---
The blood still simmered beneath Kael's skin.
Even as he stumbled out of the feeding chamber and into the fading light of dusk, his veins pulsed like a heartbeat. His body had changed...
again.
He could feel it in every step, every breath.
He wasn't just faster or stronger.
He felt more alive. yet undeniably dead.
---
His reflection, in a still pond confirmed it.
Red glowing veins now trailed faintly under his pale skin, like sacred etchings. His eyes had retained their crimson hue. And when he focused, he could feel his surroundings - the heat of squirrels in trees, the direction of the wind, even the vibrations of insects in the grass.
His senses had bloomed into something inhuman.
> [Status Update]
▸ Mutation I – Blood Veins Active
▸ +50% Physical Attributes for 10 minutes post-feeding
▸ Blood Hunger Threshold increased
▸ Warning: Extended activation may cause mental instability
---
Kael clenched his fists, watching the veins dim after a while.
"Useful," he muttered.
But also dangerous.
He felt it during the fight - how easy it was to let go, to enjoy the kill.
He wasn't ready to lose himself. Not yet.
---
Later that night, Kael rested in a ruined alcove along the edge of a dried riverbed. He laid the blood-soaked book before him, letting it float as it always did, hovering and glowing like it breathed.
More pages had appeared.
---
📕 Bloodline Mutation Log
> ▸ [Mutation I: Blood Veins] – Achieved
▸ Next Path Unlocked: Mutation II – Crimson Heart
Requirements:
– Feed on an Awakened Being (Tier 5+)
– Survive a critical state without feeding
– Endure 3 minutes of Blood Frenzy without losing control
Kael read the last part twice.
Blood Frenzy.
He remembered the haze, the part where his instincts overtook thought. That was just a taste.
And he would have to survive three full minutes of that? Awake?
He sighed. "Suicidal. But expected."
---
The book flipped again on its own, displaying a new map section.
A blinking gold marker appeared in the east, labeled:
> ▸ Vault of Red Echoes – Forbidden Relic Detected
Kael narrowed his eyes.
He'd barely evolved and already, the world was revealing more. It wasn't random. It felt… like something was guiding his path.
Or testing it.
---
Later that night, he tried to sleep, but visions flooded his head.
Not dreams. Blood memories.
---
> A man in crimson robes, holding an entire battalion of armored knights suspended in midair - their veins bursting, swords snapping, prayers dying in their throats.
A Progenitor queen seated atop a throne of silver bones, smiling as she fed from a chained angel. Standing before the burning cathedral, a child seemingly has the same eyes with Kael.
Whispering a name that hadn't existed for centuries.
---
He woke gasping for air...
The blood inside him boiling...
It wasn't just giving him power.
It was giving him history.
---
Somewhere in the distance, a bell rang...
A holy tone, out of place in a wild forest.
The Church of Ascension had entered the region.
They had sensed the blood surge.
They were coming.
---
And Kael?
He was no longer the boy who would run.
---
End of Chapter 8
---
/> Lore Insert – Notes from the Forbidden Grimoire of Sura Vol'Teth
"Mutation is not a gift. It is a gamble. The deeper the blood flows, the closer you crawl toward the edge. Some Progenitors ascend. Most… lose their minds. Or worse, their souls."