The arena sand still clung to Kite's boots.
He walked off the platform, chest heaving softly, body humming with the aftershocks of adrenaline. Around him, voices stirred—not loud, not impressed, but curious. And curiosity, Kite had learned, was a double-edged thing.
He kept his head down and made his way toward the far archway. Lilith waited there, arms crossed, her crimson gaze unreadable.
He stopped beside her, wiping his mouth with the back of his sleeve. "So… how did I do?"
"You didn't die."
"That's practically applause in my book."
She tilted her head slightly. "You bit him."
"Situational tactics," Kite said. "Highly effective."
"You're drawing attention."
"Better than drooling in a ditch."
Lilith sighed, her tone low. "You may not have died, but you made noise. And noise makes ripples."
He didn't respond to that. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the arena. More matches were ongoing—some with roaring beast Qi, others laced with cultivation-enhanced strikes. It looked more like a battlefield than a training field.
They passed beneath one of the inner halls. Carved into the stone was a mural of Hero Banter slaying a wyvern with a glowing spear. A dozen runes burned faintly beneath it—each marking an era of bloodshed.
Kite paused at the edge of the mural.
"He had gray hair."
"Earned in the last years of the Beastfall War," Lilith replied. "It turned silver after he consumed the heart of a primal beast."
"...Huh."
They kept walking.
His dormitory was quiet. Not small, exactly, but carved in cold stone with a crystal in the ceiling for light. The bed was simple. The shelf had three old beast-hunting manuals. No windows. Just silence.
He sat on the edge of the bed, feeling the weight of the day settle into his muscles.
[You have defeated: Arkhal, Drevon (Elite Candidate)][Blood XP Gained: +18][Bloodline Progress: 0.6% → 0.7%][Skill Gained: Adaptive Reflex Lv.1][+1 Strength, +1 Vitality acquired.]
[Title Progression: Fledgling of the Crimson Pact – 13% complete]
He leaned back against the wall.
The system's presence pulsed in the background of his mind—quiet now, like it had fed enough on today's violence. His body still felt light, his limbs coiled with new strength. It wasn't visible, not yet, but it was there.
"You watching me too?" he whispered.
[Multiple observers detected. Cloaking in effect.][Surveillance evaded. Signature: Concealed.]
"Perfect."
Elsewhere in the academy, in a high chamber walled by spellglass, a projection hovered midair. It showed Kite's duel—paused on the moment he ducked beneath Drevon's swing and bit him.
"He has no formal training," said the silver-haired woman watching. "But he moves like instinct's hardwired into his bones."
A bearded man behind her narrowed his eyes. "He didn't use Qi. No system glyphs either. And yet… his body healed mid-duel."
"Monitor him."
"If he's dangerous—"
"Monitor him. Quietly."
Kite stirred awake hours later.
Something called to him.
Not a sound. Not a vision. A pull.
He dressed quickly, stepping into the empty hallway. No guards. No noise. The corridor felt colder than before.
The system pulsed once in the back of his mind.
[Blood Resonance Detected. Source: Below][Unmapped structure discovered – access partially granted.]
He followed the sensation.
Down stone staircases long forgotten.
Through a rusted gate layered with dust.
And into the dark.
The chamber at the bottom was old—older than the Academy above. It wasn't made for humans. The walls were carved with language he couldn't read, but somehow… understood. Murals of beasts. Of thrones carved from bone. Of vampires surrounded by stars.
At the center was a black stone slab.
Obsidian.
A coffin.
Words glowed faintly on its surface:
To the Sovereign, asleep in blood, awakened in ashes.
He didn't know why his hand moved forward. But it did.
[Bloodline Artifact Detected: Sovereign's Crypt][Access Denied – Bloodline Awakening Insufficient. Required: 25.0%]
[Crimson Ascension System: Location Registered – Locked Zone Created.]
The slab didn't open. But something inside stirred.
He stepped back, heart racing.
Even sealed, it felt like something had seen him.
By the time he returned to his dorm, the crystal overhead had shifted into a pale dawn hue. He laid back on the bed and exhaled slowly.
[Crimson Ascension System: Zone Catalogued. Memory Secured.][Bloodline Awakening: 0.7% → 0.7%][Status: Stable]
Kite stared at the ceiling, quiet.
He had no idea what that coffin was.
But he knew one thing—
It wasn't just the academy that held secrets.
He did too.
And they were waking.