The crowd's stunned silence erupted into thunderous applause as Kraxis remained motionless against the arena wall. Cayden stood in the center of the ring, his chest heaving with exertion but his eyes clear and focused. The water vapor that had surrounded him during combat slowly dissipated, returning to the air as if it had never been manipulated.
"The winner is... the human!" the announcer bellowed, disbelief evident in his voice despite his attempt at professionalism.
Cid watched with pride as his friend accepted the adulation of the crowd. The training had paid off—Cayden's movements had been precise, his Qi control impeccable. The fluid grace with which he'd manipulated both his body and his water abilities spoke to a mastery that would have taken decades to achieve under normal circumstances.
"Did you see that?" Zeph whispered, awe evident in his tone. "He was like... water incarnate."
Aria nodded, a small smile playing on her lips. "He took your advice to heart, Cid. He stopped forcing his Qi and started flowing with it."
A tournament official approached Cayden, presenting him with a small chest. When opened, it revealed a gleaming crystal that pulsed with an inner blue light—a water crystal of exceptional purity, worth far more than the 200 credits they'd been given.
As Cayden made his way back to the group, the crowd parted respectfully before him, whispers following in his wake. "That's the one who defeated Kraxis... A human, can you believe it?"
"Well done," Cid said simply as Cayden rejoined them, his deep voice carrying genuine pride. "You've made quite an impression."
Cayden grinned, the exhilaration of victory still evident in his eyes. "I couldn't have done it without your guidance. That technique you showed me—treating Qi as a flow rather than a force—it changed everything."
"The victory was yours alone," Cid replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "You took the advice and made it your own."
The group made their way back toward the barracks, discussing Cayden's victory and showing off their purchases. As they walked, Cid felt that persistent pull from the mountains grow stronger, more insistent. He glanced toward the distant peaks, their obsidian surfaces gleaming in the twilight.
"You feel it again, don't you?" Sera murmured, noticing his distraction.
Cid nodded slightly. "Stronger now. Almost... impatient."
"What's impatient?" Lucy asked, catching the end of their conversation.
Cid hesitated, then decided on honesty. "Since we landed, I've felt something calling to me from those mountains," he explained, gesturing toward the distant peaks. "It's like... a voice just beyond the range of hearing."
The group fell silent, considering this revelation. Cid
continued, "I don't believe it's the Other Ascendant; the System mentioned they were on the vampire planet, and we have not arrived there yet. Let's return to the military barracks for now since I don't need sleep anymore since I'm no longer human. I'll accompany Sera and Zeph there tonight while the rest of you should get some rest." They all agreed and headed back to the barracks together.
Later that night, as the twin moons of Barrow cast their silvery glow over the landscape, Cid, Sera, and Zeph slipped away from the military barracks. The compound had fallen quiet, most students having retired to prepare for tomorrow's tournament, their minds filled with dreams of glory and advancement.
The trio moved with supernatural speed across the golden plains, their forms little more than blurs in the perpetual twilight. The wind rushed past them, carrying the scents of alien flora and crystalline minerals unique to this world. As they approached the mountains, the sensation that had been tugging at Cid's consciousness intensified dramatically, evolving from a whisper to a pulsing beacon that seemed to resonate with his very being.
"It's stronger now," Cid murmured, his deep voice barely audible over the wind. "Much stronger."
Zeph nodded, his expression taut with concentration. "I feel it too—like a heartbeat calling out to us." Since his transformation into a Lupivampyr, his senses had become increasingly attuned to the supernatural, and now he could perceive what had previously been Cid's burden alone.
The obsidian mountains loomed before them, their jagged peaks reaching toward the star-strewn sky like the teeth of some primordial beast. Up close, the black stone revealed intricate patterns of iridescent veins that pulsed with an inner light, as if the mountains themselves were alive and breathing.
"These aren't ordinary mountains," Sera observed, her crimson eyes gleaming in the darkness. "The patterns—they remind me of ancient runes I've seen in texts predating even my time."
They ascended swiftly, their enhanced abilities allowing them to scale the sheer cliffs with ease. The air grew thinner, taking on a metallic tang that tickled the back of their throats. Strange, luminescent fungi clung to the rock face, emitting a soft blue glow that illuminated their path.
The pull led them to a narrow fissure in the mountainside, barely visible unless viewed from precisely the right angle. The crack seemed to shimmer and distort, as if the very air around it was reluctant to acknowledge its existence.
"This is it," Cid said with absolute certainty, his hand reaching out to trace the outline of the hidden entrance. The moment his fingers made contact with the stone, the fissure widened with a sound like a deep, resonant sigh, revealing a tunnel that plunged into the heart of the mountain.
Cool air rushed out to greet them, carrying scents both ancient and alien—ozone, minerals, and something else, something primal that stirred memories buried deep in their collective unconscious. The tunnel walls were not rough-hewn but smooth and polished, adorned with intricate carvings that seemed to shift and move in the peripheral vision, telling stories that changed with each glance.
"These carvings," Zeph's voice trailed off as he traced the shifting patterns with reverent fingers. "They're alive somehow. I can feel them responding to my touch."
Sera nodded gravely. "Ancient magic, woven into the very fabric of this place. These mountains were not formed by natural processes—they were crafted."
The trio ventured deeper into the mountain, the tunnel gradually widening into a vast chamber that took their breath away. The ceiling soared hundreds of feet above them, supported by massive columns of obsidian that gleamed with inner light. The floor was a mosaic of shimmering black stone inlaid with veins of silver and gold that formed intricate patterns—constellations, perhaps, or a map of some kind.
At the center of the chamber stood a dais, upon which rested a single object: a blade unlike any Cid had ever seen. Its hilt was wrought of some dark metal that seemed to absorb the light around it, while the blade itself was transparent, visible only by the way it bent and refracted the ambient glow of the chamber. It appeared both substantial and ethereal, as if it existed simultaneously in their world and somewhere beyond.
"The Void Blade," Sera breathed, recognition and awe mingling in her voice. "I thought it was merely a legend—a weapon forged at the dawn of creation, capable of cutting through the very fabric of reality."
Cid approached the dais slowly, drawn by an irresistible pull that seemed to emanate from the blade itself. As he drew closer, the weapon began to pulse with a deep, purple light that matched the rhythm of his heartbeat.
"It's calling to you," Zeph observed, his heightened senses picking up the subtle resonance between Cid and the ancient artifact.
"Yes," Cid agreed, his voice distant, as if part of him was already communing with the blade. "It's been waiting... for a very long time."
As Cid extended his hand toward the hilt, the chamber around them seemed to hold its breath. The moment his fingers closed around the grip, a surge of power unlike anything he had ever experienced coursed through him. Visions flooded his mind—stars being born and dying, civilizations rising and falling, the endless dance of creation and destruction playing out across countless worlds and timelines.
The blade, once transparent, now glowed with a fierce inner light that cast Cid's shadow in stark relief against the chamber walls. The shadow seemed to move of its own accord, stretching and shifting in ways that defied the normal properties of light and darkness.
When the initial surge of power subsided, Cid found himself changed yet again. The blade had recognized him as its wielder, and in doing so, had imparted some of its ancient knowledge and power.
"It's incredible," he murmured, testing the weight and balance of the weapon. It felt like an extension of his own arm, responding to his thoughts almost before he could form them. Just then, A voice, resonant and ageless, cut through the silence. It was a woman's voice, carrying the weight of centuries. "You have finally arrived, O Great One!" The words seemed to vibrate in Cid's very bones. "Cid Walker, I have awaited your arrival. I am Bellera, Dragon of Qi."
Cid's breath hitched. Dragon of Qi? His last name... Walker. It was an old name, wasn't it?
"Long ago," the voice continued, "I granted your descendants my power and knowledge of Qi, promising to live side-by-side with one who carried their blood, once they were strong enough. You were to be that one. But years ago, when I reached for you, I found a body too frail, a mind too weak. So, I waited."
Cid felt a strange pull towards the sword he'd touched moments before.
"I condensed my Qi life force into that blade," Bellera continued, "knowing you would come. Now that you have touched it, I can merge with you, awaken your dragon blood. But you must accept." A pause hung in the air, thick with anticipation. "Do you accept?"
Questions swirled in Cid's mind, a chaotic storm of how and why. But beneath the confusion, a primal instinct roared to life. Dragon blood... in him? How much power lay dormant, waiting to be unleashed? Without hesitation, he spoke, the word a firm anchor in the swirling chaos. "I accept."
The moment the words "I accept" left Cid's lips, the chamber erupted with blinding light. The Void Blade dissolved into particles of pure energy that swirled around him like a cyclone, each mote of light seeking entry into his very being. The air crackled with power as ancient magic merged with vampire blood and dormant dragon heritage.
Sera and Zeph stepped back, shielding their eyes from the intensity of the transformation. The chamber itself seemed to respond, the intricate patterns on the floor and walls pulsing in rhythm with the maelstrom surrounding Cid.
"What's happening to him?" Zeph shouted over the deafening roar of energy.
Sera's eyes widened in recognition. "Dragon blood awakening," she called back. "It's rare beyond measure—a bloodline thought extinct eons ago!"
Within the vortex, Cid experienced a profound metamorphosis. His consciousness expanded exponentially, accessing memories that weren't his own—or rather, weren't his current self's. He saw through the eyes of ancestors who had wielded Qi with masterful precision, felt the exhilaration of flight on wings that spanned the heavens, tasted the raw power of dragon fire.
The voice of Bellera resonated through his mind, no longer external but a part of him. "Your bloodline has waited generations for this moment. The Walker family—named for those who walked between worlds—carries the last remnants of dragon heritage among humans. You are the culmination, the perfect vessel—vampire ascendant with dragon blood."
As the energy storm began to subside, Cid felt the Void Blade reforge itself within him, becoming an extension of his will rather than a physical weapon. He could summon it at need, drawing it from the very essence of his being.
When the light finally faded, Cid stood transformed once more. His eyes, previously crimson with his vampire nature, now held swirling galaxies of purple and gold—the mark of dragon sight. Faint, iridescent scales shimmered beneath his skin when he moved, catching the light like hidden armor. His presence had gained a new dimension—an ancient, primal authority that commanded respect.