoke clearly for the first time.
“I love you Grandma. Grandma, don’t leave me, okay?”
Vyrelith froze. Those words pierced straight into her heart. She hadn’t expected her little granddaughter to say something so pure. She remembered… that night, she cried alone in her room. Not out of sadness, but joy. She felt seen. She felt loved. Leona was the only granddaughter in a family full of boys. And she… was the only one who came to her without fear.
Now, years later.
Leona lay unconscious in the recovery room. Her body was badly injured. Her left arm fractured. Her face pale. And Vyrelith… could only sit outside, powerless. Tears began to fall slowly down her cheeks. She tried to hold them back, but they came anyway.
“I just wanted her to be safe…” she whispered.
“I just wanted her to be strong enough to protect herself. I didn’t realize… I was hurting her. I'm so sorry Leona . I never hate you but I need to protect you.”
She gripped her cane tighter.
“I didn’t realize… I was hurting the only granddaughter I have.”
No one heard. No one knew. But in silence, Vyrelith loved Leona deeply.
To be continued...
- Writer
