Chapter 10 – Secret of the System
The underground chamber pulsed with the remnants of Kael's unleashed power. The obsidian walls shimmered faintly, runes glowing in faint silver where his blood had splattered during the Test of Power. Silence filled the space now, heavy and suffocating. The trial was done, and he was alive. Barely.
Kael stood hunched, his chest rising and falling with ragged breaths, his pale skin streaked with blood—half his own, half from the beasts he had slain. The taste lingered on his tongue, metallic and intoxicating.
But the silence did not last.
A flicker of cold light flared in front of him. The familiar, icy blue glyphs of the System shimmered into existence.
[Congratulations, Kael D'Anarion. You have passed the Test of Power.]
[Attributes updated.]
[Hidden protocols unlocked.]
Kael narrowed his crimson eyes. The System had never spoken like that before. Usually it spat cold lines of information, feeding him stats, missions, or rewards. But now, the tone was… different. Almost conspiratorial.
"What do you mean—hidden protocols?" Kael growled, his voice hoarse.
The light pulsed.
[You have reached synchronization threshold: 42%.]
[New functions revealed.]
The glyphs unfolded like blooming flowers, forming spiraling circles of data he had never seen. Lines of text appeared faster than his eyes could track.
[Skill Tree Access Granted]
[Memory Fragments Accessible]
[Bloodline Lock Disengaged – Partial]
Kael staggered back, his heart hammering. The words "Bloodline Lock" stabbed through him with icy weight. He had always known he was different from the rest of his clan—stronger, hungrier, faster. But he had never understood why.
Now the System was telling him there was something chained inside him. Something waiting.
"Bloodline Lock… disengaged?" he whispered.
[Partial. Full release requires additional synchronization.]
[Warning: Unstable power may consume host.]
Kael clenched his fists, his claws digging into his palms. His blood dripped to the stone floor, hissing as it touched the runes.
He had questions. Too many. But before he could speak, another prompt surfaced.
[New Quest: Secrets of Origin]
[Objective: Seek the Tomb of the First Vampire.]
[Reward: ???]
The words burned brighter than flame. Kael's throat tightened. The Tomb of the First Vampire—half-myth, half-nightmare—was a story whispered by elders around bonfires. A forbidden legend. If it existed, it was said to hold the truth of their race's creation.
His race. His curse.
Kael's chest ached with an unfamiliar heat. It wasn't fear. It wasn't hunger. It was the need to know.
But the System wasn't done yet. The glyphs twisted again, forming a new shape: a mirror-like screen. Kael blinked. In it, he saw his reflection, but distorted. His eyes glowed brighter, veins blackened across his neck, his fangs longer than they should be. It was him—but not him.
[Fragmented Memory Retrieved.]
The chamber spun. Kael fell to his knees as the vision forced itself into his mind.
He was standing on a battlefield, oceans of corpses under a black sun. Around him were beings far more terrifying than vampires—creatures with obsidian skin, wings of fire, and mouths filled with endless rows of teeth. And standing at the center of it all… was himself. But older. Darker. Wearing armor made of shadows, holding a blade that bled red light.
The vision vanished. Kael collapsed forward, gasping.
"What… the hell… was that?"
[Future self.]
[Warning: Causality breach detected.]
The glyphs flickered wildly, distorting like static. Kael felt his mind lurch. He grabbed his head, growling as pain seared through him.
Then everything snapped silent again.
The chamber was dark, the glyphs gone. The System had retreated, leaving him with more questions than answers. But its words echoed in his skull.
Bloodline Lock.
Tomb of the First Vampire.
Future self.
Kael staggered to his feet, fury burning through his veins. The Clan couldn't know this. They already distrusted him, already feared his strength. If they discovered he was bound to something far older, something that even the System feared—they would tear him apart before he had the chance to unravel it.
No. This was his secret.
His destiny.
But secrets never stayed buried for long.
---
Hours later, Kael emerged from the chamber into the moonlit courtyard of the Clan stronghold. Shadows stretched long over the stone walls. Whispers rose as the others saw him—survivor of the Test of Power. Some looked in awe. Others in envy. And some… in fear.
He could smell it on them. Fear. It clung to their hearts like perfume.
Arden, the war-chief, stepped forward, his towering form blocking Kael's path. "So the fledgling lives," he said, his tone mocking. "Tell me, boy, what did the stones whisper to you in the dark?"
Kael met his gaze, calm but deadly. The memory of the System's secret still burned in his mind. The urge to reveal it almost spilled from his lips—but he swallowed it back.
"Nothing you'd understand," Kael said softly, his voice carrying venom.
Arden's jaw tightened. A low growl vibrated from his chest. "Careful, boy. Power without control is a quick way to the grave."
Kael smirked, though his heart was a storm. If only you knew.
Above them, the Blood Moon still glowed, its crimson light spilling across the courtyard. Kael tilted his head back, eyes narrowing. The night felt different now, heavier, alive with unseen threads. He could feel the System thrumming within him, whispering like a second heartbeat.
He was no longer just another vampire struggling for recognition.
He was something else. Something that terrified even the System itself.
And one day, the world would learn the secret it was trying so hard to keep.
---