Born in Blood



After a whole week, Jack called everyone up from the cabin.

Liam opened his eye after cultivating his usual amount at midnight. His core contents were full, but his 'Ora' reserves grew by a lot since his breakthrough to the liquid-stage.

He made his way to the main deck, and the others were already there, gathered at the hull and overseeing the distance.

Liam traced their shocked gaze as he neared, and a slight smile appeared on his face. He zoomed his eye in to get a better look.

The Korsan lands came into view. Dark cumulous clouds canopied the unguarded black stony landscape that crimson waves washed upon. 

At one point during the journey, the ocean waters transitioned to a blood-red color. Liam wasn't too surprised by that – it was a known phenomenon that had something to do with the soil in Korsa.

…However, that didn't explain the thick stench of blood that perforated through the air.

Besides that, the lands were hidden behind the thick mist. Unnerving, almost, if not for the crackling red lightning flashes that struck the surface of the grounds.

Even with the King's Eye, Liam couldn't see past a thick curtain of mist that oozed freely around the surface of those grounds. They weren't normal by any means either.

"God, am I glad I'm not accompanying you guys," Jack heaved a shocked sigh with his eyes stuck to the slowly nearing lands.

"Why is the lightning red too? Did I miss something in class again?" Nord looked to his companions and asked, but they were too fixated on the sight.

"I heard rumors that it rains blood in this place…" Gerald muttered under his breath, his eyes trembling slightly.

Nessa looked much calmer compared to before, a slight frown on her little face. After the shark attack, she had spent more time and effort into training with her staff.

On the other hand, Rin made a small smile.

"We'll be reaching in two hours," Jack stated. "Please make any final preparations you might need until then."

Liam stayed at the main deck and watched as they approached. He felt like a Viking exploring new lands… which was exactly what he was doing.

'The only thing missing are the trumpets that mark my landing,' Liam thought with a growing smile.

It wouldn't be truthful to say he wasn't excited about the trip. If he could somehow find, study or kill a vampire – not in that particular order – it would do wonders for his Blood Weaving.

"If you somehow do find sentient races, you're not advised to kill them," Jack said, noticing the dark glimmer in Liam's eye. "Only if they attack you first."

Liam shrugged. They wouldn't know the difference.

Soon enough, the ship neared the vast island. The booming thunder grew louder, and flashes of red light flickered behind the white mist.

Liam half-expected something huge to burst through the fog and assault them… but nothing of the sort happened.

Jack cautiously docked the ship, fitting it between an arched cavity inside the dark base of the island. It was almost too perfect of a place to hide in, since the arch provided a roof and a clean hiding place for the ship.

"Alright, this is where we part ways. I'll stay here and fix up a base for you all to return to. You've all been given special artifacts, Jade's and storage devices for your journey, so don't hesitate to use them if your life is in danger. Your mission shouldn't take more than six to seven months," Jack addressed the crew with a slight smile. "Until then, good luck."

Liam and the rest nodded. They all had their items readily stored in their ring.

"Let's go."

With that, the gangplank descended on the black and dark red soil. They jumped off and climbed to the foggy surface from a cliff.

On the surface, the mist was so thick, Liam couldn't even see past five steps despite zooming in and out with his eye – it was even worse for the others. At the same time, an unnatural coldness caused everyone's skin to stiffen.

Gerald and Nessa, who still had Rank 2 bodies, held their arms to still his shivering.

"Everyone bunch up and link to one another. Don't let go no matter what. We don't know if this fog belongs to a magical beast or some other creature, so stay alert."

On Liam's orders, everyone locked arms, weapons wielded as they marched forth. Liam was at the lead, with Gerald at the flank. Rin and Nord covered the sides, and Nessa was in the middle.

Not even mental energy could assess the silver fog, which made Liam frown in concern.

They didn't get twenty steps in, before Gerald began uttering something inaudible. Due to the fog, he couldn't see his figure clearly,

"Oi, what's with him?" Nord questioned, but Liam frowned.

"I-I don't know… wait, he's not holding on to us anymore!" Nessa's words caused everyone's chest to sink.

"Gerald!" she shouted with panic, taking a step away before being yanked back by Liam.

"Don't move," Liam whispered, but Nessa didn't look back at him. "We'll look for him as a group. Don't let emotions get in the way of your common sense."

Nessa didn't respond. Her attention was stuck to the distance… but she still couldn't see through the fog. At least, Liam couldn't, so how could she?

"What's wrong with you?" Liam asked in a low voice, a bad feeling rising in his chest.

Nessa didn't respond. Cryptically, she began mumbling, as though entranced by something she was seeing. Despite Liam's grip on her robe, she broke free and walked forward, consumed by the fog.

"Oi! Where the fu…" Liam's voice trailed off. His breathing grew heavy, with a grave frown scrunching his face.

Nord and Rin were gone too.

Gulping, Liam tightened the grip on his blades.

He noticed how the first to go was Gerald, the one with the weakest consciousness, followed by Nessa and the others.

Right as Liam was deducing what it was behind it all, a serene feeling made him feel like all his worries were melted away.