The Extra Wants Control

"Don\'t you remember?" Neveah replied, a small smile on his lips. "I\'m going to see what the commoners think."

He needed to understand the vampire continent he was supposed to rule, the politics and power struggles, and thoughts of people in different situations and statuses.

"Aren\'t you going to rest or sleep?" Sharon askedm Ever since Neveah came to the tournament it\'s been one thing after another, fighting, spamming his skills and fighting again. Honestly she was impressed Neveah fought... Well specifically evaded and defended again the twins and managed to get approved by them.

Meanwhile after her question, Neveah paused, a vision a memory crossing his mind. He saw the image of a short red-haired girl, her sword falling to the ground as she dropped it, a tear forming at the corner of her eyes as she bit her lip. " I\'ll get Nightmares," he thought.

Taking a deep breath, he responded, "Nahh, I\'m good." He lied. He didn\'t want to sleep because he had nightmares, and dark annoying thoughts.

" I\'ll just rest." He said.

"Okay... There\'s a city north from where you are," Sharon offered not asking about the matter further.

"Why, thank you," Neveah said with a grateful smile.

He wanted to get there fast, maybe fly or run but he was too exhausted. He forced himself to walk, a slow and steady pace, the cool night air whipping through his face making hair wave against the wind.

Sharon then kept quiet, she knew it wasn\'t a time to speak. So Neveah found himself lost in thought, replaying the events of the night. The battle with Constantineamd Kael among many others.

The road stretched before him, empty and silent. He just walked on.

*********

welcome to mvle mp,y,r

The wooden tavern door swung open, ringing the bell on top of the door momentarily disrupting the loud chatter and glass-clinking that filled the air. Heads turned to look at the person who entered

It was a man clad in a black mask, black sweatpants, and black turtleneck shirt.

Then silence. No movement or dialogue just everyone looking at Neveah.

Undeterred by the sudden scrutiny, the man walked towards the bar counter.

He reached the counter, the worn out and scratched with a couple of splinters poking out and the sticky wood cool beneath his palm.

The barkeep, a big man with a thick beard and leaned forward. His rough breath reeking booze, "What can I do ya for?"

"I need a room," Neveah replied, his voice muffled by the mask but firm nonetheless.

The barkeep\'s eyes narrowed. He scanned the customer from head to toe. Finally, he grunted, "How long?"

"Thirty-six hours," Neveah answered, his voice calm.

The barkeep tapped a thick finger against the counter, the other hand pulling his beard. "Two iron tokens," he declared.

Silence.

Neveah reached into his pocket, his fingers brushing against the two iron tokens.

He took out the tokens, the cold iron feeling spreading to his skin, and slid them across the counter.

The barkeep snatched them up, looked at them and smiled.

He tossed a small, worn key towards Neveah, its surface etched with the inscription "2A."

"Second floor," the barkeep said his voice cold .

"Do you want blood?" he added, his voice dropping to a low as if he was selling something illegal.

Neveah shook his head. "Nah, I\'m good."

With a final, assessing glance, the barkeep turned his back, his attention claimed by a new customer.

Neveah turned away from the counter and ascended the creaking wooden stairs, disappearing into the upper floor.

The faint scent of stale ale and dried vomit heavy in the air. He winced, pulling the mask tighter against his face as he surveyed the room.

" Clean." He said as a blue magic circle formed and the room\'s smell became bearable.

"Young Master," Sharon\'s voice echoed in his mind, full of disgust, "you couldn\'t find a better place?"

Neveah shrugged, "This one was the closest... It\'ll do," he said

He scanned the small room.

"To think people are using tokens as currency too," Sharon continued, amused.

"Yeahhh," Neveah sighed, pushing his mask aside. He ran a hand through his hair.

"Anything to get ahead, I guess." He said with a shrug. He the door at the extreme corner marked bathroom. "At least it has a bathroom here. I need to get clean…"

He removed the shirt, exposing his toned body.

"What are you doing?" Sharon asked with surprise in her voice.

"Going to take a bath," he replied, his voice dry. "For that, I need to get out of my clothes."

With a roll of his eyes, he tossed the shirt onto the floor and made his way toward the bathroom and had to use the clean spell twice....

The water, when he turned it on, sputtered and came out cold but not cold enough.

Neveah, focused his energy. Frost emanated from his palm, swirling around the stream of water, chilling it to a refreshing coolness.

After finishing, he stepped out, a towel wrapped around his waist, and scanned the room. He put on some new clothes.

"Sharon?" he called out mentally only to be met with silence. "I guess she\'s not there…"

He sighed, feeling lonely.

He raised a hand, casting a couple of quick cleansing spells over the bed leaving the surface clean. With a tired sigh, he collapsed onto the bed, the softness a forgotten sensation.

"A soft bed…" he said, closing his eyes. "It\'s been years."

Despite the calmness of his surroundings and he was deep in thought.

The fight with the "Twilight Twins" as he\'d started to call them, replayed in his mind. "Honestly, that was pathetic," he thought. He hadn\'t landed a single offensive blow, constantly on the defensive against Constantine\'s relentless assault... He didn\'t even do well against Kael.

" It\'s almost disheartening." He thought. "Peak Eight stars, huh? He wondered. Not only were they obviously well-trained fighters, but those Laws they wielded… and the sheer power of them. And Constantine law... don\'t tell me there are proficiency levels in Laws?" he considered.

He came here for experience, for a chance to grow stronger. But right now, he felt utterly helpless. "Let\'s see what tomorrow brings," he said not pleased by today\'s events.

Frustration grew within him. \' tsk ...If only these damn restrictions weren\'t in place! If only I wasn\'t sealed away by mother Verona\'

He yearned to unleash it, to draw upon \'that\' energy and turn the tide.

But trust made him reconsider. \'Verona wouldn\'t have done this without reason.\' He trusted her judgment, even if he didn\'t understand her motives.

With a sigh, Neveah reached over and cut the lights, plunging the room into darkness. He didn\'t want to sleep. But he could rest, gather his strength.

As he lay there, his body began to absorb the ambient energy around him. A faint glow emanated from his body, a dark red aura with bright white at the edges.

Neveah stared blankly at the ceiling, his mind a barrage of thoughts...

Outside, the city hummed with its own restless energy, a symphony of drunken laughter and distant shouts.