Chapter 43 : Awakening of the Crimson Flame
The air inside Jin's house was thick with an invisible weight.
Not just the heat of a summer day or the heavy incense that Lana burned to purify the space — but something primal, raw, and deeply unnatural.
The scent of blood mingled with the bitter aroma of crushed herbs and lingering yin essence, creating a perfume that clung to every surface like a whispered warning.
Jin lay in the central room, his chest bare to the dim morning light filtering through the heavy curtains.
Veins traced glowing rivers of demonic qi beneath his skin, pulsing with a slow, hypnotic rhythm that seemed to shake the very floor beneath him.
Despite the exhaustion etched into his face, a strange serenity radiated from him — but beneath it all lurked the sharp edge of danger.
His heartbeat echoed through the quiet house like distant thunder.
Lana knelt at his side, pale and shaken. Her hands trembled slightly as she pressed a damp cloth to his fevered forehead. Every so often, she would whisper soothing words, barely loud enough for anyone else to hear.
"It's going to be alright, Jin. You just have to hold on."
Arielle stood silently by the window, her gaze fixed on the motionless undead horde visible through the cracks in the wooden shutters.
Her lips were pressed into a thin line; her eyes betrayed exhaustion and fear.
Each breath she took seemed shallow, as if afraid to disturb the fragile silence.
Selene leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed tightly—not in anger, but as if she were holding herself back from breaking down.
Her usually sharp eyes were soft, haunted by memories she refused to share.
Sarah had withdrawn quietly to the far side of the house. She hadn't spoken for hours.
No one dared.
The entire city of Valeria seemed to hold its breath.
One Week Earlier: The Night of the Mistake
The night they brought Jin home was etched into their memories like a nightmare.
He was nearly gone.
The system's voice was faint in his mind, weak and barely coherent.
"Host requires urgent replenishment of dual-natured essence. Yang Qi overflow approaching fatal threshold. Spiritual collapse imminent."
Potions, elixirs, and healing formations — none could steady him. His body rejected every attempt at restoration.
Arielle was the first to act.
She swallowed her fear, bit down her pride, and stepped closer to the broken man on the bed.
"He needs yin energy," she said quietly, voice trembling but resolute. "I'll… I'll do it."
They had done it before, when Jin was stable enough. She thought she could handle it again.
But this time, the Jin she touched was no longer fully Jin.
The moment her skin met his, his eyes flared crimson. The man she knew vanished, replaced by something wild and ravenous.
His demonic bloodline had seized control, overwhelming reason with a single instinct: hunger.
He reached out.
Not just to Arielle.
But to everyone.
The Spiral
Selene barely resisted for a heartbeat.
Her training, her discipline — shattered in a flicker of raw emotion.
When his hands grasped her, fierce and desperate, all her defenses collapsed.
"I… I'm sorry," she whispered later, voice breaking.
Lana had entered the room to check his wounds, only to find herself caught in the storm.
Jin's grip was firm and searing.
His touch burned with a heat no one could deny.
But what no one realized — not until it was too late — was how completely he had lost control.
The boundaries blurred.
He didn't know friend from foe.
Love from hunger.
And in that moment, none stopped him.
Because none understood.
Now: One Week Later
The undead skeleton army remained motionless outside the walls of Valeria.
Statues, more than soldiers.
Their empty eyes stared into nothing, bodies frozen like the city itself.
The streets were silent.
Shops shuttered.
Children stayed indoors.
Valeria had earned a new name whispered in fear and awe: The City of the Sleeping Tyrant.
Rumors had spread to the capital.
"Did he die after the battle?"
"No one's seen him in days."
"The women killed him for power."
"Or worse… was he devoured by the undead he created?"
None knew the truth.
That within the walls, Jin was undergoing a transformation so deep, so ancient, even the system had fallen silent — overwhelmed and baffled.
System Update — Six Days In
The glowing display in Jin's mind finally flickered to life, hesitant but steady.
[Demonic Bloodline Progression: 15% → 20%]
[Bloodline Evolution: Crimson Sovereign Lineage Detected. Blood inheritance stabilizing.]
[Tyrant Body Stage: Final Stage of Silver Realm Achieved. Advancement Pending.]
[Warning: Memory fractures formed during berserk state. Host unconscious. Retention of events: 0%.]
The system's final note was coldly clinical.
"You may want to speak to the women… very gently."
The Awakening
Morning light spilled through the windows, soft and golden as if the city dared to hope.
The house was still.
Then — a twitch.
Jin's fingers moved.
His breath deepened.
The glowing demonic markings faded slowly, replaced by a faint golden shimmer — like dawn chasing away the darkness.
Steam rose gently from his skin, as if his internal furnace was finally cooling.
Arielle stirred from her seat beside the bed, eyes wide.
"Jin?" she whispered, reaching for his hand.
His eyelids fluttered open.
The world returned in fragments — scents, colors, sounds.
Pain bloomed in his chest, a molten weight that pulsed beneath ribs that felt cracked but whole.
He blinked several times.
Sat up slowly.
And froze.
The Aftermath of Intimacy
Around him was chaos.
Blankets tossed aside. Pillows lying on the floor.
Clothes scattered—his, and others.
Arielle slumped asleep, head resting gently on his arm.
Selene lay against the doorframe, soft breaths audible even in the heavy silence.
Sarah, pale and flushed, was half-covered by a shawl on the couch.
And then—
His breath caught.
Lana.
His mother.
Kneeling at the bedside.
Her head rested softly on his arm.
Her long hair spilled over his chest.
Her face was calm. Too calm. Too close.
Too... bare.
Jin's pupils contracted sharply.
His voice barely a whisper, "What the hell…"
He lifted the covers.
What he saw shattered something deep inside him.
His jaw dropped.
His heart stuttered.
He couldn't remember how it happened.
Or why.
Or with whom.
His mind spun.
The Weight of Silence
For a long moment, no one moved.
Then Lana blinked awake, eyes locking onto his.
"Jin… you're awake?"
Her voice was soft, fragile.
Jin could only stare.
Words caught like thorns in his throat.
Selene stirred next, rubbing her eyes and sitting up.
"He's… Jin? You're really awake?"
Arielle's eyes filled with tears, fingers clutching prayer beads tighter than ever.
Sarah groaned softly from the couch, voice husky.
"He's… burning less now."
All eyes turned to Jin.
His face was pale.
"I… I need air," he whispered, voice raw.
Selene's sharp gaze was immediate.
"You're… naked."
Jin flushed.
"I'll crawl," he muttered.
Outside Moments Later
Wrapped in a spare robe, Jin stepped into the garden.
The morning air was cool but heavy.
He looked up at the sky — grey and solemn — as if the heavens mourned with him.
His hands trembled.
In the distance, the undead skeleton army still stood.
Motionless.
Like silent sentinels.
Waiting.
Watching.
Their presence was a mirror of his own limbo — powerful, dangerous, but trapped.
Jin closed his fists.
Power surged within him.
Stronger, faster, deeper.
Yet inside, he felt lost.
Scared.
And deeply ashamed.
A Conversation of Pain and Resolve
Arielle approached slowly, careful not to startle him.
"Jin…"
He turned, eyes bloodshot but burning with something fierce.
"What… what happened?" he asked, voice cracking.
She swallowed. "When you… when your bloodline surged, it overwhelmed you. You lost yourself."
He clenched his jaw.
"And the women?"
She looked away.
"You weren't in control. You took what your body demanded — but none of us blamed you."
Jin's eyes searched hers.
"But I hurt you."
Selene stepped forward, voice steady but soft.
"He hurt no one except himself."
Lana's voice trembled from behind.
"We stayed because we love you."
Jin's breath hitched.
"Love? After all this… after everything?"
Lana nodded.
"You're still my son. And whatever this transformation is, we face it together."
The Road Ahead
Jin looked out toward the still undead army.
"This isn't the end," he said quietly.
"It's a beginning."
The golden glow returned faintly under his skin.
He exhaled, steadying his breath.
"I will learn to control this power."
Arielle smiled, hope blooming in her eyes.
Selene reached out, resting a hand on his shoulder.
Lana stepped close, her presence a shield.
Together, they stood in the quiet garden.
The City of the Sleeping Tyrant may have fallen silent —
But the Dragon Prince had awakened.