The sun hadn't risen.
Or maybe… it had forgotten how to.
The world around Rei stood still, like a paused dream—grey skies, silent winds, and the echo of something ancient crawling just beneath the earth.
His body ached, not from pain, but from something deeper. His veins shimmered with red light. The Sovereign's Mark, now awakened, pulsed against his chest like a second heart.
> [System Error Resolved: Partial Awakening Complete.]
[Skill Recovered – Crimson Pulse: Blood-based energy eruption.]
[Memory Fragment Recovered.]
A wave of static pierced his mind—and suddenly, it was war.
Screams. Armies clashing. Gods falling from the skies like broken statues.
He stood on a mountain of corpses, his eyes devoid of emotion.
He wasn't saving the world. He was conquering it.
The vision vanished, and Rei stumbled to his knees.
> "No… no! That can't be me!"
The blood-bound warrior behind him remained motionless.
But something else was moving.
A creature—twisted and malformed—crawled from the shadows. It had no eyes, just a mouth that screamed endlessly.
> "INTRUDER. BLOOD NOT RECOGNIZED. ELIMINATE."
Rei backed away, instincts sharp. The creature lunged.
For a moment, he hesitated. Then—
> "CRIMSON PULSE!"
His hand slammed against the ground. A shockwave of blood energy erupted, slicing the creature into two. The forest shook, and the air turned metallic.
Rei stared at his glowing hands.
> "I didn't even think… I just knew."
The blood-bound warrior stepped beside him and kneeled again.
> [First Awakening: Complete. You have now rejoined the Path of Sovereignty.]
[Blood Energy Unlocked: 12%]
[More will awaken… as you remember.]
Rei stood, breathing heavily.
> "If this power is truly mine…"
He clenched his fists.
> "…then I'll master it. Not to conquer the world—but to never be conquered again."
He turned toward the horizon.
Something in him had snapped open.
And something in the world had just felt it.