Lazarus woke, still tired. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes. He stretched, feeling bones click in his back. The snow ginseng lay in his palm, cold and almost mocking.
Hm. Should I try to seize a planet now?
He sat cross-legged. No hesitation. He swallowed the ginseng whole.
Mana erupted through every vein — a tidal wave of power. Blood burst from his nose, his ears, his mouth. It dripped onto his bare chest in thick, black rivulets. He didn't even flinch. His mind was already somewhere else.
When his sight cleared, he stood in another world entirely.
A black sea stretched in all directions. The sky glowed white as polished bone.
Almost poetic, he thought, surveying the place. A black-and-white world… for a guy who sees existence in black and white.
In the distance, something pulsed — a vast red sphere. The first color here.
That must be the star in my heart.
He turned to leave, but something shifted. Eleven smaller spheres drifted in around him, orbiting his body like cautious predators.
He moved instinctively, taking a fighting stance. But no attack came.
Each sphere was different. Colors and markings detailed as if sculpted by an artisan's hand. He counted them carefully.
Eleven planets…
So it's true. Chronos still remains unclaimed since Jaba's time.
One by one, he studied them. Ignis burned like a tiny sun. Electra crackled with arcs of golden lightning.
Thankfully, he thought, I won't choose the wrong one.
He reached for Ignis.
The planet vanished.
He frowned.
Whatever.
He reached for Electra.
It disappeared too.
A muscle twitched at the corner of his mouth.
Damned fate. You dictate my life from the beginning to the end. You think you'll dictate this too?
He closed his eyes. He could almost hear Dracula's voice, amused: "You have an affinity for dark magic."
No, he thought, I won't dance to your strings.
He reached without looking and closed his hand on the first sphere that didn't fade away.
When he opened his eyes again, he was back in his room, lungs burning. He forced each breath out through clenched teeth.
Dracula stood in front of him, arms crossed. His face a mixture of annoyance and reluctant approval.
"You idiot. Just to spite them, you picked Aquael."
Lazarus wiped the blood from his mouth. He nodded once. "It moves like blood. That's enough."
Dracula snorted, half-joking. "Fine. Then we'll corrupt it. We'll mutate your water planet… until it bleeds. But first, go shower. You're drenched in filth. And check your inner world — make sure Aquael is orbiting your heart."
Lazarus washed himself. The water ran pink around his ankles. When he closed his eyes again, he returned to the black sea.
Aquael drifted around his red sun in a slow, patient circle.
If this is my world, he thought, then shouldn't I be able to do as I wish?
He leapt upward — and did not fall.
As I thought. In my world… I am the law.
He floated above Aquael, raised his hand, and stopped its orbit with a flick of his wrist.
He drew a thin line across his palm with his nail. Blood welled up, dark as night.
He let it drip onto the surface of the water planet.
It will take time. Years, maybe. But I'll turn you into a blood planet.
When he returned to his body, the cut still bled.
Interesting. If I'm wounded there, I'm wounded here.
A moment later, the flesh stitched itself closed.
He leaned back into the bath, finally starting to relax —
— then doubled over, coughing.
Black blood sprayed the tiles.
"Son of a bitch," he rasped, wiping his chin. "Just let me rest…"
Black Blood trickled from his nose. A dull roar filled his ears.
He staggered to his feet, pulled on his shorts, and went to Dracula.
"The hell is wrong with my body?"
Dracula looked him over, unimpressed. "Nothing. body is flooded with mana. The impurities have to come out."
He tossed Lazarus a crimson lotus blossom.
"Eat this."
He handed Lazarus a glowing red lotus
Lazarus stared at it, still bleeding. "What is it?"
"Eat this. I'll explain after. While you eat, channel the energy toward your sun. If any mana leaks, it's your funeral. "
He obeyed. Mana seared through his body. He clamped his will around it, refusing to lose even a drop.
An hour passed. The bleeding stopped. His strength returned.
"What did I just eat?"
Dracula answered. " A Red Lantern Lotus."
"What kind of naming sense is this, Who comes up with them?"
"Don't ask me. Easterners have a strange naming sense. If you think this is odd, wait until you see their martial arts techniques. Or the nicknames they give each other."
He tossed Lazarus another plant. Petals black and white, swirling like ink in water.
"Eat this when you wake up. A Unity Iris. You took Snow Ginseng and a Red Lantern Lotus, so you'll need this to balance your energies. Otherwise your mana will keep running wild."
Lazarus grunted. "I'm going to study."
"Wait." Dracula tilted his head. "Did you only awaken one planet?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Jaba awakened two at once. He was barely older than you."
Lazarus's face didn't change. He muttered, "Well. He's dead. I'm not."
Dracula barked a laugh. "Fair enough. Go."
while thinking to himself "monster like talent, even without help it would've taken a year longer for you to get a planet."
Lazarus turned to leave, then stopped.
"I should shower again. I'm covered in blood."