Power's flavor granted remarkable pleasure but provoked extreme fear at the same time. At the site of his former life Ethan stood with a mind full of contradictions yet a deep-rooted awareness ruled his thoughts. Death had unleashed a sinister transformation inside him because he started realizing his own nature. At that moment when blood covered Ethan's hands he understood his humanity kept disappearing rapidly because of the passing minutes.
Despite everything the universe had turned into a disfigured replica of itself. The world displayed itself in unpredictable ways due to the changes it had undergone. The world lost all shades of distinction because good no longer separated from evil nor wrong from right. The only truth now was power. Ethan Blackwood learned through brutal experiences that survival demanded him to seize power by resorting to any method required for his survival.
A system notification warned about the first recorded sovereign killing during blood shed.
Another alert sounded from the system while his thoughts remained clouded. Ethan barely paid attention anymore. The electronic communications and notifications served as pure background noise to him. Contrary to their former meaning the words served a chilling purpose in reminding him of his transition from struggling boyhood into becoming a survivor. Dangerous power consumed him now.
{New Skill Unlocked: Blood Mark—Enforce.}
His hand twitched involuntarily. Ethan displayed his hand and a red sigil materialized in the air while emanating a strange powerful glow. Something deep inside the creation of reality accepted the mark as his powerful mental imprint. Ethan needed just one spoken word to burn his blood mark anywhere he chose. This object served as both a weapon and a method of maintenance over others. His enemies received his personal brand as they curled their fingers to flee from his domination.
He felt his bones ponder the weight of the newly gained power he had discovered. Blood Mark—Enforce. According to the system he possessed a skill but Ethan knew his ability extended far beyond simple terminology. It was a statement. This statement enforced his invincibility to the point he could no longer be avoided by anyone.
His bloodstream carried blood at a regular pace but his pulse felt heavy because every new choice he made revealed untold possible futures.
His eyes moved towards the deceased nearby. Inside the rooms that had previously echoed with children's casual conversation he discovered death. All living persons had fled their homes in panic. The remaining bodies in the room belonged to persons who could not run to safety.
"They deserved it," he muttered under his breath, the words coming easily now, as if they were part of his very soul.
All his classmates believed he was a weak person but his powers proved them wrong. They had scorned him then degraded him with their words before all this happened. For being different? He wanted to shine in a society that enforced sameness toward everything. Ethan seized authority that he had never experienced before throughout his existence. The individuals who feared him turned into prey when he evolved into the terrifying animal they had never anticipated.
The power granted him total control of reality according to his vision of how things should appear. The power he had seized would not remain useless.
Several of his deceased classmates played like a cinema sequence in his thoughts—people who had bullied him and tormented his life. The elimination of their opponents was accomplished through the very power system the opponents failed to comprehend.
{Blood Sovereign's Path: Confirmation.}
Multiple system messages crossed his thoughts while seeming unimportant to him. He tightened his eyes while concentrating on what needed to be done. After hearing minimal footsteps in the distance he became alert and his senses intensified.
Survivors.
Even after the passage of time several individuals remained unappreciative of their roles. Among the survivors remained those who believed themselves hidden from reality and the desperate who lacked power alongside those who were weak. Ethan displayed a sinister grin on his lips. They were not worth saving.
Large footsteps became louder before shadows revealed the arrival of unseen figures. Survivors identified themselves during their scavenging process that aimed to find survival tools for another day. At first sight the people halted their movement as they surveyed his presence and reacted with simultaneous shock, fear and bewilderment.
Ethan lifted his hand toward the blood beneath him which caused the crimson pool to form wild red patterns that rose toward the ceiling. The survivors reacted with horror after seeing what unfolded in front of them and pushed themselves against the wall.
"Please… please, don't kill us," one of them cried, his voice cracking with fear.
Ethan's gaze never wavered. Nothing moved him when his thoughts remained steady and his heart hardened. Those remaining survivors existed ascoration of a destroyed planet. They cried with fear yet their abandonment demanded no sympathy from Ethan because their intentions felt pointless.
"They deserved it," he whispered again, the words more of a mantra than a thought. His power came from a deserved punishment which matched their own fate. His duty belonged only to himself as the world transformed into something different from the former society. It wasn't his job to care.
The rising blood stormed toward him before Ethan slashed the air with his will and sent it flying toward the survivors. Using his single gesture the blood moved through the air as it wrapped itself around the survivors' bodies using precise targeting. Their cries filled the empty hallways yet their screams held no value to stop the process. They were nothing before him.
{System Message: Blood Sovereign's Mark—Extended Control.}
The system alarm sounded as Ethan amplified his power level. Through the blood he could perceive his bond with it as the life force bound together the survivors. Their destinies were decided because they joined their bodies to his power. The survivors became his complete possession.
The tightening blood around their necks did not stop Ethan from hesitating for an instant. The man who had spoken revealed his fear while trembling through the forceful gaze of Ethan. A reflection of himself appeared in this man as Ethan observed his fear and survival needs.
During that instant he almost decided to show them compassion but the moment passed by without action. Yet this insight crossed his mind quickly before he erased it as if destroying a bug with his boot.
"They deserved it," Ethan muttered once more, and with a flick of his wrist, the blood tore through the survivors, ending their lives in an instant.
After their bodies fell to the floor Ethan remained standing erect. He perceived his responsibility light as a feather. He had no regrets. He had no remorse. This was the world now. His world.
{Next Path: Blood Sovereign's Dominion Awaits.}