The First Blood suddenly laughed.
"Hahaha..."
"Shut up."
"Even if I wanted to tell you..."
"...you wouldn't be able to do shit."
Draven's expression darkened.
"Motherfucker..."
He clicked his tongue.
"What a waste of time."
The First Blood's smile widened.
"Too impatient."
"You can't do it."
"But that doesn't mean I can't."
Draven's eyes shifted toward him.
"...Huh?"
The First Blood stepped closer.
"All you need to do..."
"...is hand control over to me."
"Then sit back..."
"...and watch."
Draven stared at him.
Silence.
Then—
"Alright."
The First Blood's smile froze.
"If that's all..."
"...go ahead."
He looked directly into his eyes.
"How do I do it?"
The First Blood remained silent.
"...Huh?"
For the first time—
his expression showed genuine confusion.
Then—
he suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"You..."
He shook his head.
"You really are something else."
"No hesitation?"
"No reluctance?"
"Not even a little surprise?"
He stepped closer.
"You're just going to hand me control of your body?"
His smile widened.
"You're not even afraid of what might happen?"
"What if I take over?"
"What if I don't give your body back?"
"What if I decide that I've waited long enough..."
"...and simply erase you?"
Draven stared at him.
Then—
"...Is that a joke?"
The First Blood stopped laughing.
Draven continued.
"If you could really do any of that..."
"...why the hell would you be asking for my permission?"
Silence.
Draven's eyes narrowed.
"You've been trapped inside me this entire time."
"You've already admitted that I'm the one controlling the body."
"So if you could simply take control whenever you wanted..."
"...you would've done it already."
The First Blood's smile slowly returned.
Draven folded his arms.
"So?"
"Are you going to explain how to do it..."
"...or are you going to keep wasting my time?"
The First Blood stared at Draven for several moments.
Then—
he sighed.
"...Yeah."
He shook his head.
"Alright, alright."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Dealing with a two-nosed brat like you is more annoying than I expected."
Draven's expression remained unchanged.
"...Yeah."
He glanced at him.
"So how do I give you control?"
The First Blood's smile widened slightly.
"Just shut the fuck up."
Draven raised an eyebrow.
The First Blood continued.
"And don't interfere."
"That's all you need to do."
Draven stared at him.
"...That's it?"
"That's it."
The First Blood stepped closer.
"You don't need to do anything complicated."
"Just stop resisting."
"Stop trying to control your body."
"And let me take over."
Draven remained silent for a moment.
Then—
he slowly closed his eyes.
"...Fine."
The First Blood's expression changed slightly.
"Good."
---
The First Blood moved.
There was no warning.
No dramatic surge of power.
He simply stepped forward.
Draven remained still.
The First Blood raised his hand.
Then—
his fingers touched Draven's chest.
**THUMP.**
A strange sensation spread through Draven's body.
His consciousness trembled.
For the first time—
he felt something pulling at the connection between his mind and his body.
The First Blood's crimson eyes narrowed.
"...Don't interfere."
Draven said nothing.
The First Blood placed his other hand against Draven's forehead.
"...Just watch."
A faint crimson glow appeared beneath his palm.
**THUMM.**
The darkness around them began to tremble.
Draven felt his consciousness being pushed backward.
Not forcefully.
Rather—
it was as though he were slowly sinking beneath the surface of a deep ocean.
His body remained standing.
But his connection to it became increasingly distant.
The First Blood's voice reached him from far away.
"...That's better."
Draven's eyes remained open.
He could still see everything.
But he could no longer move.
*...So this is what he meant.*
The First Blood stepped forward.
His figure slowly overlapped with Draven's.
For a brief moment—
their bodies became one.
Then—
**BOOM!**
A violent wave of crimson and Abyssal mana erupted through the endless darkness.
Draven's consciousness was pushed even farther back.
Yet he remained calm.
He simply watched.
The First Blood's voice echoed through the darkness.
"...Now."
The crimson glow intensified.
"...Let me show you what a real mana pool looks like."
---
Outside—
Draven's body suddenly went completely still.
The bleeding stopped.
The Abyssal mana surrounding him began moving differently.
Aldric's eyes narrowed.
"...What?"
The black cat beside him raised its head.
Its purple eyes fixed on Draven.
The air around Draven began to distort.
Then—
**THUMP.**
A pulse of mana spread through the ruins.
The Rift Breakers that had been approaching suddenly stopped.
Their crimson eyes remained fixed on Draven.
Aldric slowly tightened his grip.
"...Something changed."
The pressure around Draven continued increasing.
His body remained motionless.
But beneath his skin—
the Abyssal mana began circulating with terrifying precision.
No longer chaotic.
No longer unstable.
Every strand moved as though following a predetermined path.
Aldric stared.
"...What the hell are you doing now, brat?"
Inside the darkness—
Draven watched silently.
The First Blood stood before him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...Pay attention."
He raised one hand.
The surrounding darkness began folding inward.
Space itself seemed to bend toward his palm.
"...Because once you understand this..."
His crimson eyes gleamed.
"...you'll never need that pathetic method of yours again."