"I can give you everything I have on me!" Simon's voice cracked as he practically begged, his eyes darting desperately to the sword in his hand. "Take my sword, it's a mortal weapon! I have a lot in my space ring too!"
I wasn't listening. My grip on his neck tightened, slowly increasing the pressure. His breath came out in sharp gasps, his hands clawing at mine in a futile attempt to free himself.
"No! How could you do this to me?"
My eyes locked with his, cold and unforgiving. I couldn't help but scoff at the pitiful display. "Did you think about me when you planned to capture—or better yet—kill me?"
The words cut through the air, bitter with anger. I wasn't the person I used to be. I wasn't leaving any loose ends. This man needed to die, and then I would find my parents. No complications. No regrets.
Simon flailed, grasping at anything he could. His hands scratched at my arm, his body convulsing as he fought for air. Then I felt it—my hand heating up. The skin on his neck burned under my touch, and strange black lines began crawling down my arm.
"What the…?"
A spark leaped from my hand, landing on Simon's shoulder. His clothes ignited instantly, catching fire as more sparks shot from my fingertips. I watched in silent shock as azure flames consumed him, reducing him to nothing but ash. One moment, he was there—burning, screaming—and the next, he was gone. It was like Simon had never existed at all.
I quickly yanked my hand back, warily eyeing the blue flames that flickered at my fingertips.
[Congratulations! The contestant has awakened a bloodline!]
[System error]
[System error]
[System error]
[Curse: ??? Has been unsealed!]
[System malfunction!]
[System Override!]
[Unable to completely Override, merging with the curse in process…]
[Merge has been successful! Flame path unlocked! Bloodline ability unlocked! A few items have been awarded and sent to your subspace!]
I stood there, dumbfounded. Then the realization hit me, and a wild, unrestrained laugh burst from my chest. This... this was the first time in forever I felt so alive—so powerful. My life had changed, and it was far from over.
[ENTER NAME]
The system asked for my name, a name for this new chapter. Should I still hide? Should I cower in fear of being chased, of being hunted? No. I wasn't the one who messed everything up in the first place. Why should I bear the weight of other's sins?
I smirked, the decision easy now.
"Caedes."
[Name selected]
[STATUS]
Name: Caedes
Race: Halfling (Vampire/Human)
Bloodline: Ancient Tears Bloodline (1%)
Path: Flame Path
Attributes: Strength: 9 / Agility: 7 / Health: ??? / Mana: 10 / Intelligence: 10 / Charm: 73
Gifts: Pyrokinesis, Blood Bank (Passive), Blood manipulation (Inborn), (7 slots left)
God's Essence: None
I stared at my status, my black hair had turned greyish-white, and a tear-shaped tattoo was now etched on the back of my hands. The Gifts part caught my attention first.
These were powers tied to my bloodline, ones that would grow stronger as I awakened more of it. The first one:
Blood Bank (Passive): Stores blood in the tear-shaped tattoo on the user's hand.
It felt oddly comforting, like my body was preparing itself for the battles ahead.
The second one was more active:
Pyrokinesis (Active): The user can ignite flames by focusing on smaller objects or people.
I flexed my hand, the memory of Simon's body disintegrating still fresh in my mind. Pyrokinesis, huh? This power—it felt natural. But the real surprise was the change in my race.
Other than these, there was also that inborn bloodline ability- 'That explains why I went bonkers over the sight of blood..' I sighed, realising that now that I had awakened my bloodline, it was more easier controlling and being used to blood.
I was now part Vampire. My memories of the being in the blood sea flickered briefly, becoming clearer. An empire. A race with blood-red eyes and pointy ears. But that was all I could remember for now.
"I'll have to figure this out when I reach the surface," I muttered, shaking off the lingering confusion.
I glanced around the cave, the musty smell of algae and the faint trickle of water adding to the eerie silence. Pools of water dotted the cave floor, and as I caught my reflection in one of them, I grimaced.
The last two years in the dreamscape had drilled habits of cleanliness into me, and the bloodied, battered figure staring back at me didn't exactly scream 'clean.'
I picked up Simon's black sword, a blade marred with imperfections. It was closer to a long dagger than a sword, covered in scratches, the once-shiny metal dull and lifeless. Swinging it a few times, I adjusted to its weight. Not bad.
Kneeling beside where Simon had died, I retrieved his space ring, but my hopes were dashed when I found only cracks and broken space inside. The bastard had self-destructed it. I had learned about this feature in the dreamscape—space rings could be destroyed by their owners if necessary. Frustrating, but effective.
Shaking my head, I made my way to a deeper pool of water when a sudden realisation dawned me. If the almost 2 years of my life in the dreamscape were just a dream. I am biologically still 13 years old-
Stripping off my torn clothes, I sank into the cool depths, letting the water wash away the grime and blood. As I relaxed, I brought my hand forward, summoning the GPS feature to check my location.
[Location: Snire Dungeon, The Realm of the Corrupted; Rome. 125 meters below surface level.]
Snire Dungeon? So I was in Rome, deep underground. Great.
And the worst part? I was running low on blood again.
"Of course." I sighed, sinking deeper into the water.
***
P/S: 10 Power Stones to go for a bonus chapter!