The cultist's scream tore through the alley, raw and unhinged, as his corrupted mana flared in sickly tendrils of dark violet. The Starlight Seal Disk's protective glow was already fading—its faint silver shimmer flickering like a dying ember.
Ten seconds.
That was all Lucas and Kael were granted.
Kael launched himself forward first.
His punch cracked the air, a wild, fiery swing that held more heart than technique. The cultist raised a jagged hand to block, but even injured, his reflexes were sharper.
CLANG-CRACK!
Kael's knuckles struck the cultist's bony forearm, and both staggered back.
"Damn—!" Kael hissed, clutching his hand.
Lucas dashed in without pause.
Body Reinforcement.
His system pulsed.
[Body Reinforcement – 5 seconds remaining]
Strength +1
Agility +2
Lucas felt the rush—
His legs lightened,
His arms steadied,
His perception flared.
He swung his makeshift wooden stick like a sword.
Snap—whoosh—crack!
The cultist ducked the first swipe, blocked the second, but Lucas twisted the third blow downward—
SMACK!
The stick smashed the cultist's knee.
A crack echoed.
The cultist snarled. "YOU LITTLE—!"
His hand lashed out—
A corrupted mana swipe.
Thin, fast, lethal.
Lucas barely ducked, the mana slicing a chunk of hair.
His heartbeat thrashed.
Kael recovered and rammed his shoulder into the cultist's ribs.
The man stumbled—
But didn't fall.
Kael spat blood. "Lucas—finish him!"
Finish him.
Lucas's breath hitched.
He wasn't a killer.
Not yet.
Not in this life or the last.
But this man wasn't a person—not anymore.
He was corruption given flesh.
Lucas tightened his grip on his stick and lunged—
But the Starlight Disk suddenly dimmed completely.
The protective wave ended.
The cultist's eyes snapped open, glowing brighter red.
His voice warped.
His smile stretched grotesquely.
"Finally."
He moved.
Faster than before.
His corrupted mana lashed outward—
A tendril wrapped around Lucas's ankle and yanked hard.
Lucas crashed onto his back, breath knocked out.
Kael roared. "LUCAS!"
The cultist planted his foot on Lucas's chest, pinning him.
"You shine like they did… your parents' light… yes, yes—give it to me—!"
Lucas choked.
His ribs creaked.
The cultist's clawed fingers reached toward his neck.
The moment they neared Lucas's skin—
His birthmark ignited.
Not with fire.
Not with mana.
With light.
Silver-white.
Silent.
Pure.
Devastating.
The Starlight Disk in Lucas's pouch flared violently in response—
HUMMMMM—!
The cultist shrieked and stumbled away as if burned.
Lucas gasped, clutching his chest as the light spiraled upward around him like threads of shimmering starlight.
Kael froze.
"Lucas… what the hell is—?!"
Lucas didn't know.
His system exploded in alerts.
[BLOODLINE REACTION TRIGGERED]
Starlight Ancestry — Fragment Released
Warning: Partial ignition.
Stamina drain increasing.
Core instability — imminent.
Lucas staggered to his knees.
The light surrounded him, swirling like it recognized him—
Like it had been waiting.
The cultist snarled, forcing himself upright despite the searing burns on his arms.
"You… you awakened THIS early?! Impossible!"
Lucas clenched his fists.
"I don't know what this is…"
The cultist lunged.
"But I know what I have to do."
His light surged outward—
Not an attack.
Not a spell.
A force of repulsion.
The cultist was thrown back several meters, crashing into a stone wall with a sickening crunch.
Kael blinked. "Lucas… THAT was you?"
Lucas panted, dizzy. "I… think so."
The light flickered again.
The cultist shakily rose, blood trickling from his mouth.
"No… no—you don't get to exist! Not again!"
He reached toward Lucas, fingers twitching with corrupted mana—
But his attack never landed.
A shard of ice pierced the cultist's wrist.
SHHHK!
The man screamed.
Kael and Lucas both whipped their heads toward the rooftops.
A figure stepped into view—
Silver hair.
Ice-blue eyes.
Noble aura like winter's blade.
Elara Valenford.
She descended elegantly, landing without sound.
Her right hand shimmered with ice mana, forming a crystalline spear of frost.
Her expression was calm—
but the cold in her eyes was lethal.
"I warned you," she said softly, "that others might come."
The cultist retreated, clutching his bleeding wrist.
Elara extended her hand.
Frost spiraled.
"Chaos corruption is not welcome in Eldorin."
The cultist shrieked. "Y-you! Valenford witch! Stay away—!"
CRACK—!!!
Elara's spear of ice shot forward—
A bolt of pure, cold mana—
And pierced the cultist clean through the chest.
The man's eyes went wide.
He convulsed—
Collapsed—
And dissolved into a spreading pool of dark mist.
Lucas and Kael stood frozen.
Elara flicked her wrist and the frost dissipated, leaving no trace behind.
She turned toward Lucas.
Her gaze flicked briefly to his glowing birthmark—still pulsing faintly.
Kael instinctively stepped between them. "Stay back!"
Elara simply raised a brow. "Relax. If I wanted him dead, I'd have done it before you noticed."
Kael bristled. "Still!"
Elara ignored him and walked toward Lucas.
Her steps were slow.
Calculated.
Eyes fixed on Lucas's chest.
Fear crawled up Lucas's spine.
"Elara…" he whispered.
She stopped inches away, face calm.
"That wasn't ordinary mana," she said. "That was bloodline ignition."
Lucas's chest tightened.
She knew.
She really knew.
Elara's voice softened.
"Your blood… is dangerous, Lucas. Powerful. And very, very old."
Kael snapped his head toward Lucas. "Bloodline? Lucas, what is she talking about?!"
Lucas didn't answer.
Because he didn't have an answer.
Not yet.
Elara exhaled gently, frost curling around her breath.
"I won't ask what you are. Not yet. But understand something."
Her eyes locked onto his.
"Others will come. Stronger than this cultist. More desperate. More prepared."
She stepped closer.
"And if you reveal your power too early… you won't live long enough to learn the truth."
Lucas's breath trembled.
Kael clenched his fists. "What do you want from him?"
Elara looked at Kael briefly.
"Nothing. I only want him to survive."
She focused back on Lucas.
"And for that, you must learn control. Your bloodline flared spontaneously. That's dangerous to you."
Lucas swallowed. "So what do I do?"
Elara turned away, cloak swirling.
"For now?"
Her voice softened.
"Train. Grow. Hide what you are. Until you're strong enough to stop hiding."
She paused, glancing once more at Lucas with an unreadable expression.
"And Lucas… never activate that light again unless you're ready to pay the price."
With that, she vanished into the rooftops.
Silent.
Cold.
Watching.
Lucas collapsed to his knees.
Kael grabbed him. "Lucas! Hey!"
Lucas's vision blurred.
The system chimed faintly.
[Condition Critical]
• Stamina: Near-zero
• Mana Core: Unstable (Mild)
• Bloodline Overload: Suppressed
Kael shook him harder. "Lucas! Stay with me!"
Lucas barely nodded.
"I'm… okay."
Kael wasn't convinced.
"You idiot! You nearly died!"
Lucas gave a weak smile.
"But I didn't."
Kael swore under his breath, gripping Lucas's shoulders.
"You're reckless… You're stupid… You're insane… But—"
His voice cracked slightly.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again."
Lucas's eyes softened.
"…I'll try."
Kael sighed shakily, pulling Lucas into a half-hug.
"You're family now, Lucas. And family doesn't die."
Lucas froze.
Family.
A word he hadn't heard in years.
Not sincerely.
Not warmly.
He felt something tighten painfully in his chest.
Kael didn't see Lucas's expression.
But the system did.
[Bond Strengthened]
Kael Dawnwhisper — Trust: +10
Effect: Attack Coordination Bonuses (Tiny)
Lucas closed his eyes.
The battle was over.
But the war had just begun.
And the Starlight bloodline…
would not let him rest.