Fawr was out cold on the bed. The room around him seemed eerie. The walls were decorated with branches that spanned the entire wall. The floor was covered in stone tiles. At moments you could see sparks of electricity coarse through the walls.
In contrast, beneath a dim candle, Fawr could be seen snoring away, dreaming about something that made him smile. Whatever he was dreaming of wasn’t good. You could practically hear the drool dripping onto the floor.
Suddenly a hand appeared from the darkness as it caressed Fawr’s forehead. You could see the solemn look of the old man as his eyebrows twitched. Specks of Lightning could be seen in his eyes. This old man was not some small fry.
“Greetings, Junior, or should I say, Senior," mused the old man while approaching Tian in the soul space.
“I never would have thought the boy had his hand on such a thing. Hmm, the legacy of the Eternal Scarlet empire? How grandiose, the name is somewhat familiar. Judging from the aura you emit, it would seem I’m humbling myself before a true Vampire."
“No need to be polite. You aren’t anything good, either. To think you are an old remnant monster from the cultivation era. What brought you here to this part of the world?” Said Tian. Although he looked composed, he was startled. A quick jog to a dojo, and he was already faced with a powerful being, friend or foe he wouldn’t know.
“Don’t worry. I don’t see the power of blood as anything evil. All arts are like weapons. It’s the wielder that determines the affinity towards justice or evil. This boy’s cultivation talent is suited to my ancestor’s secret arts. I understand that you do have some form of battle art. Nevertheless, you must admit we have a better grasp on building a better foundation of oneself and not relying on purely external sources."
Tian stared at the old man as he spoke. “Let me just set this straight, the ancients are awakening. I’m not surprised remnants of your era are around, but you have not witnessed their utter power. I’m here to help Fawr become a powerhouse. He hasn’t had the chance to assimilate the blood legacy. Rather his body is too weak for the yin. It’s disproportionate to the yang. These are terms you are familiar with."
“I know of the awakening of the ancient. That’s why I’m here. Fate has led me to the blood moon. It would seem that Fawr was meant to come here and receive yet another legacy," the old man was quite ecstatic. Although the lad had another power, it in no way conflicted with the sect’s cultivation technique.
“Do you wish to serve Fawr? He will eventually become the Emperor of the Eternal Scarlet Empire, and he needs dependable people. If you join us, you will get to practise the arts we have to offer," bargained Tian, the more help he could get, the better. Fawr was lacking in followers, and he couldn’t resist.
“Although this boy will inherit the Soul Bolt technique, I still have things to do. When there is time, convince him to travel eastwards to China. Only there can he inherit the rest of my techniques," replied the man.
“Why would the blood moon interest you unless you were here for the gem," Tian’s eyes flashed a cold light.
“Don’t worry. Although the gem was something I was curious about, it seems I wasn’t fated to hold its legacy. Rather, it’s in my best interest to help a future emperor, don’t you think? Enough of that. He will awaken soon. Teach him the technique as soon as you can," he quickly disappeared as fast as he came. What he was looking for was already claimed. There was no reason to stay in such a place. He seemed to inform many others as they left the place.
When Fawr awakened, he was no longer in that room. He didn’t recall anything from that time. It was almost already sunset, and this baffled him. He was confused, wasn’t he talking to an old man?
“Hey Tian, what the fuck happened? It’s already so late. Are you there?” Said Fawr in confusion.
“We just avoided danger. It seems others had eyes on the Blood legacy. That old man was something else. He gave you his cultivation technique and called off the search. He just saved you a lot of trouble."
The man handed down the Soul Bolt technique. It in no way clashes with the Blood arts. It seemed to stem from the power of the soul directly. No wonder Fawr had such an affinity with the technique. The Blood Arts never delved into the soul. How would blood interact with such a vague field of research anyways? Those fanatical masters from the east have dabbled with it for centuries, and it seems they had a breakthrough. This intrigued Tian as this would only benefit Fawr in the long run.
“Let’s go. It’s late already. I need to buy something to eat."
Fawr went to the nearest store, surprisingly they had everything on offer, despite being such a small outlet. It turned out to be one of the largest chain superstores in the world. The technology of teleportation has come a long way. Initially, a military-grade technology was then applied to the consumer market. This meant stores no longer needed large amounts of land and could have their warehouses in a more discreet position. All it meant was that there would be more space within the cities, so it was something accepted and adopted.
Fawr was familiar with the machine, having ordered quite a lot on many occasions. He inserted his identification card and proceeded to browse through the catalogue. He went for the more pricey military-grade supplement meals as he was training. He saved up quite a lot from government funds. You could progress in the three aspects by having a sizeable amount of money.
“Fawr, this is quite interesting. This is so convenient. Food pops out just like that. If I didn’t know any better, I would have assumed it was magic,” Tian was in awe about such small things.
“In your times, as powerful as you were, blood arts did not benefit the weak and only the strong. One thing is certain: nothing is impossible with a strong foundation. Let me guess, only a small number of individuals could wield the power of blood. In this era, almost anyone can tap into supernatural powers. It’s even a mandatory subject," proudly said Fawr. This Tian acted so proud and aloof, but his era was cruel and skewed, nothing like now.
“I suppose empowering the masses might just be of more help than individual power alone. But Fawr, there must certainly be powerful individuals to lead them. This is where I come in in the name of the Blood moon. If I don’t make you into something great, I might as well just fade into nothingness," replied Tian in a hearty tone. He was settled on helping Fawr. Fawr felt appreciated and asked himself if this is what it is like to have a family and someone protecting you. He smiled while listening to Tian rambling on about his life. He wouldn’t mind if things stayed like this for a while.
“What are you smiling for? Let’s go home already, and fix that damn window. It’s going to make you sick. Let’s hurry now. I can’t believe I have to nag at you like this! What are you, a child?” harrumphed Tian, irked by Fawr smiling to himself as it gave him the shivers. For someone involved in the dark, cruel side of the world, he wasn’t used to such situations.
Fawr ran off into the distance with his shopping bag in hand, smiling while the sun set off into the distance. It was the end of his dull, mundane life and a step into a world filled with everything you could imagine, the good, the bad and the ugly.
