Eric awoke covered in soot. His head throbbed and confusion was apparent by his weak attempt at ambulating. His body felt malnourished while his mind a mess.
"I thought I died." A shiver rang through the boy's body and it wouldn't stop.
'It took control, it wasn't me, how did it even do that.' Eric felt a level of fear he hadn't felt in awhile. Though he was familiar with stories regarding the horrors of bloodlines, this was his first time feeling the depths of it.
It didn't help that the stories he read depicted the carriers of demon bloodlines as evil and villainous. There was no humanistic or redeeming quality. Only the fact that the demon would steadily devour even the most devote of it's bloodline carriers.
Looking around, Eric's eyes locked onto his bag of holding that was covered in soot but otherwise fine. Picking it up and finding his swords and whip that were laying around, Eric moved from that location.
Picking a direction, Eric found a hollowed-out tree with a Barunka beast inside. Tossing some nearby Ellen wood inside, the beast scampered like it'd been threatened with murder. Falling inside, Eric pulled food from his bag of holding and started to gorge on it.
Once properly satiated, Eric watched in fascination as his body seemed to pulse slightly. Taking all of the food he had eaten and broke it down with incredible speed. Heat spread through his body as he felt the nutrients disperse across his body.
Determined to look inside and see what was going on, Eric entered meditation. Seeing his totem, Eric's eyebrows shot up.
One section was the Mountain Cloud Guardian Bloodline.
"It's more detailed, more complete?" Questions filled the boy's head as he looked at the form of a meditating monkey with a living snake tail. Patterns adorning it's body and a pure feeling emitting from it.
Despite the alluring feeling coming from that bloodline, Eric knew better.
'I need to be more careful with my bloodlines.' Though Eric wanted to actually interact with that bloodline, the other one was more of a cause of concern.
Drifting over to the Underworld Vulcan bloodline, Eric's eyebrows shot up. A figure similar to his with pure ebony skin. It's eyes wandered as the piercing black and orange locked into his.
It smiled, as sharp teeth and flames of orange and red flickered. Red writing ran across the figure's face.
Almost out of trouble, Eric felt a breath of relief until he saw a young girl. The girl's brown eyes seemed to glow in the morning, despite the heavy tears flowing from them.
Eric looked at the girl, wanting to approach but his current predicament was something that left him ill at ease to interact with people.
About to move around her, he was surprised to walk past her and hear her speaking to him.
"Hey mister, do you have a broken heart too?"
'What? I do have a broken heart, but what does that have to do with her? No, more importantly, how is she standing before me when a second ago she was further away.
Looking into her eyes Eric found himself lost, dull even. "Y-Yeah my heart is broken. My best friend doesn't love me, she chose another man."
The girl's round eyes quivered as she cried. "That's sooooooo sad mister. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" The girl started to cry, as she closed her eyes and tried wiping the tears, Eric found himself snapping out of trance.
On guard, he wanted to invoke his bloodline but the Mountain Cloud Warrior Bloodline was in an unknown state while the demon's bloodline wasn't a choice at all.
"It'd be better to know your name so we can be friends." Eric forced a smile that caused the girl to cry even harder.
"UUUUUUuuuuuu AAAAAHHHHHh, mister is so heart broken, even his smiles look worse than death."
'What the hell man? I'm not....(Sigh)'
Studying the girl, Eric found her to be small, maybe 4'11 with pig tails and a frilly dress, her feet bare.
"My WAaaaahhhhh, name is Janiya Tethernoss, Waaaaaaaa!!!" The girl cried a bit more as she looked up again, her tears stopping as she stared at Eric's burns.
"Geee mister, you sure are ugly, why do you have burns on your face like that?"
'Oh for the love of...'
"Look kid, I'm just scarred. My burns are a long story." Shaking his head, Eric took out some dried fruit to munch on. Yet his pupils shrank as the girl appeared by his side and slipped her hand into his ration bag.
"Mhmmmmm, Rasper melon. That's really sweet, nan always keeps that stuff hidden." Still digging in his bag, Eric frustratedly snatched the bag.
"How-no, I'm leaving. You take care." Trying to go back to the city, the girl appeared by the exit.
Her face uncharacteristically serious, "The old ones are out right now, it's not good to go out right now."
Eric was careful not to look at her eyes but taking the risk to look at her, he saw her big round eyes glowing, his gut telling him that she may have a point.
"Who are the old one your talking about?" The girl didn't answer, she just twirled her pony tail, "Hey mister can you tell me how you got your burns?"
Eric frowned, his annoyance with the girl rising. 'Why is she intent on asking this?'
"No, that's a personal story." The girl sighed, kicking her feet and giving him puppy dog eyes.
Eric sat in the corner not paying attention as he focused on reading his map.
"C'mon mister, pleeeeeeeassssseeee."
"No."
"Prettttty PLLLLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEE!!!"
"No."
"Extra sugar and mariso berry sugar pleeeeeeeaaaaasssssssseeeeeeee!!!!!"
"No." Eric held firm as for the next ten minutes she continued to ask until she started to cry.
"Waaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh, M-M-M-IIIsssster, w-w-won't telll me!!!!!!!!" Her eyes glowed as Eric felt something press against his mind.
"What?" Feeling something intruding on his mind he held his head as he resisted but the more he dead the more pain he felt.
"URUUURRGGHHHHHH!!!!" Head throbbing, Eric felt his mind slip from his control as he got up from the ground with a smile.
"I'm sorry Janiya. I'll tell you eeeevrything about my burns." Eric felt his lips and body moving as he watched from inside of his body.
'Why am I inside of my body? WHY IS MY BODY MOVING AND TALKING ON IT'S OWN?' Horror couldn't even describe Eric's feelings as he felt his body betray him.
Janiya started asking all sorts of questions as he narrated his experiences and everything else.
"When did your Mom die?
"WHen did your Dad die?"
"Why did your friend leave you?"
"How come your so ugly mister?
All sorts of personal questions that made Eric grip his fist in his mind. His expression warped as he felt the wounds of every event he'd gone througuh ripped open.
'Why do people keep taking advantage of me. She just casually rips out all of my deepest secrets and thinks it's a joke.' For the first time, Eric voluntarily tried to use his demon's bloodline.
His fury unbridled as he screamed "[Vulcan's Bloodline]!!!!" Janiya clapped and laughed, othertimes crying, while at some moments getting so angry she turned purple.
When Eric called on his bloodline, Janiya felt something burn her. She held her head as she loooked at Eric in confusion.
"What's going on mister." Eric's body stilled.
"TEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Vulbanzerus screamed in Eric's mind, his second totem going crazy as it actually pulled at the Hades Spider in Eric.
The spider screamed but answered the demon's call as a mix of black, red, purple, and white swirled until an explosion went off in his mind.
A bang sounded that caused illusory glass to break as Eric felt himself free. Yet, he could hear the little girl's scream as she held her head, her eyes dulling as she fell to the ground unconscious.
Eric's second bloodline went dull as well, his purple rhombus glowed before falling into silence. Back in control, Eric felt a sadness, emptiness, and feeling of utter violation that sent him spiraling.
Eric dropped to his knees as he sobbed endlessly, his mind uncomprehensive as he shook and twitched. Towards the entrance a woman appeared, her arrival rhythmic as her staff clanked against the floor.
An old black woman entered as she looked around, "Janiya, what have I told you abo--" Seeing the girl on the ground she frowned as she pointed her staff. The girl floated to her as she looked her over.
'Over usage of ego, slight demonic traces.' Eyeing the boy on his knees sobbing, the woman closed her eyes and grit her teeth.
'Damn it girl, what did you do?!' Going to the boy she tapped his head certain areas and Eric steadily came to , though the tears didn't stop.
"I'm sorry about that boy. She didn't mean to harm you, she doesn't quite know her abilities yet."
"Why-Why?" Eric's hurt eyes pierced hers, the woman bit her lip.
"I'm sorry lad, please don't hold it against the girl. I will not disclose any information that was divulged. As compensation I will give you a constellation stone and a mental clarity blessing." Firing something directly into his head, the woman dropped a stone next to him.
Taking the girl and clapping her hands after leaving the opening. An illusion hid the area.
"May God help you." Eric was on his knees sobbing incessantly as his rhombus marking glowed. His eyes brightened as all of the negativity flowed out, this time paired with positivity.
"I'm useless."
"I'm getting stronger."
"Dad would be proud."
"My mother trained me better." Conflicting and incoherent thoughts weighing down on Eric flowed like a river blocked river coming free. His expression easing as time went on.
The spider in his soul seemed to whine as it twitched, becoming more restricted. Eric felt his mind clear with a clarity he'd never had. Under an impulse of his heart, Eric took the stone lit with stars and lines, as well as the other constellation stone.
This stone having the pattern of a primate with a large snake tail circling.
Taking both, Eric walked outside into the early morning, the stars still visible as he raised both hands.
"Connect!!!!" With a roar, Eric was covered in a terrifying flash as he disappeared. His body floating in the air as the two stones crumpled. The figure of a snake monkey hybrid covering him and then an evil looking arachnid.