Faetality, supposedly a measure for an individuals' tolerance for non-fatal Fae Serum usage. Often hereditary and rarely deviating, it remains the quantification of a quality, a ludicrous attempt analogous to measuring evolutionary traits upon a single scale.

At first glance, measured Faetality may project a rational gauge, one where patterns abound and sporadic outliers are rare, a quantity that is unchanged once measured or perceived.

Yet the elusive science underpinning its calculation remains unknowable, for exclusively FaeTech patented analyzers are capable of the measurement, and much like the Fae Serums themselves, irreplicable.

Faetality, whimsically named after a pun, indeed lives up to its title. Nothing but a joke.

– A Perfectly Unbiased Post by an Anonymous User, Cyberhead69.

***

No, it had not been the Boundless Energy.

Miles was well attuned to his own physique, enough to discern the difference between artificial caffeination and something inherently unnatural.

That ridiculous thought was just that, an implausible counterhypothesis.

This was not the effect of a mere can of chemicals, it had to be Sanguis Ardeat, and the Lefayescan analysis from Cadmus that confirmed it.

Compared to his readings just minutes before, he was now experiencing—mild stamina increase, minor physical enhancement and dampened pain response—results that warranted further experimentation of the skill.

Despite the discovery, Miles was not particularly motivated to proceed. Even for the sake of science, blood burn was not an experience he wished to repeat willfully.

That was until he had had the inspired idea to use a healthy dose of ‘pain-be-gone’, an over-the-counter analgesic by Asclepius International. While the drug turned out to be unusually less effective on him, Cadmus concluding that this was a side-effect of the unusual blood flow in his circulatory system, it was easily solved with an increased dosage.

Miles also had the AI keep careful attention on his physical status to inform him should he go too far with burning his blood, blind to his limits due to the pain dampening.

And thus, a half of an hours passed, the sounds of hissing blood, and excited footsteps echoing throughout the clinic.

The mild stamina boost didn’t feel mild. It was as if he had boundless energy, pun entirely intended, causing a strong desire to rush around the clinic. And he indulged, making use of the opportunity to properly acclimate himself to the rapid attribute enhancements he had undergone over the night, even practicing the Nameless Footwork for an even higher boost to his agility.

Needless to say, the two skills had stacked.

The isolated, stuffy air of the clinic rushed around him, as Miles weaved through equipment and bounded off walls, making the best out of the cramped space. Despite the exertion and the dampened yet burning heat in his blood, an unusual smile was plastered on his face. He couldn't help but find a cathartic release in the mindless physical act.

Miles wasn’t sure whether he would've ever stopped, had it not been for the notifications.

Ding!

[The Blood Burns.

-0.5 Blood Points (BP).]

Ding!

[1 BP lost.

Personal BP reduced: 9/10]

And well before he could even begin to feel the loss of the blood and experience the thirst once more....

Ding!

[Personal BP replenished: 10/10]

[Consumed from Blood Bank: 13/100]

While the messages had been surprising enough to stop further use of the skill, the effects of the skill were far from fully dissipated.

Why you ask?

Miles was now swiveling around the Faesycian stool, in a perfectly good mood, while humming a light tune, all the while wearing nothing but his boxers. Thankfully, this was merely an inability to stay still, not a loss of control, for Miles was also deep in thought.

Their conclusions regarding Sanguis Ardeat were intriguing, and it painted the fever-inducing skill in a better light.

First, with the use of the Lefayescan, the loss of the blood point under the effects of blood burn had been successfully visualized, distinctly different from the abrupt disappearance noted before. The agitated, almost crazed blood flow under the effects of skill had led to the formation of a small quantity of reddish vapor.

'Burn the blood and you get... vapor?'

This steam like element deviated from the rest of the blood energy, almost floating perpendicular to the standard flow, even phasing through muscle and bone. The Lefayescan managed to visualize its presence until the vapor reached his sub-dermals, but after that... nothing. The gaseous blood just vanished.

The intensity of this vapor in the faesiology scans had dropped the higher it rose, so their running theory was that the energy actually left his body.

Miles was fairly confident that the Lefayescan could capture the presence of the blood vapor even beyond his own body, presuming he burned a greater quantity of blood at once. Unfortunately for science's sake, he was already running low on blood points and simply couldn't spare the loss. It had nothing to do with the fact that he was simply done with self-immolation, regardless of how ridiculously energetic it made him.

As for the exact quantification of the skill on his physiology, the physical enhancement was barely 2-3% of his physical attributes. A barely observed increment, but should the same percentage persist with even higher valued physical attributes, it could become a very decent effect.

The dampened pain response was a bit difficult to analyze, as it was a challenge to segregate the effects of the pain-be-gone upon his nerves, and the faesiological effects due to Blood Burn. Cadmus presumed the effects from the skill was about 10%, incomparable to Asclepius’ drug that dampened about 70% of the pain. At least it was something.

As for the increased energy levels, the effect that Miles thought should be the most obvious, actually showed no chemical response or observation that could be physiologically detected by the Lefayescan.

What they did observe however was that the more the agitated blood calmed down, the less energetic Miles would feel.

So, it was very possible that the increased energy was less of a scientific chemical response, and more of an esoteric effect, perhaps even purely psychological.

Still feeling the effects, Miles continued to swivel upon the stool, revolving around his own axis.

The gains from Blood Burn were minor, at least compared to Blood Bank. It was definitely not worth the loss of the ten attribute points, but he didn’t mind at all.

Miles had received sufficient gains from everything else, so a failure of a skill due to a risk taken was an acceptable loss.

Besides, who knows if the skill may end up useful? It surely would, if the 2-3% attribute enhancement persisted.

Feeling unusually optimistic, Miles hopped off the stool.

That was enough Faesycian experimentation, for barring the dreaded experimentation with sunlight, he had exhausted all ideas he could think of.

Nevertheless, since Zhan Shen hadn’t returned to discuss other more important matters, he figured he might as well take a look around the clinic.

Miles had had no interest in Haruka's work. In fact, despite the Faesycian's clearly refined tastes in regard to transporter engines and their inventors, he was staunch in his opinion that the work of any who would call themselves a ripper-doc was worth little.

But now, since he had the time, he might as well, right?

***

“Jimmy! Jimmy! We can finally pay for military college now!"

Inani was hopping excitedly, her pigtails bouncing in the air, the almost emotionless young man that was James grasped in her hands in an inescapable bear hug. The muscular girl's physique covered enough of the flickering, overwhelming will-o-wisp signs, to form shifting, rippling shadows.

Haruka could only smile at their antics, but her excitement was similar, only better subdued.

The middle-aged woman didn’t even mind her sickness and sneezing fits anymore, the sight of the staggering zeros in her credit account being miraculous medicine that soothed the soul. And that was even ignoring the 'healing effects' of the golden coin she continued to flip through her fingers, worth several times what was in her account right now.

“That's right, all around I owe you two a little short of a million," Haruka leaned forwards over the counter, towards the duo, "Where the hell did you find those corpos from?!”

Finally coming to a stop with a completely unaffected young man in her hands, Inani grinned, “The market! The gonky ol' man Marcus fell to the rats, and they didn’t have anywhere else to go, so we came to their rescue!”

Haruka cocked her head at that.

So, Marucs was dead. Pity, decent man that one, but less competition for her.

“But we wouldn’t have noticed them if it wasn’t for..." Inani lifted James into the air, as if to show him off, "Jimmy’s amazing goggles! There was something wrong with those two corpos, like some gonk had slapped a premium corpo censorship over them, like they were a free AV or something! I thought it was funny, but Jimmy immediately said they had to be rich, and he was right!”

As if his feet were not dangling in the air and everything was perfectly normal, the young man blushed at the praise, “You noticed their enchantment right Haruka-san? My goggles couldn’t pierce through, but it did help negate the mind tampering effect, revealing the enchantment as a blur of sorts. Amathaka, right?”

At that, Haruka nodded with a smile, “That's right, good eye James,” but she continued grimly, “It is a very solid enchantment. Not something just any Corpo can have, what more do you know about those two?”

The straw-haired boy paused in thought, long enough for Inani to place him back on solid ground and answer in his stead, “The young one is a bit rude, the old one is cool. They still don’t seem like normal corpos though,” she began to count off her fingers, “Didn’t call us outer trash, didn’t bully James for no reason, or even try to drag me into an alleyway. So, they might actually be alright?”

“Something is wrong with them. No Corpo would be nice for no reason right, Haruka-san?” James added.

The faesycian sighed, “Thank you for that you two, but less about their characters, and more about what we can use to identify their origin? Their Corp?”

Inani seemed to have no answers for that, remaining silent, until eventually James shook his head, “No, not really Haruka-san. The enchantment hides all identifiable features. We did hear their conversation, but they didn’t speak of anything useful. Oh, the old man did call the other one, young master. I think the young corpo is supposed to be the rich one.”

Haruka wiped her nose in thought, finally nodding, “I guess we won’t know exactly then. But since you two were the ones to bring them in, at least I can rest assured they are only here for my equipment, and... nothing else."

Inani chimed in then, “But the old corpo stared at us strangely as he left. You said you didn't like the way he looked around the clinic, right?”

“Yeah, if he really is an Epsilon as you said Haruka-san, do you think he noticed something?” asked James with a worried frown.

The middle-aged faesycian pulled back into her chair, twisting strands of her hair, “I don’t know. F*ck, maybe I shouldn’t have agreed to have them here for a week. The longer it takes the worse it might be,” and as if she expected an answer from the air, she called out to no one in particular, “But of course, It might help if the magical fairy among us could give an answer? Some help?”

There was only silence.

Haruka raised her exasperated hands into the air, “See? Even Soma isn’t talking. I don’t think she’s ever going to show up while the Corpos are here.”

“Aww, I wanted to meet her again,” pouted Inani.

Haruka rolled her eyes. That hadn't been the point, but she was used to the girl's antics, and managed to not react as James patted the disappointed girl’s shoulder in consolation.

She stared at the two… well, children before her.

They were good kids. They didn’t deserve to die for her problems.

So, she leaned forwards one more, and interrupted. “You know what? I’ll send you your credits now. You two can scram. Soma is being really strange. I've been getting a feeling that tonight could go off the rails.”

“Oh? How so?”

A powerful voice rumbled into the clinic, and all three of them jumped in surprise, turning around to find the old man, the supposed Epsilon Corpo, returned.

Inani was the first to answer, retorting with an indignant finger point, “Damn old man! You scared the shit out of us!”

“Scared? Pray tell, what were you up to, that would make my simple arrival cause fear?”

Inani sputtered, struggling to find the words to an answer, but Haruka interjected just in time, answering the old man that approached ominously, “My oath bound friend, anybody would be surprised by a sudden shout, would they not?”

James nodded rapidly, “Yes, surprise can be expressed as fear.”

The old man approached in silence and... simply passed by them.

They all released breaths they had unanimously been holding.

The old man continued to walk past, seemingly ignoring them, until his voice rang out once more, unnaturally carried over by the air, “And yet, no answer for the first question,” but he didn’t seem intent on forcing out one either. He pushed through the iron door and entered the hallway, the door closing behind him. It was as if he hadn't asked the question in the first place.

They remained silent for a while, unsure what to do, until surprisingly James broke the silence, cursing in a whisper, “F*ck. Ina is definitely right, the old corpo is suspicious. He wasn't even that annoyed when Ina accidentally hopped on his shoe on our way to Hamelin. There’s no way we’re leaving you alone.”

“Yeah, yeah, Haruka-san, we'll watch your back!” added Inani with a raised fist.

The faesycian frowned, her jaw tightening, “Are you two channeling your inner gonks? I can take care of myself–”

Inani bounded over, with a sharp thrust of her chin and a challenging gaze, she called out, “Jimmy! Haruka-san wants to chase us away! Just so she can keep the rest of the credits the rich corpos are going to throw out! Not even a cut for us! Isn't that unfair?”

James agreed with unnaturally spirited vigor, “That's right Haruka-san, what are you doing? If anybody else learned you were trying to cheat out your partners, not even gonks will ever work with you again. You gotta keep your rep intact, right?”

“Yes, the rep!”

Haruka blinked a few times, but finally sighed in exasperation, “F*cking fine you suicidal idiots, you can stay."

The muscular girl cheered, starting to jump, again, James still in tow.

The completely unaffected young man matched her excitement with a volley of questions, “Haruka-san, did you get more material? Did Soma find a way for us to..." he looked around suspiciously and finally whispered, "go inside? Is it stable?"

The dejected faesycian frowned, but eventually shook her head, not elaborating any further.

James nodded, seemingly in understanding, and continued in a serious tone, "Oh! I almost forgot Haruka-san, I made a breakthrough with my 'nades! While we wait, do you think we could work on it?"

"And I'll help! With Jimmy's genius, and my muscles, we can blow away any corpo that makes trouble for Haruka-san!" Inani chimed in, poking her head from the side of the young boy's head,

In the end, even the dejected Haruka could only smile. They were good kids.

***

Miles felt a distinct sense of relief as he realized he had exhausted all the excitement due to blood burn.

And by all, he meant all, for when the effects of the skill had well and truly dissipated, he had been rather affronted by his actions under the influence of the skill.

The skill was supposed to be mild, but the energetic nature with which he had acted seemed a tad excessive.

Fortunately, the distraction provided by the Faesycian’s research had rescued him from dwelling on the matter.

James, the straw haired boy, had not left anything practically usable in the clinic, but merely analyzing the state in which certain the equipment had been left, the stocked materials, and Cadmus’ Insights, it was possible to glean the intentions behind most projects.

That was how Miles came to learn that Haruka had been delving into some genuinely interesting pursuits, and much to his surprise, the outer city ripper doc had even made decent progress.

Even the attempts to recreate the Fae Serum had been for a different purpose, as on closer examination, the defective dud serums had actually been arranged clinically. It was more an experiment on the nature of the failure of the serums due to the world court patent, rather than an attempt at actual Fae Serum synthesis.

Discarded circuitry, logically pieced together by Cadmus, also uncovered an attempt to create nat-tech cyberware powered by Fae Serums. An interesting objective, besides the problematic cost to effect ratio. Fae Serums worth their weight in fae gold pieces for some minor effect from cyberware, was a terrible trade, but it was interesting, nonetheless.

Some projects on genuine Fae based Technology, including but not limited to an attempt at recreating Fae Transporter Engines, ozone pins for irreplicable dwarven grenades, and even theoretical schematics to enhance cyberware with basic enchantments and wards.

While none of these projects were particularly revolutionary, they exceeded Miles' expectations for an outer city ripper-doc.

Pondering on whether Haruka could be a worthwhile investment, and finally free of his energetic desire to swivel around in boxers, Miles had just finished donning his R&B Suit, affixing the cuff links when his ears perked.

The door on the other side of the hallway opened with a clang, and rats scuttered away, making way for familiar footsteps.

He wasn’t surprised to see Zhan Shen enter through the door, shoulders... unusually slumped.

Miles raised an eyebrow, “Didn't find what you wanted, old Zhan?"

Zhan Shen didn't answer, wordlessly walking until he collapsed onto the Faesyciain's stool. Then only did he answer Miles with a silent nod.

Miles scoffed at the old butler's theatrics, “Then what of the Faesycian and her posse? Anything we should worry about?”

Zhan Shen shrugged, finally mustering a reply, “They are hiding something, but no, even ignoring the fae coin oath, last I heard, they were more worried about hiding from us, not causing trouble.”

“Hoh? Interesting. Haruka isn't as inept a Faesycian as I had thought old Zhan, maybe we should–”

But before he could finish, the old butler surged forwards.

Whoosh!

A sudden gust of wind swept through the clinic, the air burst, and the lighter of the equipment were thrown into the air.

The wind spoke to him, but this wasn't a scream, merely a gentle notice.

Miles didn't even flinch, anticipating the old butler's halt right before him.

All that was airborne collapsed in a cacophony of crashes.

Miles remained unfazed, but he couldn't help but roll his eyes mentally. This was a test of sorts, and the old butler had gone considerably easy on him, for he couldn't even have had the chance to react had the old butler truly let loose.

Zhan Shen seemed to take his measure, judging his reaction.

Their eyes met.

Gone was the disappointed, forlorn butler.

Zhan Shen spoke in a serious, somber tone that gave him pause, “Master Miles, by now, even I can see that being a– blood sucker, isn’t without its benefits.”

All intentions of Faesycian espionage postponed, Miles responded with a nod of agreement.

Zhan Shen took a deep breath, “Setting aside potential future issues of Vampirism, before you full commit… before you resign yourself to this existence... I want you to understand that you aren’t confined, or trapped, to this singular path, one that intends to leave you inhuman.”

“There is another, less costly path…” He extended a hand, revealing the two Fae serums that Zhan Shen had previously purchased from the Faesycian, the ones he himself had tipped unnecessarily for.

Miles raised his hands in exasperation, already beginning to turn away, “This again old Zhan! I was the victor of our bet, was I not? So why must I take a serum and hope for the best?”

Any intention of agreement and serious conversation was tossed aside, for this was nothing but their never-ending argument. But before he could properly leave, the old butler gripped his shoulder, “Just listen Master Miles, or rather... watch.”

Miles let out a long, low sigh, but finally decided to humor his guardian, and exactly as requested, he crossed his arms and watched.

Zhan Shen didn't seem to mind, simply nodded with a smile, and walked over to a corner of the clinic, beginning to poke and prod a bunch of equipment that Miles was fairly confident was used for synthesizing experimental medicines out of... well, fae excreants.

“Ugh, how do you measure Faetality with these again?”

Miles snorted, walking over to assist before old Zhan could do something truly preposterous.

***

Miles stared at the ancient yet functional model of the FaeTech patented Faetality Analyzer strapped to Zhan Shen’s chest, or rather the flickering hologram generated by the Lykaon ring after interfacing with the device.

[Faetality: 6440]

An enviable amount of fatality, marking Zhan Shen as a solid Epsilon.

However, this was the Faetality of a perfectly middle tier Epsilon, and Miles knew that Zhan Shen was anything but. More importantly, the machine could only read unused Faetality.

Even if Zhan Shen had been blessed with a perfect Epsilon Faetality of 9999, there no way in hell that the old butler was performing as well as he was with just 3559 faetality used! This held true even if all the serums he had used were Orc/Fairy tier!

‘This– this has something to do with old Zhan’s martial arts, right? The Unnamed Movement Art, Dhara Gala or whatever, and such? All that involves the so-called nature which I supposedly have to understand myself?’

As he continued to observe, Zhan Shen shook one of the serums he had purchased– an effervescent green– revealing the text inscribed upon the glass, “GBS-002. Goblin tier Agility enhancement (+50) Serum. Requirement of 56 Faetality for use.”

Miles frowned at the sight, “Are you really planning to use a Goblin tier serum as an Epsilon? The faetality-to-attribute ratio is terribly sub-optimal…”

The old butler smiled, “Just watch," and without further ceremony aligned the syringe's needle on his forearm, perfectly over a vein, and depressed the plunger.

Instantaneously, the once-magical serum shifted to a strange state of inertness, devoid of vibrancy and vitality. This persisted even as the syringe was pressed down, urging the serum into Zhan Shen’s blood stream.

Just then, the old butler fixed his gaze upon the serum, calling to the air, “I consume the essence of this Fae, as is my right, to strengthen mine own.”

While the oath need not be as formal as Zhan Shen had made it out to be, hell, speaking wasn't even mandatory, it just had to be accompanied with genuine, willful, unforced intent. Without sincerity, Fae Serums risked becoming defective duds. It was also necessary to utilize the entirety of the syringe and not a drop less, or again, duds.

Just a few of the many nuances that suggested the nature of Fae Serums were more esoteric and magical, rather than mere creations of science. But like his mother always intoned, Miles liked to believe that magic was simply a science yet unstudied.

Regardless, the oath for the fae serum seemed to work. The liquid abruptly stirred to life, casting a radiant viridian glow within Zhan Shen's veins, easily visible through the skin.

Using a fae serum was a conspicuously flashy affair, impossible to perform discreetly. Unlike the vampiric blood energy that ran through his veins, the use of a Fae Serum was visibly apparent. Which meant that Zhan Shen was spared from the fate of having to undress and settle into the metallic Lefayescan to observe the flow of energy.

The greenish veins propagated through the old butler, the dimmed luminescence visible even through the suit. The serum was traversing through the entire physique, subtly altering the body to align with the nature of the specific fae from which the serum had been sourced– in this case, a goblin.

Miles’ irritation regarding the blatant inequality regarding the use of Lefayescans was soon forgotten, because Zhan Shen’s actions took an unexpected turn.

The old butler sat in a lotus position, legs crossed, and the moment the serum was emptied, the syringe was dropped, and he focused.

Zhan Shen entered his meditative state, and as always, his focus was a sight to see.

Not one visible to the eye, but one that was felt.

The very world seemed to still, the ghost lights dimmed, the faint sounds of the city hushed, and even Zhan Shen’s very audible heartbeat, accentuated by the closed proximity of the clinic seemed to fade– all synchronized with the old butler's concentration.

Miles was accustomed to this phenomenon (though ignorant of the rationale), and that was when something truly unusual happened.

He observed as the luminous green veins, still pulsating through Zhan Shen, inexplicably... halted.

Instead of following their usual course or permeating through the entire physique as was standard, the green light diverged, it congregated, coalescing upon the chest.

Like droplets of water converging to the bottom of a bowl, they gathered and, as if draining through a hole, dissipated.

Eventually, all the energy vanished.

It was not a natural dissipation, but rather as if it had been consumed or utilized for a purpose that it had not been intended for.

Miles could only gape. ‘What?

Zhan Shen blinked his eyes open, a lingering trace of green still lingering deep within.

The old butler proceeded to flex his wrists with a leisurely stretch, a satisfied grin playing on his lips at the evident confusion on his young masters' face. Instead of providing an explanation, he simply spoke, “Check my Faetality.”

Miles complied.

[Faetality: 6440]

‘Nothing had changed, what is old Zhan trying to—’

His eyes widened in comprehension, “Holy hells, nothing changed!”

Zhan Shen continued his stretch, now even cracking his knuckles, “Astute observation Master Miles.”

“How? If the serum didn’t consume Faetality, did the oath fail? Was the serum defective? Did your agility not improve?”

The old butler halted, “No, it most definitely was not defective. But yes, my ‘agility’ did not increase, yet my dhara, the stream, did.”

“Your stream...?" Miles frowned, “So what you’re implying is it's all 'spiritual', and you can’t prove the serum accomplished anything?”

Zhan Shen chuckled, “Indeed, I cannot prove the results with numbers. However, Master Miles is very familiar with my capabilities. You should be well aware that my consumed Faetality does not align with my capabilities? That, is my proof.”

Miles’ frown deepened.

That was true, but it could also be any number of reasons. He knew so little of Zhan Shen's spiritual tricks, but he did believe that there were no untruths here, simply by his belief that old Zhan would never mislead him.

The old butler continued, “You have to feel it for yourself,” and held out a serum.

Miles raised his hands immediately, “Nope, not interested. Even if what you did will not reduce Faetality—”

“—It might still halt Faetality growth? Yes,” Zhan Shen finished for him with a sigh, “I knew you would refuse Master Miles, precisely why I haven't brought this up before."

“Then what was the purpose of all this?”

The old butler revealed a cheeky grin, “While I did expect your refusal, I shot my shot, just in case your stubborn mind had changed for the better."

Miles narrowed his eyes, his silence serving as sufficient answer.

Zhan Shen shook his head, grin widening, “Fine, fine, there is one other reason.”

Miles snorted.

“You see Master Miles, I believe that the energy you use for your Vampiric abilities, the increased attributes, the regeneration, all of it—your ‘blood energy’—is akin to the energy in Fae abilities. The very same essence found in Fae Serums, the same I consume for my… cultivation.”

Miles paused. That was an interesting hypothesis, with some logic to it, despite being unproven.

“The instances where you lost control over yourself, I observed intense spikes in the energy within you, and… no, I won’t explain how I witnessed it. You can try that for yourself when you comprehend it, or if you ever get the balls to cultivate with a Fae Serum.”

Miles snorted at the childish insult, remaining silent.

“As I was saying, I believe that if you can control that energy, perhaps even direct it elsewhere, utilize it as you willed, you could potentially control yourself better. Perhaps even become more versatile with your… Vampiric abilities.”

Miles didn't answer immediately, deep in thought for a while.

“Alright, you have captured my attention, old Zhan. But do explain how this would differ from my usual meditation?”

The old butler smiled, “It does not.”

And thus, that was Miles found himself seated upon the grimy, metallic floor of an outer city Faesycian clinic– or, more fortunately, on a clean tarp he'd scavenged from the faesycian’s supplies.

Legs crossed in the lotus position, back straight and hands placed over each other, palms up. Apparently, all he had to do was... essentially, the same old meditation he was accustomed to. With some minor adjustments.

Miles released a focused breath, stealing a glance at the old butler before him. Zhan Shen nodded, “Go ahead, I’ll guide you through the process.”

With that, Miles closed his eyes, and he started to breathe.

For a second, he was hyper-aware. Of the lingering heat, from the blood burning skill that had ravaged through his blood vessels, multiple times. Of the scents of the clinic–chemicals, serums, antiseptics–all mingling together to form a distinct medical station fragrance. The subtle yet tangible breeze that tugged at his skin, carrying the cadence of another's respiration in close proximity. The sound of Zhan Shen's heartbeat, the intermittent beats of machinery, even the faint scuttering of rats within the walls and the distant city beyond.

But soon enough, he was detached from all of it, feeling none of it, for his mind focused on nothing but his breathing.

It was a bit strange that he no longer had a heartbeat to focus on, but his breathing remained the same, slow and relaxed.

His physique uncoiled, tensed muscles and stressed limbs finding overdue relief, a sense of relaxation he should’ve allowed himself sooner.

With a profound inhale and a measured exhale, Miles achieved perfection, and the world changed once more.

The clinic, the city, everything dissipated, replaced by a different world, one that should have been familiar…

Except it wasn’t.

The pristine world he had grown up within, from the day he had achieved some mastery over the art of meditation, well, it no longer existed.

This was something else. A world tampered, mutated and sullied by garish colors.

Along his axis of existence, almost directly beneath him, was an unstable rift, a shifting boundary that cut across the world.

To the east, was a radiant, undulating ocean of white–where ghostly tendrils weaved through, evoking a sense of peace and calm. Yet a sense of dullness pervaded, this expanse appeared lackluster, especially when compared to...

To the west, unfolding in a vast canvas of stagnant red, a viscous fluid, ominous and unnatural. Though a pure expanse of scarlet, even tranquil compared to the east, it paradoxically induced a profound sense of dread.

For a moment, it resembled a nightmarish dimension of blood, the very same Miles had glimpsed within the eyes of the Vampire.

A chill traced down his back, was this… blood?

Even the skies above, once serene and mirrored by the ocean, had been sundered in two. A somber red and a brilliant white, converging along a rippling line, mirroring the one he sat upon.

Just for a moment, he noticed a jarring imbalance, as if the blood sea had encroached beyond its territory, pushing out the other. It was such an insignificant, slight difference, Miles wasn't even sure why he noticed it in the first place.

Lost in the revelation of this unfamiliar, twisted and alien world, his mind had been distracted.

The manifested world shattered, and his perception returned to the clinic.

It took Miles a few seconds just to realize that he was gasping, his breath heavy as if he had traversed miles in a sprint.

“Master Miles! What's wrong–”

The words from the world faded, as he reeled from the experience and its aftermath.

The experience wasn't terrifying, no, it was completely different from that bloodied realm he had witnessed back then.

This was something he simply could not fear.

It was... his self, laid bare.

And as if in unison, the chimes resounded in his mind, and the notifications appeared.

Ding!

[The tapestry of your existence unfolds before you, the unseen, seen.

(Mind World - Rare) added to General Skills.]

Ding!

[Mind World (Rare) - A Skill only possible for those Kindred with minds well-honed prior to the grand blessings of Chaos.

What you think, you become. What you are, you think.

Allows the Kindred to manifest an envisioned realm, a mirror to the psyche, yet influenced by the truths concealed even beyond your own comprehension. Allows the focusing of your mental prowess upon a singular objective.

Skill Mastery: Basic Competence.

Current Effect: Concentrate thought, calm the mind, witness reality.]