THE BULLET AND THE BLOODLINE
Kael Arcanis was dying.
Not metaphorically. Not in the poetic, tragic-hero sense. No—his blood was painting the cracked marble of the cathedral floor, each drop a silent requiem to the name he once carried like a crown.
The last thing he heard before everything went black was his uncle's voice.
"This is what happens when bastards forget their place."
The gunshot still rang in Kael's ears, even as death clawed its way into his lungs. He remembered the laughter. The betrayal. The burning cathedral where the Arcanis family had once held their sacred blood ceremonies.
Now it was his grave.
But death didn't come as expected.
Instead, something ancient stirred.
Something furious.
A void. Endless. Starless. Cold.
Then—a heartbeat.
Ka-thum.
A second. Louder.
Ka-thum.
A third, until the entire void shattered like glass.
And in that moment, he remembered everything.
The screaming gods. The broken heavens. The divine blades piercing through his black wings.
He wasn't just Kael Arcanis.
He was Valtheris—The Demon God of Wrath, betrayed by his celestial brothers, sealed and cursed to forget.
Now, reborn into a broken heir.
A grin twisted his blood-slicked lips.
"Well," he rasped, "this is going to be fun."
[SYSTEM INITIATED.]
You have awakened the DIVINE SIN SYSTEM.
Sin Type: WRATH.
Starting Evolution Tier: Sealed (Human Vessel Unstable).
First Command: SURVIVE.
A wave of black fire rippled across Kael's body, eating the pain, feeding the rage. He coughed—and watched a slug of pure lead pop out of his chest like a rejected offering.
He stood.
Naked. Bleeding. Alive.
"Where... is he?" Kael whispered.
The system pulsed.
TARGET LOCATED:LUCIAN ARCANIS – Status: Traitor. Currently boarding escape chopper.
His uncle.
The man who ordered the bullet into his heart.
"Time to collect your debt, Uncle."
Kael didn't walk.
He glided through the ruined cathedral, barefoot on broken glass. The Divine Sin System whispered sweet nothings in his ear:
Absorb wrath. Multiply strength. Devour sin.
He moved faster with every surge of anger. The air crackled around him. Shadows slithered at his feet like loyal hounds.
Outside, chaos reigned.
Lucian's private guards—black suits, black hearts—were rushing toward the helipad. Kael stepped out into the rain like a demon unbound.
"Halt—WHO THE FU—"
Kael raised a hand.
A pulse of rage exploded outward. Men screamed. Bones shattered. One man flew across a bulletproof SUV like a ragdoll.
Another fired.
Kael caught the bullet.
And smiled.
"Try harder."
[New Skill Acquired: Sin Infusion – Tier I]
Description: Channel emotional energy (Wrath) into physical attacks.
Kael blinked forward. Appeared behind a guard. Whispered in his ear:
"Thank you for your sin."
Then ripped his soul out with a touch.
Lucian turned at the roar behind him. The whirring blades of the chopper almost masked the screams.
Almost.
"GO!" Lucian yelled at the pilot. "GO NOW!"
But before the bird could take off, Kael was already on the landing skids.
Face covered in blood. Eyes glowing with abyssal red light.
"Uncle."
Lucian pulled a second pistol. "You should be DEAD!"
Kael tilted his head. "I was. Now I'm pissed."
One strike.
Lucian's arm bent the wrong way. The gun clattered.
Kael grabbed his uncle by the throat and slammed him into the cockpit door.
Hard.
"You killed my father. You burned my name. You put a bullet in my heart."
Kael leaned closer.
"So why does it feel like I should thank you?"
Lucian spat blood. "You're not Kael. You're… something else."
Kael's grin widened. "You're damn right."
[Sin Harvested: Betrayal – +500 XP]
[New Skill Acquired: Sin Sense – Passive. Detect nearby emotions of sin.]
Lucian's scream was drowned by the whir of blades as Kael hurled him off the helipad into the void below.
[SYSTEM UPGRADE UNLOCKED.]
Divine Sin Level: 1 → 2
New Ability: Hellbrand – Imprint a target with eternal suffering.
Kael exhaled slowly.
The rain washed the blood away, but not the fire in his eyes.
Below him, the city lights blinked like dying stars.
Above him, the gods stirred.
He could feel them.
Watching.
Waiting.
"You took everything from me once," Kael whispered. "Let's see how you like it when I take it all back."
He turned as sirens echoed from the distance.
The Divine Sin System pulsed again.
Next Target: The Vorsa Syndicate.
Kael's lips curled into something cruel.
"Lilith Vorsa… I've heard your name in whispers. Let's make it a scream."