The van screamed in protest as its driver pushed it past its limits, the engine whining like a wounded animal. The vehicles chasing behind were closing in fast, their lights flashing like the eyes of predators stalking through the darkness. But something far worse was building inside the driver—a throbbing headache that started as a dull ache and grew stronger with every passing second.
She gripped the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white, trying desperately to keep her eyes on the road ahead. ("Not now... push through.") But the pain exploded, tripling in intensity, feeling like a vise squeezing her skull without mercy. She gnashed her teeth, a silent scream ripping from her throat as she fought to hold on. Her vision blurred into a hazy mess, and her hands let go of the wheel against her will, flying up to clutch her pounding head. It felt like her entire body was igniting from the inside—no, like her blood itself was boiling, a raging fire surging through every vein.
The van swerved wildly out of control, veering off the pavement and crashing into a streetlight pole with a deafening crunch. Metal twisted and groaned in agony, glass shattered in a spray of sharp fragments, and the vehicle shuddered to a complete halt.
The enforcers' vehicles surrounded the wreck in seconds, their doors flying open as armored figures jumped out, weapons drawn and ready.
The driver stumbled out from the driver's side, her legs giving way as she collapsed to her knees on the cold asphalt. Blood trickled from a deep gash on her forehead, warm and sticky against her skin. The infernal pain faded as suddenly as it had attacked, leaving her gasping for breath, her chest heaving.
Then, in the blur of her fading vision, something impossible appeared—a glowing panel flickering right before her eyes, shifting through hues of gold, purple, and red. Words etched themselves into the air, clear and insistent, like they were burned into reality itself.
> User has unlocked all bloodlines.
> Naming… Elara Bloodline.
> Choose active bloodline.
"What the hell?!" she gasped, her eyes widening in total disbelief. The world around her tilted sideways, darkness creeping in at the edges of her sight like a closing curtain. Before she could even begin to understand the strange apparition, her strength failed her completely, and she slumped forward into unconsciousness, the glowing words fading away like a forgotten dream into the night.