Night settled over Banter's Academy like a living thing.
Not just darkness—but pressure. The kind that made the air feel thicker. Older.
Kite sat alone on the rooftop of the dormitory tower, arms resting on his knees, dagger beside him. His uniform was half-charred, one arm bruised and bandaged. But he was alive. And that meant something.
He let the silence stretch.
Then—
[Blood XP: +2 – Reflective State Activated]
[You have gained Insight. Processing…]
[Analyzing Battle Performance…]
[Crimson Ascension System – Internal Alignment Check: 73%... Error Detected]
[Warning: Foreign seal detected within spiritual matrix]
[Initiating deeper scan…]
[Anomaly Confirmed – Legacy Trigger Suppressed]
[Overriding suppression… 12%... 31%... 67%... 100%]
[WARNING: You are not meant to see this yet]
[Hidden Sequence Unlocked – "The Path Beyond the Veil"]
Kite tensed.
His vision blurred—then shifted.
A second screen emerged beside the usual system overlay. Darker. Older. Its borders were shaped like coiling serpents, and its center pulsed like a beating heart.
[Legacy Awakening Path: Sealed Blood Sanctum]
Requirements:
– Reach 5% Bloodline Awakening
– Trigger 3 System Reactions
– Kill a Class-3 Beast or higher with Blood Skills
– Survive a Crimson Eclipse Event
Class Trial Locked until all above conditions are met.
Warning: Accessing this path is forbidden by all standard system protocols.
Do you wish to continue?
Kite hesitated.
Then muttered, "You've already seen what's inside me… what's one more sin?"
Confirmed.
Proceeding…
[+2 Intellect]
[New Trait: Veilbreaker (Passive) – You can see fractures in system-based illusions, seals, and projections.]
[Crimson Ascension System Resynchronizing…]
[Bloodline Progression: 0.7% → 0.9%]
[New Title Acquired: One Who Defies the Script]
His heart was racing.
Not from fear.
From instinct.
From something deeper than memory—bloodline knowledge.
And then, as if in response—
The air shimmered above the rooftop.
A glowing red line tore the sky open like paper.
Only for a second.
Inside was nothing but a massive, blood-drenched gate…
…with eight fangs circling an eye made of bone.
Then it vanished.
[System Note: You were not supposed to see that.]
Kite smiled.
"Yeah," he said. "That makes two of us."