POV: Kael Darkflame (Age: 6)Location: Gravedge, Outer Forge District
The Broodmother's carcass was too large to carry alone. Garron had called for help and tied the body to an old war-cart reinforced with obsidian-spike wheels. The militia kept their distance. No one wanted to be near the thing for long.
Kael sat beside it in silence, watching the still-smoking mist-sacs collapse into themselves.
He didn't feel pride.
He didn't feel fear.
He felt… hunger. For more. For answers.
For power.
System Update – Combat Achievement Recorded
🐜 Mistborn Broodmother Slain (Tier D+ – Elite)🔥 First Elite Kill Logged
✴ Achievement Unlocked: Reap Before Age
Description: Kill an elite monster before awakening class.Reward: +5% Growth Rate, +1 Trait Point, +1 Bloodline Stir
Bloodline Surge Progress: 19.2%
The numbers meant something now.
Because they didn't just represent strength.
They represented paths not yet taken.
And Kael wanted to take all of them.
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POV: Selene Frost (Nearby)
She stood in Garron's forge watching from a distance, arms folded, silver eyes narrowed as Kael was motionless beside the corpse.
He hadn't said much since the fight.
Not to her. Not to Garron.
But the way he moved... he had changed again. Faster than before.
"He's catching up," she muttered. "Too fast."
Her system pinged.
System Notice – Selene Frost
💠 Affection Marker: Stable [Recognition → Curiosity II]
Combat Bond Detected: Tier 1
Shared Kill: Mistborn Broodmother
Suggestion: Initiate Partner Sync Training?
[Prompt Ignored]
She wasn't ready for that.
Not yet.
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POV: Garron Ironclaw
The forge had seen many strange things in his time, but few stranger than the bone Kael brought him.
"It's not like normal monster bone," Garron muttered, running a gloved hand across the curved length of the Broodmother's exoskeletal scythe-limb.
The surface wasn't just hard — it was resonant. It vibrated when touched.
He had to use aether-threaded iron, a rare forge crystal, and his own blood to stabilize the meld. But eventually…
The shape took form.
Not a sword. Not an axe.
A scythe — short-handled, curved-blade, reinforced spine.
Brutal.
Elegant.
Kael's.
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POV: Kael
Garron handed the weapon to him slowly, as if unsure whether to part with it.
Kael reached out and felt it hum in his hand.
The system responded instantly.
System Notification – Weapon Recognition
🔥 Weapon Acquired: Prototype Scythe – [Broodfang]Quality: Rare (Organic-Etheric Alloy)
➤ Passive Skill Gained: Edge Echo
When the user adapts to an enemy's movement pattern, next strike deals bonus precision damage.
➤ Weapon Compatibility: 7.2%➤ Affinity Boost: +Shadow (Moderate), +Corruption (Trace)
Kael's eyes flared with a faint red glow.
The weapon liked him.
No — it remembered him.
And it wanted more blood.
Garron:"You'll outgrow it in a few years," the old forgemaster said gruffly. "But it'll carry you to your first real battle."
Kael nodded slowly. "...Thank you."
It was the first time Garron had ever seen the boy mean those words.
_____________________________________________________
POV: Selene
He's becoming dangerous, she thought.
Not just to enemies.
To everyone.
And she liked it.
_______________________________________________________
POV: Kael (That Night)
He stood alone on the ridge outside the village, Broodfang resting across his shoulders, eyes fixed on the moon.
The shadow it cast was long. Too long.
His system pulsed again.
System Message — Bloodline Evolution Path Preview (Partial)
🧬 Shadow Reaper – Lineage Trace ConfirmedClass Awakening Path Available Upon 12th Birthday
➤ Future Abilities Preview (Locked):‣ [???] Shadow Gate‣ [???] Elemental Reap‣ [???] Soul Bind
Current Progress: 19.2%Class Trait Compatibility: 38%
He smiled faintly.
"Not long now," he whispered.
And the wind whispered back.
"Reap… or be reaped."
___________________________________________-
POV: Celestial Realm – Hall of Heralds
A High Oracle opened a scroll in horror.
"The bloodline echo has resurfaced," she whispered. "The Devourer's child lives."
Behind her, a celestial mirror flared crimson for the first time in a thousand years.
And in the silent void, a locked soul stirred.
End of Chapter 10