A whirling nimbus bore shadows and half-forged shapes around Ethan, a mere suggestion to his mind. Power intoxicated him; the energy spiraled tendrils outward with each heartbeat. It was as if with each step he made, the world was shaped under his will, a derangement of reality itself. The red glare in the sky above was dimmer now as if the darkened presence acknowledged his ascendance.
The air turned as a wind surrounded him, carrying a certain smell of decay—flesh, rot, and a ghastly shade of death. Yet, there was something beyond the putridity, something far-placed, simmering somewhere proximal. An intangible influence was whispering into his mind, inciting louder each second therein. Hunger was no longer the word. Something worse.
{System Alert: Infection Detected. Type: Blood Contamination. Severity: Critical. Immediate Action Required.}
The words cleaved through the chaos of his thought processes like a knife in the quietness of his mind. Ethan narrowed his eyes with the settling system messages. Infection. The word was an anchor, pulling him from the deepening abyss created by his present power back to that horrifying state of reality. His bloodline had unlocked—his transformation had begun—but something had also followed him. A parasite. A sickness. A soul-clinging, devilish infection.
{System Query: Bloodline Contamination Detected. Host Reaction: Unknown. Recommend Immediate Purge.}
Purge. This thought played over and over in Ethan's mind, but he hesitated. Some primal intuition drew him to this infection, this parasitic force. It was a contaminant—yes—but it was so much more than that. It seemed like an invitation. Part of him wondered whether the parasite was just another phase of his further evolution, something his bloodline needed for its own progression and greater evolution.Yet, with the disgust, the more human part would flinch.
The fists tightened, digging fingernails mercilessly into flesh. The hunger ate him alive, but infection-I mean, that shadow that lived somewhere in his mind and distorted his thoughts and desires; the more he resisted, the more strongly it jerked, like a leash around the neck of his soul.
{System Warning: Blood Contamination Accelerating. Mutation Pathway Detected. Resistance to Purge: 42%.}
The system's voice was calm and detached, presenting mere information. The effect on Ethan was far from impersonal. He was changing, being changed in a way not fully explained to him. The infection was not merely in his blood now but inside his mind, rewriting the rules of his existence. He could feel this parasite sucking up the very essence of his power; it was growing with every drop of blood spilled, with every life taken. It was part-his ally and part-his enemy: something that could offer him unimaginable strength or destroy him from the inside.
Looking down at his hands, he stared at his own bloodstains from the recent massacre, faintly glowing in the dim light. It pulsed in coordination with the beating of his heart, and a life force shimmered from within the crimson hue of his veins. The infection seemed to have birthed by now.
Within his mind, there came soft laughter, mocking, yet low and cruel. This voice rang familiar but was alien. It was the reflection of something within him, that which he had not entirely accepted.
"You cannot escape it, Ethan," the voice was saying mockingly, a sickening mix of amusement and certainty. "This is the path you've chosen. You're no longer just a man. You're becoming something more - something so much darker."
Tightening his jaw, Ethan dismissed the voice, dismisses these whispers trying to guide him. He was in control. Or was he?
{System Alert: Infection Progressing. Mutation Confirmed: Blood Parasite Evolution. Host's Bloodline Compatibility: 63%. Pathway Completion: 45%.}
The numbers unsettled him, flashing his brain like a reminder. His body was changing and warping under the immense pressure of the parasite. He could feel it inside of him, in all of his bones—his muscles, his skin. Every inch of him was being reshaped and distorted. But with each transformation came an undeniable feeling of power, a strength coursing within, beckoning to him.
{System Task: Eliminate Infection or Harness Mutation. Pathways Open: Reaper's Bloom or Crimson Monarch.}
The words were clear; laid before him were choices in a game he'd never agreed to play. The Reaper's Bloom. The Crimson Monarch. Two paths. Two destinies. But Ethan had no intention of settling for either. He would carve his own path. The infection, this parasite, was not going to use him; rather, he would use it. The stirrings were present in the air, him feeling the growing power inside him, behind his pulsing skin. And he would use it.
With a mere thought, blood surged to life through his veins, obeying his command. The parasite became less an infection and more an asset, flailing about within him, feeding off his energy. Therein lay its presence, distinct and clear. It was no longer merely a threat; it was a tool. And Ethan was going to use it as a weapon.
Stretching open his fingers, with it came a scorching, crinkling feeling of power spreading outward. The infection had now integrated into him. And he would shape it into his purpose.
The wind howled around him carrying the stench of death and decay; an audience was watching his performance as the world stared at Ethan, eyes alight, waiting for him to make his move. But the world was of little relevance. He was the one who would change everything.
{System Update: Blood Parasite Integration Complete. Pathway Chosen: Crimson Monarch. Power Surge Detected.}
The dark satisfaction of his insides filled him. Integration of the parasite into his bloodline had now been completed, along with new spells, new powers. He felt the very threads of his existence unraveling and in their place weaving stronger, darker fibers.
He tapped into his newfound strength, making the world around him a blur, remembering the shadows stretching and bending. His senses were attuned. Everything was underrated. He could feel the heartbeat of the earth beneath him and the pulse of life-giving streams coursing through every living thing. But more than anything, he could feel the blood: blood running through every living creature's veins-and it was his to command.
{System Alert: New Skills Unlocked. Blood Resonation: Full Control Achieved. Path to Crimson Monarch: Open.}
The power swelled in him, rising in a volcanic eruption, unstoppable, overwhelming. His very body felt like it was tearing through the eight limitations of man, rendering and reconstructing it each instant into an incarnation far worse, something unstoppable. Deep, terrible red illumination burst forth from his eyes, while the world before him was entirely at his beckoning. He was now the parasite, the one who sucked the blood of the living, the one who would rule with an iron fist.
Ethan was no longer the human he once was; something much worse was taking its place. The infection was anchored and set; there was no turning back.