In the heart of the Amana plantation, nestled amid fields of cotton and tobacco, the Ward family lived a life of unimaginable privilege. Joseph and Selene Ward, a wealthy married couple, thrived in their grand plantation home, untouched by the toil of their extensive fields, thanks to the labor of their enslaved workforce.

Each morning, their slaves catered to their every need, dressing them in fine silks and inquiring about their breakfast preferences. Joseph, always indecisive, changed his mind several times before snapping at Isabella, a long-serving slave.

“Isabella, how long have you been under my care, and you’re still unable to discern my tastes? You should know what I want for breakfast. Now, go!” he barked.

Selene, attempting to lighten the mood, teased, “It’s not like we have much of a taste for human food anyway.”

Joseph ignored her, replying, “The fodder have been outside for an hour or so. Join me to look at them.”

Selene’s face went cold. She didn’t enjoy seeing children suffer. Nevertheless, she followed her husband outside, where they found the children cold, dirty, and miserable.

“There’s a cute one. Can’t he work in the house?” Selene suggested, pointing to a young boy named Diego.

Joseph’s face contorted in anger. “You may never allow a single one of these filthy animals in my home.”

After scrutinizing all forty children, Joseph singled out Diego as one of the strongest. “Tell Trinity and Christian to spare the four strongest. They will train the others,” he ordered.

“Maybe we should postpone Trinity’s training,” Selene suggested hesitantly.

“You and the others will train my daughter properly.” 

That morning, before the vampires’ dinner, Joseph decided to test Diego, the boy Selene had noticed. He took Diego out, attempting to teach him magic. However, Diego struggled to understand and inadvertently misused the magic bracelet. The magic blew off his arm, leaving him maimed and in agony.

When the children returned home, Joseph joined them late for dinner. Christian, his son, showed excitement at seeing his father. Trinity, his daughter, ran to embrace Joseph, causing Christian to seethe with jealousy. Knowing he would be beaten for such behavior, Christian simply said, “Hello, father.”

Once Joseph put Trinity down, a slave named Tiffany entered the room. Trinity threw her arms around Tiffany, enraging Joseph. He struck the slave, severing her head from her shoulders.

“Never touch those filthy animals in such a way,” Joseph commanded.

Tears welled up in Trinity’s eyes as she screamed, “I hate you!” and ran away.

Christian noticed his father’s heartbreak but remained silent, sipping blood from his cup silently like Selene.

The following night, a doctor visited the house. Christian, who was unaware that this was a psychologist, peeked into the room as the doctor consulted Joseph.

“Trinity’s mind was broken long before the events that transpired yesterday. This is likely due to her excessive compassion.” After taking a deep breath, the doctor suggested, “Consider removing your human slaves from working inside of your home.”

Joseph hesitated, concerned about the cost of hiring professional vampires. “Replacing that labor would cost millions.”

Christian entered the room, surprising everyone, and proposed, “Why don’t we let her kill a few fodder? Once she realizes their lives are worthless, she should change.”

The doctor tapped his chin and added, “Seeing a slave being disposed of was too traumatic. Maybe you should ease her into the process. Have the young master train with the slaves as she watches.”

Joseph nodded at his son, the biggest compliment Christian could receive. He knew he had only one day to prove himself, so he intended to do more than what the doctor suggested—he would torture the fodder.

The next day, the family rode horses to the field, where a trembling young boy was brought out. Christian allowed the boy to attack with fire magic first, slightly burning his hand. 

Trinity cried out, “He’s hurt, Christian. Go check on him.”

Ignoring her pleas, Christian continued the hunt, attacking the fodder relentlessly, even as Trinity begged him to stop. 

Joseph forcibly held onto Trinity as they sat on the horse.

When Christian cast a final fire spell that charred the boy’s body, Trinity snapped, releasing a magical shockwave of various elements. Half of Joseph’s face froze, while electricity coursed through the other half. They were all thrown to the ground, and the horse remained motionless.

Christian turned around, only to see a hurtful expression on Joseph’s face. 

Before cradling his daughter, Joseph shared a nasty look with Christian, who was left alone in the forest as the others rushed Trinity back home.