CHAPTER 15:- THE PRICE OF POWER

James stared at the package in his hands, his breath shallow with anticipation. Inside this small, unassuming box lay the Elysium serum—the drug rumored to unlock an awakener's full potential, to shatter limitations and carve a path toward true power. He had heard the whispers, the theories, the desperate speculations of those who longed for greatness but could never grasp it. And now, here it was, in his hands. His ticket to the top.

He tore open the package, barely able to contain himself, and inside, nestled within soft padding, was a slim glass vial. The liquid within was a deep, unnatural crimson, shifting in the dim light like molten blood. As he lifted it, the eerie red glow bathed his face, reflecting in his eyes like fire feeding an already smoldering hunger.

James held the vial with the delicacy of someone cradling a fragile treasure, his fingers trembling slightly as he uncorked the cap. The scent that escaped was faint but metallic, like rusted iron and something almost... sweet. He raised it to his lips—then froze.

Something was wrong.

Slowly, he turned his head.

Dio was watching him.

Standing a few feet away, his younger brother's crimson eyes bore into him with that same blank, unreadable expression he always wore. It wasn't a glare. It wasn't curiosity. It was just... there. Silent. Observing.

James felt something cold slither down his spine. He had expected Dio to be smug, maybe jealous—this was, after all, proof of James' rise above him. But there was no reaction. No anger. No resentment. Just those unblinking, abyssal eyes.

James hesitated, then turned on his heel, stomping over to Dio and shoving the vial toward him.

"Sip."

Dio tilted his head slightly, his white hair shifting with the motion. "Why?"

James scoffed. "Do you take me for a fool? How could you, of all people, have stolen this?" He gestured toward the opened package, his voice dripping with suspicion. "Right from under the noses of not just mercenaries, but S.A.M.T. guards? You, Dio, one of the most useless people I know?"

His lips curled in disgust. "You sad, pathetic excuse for a human. How could you actually accomplish something like that? There's no way." He jabbed a finger at Dio's chest. "So drink."

Dio's eyes never wavered, never flickered with any emotion. He simply stood there, watching.

A suffocating silence stretched between them, thick and unmoving.

James' heartbeat pounded against his ribs. Why wasn't he responding? Why wasn't he reacting?

And then, finally—

"Sure. I'll drink it."

Dio reached out and plucked the vial from James' grip with careful, deliberate ease. Raising it to his lips, he tilted it slightly—

James' breath caught.

Something wasn't right.

Panic shot through him, though he couldn't explain why. His body moved before his mind could catch up, grabbing Dio's wrist with a forceful grip.

"What if?" Dio said, his voice as calm as ever.

James stiffened. "What if what?"

"What if the serum is real? You would have wasted it because you wanted to prove a point." Dio's voice was soft, almost thoughtful. "Can you afford to lose this opportunity just because you couldn't trust me?"

James felt a sharp, electric jolt of doubt in his chest.

He turned slightly, glancing toward the party beyond the room's walls. Nobles laughed and talked among themselves, their voices light and dismissive. They stood above the world, untouchable, powerful. He had always been beneath them. A mere speck in their eyes.

That would change.

He would rise above them all.

His fingers twitched at his sides.

When he turned back to Dio, he saw something else in those crimson eyes. Something that made his skin crawl. Calculation. Amusement, perhaps?

Tch. He was being mocked.

James grit his teeth, the muscles in his jaw tightening. Even Dio—Dio, of all people—was looking down on him.

His fist clenched.

"I'll drink it."

Before Dio would do something else, James ripped the vial from his fingers and raised it to his lips.

For a split second, he hesitated. The liquid shimmered under the light, thick and rich like liquid rubies. It still smelled but other than that. No sign of danger.

And yet—

That feeling. That cold, whispering doubt gnawed at the back of his mind.

Dio was still watching.

But there was no turning back now.

With a final breath, James tilted his head back and downed the entire vial.

The liquid burned.

Not the way he expected—not like alcohol or fire—but something worse. It was as if the serum was unraveling inside of him, spreading through his veins like molten steel.

He gasped, dropping the vial as his body stiffened.

And then—

CRACK!

"AHHHH!"

Pain exploded through his limbs, searing his bones, twisting his muscles. It was like his entire body was being ripped apart and put back together at the same time. His veins burned, his skin prickled with fire, and inside—deep inside—something was changing.

He collapsed to his knees, his breath coming in ragged gasps. His hands clawed at his arms, his chest, his throat, as if trying to tear the agony out of himself.

Dio watched.

No alarm. No concern.

Just watching.

James' eyes snapped to his brother's, his vision blurring with agony and rage.

"What... what did you...?" His voice was barely a rasp.

Dio knelt beside him, tilting his head.

"You wanted power, didn't you?"

James screamed as another wave of pain tore through his body, his bones twisting unnaturally. His vision flickered black, red, then white-hot agony.

Dio's voice was soft. Almost gentle.

"Well, here it is."