Omniscient's POV
A boy bit through the snake's hard scales like butter, digging deep into the beast's internal organs and blood, he did not know that what he did next came from his very primal instinct. Something he did a lot before he lost 'everything'.
Caedes consumed it-
The amount of gore happening right now would probably faint him if he were awake.
As the snake breathed its last, he sprinted towards another beast, only for the gory scene to continue as he kept on eatin-killing those snakes.
Slowly but surely the number of snakes in the stone pathway decreased, letting upon the sight of a huge gate visible in front of which lay a humanoid figure, probably dead.
The cuts on his body closed with the blood on his figure being absorbed. The boy's bones started to realign themselves as his flesh made way for them.
With his eyes being the final thing that healed itself, Caedes' consciousness finally seemed to be returning.
His body was pierced by tens of rods, quickly pinning him to a wall behind.
'Wha-' The boy regained consciousness, bombarded with images of what he did, flashing into his mind.
Bleghh-
All the blood and organs that he had eaten previously started to vomit out of his mouth, his face turned pale as the boy continued puking all that he could get out of his stomach.
The boy was disgusted. His body was still pinned to the wall, countless blades were piercing him. Lilith, who Caedes had thought died, was actually alive. The girl had also awakened her bloodline.
If not for the blood hiding the pink in her hair and her pitch black eyes that grew increasingly suspicious of the guy in front of her, he may have called her beautiful. He did not try to resist the blades pinning him because his blood bank was full. She could beat him for all she wanted and he would still heal back to normal.
If anything, he was really scared right now. The girl had torn rags covering her body, which was bathed in blood. She did not talk or cancel her powers. The strange-looking girl glanced around the area before moving to a specific corner, where she picked up a pendant.
The once radiant crystal had dimmed to a faded white, its glow extinguished. The black lines that once adorned her body now seemed absorbed into her skin, invisible. Locking eyes with the boy, she advanced, pressing a dagger of cold steel against his neck, her nose twitching as she sniffed him.
"Why do you carry that bastard's scent? Where is he?" she demanded.
"I-I don't know," he faltered.
"Then die."
Slick.
"Huh? You're still breathing?" Lilith asked, arching an eyebrow.
"You're one of Simon's men, aren't you?" she accused.
"No?"
"Tell me the truth."
"What if I am?"
"Then die."
Slick.
As she sliced his neck again, the girl awaited any sign of pain or resistance, a sardonic smile on her lips. Meanwhile, her eyes gleamed with an icy hue.
"Seriously, lady?"
Tentacles burst forth his back, smashing onto the blades, freeing Caedes from the clutches of those black-colored blades. He took a step forward, slowly inching closer to the girl in front of him, facepalming. His wounds had started healing, the remaining blood around his figure moving towards him.
'Kyaa!' Breaking free from an apathetic shell that had stifled her emotions, Lilith bolted towards the entrance, trembling in fear. The shining hue of green around her eyes faded, returning to their usual greyish colour. Her hands shook uncontrollably, tears welling in her eyes.
'What kind of sorcery is this?' Being a princess, she had encountered various bloodlines: thunder, poison, illusions, storms—everything! But absorbing others' blood to heal oneself? No way! This was the first time she had encountered such a creepy... no, such an evil power.
Caedes surveyed the beasts before him, recalling the girl's fury when she caught a whiff of Simon's scent on him. He couldn't help but empathize.
He sighed heavily, looking at her in pity. Had she, too, been kidnapped by that man?
"I killed him."
As if that statement broke a dam of emotions inside her, the girl's knee buckled, tears streaming down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably. She was exhausted, terrified. Simon was too powerful.
Despite her attempts to resist and escape, her young bones were no match for him. At 12, she was a year younger than the boy standing awkwardly before her, his expressions weird.
"Damn this social anxiety!"
A smile broke through Lilith's tear-filled face as she chuckled. Unbeknownst to Caedes, she had heard him. Since awakening, his emotions had surfaced. He was no longer the emotionless boy unable to express himself.
Lilith, too, had changed. After awakening with the help of the pendant, she gained a passive ability that heightened her senses. Her emotions scattered, she remembered being ensnared by the black lines that once bound her.
She was certain the beasts would devour her. Determined to take revenge if given another chance, she vowed to kill anyone connected with Simon.
This newfound mentality drove her to impulsively slash Caedes' throat; he reeked of Simon's scent after all. Little did she know, the awakening had altered her mindset the most.
The pendant she once deemed ordinary was anything but.
***