The Price of Blessing 2

Pact of the Broken Sun

Chapter 11 - The Price of Blessing (2)

Location:Earth - The Collapsed Realm, Capital of the Feral Collective

Year: Y.P. 100

Designation:The Lunar Sanctuary

Kaelen Vance didn't understand why Donovan harbored such intense hatred towards him. But after what had just transpired in the lavish room—the brutal kick and the sadistic grin—Donovan had definitely earned his spot on the rapidly growing list of individuals Kaelen intended to eliminate as soon as he had the power to do so.

For now, however, he had to rein in his surging emotions.

Revenge would come later; right now, he needed to focus on strengthening himself, exactly as Lucifer had instructed. Thankfully, or perhaps ironically, Donovan seemed intent on personally overseeing Kaelen's 'training.'

After the embedded glass shards had been painfully, expertly pulled from his back by a Feral Collective healer their methods surprisingly efficient despite their gruff demeanor Kaelen was deemed "healed up" and immediately ushered outside the room.

"We will walk to the training chamber," Donovan mumbled, his voice a low, dismissive growl, as soon as Kaelen's wounds were sealed and his skin was whole again.

"It is located outside the main building, so we will need to walk for a bit. While we are at it, these guards will inform you about the Lunar Sanctuary and the Feral Collective's Kingdom. You had better remember every detail they tell you, or you will face another disciplinary session after finishing your training for the day."

"Don't call it a 'disciplinary session' when it's actually a 'let me satisfy my sadistic urges' session," Kaelen retorted, a bitter smirk twisting his lips.

He instantly regretted it as a brutal, open-palmed smack landed hard across his face, snapping his head sideways.

"You half-blood mutt! You dare talk back to Sir Donovan?" It was one of the hulking guards, a Lunar Striker named Drake, who had delivered the blow. His eyes, typically feral, narrowed with a venomous intent.

"I shall teach you some—"

"Stop it, Drake," Donovan interjected, his voice sharp, cutting off the enraged guard before he could land another blow on Kaelen.

"The brat will soon learn his place in our society. He's a newborn, his wolf blood might be driving him crazy with insolence. Just do what I told you to. He will learn his lesson during his training."

"As you wish, sir." Drake grumbled, reluctantly stepping back, his gaze still fixed on Kaelen with disdain.

Kaelen had been living inside the Matriarch's mansion for a little over four cycles now, but this was the first time he was actually seeing the full expanse of the Lunar Sanctuary.

Despite his resentment and the constant pain, he had to admit, albeit grudgingly, the place where the Matriarch lived was, in its own brutal way, strikingly beautiful and immensely formidable.

Drake, surprisingly, seemed gracious enough to begin imparting information about the fortress to Kaelen as they walked.

Apparently, the central castle structure was surrounded by ten colossal, ivory-colored towers, constructed in a grand semi-circle. These towers served as the primary defensive bastions for the entire stronghold and were meticulously manned 24/7 by legions of elite Lunar Strikers.

Furthermore, these imposing towers were connected to each other by firm, towering walls that were the same pale color as flax. They had been constructed from the strongest and most resilient material they could find in the current Collapsed Realm era: monster bones—thick, calcified plates harvested from ancient, colossal beasts.

These bone walls served various critical purposes. The first was, obviously, for formidable defense, making the sanctuary almost impregnable. The second was to connect the towers with each other, allowing for rapid transportation of soldiers and goods along their ramparts. The final, and perhaps most expansive, use was to serve as barracks for the vast army of Lunar Striker troops. Thousands of small, compartmentalized rooms had been constructed inside the hollowed-out walls, serving as rapid-deployment barracks for quick responses in case of an emergency or an incursion.

As for the main castle itself, the sprawling central complex where the Matriarch resided, it was the single biggest, most intricate structure Kaelen had ever seen in his life. Its obsidian spires pierced the sky, adorned with countless grotesque gargoyles and intricate carvings depicting the Feral Collective's brutal history. But for some reason, Drake only gave him a rough, superficial overview of the castle's exterior as they finally made their way out from beneath its sheltering shadow, into the open courtyard.

The sun above was far brighter than it had ever been, or perhaps it was simply the effect of Kaelen's newly acquired monster senses, particularly his hyper-sensitive Crimson Eidolon eyes, suddenly becoming acutely aware of every photon.

Kaelen had mistakenly assumed that the harsh sunlight wouldn't affect him since he had deactivated his Crimson Eidolon (Vampire) traits within his body. But he was agonizingly wrong.

Just because he had 'deactivated' the traits didn't mean the inherited genes within his body had disappeared altogether. Deactivating the traits would only help him in concealing his true composite identity from others and theoretically, in efficiently leveling up his active traits. However, deactivating the Crimson Eidolon traits only partially helped him tolerate the searing pain of being "sun-kissed"—a sensation that was nothing less than corrosive poison for true Vitae Dominion. The dormant genes still reacted.

Warning! You are currently under the direct presence of the Sun. The Crimson Eidolon genes, though lying dormant within your body, are reacting to the UV radiation.

While under the sun/UV rays, your stats will be nerfed.

Current Stat Debuffs due to Sunlight Exposure:

HP: 1000 ---> 850 ( -15%)

Damage: 14 ---> 9 ( -35%)

Armor: 12 ---> 8 ( -33%)

Stealth: 5 ---> 4 ( -20%)

Stamina: 15 ---> 10 ( -33%)

Agility: 14 ---> 9 ( -35%)

Intelligence: 2 ---> 2 (No Change)

Kaelen was in excruciating pain, a pervasive burning sensation prickling his skin, but he had to tolerate it. If he were to show any visible sign of the torment he was in, it wouldn't take Donovan long to connect the dots and figure out his composite identity.

Lucifer had already warned him: no matter what, he had to protect his secret, or both of them would undoubtedly be killed by the higher-ups—whoever those mysterious 'higher-ups' might be.

That five-minute walk to the training facility, under the relentless sun, had caused him unbearable agony, but thanks to that very agony, his Pain Tolerance skill had automatically leveled up to Level 2.

'It takes about a minute for the pain to subside even after I am no longer under the sun…' Kaelen took several deep, shuddering breaths as soon as they stepped inside the cool, shadowed interior of the training facility, a massive, cavernous space.

'However… I need to do something about this. My Pain Tolerance might help me endure the physical discomfort, but what about my heavily nerfed stats?'

Kaelen was lost in his thoughts, his mind racing to find a solution. He had initially assumed that simply "turning off" his dormant traits would help conceal his identity and negate their weaknesses. But it was clearly going to be far harder than he had initially thought.

On top of that, he now had to devise a strategy to mitigate or even eliminate the devastating stat debuff imposed by sunlight.

The Lunar Strikers were a predatory, hunting race, and most of their significant hunts and military excursions were organized during the day, taking advantage of their raw strength. Since he was now, unwillingly, a member of their 'dog community,' he would eventually have to participate in these daylight activities. But having his primary combat stats severely nerfed could easily put him in grave danger, or worse, expose his unique vulnerability.

"Here, take these." Donovan returned quickly, breaking Kaelen from his troubled thoughts. He had a longsword and a round, wooden shield in his hands, which he unceremoniously shoved towards Kaelen.

"We need to figure out which weapons would suit you best, and for that, you'll have to use them all in the simulation chamber."

"…Got it." Kaelen gritted his teeth, suppressing a fresh wave of pain as he took the surprisingly heavy longsword and the flimsy wooden shield, then walked towards the dark, unmarked door Donovan pointed at, leading into the 'simulation chamber.'

"Sir Donovan, do you want the kid to die or something?" Drake asked, a hint of concern in his voice despite his earlier animosity.

"A wooden shield wouldn't even be able to take a single hit from those creatures in the simulations, and as for that sword, it's not the preferred weapon to fight against 'those.' On top of that, it might be a simulation chamber, but the pain one would feel inside that tower is entirely real."

"Why are you getting all worried about the brat, Drake?" Donovan's smile widened, a cruel, satisfied smirk, as a hidden camera activated, panning towards the simulation chamber door.

"You're the one who told me to punish him. So I'm just punishing him for opening his mouth earlier. Now shut up and enjoy while that bastard withers in pain and confusion. It's only fair."