Jaux Ballad has always wanted to enter the realm of magic, but could not do so by regular means. In his desperation to become a magician he finds himself with more power, and more trouble, than he could ever have imagined.

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After Suhara turned around, the lady vampire instantly recognized the frightened facial features.

"Oh, I see." The vampire hatefully muttered. "Theema has found another daughter. I never thought that would ever happen again."

"No need to be wary," said Theema's voice in Suhara's head, "the armor keeps the weapon immobile. It will not harm you."

For a moment, Suhara wasn't sure if she should try to say anything. She wanted to ask Theema for more information about what was going on, but didn't want to speak in the vampire's intimidating presence.

The vampire just glared into Suhara's violet eyes, while the black armor rooted the pale creature in place. For some reason, Suhara felt a little drowsy from the vampire's gaze, so she turned her head back away.

"W-why is a vampire here?" Suhara finally decided to whisper.

"Ah yes, ignoring me to commune with your precious goddess. I shouldn't expect anything else from the priestess." Snarled the lady vampire from behind Suhara.

"The vampire is a weapon, an eternal guard that keeps watch over this temple of mine." Theema explained to Suhara. "The armor that it wears keeps it in place, only letting the weapon move whenever any trespasser must be executed. The armor also forcefully binds the connection that the weapon has with its blood demon, so that it shall remain as a vampire no matter the demon's will."

"Well, the vampire is scary and the air out here is really cold. What's up here that could help me?" Asked Suhara. "I don't think I could even fit between any of these trees."

"You asked me for more power, and I can provide it to you with this weapon."

"What? How does a vampire help me wi... wait. Theema, you said no one remembers you anymore! The vampire said your name, so she definitely does, right?"

"What my weapons know of me is irrelevant."

"Uh huh, right. What exactly were you planning to do to help me, anyway? Have me turned into a vampire?" Suhara questioned skeptically.

"Heh, such a moronic brat." The vampire jeered.

"Your seem to be unaware." Theema stated. "It is not possible for a vessel to be bound with more than a single immortal spirit. I also do not wish for you to be anything other than my vessel. My intention was simply to teach you how to use the gift I have placed within your left arm."

"Left arm? Oh right... that contract thing." Suhara mumbled as she recalled what Theema told her around half a week ago.

Suhara had forgotten most of what Theema had mentioned, since it was never a power she could really test out. At best, she remembered how the goddess had told her to beat Broken Space and High Noon. Then afterwards she had to do something with her left arm.

Under the tinted perception of her Winter Sight, Suhara could see the thin purple tattoos that were running down her body. She gently rubbed the four blank circles that were drawn along the curving lines etched into her left arm.

"How exactly does this work?" Suhara asked.

"I have said it before. Defeat spirits or the vessels of spirits, then plunge your left arm into their bodies. Doing that will allow you to absorb the spirit's energy, which my immortal magic will store and replicate."

"Okay, I understood maybe half of that." Suhara complained. "First of all, I can't exactly defeat any spirits. Second of all, I don't have the strength to plunge my hand in anyone's body, and honestly I don't want to either."

The lady vampire snickered while Suhara ranted to the goddess.

"Having some troubles with your newest priestess, Theema?" The vampire mocked.

Suhara saw as the black armor unexpectedly surged with magenta magic, which then crackled with electrical energy. The lady vampire screeched from the agony of being electrocuted, and then fell silent. The black armor remained propped up like a statue, while the vampire's head was hanging forward motionlessly. The long crimson hair was still frizzled from from the shocks.

Suhara gasped out in alarm. "You didn't have to kill her for that!"

"It is not dead." Replied Theema. "But it is defeated, you are now free to take the powers of its spirit."

"W-What? No! I'm not going up to a vampire!"

"It will stay incapacitated for many hours."

"Oh. Well, I don't want to stick my hand into her. I don't even think I have the strength to sick my arm through her. Don't vampires have tough skin or something?"

"You have misunderstood once again, child. Your arm will meet no resistance, and it shall leave no wound. When extracting energy with my gift, you arm takes on the form of intangible immortal magic."

"Ah... you never said anything about that."

Suhara looked over to her left arm, trying to will it to become intangible, but nothing was happening.

"Uh, how do I turn my arm into what you were talking about?" Suhara questioned the goddess.

"Concentrate your mind on one of your vacant circles, and imagine opening a vortex out from it." Instructed Theema.

"You know, you really should explain all of this beforehand, Theema." Suhara mentioned as she followed the goddess's instructions. "I don't think anyone could figure this out by themselves."

"All my previous vessels knew of my gifts, it was never required of me to teach them."

The vision of the Winter Sight showed as the empty circle on the back of Suhara's hand began to fill with swirling darkness. Suhara saw as her fair skin darkened into a smokey gray. The left arm's twisting vine-like tattoos glimmered brightly, glowing with a more intense purple than the rest of Theema's symbols.

Suhara cautiously walked up to the vampire, positioning her enchanted arm right in front of the vampire's exposed stomach. She didn't try to plunge her arm in just yet.

"Theema?" Suhara called out gently.

"Yes?" Responded the goddess.

"What exactly will happen to me if I do this?"

"Child, the immortal magic I provide to you is vast, but featureless. You likely have more soul flowing through you than any other mortal vessel, but it gives you no abilities beyond the Winter Sight. My realm has no other inhabitants, because my power is an empty void. The soul that originates from my realm must act as a shadow, it must have a source to mirror. The ability of my left arm, which I have imprinted onto your body, can store powers that my immortal magic will use as a foundation. You can absorb and duplicate any form of magic with my left arm, but only immortal magic can last forever. Magic from your mortal realm would remain for less than a moment."

"So... I'll get vampire powers?"

"Essentially. You will not duplicate abilities as perfectly as I can. You can only store four different types of soul, and the abilities you copy will only function with a quarter of their original strength."

"Will I want to drink blood like a vampire?"

"No. You will have no bond with a blood demon. The desire of blood and the appearance of vampires are strictly effects from blood demon influence."

Suhara considered the goddess's explanation for a few more seconds, trying to find any downsides. When no other doubts crept through her mind, Suhara thrust her arm forward into the vampire's stomach.

Nothing happened for several seconds, but then Suhara could see as the red aura of magic began to flow and converge at the vampire's stomach. The process took a while, but eventually the magic stopped flowing and Suhara could feel a slight tingling on the back of her left hand.

Suhara's arm solidified as soon as she pulled it out of the vampire. A glowing mixture of various dark red shades now filled the circle on her hand. She briefed switched out of the Winter Sight, just to make sure that the tattoo was still invisible. When she confirmed that only the magical optics could see anything, Suhara switched her vision back so that she could continue to speak with the goddess.

"So, that's it right? I have vampire abilities now?" Suhara asked.

"Yes," answered Theema, "but you will have to obtain the knowledge of vampires so that you know how to use the abilities you have copied."

"Alright, then I'll visit the library before my duel. May I please go home now? It's still really cold outside and my sleeping clothes aren't helping at all."

Darkness instantly surrounded Suhara after she made the request, and the familiar burning sensation that came with Theema's teleportations filled her body.

Desyi's soft snoring could be heard within the darkness, indicating that Suhara was transported back onto her dorm bed.

"Thanks for the help, Theema." Suhara whispered with gratitude, after the burning sensation faded away from her body.

"Of course, child."

Then Suhara closed her eyes, shifting away from the Winter Sight. She was a bit calmer thanks to the help given to her by Theema. The dreamscape gladly welcomed her.

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As with anyone who experiences something extraordinary in the middle of the night, Suhara considered the possibility that she had dreamt everything.

Thankfully she could easily check the facts with a quick look at her arm with the Winter Sight.

Although Suhara got the least amount of sleep, she somehow woke up first. The excitement from an upcoming duel seemed to be the primary reason for that.

The duel was going to take place an hour past noon, so Suhara got ready quick. She still needed enough time to read about vampires in the library.

Suhara stood through a quick five minute shower, not even bothering to scrub too well. Desyi had lent her a high hemline robe for combat, which Frey never thought Suhara would need so soon.

The small lavender robe was actually firmer than it looked, and kept Suhara's breasts rigid. She wasn't sure if it was enchanted or specially designed, but she never even considered her bosom to be a possible combat inconvenience until this point.

After Suhara made sure she had the demon root wand, her staff Sevla, and Frey's silver anklet, she made her way out the door. She also left a small note on her pillow that said she was going to make some last minute preparations.

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The Lyceum's main library was huge, taking up a massive portion of the third floor. No mortal person could possibly read all the books in it within a lifetime.

Having such a large quantity of books on hand also meant that you could find a book on virtually anything.

It was all fitting. Marlifa was the Goddess of Knowledge. If the Marlifa Lyceum didn't have a worthy library, then it would be disgraceful.

Vampires were infamous creatures of terror. It was a safe bet to think that there would be at least one vampire book in every library across the continent. The Lyceum's main library had over seventy that caught Suhara's attention. There were countless books with vampires mentioned inside them, but only seventy books that had detailed vampire information.

Suhara picked out a book on ancient vampires, since she assumed that Theema's vampire was very old.

Blood demons are the source of a vampire's power. They originate from the Realm of Impending Death. A blood demon has chalk white skin and an incredibly tall body. They appear vaguely human, but their arms and legs are twice as long as an average person. A blood demon's face is long and thin with a bony structure. Their mouths are extremely wide, and their teeth is comprised of long fangs. A blood demon is extremely lightweight, but devastatingly strong. Their long arms are capable of smashing through stone boulders with a single blow.

A vampire can be identified by their skin, eyes, and teeth. Vampires have skin that is as white as snow. Their eyes are red, and their pupils look slightly larger than average. Every tooth in the front of a vampire's mouth is sharper and thinner. Vampire teeth won't be sharpened to a point, but the shape will be noticeably triangular.

Blood makes a vampire stronger, because blood efficiently channels the immortal magic that runs through their bodies. The more blood that a vampire has access to, the more their monstrous strength resembles a blood demon. Vampires don't necessarily have to drink blood, simply having physical contact with blood is enough to make them stronger. Drinking blood is just common because of how much longer it lasts inside a vampire's body instead of out. Vampire strength without the assistance of blood is still far above average human strength.

A vampire's skin is naturally durable. They are nearly immune from being cut by daggers and knives, and it often requires a clean hit from a sturdy sword for a vampire to be cut. Combined with their augmented strength, vampires are able to jump to extreme heights, run at great speeds, and survive huge drops.

A vampire is kept virtually immortal by perpetual regeneration. The cells of their body heal constantly in order to maintain the an identical state with how they looked after their bonding with a blood demon. The major chemical processes within a vampire are not regenerated, so vampires are able to memorize, forget, eat, drink, and have offspring. Babies born from a vampire are still regular human babies, mostly because blood demons would never bond with babies.

Blood demons have powerful magics that affect the mind. In new vampires, a blood demon is able to almost completely control the mind of their mortal host. The longer a vampire exists, the more the mortal hosts gains control of these special mind magics. An ancient vampire, which is a vampire who has been bonded long enough to regain free will, is able to command the mind of anyone they have direct physical contact with. Ancient vampires can also put people to sleep from a distance if they can maintain direct eye contact for more than seven seconds.

Strength, durability, regeneration, and possibly some mind magic. These were the abilities Suhara technically obtained last night. They wouldn't be nearly as strong as described in the book, since it was about a quarter as effective, but every boost helped. If anything, Suhara felt a bit more powerful.

After Suhara finished reading up on vampire abilities, she made a quick trip to the restroom. She didn't have to go or anything, but she checked the mirror to see if she had any vampire-like features. Her skin had always been fair, but it didn't turn completely pale. Her teeth were mostly flat, and her eyes were still a pleasant violet. Thankfully, copying the abilities didn't copy vampire features. Theema wasn't lying.

Once Suhara was satisfied with her appearance, she headed over to the stairs. Her duel was coming up soon.