Jade slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he felt was pain.
A terrible headache pulsed through his skull.
It wasn't the kind of headache that came from exhaustion.
It felt deeper.
As though someone had been striking the inside of his head with a hammer.
Jade groaned softly.
"Ugh..."
He raised one hand and pressed it against his forehead.
His vision remained blurry for several seconds.
Then the room slowly came into focus.
Stone walls.
Ancient pillars.
A dim crimson light coming from several crystals embedded in the walls.
A large bed beneath him.
Jade blinked.
He wasn't in the corridor anymore.
He slowly pushed himself upright.
His muscles protested.
His Soul Sea still felt strangely empty.
The remnants of the corruption were gone, but his body felt weak.
Very weak.
Then—
A familiar face appeared directly in front of him.
Two bright eyes stared at him.
A mischievous smile spread across the tiny cat's face.
"You're finally awake."
Jade stared.
"Little Black?"
The cat proudly nodded.
"Yep."
Jade looked around again.
"Where am I?"
Little Black pointed toward the walls.
"The citadel."
Jade frowned.
He slowly examined the room.
It looked ancient.
An enormous stone bed occupied the center.
Broken runes covered the walls.
Several old candles had somehow remained lit despite the age of the room.
Jade rubbed his forehead.
"How did I get here?"
Little Black shrugged.
"No idea."
Jade stared at him.
Little Black stared back.
Then the cat grinned.
"But don't worry."
"You're alive."
Jade sighed.
"That's reassuring."
Little Black jumped onto the bed.
"Kelvin is somewhere outside."
"He's creating some weird sorcery on one of the fucking stairways."
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"Of course he is."
Little Black continued.
"He told me to watch over you."
Then the cat tilted its head.
"But seriously..."
"How the hell did you even appear on this bed?"
Jade stared at the ceiling.
"I..."
He paused.
His memories were fragmented.
The Shadow Knights.
The greatsword.
The Blood Flames.
The God Body.
The corruption.
Little Black.
Blood.
Then darkness.
"I can't quite remember."
Little Black's mischievous smile disappeared.
It stared at Jade for several seconds.
Then sighed.
"You devil."
Jade frowned.
"What?"
"You almost sucked me dry."
The cat rubbed its neck dramatically.
"I thought I was going to become a corpse."
Jade's expression immediately became uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry."
Little Black waved a paw.
"It's fine."
"You're just lucky I love you."
Jade smiled faintly.
Then Little Black's expression became serious.
"Aviana told me something."
Jade immediately looked at him.
"Aviana?"
Little Black nodded.
"She said that what happened to you was your Flaw."
Jade's expression changed.
Little Black continued.
"She said it's called Blood Debt."
"She said when your essence runs out..."
"...you become corrupted."
Jade lowered his gaze.
He already knew.
But hearing someone else explain it made the flaw feel even more dangerous.
Little Black crossed its tiny paws.
"Why on earth are you stuck with a Flaw like that?"
"You're basically a ticking time bomb around your friends."
Jade sighed.
"I know."
Then he looked at the cat.
"Wait."
"Aviana is here?"
Little Black's eyes brightened.
"Kind of."
Jade frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Little Black smiled.
"I appeared inside her Soul Sea."
Jade froze.
"You did what?"
Little Black giggled.
"I went inside her soul."
"She felt me."
"So she came looking for me."
Jade stared.
"And?"
"We talked."
Little Black stretched lazily.
"She told me about your Flaw."
"Then we played for a while."
Jade rubbed his forehead.
"You were supposed to be watching me."
"I was."
"You were in Aviana's Soul Sea."
"Exactly."
Jade stared at him.
Little Black grinned.
"Multitasking."
Jade sighed.
Of course.
Only Little Black could somehow turn being responsible for watching an unconscious person into an excuse to explore someone else's Soul Sea.
Then the cat's expression became dreamy.
"I love her Soul Sea."
Jade raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"It's so shiny."
Little Black's eyes practically sparkled.
"There are magnificent dragons flying through it."
"Everything feels warm."
"And there's so much energy."
The cat's tail swayed happily.
"I can't wait to awaken mine."
Jade smiled slightly.
"You still don't have one?"
Little Black shook its head.
"No."
"But when I awaken..."
The cat spread its paws dramatically.
"It should be beautiful."
"Extremely beautiful."
"Probably the shiniest Soul Sea ever."
Jade chuckled.
"I think you're more excited about the appearance than the power."
"Both."
Little Black answered immediately.
Jade shook his head.
Then—
Something changed.
He froze.
A strange sensation moved through his body.
It wasn't pain.
It wasn't corruption.
It felt like something new.
Something that hadn't existed before.
Jade slowly closed his eyes.
He searched his body.
His Soul Sea.
His blood.
His essence pathways.
Nothing obvious appeared.
Yet...
Something was there.
A tiny fragment.
Buried incredibly deep.
Jade frowned.
"System."
Little Black immediately looked at him.
"What?"
Jade ignored him.
"Can you tell me if anything is different in my body?"
For several seconds...
Nothing happened.
Then the familiar voice finally echoed inside Jade's mind.
"Oh?"
Jade's eyebrow twitched.
The System sounded almost amused.
"Shadow of Blood..."
"You finally decided to ask me a question after how many months?"
Jade's expression became awkward.
"...Just answer."
The System continued.
"Fine."
"Yes."
"Something has changed."
Jade's heart accelerated.
"What?"
A translucent screen appeared before his mind.
---
Blood King Lineage Fragment Detected
Lineage Integration: Successful
New Innate Ability Acquired
Innate Ability: Blood Weaving
---
Jade froze.
"Blood Weaving?"
The System continued.
Description:
After corruption left the Blood King, his wife—the Princess of the Void, Queen of Oblivion—gave him a gift.
The gift of Creation.
Silence.
Jade stared at the information.
The System remained silent for several seconds.
Then—
"That's all."
Jade blinked.
"That's all?"
"Yes."
"You're not going to explain anything else?"
"No."
Jade's mouth remained slightly open.
"Thanks."
The System disappeared.
Jade sat completely still.
Blood Weaving.
A fragment of the Blood King's lineage.
And an innate ability.
His expression slowly changed from confusion...
To disbelief.
Then excitement.
He had received an Innate Ability.
That alone was shocking.
Innate abilities weren't ordinary powers.
They were hidden abilities embedded within a person's existence.
A natural feature.
Something deeply connected to one's lineage, body, soul, or destiny.
Normally...
Only those above the Initiate rank were supposed to possess such abilities.
Awakened.
Elite.
Master.
Higher beings.
Yet Jade...
Was still an Initiate.
And he had one.
Jade clenched his fist.
"When..."
His eyes narrowed.
"When did I get this?"
Then the memory returned.
The black corruption.
Little Black's blood.
The Blood Debt.
The moment his blood had entered his body...
Something had changed.
Could that have been the trigger?
Or had the lineage fragment been waiting inside him all along?
Jade didn't know.
But one thing was certain.
His Blood King's lineage had just taken another step forward.
And he had no idea what Blood Weaving could eventually become.
Creation.
The word itself bothered him.
If the Blood King possessed an ability connected to creation...
Then what exactly had he created?
And why had the Princess of the Void given him that gift?
Jade slowly opened his eyes.
Little Black was staring at him.
The cat looked suspicious.
"What?"
Jade asked.
Little Black narrowed its eyes.
"You made a weird face."
Jade sighed.
"Forget it."
Then suddenly—
Another thought struck him.
"Little Black."
"Hm?"
"You know Kelvin is a Necromancer."
The cat nodded.
"Yeah."
"And whatever treasure he's trying to obtain..."
Jade's expression hardened.
"...will only make him stronger."
Little Black's ears drooped.
"Unfortunately."
"We need to stop him."
Little Black stared at Jade.
Then pointed toward the door.
"Or..."
"We could just leave."
Jade blinked.
"What?"
"Escape."
Little Black shrugged.
"Forget Kelvin."
"Forget the treasure."
"Forget the creepy citadel."
"Go somewhere peaceful."
Jade stared at him.
Little Black smiled innocently.
"Maybe eat some meat."
Jade sighed.
"You know we can't."
"Why?"
"Because Kelvin is dangerous."
"He's preparing something."
"And those two girls..."
Jade's expression became serious.
"Something is wrong with them."
Little Black's ears lowered.
"I know."
Jade slowly climbed out of the bed.
His body still felt weak.
But his mind was clearer.
Then he remembered something.
"Wait."
He looked at Little Black.
"I remember seeing you enter that room."
The cat froze.
Jade narrowed his eyes.
"The room with the skeleton."
Little Black's smile disappeared.
"You remember?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
Silence.
Little Black looked away.
Jade folded his arms.
"Little Black."
The cat suddenly became fascinated by the ceiling.
Jade stared.
"What trouble did you cause?"
"Nothing."
"You almost died."
"Technically..."
Little Black scratched its cheek.
"...I survived."
Jade's eyes narrowed.
"That's not an answer."
The cat smiled nervously.
"Come on."
"We need to catch Kelvin before it's too late."
Jade didn't move.
Little Black started walking toward the door.
"Come on."
"Little Black."
The cat kept walking.
"Little Black."
No answer.
Jade followed.
The cat quickened its pace.
"You're avoiding the question."
"I'm not."
"You are."
"I'm absolutely not."
Jade stared at him.
Little Black finally glanced backward.
"...Maybe a little."
Jade sighed.
He knew the cat was hiding something.
Something had happened inside that room.
Something involving the skeleton.
And somehow...
Little Black didn't want to talk about it.
But there wasn't time to force the answer out of him.
Kelvin was still somewhere inside the citadel.
Creating something.
Preparing something.
And whatever treasure he intended to obtain...
Jade could no longer allow him to claim it uncontested.
Jade tightened his fists.
"Let's go."
Little Black smiled.
"Finally."
The two moved through the ancient corridor.
Neither noticed the faint crimson light glowing beneath the stone floor behind them.
Nor did they notice...
That somewhere deeper inside the citadel...
Something had already awakened.