Solar Blood Masters

Flashback…

The crisp morning air permeated as Raphael watched, awestruck, from behind a pillar. It was in that open training ground near the edges of Tajmani's estate where they were allowed to practice. Before him was Butler Long wielding a sword.

Each time he moved, his blade became a blur of crimson light as the air itself sung a melody of destruction. Butler Long was showcasing a mastery over a technique he'd called 'Crimson Dance of a Thousand Cuts', truly magnificent!

But for Raphael, that technique's intricacies were lost to a much more somber realization.

"I… I could never be this skilled. My movements are clumsy. I'm weak! Even those guards make fun of my physique, and call me 'scrawny'. I hate it!"

His thoughts were consumed with self-doubt, which only amplified the anxieties he was battling. And his predicament, it wasn't simply about those insults he'd endured, nor those beatings. No.

It was deeper.

It was something that had him tossing and turning in his tiny, servant quarters.

His bloodline powers, they hadn't awakened yet.

That morning, as they were both seated on the grass, enjoying a breakfast of rice porridge and dried meat after a particularly grueling training session where he'd had the misfortune of getting his ass beaten by Butler Long, Raphael couldn't contain his despair anymore.

"I'm almost fifteen, Butler Long, and my powers… they're still… dormant. I'm far older than Princess Tajmani, and yet she's already awakened her Solar Blood Spirit. Why? What am I doing wrong?" His voice quivered with the agony of this constant reminder, his humiliation.

Butler Long, ever patient and kind, placed a reassuring hand on Raphael's head and gently ruffled his short, dark purple strands.

"Raphael, life is like a race. Some are born with a head start. But it's NOT about who arrives at the finish line FIRST. It's about the JOURNEY, the experiences acquired along the way, those lessons we learn. Those tribulations we overcome."

"Hmmm…"

"Do not compare yourself to Tajmani, for I can sense it. Your potential for growth, it's FAR greater, believe me, It truly is! All you have to do is practice, practice, practice!"

His words were fuel to Raphael's waning resolve. He was about to ask for further guidance, perhaps even beg for a demonstration of that potent crimson blade technique once again, but…

"Slave! WHERE'S MY BATH WATER?!"

Tajmani's shriek came from the balcony above and shattered their moment of peace.

"Tsk! She couldn't wait one more hour. The nerve of that brat." Butler Long muttered angrily as he stood up.

"Be humble, Raphael, and go attend to your sister. After all, aren't WE all simply ants crawling beneath those who've earned a throne? Remember… family is everything, and blood… well, It's the thickest bond we share. "

Raphael gritted his teeth as he mumbled, "But why do I always have to fetch her water? We have a new plumping system! All she has to DO… is turn those valves… and… why me?"

"Raphael…"

His words died as Butler Long gave him a look that had his tail between his legs as he hurriedly scurried away to appease his mistress's unreasonable demands, for surely weren't those warnings of 'discipline and order' the only reward he'd ever get for challenging the system?

…

Another time…

…

"Stupid dust!"

Raphael stood within Tajmani's lavish chamber, sweeping the floors. He'd been at it for hours, desperately trying to eliminate any speck of dust, pollen or stray insect that might trigger his mistress's volatile temper.

"Hmph! The estate is equipped with air filters that are even capable of sucking up cobwebs and yet she has me sweeping?" He mumbled, frustrated. But complaining was a privilege reserved for those of noble blood, not servants. He'd learnt that lesson long ago.

Just then, a Psiphon Car came to a stop outside the window. Two Blood Knights stood guard beside it after they helped the Queen out.

Raphael was oblivious of this. He continued to sweep, unaware that Queen Ewa Nier and her daughter was approaching. Suddenly, he heard their voices coming from behind the door.

"It's… the Queen!"

He shivered. The sight of Queen Ewa Nier always filled him with dread. Her chilling eyes could pierce even a Golden Bull Thork's defenses, and his own heart which wasn't even worthy of her disdain, it pounded with a dreadful rhythm.

"What should I do?"

He didn't have time to decide on a proper course of action, for their voices were getting louder. Those footsteps of power were right at the door!

He instinctively hid behind the luxurious, velvet curtains by the window.

"Mother!" Tajmani's voice had a lilting sweetness that was always a facade, he'd learnt, after countless beatings.

He peered through the gaps. He saw her and her mother. They neared the bed.

"My darling, your aura is glowing brighter. I can tell something excited has happened, right?" Ewa Nier inquired gently as she sat beside her daughter and brushed her luscious dark purple strands with a caring gesture that he'd never experienced.

How strange, this relationship they shared.

"Hmmm. Mother…" Tajmani's face darkened a bit as her gaze drifted toward the floor in embarrassment. "There is this… this BOY at the academy that I liked."

"A boy…? Is he from a noble lineage?"

"Well…" Tajmani paused, she was nervous.

Raphael had sensed her unease which wasn't uncommon whenever her mother questioned her motives or showed an interest that could easily be misconstrued as affections. It was truly a strange yet fascinating family affair.

"Continue, daughter. I won't allow any useless boy to taint my bloodline!"

Tajmani gulped.

"He… he's… from… the…"

"Thump, thump… Thump… thump…"

The secret she was about to reveal was shattered by a sound only those with keen earing perception would recognize, a heart…

It was beating loudly!

And from that heart came whispers of fear.

"WHO DARES eavesdrop?!"

A chilling aura exploded outward! A powerful energy blast tore through the heavy velvet curtains as if they were cobwebs before revealing the cowering figure behind them.

BOOM!

"Raphael?!"

"Mother… he's spying on us!"

Tajmani's words were lost to Raphael's ear, for he was sent hurtling through the window, thrown outwards like a discarded ragdoll!

He tumbled through the sky, desperately trying to grasp something, anything to stop his fall. But there was nothing!

"NOOOOOO! This is how I die?!"

Just before he crashed onto the paved stone below…

WHOOSH!

A blinding flash of blue radiance burst from his chest! It shot upwards toward the heavens.

"Hmm?"

Ewa Nier's eyes narrowed as she peered out the window. Her gaze followed the stream of sapphire energy with curiosity, "That boy…? What is he…?"

Then, a magnificent sight unfolded before them.

Raphael's blood began to coalesce, it took shape in the sky. It was forming a creature of exquisite beauty.

He screamed in agony. But his screams were drowned out by the whispers of those witnessing.

"That boy, is… he AWAKENING?!"

They were right.

He was!

A sapphire dragon appeared! It's body was thin and elegant, with pretty silver eyes and a tail fin. Its form was unique. It moved gracefully, as if dancing to a melody only it could hear.

This was the manifestation of Raphael's 'Solar Blood Spirit'.

"A… 'Spring Blood Dragon!' There's NO MISTAKING IT! Such a potent Solar Blood Spirit! How could he possess it?" Her words were laced with awe and bitter disappointment, for she couldn't allow this. It wasn't possible!

She knew the history of this particular spirit within their bloodline. The legends surrounding it! And now…

A 'slave boy' possessed what she'd hoped her daughter would inherit.

Such injustice!

Little Tajmani, who had also been watching with awe, cautiously asked, "Mother… what is that blue WORM doing around my DOG?"

"Tajmani, you fool. It's a Solar Blood Spirit!"

She then explained with a hint of irritation, "It's a manifestation of an individual's soul nature that we cultivate. They come in varying forms and abilities, some are weak, but potent ones… they're quite valuable, especially in accelerating tedious practices.

This one… the Spring Blood Dragon! It's one of the rarest and most potent Blood Spirits within our Bloodthorne Lineage, second only to the Star Blood. A magnificent sight, isn't it?"

But even as she was schooling her daughter about this phenomenon, she was remembering those stories of how few, even among the gifted Bloodthorne Elders had awaken the 'Spring Blood Dragon', those that had, were legends.

They'd commanded unmatched power and unlimited Blood Pool.

The most recent…

"He is my husband now, but…"

She glanced at Tajmani whose abilities paled in comparison to even the average Blood Knights. It was a truth that had fueled her bitterness.

"She is nowhere near this boy's level."

Her thoughts went to her husband, the King himself—Razel Louche Bloodthorne.

He'd also awakened a 'Spring Blood Dragon' a Crimson one! And after claiming his throne. His power, his cultivation had advanced at an alarmingly fast rate. But this was the son of her rival, of that wretched woman, Haleema. It wasn't possible, and yet… here it was.

"I can't allow this! This has to be rectified."

"This will not stand. That boy's Solar Blood Spirit… it should be MINE! I shall claim it! I'll tear it out of HIM and graft it onto Tajmani! Even if he DIES!"

Ewa Nier didn't hesitate. She dashed outside the window!

…

"Huh, what is this thing?" Raphael coughed blood as he looked up. His body was aching. His bones felt as brittle as twigs. His Sapphire Spring Blood Dragon had wrapped itself tightly around him.

"It… It feels warm…"

He reached out to touch its form, and the instant he did, he felt a strange energy flow into him. His wounds began to mend. He could sense the potent energies of his 'Solar Blood Spirit' healing him.

"So THIS… is… my power?" He was in awe.

And as his blood sang,

"Die!"

A chilling voice came from above!

It was Queen Ewa Nier.

She hovered above him and with a terrifying grin, she extended both her hands. They radiated a potent crimson aura as she attempted to rip away the sapphire dragon.

"You…!" Raphael was shocked, for he'd never imagined the Queen's fury could be so direct!

"That little runt's Solar Blood Spirit shall BELONG to MY DAUGHTER!" She laughed as tendrils of her blood lashed forth, enveloping him in a desperate attempt to claim that which defied her desires.

However, in her haste…

"That scent… He's coming! DAMN that Butler Long!"

Her concentration wavered as she felt a familiar, but unwanted aura approaching from a distance.

"There's no TIME…! If I can't steal it… then I shall… SEAL IT AWAY!"

Raphael became overwhelmed by darkness! He felt his Solar Blood Spirit shrinking, its warmth was fading and being consumed by an unseen power.

And then everything went black.

…

"Hmm… that light…" Butler Long landed beside Raphael's unconscious form with a soft thud as a subtle wave of crimson energy moved around him. He glanced towards the Queen's chambers, "I saw a strange light, just now. And I sensed a powerful flow of Blood Essence… Huh… what happened to Raphael?"

He quickly checked the boy's pulse. It was faint, but stable. He then picked him up and headed towards the medical wing. He'd figure out what happened later.

Meanwhile, above…

Ewa Nier smiled and withdrew her blood back into her fingers.

'So it's true. That old man truly is obsessed with this pathetic child. Perhaps, perhaps… this could work to my benefit.'