The morning sun broke through the ancient mist, its light pale and uncertain — as if the heavens themselves watched the boy in silence.
My body still trembled. I could feel the echo of the dream — that crimson ocean, those divine voices whispering my name.
They called me the Collector.
But I was just a boy. A child abandoned by fate.
When I opened my eyes, strange symbols glowed beneath my skin — golden threads pulsing like veins of light.
They weren't mine.
They belonged to something… older.
A surge of pain tore through me. My blood burned as if molten fire raced through every vessel. I could hear whispers again — clearer this time.
> "Accept it… devour the weak… rise beyond mortals…"
And then, I saw it — a fragment of a beast's soul, floating before me, shimmering in red.
The Bloodline of the Crimson Wolf — the first of many.
My instincts moved before my thoughts. I reached out.
The fragment shot into my chest.
For a heartbeat, the world froze.
Then—
BOOM!
A scarlet aura exploded around me, shaking the ground and carving marks into the temple stones. My vision sharpened; my heartbeat synchronized with a distant howl that seemed to come from within my own soul.
I could feel the wolf inside me — its hunger, its pride, its power.
And with that bond… I knew.
This was only the beginning.
The path of the Celestial Lineage Collector had begun.
And I would gather them all — one by one — until even the heavens would kneel.
I thought the storm within me had finally calmed...
But then — the ground beneath my feet cracked.
Ancient symbols ignited across the floor, forming a glowing seal.
From its center… a voice echoed.
> "So, you've taken the Wolf's bloodline…"
"Let's see if you're worthy of the Dragon's."
My heart froze — and the world around me began to tremble once more.
Next: The Test of the Dragon's Vein 🩸