( Flashback From Regus's Childhood )
" Again! " A stern voice screamed a tall and bulky man who was overlooking his tiny 3 year old son's training.
Not many in the modern times knew that Regus Aurelius, the mighty vampire monarch, was not born a healthy child.
Born prematurely and severely underweight, Regus was born a frail baby who was not expected to live upto the age of 5.
Born to God general Cassius Aurelius, Regus was supposed to be a powerful baby, but his birth was a disappointment.
As a newborn every night was a life and death struggle for Regus as countless doctors and nannies needed to be on standby to ensure that he survived the night.
Beating all odds, Regus survived till the age of 3 and while the rest of the Aurelius clan had no big hopes for Regus and treated him with extreme sympathy, his own mother loved and pampered him as if he would die anyday.
For his entire life, Regus had been the spoiled and loved kid who was never asked to do even the smallest of physical exercise or chore, however, the day Regus turned 3, there was one man who turned his life upside down.
That man was his father Cassius who personally began to oversee a brutal training regime for Regus which involved swordsmanship training, intense exercise and working out.
Before he even learnt how to play with a toy, Regus was handed a wooden sword and asked to hack at wooden dummies all day long as his father oversaw his training.
For a boy who was so frail, Regus could not even manage two proper swings on his first day of training, however, for the first time in his life on that day he was slapped and forced to hack the dummy 100 times until his father let him go.
Regus threw a tantrum, cried and waited, expecting his mother to come rescue him as she usually did, but nobody came.
Day after day, his demonic father put him under gruesome training and a strict diet as it was at this point that his bloodline ability activated for the first time.
His fear of his father was so profound, that his Aurelius bloodline was triggered which gave him the strength his frail body lacked to complete his father's training.
Soon days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months as Regus slowly began gaining mass and by constantly being fed nutritious treasures his body condition improved.
By the time he was 5, he looked like a normal child and when the doctors re-evaluated him they were astonished and declared that Regus would live a long and healthy life.
There was no stopping Regus after that point, as under his father's guidance he trained day and night with his sword and slowly but surely emerged as a great warrior.
Regus loved his mother wholeheartedly and while he respected his father, he had never actually loved him as much as he feared him.
When he was 20, his father reportedly died in a border planet defending the Aurelius lands and he was named the next clan leader of the Aurelius clan.
Back then, he never grieved for his father, nor did he try to avenge him as it was only after he became a father a couple centuries later that he understood just how great of a father Cassius Aurelius really was.
Only when he had Marcus as his son did he understand how hard it must have been for Cassius to put his own flesh and blood under such gruesome training, but he had done it, knowing full well that he would become a villain in his child's life in the process, just to save Regus's life.I think you should take a look at
Perhaps it was his tough love that had made Regus the disciplined and powerful ruler that he was today and it was probably because he was not tough enough on Marcus that his son turned out to be such a disappointment.
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( Present day )
" AGAIN !, NO FOOD FOR YOU UNTIL YOU HACK THE DUMMY A THOUSAND TIMES "
Regus could almost hear the words of his father ringing in his ears as if he was physically saying it.
After his childhood, perhaps today was the first time he felt like that frail old baby again who did not have the strength to move or hack at the dummy and needed to push his body to the very edge to complete the task given by his father so as to not risk his ire.
Back then ' Fear ' was the emotion that drove his bloodline, today it was solidarity and duty.
As the vampire king, he could not fall until his men had retreated to safety. He could not give up until he had squeezed the very last bit of strength from his body, as the moment he fell, so would millions of vampire lives.
" The sword is your shield, the sword is your best friend, the sword is your weapon and the sword is also your pride.
Till you have a sword in your hand, nobody can defeat you.
Remember my words Regus, remember them well-
There is no greater weapon than a sword in this universe and till you have a sword in your hand and the Aurelius Bloodline flowing through your veins, you will never fall in battle"
Regus could hear his father's old advice coming back to him as he could not help but smile.
" Smiling at your own death Aurelius? How gallant of you- " the Mercenary King mocked as he tried to hack Regus's neck but was blocked by Regus's sword.
As the vampire monarch kicked him in the gut and sent him flying backwards.
All he had today was a sword and the Aurelius bloodline, and although it seemed impossible, Regus wanted to believe in his old man's words and think that till he had the sword in his hand and the Aurelius Bloodline in his veins, he would not fall in battle.
" Come, push me harder- ". Regus said with a confident smile on his face which looked unlike a man who was about to die.
Even in such a helpless situation, the vampire monarch had decided to stand strong and bring the fight to his enemies.
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/// A/N - Chapter 6 of 8, enjoy ///