[BLOODLINE… AWAKENING]
[BLOODLINE IS AWAKENED]
A strange strength rushed through Justin's soul as his whole form began to break apart before forming again.
His metaphysical veins split open and golden blood flowed through them like burning light.
He shouldn't even have a real body yet… but these changes kept forcing themselves on him, twisting and rebuilding him until he winced in pain.
Minutes passed.
Then the process finally ended.
Justin opened his eyes, breathing roughly.
The world looked different as if someone had turned the colors up but Cian'vaa… looked even more terrifying than before.
Because now he could see an enormous amount of strange energy swirling around her, thick enough to make his newly formed soul tremble.
Still, instead of feeling scared… he felt something completely different.
"Why do I feel hungry?" he muttered, staring at his hands.
Cian'vaa only smiled in amusement. "That's your new bloodline, Justin."
Right as her words landed, a wave of information appeared into his mind.
Basic things about what the bloodline was, what it could do and how he was supposed to use it.
"Now that I've given you everything you need," she said with a bright smile, "I'll send you to the world of Cosmos. You will appear in one of the lowest layers, on one of the low-level realm. With your current soul strength… that's the best place I can put you."
Before she could say anything more, Justin cut her off. "Didn't you say… you would grant me three things?"
"Yes," Cian'vaa replied calmly. "And I did grant you three things."
"First was information. Second was your bloodline. And the third…" She paused, then let out a small laugh. "… is the holographic screen floating in front of you."
Justin blinked at it.
"In your world's terms, it's called a System," she said. "It'll let you see your stats, your skills… and it has a few other features that will show themselves later."
"Now then, I can't let you stay here any longer as it would erode your soul the more you are in my presence."
With those words, she snapped her finger as Justin's body started fading.
—
As Justin's body faded, carried away into a new realm beyond her sight, Cian'va released a quiet sigh.
"Who would have thought," she murmured, "that THAT bloodline would choose him?"
She had framed the moment as though Justin had been granted a choice but the truth was far crueler.
The laws of the world did not bend that way.
Mortals did not choose bloodlines instead bloodlines chose their wielder and in Justin's case, it had been almost unanimous.
All of them had answered his call but one stood above the rest, drowning out the others as if it had finally found the vessel it had been destined for.
Cian'va could only sigh again at the irony.
Of all beings… him being chosen as her sacrifice and not that bloodline choosing him who was supposed to die a meaningless death.
It all felt like some elaborate coincidence but she knew better.
In this world, coincidences did not exist.
Slowly, a calm smile curved her lips.
"What new schemes are you weaving now," she whispered, "oh fate?"
Even she, an existence that stood beyond ordinary mortals, was far from comprehending its design but one truth was undeniable.
The bloodline bestowed upon Justin was not something any ordinary soul should have been able to bear.
And yet…
The world of Cosmos had granted it to him all the same. A faint smile stayed on her lips as she turned away.
"Hope you make it a good story, Justin."
—
Meanwhile, Justin's soul fell from the sky at a terrifying speed.
He passed through one cloud after another, yet there was no sensation of wind or pressure against his body.
Of course, it made sense.
He was nothing more than a soul.
Still, plunging from the heavens at such terrifying speed was far from exhilarating as it was frightening.
And yet… despite the fear clawing at him, Justin's heart brimmed with anticipation of the new world which awaited him below.
He could see a massive sea below him. It wasn't filled with water but was instead full of stars.
Are those the different worlds Cian'va mentioned
about?
Countless worlds swirled within the sea, colliding, drifting and shining brightly as if they were trying to outshine each other.
But only a few among them stood out by their size and the light they gave off. His body shifted subtly moving, toward one of those brighter worlds.
The closer he drew, the more impossibly massive it felt until, at last, he was swallowed by it. His soul moved forward at an extraordinary speed as everything around him seemed like a blur of light and color, planets flashing past in the span of a seconds.
And then, his form came to a sudden stop before a single planet. Compared to what he had witnessed moments ago, it was not particularly large but on a first glance it looked hundreds of times larger than his home planet, Earth.
Before he could admire it any further, an overwhelming force pulled him into the world.
…As a boy awoke on the other side in a massive room on a luxurious bed.
A sharp and unbearable pain erupted through his chest.
He looked down slowly only to see a knife plunged deep in his chest where his heart should have been. Blood soaked his clothes, staining the pristine white sheets beneath him a violent crimson.
Justin had just arrived.
And he was already dying.
—
[A/N: Check this paragraph comment for the image of Cosmic Sea.]