The sky over Eryndor City fractured without warning.
There was no thunder, no explosion, no dramatic flash of lightning. It simply split, as if an invisible hand had dragged a blade across the blue canvas above the city. For a brief moment, sunlight twisted into strange colors, bending at unnatural angles before collapsing into darkness.
Kael Ardyn was standing near the observation railing on the fifteenth floor of the emergency response tower when it happened. One second he was reviewing evacuation reports on his tablet, and the next the screen went black along with every digital display in the city.
Phones died mid-call. Traffic lights froze in place. Distant aircraft alarms echoed faintly before cutting off entirely.
Then Kael felt it.
A pressure deep inside his skull, not pain but presence. Something heavy pressed against his thoughts, bypassing sound and language altogether.
Planetary Seal Detected
Ancient Bloodline Protocol Initializing
Synchronization in Progress
Kael staggered back and grabbed the railing to steady himself. His heartbeat spiked, but his training forced his breathing into rhythm. Around him, people reacted far worse. Some dropped to their knees clutching their heads. Others screamed and ran blindly. A few collapsed where they stood, eyes rolling back as their bodies convulsed.
The air changed.
It grew thick, heavy with an invisible weight that pressed against Kael's chest and lungs. Each breath felt denser than the last, as if the atmosphere itself had gained mass.
Synchronization Complete
Bloodline Awakening Phase Activated
The city erupted into chaos.
Windows shattered outward as pressure waves rippled across entire districts. Concrete cracked. Sirens wailed briefly before power grids failed and silence swallowed them whole. From the streets below came the sounds of collisions, screaming tires, and human panic.
Kael rushed to the glass wall and looked down.
He saw the first transformation happen with horrifying clarity.
A man in a business suit collapsed onto the sidewalk, his body twisting violently. Bones shifted beneath his skin. His spine bent backward at an impossible angle as dark fur burst from his shoulders and arms. Fingers elongated into claws. His face stretched, jaw widening as teeth sharpened into fangs.
Within seconds, a towering wolf-like creature stood where a human had been.
It lifted its head and released a howl that carried hunger rather than sound.
Panic spread instantly.
People ran in every direction. Some tripped and were trampled. A delivery truck smashed through a traffic barrier when its driver lost control. Fire erupted from a fuel station two blocks away.
More transformations followed.
A woman burst into flames, her skin reshaping into molten scales before collapsing into a blazing reptilian form. A teenager's shadow stretched unnaturally across the pavement, wrapping around his body like living smoke.
Kael's chest tightened.
This was not a disaster.
This was extinction unfolding in real time.
Bloodline Selection Available
Environmental Stability: Critical
Recommendation: Immediate Awakening
A translucent symbol formed before his eyes, composed of glowing runes that pulsed softly. It hovered in the air as if anchored directly to his consciousness.
Kael hesitated.
Instinct screamed at him to accept it immediately, but another part of his mind pushed back. Years in emergency response had taught him one simple rule.
The first decision during a crisis often decided who survived.
His gaze swept across the burning city below.
If this event was global, then society as he knew it was already over.
He focused on the interface.
Available Bloodline Categories
Beast Lineage
Elemental Lineage
Ancient Species Lineage
Unknown Compatibility Detected
Kael's eyes narrowed.
Unknown compatibility was not supposed to exist.
He selected it.
The runes flickered violently. The pressure in the air surged, causing Kael's knees to buckle.
Hidden Condition Met
Origin Archive Access Granted
His vision went white.
For an instant, Kael felt as if he were falling upward, passing through layers of memory that did not belong to him. He saw battlefields stretching across continents. Towering beings of fire and ice tearing cities apart. Humans standing beneath monstrous figures with glowing symbols carved into their flesh.
Then everything collapsed inward.
A book appeared before him.
It was not physical, yet it occupied space. Dark metallic plates bound its cover, engraved with rotating runes that shifted endlessly. Its pages turned slowly on their own, whispering softly like distant wind.
Primordial Codex Detected
Classification: Origin Authority Artifact
Compatibility Status: Perfect
Kael's breath caught in his throat.
Before doubt could surface, another message followed.
Warning
Accepting this Codex will permanently alter bloodline structure.Path of no return confirmed.
Below him, a monstrous roar shook the street. A mutated creature tore into a fallen civilian. Blood splattered across the pavement.
Kael clenched his fist.
There was no safe choice anymore.
Only survival.
"I accept."
The Codex dissolved into light and surged into his chest.
Pain followed immediately.
Not sharp. Not burning.
It felt as though his entire body was being rewritten layer by layer. His bones vibrated softly. His veins glowed faint gold beneath his skin. Something ancient awakened behind his heartbeat, slow and powerful, like a dormant giant stirring in sleep.
Origin Bloodline Activated
Designation: Codex Bearer
Authority Level: Dormant
Function Unlocked: Bloodline Analysis
Fusion Framework: Locked
Kael dropped to one knee, breathing heavily.
When he raised his head again, the world had changed.
Golden symbols floated faintly above creatures below. Energy flows became visible. Weak points revealed themselves instinctively. He could see instability patterns within newly awakened humans.
For the first time, Kael understood how fragile humanity truly was.
The emergency tower shook violently.
A heavy impact rocked the lower floors.
Kael rushed to the window and saw a massive creature climbing the building. A bear-like monster with stone armor plating ripped chunks of concrete free with every movement. Its eyes locked onto him.
It roared.
Kael swallowed slowly.
He was unarmed. Newly awakened. Untrained.
But the Codex pulsed calmly inside his chest.
And despite the chaos surrounding him, Kael felt something unexpected settle into his bones.
Resolve.
Threat Detected
Species: Earthbound Stone Bear
Danger Level: High
Bloodline Extraction Possible
Kael stepped away from the railing.
Behind him, the world burned.
Ahead of him, evolution waited.