The corpse of the Executioner twitched once before going still, his massive axe splitting the floor where it lay.
The hall was silent. Too silent.
Noctis stood among the ruin, Gravesong dripping crimson in his hand. The blade pulsed, veins glowing brighter than ever, its hum resonant with something deeper now — a hunger that no longer belonged only to him.
He narrowed his eyes. Crimson Eye of Revelation.
Runes flared across the katana.
Item Evolution Preview: Gravesong
Stage: Unique Weapon — Saint-Bone Core (Evolving)
Absorbed Essences: Captain's Faith, Priest's Chant, Executioner's Blood Oath
Core Properties:
Bone-Edge (Refined): Cuts with marrow density equal to sacred steel.
Faith-Scarred (Empowered): +40% damage vs. faith-armored foes.
Exsanguinate Conduit (Amplified): +25% damage multiplier when skill channeled.
Blood Resonance: +10% crit chance for 30 seconds after elite kills.
New Evolution Paths Unlocked:
Iron Tempering (Cost: 10 Iron Essence + 60 Blood) → Hardened into blood-steel, durability unbreakable.
Soul Tempering (Cost: 2 Soul Essence + 40 Blood) → Awaken saint's memory, phantom echoes in combat.
Reliquary Fusion (Locked — Requires Marrow Forge Tier III) → Bind multiple essences into a relic weapon, irreversible.
The runes flickered and dimmed.
Noctis exhaled slowly, Gravesong balanced across his shoulder. The decision was there — three doors waiting. His lips curved faintly.
"Not yet."
He slid the blade back into its sheath, letting the hum fade to a whisper.
The silence pressed harder.
Sense Pulse.
The ripple spread. The zealots were gone. No flickering sparks of life in the hall. But deeper in, something stirred. Not sparks. Not flames. Shapes. Heavy. Unstable.
The air stank of marrow and rot.
Noctis tilted his head. His smile deepened.
"Something different."
Chains rattled faintly in the dark ahead. Wet sounds, like meat dragged across stone.
The cathedral breathed.
Not with wind, nor with prayer, but with the slow, steady pulse of marrow in the stone. The walls glistened faintly, veins of crimson running through black rock. Chains rattled somewhere in the dark, dragged by things unseen.
Noctis walked in silence, Gravesong balanced across his shoulder. Its veins pulsed faintly, answering the beat of the cathedral itself.
The Executioner was dead, but the cathedral had not emptied. Something deeper waited. Something not human.
Sense Pulse.
The ripple spread, but it did not return sparks of life. No flames. No embers. Instead, shapes. Heavy. Misshapen. Blurred.
His smile sharpened.
He stopped at the edge of a collapsed stairwell, settling Gravesong before him. Crimson runes flickered across his eyes as he willed the Blood Grid open.
Blood Grid Review — Resource Update
(totals hidden until now, the system finally called forth)
Blood Essence: 328
Faith Essence: 78
Iron Essence: 17
Soul Essence: 6
Wraith Essence: 1
Apex Essence: 1
The lattice pulsed with power, brighter than it had ever been. New branches glowed faintly, unlocked by the blood of Captains, Priests, and the Executioner.
Available Upgrades
Gravesong Evolution Paths:
Iron Tempering (10 Iron + 60 Blood) → Harden bone into blood-steel, raising base damage and durability.
Soul Tempering (2 Soul + 40 Blood) → Awaken saint's echoes, blade may unleash phantom strikes.
Reliquary Fusion (Locked — requires Marrow Forge Tier III) → Bind essences into relic form, irreversible.
Tier II Skills Newly Visible:
Blood Chains (22 Blood + 5 Iron) → Extend Crimson Grasp into binding tendrils.
Blood Echo (20 Blood) → Expand Sense Pulse, marking targets through walls.
Anointed Husk (20 Blood + 8 Faith) → Sanctified Shroud strengthens into false divine ward.
Assassin's Surge (18 Blood + 5 Faith) → Silent Rend chains into multiple executions.
Tier III Preview:
Bloodstorm (28 Blood + 8 Iron) → AoE crimson eruption.
Marrow Forge (40 Blood + 12 Iron) → Unlocks relic-grade forging.
The runes dimmed. Noctis rested his claws against Gravesong's hilt, smirking faintly.
"So many doors."
The katana pulsed in answer, as though waiting for him to choose.
Chains rattled again in the dark. Wet footsteps echoed on stone.
Something was coming.
Noctis's smile widened.
"Then let's prepare properly."
He reached into the lattice, essence burning bright as he moved to select his next path.
The Blood Grid pulsed brighter than ever, veins of crimson light webbing outward in infinite branches. Noctis stood at its center, claws twitching.
"So many options," he murmured. "Let's see how far we can open them."
He reached first toward the lattice surrounding Gravesong.
The node burned white-hot. Soul essence poured into the blade. Noctis hissed as spectral fire crawled down his arm.
Gravesong trembled violently, crimson veins igniting brighter until they seared like molten lines. For an instant, the air shimmered with phantoms — the faint silhouettes of the saint's memory, echoes of chains and prayers screaming in the distance.
The blade steadied, its edge sharper, hungrier. Noctis's lips curved.
"Sing with me."
He touched the next node, one branching from Silent Rend. His chest lurched as if his heart had been ripped sideways, multiplied.
The Grid flared. For a heartbeat, Noctis split into three overlapping silhouettes, each with Gravesong raised. They moved together, then folded back into one.
His breath was sharp, his smile sharper. "Now it chains."
The lattice surged, tethering itself to Sense Pulse. Noctis gasped as another heartbeat struck within him — not his own, but a second pulse, fainter yet sharper.
His vision blurred. In the dark stone around him, walls seemed transparent. Behind them, faint glimmers of sparks stirred. Enemies that weren't yet here. Enemies that would be.
He exhaled. "Marked. Hunted."
The Grid screamed. Essence burned, flowing into his veins like fire. Noctis dropped to one knee, claws digging into the stone. Blood erupted from his pores before searing back into him, veins glowing red-hot.
A storm raged within his chest — thousands of droplets suspended, then collapsing into one.
He rose slowly, eyes burning gold-crimson. "A storm to drown you all."
Faith essence dissolved into his blood. The Grid folded over him like a cloak, weaving symbols across his skin. For a moment, the air reeked of incense, holy oil, false sanctity.
The veil shimmered, painting him in divine mimicry. His form flickered with the faint illusion of a priest's ward.
He chuckled darkly. "Even gods will mistake me."
The last node flared. Pain lanced his arms as crimson cords burst from his forearms, phantom tendrils lashing out across the Grid.
He roared as they coiled, snapped, then retracted into him, leaving a burning itch beneath his skin.
Chains of blood now coiled just beneath the surface, waiting to bind prey.
The lattice dimmed, its power burned into him.
Noctis straightened. Gravesong pulsed faintly in his grip, its Soul-tempered edge humming with phantom voices. Around him, his shadow deepened; his aura thickened with the weight of six new powers braided into his flesh.
The silence pressed closer. Chains rattled faintly in the dark. Wet, heavy sounds dragged across the stone ahead.
Noctis tilted the blade across his shoulder, eyes gleaming gold-crimson.
"Good timing."
The silence collapsed.
Chains screamed in the dark, tearing from stone. The floor trembled beneath Noctis's boots as dust sifted from the vaulted ceiling.
He stepped forward, Gravesong humming faintly. Crimson light bled from the bone-white blade, its phantom echoes whispering with hungry impatience.
Sense Pulse.
The ripple spread — but what returned was not sparks of life. It was one massive, distorted flame. Too large for a man. Too steady for a beast.
The chamber ahead yawned open, vast and round, its walls carved from marrow-veined stone. Chains stretched across the dome like a spider's web, binding something at the center.
It stirred.
A mass of flesh stitched from a hundred zealots, arms fused into wings of bone, ribs protruding like spears. Its torso was a cathedral unto itself — open ribcage lit with the faint glow of scripture runes etched into beating organs. Dozens of faces pressed through its skin, mouths gasping prayers, screams, and madness.
The Reliquary Horror.
The High Abbot's "gift" — a living reliquary forged from centuries of offerings.
Its heads screamed in unison, a chorus of agony. The chains snapped.
The Horror surged forward.
Noctis moved first. Blood Chains.
Tendrils burst from his arms, lashing across the chamber. They coiled around the Horror's limbs, sinking into corrupted flesh.
The monster shrieked as its wings of bone snapped inward, the chains tearing chunks of meat and scripture free.
[+18 Blood Essence | +4 Faith Essence]
It wrenched free, lunging. A claw like a jagged pillar slammed toward him. Noctis blurred — Wraith Step — reappearing at its flank.
Silent Rend.
Gravesong whispered across the abomination's side, severing a line of stitched faces.
Silent Rend critical slash
Damage: 1,482 (Crit)
Reliquary Horror HP: 24,000 → 22,518
Blood erupted, spraying across the chamber. The severed faces screamed as they dissolved into husks.
[+12 Blood Essence | +2 Faith Essence]
The Horror howled, spinning, its bone wings smashing pews into splinters. Noctis leapt high, landing atop the chains overhead. His eyes glowed, golden slits narrowing.
"Let's drown you."
He raised Gravesong. His veins lit crimson.
Bloodstorm.
The chamber erupted.
Every drop of blood spilled across the cathedral floor rose screaming into the air, coiling into a cyclone of razors. The storm tore across the Horror, shredding its wings, ripping flesh from its ribs.
Bloodstorm AoE strike
Damage: 1,024 per wave × 3
Reliquary Horror HP: 22,518 → 19,446
Chunks of scripture-branded flesh ripped free, slamming wetly against the walls. Each fragment twitched, faces still muttering prayers. Noctis descended, cleaving them apart.
[+9 Blood Essence | +1 Faith Essence][+8 Blood Essence][+10 Blood Essence | +1 Iron Essence]
The Horror roared, scripture runes igniting in its ribs. A wave of holy fire burst outward, scorching the floor.
Reliquary Fire Pulse
Damage: 436 (Holy, AoE)
Noctis HP: 2,400 → 1,964
He staggered, cloak smoking, skin sizzling. His wounds knit instantly as crimson light swarmed his flesh.
Sanguine Recovery healed +214 HPNoctis HP: 1,964 → 2,178
He spat blood, grinning.
"Better."
⚔️ Execution Flow
The Horror lunged again. Noctis vanished — Ghost Vein erased him. The abomination's claws struck empty air.
He reappeared at its back. Gravesong pulsed, phantom echoes splitting from him. Assassin's Surge.
Three silhouettes lunged with him.
Multi-execution chain
Damage: 724 + 756 + 811
Reliquary Horror HP: 19,446 → 17,155
The Horror shrieked as its spine split, phantom cuts tearing through its marrow.
[+15 Blood Essence | +2 Faith Essence]
The monster reeled, dozens of faces screaming from its torso. Noctis raised Gravesong, crimson storm coiling tighter around him.
Exsanguinate.
The Horror convulsed. Blood ripped free from every face, every organ, every stitch. Streams of crimson tore into the katana, filling its veins until they blazed like molten rivers.
Exsanguinate drain
Damage: 1,888 (Amplified Conduit)
Reliquary Horror HP: 17,155 → 15,267
Noctis HP: +566 restored → 2,400 (cap)
Husks dropped from the monster's torso, their mouths still moving silently as they withered to ash.
[+32 Blood Essence | +6 Faith Essence | +1 Soul Essence]
The Horror staggered, but it did not fall. It bellowed, scripture burning hotter in its ribs.
Noctis licked blood from his fangs, eyes gleaming gold-crimson.
"Good. You'll last a little longer."
The Reliquary Horror charged again.
The sanctum doors split apart with the shriek of tearing scripture. Dust poured from the cracks. Beyond lay a single figure, crucified against a wall of bone and gold.
A Saint.
Its body was stretched thin, pale as stone, every limb bound in chains engraved with wards. Its mouth was sewn shut with golden thread, chest glowing with a pulse of divine light. The chamber itself stank of sanctity, thick enough to suffocate lesser beings.
Noctis stepped into the sanctum, Gravesong vibrating faintly at his side. His lips curled into a smirk.
"Finally."
The Saint stirred. Its eyes opened—hollow, glowing white—and the chains rattled.
The veins under Noctis's skin flared. He pressed his claw into the stone.
Hemorrhage Field.
The floor ruptured, crimson veins crawling across every direction. The Saint convulsed as blood forced its way through scars and seams. Drops of red ran from its eyes and from the points where chains pierced its body.
Continuous Bleed: 120/sec
HP: 40,000 → 39,880
Noctis raised his hand. Blood surged, rising into a tidal wave.
Blood Flood.
The crimson tide roared across the chamber, battering against the Saint's wards. The scripture flared, glowing with holy fire—but the pressure of the wave cracked them.
Damage: 1,440 AoE (Amplified)
HP: 39,880 → 38,440
The Saint screamed through its sewn mouth, a muffled wail of light. Chains trembled, releasing bursts of sanctity into the air.
Noctis laughed, extending his palm.
"Drink."
A black chalice formed in his hand, veins dripping. The Chalice of Apostasy devoured the light as it burst outward.
[Divine Ward Devoured][+25 Blood Essence | +8 Faith Essence]
The Saint's glow dimmed, its wards collapsing one by one.
The ground cracked again. A pillar of crimson veins erupted, towering upward.
Soul Spire.
Blood arts roared louder, his entire arsenal surging with 30% amplification.
Noctis spread his arms.
Bloodstorm.
The storm ripped into being. Crimson droplets spun into razors, howling as they tore across the chamber. Chains split. Flesh shredded. The Saint flailed against its bonds, glowing brighter.
Damage: 1,456 ×3
HP: 38,440 → 34,072
[+12 Blood Essence | +2 Faith Essence][+9 Blood Essence | +1 Iron Essence]
The Saint thrashed harder. Its chest flared like a sun and expelled a wave of holy fire.
The blast seared the chamber. Stone cracked, chains heated red, and the smell of burning marrow filled the air.
Damage: 472 (Holy AoE)
Noctis HP: 2,400 → 1,928
Noctis's veins pulsed.
Sanguine Recovery.
Crimson light sealed the burns, skin knitting shut.+242 HP restored → HP: 2,170
He chuckled. "Better."
Noctis lunged. The Mourning Star swung in a brutal arc.
The relic weapon smashed into the Saint's chest, marrow burn igniting in bursts of crimson flame. Bone cracked, light sprayed.
Damage: 2,212 (Faith Breaker Crit)
HP: 34,072 → 31,860
Spectral chains erupted, binding the Saint's arms tighter.
"Now you can't move," Noctis muttered.
He followed with Gravesong. The katana's veins flared as he invoked Exsanguinate II.
Streams of blood ripped from the Saint's body—from its pores, from its chest, even from the cracks in its glowing heart. All of it screamed into the blade.
Damage: 3,622 (Amplified Conduit)
HP: 31,860 → 28,238
Noctis HP: fully restored → 2,400
[+32 Blood Essence | +6 Faith Essence]
The Saint reeled. Its light flickered. Chains trembled.
At 50% health, the sanctum roared.
The golden threads sealing the Saint's mouth snapped one by one. With a wet tear, its jaws opened, and it screamed.
The sound was not a voice—it was a divine howl, a wave of despair that crashed through the chamber. The stone walls cracked. Noctis staggered a half step, his vision blurring.
[Despair Aura] — Mental suppression.
But his veins burned spectral. Spectral Vein absorbed the assault, dispersing it through his body. He straightened, smirking.
"Try harder."
Chains tore free of the walls, slashing outward.
Radiant Chainstorm.
Golden scripture whips lashed in all directions, tearing furrows into the floor. Noctis blurred. Ghost Vein erased his form, reappearing behind the Saint.
The Mourning Star crashed again, breaking one of the Saint's arms at the elbow.
Damage: 1,622 (Bone-Steel Impact)
HP: 28,238 → 26,616
Chains struck back. One slammed across his ribs.
Damage: 388 (Holy Chain)
Noctis HP: 2,400 → 2,012
Noctis growled, rolling his shoulder.
The Saint flared brighter, casting Saint's Beacon. Light pulsed outward, searing the floor and unraveling crimson veins.
Hemorrhage Field flickered under the glare.
Noctis snarled. "My field."
He slammed his claw into the stone again. Veins spread anew, overriding the sanctity. The Saint screamed as new cuts opened across its body.
Continuous Bleed: 180/sec (Amplified)
HP: 26,616 → 26,436
Noctis spread his arms wide. The field pooled into a wave. Blood Flood roared upward, slamming into the Saint.
Damage: 1,622 AoE
HP: 26,436 → 24,814
The crimson tide dissolved into a cyclone. Bloodstorm ripped across the chamber again.
Damage: 1,512 ×2
HP: 24,814 → 21,790
The Saint staggered, body half shattered.
Noctis blurred forward. Gravesong rose, veins blazing.
"Die."
Piercing Fang.
The katana drove through the Saint's chest, piercing the glowing core.
Damage: 3,224 (Critical Penetration)
HP: 21,790 → 18,566
The Saint convulsed, light sputtering.
Exsanguinate II.
Blood and light ripped free in streams, pouring into Gravesong. The phantom echoes shrieked, their choir swelling.
Damage: 4,112 (Amplified Drain)
HP: 18,566 → 14,454
Noctis HP: fully restored → 2,400
[+44 Blood Essence | +8 Faith Essence]
The Saint stumbled, chest split wide, light leaking like molten gold.
Noctis walked forward, golden eyes blazing.
"I told you. I only want revenge."
He raised Gravesong overhead and brought it down in one final strike.
Damage: 6,210 (Fatal Execution)
HP: 14,454 → 0
The Saint convulsed once, then dissolved into ash.
Essence Gained [Bound Saint Devoured]
+210 Blood Essence
+65 Faith Essence
+15 Iron Essence
+5 Soul Essence
+1 Wraith Essence
The sanctum fell silent. Gravesong glowed crimson-gold, phantom choir screaming in victory. Noctis lowered the blade slowly, veins burning with fresh power.
"Next," he whispered.
The ash still drifted in the sanctum air. The last fragments of the bound Saint scattered across the floor, vanishing into nothing.
Noctis stood at the center, chest rising and falling in steady rhythm. Gravesong glowed faintly in his hand, veins pulsing with crimson-gold light. The phantom choir within it hissed, restless, eager for more.
He raised the blade, tilted it once, then slid it across his back. The chamber was his. The chains were broken.
And before him, the altar waited.
The sanctum altar rose from the floor like a spine of bone. It was not carved, but grown—formed from fused saint-ribs and scripture stone, its surface covered in grooves etched with blood. Ancient wards glimmered across its face, golden chains of text floating in the air.
Noctis approached, cloak dragging across the floor. Each step echoed against the silence. His golden eyes traced the wards.
He extended his claw, brushing the edge. The wards hissed. Sparks of sanctity burned against his skin.
Noctis smirked.
"Let's see how you fare against me."
He raised his palm. The Chalice of Apostasy manifested, black veins dripping from its rim. The golden wards shimmered in defiance.
The chalice drank.
Sanctity threads screamed as they unraveled, flowing into the vessel, then into Noctis's veins.
[Divine Ward Devoured][+18 Blood Essence | +7 Faith Essence]
The first layer fell.
Gravesong whispered in his ear. He drew it, wreathed in pale light. Eucharist Blade.
The weapon's false sanctity pulsed. Noctis drove it into the altar's surface. Instead of resistance, the wards yielded, mistaking the strike for divine. Cracks split the altar face.
Another ward shattered.
The altar groaned. A compartment slid open. Inside lay three relics, resting in pools of dried blood.
Blood Scripture Tablet — a fragment of crimson stone, etched with veins that pulsed faintly. Lines of runes scrawled across its face.
Reliquary Fragments — shards of saint-bone, marrow glimmering faintly, veins engraved by scripture.
Sealed Icon — a lump of gold-bound marrow, its surface chained by micro-scripture.
Noctis crouched, lifting the tablet first.
Revelation Eye Activated.
Item: Blood Scripture Tablet
Type: Consumable Lore-Fragment
Effect: Unlocks a unique Grid Node when absorbed.
Inscription: "The saints are not ascended. They are bound, their light fed to the chalice, their marrow stored for the god unborn."
Warning: Consuming now will alter Blood Grid permanently.
Noctis narrowed his eyes. "So. You were batteries, not saints."
He smirked and pocketed it. "I'll save this one."
He picked up the shards. Marrow glowed faintly, iron scent thick.
Item: Reliquary Fragments (x3)
Type: Forging Material
Effect: Usable in Marrow Forge. Enhances weapons or armor by embedding saint-bone.
Synergy: Stacks with Sanguine Crucible. Can reinforce Gravesong or Mourning Star.
Noctis turned them in his palm, veins pulsing across his skin. Gravesong thrummed eagerly at the sight.
"You'll get your turn," he muttered, sliding them into his cloak.
Last was the gold-bound lump. Its chains hissed faintly.
Item: Sealed Icon
Type: Relic Core (Bound)
Effect: Locked. Requires Chalice of Apostasy (Tier II) or higher to unseal.
Warning: Attempting to force open prematurely may trigger backlash.
Noctis tilted his head. The chalice in his hand pulsed faintly, not yet strong enough to drink it.
"Later, then. You'll be mine eventually."
He slid the Icon back into its compartment.
Behind the relics, etched across the altar wall, lines of scripture glowed faintly. Noctis leaned close, eyes narrowing as he read.
"Those who call themselves saints are chained not to ascend but to bleed. Their marrow fuels the altar, their light siphoned into the womb of the Unborn God."
"Every bound one is a vessel. Every vessel a seed. When the chalice overflows, the god will walk."
Noctis straightened slowly. His lips curled into a smile."So you're nothing but cattle for your unborn master."
He laughed quietly, golden eyes burning."And I'll drink every last drop before he wakes."
As the wards faded and relics yielded, essence bled into the chamber. The altar itself cracked, releasing streams of crimson light. They poured into Noctis's veins, Gravesong thrumming as it drank.
[+36 Blood Essence | +12 Faith Essence | +4 Iron Essence]
Noctis lowered himself onto the altar steps, Gravesong resting across his knees. The blade pulsed faintly, its phantom choir whispering louder than ever.
He tapped the Blood Scripture Tablet against the blade, veins glowing."Soon. I'll open the Grid again. But first—" he looked toward the sealed icon, still glowing faintly—"I want to know what you're hiding."
The sanctum was silent. No enemies came. Only the whisper of blood, marrow, and scripture echoed in the air.
Noctis leaned back, cloak pooling around him, and closed his eyes for a moment.
The sanctum was still. Only the ash of the Saint lingered, whispering as it scattered into the air. Noctis sat on the altar steps, Gravesong across his knees, cloak pooling around him. His golden eyes glowed faintly as he drew the tablet from his cloak.
The Blood Scripture Tablet pulsed, veins glowing across its surface. It burned in his palm like a living heart, script bleeding faint light through the cracks.
He turned it slowly, lips curling into a sharp smile."You were never saints. Just cattle. Bound and bled for an unborn god."
The runes on the tablet flickered, angry and defiant.
Noctis chuckled. "And now you'll bleed for me."
He raised the shard to his lips and bit down. The stone cracked like bone. Veins of crimson light burst across his face, down his neck, into his chest.
The tablet dissolved into his veins.
Pain ignited. Scripture seared itself into his marrow. Golden lines carved across his skin, weaving together with the crimson glow of his vampiric essence. He fell forward onto his hands, teeth bared as the phantom choir in Gravesong shrieked with him.
The Blood Grid erupted in his mind, brighter than ever. New veins spread across it, unfamiliar, alien. They pulsed in both crimson and gold.
And then the voice came. Not divine. Not holy. A curse masquerading as scripture.
"Every vein is a verse. Every verse, an ending. You are the Testament. You are the Gospel written in ash."
Noctis roared, veins blazing, eyes burning with twin flames of gold and red.
A new branch split from the lattice, pulsing with scripture-etched light.
New Path: Crimson Testament
Unique Branch unlocked via Blood Scripture Tablet
Testament Brand (Cost: 40 Blood + 12 Faith)
Marks enemies struck. Their veins rupture every few seconds, bleeding faster the longer they remain branded. Regeneration suppressed.
Vein Rupture (Cost: 55 Blood + 15 Faith + 6 Iron)
Strikes target marrow directly. Vampires and titans take amplified bleed stacks; bone and vein channels collapse under repeated blows.
Scripture Veins (Passive) (Cost: 70 Blood + 20 Faith + 1 Soul)
Noctis's veins glow with holy scripture. Vampires within range feel compelled toward him, dragged into combat. Cannot disengage.
Oath of Ash (Finisher) (Cost: 90 Blood + 25 Faith + 1 Wraith)
Final execution skill. Enemies slain under Testament effects collapse into scripture-etched ash. Cannot resurrect.
The nodes blazed before him, alive with hunger. He exhaled slowly, cloak stirring in the dead air of the sanctum.
"So this is what you were hiding. Not prayers. Not salvation." He rose, Gravesong glowing against his back. "But the scripture of slaughter."
He clenched his fist. His veins lit from within, golden words etched across crimson rivers. He could feel it—his blood had changed. No longer only vampiric. Now every drop was scripture, a curse to kin.
He spread his claws across the Grid. Essence burned.
Testament Brand unlocked.[Cost: 40 Blood + 12 Faith][Blood Essence: 635 → 595 | Faith Essence: 130 → 118]
The mark carved itself into his palm. His claws glowed faintly gold, scripture-lines waiting to burn into enemies with every strike.
Noctis smirked, flexing his fingers. "The first verse."
Blood Essence: 595
Faith Essence: 118
Iron Essence: 27
Soul Essence: 7
Wraith Essence: 2
Apex Essence: 1
New Path: Crimson Testament
Unlocked Skill: Testament Brand
The sanctum's silence pressed in again, but now it felt different. His blood burned scripture in his veins. He stood on the altar, eyes turned toward the cracked walls. Beyond them lay more zealots, more cultists, more kin.
Noctis licked his fangs. "I'll carve the rest of the verses from their marrow."
He stepped down, Gravesong humming, the phantom choir now joined by a scripture-hymn burning in his blood.
The altar still glowed with the fading light of the Blood Scripture Tablet. Noctis remained kneeling, his veins alight with scripture, Gravesong resting across his knees. His breathing was calm, steady, but inside his body the Grid screamed for release.
He exhaled and opened it.
The Blood Grid flared across his vision, crimson veins threading outward in infinite patterns. This time, however, it was not only crimson. Gold scripture burned through the lattice, carving new paths. At the center, a fresh branch pulsed with a light that was both holy and profane: the Crimson Testament.
His lips curved. "You're first."
The nodes shimmered. He reached for the first one.
Testament Brand he already bore. His claws still glowed faintly with scripture, waiting to carve marks into kin. He pushed further.
The next node blazed open.
Vein Rupture unlocked.[Cost: 55 Blood + 15 Faith + 6 Iron][595 Blood → 540 | 118 Faith → 103 | 27 Iron → 21]
Agony tore through him as every vein in his body lit up, twisting, hardening. He felt his strikes sink not just into flesh but into marrow itself. In his mind's eye, vampires screamed as their veins ruptured under his claws.
He laughed softly. "Perfect."
He pressed on.
Scripture Veins unlocked.[Cost: 70 Blood + 20 Faith + 1 Soul][540 Blood → 470 | 103 Faith → 83 | 7 Soul → 6]
Golden light flared across his arms, carving scripture into his veins. His skin glowed as words bled beneath the surface, running with his blood. He felt it at once: vampires would be unable to flee him now. His presence was scripture, an execution order etched into the marrow of his kind.
His grin widened, fangs glinting. "Nowhere to run."
The last node at the end of the branch pulsed.
Oath of Ash unlocked.[Cost: 90 Blood + 25 Faith + 1 Wraith][470 Blood → 380 | 83 Faith → 58 | 2 Wraith → 1]
The altar shook. His veins seared, and for an instant his whole body split into ash and reformed, every fragment of him carrying scripture. When he struck down vampires now, their bodies would burn to ash, scripture scrawled across the dust. No resurrection. No return.
He stood trembling, grinning with delight.
"The final verse."
The Grid still roared. He pressed on.
Marrow Spikes unlocked.[Cost: 24 Blood + 6 Iron][380 Blood → 356 | 21 Iron → 15]
Bone spines burst briefly from his arms before retracting, itching to launch. His muscles hummed with the promise of jagged projectiles.
Spectral Vein already unlocked.
Eucharist Blade already unlocked.
He turned deeper.
Hemorrhage Field already unlocked.
Bloodstorm already his.
He felt for another.
Soul Spire reinforcement — Node awakened.[Cost: 55 Blood + 15 Faith + 2 Soul][356 Blood → 301 | 58 Faith → 43 | 6 Soul → 4]
The phantom tower erupted in his chest, brighter than before. He felt the amplification spike, blood arts screaming louder in his veins.
Another node gleamed.
Chalice of Apostasy reinforcement — Node awakened.[Cost: 70 Blood + 20 Faith][301 Blood → 231 | 43 Faith → 23]
The chalice appeared in his palm, larger, darker, veins dripping endlessly. He could feel it now: whole wards, whole fields of sanctity, could be devoured in one gulp.
Still more essence burned. He let it bleed into another path.
Veil of Piety reinforcement unlocked.[Cost: 40 Blood + 10 Faith][231 Blood → 191 | 23 Faith → 13]
The old saintly veil around him thickened, but now it warped, scripture twisting into crimson edges. It would shield him as he slaughtered, mockery of the faith that once wielded it.
He pressed one last claw forward, feeding the last of his iron and blood into the lattice.
Marrow Forge expansion unlocked.[Cost: 60 Blood + 12 Iron + 1 Soul][191 Blood → 131 | 13 Faith → 13 | 15 Iron → 3 | 4 Soul → 3]
The phantom forge within him roared. He saw weapons of marrow and scripture flash before his eyes. Gravesong and the Mourning Star pulsed in harmony, hungry to be reforged again with saint-bone.
The Grid dimmed. The veins of light across his vision thinned, fading back into silence. He exhaled slowly, sweat steaming off his skin, cloak settling across his shoulders.
He looked down at his hands. His veins glowed faintly gold-crimson, scripture running beneath his skin. His blood had been rewritten.
Noctis straightened, Gravesong humming at his side, phantom choir joined now by scripture-hymns.
All Essence spent.
Blood Essence: 0
Faith Essence: 0
Iron Essence: 0
Soul Essence: 3
Wraith Essence: 1
Apex Essence: 1
New Skills Unlocked:
Crimson Testament branch complete: Testament Brand, Vein Rupture, Scripture Veins, Oath of Ash.
Tier II/III expansions: Marrow Spikes, Soul Spire (reinforced), Chalice of Apostasy (reinforced), Veil of Piety (reinforced).
Marrow Forge expansion unlocked.
Noctis stepped down from the altar, scripture blazing under his skin. He flexed his claws, feeling the Testament burn through every vein.
"Now I am the gospel," he murmured, his voice echoing with both blood and scripture. "And every verse ends in ash."