Chapter 31 – Primordial Heir

Rain stares at Bright for several seconds, trying to decide how to respond. In the end, simplicity wins out. 

"A lock? What kind of lock? And what is it locking away?"

Looking back at the runes, Bright just shrugs nervously. 

"I don't know. All I can tell you is that these small runes are strangely...functional. It's not like they're designed to tell a cohesive story, or leave a record. Their orientation and arrangement, it's like...gears in a complex machine. More importantly, they seem to be anchored to those seven large runes. If this whole table is a lock, then it has seven keys. The few runes that I can vaguely interpret seem to support that idea as well – release, restrain, detect – I'm finding variations of those concepts scattered throughout."

Rain stares at the table dubiously, a more sinister impression of it slowly invading his mind. 

"So, basically...I have something older than any of the civilizations in Asphodel locked away inside my soul, and locking it away was significant enough to warrant these staggeringly complex rune engravings. Thanks, Bright...I won't have trouble sleeping at all now."

She's quiet for a moment, then offers her thoughts in a lighthearted tone. 

"You're just assuming it's something ominous, but...it could just be a powerful Relic...maybe."

Rain can't help but notice that she doesn't sound convinced of her own theory. Taking a deep breath, he tries to push the concern from his mind for now, and he lets out a forced smile. 

"Well, nothing I can do about it right now. So, ready to finish the tour?"

She gives him an incredulous look, presumably over his flippant attitude. Nonetheless, he spots a spark of her former excitement returning to her eyes. Then, she casts him a furtive glance and nods. 

"Yes, though I confess that your soul is already proving far more interesting than I'd hoped. Thanks for sharing this with me, and...uhm...sorry for calling it depressing before."

Without looking at him again, she turns and walks towards the black rune stone, leaving Rain blinking in confusion at the exchange. 

'Did she just...apologize...?'

Following her in a bewildered daze, he stops beside her in front of the large scrawl of blue runes on black stone. His personal summary is currently displayed, and she's just starting to look through it. 

Name: Rain

Prestige: Champion

Lineage: [Chaos]

Bloodline: [Primordial]

Nature: [Chaotic Will], [Unhinged], [Fated Chaos]

Talents: [Uncertain Existence], [Fickle Strength]

Relics: [Glorious Pebble], [Ideal Protection], [Fate Shard], [Heart's Lament]

Rain watches as Bright's eyes sweep over the runes excitedly. However, after only a few seconds her eyes snap open wide, her entire body going rigid, and the little color present in her fair face drains away. Slowly, she turns to him with something that could be amazement or horror mixed into her shocked expression. 

"Rain...what the hell is this..."

Rain rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, then grins and tries to respond in a nonchalant voice. 

"Uhm...you know, my attributes summary."

Her lips are pushed into a slight frown, as any trace of humor is wiped from her face.

"Rain, I'm serious...are you aware of how monstrous this is? Three nature attributes, double the number of Talents of a normal Champion, and you already have four Relics. That all pales in comparison to your Bloodline, though...does that really mean what I think it means?"

Deciding to drop the forced lightheartedness, he just sighs and nods seriously. 

"Yeah...as far as I know. I skipped the elusive God Bloodline and went straight to something even more potent."

She studies him intently for quite some time, her face growing more grim. Eventually, she sighs and directs a gaze full of...concern...towards him. Her voice sounds a little softer than normal. 

"Rain...listen to me...don't tell anyone else about your Bloodline or Lineage, and don't let anyone find out that you have two Talents. I mean it, these kinds of abilities could put you in...a predicament. Honestly, I'm very happy that you trusted me with this, but...in retrospect, that was reckless of you. In the future, please do not trust anyone else with this information."

She stares at him expectantly, her eyes somewhat insistent. After a moment to get over the shock of how protective she's behaving, Rain flashes an amused smirk. 

"Well, well, well...so you do have a heart. I have to say, this level of warmth from you is very touching, ice queen Bright. Although, I'd like to point out that I didn't trust you too recklessly...I gave you quite the test. While it was a risk, it was calculated...I needed – well, still need – your help. I wouldn't know half of what I do if I hadn't trusted you. Regardless, you don't have to worry, I have zero inclination to expose myself to anyone else. After all, why would I? I already have you, and I doubt I'll find anyone more qualified."

She gives him a long, conflicted stare. Eventually, she speaks with an exasperated tone. 

"I swear...is one of your Talents knowing the perfect balance of sweet and annoying things to say to keep me on the fence about strangling you?"

He returns an amused smile and just shrugs smugly. 

"See for yourself...that's part of why you're here, isn't it?"

Shaking her head at him, but harboring the trace of a smile, she turns around and begins combing through his attribute descriptions. She starts with his Lineage, and mostly just murmurs to herself as she reads the conversation between Chaos, Fate, and Death. After that, she moves on to his Talents.

When she sees Uncertain Existence, she clicks her tongue in disapproval, and says something under her breath like, 'so that's what that was'. She also seems appalled by the Fickle Strength Talent, and its ability to fully transcend Prestige levels briefly. He thinks he hears her mutter something about unfairness, but he's not sure. 

After that, she inspects his Nature. She's amused when she reads Unhinged and curious when she reads Fated Chaos. However, when she reads Chaotic Will, she turns to him with an incredibly annoyed face. 

"Rain...this is just ridiculous. This Nature attribute is worth three Talents on its own! Most powerful Marked spend years accumulating Relics to give them some resistances like this...we all fear influence over our minds. You though, you're basically completely immune to everything like that! There are entire Lineages whose Talents and Relics wouldn't even work on you!"

He just shrugs nonchalantly at her comment, growing bored and unsure what to say. She grumbles a bit and begins sifting through his Relic descriptions. She spends some time laughing hysterically at Glorious Pebble and Ideal Protection, but her body freezes when she pulls up Fate Shard. After a moment frozen in shock, presumably after noticing its God Prestige, she begins sifting through its descriptions. After she's done, she turns to Rain, her face awash in disbelief. 

"Rain...I won't even get started on the fact that you were randomly handed a God weapon as patronage in your Trial, but...did you seriously use this on that Curse? You were just as likely to die yourself."

Rain just stares back at her evenly, his voice eerily calm. 

"I'd have died from my injuries if I didn't use it. I had nothing to lose."

After a lingering, concerned expression, she returns her attention to the runes once more. She sets her sights on the Bloodline attribute, Primordial, and sighs. 

"Gods...I'm already bitter and I haven't even seen your Resonance potential..."

He gives her a curious expression. 

"Hey, what does typical Resonance look like anyway? I have no idea."

As she slides her fingers over the runes to access his Bloodline description, she responds to him casually. 

"Anywhere from a thousand for Paragon to four thousand for Daemon. I'm guessing God is five thousand, so I imagine that yours is going to b-"

'Uh oh...'

At that moment, his Bloodline description is revealed on the black rune stone. Bright's voice rings out in disbelief, nearly shrill. 

"Ten thousand!? Are you kidding me!?"

Rain is getting ready to make a joke about it, expecting her to complain more. However, he notices that she's fallen deathly silent, and she appears to be staring at another line of runes. 

Blood Rite:  Chaos Blade (Dormant)

"Rain...you...you have a Blood Rite...one from a primordial. That's..."

He gives her a puzzled expression. 

"Oh, yeah. I meant to ask Aron about that, but we got carried away talking about other stuff. I'm guessing you know what it is, then. Do you mind explaining? Especially about the 'Dormant' part...it doesn't seem like I can use it."

Bright suddenly spins around to face him, her eyes borderline frantic. Her silver hair spins wildly with her, sticking against her forehead and partially obscuring her eyes. It somehow only accentuates her crazed appearance. 

"Rain, you didn't mention it to anyone did you!? Please...please tell me that you didn't say the words 'Blood Rite' to anyone other than me!"

He's taken aback by the sudden intensity in her voice, and he blinks several times in confusion before responding to her hesitantly. 

"Well...no...but, uhm...are you going to explain why you're so freaked out? What is a Blood

Rite?"

Relief seems to flood her face, and her shoulders relax as though a physical weight has been lifted from them. She gives him an exasperated smile. 

"Good, good...that scared me. To answer you, Rain, a Blood Rite is a type of...extra ability...that comes from your patron deity. Relics and Talents do as well, but they are like cheap imitations of that deity's powers – something more akin to a blessing – and they're as varied as individual Marked. A Blood Rite, though...it's like directly possessing some original facet of the deity's power. It's the truest kind of divine inheritance."

Rain grins ear-to-ear. 

'Ohhh helllll yes! That sounds incredible! Also, the name of it is Chaos Blade, so does that mean I'll get some primordial-tier weapon?' 

As profound excitement washes over Rain, however, he remembers Bright's apprehension. He cocks his head at her, and asks in a perplexed tone. 

"I'm not going to lie, that sounds like nothing but good news to me, Bright. So, why do you look so freaked out? You still haven't answered that question."

She purses her lips thoughtfully as she looks away from him, as if trying to decide something. Then, she responds with a somber expression and tone. 

"Well, for one they are...dangerously powerful. In the hands of a Demigod or Titan, they have the potential to fundamentally change entire power structures on Earth. In fact, of the three major Marked clans – Veyron, Abel, and Setti – only the first two are true rivals. That's because their founders possess Blood Rites.

"That brings us to point two...Blood Rites are incredibly rare, to the point that it's mostly only Legacies who even know about them. Those two founders have the only ones, as far as I know. So, the reason I'm 'freaked out' is because you would become a major target if anyone knew about this. In all likelihood, Rain...the Veyron and/or Abel clans would have you killed, rather than risk you shifting the balance of power between them."

Rain feels a coldness creep up his spine at the thought of how he was going to ask a professor or other student about Blood Rites. He nods at Bright appreciatively, then tries to put on a lighthearted smile. 

"I understand...thanks for the warning. I guess it's a good thing I trusted you after all then, huh? I wouldn't have known about any of that danger without you. Speaking of which...it says it's dormant...so, how do I activate it? Everything you've told me has only convinced me that I'd like to have access to this thing...I'll take all the protection I can get." 

Bright looks away with an expression that seems...

'Is she...embarrassed?'

She clears her throat nervously. 

"Ehem...yes, about that...I don't know. I'm...uh...sorry..."

Rain blinks in surprise, then asks in an incredulous tone.

"You don't...know?"

Bright looks back towards him, her expression growing indignant. When she responds, her voice is laced with a defensive undertone. 

"Hey, it's impressive that I even know about Blood Rites, Rain! I just told you that they're practically a secret weapon of the world's two strongest Titans. So, no...I don't know how to activate yours. It's my understanding that you have to meet some kind of...condition...but I have no idea what yours is. If I had to guess, it will be related to your patron deity's Nature and the ultimate purpose of the Blood Rite. For example, maybe you have to defeat a thousand enemies with a sword, since yours is called Chaos Blade."

Rain groans internally at the news. He thinks that Chaos making him pass a test without knowing the rules is very typical for the strange primordial. 

'After all...this is the being that thought it'd be funny to give me Glorious Pebble...'