Location:* The Core of the Storm — beneath the Tower of the _Eye of the Storm_, where neither light nor sound can reach, and truth merges with illusion.
After breaking free from the prophetic vision atop the tower, Xiao found himself sliding downward beyond his will, as if the tower had spat him out into the heart of the unknown. When he reached the bottom, an ancient stone gate appeared before him, carved with blood-marked symbols he had never seen before… yet his own blood began to glow as he neared them.
> "These symbols… they're reacting to my blood?"
---
*The Door That Only Sin Opens*
When Xiao touched the gate, it didn't open. Instead, it sparked a buried memory within him—a memory he had never known, one deliberately hidden from him.
Suddenly, he collapsed to his knees. A dark specter appeared before him, its eyes burning with blue flame.
> *Specter:* "Xiao… do you remember when you stabbed the first one who trusted you? Do you recall your first sin?"
Xiao's breath froze.
> "No… I didn't… I'm not—"
> "But you did. Your memory was cursed so you wouldn't remember."
Then images exploded inside his mind:
A crying boy begs Xiao not to leave.
Xiao holding a dagger…
A woman's voice screaming his name…
Then, everything goes black.
---
*The Curse of Blood Is Not Just Power*
The gate slowly retracted and opened… as Xiao's heartbeat grew erratic. Black, vein-like cracks spread across his skin—moving, swelling, burning with every step.
> "This… isn't energy. These are my blood's sins."
Inside, he was confronted by faceless spirits—each resembling someone he had lost, betrayed, or sacrificed along his journey.
Strangely, they all repeated the same question:
> "Do you choose power… or atonement?"
> "Will you save the world… or yourself?"
---
*Encounter with One of the 'Ancients'*
In the deepest chamber, a frail figure sat bound in chains of light and shadow. He was gaunt, long-haired—and when Xiao drew near, the man opened his eyes… they were identical to Xiao's.
> *Man:* "At last… the true heir of blood has arrived."
> *Xiao:* "Who are you?"
> *Man:* "I am the sin you were forged from… and you will finish what I could not."
This was _Kairos_, the first bearer of the Fallen God's blood. The first who dared rebel against the divine order. But he had been betrayed—and imprisoned in this temporal void.
---
*The Secret of Sacred Blood*
Kairos revealed that Xiao's blood is not merely a curse—it is _celestial encryption_, containing the memory of creation itself. And the first to fully awaken it… could reshape reality.
But—
> "To complete my blood, you must return to the source… to the first sin… to the beginning of all things."
Before turning to ash, Kairos placed a shard of memory into Xiao's heart.
> "When judgment day arrives… you won't fight for survival—but for meaning."
---
*Return to the Surface*
Xiao emerged from the gate, but not as he entered. His body had changed. His power had grown—but his heart weighed heavier.
Suddenly… a distant scream echoed from the sky.
*"XIAO!!"*
It was _Aster_, crying out from another world, surrounded by armies of Black Shadows. Loki himself appeared, wielding the _Spear of Cosmic Chaos_.
> "At last… the hour draws near."
---
*End of Chapter*
> "Every power begins with a sin… and every redemption requires a heart shattered by truth."