Blood That Binds

A Choice Written in Blood"

The third night in World Fragment 93 fell like a shroud of thick smoke.

The red sky dimmed to a darker shade of violet, and a cold wind swept through the scorched forest. All across the fractured landscape, monsters retreated into dens, rival squads regrouped, and wounded students either bled out in silence… or were consumed in their sleep.

But high above the chaos, on a jagged cliff outcropping overlooking the charred valley, two figures remained awake.

Jace sat with his back against a stone slab, every rib aching, his vision still blurred at the edges. The silver-eyed girl—Violet, as Callen had called her—stood nearby, her sword balanced on her lap, her face lit faintly by the glowing symbols etched into the blade.

Neither of them had spoken for a while.

They didn't need to.

The Nullblood Shade was gone—for now—but its presence still lingered. Like the air remembered it. Like the earth itself feared its return.

Jace broke the silence first.

"What did you mean earlier… when you said you carry something older than the Codex?"

Violet glanced at him. Her silver eyes reflected starlight like mirrors. "There are relics—systems—designed by the Ancients. Not all of them survived the Cataclysm. Some evolved. Some… twisted."

She touched her sword.

"This isn't just a weapon. It's a key. It responds to bloodlines like yours."

"You mean like a vampire?"

She shook her head. "Not a vampire. Something older. Vampires were the shadows that followed something brighter. You carry the original spark."

Jace swallowed hard.

"Then what the hell am I becoming?"

Violet finally turned to face him, the wind tugging gently at her hair. "You're becoming what they feared most. A hybrid. Something that was never meant to exist again."

He stared into the dark.

"I didn't ask for this."

"No one ever does."

---

Later, as they rested beneath the cliff's edge, Jace finally opened his Codex interface again.

> [Codex Integration: 9.8%]

New Path Available – Bond Evolution (Requires: Soul-Bound Catalyst)

Warning: This ability path requires mutual blood consent. Proceed only with compatible partner.

He frowned. "Soul-Bound Catalyst…?"

> [Description: Initiates a shared bloodline evolution with one compatible target. Grants both parties linked stat growth, enhanced bond perception, and unique passive traits. Rejection may result in death or corruption.]

Beneath that, a note blinked:

> Nearby Compatible Target Detected

Candidate: Violet – Unknown System Relic Detected

Initiate Bond? [Y/N]

Jace hesitated.

He glanced at Violet.

She was sitting cross-legged, eyes closed, blade resting across her knees.

He didn't want to involve anyone else in this. Didn't want to put another person in danger. But…

He remembered the Shade.

Remembered the warnings.

And deep down, he knew this world wouldn't let him survive alone.

He tapped the interface.

> [Request Sent: Bond Initiation – Soul-Bound Catalyst]

Waiting for Target Response…

Violet's eyes opened.

She looked at him.

"You sent it."

Jace nodded once. "I don't know what it really means. But I won't survive this trial without help. And I think… you're the only one who understands what I'm becoming."

She stared at him for a long moment.

Then she cut her palm with a whisper of her blade.

Jace blinked.

"I accept."

---

They stood at the edge of the cliff, blood dripping into the stone below. The Codex flared between them—symbols of blood and shadow intertwining in the air. Violet's system reacted too, runes pulsing along her arms in sync with Jace's Codex marks.

The wind howled.

Their blood shimmered.

Then—

> [Bond Established – Soul-Bound Link Created]

Linked Target: Violet (Relic Carrier – Origin Unknown)

Passive Traits Unlocked:

– Shared Growth: Jace receives +0.1 stats for every stat Violet gains

– Instinct Sync: +10% combat coordination with bonded partner

– Blood Recall: Bonded pair can sense each other's location and condition

Warning: Bond cannot be undone unless both parties perish.

Jace stumbled as the rush of information poured into him. He could feel Violet now—not just beside him, but in his blood. Her strength. Her will. Her quiet, burning resolve.

He looked at her.

She smiled slightly. "Feels strange, doesn't it?"

He nodded. "It's like I've known you longer than a few days."

"You have," she said softly. "In the blood."

---

The next morning, the sky cracked with thunder.

The final phase of the trial had begun.

> [System Broadcast to All Participants]

Final Hours Activated – Top 10 Rankings Will Be Locked at Sundown

Top 10 Will Be Granted Access to the Elite Cultivation Vaults of Ascendria Academy

All Remaining Participants Will Be Evacuated at Dusk

Bonus Reward: Eliminate the Nullblood Shade to receive 3 Legendary Beast Crystals and an A-Rank Inheritance Token

Warning: The Nullblood Shade has begun absorbing participant cores. Kill count: 17

Violet and Jace exchanged glances.

They didn't speak.

They didn't need to.

This wasn't about the reward.

This was about survival.

And about what came next.

"The Predator's Cradle"

The sky bled violet light as Jace and Violet moved through the shattered remains of an obsidian ruin—what had once been a shrine or fortress, now sunken into a ravine at the heart of World Fragment 93. Black roots twisted from its stone walls like veins, and everywhere they stepped, the ground pulsed faintly as if alive.

This was where the Shade had gone.

They could feel it.

And so could the others.

Scattered around the ruined zone were signs of recent battles—burned grass, cracked armor plates, bodies drained of color with their eyes wide open in terror.

Each corpse they passed made the Codex pulse.

> [System Notification]

Beast Crystals Consumed: 0

Source: Forced Drain – Nullblood Corruption Signature Detected

Warning: Crystal energies are being harvested and stored for mutation. Risk Level: Severe

Jace's jaw tightened. "It's eating the crystals to evolve."

Violet nodded. "More than that. It's forming a core. Once it stabilizes, it may breach the Gate system."

"You mean it could escape?"

"Into other fragments. Maybe even Earth."

That wasn't an option.

Jace closed his eyes for a moment, drawing in a slow breath. "We finish this today."

---

Far above the valley, unseen by most, another pair of eyes watched through a scrying drone—an old man in ceremonial robes laced with red metal, seated in the control tower of Ascendria Academy.

Behind him stood a woman in a black suit with slitted pupils and silver tattoos curling down her throat.

"His Codex integration is at 12% now," the woman reported. "Higher than any projected subject."

The old man didn't blink. "And the girl?"

"She's not registered in any known student archives. We believe she was planted. Possibly by one of the buried factions."

"And the Shade?"

The woman turned toward a separate screen, which displayed only static.

"We lost visual."

The old man finally spoke. "Prepare containment squads at the gate. If the Nullblood entity escapes, purge the fragment."

"But—"

"No exceptions."

---

Back in the ruin, Jace and Violet passed through an arched threshold lined with skeletal remains—hundreds of them. Bones, twisted and fused together, some still twitching with residual energy.

At the center of the temple… the Shade knelt.

It wasn't alone.

Dozens of students—alive—were bound to the walls in spiraling crimson tendrils. Their crystals were being drained slowly, their skin pale, eyes blank.

Jace felt bile rise in his throat. "It's feeding off them."

"No," Violet said quietly. "It's storing them. Like seeds."

The Shade raised its head.

No longer cloaked.

It had grown.

Twice the size of before, its limbs stretched unnaturally. Crimson crystal shards jutted from its shoulders and back. Its skull mask cracked open slightly to reveal a circular mouth of grinding teeth.

And in its chest… a blood crystal the size of a fist pulsed with stolen light.

> [System Alert]

Nullblood Shade – Core Stabilizing

Kill Window: 2 Hours

Warning: If not eliminated before full stabilization, entity will evolve into a Transcendent-Class Predator.

Before Jace could speak, the Shade turned—fast.

A tendril of shadow whipped toward them.

Jace dove left. Violet rolled right, slicing through the tendril with her rune blade.

It regrew instantly.

"Split it!" Violet shouted. "You distract, I cut!"

Jace nodded and flared Blood Fang Slash, launching a wave of crimson energy across the room. It struck the Shade, staggering it—but not wounding it.

The Codex flashed again:

> Core Damage Resistance: 78%

Target Weak Points: Crystal Nodes (Left Shoulder, Lower Spine)

"Violet! Go for the shoulder!"

She was already moving.

Her blade shimmered with violet light as she vaulted across a fallen statue and plunged downward—striking the first node with precision. It screeched and jerked violently, slamming its massive arm into her side.

Violet hit the wall hard and fell.

"Violet!"

Jace sprinted forward, drawing the Shade's attention. Tendrils lashed out—he cut two down, ducked a third, and closed the gap.

Then he triggered Strength Surge—his muscles swelling, vision sharpening.

One shot.

He slammed the glaive into the base of the Shade's spine, just as the Codex had instructed.

The impact detonated a burst of blood energy.

The Shade howled.

Its body spasmed, limbs curling inward—

—and then it exploded, sending shards of black crystal and red mist in every direction.

Jace hit the ground and covered his head.

Then—silence.

> [Boss Defeated – Nullblood Shade]

Reward Granted: Legendary Crystal x3

Bonus Acquired: A-Rank Inheritance Token – Shadowblood Pathway

Codex Integration: 14% → 18%

Unlocked: Vampire Bloodline Enhancement – Phase I

– Trait: Night Senses

– Trait: Regenerative Veins

– Ability: Shadow Coil (Bind & Drain)

---

Jace stumbled toward Violet's body.

She was breathing—barely. Her armor cracked, blood seeping from a wound on her thigh. But her eyes fluttered open.

"We got it?" she whispered.

Jace smiled weakly. "We got it."

"The Price of Power"

The ruins trembled.

As the remnants of the Nullblood Shade dissolved into shadow mist and broken crystal, a golden pulse spread through the fragment's airspace—an artificial signal woven into the very sky. Far above, a tear shimmered open: the Gate had reactivated.

> [System Notification: Trial Completed]

Extraction Initiated – Top 10 Candidates Identified

– #1: Jace Thorn – 3 Legendary Crystals, 2 B, 3 C

– #2: Violet – 2 Legendary Crystals, 1 A, 2 B

– #3: Callen Drake – 1 A, 3 B

(Remaining ranks omitted)

Jace stared at the list, jaw clenched. He didn't care about the rank—but the attention that came with it?

That was a problem.

Violet groaned beside him as he hoisted her arm over his shoulder.

"I'm fine," she grunted, half-conscious.

"You've said that after every fight," he muttered. "And every time you say it, you bleed more."

She smirked faintly. "That's because I'm not a liar."

---

As the pair limped toward the glowing Gate portal hovering near the broken ridge, an odd pressure settled over the area.

Jace slowed.

Violet stopped with him. "You feel it?"

"Yeah," he said, eyes narrowing. "We're not alone."

A soft hum followed.

Three flashes of light rippled beside the Gate—teleport signatures. High-tier military issue.

And then they stepped through.

Three figures clad in black and red exo-armored suits, bearing the insignia of Ascendria Academy's Internal Enforcement Division. Their helmets glowed with scanning runes. The one in the center stepped forward.

"Jace Thorn. You are to surrender your Codex for examination and system isolation."

Jace's eyes flared.

"The Codex isn't a device. It's part of me."

"That is not relevant," the lead officer said flatly. "You are an unauthorized carrier of an Ancient System classified as Level S-Obsidian. Such relics must be contained for the safety of humanity."

Violet stepped in front of him, still swaying from blood loss. "He saved this trial. Killed the Shade. You want to punish that?"

The officer raised a hand—and a surge of pressure dropped Jace to his knees. Violet gasped and clutched her chest.

> [Codex Alert: Soul Compression Field Detected]

Status: Suppressed

Emergency Protocols Locked – Awaiting Trigger Threshold…

"Jace Thorn," the officer repeated. "Final warning."

Jace looked up, eyes burning crimson now. His veins pulsed with the energy of the absorbed crystals, with the Codex… with something more.

And then he heard it.

A whisper in the blood.

Not the Codex.

Something beneath it.

> "You are not finished. You are not yet forged. But if you must bleed to remain free…"

"Then bleed with purpose."

The world bent.

Jace's skin split along his forearms—not from injury, but from transformation. Black runes burned through his veins, erupting into sigils that twisted around his hands like gauntlets. The Codex flared—

> [Emergency Protocol Unlocked – Forbidden State: Blood Reclamation]

Time Limit: 60 Seconds

Stat Boost: +300% Physical / +200% Perception / +100% Regeneration

Warning: Using this form before Phase II Integration risks permanent bloodline mutation. Proceed? [Y/N]

Jace didn't hesitate.

> [Y]

---

The energy burst knocked everyone back.

His scream echoed through the ruins as his eyes turned black with glowing crimson pupils. The gauntlets on his arms extended into claw-like constructs, his hair whipping wildly, aura crackling with raw power.

The enforcers raised their weapons—but they were already too late.

Jace moved.

One moment he was kneeling.

The next, he was behind the first enforcer—his hand ripping the rifle from their grip and crushing it like paper. A second twist of his body sent the soldier flying into a broken pillar.

The others opened fire.

Jace spun, dodging plasma bolts by inches. He lunged, slammed his elbow into the second enforcer's helmet—and shattered it.

Blood sprayed.

Violet watched in wide-eyed silence, barely able to process what she was seeing.

This wasn't Jace anymore.

This was something more.

Something ancient.

---

One enforcer remained.

He activated a teleport beacon—trying to retreat.

Jace launched forward, kicked the beacon from his hand, and drove a clawed fist into the chest plate. Sparks flew. The armor crumpled. The man dropped without a word.

And just like that, the fight was over.

> [Time Remaining: 08 seconds]

Emergency Protocol Ending…

Warning: Bloodline Mutation Progress – 3%

Side Effect: ???

Jace dropped to one knee.

His claws cracked and shattered like old stone. The sigils faded. His aura vanished.

But something had changed.

He could feel it.

His Codex was no longer just responding to crystals… it was responding to his will.

And it was awake.

---

Violet limped to him and dropped beside him. "So… that was subtle."

Jace coughed blood. "Didn't have time to be polite."

She chuckled softly. "They're going to send more. You know that, right?"

"I hope they do."

---

The Gate glowed brighter.

The world fragment began to collapse—its sky flickering with static, its land shaking as the structure holding it began to fail.

Extraction was happening now.

"Let's go," Violet said, taking his hand.

Jace nodded, stepping into the light beside her.

And as the Gate swallowed them whole, the world they left behind erupted into flame.