Hana was busy working through the details in Elder Kesra's notes, she was convinced that there was something she could use. Having studied many books in Library, she was very familiar with their structure. Reading formation scrolls and techniques was one thing but all of that was academic. There was a subtlety she lacked but all of that was over when she ate the Mottled, Egg Shaped Crystal. Since that moment, she had been gaining power on a regular basis. The moles had even grown by large margins each day within the rift. The power of the Stars, the Cosmic energy of the Dimension saturated everything beneath it.
The Bloodgrass was a highly powerful herb, capable of regeneration and a lot more. When used as in conjunction with a talisman that was inscribed correctly, they were tools of great magnitude. Their roots, while in the shape of a heart, were actually the fruit of the plant. Bloodgrass was not a grass but the shoots that came out from the ground were red and resembled grass as they grew. Feasting on the corpse blood of thousands was the only method for their cultivation. The Rift was after all, an ancient battleground.
The Heart Fruits were full of vitality, consuming them would bring the aura of death into your body for a moment. The process stimulates the body into an overdrive, many times in records the person who ate it died. Hana plucked the Heart Fruit from the Elemental Water that was mixed with her blood.
The heart was translucent and several new roots could be seen. "Looks like its taking to the mixture." Hana pulled out another vase and dug out more Bloodgrass. She cleaned off the roots then poured liquefied light elemental essence into the vase. 'I can't use it all and I definitely can't ask mom for more.' Hana measured out half the pitcher and put the rest away. Following her previous actions, she slit her wrist and poured blood to fill the vase.
The Bloodgrass sank into the mixture. The blood and the light essence made a strange concoction, they didn't mix very well but there were some changes to the blood itself, it kept trying to regenerate. Blood spilled over the edge of the Vase and off the table, soaking the ground. It continued to come out, gallons and gallons. It was a bubbling solution, constantly spilling from the vase's top. Hana wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a problem. She collected as much blood as possible, it was fresh and it was hers.
An Idea came to her mind, she was remembering the words of her teacher. "Blood, some bloods are stronger than others." 'The Emperor's Bloodline.' The thought never escaped her, she knew full and well that her father was different than the other Espers. She knew she was the princess and that he was the Emperor but the bloodlines confused her greatly.
She put her hand into the blood as it rained from the table in every direction, drizzling to the dirt. Her fingers played with it, she tasted it. Dozens of bottles, then anything she could find. She filled them all. 'I can't let this go to waste.'
Hana pulled out the tubs and slapped them down beside the table. She directed the blood into the tubs and the moment they came into contact with the tubs, more mixtures began to overflow. The far island soon became covered in different mixtures of blood and essence. It covered the soil, soaking it further.
The Bloodgrass that lay in the soil began to emit a strong pulse, like a heartbeat, tens of thousands of hearts beating in near unison. Like a drumming, they had taken to the blood like a catalyst. The Bloodgrass grew uncontrollably and Hana was forced to fly up.
The Moles had developed a taste for storing metals and stone, there was plenty on the first and second island. Hana stole as much as she could and built a rim around the far island. 'This should contain it some.' Convinced that the problem was over, Hana landed next to the edge. There were small leaks across the rim but it didn't matter. Hana was more concerned with watching the blood drift out into the void. 'A pool..' Hana watched the tubs overflow and then sink into the blood themselves. 'This could be a problem.'
there were very few things she could have done, in that moment, Hana panicked. She pulled out all of her extra storage rings and started sucking up the blood slurry that was intermixing and overflowing the rim she had just created.
The spacial rift, at least the back of it, had become a fog of red as blood drifted into the void. Great flows and bubbling started to occur then, half of the top layer from the rim gave way. Blood spilled in a great falls over the edge and through the Bloodgrass patch. The far Island was a blood covered mess and the Blood that drifted into the void began to curl and twist. It swirled toward a direction, gathering under the starlight and drifting like a current. Great streams poured out, pulling energy from the atmosphere at a dramatic pace.
Master Lu Sha wasn't back, he actually missed bringing Hana dinner. Thinking nothing of it, Hana had more than enough problem on her hands with the blood currents spiraling around inside of the rift.
The pools was ever flowing, like a raging waterfall. There was no bottling it anymore, she could only use the rings. When the rings were full, a great torrent of blood that had gathered overhead began to rain.
The atmosphere in the rift had changed, instead of water, it was raining blood.
Everywhere within the rift, no place left uncovered was spared.
The moles were unaware of what was happening, their bodies were purified and altered. Some grew more humanoid while some grew wings. One thing they all had in common, was that they absorbed the blood. The blood of the Princess was the blood of Emperor. Great changes came over them all, silver light turned to a bronze as it appeared from time to time while Hana watched the moles undergoing the changes.
Hana was washed in blood. Her wings were sopping wet, since there was no one else around and she was already covered in her own blood, she felt there was no harm in stepping into the pool.
All of her tubs were filled with her blood and essence, as she sank into the warm mixture of fluids her heart pounded and a golden light covered her body. It flashed a few times and her pulse grew stronger. A child, bathing in blood would gather the attention of someone but in the rift, she was alone, isolated in her thoughts. Surrounded by overflowing cauldrons and absorbing her bloodline, her heart gave off a wave of energy. 'Wild Red Heart' She thought about the technique and channeled while keeping her head above the flow. The waterfall effect slowed a bit and a great swirling action was taking place in the pool.
Hana lost track of time. Four days passed, to her, it was only a matter of seconds. She only awoke when Grandmaster Lu Sha froze the Blood falls. "I've received word that you missed school for a few days, Kesra was disappointed. At least I wasn't wrong when I told her you were going through a breakthrough." He patted her on the shoulder, "Get dressed, your clothes are dyed red. Caoimhe has been circling outside for who knows how long, she seems worried. Your moles.. You'll need a new name and you'll have to be in charge of them. I don't have time to tell you how to proceed but you're doing things that took your father years to understand. Don't miss out on your classes tomorrow, take this to the Council. When you arrive, you'll have to answer for your absence." Handing Hana a scroll with his mark on it, she read its contents. It said almost exactly what he had just said.
"Disciple thanks Grandmaster!" Hana was very happy that she wouldn't be punished.
"Grandmaster.. such a long title. Here are more rings, give me the few you have with blood. I'd like to bring one to Qu for safe keeping." he put out his hand, expecting her to give it up.
"Master, you've warned me that my blood is precious, should I not keep it hidden away?" She was curious but the question wasn't wrong either.
Lu Sha stroked his chin, he was looking for the best way to explain it. "Okay. Think about it this way. Your bloodline, is evolving. You're growing stronger but this blood, this blood is very useful. I don't know what you've done to create the Blood falls but it was worth it." he laughed when Hana gave him a strange look and then he continued. "Blood is very important, the fact that you've created this, proves that you're on the right path."
Hana watched her master leave, ate her dinner and took notes. A lot had happened in a short amount of time. A few days went by, there was little to no change in the situation at school. Jeannie still hadn't been found and there was little hope to answers.
When she arrived at the Council chambers, the Elders were keeping their mouths shut about something and it wasn't small news. It was broken up among them, their consensus. A hard ending to their meeting were the shouts of objection. People could hear the rumblings of the Elders, their context was lost. Isolation spells were layered in several patterns. If anything were to have be heard or seen, it would be altered and re-transmitted as gibberish.
"That missing disciple has returned, looks like she has a note from her Teacher." Gabriela pushed the topic to someone else and passed judgement stares.
"Master has instructed me to hand this to the Council. Core Disciple has experienced what Master is calling a breakthrough." She bowed gently and waited for a response.
'Breakthrough?' "You say you broke through, what do you mean?" Gabriela scoffed, Hana was just a child. 'Lazy disciples only cheat themselves.'
Hana felt like she needed to respond quickly, she stared with her eyelids as open as she could get them. "A golden light."
"A golden Light? You mean you leveled up. That's hardly a great breakthrough." Barthel grabbed Gabriela by the waist and pulled her closer. "You missed several days of training because of a level up pulse?"
"It flashed a great many times, Master says he didn't wake me because of enlightenment." She held up the scroll and watched it fly into the air.
An image, Lu Sha was projected into the space. "Leave my disciple, she is innocent in matters. Great power rests no longer. Send her to the Truther pressure chambers and watch it happen again as she's tempered." The image faded and the Council whispered among themselves again.
"Child, Go. Your instructors are waiting. When we have questions, we will come to find you when we are ready to bring you before the Truthers. Do not hide information." Truther Tipass had her own ideas, she could scan Hana at any time.
Hana didn't stick around, she immediately turned to leave after bowing to the Council.
The day went by quickly, Hana didn't even have time to study Elder Kesra's notebook further. She arrived at the Rift and pulled out the token. Before she had even activated it, she could smell the aura. Someone was following her and the scent of their aura betrayed them. Noxious and covered in slime, it was one of the disciples from another class in the outer sect. 'Why is this guy following me?' She stared him down while he twitched in place. "Hey, are you okay?"
His face was battered and it was hard to make out his features. Hana only recognized him because of his power, it was hard to forget. It stank like last months vomit. "Bl..Blood." Sedaa as struggling with his body, inching closer. Speaking was difficult and he lurched with each step out of balance. Hana put the token on the door, she passed through and closed it behind her. There was a beating noise on the outside of the portal.
Sedaa didn't stop pounding, it grew louder and more frequent.
Hana didn't feel like listening to it, she set up an isolation barrier around the portal to stop the noise and then flew across to Bloodfalls. The void that surrounded the dimensional space had turned a hard crimson, blood flew crystallized in a river to the sky and each time the blood would reach a certain level, more rain would fall. 'So much blood.' Hana set up a tent, it kept the blood off her clothes while she meditated and read.
The moles were busy, they looked like they were talking but Hana wasn't around to hear it. As they rushed about, some flew into the air. Great masses of materials started to be conjured, many of the Moles were using their abilities to expand the rift's area and mass.
Hana came out of the tent in the morning, she did not expect what met her eyes. Bloodgrass had spread, great balls of soil hung in the void, chained together in strands along the falls trajectory. The floating masses were covered in Bloodgrass like a furry hellish landscape. Hundreds of them and thousands of Bloodgrass surrounded the space in a chain. The space had completely changed. The Tyrannical Aura that was forcing her to circulate or die, was missing.