The trembling ground beneath Ethan felt as though the world itself responded to the intense power he had unleashed. The air was thick with the metallic scent of blood, suppressive in feeling and heavy with the weight of the confrontation. His body vibrated with energy he felt beneath his skin, longing to be released.
Xyren and Seraphine stood against him and their intentions were clear: they were no allies. Proving that by their very existence there, they considered him a stepping stone, an obstacle to overcome in their mind. The thought gnawing at Ethan but nothing could stop his determination. He was not a trivial pawn at their sickbent game.
{System Update: Blood Domain Expanding. New Entities Detected. New Interactions Possible.}
The voice of the system disturbed his thoughts. Familiar, yet. A shiver ran down his spine as Ethan forced his interface to open, his crimson eyes narrowing with focus. The blood that had once been merely a tool of survival was becoming an extension of Ethan—his living weapon. The window had morphed into a twisted shape, the system power responding to the dark energy surrounding him.
{Crimson Status Window}
Name: Ethan Blackwood
Title: Blood Sovereign (Locked)
Level: 32
Blood Core Stage: II
Power: 120%
Blood Domain: 98% Control
Bloodline: Fragmented
Traits:
Cold Calculation (Passive)
Predator's Insight (Passive)
Blood Grasp (Active)
Hemostasis (Active)
Skills:
Blood Grasp (Rank 1)
Blood Spikes (Rank 1)
Vein Surge (Rank 1)
Arterial Chains (Rank 1)
Status: Dominating
The window dimmed slightly as the information poured into his mind. His power had grown exponentially since awakening, yet the path that lay ahead was still shrouded in haze. The control offered by the system along with power, the more he became aware of it, the more he thought of it as a curse than a blessing. Each skill, each trait came with its burden—a deeper link tying him into the darkly power that reached out toward him from beyond the gates of humanity.
Xyren's voice cut through again, full of mockery. "What? A little status check before the fun starts?" He took a step forward, eyes glistening with malicious intent. "Do you truly think the system will save you? Do you believe it holds the key to your victory, Ethan?"
Lips curling into a cold smile, his eyes glinting furiously with the crimson energy thrumming in his veins. "The system might not save me, but it will give me the edge I need. And that's all I need to carve my way to the top."
The laughter that came from Xyren held no warmth. "You really are a fool. Blood is a curse, not a blessing. You think you control it, but eventually, it will consume you. It is only a matter of time now."
Until now, Seraphine had remained silent. Now she came forth with an unceasing step. Her black bone mask concealed her face, yet dark energy enveloped her. "Xyren's right, boy. The blood controls us all, whether we like it or not. But you? You're different. I can feel it. You want something more. And that is dangerous."
Seraphine gaze then became locked with Ethan's, penetrating him as though she could see into his very soul. "But I am not here to lecture you. I'm here to warn you. The roads you're walking will lead to destruction. And when that happens, we're waiting right there."
Ethan had fists clenching by his side. His vision nimbly clouded by yet another update from the system. He felt tension growing, the threat in the air getting into his flesh. To him, blood, to him, power. He had come too far to let them slip away now.
Doubts gnawed at him-they loomed uselessly behind in the mind weighing down the potentiality of his newly blossoming capability. Was he truly in control at this point? Or had the blood started to distort him, to twist him into something he could barely recognize? It was a thought that haunted him, but one he tried to push aside. For now, survival was all that held any significance for him.
{System Update: New Interaction Available. Blood Pact: Xyren, Seraphine. Confirm? Y/N.}
The offer hovered in front of him, tauntingly inviting him to form an alliance with those very creatures that stood against him unless he decided otherwise. Blood pacts were anything but simple; they bound two people together not just in power but in destiny. Accepting it would mean conceding to them in some way-maybe even as an equal. If he refused, active hostility would result-a consequence he was not sure he could face just yet.
His mind raced as he shuffled through the options weighing the pros and cons, his gaze flickering back and forth from Xyren's face to Seraphine's. Tempting it was. Power. Connection. Knowledge. But what was the price? Bloodline-corruption-it all seemed to connect this same endless contradiction for dominance.
Xyren's voice broke through again, "You hesitate. Fitting. You have the power, but not the conviction. Hesitation will lead to your demise."
But Ethan was not the hesitant boy he used to be. The decision was made. He would control the blood; the blood would never control him. And if they both sought a fight, he would give them an unforgettable one.
{System Query: Blood Pact Declined. Preparing for Combat.}
Once he hit the option to decline, the world around them seemed to change. The dam of tension broke, and Ethan's blood surged within him, infused with new fury. The air grew hot around him, the veins throbbed with power, and the blood in his body seemed ready to spew forth and take all that it needed to survive.
"I am no one's pawn," Ethan muttered under his breath, his voice low and cold. Red tendrils formed from his blood and surged forth into the air, striking down all life in its path.
Seraphine's cackle rang out crazily, shrill, and echoed within the very bones of the earth: "Let us see if you will survive without allies, Ethan Blackwood."
The battle for supremacy had begun in earnest. Ethan was no longer just a survivor; he was a force of nature, and the blood would see that through.