Black Cross: The Blood System

CHAPTER 4 — TRIAL BY BLOOD

Adrian learned the hard way that Lirielle wasn't exaggerating when she said getting accepted into the Black Cross was the easy part as the real nightmare came afterward.

The past three months had been the most stressful and punishing phase of Adrian's life as every single day went into a cycle of pain and exhaustion that pushed every limit he had.

He spent up to twelve hours in the gym pushing weights, dumbbells, barbells and Machine weights as these were his best friends for the past three months.

His legs ached as he ran laps around the underground tracks until he lost count, and it always ended up with his clothes dripped in sweat.

Push-ups, pull-ups, squats, and other training exercises filled his days.

He did reps he never imagined were possible, begging for rest only to be shouted at to get back up and continue training.

By the end of it, Adrian was sure he could walk into any special forces and get through their selection process easily. The training was that brutal, it was that unrelenting.

They took his phone the first day as they told him not to contact anybody. No outside contact, no sunlight, as he hadn’t seen the sun since he stepped through that mirror in the restroom with Lirielle.

Behind that cute face and lollipop habit, Lirielle was a demon in human skin as she didn’t care about his physical limits or his mental health.

“Pain is a teacher,” she would say without a single emotion on her face whenever he begged for a break.

“Weakness gets you killed out there.”

Combat training was the worst part of the training he ever did as Adrian had always thought he could hold his own in a fight, but Lirielle completely shattered that illusion every single session.

She always put him on his ass over and over, and sometimes without even trying hard.

Sometimes she would close her eyes and use just one finger to redirect his momentum, sending him crashing on the mat like it was nothing. The humiliation from losing every single time hurt him even more than the bruises.

Yet Adrian endured. Every time the thought of quitting popped up in his mind or when his muscles got weak and tired, he always pictured Sarah’s face. The way she smiled at him in the morning, the sound of her laugh, and her that night in the pool of blood on the road.

Those memories refueled the fire and determination in him and kept him pushing forward.

His greatest strength turned out to be adaptability as he absorbed the lessons faster than expected as his body grew fit and harder and his reflexes got better with each training. Techniques that once felt impossible became like second nature to him.

By the final weeks of his training, he could see Lirielle’s small nods of approval. It was very rare but meaningful.

When the three months finally ended, she pulled him aside after a particularly brutal sparring session.

“You’re ready,” she said simply.

“So I’m officially a member of Black Cross now?” Adrian’s face lit up with excitement.

“Nah, Not even close. You’re still far from it,” Lirielle said as she burst out laughing as she watched his hopeful expression crumble into disappointment.

“Three months of pure hell and I’m still not qualified?” Adrian asked, frustration showing into his voice.

“What kind of organization is this?”

Lirielle wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, still laughing.

“There’s one final test. You have to fight and kill a vampire on your own.”

She went on to explain the different types she knew about.

“We categorize them into three main groups: Newborns, Normals, and Elites.”

“Bring any of them on,” Adrian said, flexing his new muscles. After everything he’d survived in training, he was beaming with confidence.

“I’m ready.”

“Slow down, big guy,” Lirielle warned, opening a fresh lollipop into her mouth.

“A Normal vampire is basically a turned human with enhanced stats. They're stronger, faster, tougher, and have the bloodlust to match.” They usually have some fighting experience, which makes them dangerous but predictable if you know what you’re doing.”

“Newborns are trickier. When a human first turns, logic says they should be weak while adjusting. Instead, the transformation strips away all their sense of reason, and they become pure beasts, stronger, more feral, and way more unpredictable than a Normal. That raw power makes them even deadlier.”

“That's what you will be fighting”

Adrian nodded, listening carefully and committing every detail to memory.

“What about the Elite vampires?” he asked. “You skipped them.”

Lirielle’s expression went dark as she said, “That’s way above your pay grade, and you’re nowhere near ready for those. you should focus on surviving today.”

“So when do I fight this Newborn?”

A few hours later, Adrian walked into a large dark alleyway with Lirielle close behind.

The moment they entered, bright overhead lights flooded the street, and an inhuman noise echoed through the alleyway as the chained Newborn vampire launched itself toward both of them with terrifying speed.

Adrian stumbled back several steps on instinct, but Lirielle didn’t flinch. The creature’s claws reached for her face but came to a halt just inches away, stopped by the heavy chains wrapped around its neck and wrists.”

Adrian was in casual clothes, with a silver dagger in his jacket pocket as he stood face to face with a monster that wanted nothing more than to tear him apart. The vampire’s skin was pale, eyes glowing with hunger and its fangs out.

“A stab to the heart or a clean cut to the neck. That’s all you need to defeat this vampire,” Lirielle said calmly as she turned and walked toward the dark part of the alleyway on the far side of the edge leaving him alone with the vampire Vampire.

“What if it bites me?” Adrian called after her, hoping for some reassurance.

“Then you die. It's as simple as that. It means you weren’t cut out for this job anyway.” Her voice carried no emotion, as if discussing the weather instead of his potential death.

The chains disconnected as the controllers released them from a control panel, and with a metallic click, the Newborn was fully released. It charged straight at Adrian, claws extended and mouth wide open.

Adrian’s heart hammered against his chest like a war drum as fear filled his mind, but he closed his eyes for a brief second, breathing deeply the way Lirielle had drilled into him.

“Remember Sarah, remember why you’re here. Lock the fuck in,” he said as he slapped himself once on the face.

The panic reduced just enough, giving him little courage as he opened his eyes and charged forward to meet the Vampire.

They came together in the center of the alleyway as Adrian threw a powerful right hook aimed at the vampire’s head, but the creature dodged with unnatural speed and countered by grabbing him, lifting his entire body off the ground, and slamming him hard into the concrete floor as Adrian felt pain shoot through his back and shoulders.

“They weren’t kidding about the strength,” Adrian groaned, rolling to the side just as a heavy foot smashed down where his head had been, cracking the floor.

The Newborn pressed the attack, slashing wildly with its claws left, right, left again targeting his neck and face.

Thanks to three months of Lirielle’s brutal training, Adrian’s body reacted on pure muscle memory.

He weaved and ducked, the claws passed him by mere inches, and one of the vampire’s attacks caught the sleeve of his jacket, tearing the clothe but missing his skin.

He saw an opening and closed the distance, driving two solid punches into the vampire’s chest as the impact made the creature wince and stagger backward, and Adrian glanced down at his own knuckles in surprise.

The training was paying off and he was actually strong enough to do some damage.

With renewed confidence, he pressed the advantage, launching a set of strikes but it was all in vain.

Adrian’s back slammed hard into the brick wall, driving every ounce of air from his lungs in a single gasp, and before he could even draw another breath, the creature was on him again.

It moved to attack him again, and Adrian barely saw the Vampire before his instinct screamed at him to dodge.

He twisted his body sideways at the last possible second, and the Vampire’s claws flew through the air where his face had been, slamming into the brick wall. They went deep, penetrating into the concrete like it was nothing more than wet clay.

“What the hell…” Adrian muttered as his eyes widened in shock.

This thing was faster than anything he had ever faced as It was moving more than he thought possible.

He clenched his jaw, shoving down the fear that was beginning to affect his thoughts. This was no time to think recklessly, no time to hesitate, because one wrong move and he would be dead.

This time, Adrian didn’t retreat. Instead he stepped forward to meet it.

He drove his heel into the side of its neck with every bit of strength he could summon as the impact made a loud noise, convincing Adrian that his attack definitely connected, but the creature didn’t drop.

It slowly turned its head toward him, those red eyes locking onto his own, and then it smiled, a slow, mocking stretch of it's bloody lips.

“Oh shit.”

A cold chill raced down Adrian’s spine, and before he could yank his leg back, the powerful grip of the fanged humanoid monster clamped around his ankle and lifted him effortlessly, as if he weighed nothing at all, and threw him across the alley.

Adrian crashed into a metal trash bin with a loud sound as the container burst apart, sending garbage flying everywhere, and pain shot through his back and ribs as his vision went blurry.

He forced himself up onto one knee, staring at the creature walking towards him slowly like a predator approaching prey.

The creature wasn’t about to give him a break as it came at him again, and this time even faster.

Adrian barely rolled aside as another set of claws ripped through the space where his chest had been.

Adrian reached under his jacket, fingers closing tightly around the handle of the silver dagger. It wasn’t big, barely longer than his forearm, but the second he drew it and pointed it at his enemy, the creature hesitated just for a second.

Adrian noticed, but it didn't last long as the hesitation vanished, and with a deafening shout that sent chills down Adrian's spine, the creature charged again.

Adrian took a deep breath and waited patiently, and at the very last second, he sidestepped.

The monster flew right past him, and Adrian used the opportunity and swung hard as the silver blade sliced clean across the monster’s ribs.

A piercing shriek came from the creature’s throat as dark blood sprayed across the ground. It staggered slightly from the burning effect the silver dagger seemed to inflict.

Adrian kept retreating, barely staying ahead of claws that could shred concrete as his breathing grew heavier and sweat poured down his face, his arms hurting from the constant blocking and countering.

He couldn’t overpower this Creature and He couldn’t match its speed, but he had patience.

Every reckless attack, every missed slash, every failed attempt slowly wore the creature down as Adrian used every opportunity to slash and stab the creature before jumping back to create space between them.

“There,” Adrian said to himself as he finally found the opening he had been looking for all these while.

Adrian lunged forward and closed the distance, and The Dagger stabbed two, three times as blood poured across the creature’s stomach.

It stumbled backward, knees shaking as it hit the ground.

The alley fell very quiet as the creature looked up at him with nothing but pure hatred, wanting to tear Adrian apart, but its body could no longer move courtesy of the silver dagger.

Adrian stood a few steps away, breathing hard and legs weak and exhausted. He gripped the dagger tighter and walked forward one step after another.

He stopped right in front of it, and for a long while they simply stared at each other.

Then he raised the dagger, and with one swift motion, he drove the silver blade straight into its chest.

The creature let out one final shriek as it's body shook violently. It clawed desperately at Adrian’s arm before all strength drained away gradually.

Silence swallowed the alley once more as the body became cold.

Adrian stayed still, hand still wrapped around the dagger embedded in the corpse, as his own breathing refused to calm down.

His heart pounded against his ribs like it wanted to jump out.

Slowly, he pulled the blade free, and blood dripped from the edge of the Silver dagger as his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

This was the first life he had ever taken. he should have felt guilt, horror, regret, but instead, a strange quiet relief washed over him. A sense of justice served.

Whatever this thing had been, it would never hurt anyone else again, he thought to himself.

Footsteps echoed from behind him as the young woman stood at the edge of the alley.

She glanced at the corpse, then at Adrian, and without a word, she walked past him, crouched beside the body, and struck a match.

The small flame burned on the stick before she dropped it onto the corpse, and fire erupted instantly, burning the body whole as the flames casted shadows across the alley walls.

They stood together in silence, watching the creature burn down to ash, and only after the fire had done its work did she finally speak.

“That was rough, but nice job.”

Her voice was calm, almost casual, like surviving something like this was rare, but not shocking.

She stood up, brushing ash from her coat, then started walking toward the alley’s exit without looking back, and just before she disappeared around the corner, she paused.

“Congratulations,” she said, offering a faint smile over her shoulder.

She kept walking, her voice drifting back through the quiet night.

“And one more thing, Welcome To The Order Of The Black Cross.

Adrian stood alone, staring at the corpse ashes as the flames slowly died down, and before he could even begin to process her words, the familiar red screen of the System appeared in front of his eyes.

[Mission Complete.]

Target Eliminated.

Reward in Progress.