Dregrin

Greetings readers, this is my first public attempt at writing, I hope its something you can enjoy.

Sil laid in bed, eyes darkening from lack of sleep, waiting for his sixteenth birthday to finally happen.

Today was the day his system would awaken and he would discover what bloodline he held. He like every young man was hoping for something powerful. Awakening to a dragon bloodline would be best but demon would be good as well. He didn't dare hope to awaken as a noble. Those were the blessed few who had inherited the powers of a noble monstrous ancestor.

Sil sat up to drink some water before pacing again. He could not calm down. Targin had awakened to an ogre's  bloodline last week and already he had started growing powerful muscles. He was the first among their group of friends and it had been a day of showing off for Targin. 

Sil went to the bathroom and stopped to look in the mirror. He did not like what he saw there. Sil was short for his age and only five feet 3 inches tall. His arms were slender and his face soft. His eyes were a soft purple, almost bordering on pink. His mothers insistence that he wear his pale blue hair long did not help either. No matter how he looked at it, the person reflected in the mirror looked every bit like a girl!

In the world Sil lived in, bloodlines matter, and what made matters difficult were that his parents bloodlines would give no indication as to what he would be. After thousands of generations of intermingling between different bloodlines, a godling could father a demon, a dragon could be mother to an orc. the blood of nearly every monster flowed through the veins of every human. 

Every moment seemed an eternity and Sil could not help but think of why he was so obsessed with awakening his bloodline.

"If it can make me stronger, even if it makes me ugly I would be happy, no..  I would almost prefer if it made me ugly even more than if it made me strong."

Time and again for his entire life, Sil had been mistaken as a girl. His friends had gotten used to him but bullies still attacked him. Delia in particular had attacked him time and time again, he couldn't understand why that girl hated him so much.

Moment by moment time slowly drifted by, until at the exact moment it had been sixteen years since his birth, it happened.

{Shing!}

it was finally happening! 

[System initiating . . . . .]

[User identified as "Sil"]

[User parameters determined]

[System access: Granted]

[Please open menu to begin system interaction]

Sil saw the glowing green text in his vision. He did as he had been taught and tried to open the menu without speaking. It took him several tries but eventually the system menu appeared

(Menu)

[Status | Bloodline | Skills | Inventory(Lock) | Quest(Lock) | Contacts(Lock)]

"No inventory, guess I wont be in transport."

 (Bloodline)

Sil attempted to open the bloodline menu but was met with disappointment

[Bloodline awakening in progress 29.6%]

He watched as the number slowly ticked up, but impatience got the better of him and he began examining the rest of his menu to see that it would show.

(Status)

[User: Sil]

[Health: Good]

[Bloodline: Awakening...]

[Bloodline Trait 1: Elemental Command: Ice and Snow]

[Bloodline Trait 2: Determining...]

[Bloodline Trait 3: Determining...]

"So I have a cold natured bloodline..? Maybe its Frost Dragon.. or Ice Elemental I wonder that I can do with it."

Sil was growing excited to finally see a part of his bloodline revealed.

Bloodline traits were not a complete tell as to what his full bloodline would be but they did determine what skills he would gain access to.

[System Help]

[Trait Description: Elemental Command: Ice and Snow]

[User gains immunity to and command of all things cold. User will never suffer ill effects from exposure to a cold environment and will never be hindered by elements related to the cold. Trait grants access to cold magic.]

[Trait Flaw: Heat Aversion]

[User will find discomfort in exposure to warmth. warm foods will at best taste bland and potentially cause violent rejection of the food. Heat based attacks will drain users stamina at an accelerated rate. Magically enforced warm climates will cause conflict with users innate cold nature. Growing this trait will reduce its effects]

As Sil felt the magic of his blood flow through him, his bedroom began to frost over. The wood of his furniture creaking at the sudden drastic drop in temperature. The window pane forming ice crystals and cracking. Sil quickly tried to bundle up but realized that he did not feel the slightest bit cold. With the systems guidance he began to experiment with his ability.

As it was newly awakened his control was extremely limited, all he was capable of doing was forming ice at his feet, or snow in the air. He tried for several minutes to move the snow but all he could cause was snow to form and fall into his room. The wonder of his new ability helped pass the time as his bloodline further awakened.

[Bloodline awakening in progress 59.6%]

[Bloodline trait 2: Martial talent - Claws of Razor Ice]

"A combat trait!"

The smile on Sil's face grew. A combat trait meant that he was descended of something that could fight in close combat, and with a name like claws of razor ice he getting an elemental bloodline.

"Maybe it really will be a dragon. Sil of the Frost Dragons blood, that would be a good name"

Frost dragons were know to have been powerful, but aloof creatures in the ages of war. It was rare in the histories that they fought with, or against humanity as they largely stayed to their own territory. Still, those that carried that bloodline would become very powerful. It was considered a B rank bloodline at minimum. S if you got a Noble Bloodline.

Sil again felt the power of his blood flowing as ice formed along his hands. Razor sharp points at the tips of his fingers appeared and he had dug deep gashes into the desk he was resting his hand on before he realized.

[Trait Description: Martial talent - Claws of Razor Ice]

[User gains the use of weaponry formed of ice from the users power. At base form power begins as coating the hands to allow for a raking combat style. As talent evolves further weapons formed from users power will develop. Trait grants access to agility based combat skills ]

[Trait Flaw: Frozen Touch]

[Users touch will now be uncomfortable to living creatures. Excessive care will be required to not cause unintentional harm. Growing of this trait will increase control of this flaw.]

"So the talent is more than just fighting with my claws. The flaw will be inconvenient but the power of the trait seems extremely worth it."

Sil practiced slashing his claws through the air before working to retract the icy blades. One experiment done showed that his own blades would not piece his skin which meant he would not cut himself up by accident. There was not as much to learn with this trait so Sil found himself watching as his bloodline slowly awakened. He hadn't yet gained anything that would make him appear less girly but he was hoping the next trait would be a defensive trait, those were what usually resulted in physical changes.

After an hour of waiting that seemed much longer a system alert finally chimed.

[Bloodline awakening in progress 85.7%]

[Bloodline trait 3: Diamond Skin]

"That definitely sounds like an armor trait... but not a draconic one.. what bloodline did I end up with.."

[Trait Description: Diamond Skin]

[Users skin becomes unable to be scarred and highly resistant to being cut or pierced. Users gains resistance to any form of magical harm Trait grants access to passive defensive skills]

[Trait Flaw: Shimmering Skin]

[Users skin will now refract light as though user is dusted in diamond power. User will find it difficult to move without drawing attention.]

"That really isn't what i wanted.. This definitely isn't a Dragon or demon, but i have no idea what bloodline producese these combat traits. At least they are combat skills that will let me fight."

Sil sat carving little poorly drawn doodles into the floor while he waited for his bloodline awakening as it slowly ticked to completing.

[Bloodline awakening in progress 99.8%] 

Sil was beginning to fall asleep waiting. He found the hard flood to be comfortable against his now diamond like skin and the temperature in the room couldn't be more perfect. a few more moments and he would have his answer and he could finally sleep.

[Bloodline awakening in progress 99.9%]

Any moment now. Sil kept repeating that though in his head over and over, fighting to keep himself awake. Time had seemed to freeze even more than his room. He had nearly passed out when finally...

{Shing!}

[Bloodline Awakened]

[Bloodline: Queen of Ice and Snow {Snow Maiden S Rank}]

[Bloodline Origin: Selunalia]

[Selunalia was a snow maiden born of a broken heart on a full moon night. She was gifted with immense power and swiftly claimed a large territory as her domain. Though her power was something to be feared what earned her the most infamy was her terrible beauty. For 10,000 years any who gazed upon her face, be they man, woman, monster, or god, was struck blind. It was the hero Dalmyre of the Healing Lights who chose to stay with her after she used her beauty as a weapon, striking blind the demon lord of the time along with much of his army. This allowed a swift end to an already long and terrible war. It is said that Dalmyre was the only man that gazed upon her with a pure heart, and thus was he the only being to ever look upon her uncovered face and not be stuck blind.]

[S rank Bloodline confirmed: Updating Traits]

[Bloodline Boon: Eternal Beauty]

[Bloodline trait 1: Ruler of the Frozen Domain]

[Bloodline trait 2: Soul Freezing Armament]

[Bloodline trait 3: Skin of Frozen Jade]

Sil went from nearly passed out to wide awake in a moment. Reading his bloodline was like a dream and nightmare wrapped together in one terrifying package. To him, this was a curse without end, but to any woman this would be the greatest of bloodlines that they would happily kill for. Why did he awaken to this? What went wrong? A thousand thoughts floated through Sil's head, but before he panicked completely the blood rushing to his head and the exhaustion from his long sleepless night caused him to pass out face first onto the floor of his room. 

The next morning, still in a daze, Sil wondered out of his room to find his family waiting to celebrate his awakening. The first thing he heard from another human being after finally getting his bloodline? An aunt he didnt get along with looking at him and shouting "Happy Birthday Pretty Boy!"