119 THE CORE OF BLUE BLOOD
In a heartbeat, steel and power flashed.
The Deacons and Zalira raised their scythes, blades humming with lethal energy. Zalira could face one of them—but not against both.
Their cursed power burst forth, the cavern erupting in a blinding arc as beams of pure light clashed.
When the glare faded, Zalira lay bleeding on the stone, her breath shallow. The female Deacon stumbled, wounded, but the male still stood—cold, untouched, and advancing.
"For betraying your godly blood," he said, lifting his scythe, "you must die."
"No!" Eryn's scream echoed through the hollow.
Zalira closed her eyes and waited for the end. The blade hung an inch above her throat—then froze.
The Deacon's hand trembled.
A second later, his scythe vanished. Damen stood behind him, one hand gripping his neck.
"You—" the Deacon began, but Damen's twist snapped the word and his spine together.
The other Deacon barely had time to react before Damen's kick shattered her throat. Both bodies fell, lifeless.
Eryn stared in shock. "Damen… how did you become so strong? Those creatures are ranked…."
Damen wasn't too constrained about power Ranks anymore.
Zalira, still on the ground, only smiled faintly. She had seen his power before. She already knew he had awakened the cursed blood.
"Damen, why are you here?" Eryn asked, trembling.
"I was about to ask you the same," Damen said evenly.
Zalira's form shimmered, shifting into that of a woman—Eryn's mother.
"Mother!" Eryn rushed to her. "I missed you so much!"
"My dear, didn't I tell you not to come here?" Zalira said gently. "It's too dangerous now."
"I had no choice… it's Father."
"What about him?"
"He wants me to marry that idiot, Shawn."
Damen's eyes widened.
He hadn't seen Eryn in months… he didn't expect her to face so much pressure at home. All this time he was busy with his own matters and wasn't there for her.
"You should have come to me instead," Damen said sharply. "You know this place could've killed you."
"I didn't want to drag you into my family's mess," Eryn said with tears brimming. "Father already blames you for everything. If you stand up for me… he'll have you killed."
"You're a stubborn girl," Zalira sighed.
Then she looked at Damen. "But you… you came here for something else, didn't you?"
Damen nodded. "I need to know how to break the Blood Curse."
Zalira studied him. "Strange. With your level of cursed blood, you should've transmuted into a Deacon already. Why are you still human?"
"I found a way to dilute the curse," Damen said. "Blood transfusion. It lowers the intensity of the cursed blood."
"Clever," Zalira murmured. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"I had it under control but," Damen continued, "because of the slaughter in the battlefield, the curse is rising again. I can feel it now—like an unquenchable hunger."
Zalira's expression darkened. "Then you must act quickly. The blood devours the mind when it's left unchecked."
Eryn grabbed Zalira's hand. "Mother, please help him."
Zalira smiled softly. "He's not as bad as you think. That method of his—if it really works, he's in a better situation than I ever was."
Eryn's eyes brightened. "Then you can come back with us to Melrose City now that you know of the cure?"
"Perhaps," Zalira said thoughtfully. "If I can receive a transfusion, I may be free of this burden."
Then Damen spoke again. "Zalira… teach me. Teach me how to control the curse."
Zalira knelt beside one of the fallen Deacons. Without hesitation, she plunged her blade into his chest and tore free his heart.
Eryn recoiled. "Ew—Mother!"
Inside the heart, a faint blue glow pulsed. Zalira held it up.
"This is a Core of Blue Blood. The essence of Annunakin's power. It can suppress the curse's effect on the mind."
Damen activated his Identify glyph.
Name: Core of Blue Blood
Description: Essence of a Rank-C or higher Annunakin. Has the ability to suppress the mind or liberate it.
"Will this Core of Blue Blood stop the curse?" Eryn asked.
"This is not the cure but a method to slow the suppression of the alien's bloodlust. The problem is I don't have the equipment to refine its elements into your body…I've used the last of my equipment when I refined the Blood Core for myself", she said.
"We'll get this back to Melrose city and have…", Eryn said when Damen stopped her.
He took the Core of Blue Blood from Zalira.
Damen didn't fully understand what the process was, but he trusted Zalira's word. Holding the Core, he activated Assimilate.
The orb cracked, releasing a surge of crimson light. The energy poured into him like molten fire.
Assimilation in progress: 1%...
"What did you just do?" Eryn asked, her voice a mix of shock and awe.
Even Zalira was shocked by what Damen was doing but she cut Eryn off gently. "Everyone has their own secrets, Eryn. You shouldn't pry."
Eryn fell silent, biting her lip, but her eyes stayed wide, fixed on Damen.
Moments later, a message flickered before Damen:
"Congratulations, Core of Blue Blood has been assimilated."
"Core of Blue Blood Level 1 activated — Active Cores: 1/1"
Damen blinked, trying to make sense of it.
"Does this mean the side effects of the cursed blood are gone… at least partially?"
Then he noticed the counter. "One of One… there can be more. If I assimilate more of these, I might improve my suppression."
Without hesitation, he moved to the second fallen Deacon. With a swift, practiced motion, he tore out her heart. Eryn gasped, and even Zalira's eyes widened at the audacity of it.
But there was no Core of Blood on the deacon.
"Not every deacon of the alien gods can produce a Core of Blood…. Sometimes their cores are destroyed upon death. Only well preserved cores are useful", Zalira told him.
Damen's lips tightened. "Damn, unlucky this time."
----
Zalira has decided to leave the cavern and return to Melrose city with them. She's found a way to suppress the alien blue blood using Blue Blood Core. That method would be further enhanced by frequent blood transfusion.
She would no longer worry about her Blood Lust controlling her so there was no reason for her to remain here.
The three of them emerged from the caverns, making their way through the winding tunnels until they finally stepped into the canyon.
"Ahh… the twin suns of Anu," Zalira said, shielding her eyes as the sunlight washed over her. "I almost forgot how light feels in my eyes."
"We have to stay alert," Damen warned. "The alien horde just invaded Fortress Myrone. There are bound to be patrols and scavengers in this area."
They moved cautiously, ducking behind rocks and outcroppings whenever signs of Annunakin activity appeared, sometimes waiting for hours until the threat passed.
Eventually, they reached the wide-open desert plain.
For a brief moment, relief flickered across their faces. But then the ground trembled beneath them. From the sand erupted massive black armored scorpions, their pincers clicking with deadly intent.
"What… what are these?" Eryn gasped, stepping back.
Zalira's face turned grim. "The Sun Scorpions of Ra. We need to run—now."
"Why are you so afraid of them?" Damen asked, narrowing his eyes.
"They are executioners of the Annunakin," Zalira explained, her voice low and urgent. "They hunt half-bloods like us… sent to cleanse us from their world."
The three exchanged a tense glance before bolting across the sand, the black scorpions scuttling after them like living shadows.