《A thread of blood [Xianxia progression fantasy]》 prologue All I wanted was a quiet life, one far away from the noise and the clashing of swords and wills, one distant from the power struggles and hopeless violence. Where I could live freely from the cursed system we are all bound to, a loophole in the matrix that was the world I lived in. only to find myself become yet another cog in its plan, and another sad story the mighty might tell their children in hopes of saving them from the same fate. Was I cursed? Forced to be bound to a world that only favored the strong, all because of a dead bloodline my family was cursed with due to the low-level blood we inherited? I couldn''t tell you, but I do know one thing, cultivation wasn''t met for me so I abandoned it altogether. what use was it; I would always be lacking something, and what little strength I could gain would never be enough. Besides, all I wanted was to weave needle and thread through fabric. that was my cultivation my passion even. a passion that was spat on by the heavens and left to wither away along with my family and village alike. All I worked for, all I loved, all I am gone in minutes. A village and my home were destroyed. It was full of loving people and well-structured homes all varying in appearance, unlike the uniformly advanced sleek metal homes and buildings the rest of the world was use to. Averdale was One of the few commoner towns that ran on a well-integrated power source and dated technology, but it met nothing in the grand scheme of things; it just met more things for bandits to steal and use, selling all the goods and the people of that city off to the highest bidders, and unfortunately I and my family was no exception. we thought we might have had a chance of escaping the village by sneaking through the forest, and maybe begging to board a mobile to another city but that was short-lived because before we could even think of leaving the boutique a slew of bohemish men smashed through the walls. not even bothering to use the doors, and as much as we fought to free ourselves it was futile in the end, they just ended up snatching us up and dragging us to the nearest vessels. where they had thrown us in different mobiles so I could only guess where my sisters were, but I''m sure they''d most likely been sold as concubines to whoever would have them. and given their smooth jade skin, long mains, and striking beauty. I''d imagine I lot of people would. Unfortunately, I didn''t have the benefit of being ignorant of what happened to my poor mother, who died in front of me, killed by the roof of her burning boutique. and my whereabouts? unknown. All I could tell you is currently at this moment, I was splayed out on a table and stuffed full of some mystery substance that burned as it traveled through my veins, soaked into my skin, and coated my organs with its burning embrace. I was in ruin, grief, And we¡¯ll be beyond deformed. As a man with long green flowing hair that he kept pinched up in a ponytail, and hanging down to the length of his back as he Delighted himself in my torture. No amount of reasoning and persuading would even begin to appeal to him; he was deranged that much was proven by the many stitches and scars that decorated his pale skin. A clear indicator that even he wasn¡¯t exempt from his experimentation. He was a demon from the Under curve; if I had ever seen one, he had to be such cruelty could only be done by a demon. Day after day people would die, become deformed, and wither away from the disgusting black liquid he injected in every one of us every single day. For what reason? I couldn¡¯t tell you. what I do know is that failing to intake the toxins would kill you are leave you unrecognizably deformed. and if you ended up the former, you''d most likely be sent to be eaten alive in the forest of dread before being promptly replaced with yet another slave. It was horrid. Most slaves would leave looking beastly by the time they were finally discarded. the most recent became I Giant Mass of flesh and disfigured limbs that lay in place I couldn¡¯t even identify due to how far they strayed from the previous humanoid form they possessed about a month ago, it was disgusting. I would have vomited if it wasn¡¯t for the tube shoved down my throat, threatening to claim my life if I even dry heaped, which I was at the threat of doing countless times before. I had first-hand experience witnessing someone die from performing that very action, and for whatever reason, I did my best not to follow suit. I wanted to make it out of this alive. Given my current condition, any person in their right mind might want the release of death. As humanoid as I looked, for the most part, the normalities were few. My flesh was so thin that the slightest graze was capable of breaking the skin, I was a bright pinkish red all over from irritation, and I was swollen from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. If I wasn¡¯t hooked up to an oxygen machine at the moment, I¡¯d probably die from suffocation due to how swollen my throat was. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, huge pulsing black veins encased my full body entirely. I looked like a big humanoid tumor with eyes and a mouth, and I had a front-row seat in the progression of my ruin due to the green-headed demon¡¯s twisted idea of having the ceiling of the room fully encased in mirrors. The sensation I was feeling at the moment was the worst of it. the constant feeling of irritation and burning all over, as if someone had shredded off all my skin and dipped me in the purest of salt they could find, as they carefully rubbed it in for added effect. It was awful and constant. The only change I felt was whenever the sensation would grow in more intensity, whatever we were being injected with was actively causing our bodies to aggressively fight against it in ways that they shouldn¡¯t be able to. especially given the fact the demon only worked on humans in the 1st stage, so it should downright be impossible. the most surprising part of this is the fact that I''ve lasted this long, I don¡¯t know how long that is honestly, we don¡¯t have clocks or phones at our disposal, but I can tell it had to be around months if not years.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. I don¡¯t know how much more I can take, but the thought of seeing my beautiful sister, if only just one more time, Is the only thing keeping me sane. I fear seeing one of them strapped to one of these stretchers every time he rotates out yet another dead slave, but to be truthful it¡¯s possible they could have been here and died in the first and second rounds of experimentation. I¡¯ve been in five different testing rooms, this one being the fifth, and in all of them, I was being injected with something new, all with different side effects and deformities of their own doing. The first is where I developed these nasty veins; the second, my body and flesh grew weaker and paler; the third, I grew welts and cysts ( one of the only side effects that went away after a while). While the fourth one made me grow inflamed and irritated all over. the current one has me almost superhumanly feverish while not only overworking my immune system but also enhancing it. But from the chatter I heard from the demon responsible for my current condition, I was almost ready for something called the compression stage, which was the last part of my experimentation, before they put me under and bonded me to a slave contract. I dreaded the idea of being forced to do the bidding of this evil green-haired devil. But what choice did I have? I was weak, powerless even. a cursed soul, bound to a bloodline with limitations and an extremely low ascension rate. I was useless, and if whatever was happening to me could help that, it would not be by a big margin; it wasn¡¯t even guaranteed it would help me at all. so what else could I be but a slave to the demon who tortured me? I can only hope that I¡¯d live long enough to be able to at least see my sisters and maybe even hold a needle once again. It is all I truly wanted in life; it is my only dream. A happy thought to escape in to lessen the agony I was in. It did its job if only a little; if I could, I¡¯d probably be screaming right now, but my voice was one of the first things to go. I screamed so much I lost it, but I doubt I¡¯d be able to, given the swelling I¡¯m experiencing and the large tub in my throat. so I¡¯ll dream, hope, and pray with all I have, and hopefully one day. I¡¯ll be free. ¨€¨ˆ?????2 years later?????¨ˆ¨€ An abomination of humanoid beings, laid in a huge 9-meter-long and wide tank, deeply unconscious and disfigured beyond the point of humanly possible, resembling an inflamed balled beast made of an amalgamation of cancerous tumors. Floating about in a blue liquid that was too light to be water but way too thick to be air. on the opposite side of the tank stood a man Observing him on a monitor, which lay in a room of various wires and tubes all through it and the floors, and a metal tank dead center of all the mess, flickering with green, red, and blue light dinging about and echoing off the walls in the very empty room that seemed to only exist for whatever strange contraption the ruined being was now floating in. Outside of the tank, in a room full of wires and screens splayed on most of the walls, stood a man observing the beast in the metal tank and various other rooms, with more ruined being all disfigured in one way or another, as he slammed away on the keyboards below the monitors. ¡°This has to be it I can¡¯t stomach any more failure, I need results. I¡¯m running out of time,¡± spouted the green-haired man as he frantically pressed away on the many buttons and keyboards below the mess of screens And wires. ¡°I can¡¯t wait another 6 years on this shit; one of these trash slaves needs to give some results,¡± The man then pulled up a picture of what the ruined being in the tank looked like before his various experiments as he dotted down and went threw his notes of the specimen in question. comparing and contrasting the many changes, as he marked and x away at some of his many hypotheses. ¡°To think, this one retained some semblance of a humanoid shape. hopefully, that means after the compression process he¡¯ll go back to his farmer slender and feminine physique. The Lord loves the pretty ones; if only I could keep him for myself. hopefully, he''s not the only pretty out of the ten to successfully compress,¡± said the man as he finished up his last bit of contrasting. ¡°OK, that should be enough. so far most of my predictions were wrong, but that¡¯s not a bad thing. if I¡¯m being honest, this one¡¯s the one I was the most pessimistic about. To think that Indeath made it this far. they usually don¡¯t make it past the first stage if I wasn¡¯t so desperate I would have just made him a concubine or laborer. To think he¡¯d be so successful, now all he needs to do is pass one last test, do me proud. pretty boy.¡± The green-haired man then typed in a four-digit code, and a metal hatch sprung open, unveiling a big red button that he pressed with all the theatrics of a renowned actor in the theater. The tank then started to flicker, ring, and steam as the liquid inside glowed with a radiant brightness comparable to that of a shining star. As it did, the being inside began to morph and contort, reshaping and transforming into something new as the man by the screen stared in awe and amazement. ¡°This is unseen, this is the so-called metamorphosis people train for years and decades to even come close to experiencing. How is he, a first stage of all things experiencing it? The most that is supposed to happen is a little light show and some healing, so why is it that his very DNA seems to be reconstructed along with his entire anatomy?¡± said the man as he prepared himself to open the door of the tank the said being was in. In an hour, the being in the contraption was no longer a mass of cancerous flesh, inflation, and peeling skin that was coming off in chunks. In the tank lay an almost divinely beautiful man with a slender toned figure most would drool over, and drool indeed is what the man was looking at the screen did. Readying himself to press the button that springs the door open, before taking a glance at his brain waves and finding the beauty splayed about the floor in the tank to be ¡°inclusive!!!!¡± he said as he dramatically sprung the door open, only to find a complete brain dead beauty laying there as they drooled and stared off in a daze. ¡°Shit, another failure,¡± he said as he pulled out a little metal bud from his pocket, placed it in his ear, and taped at it, causing his eyes to glow slightly for a split second with a blue hue, which felt foreign, giving his eyes were a dark brown color. ¡°Get in here and throw this one in the forest,¡± he said while speaking into a holographic mic icon in front of his mouth. ¡°I¡¯ll be there in 10,¡± said a voice through the buds in his ear. ¡°Make it five, and feed him to some beast with a high poison tolerance. We can¡¯t risk anyone finding any evidence of this, you understand.¡± ¡°got it boss no problem, I¡¯m on my way now,¡± said the man, while what sounded like starting up an engine. chapter 1: (centipede) What¡¯s going on? I thought, my mind a fog as I gathered whatever barings I could grasp. Only to find my mind¡¯s fog staying firm in its haze of confusion, making it a struggle to even distinguish between whether I was waking or falling deeper into a slumber as I constantly awaited Sleep inertia to leave me finally. The feeling of my head endlessly rubbing up against something only rattled my thoughts more. Mushy wet globs of something thick seemed to clunk up more and more on my head as the feeling of my body being in motion continued, and the haze only complicated my ability to identify anything going on. For all I know this is my life, a vessel thrashing about filth unknowing, and constantly in motion. I try and search my brain for anything a name, a memory, a face and all I receive is more haze almost as if it¡¯s acting as a wall keeping me sectioned off from all I am. leaving me with nothing, and growing stronger every time I try to go beyond it. The struggle for control and clarity only wages on in my head as I am determined to go beyond it; I need to, I have to. Something is there I know it. Minutes or maybe hours leave me in its pursuit and progression through the sphere of time, and in my strive for clarity, through my will alone, the littlest droplet of it was able to slip through the cracks. From that I noticed something, my leg, ¡°something touching it,¡± no, something grabbing it tightly, around what I believe could be my ankle as it nudges and pulls at it and had been for a while now, long before I noticed it, I guess I can thank the haze for not know till now. The question of the hour which was only now apparent to me, was if whatever was grabbing me could be responsible for this nauseating sensation, which might I added happen to be slightly plaguing me with a faint case of motion sickness. ¡°Is something pulling me?¡± I thought,¡± Can I move it?¡± I asked myself. I then began trying to access what little will I had to try and move, if even a little only for all the will I mustered to do nothing. The sensation continued only now I find my head being mulled through grime and muck, but at other times something hard and semi-dry. letting me know I most likely was being dragged about the floor. What confused me though, was this putrid smell of something intoxicating and slightly painful due to it stinging to breathe in a bit; I won¡¯t lie the sensation felt somewhat nice, or at least a better feeling than whatever was rubbing against my head excessively, which hopeful would end soon, giving at the time i found myself riddled with endless questions, I''d like them answer. Ones Like, ¡°Who am I? Where am I? And what exactly is going on at this moment?¡± All valid and pressing questions I''d like answered in stable grown. As well as ones I couldn¡¯t even guess the answers to given the fact that I can¡¯t even see at the moment. I don¡¯t know why I can¡¯t see anything. Do I even have the will to try and do that? I thought before effortlessly opening them with a minimal will. ¡°Oh,¡± I exclaimed. ¡°I guess the clarity I received helped a little more than¡­..¡± Green, brown, orange¡ªall these colors aggressively infiltrated my eyes as I slowly began deciphering the origins of where colors were coming from. The sun soon burns its light into my retina as I challenge it and continue to stare into its gaze. The sky is radiant with its blue color, moving ever so slightly as I move opposite of its current. The trees are slightly blocking the view, illuminated by the sun¡¯s embrace, and birds fly about the Tress, gliding with all their grace. All speeding by, as I am still in motion, As I blink away, side to side, up and down, around and around, as I move my eyeballs and eyelids, excited to finally have control over a part of my body, I then decided to look at my leg area, and before I can get a good look it happens, all the sensation came to a halt and was replaced with the feeling of a strong gust of wind rushing me in the face as I am swung in the air, likely being thrown by something, or someone. As this is happening, I catch a glimpse of a haze mask for a brief moment before being fully slung about and landing on what I now know is the floor. Hard, and Danm did it hurt, but I¡¯ve felt worse, although I don¡¯t know where, due to the still very strong wall of haze caging me in my own oblivion. With a slight ache in my back, I find myself now not only in more filth but in a wet pool of muck and dirt that¡¯s absolutely riddled with strange purple splotches, which strangely enough seemed to stain quite a bit of the floor I¡¯ve seen before I was thrown, as well different skins and bones of what I believe could be beast. Which is all very uncomfortable to be laid in, but The smell coming from it was Almost divine. It was also pretty unpleasant for my throat and lungs, given the fact that the sting had now upgraded to a burning sensation. It¡¯s not an awful one, but it¡¯s still quite painful. Minutes passed as I sat in the pool of muck, slowly turning into hours¡ªlong hours¡ªof useless attempts to progress, dwindling down at the haze, leaving me still very much in a state of disorientation. This could all be a dream, and I wouldn¡¯t be the wiser. What I am certain about, though, dream or not, is that I am very much in danger. Motionlessly splayed on the floor, within the hours of lying in this muck, I started to hear something. It was too faint for me to distinguish, but as time went on.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It only got louder and more recognizable. Footstep. Well, more like stumps. Every step taken caused a slight tremble, as whatever was casing it scurried in my direction, rapid and rushed. It actually felt as if a number of something was rushing toward me, and that only sounded more apparent the closer they got. Minutes pass, and at this point, I¡¯m starting to wonder if I could be wrong. maybe it was some kind of earthquake due to how violent and indistinguishable the sound has gotten. My body was shaking from the aggressive reverberation of the ground around me, into soon, directly above me. I can see them, various creatures crashing into one another, as they frantically and violently begin fighting, desperately trying to get to something. With my limited view, I can only imagine what it is, that is, until I feel a strong bit at my side, followed by a wave of energy, and then this feeling of dread and pain in my side, before it quickly stops altogether. Then whatever bit me falls on top of me, immovable with all its weight. It doesn¡¯t bother me too much, but it isn¡¯t comfortable either, and this only happens more and more as the weight gets less bearable. as more beast frantically run over, hoping to get a taste of, I guess, me, as they fight more, take more bites of me, and strangely feeding me more energy, as they fall limp on me, the more it happens, the more I remember. First, there¡¯s my name, Aubrey, which I received from a memory of me being called by a woman. And like that, an avalanche of more comes crashing in¡ªand without much context, might I add? Luckily, so far, all are what I assume to be fond memories, many of them of four women: one older, two younger but older than me, and the last younger than us all. Most of us are frantically putting needles to thread and making various garments, while others of us are out and about having various fun outings and fond moments with each other. All of these memories were accompanied by the feelings and thoughts I had in those moments, from which I was able to find out a few things, like their names, who they all were, and what I used to do, occupation-wise. However, it still felt distant and foreign, most likely due to the haze still doing its best to keep me from anything crucial. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have much time to think them over and try and make more leeway to dissect what was happening and what I was remembering because, before I knew it, bursting out of the ground was what looked like a red and black centipede about several Meters big, quickly burst up meters above me, before slamming into my body and cradling me in its many arms while, simultaneously burrowing me and it into the ground. I didn¡¯t see much of it, given my face was buried in their abdomen, but I could feel All the dirt and rocks grazing and cutting at my back at break speed. I could somehow sense that this insect was not all that strong compared to the beast I was previously dealing with, but It didn¡¯t matter, as I was a vegetable. So, I was still terrified. And give the facts. I could tell where ever it was taking, and had a cluster of more similar pests, ready to feed on me, I was right to be so. the closer we got, the stronger their presence became; into, boom!! bursting through what felt like concrete, I fell into a cushion of hard-shelled hundred-legged insects that all went straight into trying to devour me, only to fall limp one after another, feeding me more energy and memories. Who I am started to get clear as the haze¡¯s structured wall began to weaken. Every bite, my birthday, my favorite color, morals, life lessons, and skills all began to become more apparent up into the last bite I received¡ªthe hundredth one, to be exact. I counted. I was fully able to remember who I was, what I wanted, what I enjoyed, who I loved, and what happened to me. I remember, and I won¡¯t want them to pay, but some haze still remained. I still can¡¯t move, and motor skills and things like that seem to still be lost to me. I¡¯ve upgraded to some jaw action, but that¡¯s all. ¡°that dammed demon really threw me away. for what?¡± I spoke aloud. ¡°I¡¯m still alive. Was I not able to take in any more of the fluid?¡± I thought over what I had just asked for a bit. ¡°can¡¯t be, could it? I don¡¯t feel that horrid sensation as I did before. Did I go completely numb,¡± no,¡± I can still feel the dead carcasses around me, the beating of my heart, the pumping of my blood, and the Qi coursing through. ¡°Oh my goddess!!! How do I have so much, did the experiment work, how? and if so why would they discarded me? it makes no sense. I thought.¡± Unfortunately for me, I wouldn¡¯t be finding out much anytime soon; there were more centipedes, but they all left once they realized that trying to eat me would kill them, so no more energy from that didn¡¯t seem to do much anyway. I guess I need to consolidate all this Qi. Maybe I can finally make it to the second stage. I¡¯ll probably even make it to its peak or even the third stage. To think, I thought this would never be possible with my dead bloodline, but for some reason, I doesn¡¯t even feel as it did before anymore. It seems like it somehow evolved. If only I could muster up some strength to see in what way. For some reason, I can¡¯t even access my Qi. How weird. not to mention the hunger I¡¯m suddenly feeling, and within minutes, its Quickly starting to become agonizing, as if the acid in my stomach is becoming too hot for my body to contain, as the grumbling splashes it about aggressively, and I can literally feel it reverberating throughout my body, and it feels as if it¡¯s getting ready to burn right through me, and as time goes on it only gets worse, but I can¡¯t, all I have in reach is the centipede abdomen lying slightly arched above my face, but I refuse, it¡¯s an insect, of all things, I have to have some dignity. Grumble!! grumble!! goes my belly. I can feel my body weakening as my stomach groans and the haze recuperates its strength. ¡°Oh shit, of all things. don¡¯t tell me I might die if I don¡¯t partake.¡± Grumble!! Grumble!! my stomach sounds off, threatening to eat me alive if I don¡¯t comply. ¡°I¡­ I guess it can¡¯t be helped,¡± I said aloud. ¡°may the goddess forgive me¡± chomp!! Chomp!! The energy from the bites sent a truckload of energy, slamming into my body with full force, and then, just like that. I had some finger mobility, another chump!! And there goes another one. Surprisingly, the Insect tasted sweet; it had a similar taste to that of a blueberry but with a little spice to it. honestly, it was delicious, so I ate more and more, till soon I could feel a toe, eight more fingers, and an arm, and that¡¯s when it happened: I went ravenous, unnaturally eating the centipedes whole in minutes only to go on to eat more of the Insect in my sight as I crawled about the floor almost animal-like, I was as frantic as the animals that wished to claim my life, in only what felt like few 7 hours, or so. I had eaten all a hundred of the insects. Once I finished, I finally gained control and was able to stand, but as soon as I did, a feeling of exhaustion hit me in waves, threatening to claim my consciousness, most like the work of that nasty little wall of haze that was still somewhat prevalent. So I hunched over a bit and went back to feeling somewhat fine, but one thing was for sure: if I wanted to gain full strength, I needed more. chapter 2: (blood) ¡°OK, let¡¯s just take this slow,¡± I said. ¡°Left foot,¡± I stopped and waited before continuing into. ¡°right foot.¡± And Being hit with yet another wave of exhaustion before starting over and instead trying. ¡°Right foot, left foot.¡± And doing so without getting lightheaded. This is where I lived as I tried to find a comfortable walking pattern that wouldn¡¯t cause yet another spell of exhaustion. It wasn¡¯t going terribly. I was making progress in more ways than one. Getting the hang of walking was delightful, of course. I¡¯d even successfully fought back against the haze a bit more, which was an improvement. But the most shocking of them was one I had been oblivious to since I awoke. Poison resistance: This underground ruin I found myself in was infested with not only the scent of poison but poisonous spores also littered the air I was breathing in, which I had been privy to due to my previous work as a seamstress. I tended to buy it from a local curer because of the vibrant purple dye you can make with its spores; most people know it as the purple death, and sometimes by its scientific name, Thanatoviolet. It is a dangerous poison that, if not for the filtering process performed by a local curer, I¡¯d be dead right now; it would have started with first inflaming my lungs while simultaneously causing me to go through full body-induced paralysis, which did nothing for the pain, I believe it¡¯s actually supposed to make it worse if your lucky: you might die from suffocation well before the burning starts, but if luck isn¡¯t your friend then the pain that misfortune gifts you is the only outcome. And immobile, soundless victim to the very blood that swims in your veins as it burns you from within. Induced by the acidifying of your blood as it corrodes and eats through every body system you hold¡ªall within an hour. Bleak, isn¡¯t it? And to think such a vicious murderer is just a bunch of micro-sized mushrooms that tragically drown themselves in their own spores. A little underwhelming for such a dangerous poison; regardless of that, the point is that these spores are not filtered, and somehow, I¡¯m only experiencing a pleasant and intoxicating smell and a slight stinging sensation, which felt terrific. And given how I felt an hour or two ago, it was almost nonexistent in comparison, and the number of spores in the air had tripled what it was in the forest. Why was this? Who knows. But one thing is for sure. The fact that I can breathe at all right now is unheard of. If not filtered, given the fact that Once you breathe in its spores, it kills you. Moments ago, when the haze was at its strongest, I smelt and felt something similar to what I¡¯m feeling now; I didn¡¯t think much of it. Due to the cognitive trap I found myself confined to, but now that I could think through completely non-disorientated thoughts, understanding the cause of those sensations made me feel a little embarrassed that I hadn¡¯t reached this conclusion earlier. I won¡¯t beat myself up over it, given my cognitive state at the time, but unfortunately, I was still somewhat disappointed in my previous lack of discernment, that fact aside. I now know that I somehow can breathe in poisonous spores, and the better I get, the stronger that resistance becomes, which is an exciting revelation given the fact that most super herbs and plants tend to be highly toxic but with a high poison tolerance, you can eat the best of them without having to have them cured and losing the best of their properties. As fun as that sounded, it didn¡¯t mean much if I couldn¡¯t walk like an average person. As of right now, I was hunched over like a war-hardened elder, and any attempt at sitting up straight would just cause yet another episode of a strong case of vertiginous, so I just decided to walk as is. I don¡¯t know how safe it would be doing so, but at least I know I¡¯m somehow immune to being eaten. Why that was is truly beyond me; I didn¡¯t even know where to start investigating it. ¨€¨ˆ?????2 hours later ?????¨ˆ¨€ I finally could walk without getting woozy, which was an improvement, but I was still hunched over, like the hag of old; the big stick I decided to use as a cane Only made that fact even more true. At least that¡¯s how I feel; I haven¡¯t seen a reflection of any sort since I¡¯ve been down here, and the lighting situation wasn¡¯t all that great. So I most likely wasn¡¯t going to see one any time soon, but one success at a time, I guess, as my mother would say. All is not given at once. Wise words, but ones I wish weren¡¯t true. I was walking at least, and as I did, I could feel the presence of thousands of centipedes all around me, crawling about the walls and the floors. They weren¡¯t attacking, but their gazes felt hostile. Fortunately, that didn¡¯t matter too much. Looks can¡¯t kill: at least there¡¯s can¡¯t. I¡¯m sure there is some martial monster somewhere that can do that. Unfortunately, their refusal to take a bite out of me was pretty dreadful. I needed to eat them, and now, if possible. I was nowhere near satiated, and I feared that if I didn¡¯t, sometime soon, I would most likely regress. The thought of maybe provoking them crossed my mind. Still, there was no guarantee that it would lead to even one of them taking a bite out of me. Especially given the reality that they were now aware of the dangers of doing so; there¡¯s also the fact that I can only see a foot or something in front of me. So, trying to successfully coerce them into biting me was out of the question, given the verity that just one of them was capable of crushing me with just their body if they needed to.Stolen novel; please report. The Qi running through their channels was most definitely above the scope of me defeating in this state if only I resembled the hag of old in more than just in appearance. I can only pray that the dark lady may bless me with subsistence so that, maybe, if only by her grace, I may be satiated. I¡¯m guessing they work on some type of hive mine in my full two hours of walking. Not even one of them tried to attack me, and worst of all, I had no idea where I was; all I had for the frame of reference was the cracking stoned floors. Which honestly was interesting given most things are made of lithium metal, steel, or Gradual, which is just a bunch of grained-up metals and minerals made into fine concrete that makes up most of the roads and streets. To see anything made of stone for anything other than decor or antics was unheard of. The idea of being in a cave with what looked like man-made stoned floors was unlikely. So I¡¯m most likely in some kind of tome of a temple of old; what time of old was anyone truly guessing? It could be the time of the hag or the age of the dark lady. Did it matter? This is the rarest of finds either way, given that it was hundreds of thousands of years ago since any of these times; there¡¯s definitely something worthwhile down here, not without obstacles, Unfortunately. There are most likely some real nasty ancient beasts down here, things I probably couldn¡¯t survive taken bite from, even if I did happen to kill them with my anti-bite, or whatever might my rear affliction be called; what truly mattered was my safety, given all the spores down here. I can make a pretty good guess that these creatures are all poisonous, which you¡¯d think wouldn¡¯t be a problem for me, but honestly, you never know. My vision is drastically limited at the moment, not that seeing would be all that helpful. I¡¯m not a combative spiritualist, and I barely can even do low-level infusing, but for whatever reason. I strongly feel like I know where I¡¯m headed. Logically, I know I don¡¯t, unfortunately, the misguided sense of comfort and the threatening warm feeling of trust, as if I somehow felt safe while haggishly limping my way into the very jaws of danger herself. With luck, I¡¯ll find something helpful, and if misfortune rears his head, I¡¯ll be smashed to a pulp. As I¡¯m getting closer to what has to be some hypnosis technique, I feel the presence of multiple very dangerous auras. I¡¯ve always been good at discerning whether something is dangerous. But this is my first time feeling it on such an eerie level. I don¡¯t know if my ability to do so has just heightened or if I¡¯m just that much in danger, but regardless, I¡¯m going to keep heading this way; I¡¯m unfortunately too weak to even try to resist. And the closer I get, the stronger the delusion of peace gets. As if a long lost piece of me, once violently stolen and ripped from my very flesh. Blooded and battered, with the wombs of its efforts, but now countless failures be dammed, here I am, finally. If only by the skin of its teeth, it found me and beacon out all its dread and relief my way. Arms open for our much-awaited Reunion. Convincing. The feeling, anyway, the story alone is quite vague: what was ripped from me, and by? Who, and why? But I guess it didn¡¯t matter because, regardless, my body was still reacting to it, like a moth to a flame. I¡¯m surprised I¡¯m even conscious and not full-on mindlessly trudging toward it, violently complicit in its advances Sadly, the closer I got and the more danger I could sense, the more I felt I needed it even more. So I walked through stone insects and what I believe is grass¡ªvery long, untamed grass that is now up to my chin, which was disturbing. Given the fact that somewhere close, there was definitely something that could kill me in seconds, I was getting the urge to run. Although my body was still as hopeless, determined, and unfaltering as ever, it was an interesting turn of events given that the old me would have never even gotten this close to whatever was forcing me to come to it. The feeling of insects and plants all over my naked form itself was dissuading. The buzzing air-born insects traversed my head, and none of it bothered my body one bit; my mind and body were two separate entities at the moment, my mind highly concerned while my body was eager and desperate. I was nothing but a passenger while my mind was a pilot, one without the credentials to do so, as it piloted me to my doom, and I could do nothing but accept my fate. Now, as I limp about, I am hoping to stand up just a bit and maybe fall uncontrollably so that I may not die, only to walk deeper into the grass as it slowly rises past my head and beyond the entirety of my body, walking who knows where. Given the floor was still very much stone, I at least knew I was still in the tome or temple. The grass blades were now wet with something thick and slightly sticky, and surprisingly, I hadn¡¯t been attacked. I was damp but unharmed, at least. I couldn¡¯t tell you why that was; there was a point when I thought I might after I felt the colossal figure of what I believe was a centipede. However, it was humongous and way bigger than maybe the ones I ate combined and bursting with Qi, so much so I couldn¡¯t guess its stage, but surprisingly, it just passed by and left me to my own devices As assured as that was, the true danger was just minutes away. As I drew closer, the wetness only increased, and the stinging in my throat was now a burn, painful, signifying the flames I was being drawn to were only seconds away from indulging me in their flame. Red beamed through thick blades of grass, and I finally could see more than my feet and the floor, although everything was coated in red by the looming light. Sill limping through the grass as I watched while what looked like red liquid dripped from my hair and leaked down and moistened the entirety of my nude body as it clung to my skin and dried in some places. Others still dripped and leaked down my body as bugs still cradled about my flesh, slipping and sticking to my skin, as others just crawled about me freely, some smaller centipedes along with a few strange winged bugs. With large wings with beautiful patterns and a fury body and head There were other smaller bugs that I couldn¡¯t quite make out¡ªprobably nothing I knew formerly. The closer I got to the light, the fewer bugs crawled about me, although none of them seemed to hurt me. It was the best feeling, but unfortunately, I had a new problem, one separate from the looming threat only moments away. Although most of the liquid on my body had dried up, which felt rather familiar, soon the wondering of unplaced familiarity didn¡¯t matter once I noticed that I now seemed to be walking in a pool of it, which with every step only got deeper. Coming up on the end of the tree-length grass, I could see that I had a way of it to walk through, as well as what I assumed was the progenitor of the red light. Giving its hug looming ray, illuminating everything around it, it lay in the middle of a river of the liquid I¡¯d been trudging through, hovering above a stone pillar in what looked like a translucent doom. Behind it was a beastly huge millipede, endlessly spraying and gushing out the liquid I slowly seemed to be descending into, as its venomous blood burned with more intensity with every step. Whatever might happen from here, whether I drown in blood or be destroyed while forcibly being made to free whatever is trapped in that prism, I only pray this ¡°black lady of the night, war-born mother, bless me so that I may live through your will. And protect me with your grace, this I offer, oh gracious dark lady¡± chapter 4 : (hopeless) Finally, after years of being entrapped in my repetition, playing through every failure, success, life choice, and lover. All consecutively, one after another in a multitude of different sequences and beats. but still all the same past experiences, hopes, and wishes. it was maddening, and I had successfully become hopeless. although the idea of insanity was freighting the constant fear of forever being confined within myself for eternity, was even more so. Every reach and attempt of freedom only failing made this fear even more certain, and what use was sanity if it met yet more decades of the same dance? At least insanity was a promise of a certain bliss and an escape into the soft pillow of ignorance.

But now, I was certain this was my chance; whoever this was, could be no more than a gift from Fahety herself. Finally, the beloved lord of the feast had heard my prayers, to think someone so weak could have so much Qi And such a bloodline. why would there be so much latent potential in someone so weak? something so convent could only be a gift from the goddess herself. Or a vicious trap in waiting. but the risk was worth it given the overwhelming chance of reward; there was no chance this one wouldn¡¯t survive a transference, and I¡¯m sure their soul would be delicious; I just needed them to make it here without being devoured by any of my dyers. Ananian federation, are maybe even a migrants from the red haze. It has been years since I¡¯ve even seen an infernal; very few of them leave their side of the front, and I don¡¯t blame them. I¡¯d like to imagine that in a thousand years, some people would be able to work past their prejudices, but I doubt it, sense powerhouses from decades past, before even my time still most likely roam the front, in fear of them and their military might. I can only hope if any war has ensued that it has long passed, then again it might be a nice distraction. I know that if I¡¯m not careful with my escape I may end up being the fronts ¡®main concern. that is if anyone important is still alive. A thousand years should be no time for syndicate dealers, as long as there not killed. given the fact they only deal judgment to the most difficult of threats, being killed in the line of duty wasn¡¯t all that implausible, and I¡¯m honestly counting on it because given the fact I am going to be using a dark art. while being sealed in a government-mandated prism. I can only hope my family hasn¡¯t disowned me and will allow me asylum, because, I can only at most. hope to hide from the front for a whole of 3 weeks, on my own. my power has Dwindled in these years so even that is questionable. As I surveyed my mind, a certain someone, was only drawing closer, and as he did my anticipation only grew, and my curiosity even more so, he had given a strong enough impression on my hive, seeing as not one of them had tried to kill or devoured him since his massacre of the weakest of my Dyer, so I found it strange the not even those in the Midear stages cared to try. I understand that his poison is quite deadly, but given that his so low-leveled, it shouldn¡¯t have any real effect on anything above the linear stage, I¡¯d assume they should be fine for the most part. there is definitely something more going on, with them, and it makes me a bit anxious, but regardless of the fact, I have to continue, I only wish I had access to my hive so that I can know what it is about him that has them so scared. ¨€¨ˆ?????2 hours later ?????¨ˆ¨€ time seems to be slowing as the individual that will be responsible for my freedom draws closer, only minutes away, and I am fluttering with a multitude of Perturbing emotions, as Elated as I am that a strong chance of freedom is nearing, the pessimistic, and doubtful thoughts still seem to be, lingering, and the more I push them down, the heavier they weigh on my heart. ¡°cease your doubt young child Fahety always provides,¡± I said while trying my best to push past my doubts. they were currently in this moment, entering the Red River, and the grave of my oldest, may he rest in the embers, just wait for a while longer, my child, you will return soon, and the bastard who slayed you will feel your raft yet again. ¡°its time¡± I said readying myself for the job at hand, ¡°mother. lord of the feast, I pray to the. may you bath me in the blood of luck, as you feast a pone the nape of her neck.¡± I then funneled all the Qi in my body from my core and past the slither of cracks I was able to successfully inflict on the prism. after exactly eight hundred years of effort. once the Qi had successfully leaked out of my entrapment, I then allowed it to oz in the Red River and spread throughout it into I had fully encased its entirety, all 300 meters of it, if I was free this would have taken seconds, but in my weakened state, it may take a few minutes, 10 to be exact, but, it isn¡¯t like I¡¯m in a rush, this was the easy part.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. the hard part would come, when it was time for me to force their body to become something kin to a magnet, when that happens, it would pull at my soul like its life depended on it. which will be quite painful. giving it will force my soul to squeeze through, the needle-thin cracks in the prism. in which will be, quite difficult given how powerful my soul level is, due to years of honing my Qi and tempering it. making it thicker than your average soul, which is why I couldn¡¯t do it on my own efforts, that and the fact that my body disintegrated years ago, so existing without a host would be impossible, honestly, I¡¯d have at most a month before the gatekeepers come to escort me to the spirit cloves. which wasn¡¯t all that bad of thought not too long ago, but given the opportunity that has presented itself, I¡¯ll take advantage of a chance of having a body now, instead of trial and error of searching for one in soul form. I need a body now, I couldn¡¯t let them get away with their cruelty and whatever could get me closer to revenge the fastest, was the one I would always take. with that in mind, I began to start claiming full control of the Red River, and once claimed, it was time to start the next part, in engraving, in which I threaded blood together, into it resembled that of the sharpest of needles before etching dark runes into the skin of my soon to be body, making the groundwork, for the transference, and once all the engravement where on the skin and ready to fuse, I did exactly that. I patiently lined every rune with dense and refined Qi, as I did so, I could feel something strange happening inside of him, but I couldn¡¯t quite make it out, so I put it aside for after I had finished with my process, perfectly threading my Qi throughout all of the runes. after I¡¯d finished, the strange feeling was back and stronger. " What was happening inside of him at the ?¡± I thought while beginning the activation of the technique, and right before I did, the strong piercing feeling of dread started to sting throughout my being as whatever was happening inside of him had now become very prevalent, and apparent, but it was too late I had already activated, my technique and what happened in response was quite horrendous, he was pulling at my soul. he was devoting everything in sight. the blood of my oldest, the Qi in the surrounding surrounding, the grass the trees, the prism. he was a black hole at this point, and with every single thing he devoured, he only began to gain more valuer, beauty, and power with it, it was a sight unlike which I had ever seen, as he glowed an almost purple hue, I¡¯d only seen a sight like this once before, Kona, the hag, she¡¯d eat every and anything if it met she might get stronger, and the one time it seemed as if she might have been bested, she began to, lose control, and devour, the devour world her, to gain the upper hand, a frightening women indeed, one I am glad I¡¯ve never been on the bad side of. he must be her descendant, are maybe his practicing the same art, whatever the case is, making him a vessel is impossible, he¡¯ll just end up consuming my soul and becoming stronger in the process, all I can hope to do, is maybe petition a contract with him, and hope he accepts it. I Don¡¯t know how given his state, but if I don¡¯t somehow gain some tie to his bloodline, I¡¯ll no more than cease to exist in a few. I¡¯ll be greatly weakened in the process, but at least I¡¯ll still have a chance to survive. ¡°I, Iornhide d Vermilion, offer my soul, as a loyal dyer.¡± and without a second¡¯s notice. I could feel my request being accepted, followed by a voice, that rang in my head, with an otherworldly echo as it did so. ¡°he is not to be lead astray, I know of your ways Iornhide decedent of Fahety d vermilion, the Vamperian lord of my time. now known as the lord of the feast. She owes me a great deal of debts, and as her decedent, you also bear the responsibility of, paying them. my child is not yet ready for the power he is consuming and could end up destroying himself, and anything in a 50-mile radius, I need you to stop him, by forcing him to endure your virus,¡± said the dark lady as she demanded my obedience. ¡°you can¡¯t mean for me to bless him, I¡¯m just a soul, I couldn¡¯t bite him if I wanted to, and a soul blessing is impossible for me to perform in my current state,¡± I said, ¡®Look again, child. I do not speak fool, nothing I ask will ever be in jest.¡± with those words I took a glance at myself, and to my surprise, I was flesh and blood, ¡°but how?¡± I asked. ¡°well you can¡¯t very well be a good servant as a soul can you, but understand turning him will do you a great deal of affliction, you won¡¯t even be half of what you were before, but if you remain loyal to him, in time it will not mater, because you will be even more then what you could ever be. ¡®and if I¡­¡­¡± ¡°you die, and I¡¯ll throw your soul into oblivion, where you will not only perish but cease to exist. do you think I am one to be tried young fool .¡± asserted the dark lady, loudly. so much so my ears began to oz blood. ¡°yes, your darkness I¡¯d never question you again.¡± I said while quickly rushing to dish out my task. the mess this beautiful monster had made was terrifying. It was as if I was looking into the eye of a storm. was this worth my freedom? I thought. as I struggled to fly through the cores and sharp atmosphere that cut through my skin like a knife, luckily Vericks healed quite quickly, but the closer I got the sharper the air got, I was at least at half the power I¡¯d been at before I was imprisoned, so this didn¡¯t hurt me all that much, and the poison staining the air was a familiar irritant more then a hindrance, but I would be lying if I said I was at odds with myself in the moment. I had pride. this child I have years of experience over. is now going to be my better, and also was going to steal the Little bit of progress I had gained over sentries, and I was supposed to believe, that I¡¯d gain something out of, this." damn this world," I thought as I finally closed in enough to look my soon-to-be master in the eyes. he was beautiful. almost god-like, all the doubts I was having disappeared as his red glowing eyes gazed into my irises. maybe this was the effect of some natural luring technique but I didn¡¯t care, everything felt right and calm, despite the mess and ruin around me. I''d never if even once have felt so sure of anything in my life, and at this moment I didn¡¯t even have the will to fear that fact, as I went in, so I clammed his neck with a swift. CHOMP!!! chapter 5: (corroding) Pain coursed through the entirety of my neck, as I could feel the veins that run through it pulsing and jolting with every heartbeat. It felt awful. as if something was expanding and feeling my veins to capacity, and ready to burst free, along with the very blood that ran through them, as I lay on the ruined ground beneath me¡ªfiling the once millipede blood-ridden river, with my own. speaking of which I found it strange that the once red river was now home to the damped jagged ground I laid on, which was a mess of ruined and red stained stone, that I somehow could see, although the previous light illuminating this area not too long ago, was nowhere to be found. and there was no light source in sight to make sense of my unimpaired sight. None of that truly mattered though, given at the moment, I was more focused on the empty, and weak feeling, that was rampant in me at the moment, Qi I had before my slumber, if you can even call it that, which had been doubled, was currently dwindling as my body sapped my reserves, to try and heal the whatever damage, whatever this strange feeling in my neck was, one that might I add was spreading, and trying to make its way towards my chest. Despite all this, luck decided to at least give me some of her grace, because as of now, the haze, usually present in my head, was close to almost being non-existent, still there, but not to the point of impairing me in any way, the only thing doing that at the moment, was whatever happened to be effecting my neck in such an infectiously painful way. Out of curiosity, while sitting up slightly, I decided to feel my neck as a way of inspection, and to my surprise, along with the feeling of protruding veins, there was also the feeling of what I could only explain as a huge bloody mess of a bite mark. this was interesting to me because, given the size of insects down here, I couldn¡¯t even guess what could have bitten me; the bite mark was pretty small, at least compared to the beastly huge centipedes I¡¯ve seen down here. and the strongest of them, even more so. especially given the fact that whatever bit me was strong enough to bypass my poison Resistance, which was scary. Was I about to die? It didn¡¯t feel like it; I was definitely in pain, but that was a far different feeling than when you¡¯re being darned of your vitality. the questions were just piling up the more I discovered, and to ease my mind I decided to sit up and survey my area, as I observed the ruble around me, I found myself shocked at the destruction around me, and wondering how I¡¯d survived it, it looked as if a tornado ran through and flung the gravel dirt and blood, haphazardly about the area uprooting and grinding everything up in the process. making the very ground around me sparse, and shattered, the blood previously flooding this area was now not even steep enough to bathe my feet, it was quite the stark contrast compared to how deep it was, what felt like moments ago, not only that, but I seemed to be in what looked like a pit, "oh great, it looks like the millipede''s blood absence has left me stuck." I spoke aloud. The closest wall had to be a hundred meters high, and given the veins my neck was burning past my chest, climbing up this wall wasn¡¯t a task I felt I could do, especially given the fact that the intensity in which my veins were pulsating and now burning. was intensifying the more it spread. as terrifying as it was, there wasn¡¯t much I could do, but if the poison spreading throughout my body with its burning embrace was to claim my life, what was I to do against it, all I could do was await my end. even if I could escape this 100 feet deep pit somehow, I''d then have to also escape this underground ruin somehow, traverse all the centipedes, try and attempt to take a good bite out of one of them while time at, and hope that might have some effect, that is, if they¡¯d let me get that close, but a doubt by the time I¡¯d had fully scaled these walls, still be alive. even as I sit here, the veins seem to have already made their way even further down my chest, and near my admen, in only a few minutes, and still picking up in pace is ut dose, which strangely doesn¡¯t hurt as much but didn¡¯t feel good by any metric either, so, I decided to lay back down and await my end. I knew it was a pipe dream to believe I''d be anything more than Indeath trash, Baam!! mid-self-loathing, a loud thud, shocked me upwards as I frantically looked about. "what was that!!t" I screamed. only to be met with, what looked like a young 12-year-old child. with pale lifeless skin, that gleamed as he stood above me, looking down at me with his piercing red eyes and running his hand through his black hair with a mild look of annoyance on his face, ¡°to think you¡¯d kick me so far away after I gifted you with the nicest courtesy, of giving you my family''s blessing. many die trying to receive such. even managed to save your life in the process, which is more than I should have, given the mess you made of this place, luckily, you only hurt the weakest of my young dyers, but, unfortunately, I don¡¯t know if I can ever forgive you for consuming my, oldest, said the boy, with a slight pout on his face as he squeaked out words, with a sense of confidence you might find in someone 10 years my senior. ¡° your oldest,¡± I said while frowning, through my statement. " dyer? I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m having a hard time understanding a majority of the things coming out of your mouth at the moment," I said, with an eyebrow raised.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "OH yes, that¡¯s right, you¡¯ve been unconscious during all this, so you blissfully have the excuse of ignorance at the moment, well I''ll let you know, regardless of the state of your mind, during your atrocity, I still will hold you accountable for your actions. although I am not permitted to harm you, you will as is your responsibility, find a way to right your wrongs." said the pale little boy. As the boy talked, I took notice of his rather sharp canines, was he a Bipedon of some kind, ¡°who are you?¡± I asked. it wasn¡¯t the most pressing of questions I had, but I thought it would be nice to know the name of the person I was speaking to before berating them with questions." I¡¯d fear you¡¯d only no tails of me, but given you¡¯ll be my master for the next coming years, though I may detest it, I¡¯ll offer you my name. I am known as Iornhide d Vermilion, the 50th air to the vermilion linage." he answered. Iornhide, the same Iornhide, who¡¯d been sealed by the fronts dealers, a sentry ago, he''s supposed to be a decedent of a powerful Vamperiam progenitor and one of the most powerful families of Verick. not to mention he is supposed to be over a hundred thousand years old, why does he look like his no more than 120, at least by Verick¡¯s aging standards, also what does he mean by master "I¡¯m quite confused, would it be too much to ask for an extensive run down, on exactly what is happening here? ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. after what felt like an hour run down, I guess you could call me pretty caught, all be it in disbelief but caught up for the most part. I mean there is a chance, that this, could be some strange pale, bipedon boy lying and telling me whatever, for the fun of it, but given the fact that, I didn¡¯t lose much, rather what I was told was true or false, I didn¡¯t care to challenge them on the fact, as long as they could get me, out of here I was happy, so you were the one who bit me. I asked. ¡°yes, and now thanks to me you have been blessed with the gift of Vamperiam, by none other than a Vermilion himself. did this process burn through and destroy a majority of the progress, you accumulated during your supernatural tamp tantrum? yes, but that¡¯s the price you pay when being turned by, a progenitor. most people, would die, and shrivel to ash before, ever becoming a Verick, due to the sheer amount of energy it takes, for my venom to claim a disciple, which is why we usually do the soul transfusion prostheses, to bless mortals, with our gift. but desperate times, or whatever. less you would have found yourself explodeding, and destroying everything in a 50-mile radius alone with yourself,¡± said Ironhide. I then stood up and observed my necked pale body, as I watched as the black, bruised veins made their way down my leg. ¡°to think, you¡¯d had so much energy accumulated, normally those that survived my venom, usually look nearly close to becoming ash, before the gene takes, and you just have a couple of nasty veins, so strange.¡± right when I was about to respond to what Ironhide had said, I felt a strong pulsation in my heart, giving me the worst feeling of heartburn I¡¯d ever experienced, feeling as if, my heart had now been, drenched in acid. the feeling was so wrenching it brought me fully to my knees, the second time it happened and with more intensity. ¡°oh, it looks like it¡¯s happening, and I see your eyes have even started to take, that usually happens slowly after changing, and over the course of years. you definitely are a weird one indeed¡± Every word Iornhide spoke, hit my eardrums like a battery ram, as the world around me slowly shifted to a crimson shade of red, I guarded my ears to block out the outside sounds, as the heart pulsation slowly started, to match the rhythm in which my heart was beating, with a louder base, that rang painfully throughout all of my body, like a bell. With every heartbeat, the burning of my veins became worse, and the outside sounds became even more agonizing, and so did the bite on my neck, as it bubbled and foamed, and my body temperature increased. it was awful, and I hated it, "one painful experience after another," I thought. would I ever get a break? it seemed in the last 3 years all I''d had been experiencing was one terrible thing after, another, is this what it met, to become stronger, is this what all these spiritualists so painfully sought after, why, couldn''t I just be happy, safe, and not in pain? why did this world I lived in hate me so much? and want nothing more than to beat and bleed me? I could only imagine what the next 10, 30, or even 100 years might look like, I don''t even care for the strength it might bring me, if not for my circumstances, and the need for a life in which I might be able to protect find, and keep my family sake, damn it all, and curse those who forced this on me, ill make a deal with misfortune herself if it''ll make everyone suffer their wrath in the process. and with that my body temperature immediately dropped, to nothing, as I lost sight, hearing feeling, and taste. All my senses left me, as if I had died, and was a soul, drifting through nothingness. a spec it the cosmos, shrouded in darkness. it was quite ... peaceful, all my worries and sorrows felt like distant stars, I could see them, but without the context emotions, and feelings required for them to have any hold on me, and surprisingly, I didn''t like it, I felt separate from myself, and helpless without them. as damming as it all was, I needed all those feelings to feel, alive. or maybe I was just selfish and not yet ready to let go, of life just yet. either way. I wanted them back, and now if possible. I felt like the longer I stayed in this abyss the further I drifted away from myself. I couldn''t let that happen. so with all my will, as if I''d weaved it to gather and shape it into a lasso. I throw it out. and grasped it. and pulled at it as I would with a fishing rod while trying to wind in a big catch, and no matter what, I wouldn''t let it get away from me, as I rang it in. all of what was missing made itself back into my being one after another, as rushes realization hit me one after another, and then. just as they left, every sensation came crashing back into me, and I found myself slammed into what felt like a bed. As I opened my eyes, and found, no other than the same little, pale boy, staring down at me, standing dead center, in the middle, of a very cheap motel room, in front of an outdated metal automated door. "Oh you finally up, good, I''ve been lugging you around for a month, I''ll have you know, it''s quite a hard fighting of bandits, and creatures, with a fully grown man on your back, despite, how thin you are especially, looking as you do, I had quite a time, with so many people trying to enslave and combine you, to think, people are still doing that, a thousand years later, I''m just happy I sto.... borrowed you some clothes, and a mobile," said Ironhide. "As grateful as I am. Might I ask where are we?" I said as I slowly stood upwards, and rubbed at my eyes, "Well I thought the safest city, to go to would be Sattel, it has a highly diverse population, so we won''t look too out of place here, we might still get some eyes here and there, especially you, your abnormally, striking. which may continue to be a problem the longer you remain defenseless, will have to fix that. Luckily it is pretty cheap to live here, so we can lay low for a while, thanks to you I won''t have any dealers coming after me anytime soon, but don''t get comfortable, verick our highly sought-after, so whenever we can, we''ll have to make our way to the ship stations. I was thinking of Maybe making way on a lower vessel. and hiking it towards, the red haze, given they''re as off-grid as you can get, as well as the fact that my family also has a base there. "excuse me, but so are aware the, the Iaoin federation, is ten-lights speed away, and the amount of power it would take to get there, that is if we can make it to a ship, without being killed, by an enforcer, "It''s fine, it''s fine, I have some people who are going to help. you just worry about, assimilating, whatever gains you got from your cross, and I''ll worry about the adult stuff. he said while walking toward the door and flinging on his jacket. as offended as I was by what he said, especially given his appearance. but honestly, didn¡¯t have the energy to argue, I just slammed back in bed and took a look at my, Qi reserves, and boy, was I impressed. chapter 6 (check out) To think I have so much QI after¡­ I turned. Oh no, this is bad have I truly become Verick? I think as I explore my teeth with my tongue. ¡°Shit. My canines or sharp as daggers,¡± I say before frantically ending the exploration of my teeth. OK, this may seem awful, but if it¡¯s what the dark lady wanted, I must trust that the great ancestors would never lead me astray. I thought while slightly sitting up. There is one problem, if I¡¯m a Verick¡¯s now, how do I cultivate? Could I even use the same path I practiced as a human? I mean my mandarins are still the same all be it quite a bit stronger. There¡¯s also the fact that I¡¯m basically on the path of becoming the accomplice to a criminal of not just a plant or federation, but the entire Q&9 front. And that¡¯s not even touching on the fact that I¡¯m now one of the most sought-after races to enslave. Luckily, no one should be able to identify Iornhide in his weakened state, although I won¡¯t lie all this feels pretty unbelievable. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I can sense Iornhide as we speak, I probably wouldn¡¯t be inclined to believe it. So, I can undoubtedly check Iornhide being my dyer that off the least possible lies, and if that much is true then could¡­ could It truly be possible that the dark lady aided me with her protection? " But why?¡± I spoke aloud. Was it my prayer that she was answering, and if so, why now? Why not years ago, when I¡­ when we needed her the most? Is this part of her design? Has the great ancestor wanted this for? I stopped my thoughts there. I knew that was preposterous. The law of the heavens forbids the ancestors from meddling in things that are in order. At least according to the rules that they teach us in grad school. The most they¡¯re allowed to assist in is that which is out of order or guidance in the path, which we can¡¯t receive due to the bloodline block that previously scourged me. I¡¯m guessing whatever I was doing must have been bordering on breaching heaven¡¯s order and would have had my soul cast into oblivion. Why? I don¡¯t know, but attacking the dark mother for that which is not her fault is hopeless. I thought as I decided to fully rise and kick my feet off the side of the bed, only to be met by the annoying sound of the bed creaking in response to my every motion. ¡°How loathsome,¡± I thought aloud while fully standing up. ¡°I guess it¡¯s as good of a time as any to get in a nice shower¡± I divulged. I¡¯d been rolling around in filth for who knows how long, and I¡¯d like to experience something a little less crude for once. Who knows how long it¡¯ll be before I find myself rummaging around in muck again? So, with that in mind, I made my way to the door I assumed belonged to the bathroom (given it¡¯s the only automated door beside the one Iornhide exited). While hesitantly straightening my back in fear of the haze yet again immobilizing me. Only to find myself surprised when I¡¯m able to not only straighten my back but do so without a bit of resistance. The feeling of strong relief washes over my body, and I happily make my way over to the possible bathroom in stride. As I do, the realization that I might have grown a bit hits me. It could just be my imagination, but considering how close my head is to the ceiling, I doubt it. My height before was no more than 5 feet even and living in a home of women 6 feet and over as well as factoring in the fact that most people on the planet had at least a small percentage of Bipedon ancestry. Meaning me being far from any ceiling was normal. So, noticing a change in height was a given. Now, I was still nowhere near close enough to touch the ceiling without maybe standing on a stole or jumping. But that wouldn¡¯t have been a feasible option for me a few years ago, and the closer I got to the door, the more real this realization became. Considering your average automated door is about 7 feet tall, and I was at least a foot and a few inches shorter than it. Which was a far cry away from the 2 inches most doors used to have on me. Once I was finally close enough to trigger the sliding door¡¯s motion sensors, allowing me to enter the bathroom, I came face to face with a smudged mirror barely displaying my pale and slender physique. ¡°I hope I can finally gain some muscle,¡± I say as I pinch at my skinny arms before commencing to rid myself of the surprisingly well-stitched clothing that was loose on me. Can¡¯t say I¡¯m surprised he couldn¡¯t find a shirt that fits. Lanky isn¡¯t a common size to come by, I thought while unbuttoning the long-sleeved dress shirt I was wearing, which was slightly ruffled at the collar. As I did, I decided to come a little closer to the mirror to inspect myself a bit more. Before noticing my reflection slightly flickering. Strange, I thought while running my hand through my pure white hair. ¡°That¡¯s new,¡± I thought aloud. Once I finally fully unbuttoned my shirt, my pants were next which was pretty straightforward. Just a quick zip and I was free. Thankfully Everything down there looked about the same, so after taking one last look I swiftly turned to make my way to the tube before something caught my eye. In the mirror, tracing up the entirety of my back and only stopping at the back of my hairline, was a long tattoo of a centipede. ¡°Oh, ancestors I wonder what this could mean,¡± I said while slowly making my way to the bath. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Could it be because of all the centipedes I ate? Couldn¡¯t be right? If so, would I get a tattoo like this every time I¡­¡± a strong ache stung in my throat before I could even begin to finish my sentence. Followed by all the moisture in my mouth being lapped away and vaporized. Leaving my mouth the driest it had ever been, and to make things worse my canines began to putrid and throb with searing pain. What¡¯s going on? I thought as I fell to my knees. Damn, right when I was about to indulge myself, something just had to happen. I thought while simultaneously clenching at my throat in hopes of dulling the pain before I heard the sound of the bathroom¡¯s automated door sliding open and greeting me with Iornhide¡¯s presence, accompanied by what seemed like two clear bags of red liquid. ¡°what''s...What¡¯s that¡± I strained out. ¡°Blood,¡± he said as he threw a bag at me and stared with a look of anticipation. The mere proximity to the bag of blood made my mouth water, and I realized. Yet again I¡¯d have to consume something, distasteful, but regardless of that fact, I was sure it wouldn¡¯t be anything compared to having to eat insects, regardless of how tasty they were.¡± shit so be it¡± I said as I rip at the bag with my teeth and slurped up every Marcel of the sweet and tangy nectar inside of it. ¡°ha ha ha¡± laughed Iornhide, with a base that was far from what should come out the mouth of someone his age. or at least the age he resembled. ¡°You so easily drink the blood of another mortal with little thought. Even worst of initiates put more thought into feasting on their own than you have,¡± he said in a tone befitting of his appearance. ¡°I¡¯d expected, for it to be a month before this happened. For the hunger to already be claiming you not even within a day of your return is unheard of, I¡¯d not even had the chance to leave before the feeling of you being in distress had claimed me. I took out a couple of blood bags I bought some time back, just in case, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d need them.¡± ¡°Oh please. It isn¡¯t as if I drank from the nape of a living mortal. I''d eaten far worse these past years,¡± I said not caring to address the rest of his rant at the moment. I had a shower to get to worrying could come after. ¡°I¡¯m just happy that awful episode is over. Now excuse yourself. I¡¯d like to finally take the shower I¡¯d been preparing for,¡± I said before standing up and grabbing at the clothes that sat on the sink to hide my sensitive bits. ¡°I¡¯d also appreciate it if you¡¯d at least guard your eyes when seeing Me in the nude, you¡¯d think such a renowned Verick would have proper manners.¡± ¡°Do you mistake me for a child, because I assure you, I have the life experience to prove my maturity? Besides, I¡¯ve seen worse sights, I can handle a few sex organs. Said Iornhide with a prominent attitude. ¡°Who said it was for your comfort, does mine no longer matter? How selfish of you, I argued. ¡°I¡­whatever, hurry and bath, I¡¯ve decided to bring you with Me to run an errand due to a lack of¡­ identification. Which given my current situation is quite a problem,¡± said Iornhide as he hovered his hand over his body, for added effect. ¡°So be it, now leave, I feel even filthier after this encounter.¡± Iornhide then turned and made his way to the automated door before it slid shut behind him, and I got on with finally taking a shower. ¨€¨ˆ?????2 hours later ?????¨ˆ¨€ I may have indulged myself in my shower for a little too long, but is that so wrong? I didn¡¯t think so. Couldn¡¯t say the same for the very livid Verick child currently lecturing me. ¡°Or you dense, who takes a two-hour long bath, you do understand we only have so long to before check-in, and I also have other engagements to tend to. To think you¡¯d call me mannerless when you can¡¯t even fathom the idea of being punctual,¡± squeaked out Iornhide. His veins protruded quite vividly as he fumed at my lack of punctuality. which I¡¯d admit I may have overstepped quite a bit, regardless of the fact I wasn¡¯t going to let a child tell me that. ¡°it¡¯s hard to be punctual when you weren¡¯t given a time, or I don¡¯t know, maybe a destination what even are these engagements?¡± I deflected. ¡°Oh please, any decent individual would know better than to go two hours without notice, before prior engagements, especially if they aren¡¯t aware of time, don¡¯t be a child. Besides you were in such a rush to get me out of the bathroom. I just thought it best to wait for you to leave the shower to address the details. I never thought I¡¯d have to wait. TWO HOURS!! to do so,¡± retorted Iornhide. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯m not the child here, you¡¯re the 12-year-old. I¡¯d say I¡¯m quite mature, and might I add FULLY GROWN!!¡± I scuffed. ¡°How dare you if not for my position I¡¯d have your ba¡­¡± ¡°knock knock knock¡± Before Iornhide could finish his statement, he was cut off by a knock at the door. ¡°Hello, Aamina said If you don¡¯t show some identification, and bring a garden for sign out, she¡¯ll kick you out herself.¡± said a muffled masculine voice. ¡°Shit you see what you¡¯ve done, a moment ago they were saying I had to bring identification for check-in, and now they¡¯re saying we need to get out. You better have an identification chip, because if not we are in trouble, Aamina is at least three stages above me. And I don¡¯t stand a chance in escaping, let alone a straight fight with her,¡± said Iornhide in a whispered tone. ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know; I know Luckily for you I have one injected in my lobe, the one thing that was affected the least these past years. I do have a question though. What exactly are we going to do after signing out? I asked while some man was still banging on the door. ¡°You should have thought of that before you decided to lock Me out of the bathroom, ignore my knocking, and bathe for two hours.¡± Annoyed by Iornhide¡¯s retorts. I decided to go to the door without dignifying him with a reply. once I was in front of the door, it immediately slid open, and without notice, A brown-haired man ended up knocking me right in the middle of my four head. ¡°ow¡± I said while almost falling over before I was quickly caught by the huge men standing a few inches away. ¡°Serves you right,¡± said Iornhide as he followed behind me. ¡°Oh, I¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry honored friend. I¡­ I swear I didn¡¯t mean to. I just didn¡¯t notice you there, I honestly only met to knock on the door¡± said the tall man, as he worriedly surveyed me with his golden gaze. ¡°I swear, I¡¯d never do something so crude on¡­.¡± said the brown-headed beast of a man currently towering over me as his huge hand laid on my shoulder for stability. ¡°it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine I understand, and even if it was on purpose if you were doing so in hopes of hitting this little menace, I can¡¯t say I blame you, I¡¯m just disappointed that I got in your way. I said as I watched Iornhide roll his eyes at my words¡± Oh no, I would never Mr¡­. I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t think I¡¯m familiar with your name, I hope you can forgive my blunder enough to present me with it, I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, but the young one here tends to refer to you as guardian, we were honestly starting to believe you weren¡¯t real. ¡°I¡¯m as real as you are tall, honestly what are they feeding you? I¡¯ve never seen anyone so big¡± I said while looking up at the brown-haired man as he rubbed at his hair while simultaneously evading my gaze. Which I found quite strange, did I say something rude? ¡°Ha ha ha, yeah I blame it on my father is a Falonel decedent, so most of my family is quite tall,¡± he said before finally returning my gaze with his own. ¡°Oh, so your Bipedon.¡± ¡°Hybrid. But again ma¡­ sorry. I mean sir would you mind sharing your name with me? He said while yet again looking away. I know there was no way I said anything wrong this time, or maybe I did. Was it that I asked for his race? ¡°Yes, yes. That¡¯s right sorry, I¡¯m Aubrey Everclune. If you¡¯d like you can check my identification chip for confirmation.¡± ¡°Actually, that¡¯s what I was up here for. Amina asked me to bring you both down so she could do it personally. Would you mind following me to the elevator downstairs so we can get that started?¡± he said while turning around and motioning for us to follow. Despite how nice the delivery of his question was, I knew it was nothing more than a Courtesy, and there was only one right answer. ¡®Sure¡± I said as me and Iornhide followed behind him out of the room.