Chapter 8: Chapter 9: The Trial of Blood
Kael stood trembling on the obsidian floor, the crimson eye's gaze boring into him, its violet and red lights clashing in violent arcs. The aftermath of the monster blood still lingered—his temples pulsed with pain, skin prickled with heat, and a metallic taste clung to his throat. The unknown god's voice rumbled, "Prove your savagery, child of the pact. Slay the horde I summon, and master the blood within you, or be consumed." Shadowy tendrils writhed, coalescing into a swarm of monsters—beasts with molten eyes and wraiths with deathly mist.
For three relentless days, Kael fought. His hunger drove him, fangs tearing into beast flesh, but the god demanded more. He learned to manipulate the blood—coaxing it from fallen foes to form shields or lash out as whips, the crimson liquid bending to his will. Exhaustion weighed him down, yet each kill sharpened his control. On the third day, he felled the last wraith, its mist dissolving, and the eye pulsed approvingly.
The god's voice returned, softer but commanding. "You've proven your ferocity. The vampire within you awakens fully." A surge of energy coursed through Kael, his black hair bleaching to white, his eyes transforming into serpentine blue slits. The book The Alchemy of Eternity glowed, its pages fluttering, then dissolved into his bloodstream, merging with his essence. A whisper echoed in his mind: "We will meet again." Kael realized his transformation was complete—his hunger now a tool, his past a forge for this power.
The crimson eye faded, the innerworld dissolving. Kael emerged, white-haired and blue-eyed, back in the ravine, Lira staring in awe. The trial had reshaped him, but the war with the awakeners loomed larger.