Kael didn't remember when the pain started.
Only that it never stopped.
The training hall was empty—long past curfew—yet Kael still swung his sword again and again. Each strike echoed like a hammer against stone, rough and uneven, lacking the elegance instructors praised.
But Kael didn't care about elegance.
He cared about power.
"Again," he growled, driving his blade forward.
Mana surged violently through his veins, unstable and wild. His breathing was ragged, his muscles screaming for rest—but Kael refused to stop.
> Lucien doesn't stop.
Lucien keeps moving.
That thought burned hotter than exhaustion.
Suddenly—
Pain exploded in Kael's chest.
He staggered, dropping to one knee as something answered him from deep within.
His heartbeat slowed.
Then thundered.
---
THE BLOODLINE STIRS
Kael clutched his chest, eyes wide as heat flooded his veins—not mana, not aura, but something older.
> Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.
Each pulse felt heavier than the last.
The air around him trembled.
> SYSTEM WARNING:
Bloodline Resonance Detected
Status: Unstable
Emotional Trigger: Rage / Inferiority / Obsession
Veins of faint crimson-gold light surfaced beneath Kael's skin, crawling along his arms like living fire. His vision blurred as instinct—not thought—took over.
> Fight.
Overcome.
Do not kneel.
Images flashed through his mind: ancient warriors standing atop battlefields, enemies crushed beneath their feet, blood steaming on broken ground.
Kael gasped.
"This… this is my bloodline…?"
He had always been told his lineage was special—but dormant.
Now it responded to his frustration.
Not gently.
Violently.
Kael slammed his sword into the ground and roared—not in pain, but in defiance. The training hall's mana barrier flickered as his presence surged.
> SYSTEM NOTICE:
Bloodline Status: Partially Awakened (Unstable)
Effect: Strength & Aggression Temporarily Increased
Warning: Mental Erosion Possible
Kael laughed shakily.
"So this is it…? Power born from anger?"
His smile twisted.
"Fine," he whispered. "Then I'll use it."
---