The Highbloods consisted of the top 100 within the Sanguine family.
Once a Sanguine reached a certain age and became a Blood Knight or Guardian, they would be eligible to enter the rankings, which was a culmination of every Sanguine's achievements.
One could rise through it by gathering points earned from various feats. In the Sanguine Clan, ranking dictated respect. Authority. It was everything.
Malakai's steps brought him to the flight of stairs at the end of the hall.
All around him, seated at a higher elevation, were the Highbloods. Not all had come, but a significant number had. And every single one of them radiated the suffocating aura of a Bloom.
Just above them, on smaller thrones, sat the Veins of the clan, Malakai's cousins.
Above them were the six Pulses of the Sanguine, Malakai's uncles and aunts. Each one was a Bloom in their own right. Behind them stood their spouses.
