Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 42: The Cost of Power (2)

So it really was true...

Aren gritted his teeth as both Captain Eric and Lieutenant Leo seemed to flinch at the comment.

Voss continued with a calm tone. "You survived because of your dragon Bloodline’s physiology."

"Without the enhanced endurance, you would’ve easily been torn apart."

He lowered his gaze to his chest unconsciously, as if expecting to see something glowing beneath the bandages.

"How... does that affect me?" he asked quietly. "Can I continue living like this?"

Voss studied him for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"That’s the good news," she said. "Yes. Functionally, you will live."

"But...?" Aren asked.

"The Core is not infinite," she continued. "We cannot accurately measure its internal reserves. What we do know is this: every time you use ether, you are no longer drawing solely from your own pathways."

Aren felt something faint stir beneath his ribs.

"You are drawing from the Core itself."

"So I just... don’t use ether?" he asked.

Voss shook her head gently.

"That would be unrealistic. You’re still a Mystic. Your body is designed to circulate it."

She folded her hands calmly in front of her.

"The solution is replenishment."

Aren’s eyes lifted.

"The Core absorbs ether," she explained. "The more you exert yourself, the more you will need to refill it."

"But isn’t that—?!" Aren started.

"I know," the professor finally admitted. "Exactly like a Demonic Cultivator’s."

Voss raised a hand gently, placing it on his shoulder.

"But you are not one," she clarified. "Your Bloodline is not corrupted in any way."

"What you’re experiencing is not a spiritual hunger."

She tapped lightly over his bandaged chest.

"It’s physiological. You are structurally stable."

"But," Voss added gently, because there was always a but, "if you exhaust it recklessly and allow it to deplete entirely... your body will not have a fallback."

The silence lingered for a few seconds after Professor Voss finished. Then Captain Eric finally spoke.

"Well," he said evenly, though there was a faint edge of satisfaction beneath it, "that’s one way to look at it."

"It’s not like they’re all drawbacks!" He stepped slightly closer to the bed, posture straight despite the absence of his arm.

"Even from my perspective, it’s easy to see."

"See what?" Aren asked.

"The aura around you," he continued. "Your ether quality is the cleanest thing I’ve ever seen."

"But it’s not just the quality..."

The captain snickered a little before he pointed at Aren with a finger.

"You’re officially a Practitioner-Stage Mystic, a Line 3 to be precise."

Aren’s eyes widened as he looked down once more. His mind had immediately shifted to the danger so quickly that he completely forgot that he’d just absorbed an entire relic.

But the words didn’t sit right somehow.

"I didn’t draw the Line," he said quietly. "I didn’t break through."

"You’re correct," the professor chimed in. "You didn’t."

"But remember you have a relic within you," she continued. "When it integrated with your system, your body had only two choices—"

"Adapt or die."

"So guess which one it picked?"

Professor Voss watched him carefully.

"Think of it less as a promotion," she added softly.

"You are not stronger because you chose to be." She tapped lightly over his bandaged chest again.

"You are stronger because you had to be."

Professor Voss allowed the silence to settle before she continued.

"Though to be honest," she said gently. "It does more harm than good."

Aren’s gaze lifted at the statement.

"You will cultivate more slowly."

The words didn’t make sense at first.

"I just got pushed to Line Three," Aren said. "How does that make me slower?"

But as soon as he said it, Aren realized what she was trying to say. His baseline had changed drastically.

What ordinary Mystics spent years refining through meditation and discipline had been shoved into his system all at once. Refining the ambient ether would likely take him a long time to break through.

It was like trying to drink tap water after swallowing from the purest spring.

"So anything I refine naturally won’t be enough," he murmured.

Professor Voss gave a small nod.

"You will still grow," she clarified. "But the progression curve will not look normal. Your standards are no longer normal."

Aren sighed softly.

At least I managed to survive at all, the consequences aren’t so bad. I’ll just have to work harder.

"Oh, and one more thing," Professor Voss said, rummaging around in her pocket before pulling something out.

It was small and unassuming, a thin band of metal that looked like a bracelet.

Aren frowned. "What is that?"

"A precaution," she replied gently.

She stepped closer to the bedside and held it out for him to see more clearly.

"It’s an ether dampener," she explained. "Usually used to contain criminals, but... we made an exception."

"Great," Aren muttered.

Eric folded his arm behind his back.

"In your case," he added evenly, "it’s not optional."

Eric’s gaze hardened slightly.

"Anyone with basic perception would notice," he said. "Anyone dangerous would investigate."

Aren stared at the band for a long moment. In his previous life, standing out too early had been his death sentence.

Without another word, he took it.

The metal was cool against his skin. The moment it clicked into place around his wrist, he felt it. It was like a vast tide being gently pushed back behind a gate.

Captain Eric gave a short nod, "Better."

For a moment, the tent went quiet as everyone considered what came next.

Professor Mirelle looked outside the tent, at the faint ash that still clung to the sky, blocking out some of the sun’s rays.

"The city won’t recover quickly," she said softly.

"Local command is preparing full evacuation," Eric gave a slight nod. "Infrastructure is gone and demonic beasts are still roaming the outer districts.

In other words—

Sun City was finished...at least for now.

Eric’s gaze shifted fully to Aren.

"So," he said evenly, "what do you plan to do?"

Aren held his gaze, considering his options for the future.

"My family can’t stay here," he replied after a moment. "There’s nothing left to rebuild around."

Eric didn’t argue.

"And you?" the captain pressed. "Your situation is... different now."

Aren exhaled quietly.

"I’ll probably move with them," he said. "Find somewhere stable and enroll in a proper college."

"It’s not like I can return to a regular job after this," Aren added. "Not like I want to or anything."

"I’d have to get my degree and eventually a Mystic License."

"Right..." Captain Eric replied. "The whole ’replenishing your Core’ requirement."

But that was when Professor Mirelle’s lips curved faintly.

"Well," she said, slipping a hand back into her coat pocket, "that simplifies matters."

After a moment, she withdrew a sealed envelope with a familiar crest. Twin towers rose high on the red wax seal, the symbol of Imperial City.

"I was hoping you’d say that."

She extended it toward him.

"Consider this... a formal invitation."

"The Imperial City College of Mystics will always welcome someone like you."

Aren accepted the envelope and looked at the wax seal for a moment.

"Thank you," he said quietly.

Professor Voss gave him a small nod, satisfied before turning around and wrapping a hand on both the Captain and Lieutenant.

"Alright, let’s go," she snorted softly. "Us geezers should leave before we drain what little energy the young ones have left."

Eric let out a low breath that might’ve been a laugh, though it was hard to tell. Leo shot Aren one last reassuring glance before allowing himself to be ushered out.

The tent flap fell shut right behind them...and just like that, the space felt quieter.

He sat there with the envelope resting in his hands, along with the faint hum in his chest, reminding him of the Core’s presence.

Aren lowered the envelope onto his lap and reached toward the small metal tray resting beside the cot.

Among the medical supplies lay a small plastic sleeve, and inside it, a SIM card.

That’s right...my phone. How did they even manage to retrieve it?

His phone had been destroyed during the plaza. The screen was shattered beyond recognition, but someone, most likely Luna, managed to salvage the chip.

He slid it carefully between his fingers, turning it over slowly. There weren’t many numbers stored on it, but one of them lingered clearly in his memory...

Rinrin’s.

Her phone number had the Imperial City area code. Aren leaned back slowly against the cot.

Imperial City, huh?

He knew it was dangerous to be there. In a city like that, someone like Rinrin could be standing ten steps away, and he would never know what she truly was.

Yet...he knew it was the biggest opportunity for growth he’ll ever have. For some reason, he had a strange feeling—

They would meet again soon enough.