Outside, the storm raged on. Inside the raging storm, his heart was said to be the worst storm compared to all the other storms. The blood that flowed through his veins was no longer just life; it was a weapon and part of his will. Untamed power pulsed through him, like fire hotter than he'd ever felt before. With power over blood, the system had consensually permitted him but with it came the magnitude of true cost.
Crimson energy crackling around him filled him mind, faces, names, relations, and many memories from past times and painful, raw, and unforgettable moments. Each beat of his heart gave life to echoes from childhood judgments, bullying, pain, and humiliation. It was all there; a great tide that crashed in and threatened to drown him in depth.
But Ethan had learned to suffer. To endure that suffering as a part of him.
The worst part of that had been the realization that his body could tear under cruel hands of fate; then, suddenly, it dawned on him just how fragile his existence truly was. The turning point-one which had pushed him to the very depths of despair; something had awakened within him in that darkness. Blood.
{System Alert: New Skill Acquired – Blood Resilience.}
Pain was no longer something weak, a vulnerability gnawing at him from within; it was his power now. Each wound, each injury, forged a new layer of resilience that tucked him under a blood cloak whenever the world scorned him. And with it-the promise of much more. More power. More control. The hunger grew in the blood, and so grew the ability of Ethan to reign it.
The laughter of Xyren and Seraphine fades around him, but not for him. The blood had recognized something primal within him, something far beyond what the humans would accept. Had he sharpened his sensibilities to its almost terrifying degree? He gave the opportunity to extract power from everything that ever revolved around him-his every movement, breath, heartbeat.
{System Announcement: Mutation Detected. Evolution Chain Unlocked.}
Ethan's mind are typically whirred by the actual announcement of the system's reverberation through the deep parts of his consciousness. Changes-what could they mean? The system changed him a lot in that very instant. That instant change made every previous alteration with blood different again. That change was neither just power nor even a transformation. The system was offering something far deeper to him.
The piercing agony that came included gaping memories and suffering. All of this moulded him into a being that could be considered mindblowingly potent. The system hadn't been incorrect: that was pain in his crucible, where he forged power.
Xyren took a few steps forward. His narrowed eyes calculated him. "You think you gained something in this, huh?" he scuffed with the contempt dripping from his voice. "You think blood will make you strong? Not at all, Ethan. It is consuming you. The more you drink, the more you lose of yourself,"
Ethan's smile was chilly and almost predatory. "Lost already. Just accepted."
The ground under him cracked sharply as a jagged tear of the earth opened up because of the violent intent with which the blood surged around him. Blood began to shift before him, pulsing with the raw energy of Ethan's body as it formed a solid construction in the air above him- a dense web of veins and tendrils twisting and coiling. It was weapon, shield, extension of his very being.
Seraphine's voice, deep and nasty, cut through the stillness. "You know nothing, do you?" she asked. "You think that you've mastered blood, that in reality, it has master over you."
Ethan turned to her, blood-lined gaze steady. "We'll see about that."
The heavy atmosphere thrummed with intensity as Ethan raised his hand, drawing forth the energy powering within him. The system came to life, unlocking new potential within its mechanism. Blood began to shimmer around him in response.
{Skill Activated: Blood Grasp (Rank 2).}
Blood sails burst from below and with a flash, tangling Seraphine and Xyren in crimson chains. Immediately the speed of their movements began slowing down. Xyren snarled, furiousness flashing in his eyes while he struggled with magic, but it was of no use. Most powerful, Ethan's grip proved against him.
{System Update: New Skill Acquired - Blood Dominance.}
The notification blinked before his eyes, and Ethan's heart runoff in speed. Blood Dominance wouldn't be the next step? An ability that gave him command over blood not just within himself but also within others? A horrifying thought; it was a gift, a gift that would guarantee him great power.
Xyren's struggles slowed to almost imperceptible stasis as the blood constricted its hold. "Believe that you're invincible now, huh?" he spat. "You scratched the surface, Ethan. The more blood you drink, the more you lose yourself in it. You'll end up just like those beasts you want to control."
Ethan's gaze glinted with stark coldness. "I'm already different from you, Xyren. And when I'm through with you, you will understand just how much."
With a snap of his fingers, the blood surged forward, tightening its grip around Xyren as it dragged him to his knees. Pain was all over his face, but that expression didn't obtain any shred of sympathy in Ethan's eyes. Weakness was of no consequence, only strength. Only power.
Seraphine could be seen still shackled by the blood as she gave a cruel laugh. "You're not the first to think they control it. The blood, the system-it's all a game, Ethan. In the end, you won't win."
But Ethan was no longer hearing. Blood spoke. Blood was his weapon. Blood was his control. Every second gave him better understanding. . . it was him who was in charge now. He would not be controlled by blood.
Step into the next stage of his evolution.
{System Update: Evolution Chain in Progress. Path Detected: Blood Sovereign.}
The system's voice echoed in his mind as a surge of power rushed through his body. Pain, harsh suffering, all of it had brought him here. No longer the boy who had been beaten and broken, he was something more. Something dangerous.
And soon enough, the world would know his name