The night was silent.
But inside Alex… the stars had begun to speak.
He lay in the RSA medical ward, the sterile scent of ozone and healing gel thick in the air. Kael and the mysterious RSA officer had long since left, leaving Alex alone—at least physically.
But within?
A galaxy churned.
A faint chime echoed in his mind—crisp and mechanical, yet strangely melodic, as though the very heavens had begun to whisper in digital tongues.
[Initializing: Origin Star System v0.1]
[Establishing Host Sync: "Alex"]
[Celestial Mark verified... Accessing Core Data Structure…]
Alex sat upright with a sharp inhale.
This wasn't coming from the bracelet. It wasn't the RSA's diagnostic tech, which required biometric commands or vocal input. No projection shimmered from his wrist. Instead, something far more intimate flooded his perception—embedded in his vision, layered into his thoughts.
A deep blue star-shaped interface shimmered faintly before his eyes, its edges carved in shifting runes of silver flame, hovering like a celestial overlay. Ancient. Alive.
And then, it spoke—not with voice, but with intention.
[Welcome, Bearer of the Origin Star.]
[Initializing Celestial Profile…]
• Status: Incomplete Celestial Vampire
• Primary Element: Lightning (Veiled)
• Secondary Element: Space (Nascent)
• True Origin Affinity: CELESTIAL
[Internal World Formation: 31.6% Stabilized]
[New Function Unlocked: Soul Archive – 0 Souls Stored]
[Blood Core Capacity: 0/100 Units]
[Warning: Celestial Vessel is immature. Overuse may trigger collapse.]
Alex's breath hitched.
This was no RSA tool.
It was something deeper—an echo of what had awakened inside him during the Trial. The pendant hadn't just triggered an ability. It had activated a system, a structure of ancient power, now embedded in his very being.
His system.
A fresh interface flickered to life.
[Mission Interface – Prototype Mode Active]
— Main Directive: Survive. Grow. Reclaim the Celestial Path.
— Sub Directive: Establish Your Dominion
• Condition: Internal World ≥ 75% Stabilized
• Reward: Palace Seed – Unlock Blood Pool & Origin Energy Core
— Hidden Directive – Locked: ???
A palace seed? A blood pool? The words were surreal, almost mythical—yet they stirred something ancient in his blood. Something not human.
He pushed back the sterile blanket and crossed the ward floor to the mirror.
His reflection met him. But it wasn't the same Alex.
His black hair shimmered subtly with strands of violet—like twilight woven into shadow. His irises, once plain brown, now bore faint rotating rings, as if distant galaxies were spinning in his eyes. And faintly, just beneath his skin, the shape of a star pulsed on his forehead.
"I'm changing," he whispered, the words barely audible. "But into what?"
The Hunger Beneath
By morning, RSA staff cleared him for release. His body had stabilized—at least according to their machines. They didn't know what really pulsed beneath his skin.
Back in the East Dorm, the halls were alive with activity. Young recruits, recently awakened, filled the corridors with brags, laughter, and magical displays. Lightning tricks. Shadow hops. Gravity lifts. Ordinary extraordinary things.
And Alex walked through them in silence, like a shadow among sparks.
Because inside, his body hummed—not with adrenaline, but something deeper. His heartbeat was slower… but heavier, more deliberate. He hadn't eaten in over a day. Hadn't slept. Yet he didn't feel tired. He felt… charged. Alive.
And hungry.
Not for food.
For something else.
As he passed a student, his eyes lingered on the soft pulse in their neck—the rhythmic throb of blood beneath skin. He caught himself. Shook his head violently.
"No. Not that."
But deep within his chest, something stirred. A pressure behind his ribs. A primal craving he didn't have a name for.
Vampire, the system had called him.
Incomplete. Evolving.
He clenched his fists, and arcs of faint spatial lightning cracked between his fingers. His wounds—gone. Not even scars.
This wasn't healing.
This was rebirth.
Data, Disguises, and Directives
Back in his dorm room, Alex collapsed onto the bed, heart still racing—not from exhaustion, but from revelation. After a moment, he reached over and activated his RSA bracelet.
Compared to the Origin Star System, the RSA's interface felt... clunky. Artificial.
Ranks: F → E → D → C → B → A → S
Perks by Rank:
• C-rank: Inter-zone missions
• Restricted Archive Access
• Personalized Combat AI Access
Divisions Available:
• Combat
• Reconnaissance
• Logistics
• Research
• Special Assignments Guilds
Nowhere did it mention vampire bloodlines, celestial evolution, internal worlds, or space affinities.
Nothing about stars.
Kael had hinted at it—at hidden families, old blood, forbidden truths buried behind the neat hierarchy of the RSA.
Alex now had proof.
The pendant. The trial. The system.
And the glyph.
He reached for it—Kael's gift. A strange emblem, etched with cosmic veins across obsidian-like bone.
It pulsed in his hand.
The Glyph Speaks
[Glyph Recognized – Initiating Secure Playback]
A soft voice filled the room. Feminine. Measured. Old. Like someone speaking from the edge of time.
"Alex. I am Elira Vael, High Scribe of the Sael'Var family. We are scholars of space, and watchers of what lies beyond it."
"You were noticed the moment your internal world stirred. The stars whispered."
"If you seek to understand what breathes inside you—come. We are not saviors. We are archivists of what should not have survived."
A pause.
"But know this: The stars are not kind. They do not wait for the hesitant."
The message ended. The glyph dimmed.
Alex stared at it, his thoughts a storm. He didn't fully understand what the Sael'Var family was. But he knew enough.
They had answers. And he needed them—desperately.
The system pulsed again, sensing his resolve.
[Soul Archive: 0/∞]
[Dominion Core: Locked]
[Blood Core: Dormant]
[Next Milestone: 40% World Stabilization]
Do you wish to pursue internal alignment? Y/N
He didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
A warm ripple ran through his chest, and within his forming inner world, something shifted—deeper, more vibrant.
He felt it. A gentle suction—his soul system expanding, trying to draw something in.
He wasn't just changing.
He was becoming.
The Unease Within
The next day was a blur.
He trained—light drills in the courtyard. Nothing serious. Other recruits joked around, flaunted elemental spells. One girl levitated. Another ignited a flame the size of a grapefruit.
Alex, meanwhile, moved quietly.
Every motion—faster than he expected. Every sense—sharper than before. And he was still suppressing it.
He could feel it now. His Blood Core. Dormant, yes—but not dead. Waiting. Thirsting.
He left early.
Back in his room, he opened his RSA mission portal. A single new option appeared:
Mission Type: Low-Conflict Recon
Zone: Outer District 7
Objective: Investigate Temporal Rift Disturbance
Reward: 20,000 Credits + Rare Space-Aligned Shard
Time Limit: 24 Hours
He hesitated.
A mission could help him grow. Push the stabilization further. Earn access to rarer resources.
He accepted.
Awakening the Path
That night, as the dorm fell silent, he lay awake beneath dim lighting. The Origin Star System hovered faintly over his vision—quiet, but alert.
[Core Stabilization Progress: 34.9%]
[Notice: Temporal Disturbances Detected. Opportunity for rapid growth.]
Alex exhaled deeply.
Whatever this system was—it was adapting. Learning. Anticipating.
And guiding.
He wasn't just a user. He was its center. Its bearer.
And if what Elira had said was true… then everything was about to change.