The air within the inner walls of the Deadlands always smelled of dust and despair.
But tonight, for Kaelus, the air felt fresher than ever.
His breaths came in ragged gasps, his body drenched in sweat mixed with dirt after a mad training session in the filthy corner of the outer district.
Yet a wide smile, one that rarely ever graced his face, was clearly etched upon his lips.
The seal had finally cracked.
For years, Kaelus had felt as if some invisible chain was strangling the flow of his energy, holding him back as an ordinary human, a crippled loser in a world that worshiped strength.
But just minutes ago, that chain had fractured.
A foreign energy now leaked through the cracks, flowing warmly in his veins, wild and demanding to be unleashed.
Only a slight crack, only a small leak, yet the power churned violently within him.
He was no longer a man without a blessing.
The only thought in Kaelus's mind now was to share this happiness with one person.
Celine.
She was the only light of sanity in this hell called the godless land.
When everyone looked down on him as the Mayor's illegitimate son who had even failed to awaken a Divine Blessing at seventeen, Celine had always been there.
Smiling gently, tending to his wounds, telling him that he was worthy.
Kaelus quickened his steps as he approached Celine's brick house.
Impatient, he half-ran toward the back door he usually used.
It was slightly ajar, allowing the dim glow of an oil lamp to spill outside.
Kaelus was about to push it open and call her name, but his steps froze.
The voices inside caught his breath in his throat.
"You're overthinking it, Celine. That sewer rat will never rise."
A man's voice. A voice Kaelus knew all too well.
Elian.
His half-brother. The Mayor's legitimate son, exalted like a prince after awakening his Divine Blessing at fifteen.
Kaelus peeked through the crack.
The world that had just felt beautiful collapsed over his head.
Inside the narrow living room, Celine was not sewing or reading as usual.
The curly-haired girl was sitting on Elian's lap.
Elian's arm was wrapped possessively around her waist, while her hand stroked his jaw before their lips met in a heated, intimate kiss.
Kaelus felt his stomach twist violently.
"I'm just tired, Elian," Celine complained after the kiss broke, her voice spoiled and coy—a tone Kaelus had never heard before. "Having to pretend to care about that big loser every single day. Ugh."
She shook her head in mock pity. "Do you know how pathetic he is? Nineteen years old and still practicing with a wooden sword like an idiot. No blessing, no future."
"That's why I'm paying you, darling," Elian chuckled, kissing her neck. "Father's only order was to make sure that bastard remains useless trash."
"Making you his first love was the best way to monitor him. As long as he depends on you, he'll never try to rebel," he continued.
Bang!
The wooden door shattered under Kaelus's kick. Splinters scattered across the floor.
Elian and Celine jolted in shock. But the surprise on Elian's face quickly turned into a triumphant smirk.
As for Celine, she didn't even look panicked. She calmly adjusted her dress and rose from Elian's lap, her gaze cold.
"Kaelus? What are you doing here at this hour?" she asked. Her voice was no longer gentle. It was as sharp as broken glass.
"What did I just hear?" Kaelus's voice trembled. His fists clenched so tightly his knuckles turned white. "You, you set me up? All your care all this time, it was just an assignment from this bastard?" He pointed at Elian, jaw rigid.
Celine let out a soft snort, crossing her arms. "Of course. Did you think I would actually associate with someone like you for free?"
She looked him up and down, her beautiful face now radiating pure disgust.
There was no trace left of the angelic savior Kaelus had worshiped.
Standing before him now was a cunning devil who had deceived his heart completely.
"I awakened my Divine Blessing at seventeen," Celine hissed arrogantly. "And you? You're nineteen, Kaelus! You're nothing but walking dead flesh. Just looking at your face makes me sick."
"Shut your mouth!" Kaelus roared, his chest heaving as fury began burning away his sanity. "I trusted you! I gave you everything—"
"Everything? What do you even have?" Elian cut in, stepping forward to stand beside Celine, wrapping an arm around her waist as if displaying a trophy. "You're just a bastard. Your very existence is a stain on the Mayor's family."
Elian smirked mockingly, staring straight into Kaelus's eyes. "Stop dreaming, Kael. Do you know why you don't have a blessing? Because even the gods refuse to look at the filthy blood flowing in your veins."
"Filthy blood…" Kaelus muttered, his fists tightening.
"Yes. Filthy blood," Celine echoed with a cruel little laugh. "Or haven't you heard the real story? Your mother wasn't some poor woman seduced by the Mayor."
She glanced at Elian with amusement, as though about to tell a hilarious joke. "Your mother was a lowly prostitute who drugged Elian's father to elevate her status! She died after giving birth to you, because that's the curse for women like her. And you? You're the product of—"
"I SAID SHUT YOUR MOUTH!"
Kaelus's roar thundered through the room.
His body trembled with rage.
The explosive emotions in his chest reacted to the freshly cracked seal.
"Angry?" Celine sneered, resting her head on Elian's shoulder. "Even if you're angry, you can't do anything, Kaelus. Because you're nothing but a loser."
"How could you ever think Celine truly liked you? Someone abandoned like you?" Elian laughed until his face turned red. "It's disgusting just imagining it."
"A prostitute's son will always be a prostitute's son. He has no power whatsoever. Just like the blood in his veins," Celine scoffed loudly. "I've lowered my status enough just by associating with you all this time."
Kaelus closed his eyes, restraining the surging storm of emotions clashing with the power inside him. He felt both searing fury and a strange force that seemed ready to explode at any moment.
"Shut your damn mouth!" Kaelus shouted.
Celine only laughed in satisfaction. "If I don't want to shut my mouth, what are you going to do? You probably wouldn't even win against me."
"You'll regret this, Celine. You'll regret it for the rest of your life!"
"Regret? Don't make me laugh!" Celine sneered. "I know exactly what I'm doing. Why would I regret leaving a loser like you? This is the greatest victory of my life!"
Boom!
The stone wall shattered with a single motion, leaving behind a choking cloud of dust.