The bloody land behind Ethan's feet seemed to pulse along with his heart, forever reminding him of the power he had come to wield. The further his blood domain reached into the chaos around him, the more charged his head became with the sheer enormity of his alteration. Every second felt unreal, like the world around him was shifting to his desire. Yet, somewhere deep within that knowledge, a worm of unease gnawed at him—one that he could not quite place.
The System had spoken to him times beyond number, conferring upon him deluxe perks, unseen sights into the vast manifold within him. Yet, standing there on that destructed land, he was bound to wonder if he really was alone.
{System Notification: New Encounter Detected. Entity: Bloodbound Candidate. Proximity: 10 meters.}
Now, all his instincts flared awake; sensory acuity kicked in as the System alert reverberated in his mind. Bloodbound candidate? A presence so near; another bearer marked by the same crimson force flowing through his own veins. An impulse in his mind was to ask whether this individual were one of his allies or enemies?
A change in atmosphere, oddly saturated with the smell of blood yet laced with the faintest hint of something else. Ethan's eyes glued to the apparition stepping out of the shadows: a tall, cloaked figure, the pace of those steps languid yet far from careless. It drew blood from the air, such a highly unnatural pull making Ethan's skin crawl.
The marrow seemed to freeze in his cells, for he was tense now; the power building within him was ready to pour forth when the figure spoke. Not that he had much choice.
"Y'know' you're not the only one, you ken?" The whispering voice was guttural, unnervingly familiar. "Blood calls to us all. We are its servants, its children."
With furrowed brows, Ethan continued to scan the figure in increasing mistrust. "Who are you?" the words came out of him, half growled, the instinct of chaos within him.
With the curve of a hooded face and a slight tilt indicating the slightest iota of a semblance of a smile, Xyren said, "Names are for the weak, aren't they? You'll learn mine soon enough. For now, however, just know this: your power isn't the only one that awake here. There are others. Just like you."
The words clinked heavily in the air, laden with connotations. Ethan's mind suddenly wandered back to the System's cryptic hints, references to blood-bound entities that spoke to him of power and conquest. Had he really been the only one under the System's influence? Or was he just a pawn on a much larger and darker chessboard?
{System Notification: Entity "Bloodbound Candidate" has been identified. Name: Xyren, Rank: Intermediate Bloodbound. Title: Devourer of Souls. Blood Bond Established.}
His eyes widened. The System spoke again, cold perhaps in its utterance: Xyren—intermediate bloodbound, a creature whose power stood not too far behind his own. They were alike in many ways, indeed.
Another deep laugh welling from Xyren's chest, one greasy, unnervingly calm. "Don't be so surprised, boy. You think you were the only one capable of such powers? Blood calls to all, but not all respond in the same way. Some of us—well, we choose to embrace the darkness."
Ethan's hand had already instinctively reached for the hilt of his weapon, but in a flash, Xyren's eyes gleamed malevolently. "Calm down, my dear" his mouth twisted into an evil grin, "I have not come here to fight with you. Not yet, anyway. But don't think for a second that I'm going to let you have all the fun. The world is full of opportunities, Ethan Blackwood. And blood? That is only the starting point."
Ethan knew he shouldn't have even bothered listening to this creature, much leaning toward trusting it, and even less into wanting to trust it. With clear determination, he recognized one vital fact: he wasn't the only one affected by the blood. Yet there were others growing in power.
That realization settled down in his chest, making him heavy. This world was no longer about survival; it was about dominance.
It was about power.
It was about forming an empire, a kingdom of blood where the weak would kneel before the strong.
Ethan's mind then Hackster guessed; he could either bow to this new world order or empower himself through the slaughter.
Before he could pronounce his thoughts, the atmosphere shifted again right around them. Something dark rippled in the atmosphere, setting goosebumps on the back of his neck.
In came another presence, this time smaller but no less imposing. Her flickering appearance unraveled reality, with the blood surrounding their aura shaken by an unholy energy of her making. Her face was concealed by a mask of black bone, and her eyes, were blood red and glowing, carried an insatiable hunger.
{System Alert: New Entity Detected. Name: Seraphine, Rank: Elite Bloodbound. Title: Devourer of the Void. Blood Link Established.}
Ethan narrowed his eyes as the second entity stepped forth. Xyren turned and regarded her with a glimmer of amusement. "Ah, Seraphine. How fitting that you'd show up now. The blood speaks of chaos and destruction, and you....well, you seem to be its embodiment."
Seraphine's laughter rang out....a ghastly, chilling sound that reverberated through the air with piercing clarity. "The blood speaks, yes. But I am not merely its servant. I am its will. And the world you strive to conquer, Ethan Blackwood, is already mine."
Her voice dripped malice as her eyes promised untold horrors. "I have seen your path, blood sovereign. And it leads to ruin. You will not be alone in this, but you shall be the first to fall."
Ethan's heart leaped; those words were a warning, a declaration of war.
But he felt no fear.
Not anymore.
With an abrupt, firm swipe, Jeff called upon power. Tendrils of blood charged forth from him, lashing through the air in vicious whips of destruction. "You may think the blood speaks for you, but it's all mine now. And I carve my path, no matter who stands in my way."
It was just the beginning of the fight for supremacy, and Ethan was ever ready for it till the end.