What is Lein?
Lein is the embodiment of obsession made flesh.
Every wolf hungers, every wolf bleeds, but only those who drown themselves in a single truth awaken Lein.
No two Lein are alike. One man's silence erases sound itself. Another's chains bind the world. Another's kiss turns breath to venom.
Lein is not taught. Lein is bled.
The Stages of Lein
1. Awakening – The First Bleed
The moment obsession breaks reality.
Fragile, brief, often suicidal.
Wolves who cannot withstand it die immediately.
2. Breath Count – The Measure of Survival
Lein is measured in breaths held before collapse.
The longer you bleed your obsession, the deeper it takes root.
Weak wolves: 2–4 breaths.
Seasoned wolves: 7–10.
Captains: countless.
Chapter 30 Record (Wolf Xuan): 18 breaths.
3. Flesh Binding – The Body Warps
The body twists to reflect Lein.
Iron Veil's skin rusted into chain.
Widow's breath dripped venom.
Reed's silence swallowed every step.
4. Captain Tier – Storm Incarnate
Lein no longer summoned; it exists at all times.
A captain's obsession distorts their environment.
To fight them is to fight a calamity.
5. Collapse – Devouring Storm
When obsession overtakes the mind.
The wolf ceases to exist; only the obsession remains.
Many captains walk this knife's edge.
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Advanced Lein Phenomena
Echo Lein (Resonance):
When obsessions clash, they sometimes create wild destructive echoes.
(Ex: Veil's chains corroding in Widow's venom, birthing acid swamps.)
Silent Lein:
Rare Lein that erases, instead of creates.
Reed's obsession with silence suffocates sound, weight, even truth.
Blood Dao (Unique Path):
Chains forged from blood, lengthened with every wound.
Limitless in theory — but each breath burns the body closer to collapse.
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Risks of Lein
Body Failure: Too much bleeding → veins burst, organs fail.
Mind Erosion: Obsession corrodes thought. Wolves who cling too tightly lose all reason.
Devouring: Wolves who attempt to absorb another's Lein usually die, their obsessions consuming each other.
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Legends of Lein
The Drought Wolf: His obsession with thirst created a hundred-year famine.
The Night Bride: Her Lein shrouded Murim in eternal twilight until her death.
The First Silence: Said to erase even the memory of his enemies.
The Captains of Lotus are strong, but they are only sparks of these forgotten storms.
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The Doctrine in the Kennel
To live as a wolf is to bleed.
To awaken Lein is to bind yourself to a single truth.
To survive is to strangle others before your own storm devours you.
Thus, the Lotus Kennel breeds not wolves, but tempests.