The following morning brought no peace to Eclipse Ascension Academy. Students whispered nervously as rumors spread—blood anomalies, Bronze-ranked victories, and the mysterious Bronze initiate capable of defying suppression wards. The air was thick with tension, a low hum of mana vibrating beneath the stone floors.
Cael Ardyn walked silently through the corridors, accompanied by Selene. Each step was deliberate, measured, alert. He could sense the faint ripple of intent, like insects crawling through the veins of the building. Something—or someone—was watching them.
"You feel it too, don't you?" Selene asked quietly. "Like someone is close… but invisible."
Cael nodded. "Yes. They are probing. The families are growing impatient. Someone has been sent to assess… or eliminate. Stay close. Do not panic."
Within the sprawling halls, a figure cloaked in the deep red of a Silvercrest operative moved with absolute silence. His eyes, trained in both aura detection and subtle mana sensing, scanned the area meticulously.
The Bronze initiate, he thought, they say he defies all known rules. If the legends are true… I must see it with my own eyes.
The operative, skilled in assassination and infiltration, slipped into an observation corridor just above the training chambers. From there, he watched as Cael demonstrated the subtle manipulation of blood to Selene—guiding a small crimson ribbon through the air, circumventing suppression wards, striking a floating training construct with absolute precision.
Impossible, the operative muttered under his breath. Even the Gold-ranked cannot control life essence like that.
"Concentration," Cael murmured, guiding Selene through her first live trial. She faced a group of small mana constructs—automated, moving targets with irregular patterns designed to mimic unpredictable attacks. Her ribbon of blood swirled elegantly, intercepting and disabling each construct with controlled strikes.
"Excellent," Cael said quietly. "You are beginning to understand. Do not rely on force. Rely on understanding."
Selene's chest heaved with exertion, but her eyes shone with determination. "I… I can feel it now. The blood obeys me… even through the suppression."
A faint shimmer across the room betrayed the Silvercrest operative's presence. Cael's senses flared subtly—the rhythm of blood pulsing faintly, off-beat with the ambient life around him. Not strong, but detectable.
"Stay alert," Cael whispered. "Someone watches."
Selene's hand tightened around the blood ribbon. Do I fight, or wait? she wondered.
The operative, emboldened, descended silently into the chamber. His aura radiated faintly, enough for Cael to detect the subtle discrepancy without looking directly. The student could have panicked—most would have—but Selene stood firm, ready to follow her teacher's instructions.
Cael's crimson pulse intensified slightly, a faint shimmer of blood weaving just beneath his skin.
"Observe," he said softly. "This is the first lesson in using blood to manipulate the battlefield under threat."
A drop of blood escaped his fingertip, not enough to injure, but enough to animate into a thin, nearly invisible filament. It spiraled outward, sensing the operative's heartbeat and circulation. Within seconds, it had wrapped around the man's ankle, disrupting balance, tethering him silently to the floor without harming him.
The operative stumbled, startled, and instinctively tried to release the grip of his mana. He could not.
Impossible! he thought, struggling against the unseen force. This is not mana… not aura… but something beyond.
Cael watched silently, allowing the operative to understand the subtle power at work. He could have killed him in an instant—but that was not the lesson. The lesson was control, restraint, and warning.
Selene stepped forward carefully, testing her own ribbon. Under Cael's guidance, she allowed her blood to respond subtly to the threat, weaving around the operative's movement without making direct contact.
"You see?" Cael whispered. "Even blood obeys indirectly. You do not need force. Only precision, anticipation, and intent."
Selene nodded, focusing intently. The ribbon hovered, following the operative's heartbeat, ready to strike if he moved aggressively.
The operative finally realized the situation was not a physical fight. He was being contained, demonstrated to the limits of a Bronze-ranked student. His respect—and fear—grew instantly.
He retreated silently, disappearing back into the shadows.
After the operative left, Cael turned to Selene. "You have done well today. This is only the beginning. There will be many who come to test us. Observe, adapt, and control."
Selene exhaled slowly. "I feel… stronger. But also… watched. The families… they're everywhere."
"Yes," Cael said. "And beyond them, there is darkness. Not of this world, but of another—a predator who remembers me, who has waited for my return. Soon, you will see why restraint is vital. And why power without control kills faster than any enemy."
That night, as Selene rested, Cael meditated alone in the moonlit chamber. He allowed a single drop of blood to hover, observing the way it pulsed, shifted, and responded to the faintest thought. Suppression wards of the academy trembled against it, but could not destroy it entirely.
Far above the academy, Lyra Noctis watched silently. Her interest had shifted from mere observation to active calculation. He is far beyond the Bronze rank he wears. Perhaps… an ally—or perhaps a threat that must be stopped before he grows stronger.
And far below, in the shadowed abyss, the Demon King's crimson eyes flared with hunger and anticipation.
"The Blood Immortal awakens," he murmured, voice like rolling thunder through the ether. "Even the minor threads now begin to weave the tapestry. Soon, all will bleed… and all will remember."
Cael pressed a hand to his chest. Blood remembers. And so do I.
The first real confrontation with a Top Ten Family operative was complete—and the Blood Immortal's presence in this world was already undeniable.