His three days of observation were spent in a private recovery suite, which was really a glorified, comfortable cell. It gave him time to explore his awakening.
Blood Manipulation, at its most basic, was an intimate and terrifying power. He started small, in the silence of the night while Leyla and Mira slept nearby.
Sitting on the floor, he focused on a small, self-inflicted scratch on his palm. He willed the blood to stop. The bleeding ceased instantly. He willed it to flow backward, back into the cut. The droplets reversed course, the wound sealing from the inside out, leaving only a faint pink line.
He could sense the blood in his body as a second nervous system. He could accelerate its flow to boost his reflexes, or slow it to feign death. He could feel the oxygen in his hemoglobin, the nutrients, the life.
[ Bloodline: Sanguis Imperator – Progress: 0.5% ]
[ Ability Refined: Hemokinesis (Self) – Can now consciously control coagulation, flow, and minor shaping of own blood outside the body (max 10ml). ]
It was a start. But the whispers in his blood promised more—so much more. To sense the blood of others. To influence it. To command it.
He thought of the Corrupted. They had blood, or something like it—a corrupt ichor that served as their lifeforce. Could he command that? Could he turn their own vitality against them?
The door chimed. Mira entered, carrying a tray of food. She saw him sitting in the dim light, his hand faintly glowing crimson.
"Echo? What are you doing?"
He let the glow fade. "Exploring. I… awakened something new. During the purge."
She sat beside him, her spatial senses reaching out cautiously. "It feels ancient. And powerful. Not like my World-Walker bloodline. This is… primal."
"It's blood manipulation."
Mira's eyes widened. "That's a forbidden art in many worlds. Associated with dark rituals and vampires."
"This isn't dark. It's life. It's what fought the corruption." He took her hand. "Can you feel it?"
She closed her eyes, focusing. Her spatial awareness mingled with his blood sense. "I can feel… the pulse. The rhythm. It's beautiful, Echo. Like a hidden music."
He kissed her, and in the kiss, he let a tiny thread of his blood sense intertwine with her spatial sense. For a moment, they shared perception—she felt the universe in folds and distances; he felt the song of life within her.
It was intimacy on a level deeper than the physical.
Leyla, sensing their connection through the bond, padded in from the adjoining room, her fur ruffled from sleep. Without a word, she joined them, her moon-energy adding a silver harmony to the mix.
They didn't make love that night. They merged—energies, senses, blood, and space intertwining in a silent symphony of trust.
[ Bond Deepening: Triune Harmony ]
[ Bloodline Resonance Detected: Sanguis Imperator accepts the bonds. Bond Points +10. ]
[ Leyla and Mira gain: Minor Bloodline Affinity – +5% resistance to blood-based attacks and curses. ]
Their power grew not just from battle, but from union. And Echo's secret was now theirs to keep.