The city of Draemir was asleep—if you could call it that. Behind massive walls of obsidian alloy, the sky burned with a red hue, remnants of the Eclipse Core Storm that had devoured half the continent a decade ago. On the surface, order remained. Inside the walls? A different kind of beast ruled.
In the Lower Slums, a boy lay bleeding in an alleyway.
Kael Draven.
Fifteen. Malnourished. Unawakened.
Useless.
His head throbbed with pain, the taste of blood flooding his mouth. His limbs refused to move, and his left eye was swelling shut.
The gang that had cornered him—Red Fang Rats—hadn't even used their essence powers. They hadn't needed to.
Kael hadn't fought back.
Why would he?
He was powerless. While other kids at Vanguard Academy awakened their Essence Cores and joined elite training classes, Kael swept floors, washed gear, and served food in the lower dormitories. The academy accepted orphans like him out of obligation—statistical charity. Nothing more.
And now... he was nothing more than meat left in the gutter.
Rain began to fall. A cold drizzle that quickly turned to a downpour.
His fingers twitched. His chest rose once. Twice.
Then a voice.
> "You reek of despair... but your soul resists."
Kael's heart seized.
"Who's there?" he rasped. No one was around. Just the whisper of wind and water.
Then it came again.
> "So much hate. So much pain. Will you die as prey, or accept the curse to rise as predator?"
Lightning split the sky. In that flash, Kael saw a figure—tall, draped in shadow and blood, with red eyes burning like twin stars. Behind it stood a System Interface, crimson and ancient, etched with glyphs unlike any known code.
His vision blurred. His blood boiled.
> "System initializing... Host vitals critical. Beginning Cursed Bloodline Transfer."
> Warning: Once accepted, humanity will erode. Proceed?
Kael's breath caught. He didn't understand what was happening. Was this real? A dream? A dying hallucination?
He thought of his sister. His only light.
He thought of the beatings, the shame, the helplessness.
> "Yes."
The word slipped out before he realized.
The world exploded.
---
[Cursed Bloodline System Activated]
Bloodline Detected: Dormant Vampire Core - Origin: Forbidden Lineage
Compatibility: 91%
Host will undergo forced rebirth. Side effects: Pain, hallucinations, loss of control.
First Skill Acquired: [Blood Siphon Lv. 1]
Welcome, Crimson Initiate.
---
Kael screamed.
His body convulsed as darkness surged through his veins. Bones snapped. Skin seared. His heart—once weak and slow—thundered like a war drum. Every drop of blood in his body ignited with new purpose, flowing like molten fire.
He felt something tearing through him. A beast. A hunger. A voice that wasn't his, snarling deep inside:
> "Feed."
His eyes opened—burning red.
The rain had stopped. Or maybe he just didn't feel it anymore.
He stood up.
The alley shimmered with crimson haze. His hearing sharpened. He could hear footsteps a block away. Heartbeats. Voices.
The Red Fang Rats were still nearby, laughing.
Kael's lips curled.
---
[Quest Triggered: Crimson Baptism]
Objective: Feed on the blood of your attackers.
Reward: [Shadow Veil Lv. 1], Bloodline Stabilization.
Failure: Bloodline Collapse. Death.
---
He didn't remember moving.
One moment, he was in the alley. The next, he stood behind the Red Fang Rats.
"Wha—Kael?! How the hell are you—"
Kael lunged.
His hand pierced straight through the leader's chest. Not a punch. A claw. His nails had elongated, bone-colored and razor-sharp.
Blood splattered across his face.
Warm. Sweet. Alive.
Something inside him moaned in ecstasy as his body drank in the essence of the dying thug. Information flooded his mind—memories, muscle instinct, a brief flicker of the man's life. And with it, strength.
The others screamed.
Kael turned, moving in a blur. A flash of claws. A crunch of bone. Then silence.
---
[Quest Complete: Crimson Baptism]
Skills Acquired: [Shadow Veil Lv. 1], [Blood Clot Control Lv. 1]
Trait Unlocked: [Predator's Instinct]
Bloodline Progress: 3% — Tier I: Crimson Initiate
---
Kael collapsed again, but this time it was different. Not from weakness. From overload.
He lay in a pool of blood, their blood, heart still pounding in his ears.
"I... killed them."
His voice trembled. He wasn't numb. He wasn't insane. He was terrified. Of what he had done. Of what he had become.
And yet...
He felt alive.
---
Back at Vanguard Academy...
> "Another awakening?" murmured Headmaster Aldric Vale, staring at the surge on the satellite screen.
The academy's system detected all energy flares in the city. This one... was unnatural. Raw. Unclassified.
"Student file: Kael Draven," Vale said, eyes narrowing. "No essence core. No background. But now... this."
Behind him, a woman in silver armor stepped forward.
"Shall we detain him, Headmaster?"
"No," Vale said slowly. "Watch him. Closely. If what I suspect is true... this might be the bloodline we buried centuries ago."
---
To Be Continued...