Varek remained silent for a few moments after hearing Kael’s question. His expression grew thoughtful before he finally spoke.
"To stop it, Master, you must fully consolidate your bloodlust."
Kael frowned.
"And how exactly do I do that?"
"You will need to meditate. I shall guide you through the process."
"Alright."
Kael didn’t hesitate. The foul scent of blood had tormented him for hours now, and he wanted nothing more than to get rid of it as quickly as possible.
He lowered himself onto the floor, crossing his legs into a lotus position before slowly closing his eyes.
Immediately, Varek’s calm voice entered his ears.
"Relax your body. Empty your mind."
Kael followed the instructions without resistance. His breathing gradually slowed while the tension in his muscles melted away. Every distracting thought was pushed aside until only silence remained within his consciousness.
Varek continued.
"Now... search for the bloodlust."
"Do not resist it."
"Feel it."
"Touch it."
"And when you find it... materialize it."
Kael quietly followed every instruction.
His consciousness drifted deeper and deeper into himself, descending layer after layer as though sinking beneath a bottomless ocean.
At first there was nothing.
Only darkness.
Then...
He felt it.
Something.
A presence.
Cold.
Heavy.
Ancient.
The instant his consciousness brushed against it everything went black.
...
Kael’s eyes slowly opened.
Only...
This wasn’t the throne room anymore.
He found himself standing within an endless crimson world.
There was no sky above him.
Only an endless canopy of pulsing darkness that stretched infinitely in every direction like the inside of some colossal living creature.
There was no earth beneath him either.
Only a shallow sea of crimson liquid reaching his ankles.
Warm.
Thick.
Heavy.
The scent struck him almost immediately.
Blood.
An overwhelming ocean of blood.
Kael slowly looked around.
There was nothing, only endless blood and endless darkness.
His brows furrowed.
"What... is this?"
His voice echoed into the emptiness before vanishing completely.
"Weren’t I supposed to be consolidating my bloodlust?"
"Where the hell am I?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
An oppressive silence that seemed capable of swallowing even sound itself.
Then...
Something changed.
The perfectly still sea of blood several metres ahead suddenly stirred.
Not with ripples.
Not with waves.
Something was emerging from it.
Kael’s eyes narrowed as figure emerged from beneath the crimson sea.
Its movements were deliberate, almost ceremonial, as though it were climbing out from a bottomless abyss.
Blood slid from its body before falling soundlessly back into the sea beneath it.
The figure finally stood upright roughly ten metres away.
Kael stared.
It had no face.
No clothes.
No distinguishable features.
Its entire body was formed from living shadow, darker than the darkness surrounding it.
Yet...
Despite lacking any real appearance, it somehow resembled him.
The same height.
The same build.
The same proportions.
It was as though someone had sculpted Kael entirely from shadows.
"What..."
Before Kael could finish speaking...
The creature’s face suddenly began changing.
A thin crimson line slowly split across where its mouth should have been.
The line stretched wider.
Longer.
Until it formed a grotesque smile.
Fresh blood dripped continuously from its lips.
Moments later...
Two narrow crimson slits slowly opened above the smile.
Eyes.
They blinked once.
Then...
They locked directly onto Kael.
The instant those eyes met his, every hair on Kael’s body stood on end.
Danger.
An overwhelming sense of danger exploded throughout every instinct he possessed.
The figure before him wasn’t merely dangerous.
It felt ancient.
Alien.
Like some primordial demon born before the heavens had even learned what light was.
Kael instinctively took half a step back.
Then...
The creature smiled wider.
Its mouth slowly opened.
A sound escaped.
No.
Calling it a sound didn’t feel right.
It was more like countless voices speaking together from the deepest pits of hell.
"You..."
"...have been damned."
The words crawled into Kael’s ears like living parasites.
"Receive..."
"...salvation."
The instant those words entered his mind...
BOOM!!
An invisible wave of mental force crashed directly into his consciousness.
Kael’s pupils shrank.
Agony.
An indescribable agony exploded inside his skull.
His head felt as though countless red-hot needles were being driven straight into his brain.
"ARGHHH!"
He clutched his head with both hands as the world around him distorted violently.
...
Outside.
Within the throne room.
Kael’s seated body suddenly trembled.
His breathing instantly became chaotic.
His muscles convulsed violently as beads of cold sweat rapidly covered his forehead.
Varek’s expression immediately changed.
"This is bad..."
"It seems Master has encountered a problem during the consolidation process."
Ever since Sovereign Claim had bound him to Kael, something far deeper than loyalty had taken root inside him.
Kael wasn’t merely his master.
Within Varek’s very soul...
Kael existed as an absolute being.
A supreme existence standing above everything else.
Like a god whose authority could never be questioned.
Seeing such an existence suddenly fall into danger filled him with fear unlike anything he had experienced before.
His fists clenched tightly.
"I have to help..."
He took a step forward.
Then stopped.
"No..."
"If I interfere with a mind realm... I may only make things worse."
His expression darkened.
There was nothing he could do.
Nothing at all.
From this point onward...
Only Kael could save himself.
...
Inside the crimson world...
Kael remained kneeling within the sea of blood, both hands gripping his head as unbearable pain continued tearing through his consciousness.
Then...
The whispers came.
At first...
Only one.
"Kill..."
Then another.
"Kill..."
Then hundreds.
Thousands.
Millions.
The entire world suddenly erupted into endless voices.
"Kill."
"Kill."
"Kill."
"Receive salvation."
"Kill."
"Kill."
"Kill."
The chants echoed from every direction, layering over one another until they became a horrifying symphony from the depths of hell itself.
Each word drove another spike into Kael’s skull.
Each chant intensified the pain.
His vision blurred.
His breathing became ragged.
He could barely think.
Barely remain conscious.
Meanwhile, the shadow simply watched.
Its head slowly tilted to one side as though curiously studying him.
Almost like a predator examining wounded prey.
Seconds passed.
Then without warning it moved.
The blood beneath its feet exploded upward.
Its figure vanished.
The distance of ten metres disappeared almost instantly as the creature crossed it in less than a heartbeat.
Kael’s instincts screamed.
His head snapped upward.
The shadow was already standing before him.
Its crimson smile stretched impossibly wide.
Its arm drew back.
Then its fist shot forward.
Straight toward Kael’s throat.
# #
[AN_ Hello everyone, I did not forget to post the remaining Chapters yesterday. I was unable to because I had to deal with some issues. I will be posting four Chapters today so the remaining two will be posted in a few hours.]