The city of Cinderhold did not sleep.
Not in the Lower Wards, where steel chimneys bled smoke and alleyways whispered secrets older than the bricks beneath them. Kairo stumbled through these forgotten arteries of the city, his breath ragged, every step guided by instinct more than thought.
His body felt foreign—stronger, faster, pulsing with something ancient and volatile.
But that power came with a price.
The Pull of the BloodHe collapsed beneath an overhang, fingers trembling as they dragged across the blood-stained cobblestone. Crimson steam rose from the sigils now branded across his skin. They weren't just markings—they were conduits, binding him to something deep in the marrow of the world.
[Warning: Blood Saturation at 72% – Threshold Approaching Critical.]
[Stabilization Required. Seek Consumption or Suppression.]
The system's voice didn't echo like Echoes of machine logic. It resonated—like a whisper of instinct inside his bloodstream.
"Consume or die?" Kairo muttered. "No pressure."
His gaze wandered back toward the city square. The guards were unconscious, but more would come. He needed a place to recover, to understand. But the Sigil didn't offer rest—it demanded evolution.
HuntedHigh above, unseen eyes tracked him.
A cloaked figure stood atop the slanted rooftop of an old chapel, one arm fused with twisted metal, the other holding a crystal that shimmered with residual Veyril essence.
"He survived the first activation," the figure growled into a rune-etched communicator. "His signature matches the Echo Lineage."
A cold voice replied, "Initiate the Trial. If he fails… harvest what's left."
With a flick of his cloak, the assassin dropped into the alley—silent as mist.
Trial InitiatedKairo had barely regained his footing when the alley trembled.
[Blood Trial Detected.]
[Initiator: Sigil-Class Predator – Rank Unknown]
[WARNING: Host Tier Insufficient.]
[Override Initiated… Temporary Stabilization Granted.]
Time seemed to slow. A glyph erupted in mid-air, warping space around it as the world bled red. The alley collapsed inward—walls replaced by a void of living crimson, runes swirling like veins in a heart.
Kairo now stood inside a dimensional pocket. A Blood Trial.
"Trial? You've gotta be kidding—"
A blade tore past his face.
The predator stood tall, armored in obsidian bone, its mask etched with ancient symbols. No words. Just death.
[Combat Protocol Activated.]
[Blood Points: 45 Remaining.]
[Trait Shard Unlocked: Crimson Reflex Lv. 1]
A Dance of DeathThey clashed like storms in a bottle.
Kairo ducked under a swing, responding not with thought, but with instinct. The Sigil moved his limbs as if they'd always belonged to something more—something Veyril.
Punch. Dodge. Elbow. Leap.
Each exchange felt like his bones might break—but then they didn't. They grew stronger.
[Adaptation Sequence: Live Absorption Initiated.]
[Micro-Trait Acquired: Bone Density Reinforcement +10%]
[Blood Points Consumed: 10]
But the Predator wasn't done.
It roared, launching spikes from its back. One tore through Kairo's shoulder, burning like fire and frost all at once.
[System Integrity Dropping… Stabilization Weakening.]
Kairo's scream echoed across the blood chamber—but even as he bled, something shifted.
A memory not his own flooded in: red skies, a child of the Veyril running across fractured plains, pursued by giants of ash.
His eyes glowed crimson.
[Veyril Echo Triggered.]
[Trait Manifestation: Bloodlash – A weapon formed of the host's own living essence.]
A crimson tendril erupted from his wounded arm—twisting, sentient, and hungry.
Kairo didn't question it.
He unleashed it.
The Bloodlash shot forward, wrapping around the Predator's arm and yanking it off balance. He surged forward, driving a knee into its core, followed by a sweeping strike of the lash that tore across its armor.
A final punch, enhanced by everything he had left, shattered the Predator's mask.
The Trial cracked.
[Trial Complete.]
[Host Rewarded: Blood Trait Shard – "Predator's Instinct" Acquired.]
[Blood Points: 5 Remaining.]
Back to RealityThe alley reformed around him. No one had noticed what had happened—no time had passed, yet everything had changed.
Kairo dropped to one knee, exhausted, but alive.
[Warning: Host State—Exhausted. Further conflict may result in destabilization.]
"Join the club," he muttered.
The blood steaming from his shoulder sealed into a dark mark—proof of survival, of growth, and of the war now waiting for him.
Somewhere Else…In a chamber of glass and bone, five hooded figures stood around a floating crystal—pulsing with Kairo's blood signature.
"He passed the first trial," one said.
"The YBloodbound has returned," another whispered.
"But will he become a King… or a Monster?"
Only silence answered.