The Valeris estate slept under a pale moon, but Kael did not. He moved through the corridors silently, like a shadow that had learned to breathe. Every step was deliberate, every movement precise. The memories of years of humiliation—the whispers, the sneers, the constant reminders that he was nothing—burned in his chest.
He paused outside his father's chambers. The heavy oak doors were locked, but to Kael, they were no obstacle. A faint pulse of power flowed through his fingers, the Forbidden Immortal System guiding him like a predator sensing weakness.
[Target: Father Valeris – Strength 52/100. Reward: Bloodline Essence +10%]
Kael's lips curled into a smile that was both sweet and terrifying. For the first time, he was not a son cowering in fear. He was the hunter.
He touched the door. Energy hummed beneath his skin, and the lock shattered silently. He stepped inside. His father was asleep, oblivious, draped in the arrogance of a man who believed his family's bloodline would protect him forever.
Kael raised a hand. The pulse of the system surged. Threads of energy reached from him to his father, invisible but undeniable. Muscle, stamina, even the faintest memories of control—he drew them in, and with each second, his own body screamed in pleasure at the newfound strength.
[Host Strength +20; Bloodline Absorption: 3% Complete]
The system whispered in Kael's mind: "Warning: consuming bloodline accelerates curse awakening. Proceed with caution."
Kael paused, tasting the power coursing through him. The warning meant nothing. For too long, he had been weak. For too long, he had been nothing. Tonight, he would begin the reclamation of his life—and his revenge.
His father stirred, murmuring in his sleep. Kael knelt beside him, studying the once-mighty man now vulnerable in slumber. Hatred, yes, but also something else—a bitter satisfaction. Every insult, every scorn, every glance that had cut deeper than any sword—it all flowed into Kael now, channeled into his fists, his legs, his mind.
But Kael's attention was caught by another sound—the soft steps of a maid entering the room, unaware of the storm about to descend. Kael's gaze flicked toward her, assessing her strength. Minimal. Perfect. Another opportunity.
[Target: Innocent Human – Strength 12/50. Reward: Essence +1%]
He hesitated. Not for morality—for efficiency. Kael had learned that power was a tool, and every tool had a cost. Absorbing her strength would be trivial, but it would taste… sweet. It would fuel him.
The system pulsed, urging him. Kael extended a hand. A faint shimmer of energy drew from her without her noticing, feeding him power as silently as a shadow passing in the night.
His body thrummed with it. His muscles tightened, reflexes sharpened, senses heightened. And yet, a faint pull at the edges of his mind warned him—the curse was stirring. Kael ignored it.
By the time the first hints of dawn brushed the horizon, Kael had returned to his room. The father, the guards, the minor servants—all had been weakened subtly, drained without leaving a mark that could raise suspicion.
Kael sat in silence, feeling the rush of power like a drug. The Forbidden Immortal System floated in his mind, whispering stats, percentages, growth metrics, and warnings.
[Host Potential: 10%]
[Bloodline Absorption: 3%]
[Curse Activity: Low]
"Ten percent," he muttered. "Ten percent of what I could be. Ten percent of the power I will take from them all. This… this is only the beginning."
He leaned back, letting the energy wash through him. His reflection in the polished floor looked different—stronger, sharper, darker. The boy who had been weak, ignored, and despised was gone. In his place was someone new. Someone dangerous. Someone who had tasted vengeance and hunger.
Kael thought of his siblings. They had laughed at him, mocked him, assumed he would die without consequence. And now… they were all beneath him.
A soft knock at the door made him turn. It was his sister, Elara. The one who had been kind, the one who had sometimes looked at him without scorn. But even kindness could not survive tonight. She was part of the family, and the family had wronged him all the same.
"Elara," Kael said softly. "You should leave. Go… anywhere. You have a choice."
Her eyes widened. "Kael… you… you're different. What happened to you?"
Kael stood slowly, feeling the pulse of his growing strength in every limb. "I am no longer the boy you knew," he said. "And the world will see it soon."
She hesitated, then nodded, a flicker of fear and sorrow crossing her face. Kael let her leave, knowing it was both mercy and a message. He would not strike the innocent… not yet. But no one who stood in his way would survive.
The morning sun rose over the estate, and Kael walked through the gardens. Guards whispered in confusion; the subtle changes in the household were noticeable, though they could not place why. Kael's presence alone radiated authority, even as his body hummed with stolen strength.
The system pulsed again:
[New Objective Unlocked: Family Retribution – Target: House Valeris Nobles]
[Reward: Bloodline Fragments and Growth Potential]
Kael smiled. A plan was forming in his mind. The empire had killed him once, the temple had humiliated him, his family had mocked him. All of them would pay—not in small ways, but utterly, completely, irreversibly.
"They will learn," he whispered to the wind. "The empire will burn, the Valeris name will kneel, and every god who thought to erase me will regret it."
And somewhere in the world, unseen, the system shimmered and pulsed, its voice a low promise:
"Host… your path has begun. The world will resist. Fate itself will rise against you. And yet… nothing will stop you."
Kael clenched his fists. He could feel the power in his veins, the potential coursing through him, the curse stirring in the shadows of his mind.
For the first time in his life, Kael felt alive in a way the world would never forgive.
And the first steps of his vengeance had begun.