For three days and three nights, Kai had pushed himself beyond mortal limits.
His body had changed.
Every muscle trembled beneath the strain of relentless training. His bones felt as though they were scraping against one another, each movement sending sharp pain through his frame. Exhaustion weighed heavily on him, urging him to collapse and surrender to sleep.
But there was one thing he needed to do first.
He needed a weapon.
Not merely a blade or spear chosen at random, but a weapon that resonated with his soul—one that matched not only his nature, but the path of power unfolding before him.
Kai lowered himself to the floor and sat cross-legged.
Before him stood old man Takeda, his weathered gaze calm and steady.
> "Sit as straight as a sword," Takeda said softly, his voice carrying the stillness of ancient wisdom. "And be as calm as the surface of a silent lake."
"Let your breath flow like the wind—slow, effortless, and unbroken."
"Then look deep within yourself and ask: what weapon truly belongs to you?"
"What is the weapon that will make your abilities flourish?"
"Know yourself, Kai… and the answer will come."
Kai closed his eyes.
Minutes passed.
Then an hour.
At last, his breathing steadied into a perfect rhythm.
And then…
He descended.
---
The world vanished.
Kai found himself standing in an endless void.
A milky darkness stretched infinitely in all directions, swallowing light, sound, and thought itself. There was no ground beneath him, yet he stood. No sky above him, yet the darkness loomed like an ocean without end.
He was alone.
Or so he thought.
Then something opened.
Eyes.
Kai froze.
At first, he thought them the size of moons.
Then planets.
Then he realized the truth.
They were galaxies.
Twin cosmic eyes floated in the void before him, vast and impossibly beautiful. Entire star systems swirled within their irises, nebulae spiraling like living storms of light.
They were magnificent.
They were horrifying.
The pressure from their gaze alone crushed down upon him.
Kai's knees nearly buckled.
His soul screamed.
It was not his body that felt the pain.
It was something deeper.
Something fundamental.
His very existence trembled.
Yet despite the unbearable pressure, Kai stared deeper.
His special eyes sought truth.
They sought more.
And in doing so, they pierced beyond the veil of what a mortal should ever witness.
Blood ran from his eyes.
Warm.
Thick.
Endless.
His vision turned crimson.
Then blurred.
Then darkness swallowed everything.
He was blind.
---
Then the being spoke.
The sound was not merely a voice.
It was law.
A force older than creation itself.
The moment it echoed through the void, Kai felt his ears go numb as a violent ringing split through his consciousness.
This was no god.
This was something beyond gods.
An eldritch overlord.
A primordial draconic existence older than time.
Its voice thundered:
> "Vv4éastroóësyhçatfghat."
The word defied language.
It crashed through Kai like worlds colliding.
Like chains shattering.
Like glass breaking across infinity.
Then a luminous screen materialized directly within his mind.
---
BLOODLINE AWAKENING
Bloodline: Overlord Chaos Dragon Primordial Progenitor
Status: Partial Unlock
Memory Access: Granted
Acquired Spell: Fireball (Common)
Acquired Authority: Fire Authority
Acquired Authority: Partial Elemental Authority
Power Access: 0.001%
---
STATUS
Name: Kai Hogan
Race: Baby Dragon | Half Demon | Half Angel
Age: 17
Mana: 300 / 2000
Level: 1
EXP: 0 / 100 (doubles every level)
Bloodline: Chaos Dragon Primordial Progenitor
Stats
Strength: 35
Agility: 601
Intelligence: 200
Dexterity: 50
Vitality: 101
Luck: ???
Charm: ???
---
QUEST
Bloodline Awakening
Objective: Find the Divine Ice Empress Fox
Time Remaining: 2 months, 3 weeks, 10 hours, 59 minutes, 39 seconds
---
Kai's body convulsed violently in the real world.
Golden blood mixed with crimson and silver streamed from his eyes.
Then his sight was gone.
Completely.
Takeda rushed to him.
"Kai!"
But the boy did not respond.
Panic flashed across the old master's face.
Nearby, the Beast Empress felt it.
The damage.
Not physical.
Soul damage.
Her expression darkened.
If she did nothing, Kai would die.
Without hesitation, she forged a soul bond.
The moment the connection formed, pain tore through her own spirit.
Even she recoiled.
The damage was catastrophic.
Still, she took a portion of it upon herself.
Her soul could heal.
Kai's could not.
They carried him swiftly to his room.
Then suddenly—
His eyes opened.
Draconic.
Ancient.
Within them swirled galaxies.
Yet they were glazed.
Sightless.
Blind.
Kai reached forward in terror.
> "No… no… no!"
"My eyes!"
"I can't see!"
"Master Takeda—where are you?!"
His scream shattered the silence.
Takeda, Yuki, and the Beast Empress stood frozen.
Blood tears ran down Kai's face.
His white hair fell to his shoulders, stained red.
His body shook.
His voice cracked.
First, his humanity had been taken.
Then his eyes.
And now the truth dawned upon them all.
Kai's awakening had only just begun.
But the price had already been paid.