After answering Liora's question, Dominus looked at the three of them.
For a moment, he said nothing.
The wind brushed lightly against his robes.
"Now," he said at last, "come with me outside."
Victor, Jake, and Liora followed without hesitation.
They walked toward the training ground.
Usually, the place echoed with wooden swords clashing, trainees shouting, dust rising beneath hurried steps.
Today, it was silent.
No voices.
No movement.
Dominus had given the trainees rest.
The field stretched wide under the open sky. The afternoon sun hung high, its warmth pressing gently against their skin. Dry grass bent under the slow wind.
Dominus stopped at the center.
He turned.
"Victor," he said, "about your question. How does one obtain Blood Art?"
Victor straightened instantly. His heartbeat quickened.
Jake folded his arms, trying to look composed.
Liora stood calmly, though her eyes sharpened.
"First," Dominus continued, "the body must meet the physical requirement."
His voice was steady, grounded.
"Blood Art is not elegant magic. It is violent. It places a heavy burden on the user. Muscles tear. Veins strain. The heart beats beyond safe limits."
Victor swallowed.
"One can train to endure it," Dominus said, "or inherit a stronger foundation through bloodline."
He stepped closer to Victor.
"You possess the ability. But you are not ready."
Victor did not flinch.
"If you reach your maximum potential," Dominus continued, "then your future son… or grandson… may use it more naturally."
The wind shifted direction.
"Inheritance strengthens when the previous generation reaches its peak."
Victor's eyes shone with fierce determination.
"Then," Dominus said, "you must form a contract with a Blood Beast."
Liora's fingers tightened slightly against her sleeve.
"The Blood Beast must acknowledge you. It must see you as worthy. Only then will it lend you its will."
Jake raised his hand slightly.
"What if someone in the family already has a pact?"
Dominus nodded.
"The Blood Beast may accept another contract with a blood relative. Compatibility decides."
He turned to Jake.
"You can form a pact."
Jake's expression brightened immediately.
Then Dominus looked at Liora.
"But you cannot."
Liora did not react outwardly.
"Because I am Voran," she said calmly.
"Yes."
Dominus folded his arms.
"Blood Beasts despise Souls. The conflict between them is older than recorded history."
The wind moved across the field again, brushing the dry grass.
"Blood Beasts seek contracts because they fear fading. Their existence depends on blood from the living. Long ago, they fed on formless low rank Souls. Now, their only source is human blood."
The weight of that truth settled over them.
Victor stepped forward.
"Father," he said, unable to hide his excitement, "start our training."
"Me too," Jake added quickly.
Liora stepped forward as well.
"Even if I cannot form a pact," she said, steady and unshaken, "I will train. I will become strong in my own way."
Dominus looked at them.
Three children.
Three different paths.
Three futures he had already glimpsed.
A faint smile touched his face.
"Very well," he said. "Tomorrow, we begin. Now, all of you except Victor, go and enjoy the rest of your day."
"Okay," Jake replied.
Liora nodded once.
They left the field together, their voices slowly fading into the distance.
Silence returned.
Dominus turned to Victor.
The wind no longer felt light.
"Victor," he said quietly, "listen carefully."
Victor stood straight.
"My Blood Art allows me to glimpse fragments of the future."
His tone did not change.
"But it comes at a cost. For every minute I use it, I lose one year of my life."
Victor's chest tightened.
"Do not worry," Dominus added calmly. "I used it for less than forty seconds."
Forty seconds.
Victor understood what that meant.
"Father…"
"Do not interrupt."
Victor closed his mouth.
"You will have many questions," Dominus continued. "Forget them. Only listen."
Victor nodded.
"Your grandson will need your help."
The words struck like a blade.
Victor froze.
"You will understand whom I mean," Dominus said. "Train him."
The wind brushed across the empty training ground.
"He will have the potential to change the world."
Dominus stepped closer.
"But how you raise him will decide everything."
His voice lowered.
"He may become the one who saves this world… or the one who ruins it."
Victor's breathing grew heavier.
"Teach him our clan's techniques. Teach him discipline. Teach him restraint."
He paused.
"And our strongest technique… Power Mode."
Victor's eyes sharpened.
"Power Mode is usually achieved through relentless training," Dominus said. "But if refined to its limit, it becomes inheritance."
He held Victor's gaze.
"You will refine it."
"Your son will master it."
"Your grandson will awaken it."
The air felt heavier.
"Now," Dominus said firmly, "forget what I told you. Lock it away. When the time comes, you will remember. And you will pass it on."
Victor inhaled slowly.
"I understand."
He hesitated.
"One last question, Father."
Dominus raised an eyebrow.
"Whom should I marry?"
For a moment, Dominus simply stared at him.
Then he exhaled softly.
"That is not decided by another's will. You will find the one you love."
Victor nodded seriously.
"Understood."
A brief silence passed.
Victor blinked.
"So… what were we talking about?"
Dominus smiled faintly.
"Good," he said.
[Soul World]
The wind moved softly across the quiet field outside Reiro's dwelling. The sky above was pale, almost colorless.
Victor's voice flowed steadily through the link.
"Kael," he said, calm but heavy, "now I understand. The grandson who would need my help… is you."
Kael swallowed.
"Grandpa…"
"There are two more things I must tell you," Victor continued.
"Okay," Kael replied quietly.
Victor paused for a moment.
"First," he said, "I will tell you about the first time I awakened Power Mode."
A faint chuckle escaped him.
"It was during a friendly match between me and Liora. The first time I… or rather, Power Mode… defeated her."
Kael's mind lingered on the name.
"Grandpa… this Voran clan. Where are they now? Do they still worship Souls?"
There was silence on the other end.
"It goes far back," Victor said slowly. "Their founder once met the Soul King. The Voran and the Soul King had ties for decades. But when a new Soul King rose… that connection was cut."
Victor's voice lowered.
"Their power did not vanish. But it weakened."
Kael listened carefully.
"Kael," Victor continued, "the truth is… your mother was from the Voran clan."
Kael's breath stopped.
"She was the last one."
"What?" Kael's voice broke.
"Your mother," Victor said, "was the daughter of Liora's sister."
The wind grew colder.
"I remember that day clearly," Victor continued. "When the war reached Pylore."
His voice no longer sounded steady.
"I was not there," Victor said quietly. "I was with the previous king of Eldoria."
A faint breath passed through the link.
"He is retired now. His son sits on the throne."
"At that time," Victor continued, "Eldoria was not united. The kingdoms were divided. Border conflicts were constant. The land was unstable."
Kael listened without interrupting.
"The king was trying to unify all of Eldoria," Victor said. "He believed that if the human world remained fractured, it would collapse when the greater war reached it."
"And I helped him."
There was no pride in his voice.
"I chose the larger peace," Victor continued. "I believed securing the nation would protect my home."
A pause.
"But while I was securing the future… my present burned."
"That was my mistake."
Kael tightened his grip on his sword.
"In the name of peace," Victor continued, "I took lives. Many lives. I chose the stability of the land over the safety of my own home."
His voice hardened slightly.
"And while I was away… Pylore was engulfed in war."
Kael closed his eyes.
"Many died," Victor said quietly. "Jake blamed me. He left the village that day."
The weight of that sentence lingered.
"Liora died," Victor continued. "Her final request… was that I protect and raise her sister's daughter."
Another pause.
"I could not save her. I could not save many of my own people."
His voice softened.
"I became Duke afterward. The land stabilized. Peace returned. But the voices of those who died… they have never left me."
Silence filled the space between worlds.
"I still cannot forgive myself."
Kael stood frozen.
Then he spoke.
"Grandpa… I don't think you did anything wrong."
Victor did not respond.
"I'm no one to judge," Kael continued. "But their sacrifice was not wasted. This land is at peace. Not perfect… but trying."
He took a steady breath.
"And I will carry your will."
His aura flickered faintly.
"I will protect my loved ones."
"And I will protect this land."
The wind moved again.
This time, it felt less cold.