After what felt like an eternity—minutes, hours, perhaps even longer—Kael was still walking. Or rather, he was drifting through a realm of silence and shadow, where time itself had lost all meaning. He hadn't seen anything. He hadn't heard a single sound. Not even the whisper of his own breath seemed real anymore.
And yet, suddenly… the path came to an end.
Before him stood an opening, larger than the others he'd passed. It loomed like a black mouth carved into the void. Kael stood still, facing it, his heart beating slowly… but not calmly. He was afraid. Truly afraid.
But he was also angry.
"I know you're all watching me. I know you can hear me," he shouted, his voice echoing through the thick air. "So why won't you come out?"
Only the wind answered, distant and hollow, accompanied by the faint sound of dripping water.
Kael's fists clenched as his frustration boiled over.
"Don't I deserve to be chosen?! Is that it? You think I'm weak? Is that what you believe?!"
His voice echoed louder, repeating itself as if the shadows mocked him with his own words.
"Answer me, damn it!" he screamed. "Listen closely—listen well! You don't know who I am, or what I've become, you cursed shadows! I'm the bearer of the Blood of Shadows! I was chosen by the Black Blood itself! I am ruin incarnate! Do you know what that means?! I could destroy every one of you… absorb you… torment you within me!"
His eyes glowed faintly, wild and desperate.
"So here's your choice—either I take you all by force… or we do this the traditional way!"
He stood still for a moment, letting the threat hang in the air. Then, slowly, he began to walk toward the dark opening.
"Stop," said a voice from nowhere.
Kael paused. Then… smiled.
"Finally," he said. "You've answered. Good. Now give me the bloodline and let me leave this place."
A soft, amused chuckle answered him.
"Heh… Do you even know what shadows are, child? Do you know how we pass on a bloodline?"
Kael frowned. "No."
"Ah. They say ignorance is a blessing," the voice said. "But clearly… they were wrong. Your ignorance nearly doomed you, child."
The voice paused, then continued.
"Shadows… we were once people. People with bloodlines. But on the brink of death, we were offered a choice—become shadows… or fade away. Those who chose to remain entered the Gate. It changed us. Twisted us. Yet the bloodline stayed within us. That is why, even now, we choose a successor… someone from the family, someone to inherit what's left of us."
"The shadows near the entrance are the weakest. The deeper you go… the stronger we become. And now… you speak with the very first Patriarch of House Kaldras."
Kael's gaze narrowed.
"All of the shadows here… were once stage seven," the voice added.
Kael looked into the dark opening. He knew he'd taken a risk shouting as he did, but he'd meant every word. Still… he hadn't shown it. Not fully. Maybe even now, he was bluffing.
"It doesn't matter," Kael said. "There's no difference between the dead and the shadows. You have no power left to stop me."
The voice chuckled again—softly this time.
"There is a great difference. Shadows still dream. They still feel loyalty. Emotion. They are more human than you think. Many of them long to leave… or to help their family one last time. You're right, perhaps those at stage four and below… they can no longer resist you."
A pause.
"But we… those who went beyond… we have our will. And trust me, our will alone could destroy someone at stage one like you."
It was absurd—power through sheer will? But Kael couldn't afford to gamble.
He sat down slowly, sighed, then glanced up at the pitch-black ceiling.
"I knew," he said with a wry smile. "I knew I probably couldn't even touch you… might not even be able to enter the chamber. I just got bored. Wanted someone to talk to. So, tell me… why hasn't anyone chosen me? Are you all just… racist or something?"
There was no answer for a few seconds.
"It must be someone without a bloodline," the voice finally said. "And you… already have one. If one of us chose you, our dream would die with us."
Kael lowered his gaze, thinking. Then exhaled.
"Fair enough. That… actually makes sense. Still, we could at least talk. I don't want to leave empty-handed."
He paused. Then continued, calmly.
"You said you're the first Patriarch of Kaldras. So… does that mean you were the first to possess the Kaldras bloodline?"
"No," the voice answered. "Not even the second, as far as I know."
Kael raised an eyebrow. "Then… how did you obtain it? And how did you become the first Patriarch?"
"I didn't inherit it," said the voice. "It was given to me. By a stranger. A man who appeared and disappeared without a trace. He gave it to many others, too. We were scattered across the continent… until one day, we decided to come together and form a family. We called it Kaldras."
"And truth be told… this is how it happened with all nine families."
Kael froze. That revelation hit him harder than anything else.
'People… gave the bloodlines?'
He had always believed it was the work of gods, or some ancient force beyond comprehension. But now?
Normal people… ordinary strangers?
Who were they?
He fell silent, trapped in thought for a long time. Then blinked, remembering himself.
"Ah… I'm sorry," he said, rising and brushing the dust from his clothes. He gave a slight bow.
"Thank you for your answers. And… sorry if I was disrespectful."
He turned around to leave.
"Tell me, child… what is your goal in this life?"
Kael didn't stop walking. He answered as he went.
"My goal? That's a good question. I don't really know anymore. If you'd asked me before all this, I would've told you I just wanted a normal, peaceful life… but now?"
He smiled faintly.
"I just want to live."
Then, as if something struck him, he turned back.
"Oh, right… do you know anything about the origin of my bloodline, or about the Gates—"
But he didn't finish.
A massive shadow surged into him. Kael didn't even see it—he only saw the crimson glow of its eyes before the terror hit him like a wave. He collapsed, grabbing at his chest, breathless.
Suddenly, a voice screamed with glee inside his head.
"Wow! A bloodline this pure! Thank you for the meal, you brat!"
Kael gritted his teeth. It was the same sensation he'd felt when he stole the guard's bloodline—an unbearable pain ripping through his body. Not just his body… but his soul.
He let out a scream, clutching his heart, writhing under the overwhelming agony.
Then—everything changed.
His vision blurred. He was no longer in the dark corridor. He was in a place of pure white, surrounded by dense fog. Two figures stood before him, clad in the same black robes.
The first… he recognized. He had seen him before.
The second was unfamiliar. An old man, long white beard, snow-white hair tied neatly behind his head… and a gentle smile as he raised two fingers.
Both of them… were smiling.
Kael's vision snapped back to reality. The pain was still there, blazing. And then—suddenly—a shockwave erupted from his body.
A pulse far stronger than anything he had released before.
Then, just as suddenly… the pain vanished.
*****
Outside the gate, Valdren was still standing—his face tense, brows furrowed, arms crossed tightly across his chest. He had been waiting for hours. No one had ever stayed inside the gate for this long before.
What unsettled him most wasn't the time itself, but the fact that Kael had entered without knowing anything about the Shadows. What if he had disrespected them? What if they had destroyed him?
Still, Valdren had no choice but to wait longer.
He paced slowly, unease tightening his steps, while the guards remained in their places—unmoving, silent, emotionless.
Then, all of a sudden—
The gate shuddered violently.
A powerful wave burst out from behind it, strong enough to ruffle their hair and even shake the silent guards ever so slightly.
Everyone froze.
And then Valdren—his heart pounding—smiled widely.
"He did it!!"
*****
Inside the council chamber, everything remained still.
Whispers floated in the air, quiet murmurs charged with tension. Alan's voice was low, but his fury was like a storm beneath calm waters. All he could think of was the humiliation this arrogant child had caused him—first his sons… and now, him.
Silvana remained standing in her place, visibly nervous. She had been certain Kael would succeed in obtaining a bloodline. But in her heart, she had hoped—just maybe—that the one he'd receive would be pure enough.
That way, at least… he could be her son.
Selene sat perfectly still, her eyes closed, as if nothing in the world could touch her composure.
And then—Without warning—A wave.
A powerful pulse surged through the chamber, like a sudden storm. It rattled their chairs, sent a chill through the air, and tousled their hair.
Everyone gasped and turned toward each other, startled.
Then, all eyes slowly shifted toward the head of the room—toward the Lady of the Family.
Selene had opened her eyes.
She was staring in the direction of the gate, her expression unreadable—calm, yet not quite emotionless.
This… was no ordinary pulse.
It had never happened before.
Which could only mean one thing:
Kael had taken the bloodline—the one purer than any possessed by the family.
Even Selene's.
Unlike the others, whose minds raced with politics and consequences, Silvana stood frozen in place, her heart overflowing with joy. She was so close to jumping in delight, but she held herself back.
Still—she couldn't stop her beautiful laughter from slipping out.