The courtyard had emptied hours ago. Torches flickered in the cold evening breeze, casting long shadows across the stone walls. Kael remained crouched behind the academy's outer gate, far from the eyes of peers and elders. He could still feel it, the lingering hum of power coursing through his veins.
He flexed his fingers experimentally, and for the first time, the crimson warmth responded to his thoughts. A drop of blood fell from a small scratch on his palm, and it glimmered faintly, almost as if the air itself recognized it.
"Absorb… evolve… survive…"
Kael blinked. The voice or was it a presence? was calm yet insistent. Trembling, he touched the blood, feeling a surge ripple through his body. His senses sharpened: the distant hoot of an owl, the rustle of leaves, even the faint heartbeat of a rat scuttling nearby.
He gasped, staggering backward. His breathing was heavier than before, but it carried strength he had never known. This… this isn't a spirit… it's something else.
The whispers guided him. Slowly, Kael tested the effect, dipping his finger into the blood again, willing it to enhance his speed. The rat froze mid-step, then bolted, leaving him with an exhilarating clarity: he could sense life around him, read its rhythms.
Hours passed, or perhaps minutes. Time felt strange under the influence of the Genesis. Kael experimented cautiously, finding that small cuts on his skin amplified his connection to the power. He had no idea why, but instinct told him to trust it.
Suddenly, a sound made him freeze: a low, metallic clang from the training yard. Shadows shifted unnaturally in the torchlight. Someone, or something was moving toward him. Kael's heartbeat accelerated, but the whispers reassured him:
"Adapt. Survive."
Before he could retreat, a figure emerged from the darkness, a senior student, one of the academy's prodigies. His eyes widened, likely expecting to find Kael curled in despair. Instead, Kael stood tall, his body trembling slightly, a faint crimson glow pulsing along the veins in his hands.
"You… what are you doing here?" the student demanded. His voice carried authority, but uncertainty cracked through it.
Kael swallowed hard. "Nothing… just… walking." His voice sounded braver than he felt.
The student's eyes narrowed. "Walking at night, alone, after failing the Awakening? Sounds like trouble." He stepped closer, the torchlight illuminating his sharp features.
Kael's hand twitched, almost unconsciously. A surge of power responded, and he realized that he didn't have to fear this boy. He could fight. Not out of cruelty, not yet, but to survive.
A small cut appeared on his palm as if the Genesis demanded it. He flexed his fingers, and the glow flared slightly. The student blinked. His hand paused mid-step, a subtle unease creeping across his confident expression.
"Is that… blood?" he whispered, incredulous.
Kael didn't answer. Instead, he focused inward, feeling the pulse, the hum, the ancient rhythm of power awakening within him. The whispers were clearer now:
"Blood is life. Blood is power. Blood is Genesis."
The student stepped back slowly, eyes wide, realizing this was no ordinary failure. Kael's failed Awakening had hidden something far greater, something terrifyingly unique.
By the time the boy ran off to fetch an elder, Kael's glow had faded. The courtyard was silent again, save for his heavy breaths and the whispers echoing inside his mind.
Kael sank to his knees, exhaustion mixing with exhilaration. For the first time, he didn't feel like a failure. He felt… alive. He had power, real power, and it was only the beginning.
> If the world will not accept me… I will rise in the shadows, stronger than anyone can imagine.
The Genesis had awakened. And Kael's journey into blood, power, and destiny had truly begun.