Kieran Vale had never believed in miracles.
In a world ruled by sleepless nights, student debt, and a campus food budget that tasted like damp cardboard, miracles had no place. Born to a forgotten surname in a fading neighborhood, Kieran had long accepted that life wasn't about gifts—it was about grit.
So when the impossible happened at 11:59 PM on a rainy Tuesday night, it didn't feel like fate. It felt like a warning.
It began not with sound, but with silence.
The low hum of the dorm refrigerator cut out. His laptop dimmed to black. Outside, the soft patter of rain faded into vacuum.
Then came the heat.
It started at the center of his chest—like a spark inside his ribs, spreading out like fire in dry grass. He staggered away from his desk, clutching at his shirt, and gasped as his bones vibrated like struck steel.
And then the air changed.
Symbols—glowing, red, and ancient—materialized before him in midair, hovering in geometric perfection. They were unlike anything he'd ever seen, like runes written in blood and smoldering with power. They pulsed once.
[Initializing Blood Codex...][Syncing soul resonance... Success.]
Kieran's breath caught in his throat. He stumbled back, bumping into his bedframe. His chair fell sideways. A bowl of half-eaten noodles hit the floor and spilled across his faded carpet—but he didn't notice. Couldn't.
[Candidate #005792 Confirmed.][Bloodline Potential: Unmeasured.][Unique Anomaly Detected.]
[Do you wish to initiate the First Awakening? Y/N]
He couldn't even form a word. The symbols hung there, waiting, as if they were listening to the very rhythm of his heartbeat.
And then his lips parted on instinct.
"Yes."
The moment the word left him, his entire world erupted.
A scream tore free from his throat as raw, unfiltered agony ripped through his body. He collapsed onto the floor, convulsing. It felt like his blood had been set on fire—no, worse. As if it were being unraveled and rewoven at the molecular level, commanded by a force that cared nothing for mercy.
His skin glowed crimson. Veins lit up like rivers of lava beneath his flesh. His heart slammed in his chest with thunderous force, and for a terrifying second, he thought it might rupture.
And then… blackness.
—
When Kieran opened his eyes, the world had changed.
The familiar whir of the fan above his bunk was gone. The flickering overhead light sputtered dimly, casting warped shadows against the walls. Smoke hung in the air—acrid, bitter.
His dorm door was ajar. One hinge broken. Blood smeared across the handle.
Slowly, he sat up. His entire body ached, but more than that… it buzzed. Like something inside him was alive and writhing just beneath the surface.
And then he saw it.
Floating at the edge of his vision, like a personal HUD interface from a video game:
[Blood Codex – Awakened (Level 1)]
[Race: Human][Class: None][Titles: None]
[Strength: 5][Agility: 5][Stamina: 5][Magic: 5]
[Health: 100][Mana: 50]
[Skill Slots: 1/10][Bloodline Status: Mutating]
[Warning: First Bloodmoon approaches. Prepare to cull or be culled.]
He blinked several times. It didn't go away.
"What the hell is happening…?"
A scream pierced the silence.
Kieran rushed to the shattered door and peered into the hallway.
Chaos.
Flames flickered from down the corridor. Lockers were torn open. A girl sprinted past, barefoot and bloodied, before something—a thing—charged after her on all fours. It looked vaguely human, but its jaw had dislocated to reveal rows of bone-spikes, and its arms were twice as long as its legs.
The girl tripped. The creature pounced.
She didn't even have time to scream again.
Blood sprayed. Flesh tore.
And then the thing stopped. Sniffed the air.
Its head snapped toward Kieran's open door.
"...You've got to be kidding me."
He looked around for anything resembling a weapon. There was nothing. Then—
[Combat Intent Detected.][Emotional Threshold: Passed.]
[Skill Granted: Bloodweave (Lv. 1)]– Channel your own blood into physical constructs (weapon, armor, or projectiles).– HP cost per use: 10– Efficiency scales with Magic.
[Passive Skill Unlocked: Battle Tempering (Rank F)]– Killing under duress enhances emotional stability and resistance to fear.
He didn't have time to question it.
Kieran looked at his hand—his palm had already begun to bleed. Not from a cut. From within. Blood emerged, swirling unnaturally in the air, forming into a shimmering crimson dagger, serrated at the edges.
The beast shrieked.
It charged.
Kieran braced himself—feet apart, blade forward, blood roaring in his ears.
When the impact came, time seemed to slow. His muscles moved before he could think. The dagger of blood met rotting flesh.
The blade sank deep. The monster howled.
Kieran pivoted and drove the weapon into its throat.
[Enemy slain.][Experience gained: 40][Level up! You are now Level 2.]
[2 free stat points awarded.]
The corpse collapsed, shuddered… and then evaporated into black ash.
Kieran stood there, chest heaving, staring at his blood-soaked hand.
He had just killed something.
And it had felt…
Not wrong.
Not right.
Just necessary.
—
A presence appeared behind him.
He spun, raising his blood blade again—
Only to freeze.
She was tall. Slender. Her skin pale as moonlight, hair cascading like black silk to her waist. She wore crimson armor etched in arcane symbols that pulsed faintly with magic. Her eyes—golden and unblinking—watched him with intrigue.
She tilted her head.
"I expected you to die."
Kieran's grip tightened. "Who the hell are you?"
The woman smiled, slow and deliberate.
"I'm Selene. A Guide. A Witness. A partner… if you survive long enough."
He said nothing.
She stepped closer, heels silent on the ruined tile floor. "The Blood Codex chose you. I merely came to see what made you worth breaking the veil."
"…What's happening to the world?" he asked.
Selene turned to look out the shattered window.
The sky above was red. A second moon, dark and pulsing, now hung beside the original. Monsters stalked the streets. Fires raged unchecked.
She replied softly.
"Armageddon. Reinvented."