Chapter 6: Chapter 6 – Training Must Begin in Childhood

When Xavier knocked on Chloe’s door, she was curled up beneath her blanket, fast asleep.

The little one slept with remarkable discipline. Despite being only five, with limbs still short and soft, her sleeping posture resembled that of a trained soldier — one who could spring into action at the faintest sound.

Such a posture was certainly abnormal for a child her age. But considering Chloe’s other peculiar habits, Xavier found it hardly surprising anymore.

Still, regardless of how proper her sleeping position appeared, her small, round face remained adorably cherubic.

He sat by the window for a while, waiting until the first rays of dawn broke through. Then, extending a hand, he gently nudged the slumbering child.

The moment his fingers brushed her shoulder, Chloe’s eyes snapped open. Her alertness was so sharp, it was as if she had merely been pretending to sleep.

Upon seeing that the intruder was Xavier, she relaxed, retrieving a thick spellbook from beneath her pillow. With a soft yawn, she asked drowsily, “Shall I start from the beginning?”

“No need.” Xavier flipped to the sixth page. “Start here.”

Chloe hesitated briefly, then quickly recalled the lines in her mind and began reciting them fluently.

The tome was immense — impossible to memorize in a single day without forgoing food and rest.

Watching the disheveled little girl chant solemnly, hair uncombed and eyes still heavy with sleep, Xavier felt a strange tug in his chest.

Perhaps… he had been too harsh?

Yet, before that thought could take root, Chloe shattered it entirely.

After finishing most of the page, she looked up at him with a defiant spark in her crimson eyes. “That was far too easy. I fail to see the point of such trivial assignments.”

Xavier: “…”

He snapped the book shut and, with a swift motion, lifted the tiny girl by the back of her collar.

There was little point in continuing — she had clearly memorized the entire volume.

Chloe scowled, legs dangling in midair. “Put me down!”

Xavier ignored her.

Dodging her futile swipes, he remarked evenly, “You’ve been staying up late.”

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“So what?” she shot back, chin lifted stubbornly. “It’s none of your business.”

“It is,” he replied coolly. “I am your father.”

“Oh? You remember that now?” Her tone dripped with sarcasm.

Xavier’s eyes flickered, but he chose silence.

Still holding her effortlessly, he began smearing something across her face.

It was slick and greasy — unpleasant to the touch.

Chloe struggled wildly, then stared at him in outrage. “Are you rubbing pig fat on my face?!”

Xavier sighed. “No. It’s children’s cream. And eye ointment for dark circles.”

Her frantic rubbing halted. “Really?”

“…Really.”

With that reluctant assurance, she settled down at last. “Fine.”

“It’s your day off from kindergarten,” Xavier said. “You’ll be training with me.”

She perked up instantly. “Training?”

Without further explanation, he lifted her into his arms and carried her out.

Chloe didn’t resist — she simply rested her head against his shoulder, her ruby eyes sparkling with curiosity as she observed the manor’s every corner.

Her snow-pale face and jewel-like gaze drew every onlooker’s attention, and wherever Xavier walked, stares followed — though none were directed at him, but at the little one in his arms.

Chloe showed not the slightest fear. Instead, she offered sweet smiles to those who met her eyes — smiles Xavier had never once received himself.

He couldn’t help wondering where, exactly, things had gone wrong.

Before long, they arrived at an underground chamber — the manor’s private training hall.

Strange metallic instruments filled the room, all sharp lines and cold steel. The sight stirred a flicker of excitement in Chloe’s eyes.

“What is this place?” she asked.

“The training room for the progenitor’s bloodline,” Xavier answered calmly. “Those pods over there simulate combat. When inside, we amplify pain sensitivity to one hundred percent — to forge endurance and mimic the experience of a real battlefield.”

Chloe eyed the pods with intrigue. “Impressive. Is that technology advanced?”

“Extremely,” he replied. “But it isn’t unique to the vampires. Other races have it as well. The difference is— only vampires make their young endure it.”

“Monstrous,” she muttered.

Xavier offered no rebuttal.

Among the Blood Clan, the weak were ruthlessly culled; strength alone dictated survival. Without power, one could lose not just dignity, but the right to exist.

He dismissed the thought and asked, “Would you like to try it?”

Despite her earlier criticism, Chloe’s eyes lit up, and she nodded eagerly.

Seeing that expression, Xavier’s lips curved faintly. “No.”

Her smile froze. “What? Why not?!”

“Because you’re still a child,” he said, placing her atop another machine. “You wouldn’t withstand the pain levels inside.”

“But you said vampire children train with those!”

“That’s true,” Xavier admitted. “However, in our kind, anyone under twenty is still considered a child. And you—” He set a helmet upon her small head. “—are only five.”

His voice grew faint beneath the equipment’s hum. “When you turn thirteen, I’ll let you enter the simulator. By then, your broken fang should have grown back.”

Chloe’s fists clenched.

Could he stop bringing up the missing fang already?!

Then, through the headset, she heard a familiar sound — the deafening boom of gunfire.

The sharp cracks and explosions filled her ears, enough to terrify any normal child.

But Chloe had spent her previous life surrounded by such chaos. Instead of fear, she analyzed each sound — identifying which belonged to heavy artillery, and which to handheld weapons.

Outside, Xavier’s calm voice held a trace of surprise. “She’s not afraid?”

Most children her age would burst into tears at the mere sound of fireworks.

Yet Chloe sat there, serene and composed.

Xavier’s gaze darkened. He pressed another button.

Instantly, within Chloe’s visor, a severed, blood-soaked arm appeared.