I lounged near the crackling fire, absently watching Luna chase her makeshift leather ball across the campsite. The tiny kitten darted back and forth, her paws swiping with fierce determination as she pounced and rolled in a flurry of playful chaos.

  "Gods, You're a menace, you know that?" I muttered, a smirk tugging at my lips. Despite the relentless danger of this place, watching her antics had become a strange sort of comfort—a brief reprieve from the madness of this world.

  She paused mid-pounce to glance at me, eyes wide and shimmering with mischief, before batting the ball straight into my boot.

  "Hey!" I protested, though I couldn't suppress the chuckle that followed. "If you break something, I'm not fixing it."

  Luna meowed defiantly, tail flicking as she prepared to attack her next imaginary foe.

  Shaking my head, I leaned back on my elbows, letting the warmth of the fire seep into my bones. The morning chill clung stubbornly to the air, but the sun was beginning to peek through the canopy, casting dappled light across our little clearing.

  As I stretched, something caught my eye—a faint mark on my right forearm. Frowning, I sat up and rolled up my sleeve. There, etched into my skin, was a tattoo that hadn't been there before.

  "What the hell?" I muttered, tracing the design with my fingertips. Two diamond shapes sat side by side, with a smaller diamond adjacent to the second one.

  “That’s the same feeling I got in the mind sphere, So these things are connected.”

  Luna paused her play to peer up at me, head tilted in curiosity.

  "Don't suppose you know anything about this?" I asked sarcastically, not expecting an answer.

  She meowed softly, padding over to nuzzle against my arm.

  "Yeah, it's weird for me too," I sighed. The tattoo didn't fade or smudge under my touch.

  On a hunch, I channeled Exira. The blade hummed softly, resonating with my own energy. As I channeled a bit of power into the sword, the tattoo responded—a faint glow igniting within the diamonds.

  "Well, that's not ominous at all," I remarked dryly.

  Luna hopped onto my lap, pawing gently at the tattoo. Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, it felt like she understood more than she let on.

  "Alright, let's think this through," I said, taking a deep breath. "Two big diamonds... could represent the essences I've absorbed. Blood and Mutation."

  I focused on the second diamond—the one with the smaller diamond beside it. Channeling energy into it, I felt a familiar surge.

  "Blood Essence," I whispered. The smaller diamond glowed brighter, and a tingling sensation spread up my arm.

  Images flashed in my mind—the mind sphere, the floating crystals, the skill rune I'd discovered. "This is linked to the Blood Projectile skill," I realized.

  Turning my attention to the first diamond, I noticed its smaller companion was only half-formed, flickering weakly. “It’s not a full skill yet, but it’s forming. That’s why the rune’s not complete.” I mused.

  The pieces began to click into place. The larger diamonds symbolized the essences themselves, while the smaller diamonds represented the skills tied to each essence.

  “Huh”

  “This wasn’t here before. So when did it show up?”

  “Had to be after the mind sphere,” I muttered. “That’s when I felt something shift. So it’s either tied to awakening the mind sphere... or maybe it’s because I absorbed another blood essence.”

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  Either way, the timing wasn’t a coincidence.

  “Great. More mysteries to add to the pile. Like I didn’t already have enough shit to figure out.”

  “You’re just here for the belly rubs, aren’t you?” I chuckled, scratching behind her ears. "Fine. Let's test this out."

  I stood up, gently setting her aside. “Alright, Let’s try something.”

  I focused on the tattoo once more, channeling Exira into it while keeping my mind calm and deliberate. The second diamond—the one linked to the blood essence—began to pulse faintly, and a familiar sensation flickered in my mind.

  “Blood Projectile,” I muttered, visualizing the skill.

  A small, sharp sphere of crimson energy formed in the air just above my palm, hovering unsteadily as I struggled to maintain focus.

  “Okay,”

  “So far, so good.”

  I shifted my hand slightly, and the sphere wobbled before stabilizing again. It wasn’t perfect, but it was progress.

  Luna let out an excited meow, leaping onto my shoulder to get a better view.

  “Careful, furball,” I said, smirking as I gently nudged Luna back to the ground. “Don’t want you catching a stray shot.”

  She meowed in protest but settled down, watching me intently.

  With a flick of my wrist, I sent the blood sphere flying toward a nearby tree. It struck the bark with a faint thunk, leaving behind a shallow dent.

  “Ahh… wait since it is blood essence…the fuel it requires is blood!”

  “Goddamn Lexi, Its in the name”

  “Alright,”I said as I rolled my shoulders. “Time to test this skill out properly”

  “Fuuu...” I exhaled slowly.

  Allowing my body to relax, as I entered a meditative state.

  The blood essence was easy to find now, a constant, thrumming presence within me, It was my blood now after all. Its signature was raw and predatory, but also malleable.

  Taking out my skull staff, its twisted wood felt weirdly cool against my palm. As the connection between me and the blood essence deepened, I could feel the faint pull of the rune skill embedded within it

  The intent of the skill became clearer with each passing second, like a word hovering just on the edge of comprehension. I allowed myself to lean into it, feeling the essence surge through me and into the staff.

  The reaction was immediate.

  swish~

  A sharp, wet sound filled the air as blood erupted from the staff, forming a solid projectile in the shape of a spear. The weapon hovered in the air before me, over a meter in length, its surface glistening dark red.

  “Holy shit,” I muttered, eyes widening.

  The blood spear—it was tethered to me, connected by an invisible thread of energy.

  I was weird but I could feel it, like an extension of my own body.

  fuuu~

  Taking another steadying breath, I locked gaze onto the nearest wooden target. My mind honed in on the connection, and with a single thought, I released the tether.

  Swish.

  The blood spear sliced through the air with a sharp, piercing noise, hurtling toward the target.

  Thunk!

  The projectile struck dead center, splintering the log with a deafening crack. The impact sent shards of wood flying, and the spear dissolved into crimson mist the moment it completed its purpose.

  “Fuck me,” I whispered, a grin spreading across my face. “That was awesome.”

  Meow! Miow!

  Luna let out an excited meow, bouncing up and down on the bed, cheering.

  “See that, furball? I actually hit the damn thing!”

  “Meow!”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I said, laughing. “Don’t look so smug.”

  I turned back to the remaining targets, my mind racing with possibilities.

  The skill had worked, but there was still so much to figure out—how many projectiles I could summon at once, how far they could travel, and how much resource did they drained.

  “Alright, Let’s try that again.”

  Focusing on the essence, I repeated the process, drawing on the blood’s power to summon another spear. This time, aiming for the second log, I felt my movements smoother this time.

  Swish-thunk!

  The second spear struck true, embedding itself into the wood before vanishing in a puff of mist.

  “Not bad. Let’s try and push it further.”

  I called upon the essence again, this time channeling more energy to form two spears at once. The process took longer, the connection straining slightly as I juggled the dual constructs.

  “Come on,” I muttered through gritted teeth. “Hold together...”

  Finally, two identical spears hovered before me, their crimson surfaces glistening in the sunlight. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I finally aimed them at the remaining targets.

  “Here goes nothing.”

  I mentally released both tethers simultaneously.

  Swish! Swish!

  The spears sailed through the air, striking two separate logs with satisfying thunks. One hit perfectly, splintering its target in half, while the other skewed slightly, grazing the edge.

  Haaaa….haaafff…

  “Not perfect, but close enough.”

  Luna let out a loud mrrp from her perch on the bed, her tail swishing with excitement.

  “Don’t start, I’m still figuring this out, alright?”

  Luna bounded off the bed and darted over to me, pawing at my boot as if demanding to be included in the fun.

  “Hey, stay out of the danger zone, you little maniac,” I said, scooping her up. “You’re not exactly spear-proof, you know.”

  Luna meowed indignantly but didn’t struggle.

  Alright, furball,” I said, ruffling her ears. “That’s enough testing for now. I’ve got the basics down. Next time, I’ll see how far I can push this thing.”

  “You know for someone who doesn’t do much, you’re pretty damn good at moral support.”

  “Meow,” Luna replied smugly.

  “Yeah, yeah. Don’t let it go to your head.”

  HOUSE OF END DISCORD

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