Kael was leaning his head against the cold wall of a coffin, shallowly breathing. The blood still adhered to the corners of his mouth and his heart was beating like the war drum. The final echo had caught him in more ways than one - it had struck him, emotionally, as well as physically.
He had mopped the sweat off his brow, and he took the Grimoire in his hand.
It was, however, already open.
The pages of it fluttered, in a strange way unnaturally, neither in the wind nor yet with the wind.
It bled through as ink when parchment lays bled. Letters twisted, rearranged and were organized into blocks - text, glyphs and numbers that he had never encountered before.
> [Bloodscript Interface: Unlocked]
Resonance threshold achieved. Conscious alignment detected.
Displaying status…
Kael froze as the page stabilized.
---
[Kael Vire - Crimson Variant]
HP: 860 / 1100
Burn Points: 210 / 300
Crimson Heart Stage: II (Evolving)
Mutation Sync: 46%
Stats
STR: 18
DEX: 24
AGI: 31
INT: 13
RES: 20
WIL: 27
Traits
Bloodburn Overload Lv.1
Pulse Sync (Mimic Echoes)
Bone Sigil Fragment (Dormant)
Abilities
Crimson Bloom I :
• Buffs: +40% Agility, grants Afterimage Dash
• Duration: 5 seconds
• Cooldown: 30 seconds
• Description: Temporarily boosts Kael's speed and agility, leaving afterimages to confuse enemies during close combat.
Shadow Snap:
• Effect: Short-range instant teleport behind enemy
• Cooldown: 15 seconds
• Description: A movement technique that lets Kael reposition in a blink using blood-shadow, often used for surprise attacks or evasive counters.
Bloodbind: Crimson Override
• Effect: Injects Kael's blood into a weakened target to override their control
• Duration: Instant with lingering disruption
• Description: Only works on mimic-type enemies or unstable blood entities. Can force paralysis or destruction if target fails to resist Kael's blood.
Pulse Sync: Crimson Heart
• Effect: Links Kael's Crimson Heart to mimic-type entities
• Overload Chance: 95%
• Cost: 20% stamina
• Duration: 3 seconds
• Description: Forces resonance between Kael and a blood-copy enemy, destabilizing them with his own heartbeat. Ideal for finishing moves or mental break points.
---
Kael stared, unsure if he was hallucinating or if the Grimoire had truly evolved.
"Burn Points…" he muttered. "So that's what I've been burning in every fight…"
A new line began to scrawl beneath the status.
[Bloodscript Tip – Burn Points]
A representation of internal blood energy. Used for advanced techniques, mutation control, and Grimoire resonance. Increases with experience, blood quality, and emotional threshold.
---
The Grimoire's pages stopped fluttering. A new sigil pulsed on the edge of a glowing status panel - one Kael hadn't seen before.
[Crimson Variant – Mutational Path Accessed]
Kael - Crimson Variant: Type Alpha - Instability Bloom
A rare mutation linked to emotional volatility.
Buffs: +30% attack speed, +20% blood aura range, blood skill costs halved (10s)
Weaknesses: Post-activation hunger spike, aura trail detectable by high-level enemies
Status: Latent, unstable. Control threshold at 52%. Prolonged use risks identity bleed.
Next, The grimiore listed echoes he had fought.
Bone-Crowned Mimic – Type Sigma: Hollow Shell
Synthetic blood echo. Mimics power but can't evolve. Collapses under real resonance.
Miasma Echo – Type Gamma: Feral Surge
Born from starvation and bloodlust. High reflex, aggression, multi-strike. Prone to mental decay.
---
The page darkened and closed. Kael's jaw tightened.
"So these weren't just copies… they were paths I could've taken."
---
Kael's lips parted slightly.
For the first time since this nightmare began, he had context. A way to measure his growth. To see what was changing.
The Grimoire turned another page.
This one showed a circular glyph. Five empty nodes surrounded a central sigil... the Crimson Heart. Two of the nodes now glowed faint red.
[Burden Trial: Progress 2/5 Complete]
Next Trial Awakening Imminent…
Kael stood slowly, the aches in his muscles fading as his confidence returned.
"Good," he whispered. "I want to know what else I've buried."
He looked at the remaining two coffins. They hadn't moved yet - but something told him the next one wouldn't wait much longer.
As he took a step forward, the Grimoire whispered softly.
"Truth carves deeper than the sharpest fang…"
---
End of Chapter
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