Lucien realised that he had vanished from the cave and now he was on a small elevated open field in the middle of the forest.
Ignoring all this, Lucien sat cross-legged on the floor, his breath steady, his eyes closed.
Around him, the air pulsed faintly with an invisible force. He was calm, centred in meditation, waiting for the transformation to begin.
Then it struck.
A bolt of searing pain shot through his chest, sharp and sudden, like fire licking at his bones from within.
His entire body tensed.
He clenched his teeth hard enough to crack, the taste of blood sharp on his tongue.
Muscles seized. Veins burned. His breathing turned ragged.
The agony didn't come in waves... it came like a tide breaking all at once, crashing into him with no mercy.
His vision spun behind closed eyes, and darkness began to creep at the edges of his consciousness.
He was slowly slipping.
Just as he began to fall into unconsciousness, the artifact's voice pierced through the haze that formed on his mind.
"Master, you have to remain awake. Do not let go. If you fall unconscious now, the transformation may spiral out of control and require even more energy to reform."
Lucien forced his eyes open, even as they blurred with pain.
His fingernails dug into the dirt beneath him. Every instinct screamed at him to give in... to escape the torment through sleep, through silence... but he fought it back.
Gritting his teeth, he locked himself inside the pain and refused to fade.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the pain vanished.
A soft chime echoed in his head, and with it came a string of system notifications:
[You have received the Phoenix bloodline (Ember Initiate)]
[You have gained Fire Affinity]
[You have gained the trait 'Insight']
[Your Trait 'Iron Fist' has been upgraded to 'Iron Heart']
[You have gained the Bloodline Ability 'Fire Healing']
[You have gained the Bloodline Ability 'Fire Resistance']
[You have gained the Bloodline Ability 'Ember']
[You have gained the Rank 1 Skill 'Ignite Weapon']
[You have gained the Rank 1 Spell 'Ember Flick']
Lucien blinked through the fading pain, eyes adjusting to the light around him.
'Hmmm… one new trait, one enhanced trait, three bloodline abilities, one rank-one spell and one rank-one skill... I made a good decision.'
Then the artifact's voice came again, urgent.
"Master, I don't have much time. I am sending every one I can find in the immediate vicinity to your location. Don't worry... loyalty won't be an issue for this group. And finally... this."
Around him, the forest trembled. Trees groaned, then they were uprooted, their trunks cut clean and processed.
The wood was stabbed into the ground becoming walls.
Roofs formed overhead. Foundations reshaped the floor separating it from the ground.
Before Lucien even stood, he was no longer on the ground.
A bed now held his weight.
"I have created your base," the artifact explained. "Enough homes and supplies for the people I'm sending."
Lucien looked around, astonished by the speed and scale of the construction.
"I must enter slumber now," the artifact said, voice fading.
"Wait... where are you? How do I wake you?"
"I reside within you. When you draw near a powerful enough energy source... one you own... You will know what to do."
Lucien hesitated. "What's your name?"
No answer came.
He waited for a few moments. Nothing. The silence told him all he needed to know.
'So… he's really asleep,' Lucien thought, exhaling before he went to sleep as well.
Next morning, immediately he woke up he turned his attention inward, and his system screen emerged in front of him:
***
[NAME: Lucien Ashborn]
[BLOODLINE: Phoenix bloodline (Ember Initiate)]
[BODY RANK: Late Initiate]
[MANA RANK: Late Initiate]
[AFFINITIES: Fire, Wind]
[SOUL SLAVE: Elena Harper]
[TRAIT: Iron Heart, Insight]
[BLOODLINE ABILITY: Ember, Fire Healing, Fire Resistance]
[PASSIVE: Horse Riding, Combat Discipline, Noble Etiquette]
[SKILL: Aura(1), Gale Step(1), Ignite Weapon(1)]
[SPELL: Mana Bolt(1), Mana Shield(1), Mage Sight(1), Ember Flick(1)]
***
Lucien studied the status page. He had jumped two minor ranks in mana and one in body.
'Seems like the phoenix bloodline was more focused on mana than body.'
Lucien leaned back on the bed, eyes narrowing slightly as he felt the power settle into his limbs.
Next, he checked the new abilities, traits, skill and spell he'd received.
[Name: Iron Heart
Type: Passive
Effect: Builds upon the foundation of Iron Fist, fortifying not just the user's limbs, but their entire upper body with refined combat resilience and striking force. Unarmed attacks (fists, elbows, shoulder strikes, kicks) deal significantly increased damage, with each successive blow gaining more weight and force as battle intensity rises. Additionally, internal endurance is enhanced—greatly reducing the impact of blunt and kinetic damage taken during hand-to-hand combat. At peak momentum, strikes may briefly stagger or destabilize foes.]
'That give increases my durability by a lot,' Lucien thought. 'Next.'
[Name: Insight
Type: Passive
Effect: Grants the user a subtle, sharpened perception of people, intentions, and surroundings. In conversation, the user is slightly more likely to detect lies, hesitation, or hidden motives. In combat, they may notice minor tells in an opponent's stance or movement, providing brief windows of opportunity.
This trait does not guarantee perfect clarity or success but offers a consistent edge in reading situations. Its effectiveness increases with higher Intelligence and emotional control, but it remains dependent on the user's focus and experience.]
[Name: Ember
Type: Bloodline Ability
Effect: The user's body generates a faint internal ember that responds to intense emotion, stress, or danger. During combat or high tension, the user's attacks may gain a subtle fire-based effect—slightly singeing, heating weapons, or adding minor burning damage. The intensity is minimal at first, but scales with the user's emotional state, rank, and control over the Phoenix bloodline. At early stages, the heat is barely visible but enough to disrupt or discomfort unprotected enemies.]
[Name: Fire Healing
Type: Bloodline Ability
Effect: Minor wounds, cuts, and bruises gradually heal when the user is exposed to natural or magical flames. Heat accelerates the body's natural healing process, closing wounds over minutes instead of hours.
The user must remain still or meditative to benefit fully. This effect is slow, not suited for instant recovery, and does not work under extreme cold. The healing rate improves as the bloodline strengthens.]
[Name: Fire Resistance
Type: Bloodline Ability
Effect: The user's skin and organs have developed a passive resilience to heat and flame. Early on, this provides minor resistance—enough to tolerate campfires, heated surfaces, and light fire spells without serious injury. Prolonged exposure still causes harm, but the user recovers faster from burns and tolerates harsh temperatures better than most. Resistance improves as the Phoenix bloodline evolves and/or User's Rank increases.]
[Name: Ignite Weapon
Rank: 1
Effect: Temporarily coats a held weapon in flames, adding minor fire damage to each strike. The flames flicker with intensity based on the user's Fire Affinity.]
[Name: Ember Flick
Rank: 1
Range: 1–2 meters
Effect: Shoots a small, concentrated spark of fire at a target within close range. Causes minor fire damage and has a chance to ignite flammable materials]
He got up and opened the nearest door... it led to a bathroom. He was about to walk away, but a glance at his dried, mud-soaked body made him pause.
Without another word, he stepped inside.
He stripped off his armour and dumped it at the door before moving toward the tub. It took him a moment to figure it out, but he soon noticed a symbol etched on the rim.
Placing his hand over it, he felt a slight pulse of mana... and water began to pour in.
'I see. A rune.'
From what he could remember, runes were magic symbols that activated when infused with mana and they were rare.
Beyond that, he didn't know much... and right now, he didn't care. He pushed the thought aside and bathed in silence.
Once done, he grabbed a towel, wrapped it around himself, and stepped out.
His eyes briefly landed on the discarded armour, and a small dilemma formed.
In both of his lives, he'd never cleaned a single thing.
There had always been maids for that. He stared at the dirty armour, sighed while he thought,
'One of those men should know how to clean armour, right?'
He opened the door nearest the bathroom and grabbed the first set of clothes he found in the closet. Leather.
'So… the artifact must be related to creation. But only to a limited extent. More like… transmutation?
No... if it can't create something from nothing, where did the bloodline come from?'
His thoughts spiralled for a moment before he shook his head.
'Whatever. I'll just ask the artifact when it wakes up.'
Once dressed, he stepped outside... leaving his sword behind.