Behind the door
Blood kept flowing from the statuette, a puddle forming beneath it before I withdrew my hand.
"Blood affinity."
Blood? Well, that suited me rather well, but I would've preferred something cooler, like Julia or Klaus. Still, that wouldn't stop me from becoming a great sorcerer!
The professor's tone was a bit strange when she announced my affinity—was she pleased? Disappointed? I couldn't tell.
"Now that everyone has gone through the process, each of you take one of these books and head to the room that matches your affinity."
I hurried toward the corresponding room, book in hand.
I pushed open the door marked with a red heart.
The sight before me left me in shock.
A completely red landscape—the ground, the distant mountains, the leafless trees—everything was red. But that wasn't even the most shocking part.
There was a pool of blood... No, an entire lake.
Just imagining how many people would have to be drained to fill it made me shiver.
But what was I supposed to do in a place like this? Maybe the book would tell me more.
"Elemental Initiation." That was the title.
I opened to the section on the blood element.
The blood element relies on an understanding of both anatomy and magic. Your blood is no longer just a fluid—it is a vector. A vector of life and mana. Your heart is the engine. It determines both your absorption speed and your limit—the stronger the heart, the more powerful the blood.
The first exercise is simple, feel each heartbeat in your chest and the sensation of blood flowing through your veins and arteries using the breathing technique below.
The breathing technique was broken down into clear illustrations.
You had to sit down, pull your knees toward your chest, and bury your head between them. Then, inhale and exhale with each heartbeat. It was an unusual position, to say the least.
But the real problem was, if I breathed with each beat, wouldn't I pass out?
Well, there's only one way to find out, I suppose.
Before starting, I decided to press the necklace.
-----------------
[Name] : [#8]
[rank] : [Martyr]
-----------------
[Physical] : [6]
[Magic] : [10]
[Resilience] : [19]
-----------------
[Affinity] : [Blood]
[Glyphs] : [/]
-----------------
I sighed deeply. Martyr? What kind of bullshit was that? It didn't exactly sound encouraging.
But what I really wanted to check was the magic stat. As I suspected it was unlocked, probably because of the vial I had drink before.
I guess it would increase once I performed the technique.
Wasting no more time, I got into position, luckily, I was quite flexible.
I chuckled just imagining Klaus trying this, he'd probably get stuck.
First, I slowed my breathing, reducing my heartbeat as much as possible, then synchronized my breath with it.
I closed my eyes, trying to feel every tiny contraction of my heart.
I felt my mind begin to clear,
The small voice whispering in my head faded,
The constant feeling of constantly being locked up now felt like an illusion,
There was nothing but me, and the blood in my body.
We were one, and yet separate.
I was solid, it was liquid.
It was constantly in motion while I remained still.
It couldn't hear me, couldn't understand me.
But I... was starting to understand it.
It had only one goal, to travel through my body and return home.
The heart was its sanctuary. For me, it represented my life.
I could no longer feel time passing—or maybe I simply didn't want to.
The only thing I wanted to feel was inside me.
Everything else was unnecessary. Obsolete.
*
Without even realizing it, days had passed, and for the first time since I was born, I felt like I truly understood my body—like I was in sync with it.
Ironically, for someone who had lived in the same body their entire life.
I could've stayed like that for weeks, but I would've died of hunger without even noticing.
I stood up, and surprisingly, I felt no discomfort in my limbs, though they should've been numb from poor circulation. Must've been a result of the meditation.
My clothes were strangely damp… No, every inch of my body was.
I looked up.
It was raining.
A rain of blood.
My hair and clothes were stained red, showing clearly despite being black.
*Grrr*
I held my stomach—I felt like I hadn't eaten in days...
I had to get to the cafeteria. I couldn't think of anything but filling my stomach.
I grabbed the book, that was still clean for an unknown reason, and made my way to the door to leave.
No one outside? Disappointing. I had hoped my servant would be waiting with a towel like he should've been...
I started walking toward the cafeteria, leaving a trail of red footprints behind me, drawing countless horrified or disgusted stares. Was my appearance really that bad?
Whatever. I never cared.
*
I quickly sat alone at a table and devoured my food.
It was even better than last time!
Probably because I was literally starving.
I tore into my meat with my teeth, the blood on my fingers blending with the phenomenal flavor of my meal. Not that it ever bothered me.
In fact... it was kind of good? Strange. Was it the special blood of this bizarre place? Or had my tastes changed after the training?
I had no idea.
Soon, a figure sat at my table. I looked up, then looked down just as fast.
It was the boy with two affinities. Which ones were they again? I couldn't remember.
"Hey, how about a little chat?"
"No."
He winced, clearly annoyed by my answer. But was that my fault? He was disturbing my meal! And I was beyond exhausted.
"Asshole. You've only got one affinity, and I'm still talking to you. You should be honored!"
Mmh... With a face like his, I thought he'd be a gentleman. But he turned out to be pretty vulgar—though still nothing compared to Amelia.
And what was that crap about being honored to talk to him just because he had two affinities?
Guess he hadn't considered the possibility that I didn't give a damn.
A third voice echoed through the building,
"Hey, you fucking bastard, now's when you come outta your damn room?"
Now that's what I call vulgarity.
A few drops of blood had fallen into my glass, tinting the water a soft pink.
I met a pair of green eyes as I drank the slightly sweet liquid.
"Yeah, I've got sleep issues, remember?"
She sat across from me.
"Damn, you look like shit. Have you even seen yourself in a mirror?"
"As if I had one on me. I just came back from that room. All I want now is to sleep. Are the others already out?"
She raised her voice.
"Already? You've been in there for over a week, Cain. We all got out ages ago, some even went back in multiple times."
Joy filled me when I heard that. That meant...
"You mean I missed that boring-ass class? That's wonderful news! I should go meditate again immediately!"
Amelia gave me a big grin.
"Yeah, you missed the class. Too bad—she taught us how to use magic~"
"WHAT?!"
I slammed my hands on the table, staring at her intensely.
"Teach me, please!"
She placed a hand under her chin, her smile never fading.
"Alright, but... you'll have to be my servant!"
I froze.
How dare she?! Me? The future blood sorcerer? A servant to this witch? I'd rather die!
"I'll ask someone else."
I grabbed my tray and prepared to leave, but Amelia placed a hand on my arm, stopping me.
"I was joking, Cain. Come see me when you're... clean. Oh, and if you see the little girl, talk to her. You might be able to..."
"To what? What's wrong with her?"
Amelia sighed.
"You'll understand when you see her. Anyway, see you later."
I turned to leave, completely oblivious to the fact that the blond boy was still sitting at our table during our entire conversation. I had this wonderful habit of ignoring anything that didn't interest me—it was incredibly useful, especially for preserving what little sanity I had left and avoiding doing anything I'd regret.