Rain tapped against the canopy above like a quiet drum, mist curling low across the mossy forest floor. The world smelled of damp bark and rich soil, and though the downpour had lessened since midnight, everything remained slick with moisture. Auther stood near the edge of their temporary camp, eyes half-closed, his breathing even and rhythmic. Each breath pulled threads of ambient mana from the air into his core — steady, deliberate, refined.
His breathing technique had evolved again. What started as a basic F-rank skill had become something far more efficient through weeks of experimentation and subtle edits. Mana coursed through his body with smoother flow, enhancing stamina and sharpening awareness.
Behind him, the rest of his small team stirred awake. Elira groaned as she emerged from her blanket, clutching her sides like she'd aged fifty years overnight. Lyra was already up, adjusting her gear and checking the tension on her throwing daggers. Veyra stood by the treeline, unnervingly still, her silver hair draped wet across her cloak.
Auther turned to face them.
"We've received a message," he said, flicking his fingers. A translucent screen hovered before him, the text marked in the system's typical sterile formatting:
[Mission Alert – Awakeners' Association]
Mission Type: Subjugation Region: Outer Marsh Sector 3 Threat Rank: E2–E3 Mutant Cluster Reward: 2 Minor Mana Crystals, 1 Skill Book (F-rank or above), Contribution Points Note: Team-based assignments permitted. Deadline: 3 days.
"Our first formal mission," Auther said. "Not just a request. This one comes directly from the association."
Elira blinked. "Is that... good?"
Lyra stretched with a yawn. "Good means dangerous. But also fun."
Auther's lips quirked upward. "It means recognition. We're officially on their radar now."
Veyra finally stepped forward, her boots silent despite the wet earth. Her crimson eyes lingered on the screen, but her expression remained unreadable.
"We accept?" she asked.
"We do," Auther replied. "It'll push us — and we need that."
---
The journey to the marsh took most of the day. Visibility worsened as they reached the lower terrain; fog pooled thick among reeds and crooked trees. The land stank of rot and lingering mana corruption. Auther kept his senses expanded, eyes shifting constantly for signs of movement.
The creatures here weren't mindless mana-mutated beasts. E2 and E3-ranked mutants often retained fragmented instincts — or worse, rudimentary tactics.
"Formation," Auther called. "Lyra left flank, Veyra right, Elira center behind me."
They moved like a unit. Still a bit rough around the edges, but more confident than they'd been even a week ago.
They didn't have to wait long.
The first mutant emerged from the fog like a half-melted bear, its muscle mass grotesquely enlarged and twitching. Its eyes were blind with mana burn, yet it sniffed the air and growled low. Two smaller mutants flanked it — malformed wolves with spiked hides and jaws that cracked unnaturally.
Auther didn't give them the first strike. He stepped forward and raised his hand.
"[Mana Edge: Variant Flare]."
A thin arc of condensed energy slashed outward, severing one of the wolf's legs and staggering the second. The bear-like beast roared and charged.
"Veyra!" he barked.
She moved like lightning — faster than she ever had before. Her body blurred for a moment, vanishing and reappearing atop a mossy log. The beast turned just in time for her staff to smash into its snout. The blow echoed unnaturally, like the crack of bone magnified through hollow stone.
It stumbled.
Auther's eyes narrowed. That strike had been… heavy. He hadn't taught her anything like that.
Lyra engaged the other wolf, dancing between bites, daggers flashing. Elira stayed behind, casting minor buffs and applying distraction throws — a recent addition to her toolkit.
Auther focused back on Veyra. As the bear charged again, she didn't dodge. Instead, her red eyes flared — visibly. For a split second, they glowed.
She moved faster than he could follow, staff sweeping under the beast's legs. It crashed to the ground, and she drove her palm into its skull, mana flaring around her body like a heat wave.
The bear twitched once. Then went still.
Silence fell.
Auther approached slowly. Veyra stood over the corpse, breath steady, but her hands trembled faintly.
He placed a hand on her shoulder. "What was that?"
She didn't look at him. "I don't know."
He studied her, really looked. Her aura had shifted — just a shade, but enough for someone as sensitive to mana flow as him to notice. Denser. Wilder. Like something caged had stirred.
Bloodline.
Not awakened yet, but soon.
And it wasn't human.
---
They made camp on a dry ridge near the edge of the marsh, safely outside the mission zone. The fog had cleared slightly, but the sky remained a blanket of grey.
Veyra sat alone again, staring into the distance. Elira and Lyra were sharing rations, occasionally bursting into laughter over something dumb.
Auther sat across from Veyra, silent for a moment. Then:
"It's waking up, isn't it?"
She said nothing.
He continued, "Your strikes today — the speed, the weight behind them. That wasn't just training. And your eyes glowed."
Veyra exhaled. "I don't remember most of it. It felt… instinctive. Natural. But also like I wasn't fully in control."
"Something buried," Auther said. "A bloodline. I've seen it before in records. Heritage awakening. Maybe not now. But soon."
She glanced at him, uncertain. "Should I be worried?"
"No," he said. "But we should be prepared."
---
That night, while the others slept, Auther opened his system screen again.
[SP: 53]
Not enough yet. But close. He'd soon break through E5 and push toward E6. He had ideas brewing — new skills. Stronger ones. But those would come after the mission. First, he'd need to make sure Veyra was stable — and alive.
Because when bloodlines awaken…
They often take more than they give.
And not everyone survives the price.