Chapter 2: Blood and Awakening
Kael's foot slammed into the armored creature's chest, sending it crashing into the burning remnants of a house. Smoke curled around its twitching form as it let out a guttural hiss and finally fell still.
He staggered back, panting. Every part of his body ached. His side was slashed open, his knuckles scraped raw, and his legs trembled. His blade, now dull and chipped, slipped from his hand with a metallic thud.
The monster didn't rise.
He had won.
But barely.
The sky above the village burned orange as flames danced across rooftops. Screams echoed in the distance. The once peaceful village had become a battlefield—ravaged by low-level demons and mutated beasts clad in crude black armor. These creatures weren't rare in this world, especially near weak border villages. But an attack of this scale? Coordinated? This wasn't normal.
Kael stumbled and fell to his knees. Then slowly, he collapsed backward and lay on the cracked earth, eyes blinking at the swirling smoke above.
It wasn't just pain keeping him down.
It was the rush of everything—the weight of two lives converging into one.
His thoughts were scattered, voices and memories overlapping: one belonging to the Kael of this world, who had just awakened something deep within his blood… and the other, the Kael who had once been feared, then betrayed, and finally destroyed by his own overwhelming power.
But now—now they were one.
And for the first time since the fusion, Kael truly felt… whole.
As he lay there, a warm pulse stirred in his chest, flowing through his veins like a tide. His breathing slowed. The pain began to fade.
His wounds—deep and bloody just moments ago—were already closing.
The healing wasn't instant. It wasn't clean. But it was real.
> Healing Source: Demon Bloodline – Cocoon Stage (Awakened)
> Auxiliary Recovery Detected: Vampire Bloodline – Stirring
> Adaptability Influence: Accelerated Regeneration
Kael blinked.
"I'm healing…" he whispered, his voice cracked and dry.
He sat up slowly, wiping soot and blood from his face. He felt stronger than he had any right to be. Not invincible—no. But… different.
His muscles responded faster. His instincts sharper. His body already adjusting to the pain, the fatigue, the damage. Not ignoring it—adapting to it.
He stared down at his blood-stained hands, then called out softly:
"Status."
A faint blue light shimmered before his eyes.
===
Name: Kael Azelion
Age: 18
Talent: Adaptability (Transcendent)
Bloodlines:
- Demon (Cocoon Stage – Awakened)
- Vampire (Dormant Stirring)
- Angel (Sealed)
- Dragon (Sealed)
Genesis Core: Active
Soul Fusion: 100% Stable
Vital State: Recovering
===
He exhaled slowly.
The demon bloodline was active. The vampire side was beginning to stir, likely triggered by his near-death fight. The angel and dragon sides were still sealed… for now.
The real surprise wasn't the bloodlines. It was the lack of chaos.
No instability. No backlash.
Just… clarity.
He remembered now—this body had once belonged to a boy who had just awakened three bloodlines at once. His own blood couldn't handle the eruption. It had killed him instantly.
But then Kael had arrived—bringing with him not only the demon bloodline but something more dangerous: the power of adaptability. And not just any version, but a talent born from the fusion of two SSS-ranked souls. It had evolved… transcended.
Kael had inherited a second chance. A body filled with potential and danger.
He wouldn't waste it.
A scream snapped him out of his thoughts.
Kael's head turned toward the village square. More beasts were tearing through homes, chasing down survivors. He saw a girl stumble from a collapsed building, only to be dragged away by a horned creature with jagged claws.
And then…
A burst of golden light erupted nearby.
The air shimmered as a divine presence swept through the street like a wave. Several of the monsters turned to ash in an instant.
Someone walked calmly through the smoke—her robes white, her eyes glowing faintly, her hands bathed in soft healing light.
Kael's breath caught.
He recognized her.
She was beautiful in a timeless way, face soft but filled with strength. Her presence wasn't just soothing—it was familiar.
"...Mother?"
She had a beautiful white gold hair hair golden eyes were shining more than they always do Influenced by the healing power she was using which was also the weakness of the demons killing them quite easily, it was the result of her angel bloodline slightly unsealed.
She is a beauty, her looks not conveying an age more than late twenties when really she is almost 40 years, She has a curvy body with ample breast, thin waist and wide hips that sashays as she walks about.
She moved from injured villager to villager, her touch mending burns, closing wounds, easing pain. The aura around her shimmered faintly with silver and gold—a telltale sign of angelic blood.
> Bloodline Detected: Angel (Partial Awakening) , Dragon(sealed)
> Relation: Confirmed – Biological Mother
"She's here…" Kael whispered, barely able to believe it.
She had no idea who he truly was. She didn't even know what slumbered inside her own veins. Her angelic bloodline was only partially active, likely due to the fruit she had eaten—the one born from the fused essence of two ancient bloodline progenitors.
She thought she was just a healer… just a woman with a gift.
But she was far more.
Kael stepped forward instinctively… then froze.
No.
Not yet.
Not like this.
He was barely holding himself together. His soul was fused, but his future was still uncertain. The Genesis Core was suppressing the chaos within him, but the moment any of his sealed bloodlines stirred, things could spiral again.
He had no right to burden her with that.
Not until he understood everything.
Not until he was strong enough to protect her.
"I'll find you again," he murmured, stepping back into the shadows.
The wind carried the scent of ash and blood. But the fires were beginning to die. The knights were pushing the creatures back. Order was slowly returning.
Kael clenched his fists.
He wasn't just a survivor anymore.
He was something new—something old—something dangerous.
And his enemies had only seen a glimpse of what was to come.