The training ground behind the palace was a vast, emerald sea of grass, so immense that a person standing on the far side seemed like a tiny figurine. In the center of this expanse, Torfyn, Wei, and Amanda stood together, a trio bound by fate and confusion. Facing them were their new mentors: Dylan, Lena, and Siya.

Siya broke the silence, her voice cutting through the mountain air. "From this moment, your training begins. You have potential," she stated, her gaze sweeping over them, "but unless you learn to use it, you are nothing more than garbage. It's sheer luck you've survived this far."

Torfyn’s head snapped up, his golden eyes flashing with anger. "What did you say?"

Siya ignored his outburst, continuing as if he hadn't spoken. "If you want to be stronger, you must first understand how truly weak you are. And comprehend the chasm you must cross to become strong."

Torfyn’s fists clenched, his knuckles white. Amanda listened with intense focus, while Wei simply nodded, understanding the psychological game being played.

"To know your weakness," Siya declared, a sly smile playing on her lips, "you must face us. In fact... fight me. All of you. At once."

The three teenagers stared, stunned by the challenge. A fierce grin spread across Torfyn's face. Finally, some action! Without a word, he shifted into his half-wolf form and charged, a golden blur of rage and muscle.

Siya didn't even shift her stance. She laughed, a light, almost musical sound, as she effortlessly sidestepped every one of his powerful blows. He used his wolfish agility, trying to flank her, but she was always a step ahead, a phantom he couldn't touch. His frustration boiled over. With a roar, he completed his transformation into a massive, full-fledged werewolf and lunged.

But in the blink of an eye, Siya was behind him. A single, precise chop to the back of his neck, and the mighty wolf crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Dylan slammed a palm to his forehead with a sigh. He's exactly like the old man Tyrion. All power, no patience.

Amanda and Wei exchanged a look. A silent conversation passed between them, and they nodded. As Amanda used her vampiric speed to engage Siya, distracting her with a flurry of attacks, Wei moved. While Siya was taunting Amanda—"Ha! Do something different!"—he darted to Torfyn’s side, shaking him awake and quickly whispering a plan.

Siya suddenly noticed the blood dripping from Amanda's hand, forming a wide circle around her. A trap? She vanished just as Amanda snapped her fingers, sending a volley of blood thorns shooting inward.

"Something is wrong," Siya muttered, landing a safe distance away. Her eyes darted to where Torfyn had fallen. He was gone.

The battle changed. Amanda began punching the ground, her enhanced strength creating fissures in the earth. Confused, Siya didn't notice Torfyn being propelled toward her by a controlled gust of Wei's wind magic. As Torfyn rained blows upon her—which she deflected with ease—the grass beneath her feet became impossibly slippery. Wei had reduced the friction, throwing her off balance.

Lena and Dylan watched, their smiles growing. Good. Very good.

Then, from the cracks in the ground, Amanda's blood seeped up, forming hundreds of needle-sharp points. Wei surrounded them with compressed air. In a perfectly synchronized moment, he released the air pressure as Amanda commanded the needles to fly.

Siya's eyes widened in genuine admiration. "Well done!" she exclaimed. With a powerful punch to the ground that stabilized the terrain, she spun, creating a whirlwind that deflected the blood needles.

But Torfyn was already there, his fist breaking through her whirlwind. She caught his punch effortlessly and threw him into Wei, sending them both tumbling. A moment later, she was behind Amanda, a hand resting gently on her throat.

"Checkmate," Siya said softly. Then, she beamed at them. "Amazing! You only met yesterday, yet your teamwork is brilliant. Wei's intelligence, Amanda's tactical brilliance, and Torfyn... your initial rage was a feint, wasn't it? A distraction so they could analyze me."

The three stared, shocked. "How... how did you know?" Torfyn gasped.

"This is called experience," Siya replied. "I could read your intentions in every move. You will be fighting beings who are centuries older. They will anticipate your strategies before you even form them. That is why you need training. You combined couldn't even force me to use my blood magic. That is your current reality."

Amanda's shoulders slumped. "If they're that experienced, how can we possibly win?"

"You have something they do not," Dylan interjected, stepping forward. "The power inside you is ancient, more ancient than the Generals. You must learn to harness it. Torfyn, in the woods, when you were cornered, you released a glimpse of it."

Torfyn looked stunned. "I did?"

Lena nodded. "And Wei, as the first twin witches in three thousand years, your combined potential is magnitudes greater than any before you. Amanda, your bloodline is pure royalty. Your innate power dwarfs most vampires. We will help you unlock it. Perhaps you will even surpass us."

---

In the dark, oppressive cave, a sharp crack echoed. The crystalline shell containing Angela began to fracture. She saw the wolfbane smoke swirling around her, a deadly barrier. Taking a deep, final breath, she held it and burst free. She sprinted through the toxic cloud, her skin sizzling and burning, but she didn't stop. Weakened and wounded, she emerged from the smoke only to be surrounded by a pack of black-cloaked werewolves.

Her red eyes blazed. She vanished, reappearing behind one to tear his head from his shoulders in a single, brutal motion. They swarmed her. Exhausted and unable to use her blood magic, she fought hand-to-hand, a whirlwind of lethal grace, ripping through her attackers. But their numbers were endless, and now vampires joined the fray.

Angela smiled. She targeted a vampire, moving too fast for it to react, and drained it dry. Her wounds began to knit closed. She repeated the process, her power returning with every drop of blood. Finally, fully powered, she unleashed her magic. A wave of crimson energy swept out, crystallizing every enemy in the cavern. With a snap of her fingers, they shattered into a million glittering pieces.

From the shadows, a muscular figure emerged. Edger, one of the Twelve, his red eyes gleaming. "As expected from the Queen's Second General. Strong. And cruel."

Angela laughed. "So, you were my guard, Edger? Let's see who is superior: the Queen's Second, or the Dark Lord's?"

Edger chuckled. "Let's fight, my dear. Just like the old times."

"Let's begin... Master," Angela replied, her smile sharp.

---

Back on the training grounds, the mentors began their specialized regimens.

Dylan faced Torfyn. "Your main weakness is you don't know your own strength. To force you to find it, you will fight me while injected with a special poison that will weaken you completely. Your task is to endure everything I do to you and land a single blow. And I will beat you until you do."

Torfyn, though surprised, felt a spark of excitement. Grandfather said the same thing...

With Amanda, Siya was direct. "Your fighting sense is excellent, a gift from Angela. But you rely on it too much. You must connect with your blood. You will defend and attack using only your blood magic. Nothing else."

Amanda took a deep breath, her resolve hardening. "Let's do this."

For Wei, Lena opened a shimmering portal and summoned a mountain of two thousand ancient, massive books. "Your mind is your greatest weapon, but your knowledge is limited. Your task is to study all of these in twenty-four hours."

Wei's jaw dropped. "All of them? In a day?"

"Yes," Lena said firmly. "And you will simultaneously use physical enhancement magic to heighten your vision and cognitive speed." As Wei, buzzing with excitement, dove into the first book, Lena thought, No one has ever completed this in a lifetime. But the Queen believes he can. If he does, it will be history.

---

The battle between Angela and Edger escalated into a cataclysm. He fired a bullet of boiling blood that vaporized an entire section of the cave. She retaliated with a blood crystal that flash-froze and shattered another. The cavern groaned, giant rocks crashing down around them as they fought through the destruction.

A rock, hurled by Angela, cracked Edger's skull. He touched the blood and smiled. "Good." He stomped the ground, sending every falling rock shooting toward her at bullet speed. They pummeled her from all sides.

As he smiled in triumph, a crystallized arrow erupted from his own stomach and detonated, blowing away half of his body.

Edger stared, stunned. "Well done, girl... you've grown." He coughed, blood bubbling from his lips. "But I can't let you escape." He placed his hand on his flowing blood. "We Generals... have an ace up our sleeve."

Angela knew what was coming. She raced to stop him, but he fired a barrage of bullets, bringing the rest of the cave down upon them both.

A burst of red power erupted from the rubble, and Edger emerged, transformed into a monstrous hybrid of bat and man, his power radiating palpable malice. "This is the essence of a true vampire!" he roared, launching a relentless assault on the injured Angela.

She remembered Ahalya's warning: Escape, or sever the neck. But escape was impossible. As Edger's fist pierced toward her heart, she had one final thought. My Queen, my friend... I did my best. Amanda, my daughter, I was so happy to be your mom.

Edger's hand plunged through her chest. "Well done, my student. I am proud of you." He held her as her life force flickered. "I will let you die easily."

But as he hugged her, Angela's eyes flew open with a final, faint red glow. She bit deep into his neck, draining him while using a crystal shard to sever the arm impaling her. She healed herself with his own stolen power until he was nothing but a desiccated husk.

She stood, wiping her lips. "Thank you for everything, Master. Now, rest in peace."

---

It was midnight. On the training field, Torfyn was a broken mess, covered in bruises, his breathing shallow. But he pushed himself to his feet. I have to... land... a blow... His pupils began to glow with an intense golden light. A white, fiery aura erupted from his eyes, engulfing his body, and a crescent moon symbol blazed to life on his forehead.

Amanda lay collapsed, utterly drained. She had no energy left, not even to stand. "One more..." Siya's voice urged gently in her mind. "You can do it." With every ounce of her will, Amanda focused on the power in her blood. Her eyes snapped open, glowing not just red, but with a violent, dense violet aura that pulsed around her.

Wei closed the final book. The knowledge of millennia swam in his mind, concepts and spells clicking into place. I understand now. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, they shone with a brilliant, enlightened blue light, a calm, powerful blue aura emanating from his form.

High in her castle, in a luxurious chamber, Queen Ahalya watched everything in her scrying mirror. A slow, proud smile graced her lips. The crucible had forged them. The sparks of ancient power had finally been ignited.