Midnight in House Noctis was not quiet.
Whispers crawled through the stone walls like ghosts. Mirrors didn't reflect properly. Candles flickered even when there was no wind. And Kael had started dreaming in red.
He sat on the edge of his bunk, staring at the glowing system window:
> Codex Active Skill Slot: Unlocked
Select Promotion Target:
1. Shadow Leap (Basic Teleport – Short Range)
2. Instinctual Bind (Bloodline Interference – Weak Control)
3. Blood Vitality (Enhanced Recovery – Passive)
He hesitated.
Then chose: Instinctual Bind.
> Trait Promotion: Success
Trait Evolved: Blood Bind: Siphon Vein
— Latch onto blood energy to temporarily suppress or absorb an enemy's passive trait.
Kael exhaled. That would be useful. Especially against students who relied on inherited power.
---
Later, while exploring the Noctis wing's lower levels, Kael noticed something strange—a sealed hallway, marked with blood-waxed sigils. No student was supposed to go beyond it.
So naturally, he went in.
Past the broken seal, the air turned cold. The stones pulsed faintly with dark magic. At the end of the hall, a massive obsidian door waited—engraved with the same glyphs on Kael's Codex interface.
He reached out.
> [Codex Interface Detected: Accessing Subsystem]
Unlocking Restricted Archive…
> "Warning: Legacy Vault – Bloodline Suppression Incomplete."
The door creaked open.
Inside was a chamber of floating sarcophagi—each glowing faintly red. Statues of ancient vampires stood guard. On the wall, carved in dead language, a line pulsed:
> "Here lie the fallen lords of the Hollow Blood Pact."
Kael staggered.
The Codex pulsed again.
> Codex Mission Unlocked: Legacy of the Hollow Bloodline
— Objective: Recover Memory Echoes (0/5)
— Reward: Bloodline Trait Core + ???
You are not the first. But you may be the last.
---
Just then, a voice behind him.
"You shouldn't be here."
Kael spun around—only to see Elira Solvain, the mysterious Shade girl with memory powers. Her eyes glowed violet in the dark.
"How did you find this place?"
Kael stayed quiet.
Elira stepped closer, brushing a sarcophagus gently. "This is a graveyard for experiments. Monsters who gained too much… or were too dangerous to teach."
Her hand grazed his cheek. "What exactly are you, Kael?"
He swallowed. "Still figuring that out."
She smiled.
"Then be careful what you uncover."