The moment stretched into an eternity.
Kael stood with the Fangblade humming in his grip, muscles coiled like a predator ready to strike. Across from him, the man—no, the thing—claiming to be his father simply watched, eyes glowing with calm arrogance.
Selene's wings flared wide behind her, violet feathers shimmering with tension. "Kael…" she whispered. "His aura… it's older than anything I've sensed. Even the elders in the academy."
Kael didn't take his eyes off the man. "I feel it too. It's like staring into a void that remembers my name."
Their so-called father took a step forward, corrupted energy swirling at his feet. "Good. You should feel it. You were born from it. Made for it."
A moment passed.
Then Kael lunged.
---
The Fangblade sang through the air, its black edge slicing toward the man's throat. But he moved with impossible speed, catching the blade between two fingers. Sparks flew as corrupted energy rippled outward, forcing Kael back.
"Still so predictable," the man said, voice almost disappointed. "You may have unlocked the outer layers of your bloodline… but you've barely scratched the surface."
Kael's aura flared. His red eye pulsed with power. "Then I'll dig deeper."
He vanished in a burst of movement, appearing behind the man, claws slashing. But again, the strike was deflected with minimal effort. Kael was sent skidding back, blood dripping from his lip.
Selene raised her rifle and unleashed a salvo of blood-imbued rounds, each blessed by her rune-engraved sigils. They struck the corrupted barrier that flared around the man—and this time, it cracked.
He raised an eyebrow. "You're sharper than I expected, daughter."
"I'm not your daughter," Selene snapped, floating above him. "You don't get to call me that."
She opened her hand, channeling her most advanced attack.
> [Selene Skill: Starfall Judgement – Tier 3]
Dozens of violet sigils formed around her. From each, a spear of arcane moonlight descended, lancing toward their target. The man crossed his arms—and the corrupted energy coalesced around him, taking the form of a pair of burning obsidian wings, nearly identical to theirs but warped… and older.
With a sweeping gesture, he unleashed a shockwave that shattered half the spears, but a few landed, piercing his shoulder and side.
He staggered slightly.
Kael surged forward again, driving the Fangblade into the cracks. This time, the blade bit.
The man growled, eyes narrowing. "You're still not ready."
He raised a hand. Energy pulsed outward.
> [Unique Skill: Memory Severance – Bloodline Locked]
Everything froze. Kael's mind reeled, caught in a moment that didn't belong to him.
Kael saw visions—blurred and jagged, but real.
A dark room. A woman with silver hair, bleeding as she cradled two infants. The man, younger, more human-looking, kneeling beside her.
"They'll come for them," the woman whispered. "They'll erase them from the bloodline tree."
"Then I'll erase them first," the man replied coldly.
The scene shifted. The same man was seen tearing through armored elders in some forgotten underground cathedral, wielding corrupted wings of shadow and light. Behind him… the same twins, older.
Kael and Selene.
Except in this vision, their eyes burned brighter. Their wings were complete.
The memory faded.
Kael collapsed to one knee, breath ragged. The Fangblade trembled in his grip.
Selene knelt beside him. "What did he show you?"
"Not what. When," Kael murmured. "I think it was… a memory. Maybe from him. Maybe from me. Or us."
Their father watched with quiet approval. "You see now, don't you? You were not born—you were forged. I broke every law of the thirteen bloodline clans to make you."
Selene's expression hardened. "Why?"
"To build gods."
With that, he turned and vanished into a portal of smoke and silver fire, leaving behind only the flickering consoles.
> [Quest Updated: Trace the Bloodline – Reveal the Forbidden Genealogy]
The emergency lockdown lifted seconds later. Instructors burst in, weapons drawn, faces pale.
But it was too late.
The saboteur had vanished—and Kael and Selene had inherited a legacy no one could understand.
The academy buzzed with rumors.
That the twins were behind the lockdown. That they had corrupted another student. That they had killed the Thornbeast and hijacked the trial.
Selene walked with cold authority through the halls, ignoring whispers. Kael's demeanor grew darker, his instincts sharper.
But they didn't explain anything. Not yet.
Instead, they trained harder. Slept less. And began unlocking the buried layers of their system—guided by something far more ancient than any AI interface.
In their shared quarters, a status screen blinked open on the wall.
---
System Preview – Status Screen Snapshot
Name: Kael Umbros
Race: Half-Vampire / Half-Beast (Awakening Stage 2)
Class: Shadow Fang Duelist
Rank: Initiate – Tier 1 (Evolving)
Bloodline: Umbravaris (Locked – 72%)
HP: 1140 / 1140
Strength: 98
Agility: 84
Endurance: 79
Magic: 60
Intelligence: 55
Skills: Fangblade Mastery, Bloodforged Strike, Shadow Claw, Half-Form Shift
Traits: Adaptive Regeneration, Forbidden Aura Detection
Unique Trait: Eclipse Sovereign's Will (Dormant)
---
Name: Selene Umbros
Race: Half-Vampire / Half-Beast (Awakening Stage 2)
Class: Lunar Huntress
Rank: Initiate – Tier 1 (Evolving)
Bloodline: Umbravaris (Locked – 70%)
HP: 960 / 960
Strength: 65
Agility: 92
Endurance: 61
Magic: 88
Intelligence: 102
Skills: Blood Sigil Shot, Moonlight Barrage, Starfall Judgement, Half-Form Shift
Traits: Precision Focus, Aura Sight
Unique Trait: Queen of Lunar Flames (Dormant)
---
Next: Chapter 5 – Shadows Within the Academy