Chapter 6: The Echoes of Blood

The darkness was not empty.

It pressed against Alexis Greaves from all sides — thick, suffocating, alive with whispers. He floated in it, weightless and drifting, but he wasn't alone. Shapes moved at the edges of his vision — flickers of red and shadow — and through it all, there was a voice.

Wake up.

He didn't want to. The pain waited for him in the waking world — the ache of his broken body, the loss of Laina, the fire and ruin he couldn't escape. But the voice wouldn't let him rest. It pulled at him, dragged him down, and the darkness began to thin.

You cannot run from this, child.

The world shifted. The whispers grew louder, and suddenly there were visions — fleeting and sharp, cutting through his mind like shards of glass.

A woman's scream.

A house in flames.

A hand, cold and bloodied, reaching for him.

His mother.

The memories hit him like a storm. He was no longer floating — he was falling, the darkness rushing past him until the visions consumed everything. And then he was there — back in that night, the night everything had been torn away.

He saw his mother standing before the black-clad figures who had come for them — saw the blood that streaked her face, the desperation in her eyes. And behind her… the figure in the shadows. The one who had whispered to her.

"I offer you power."

He remembered the voice now — smooth and cold, ancient and patient. His mother had listened. She hadn't had a choice.

"What will you give me in return?"

Her answer had been her soul.

But there was more — something he hadn't seen before. Another figure stood beside his mother in that memory. A man — tall and broad-shouldered, his face half-hidden in shadow. Alexis couldn't make out his features, but the presence was unmistakable: fierce, protective, dangerous.

His father.

The vision flickered — his father's voice rising over the chaos. "You won't have him!" he roared, and Alexis saw the flash of steel, the burst of fire and light. His father fought with a strength and speed that defied reason, wielding both sword and magic with terrifying grace.

But it hadn't been enough.

The memory fractured — his father's shout turned to a cry of pain, and Alexis saw him fall. Blood pooled on the stone floor, and his mother's scream cut through the darkness like a knife.

"Why?" Alexis whispered, his voice shaking. "Why didn't I remember him?"

"Because you weren't ready". The demon's voice returned, steady and cold. "Your bloodline is not ordinary, Alexis Greaves. Your father was proof of that".

"What was he?"

"What you will become — if you survive".

Alexis saw his mother again — saw the moment she made the pact. Saw the desperation in her eyes as she offered everything to save him.

And the power she had bargained for…

It was inside him. Locked away, waiting.

"You are almost ready." The voice was no longer a memory. It spoke directly to him now, low and calm. "But there is still so much you do not understand."

"Who… are you?" Alexis' voice was a rasp.

The shadows stirred. "You know who I am. You've known since the moment your blood first burned."

He didn't want to admit it, but he did. This was the being his mother had bargained with — the demon who had claimed her soul. And yet… it didn't feel like an enemy.

It felt like a waiting storm.

"What did you do to me?"

"I sealed you." The voice was calm, patient. "You were too young to control the power you inherited. Too fragile. The gift your mother purchased would have destroyed you without guidance."

The memories flickered again — that surge of terrible strength back in Duskmoor, the way the air had bent around him. The power hadn't been his. Not yet.

"Then why now? Why is it waking up?"

"Because you are turning eighteen." The words settled over him like a weight. "The seal is weakening. The time has come for you to begin unlocking what is yours — but you must be careful. Power without control is destruction. That is why I am here."

The air shifted. For the first time, Alexis felt something else in the darkness — not just the weight of the demon's presence, but something deeper, more mechanical. It clicked and whirred at the edges of his mind, and when he focused on it, information flooded his senses.

System initializing…

Analytical Interface activated.

"What—"

Do not panic. The demon's voice was steady. This is my gift to you — the only thing I offer freely. It will help you survive.

The system hummed through him, not a voice but a sensation — a cold clarity that filtered his thoughts, breaking down his awareness into something precise and sharp.

"You will learn faster. You will understand more. But nothing will be given. You must earn every scrap of strength.

There was no shop. No shortcuts. Just the system — a guide, not a crutch". Alexis felt it scan his body, his mind, his blood, and then—

Bloodline Detected: ???

Power Locked: 97%

Recommended Path: Survival.

"How… does it work?" Alexis asked, the system's presence buzzing in his mind like a second heartbeat.

"It is already part of you", the demon said. "It will analyze your actions, your environment, your enemies. It will break down the flow of combat and magic so you can understand and master them".

Commands bloomed in his mind like instinct — simple, efficient.

"Status" to assess his physical and mental condition.

"Analyze" to study techniques, magic, and enemies.

"Training Protocol" to begin structured exercises and foundation-building.

"It will not fight for you, the demon warned. It will not hand you power. You must claw for every inch of strength — as your father did".

The memory of his father flashed again — a man wreathed in fire and blood, standing against impossible odds.

"I'll earn it," Alexis whispered.

"Survive", the demon said softly. "And when the time comes… remember me".

The darkness shattered.

—

He woke with the taste of ash in his mouth.

The room around him was dim and unfamiliar — stone walls, the flicker of a lantern. The pain was there, but muted, and when he shifted, a wave of exhaustion dragged at him. But he was alive. Somehow.

He sat up slowly, his body protesting. The system's presence was still there — a quiet hum in the back of his mind — and when he focused on it, information spilled across his vision.

Status:

Physical Condition: Stabilized (Injury recovery 72%)

Power Seal Integrity: 97%

Cognitive Function: Enhanced (Analytical Support: Active)

"Enhanced?" he whispered, testing it — and immediately, the world sharpened. He noticed the small details first: the faint scent of herbs in the air, the distant sound of footsteps, the way his heartbeat thudded too fast. Everything became clearer.

The system was working.

You will understand more.

He forced himself to stand. There was too much he didn't know — where he was, who had saved him — but one thing was certain. The war hadn't ended. The Church wouldn't stop until they found him.

And now, they were closer than ever.

He needed to be ready.

"Training protocol available", the system whispered. Begin foundation building?

Alexis' lips curved into a grim smile.

"Let's get to work."