The air carried the scent of leaves, and the trees swayed gently in the direction of the wind. The blue sun dipped below the horizon, casting the world in hues of deep purple as twilight settled in.
Kallen stirred awake in the room, his eyes groggily prying open. Light filtered in through the windows, bathing it in soft ambience.
He let out a quiet sigh, rubbing his temples before running a hand through his hair.
Tilting his head slightly, he noticed that Lyra wasn't in the room, and she didn't seem to be inside the house either. The house was eerily silent, no signs of movement, no distant noises reaching his ears.
He exhaled and fell back onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling as his mind replayed the events of the day.
His body felt different. Free, and unrestricted like a newborn's. No... better than a newborn's, it was better than ever before. He had never experienced such fluidity in his movements, as if something had finally unshackled him. The sensation was exhilarating, and he could already imagine countless ways to push his body to its full potential.
With this newfound freedom, his flexibility, agility, and reaction speed would see drastic improvements. Even his strength should see an increase, considering how various stats influenced and fed into each other.
His training would yield far better results from now on too. This feeling of productivity and improvement was good.
"Speaking of which..." He muttered, his eyes turning slightly blank as he focused inward.
'Status.'
A familiar black panel unfolded within his mindscape, the letters glowing faintly against the dim backdrop.
[Existential Compendium]
[Name: Kallen Koa Luiz Crimson]
[Roots: Crimson Family, Dominator's Bloodline]
He frowned.
"Dominator's bloodline, yes... But where's my bloodline branch?"
A secret that was only known to those with the blood of Crimsons flowing through their veins, was that, unlike the Crimson bloodline as they called it, it was actually called Dominator's bloodline as the Existential Compendium displayed it.
They only called it that way to avoid too much attraction. Although the Crimson family was powerful, they were lacking in the depth and foundation the Ancient families of other races on Ares, had. And names were a very powerful tool in social dynamics.
His brows furrowed and he began to think.
"I devoured the Bloodline pool nearly three times over, until my body couldn't absorb anymore. I remember it vividly. No... that's not quite right. It was as if my body started rejecting it.
"But even then, I still felt like I could take in more, so I pushed through, until my body completely refused to accept it. But I still didn't feel full, just... light.
"It was only till this morning, when I woke up, did I feel completely stuffed. I don't even know when I blacked out. It should be the Devour branch, as expected just of a very high resonance, but if that's the case, why isn't it displayed in the Existential Compendium?"
"Kal?" A voice called out, followed by the soft click of the door unlocking, and Veronica poked her head inside.
"Come eat. Your mother is waiting outside."
Kallen snapped out of his thoughts and responded,
"Okay."
Swinging his legs off the bed, he stood up, stretching slightly. His movements felt lighter than ever before, his balance more centered. His entire body was like an untapped weapon, which he would make sure to sharpen to its fullest extent.
And when the time came...
A glint of something unreadable passed through his eyes.
He turned toward the window, watching as the last remnants of the blue sun dipped below the horizon.
He followed Veronica outside in silence, noticing how she kept sneaking glances at him from the corner of her eyes. She seemed to want to ask something but was hesitating.
Kallen could guess it was concerning whatever had happened in the Crimson Pool. That seemed like the most obvious question.
But if she was that curious, Lyra would have already told her everything. It was nearly impossible to keep secrets from that woman, let alone curiosity; her gaze alone felt like it could pierce into someone's soul.
Yet, Veronica still seemed uncertain, which meant one of two things. Either it was something personal that only he could answer, or she had already asked Lyra and been told to hear it from him directly. Basically the same thing, just in different contexts.
Either way, he didn't particularly care. If the question was bothering her so much, she could just ask; worst case, he wouldn't answer. Simple as that... Right? And if she was hesitating, he saw no reason to push either.
As soon as he stepped outside, an explosion of rich, flavorful aromas assaulted his nose with a vengeance, and his stomach growled like an ancient beast awakened from its slumber.
Sitting by the fire, Lyra looked up at him with a small smile.
"Come eat," she echoed.
Her voice was like hypnotic music to his ears, and before he even realized it, his legs were already moving on their own.
Spread before him was a feast fit for a celebration; succulent, perfectly cooked meats, each carrying a unique aroma that made his mouth ache with hunger. The sight alone was enough to make one forget table etiquette and dive in brutishly.
He hadn't eaten for nearly a whole day, and in this frail, godly, small body of his, that was almost a crime.
His body itched for him to train, for exertion, especially with this newfound exhilarating freedom in his body movements. But first... he needed to wolf this down.
---
Kallen quickly dug in, devouring his food until he was full... stuffed, even. For a brief moment, he entertained the thought of skipping training for the night, but the idea was crushed just as quickly as it had formed.
There was no way he could endure this itch any longer. He needed to push himself as possible before his muscles adjusted to this current flexible state of his body. He needed to push until he broke his limits. Besides, what else was he supposed to do through the night after having slept the entire day?
Thinking about breaking limits, he couldn't help but scoff inwardly at those who had so easily concluded that he was incapable of naturally awakening. If only they knew how absurdly wrong they were.
In truth, the only reason he hadn't awakened yet was because he was deliberately holding back... he needed to see how far he could go with this experiment of his. If the payoff was truly what he hoped for... Then his path for the future would be even more certain.
The words Pashupati said in that astral temple, were still in his head. "You'll need all the help you can get, to survive what is coming".
He didn't know what was coming, nor was there any help for him; so he would create his own.
His ambitions stretched far beyond the Crimson family. Since he had promised himself that he would live this life to the fullest, never bending his head to anything or anyone, then he couldn't allow the responsibilities of managing the family, tie him down either. That's why he needed Atticus.
"So… do you plan on talking, or are you going to keep staring off into space?" Lyra's voice cut through his thoughts.
"Hmm?" Kallen blinked, momentarily confused.
"How do I put this…?" Lyra tapped a finger against her chin. "How different or powerful is your Devour bloodline compared to others? Considering how absurd your bloodline resonance is, there has to be something unique about it."
At her words, Veronica perked up, turning her full attention to him. Kallen was right—her curiosity was directly tied to his bloodline branch, something only he could answer.
"Oh! Right," Kallen said, suddenly recalling that detail. "The thing is… I don't know. I didn't activate the Devour bloodline branch."
"You didn't?" Veronica asked, surprised.
"Yeah. In short, I didn't activate any branch at all. I don't feel any difference in my bloodline. Not that I know what it's supposed to feel like in the first place, but in my Records? It's empty—like it doesn't even exist."
"Huh?"
"Huh?"