When Haruko opened his eyes, the air felt heavier, thicker. The warmth of the void was gone.
Stone under his feet. A faint metallic tang in the air.
[ Time elapsed: 12 days ]
[ Mission status: COMPLETE ]
[ Reward: +1 Blood Pool Designation Point — Bloodline Enhancement eligible ]
The system overlay faded, leaving only the low, constant hum in his chest — the hum of power carried back from another world.
He was standing inside the Bloodline Pool chamber. Even from the center, it felt alive, like the ground itself was breathing under a thousand layers of stone. Thick reinforced blast doors stood open ahead of him, and beyond them… more soldiers than he'd seen in one place since the awakening.
Dozens of barricades, armored vehicles, scanning pylons. A solid wall of security between the chamber and the outer street.
But before he could move, the Bloodline Pool itself began to thrum. It was faint at first — a low note in the bones — then it deepened, louder, louder, until everyone in the room heard it.
The air around the pool turned to mist, thick white rolling across steel flooring.
Then it hit — vibration, strong enough to rattle helmets against skulls.
Haruko stepped forward from the mist.
Eight feet tall. Tail behind him, swaying with each step. His every movement distorted the air. When his aura swelled, the kilometer of space around the chamber seemed to shiver.
Gasps broke the silence. Some soldiers raised rifles before remembering where they were and who they were pointing at.
"Hands up!" one of them shouted.
Haruko didn't even speak. His eyes shifted — a soft circular motion to the glow in them — and soul pressure rolled out like a wave.
The effect was instant. Dozens of troopers dropped to their knees, weapons clattering on the floor. Breath caught in throats. More than one man was shaking uncontrollably, his body refusing to stand under the weight of the pressure.
Haruko's tail flexed once before stilling. He scanned the troops — noting the traces of demi-human traits among them. Horned soldiers, scaled forearms, eyes that gleamed faintly in the dim light. Many were awakened bloodlines themselves, but here… here they couldn't even lift their heads.
The line of soldiers parted slowly, and a heavier tread approached.
The man who emerged was just over six feet, broad-shouldered, skin a muted green under the armor plates. His left horn was blunted, his jaw marked with faint scars. Orc Champion bloodline — Haruko could read it in his stride and the dense weight of his aura.
"So," the commander's voice was a low rumble, "you're the grandson of Master Zoldyck. The kid who made enemies out of seven prestigious families with one fight."
Haruko met his gaze and simply nodded. "I'm going home. If you have questions, ask them now."
The commander's eyes sharpened. "What's your bloodline? Which world did you visit? Did you return with any artifact… or power?"
Haruko's answer was steady, almost casual.
"It was a normal world. Like ours, only… I had to change something in its history. Change its destiny. You know my bloodline already." He tilted his chin slightly. "ape bloodine."
The murmurs that followed weren't quiet. Even without his enhanced hearing, they carried clearly from the soldiers now holding their rifles against the floor.
The commander's jaw shifted slightly as he clenched it. " ape bloodline, huh? That explains part of what I'm seeing… but not all."
He glanced at his sensor officer, who was still bent over a portable terminal, fingers moving quickly.
"Well?" the commander asked.
The officer hesitated. "Sir… the system failed. We can't get a power reading."
"Failed?"
"It's not that the value's hidden, sir. The reading unit—malfunctioned. Temporarily shut down when we tried to measure him."
The commander stared at the display, then looked back at Haruko. For a second, his left hand twitched — a rare, involuntary sign of unease.
"Noted," he said finally. Without looking away from Haruko, he barked to the troops, "Stand down."
One by one, the soldiers straightened — although many still avoided making direct eye contact with the eight-foot figure in front of them.
"You're free to go, Zoldyck," the commander said. "But know this — if what you brought back from that 'normal world' ever turns on us, I'll be there."
Haruko turned slowly toward the exit. "Then you'd better train harder," he said without looking back.
And with that, he walked past the ranks of soldiers, the mist of the Bloodline Pool still clinging faintly to his steps.
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