Solar Blood Masters

Flashback…

Raphael lay upon a bed the medical ward. His breathing was shallow, and his brow creased in pain. Beside him, Butler Long paced anxiously.

He'd been there for hours, ever since he found Raphael unconscious beneath Tajmani's chamber windows. He couldn't fathom the situation. Why was that boy thrown out the window? It didn't make sense. He questioned the guards but neither of them revealed anything.

A physician dressed in a pristine white uniform entered the room. He held his hand gently above Raphael's chest, his eyes glowing a soft emerald as he scanned the boy's condition.

After a few moments, the physician straightened and turned to Butler Long, "He's stable, Butler Long, but there is a slight damage done to his Solar Consciousness. This could result in temporary memory loss and confusion, but it should heal over time, given his young age and potent Bloodthorne linage."

"Thank you, Doctor." Relief washed over him like a wave. "I am in your debt."

The physician smiled and bowed respectfully, "It was my pleasure, Butler Long."

Once the physician left, Butler Long's gaze settled on Raphael. He was frowning.

"What could have triggered this ailment? Was it Tajmani?" He shook his head. Those pranks and beatings the princess often inflicted, they never resulted in this kind of affliction, not this potent, this sinister!

Then, he remembered.

It was Ewa Nier!

"It HAS to be HER! She did something! But WHAT?"

…

A short while later…

…

"Raphael?"

"Hmm…"

Raphael stirred, his eyes fluttered open. He was greeted by Butler Long's worried face and those gentle pats on his back.

"Butler… Long?" He blinked, trying to remember how he'd even gotten there, his mind felt hazy, and there was a throbbing migraine attacking his temple.

"You're finally awake! How are you feeling, my boy?"

"I… I don't…"

He tried to sit up, but his head spun. "The last thing… I remember was… I… was cleaning… Princess Tajmani's room. And… then…" He looked at his surroundings. "And now I'm… HERE?" He was confused..

Butler Long pulled him into a hug and patted his back gently. "There, there, it's alright, Raphael. You're safe. You're home now."

He was comforted.

"Butler Long, I… I want to continue my swordsmanship lessons. Remember? We stopped because… the princess wanted…?"

"I understand, Raphael." Butler Long nodded and gently disengaged from the hug. "You've been working hard. You mentioned crafting a new technique, right?"

"Yeah, I think… I called it… 'Spiral Dance'… no… 'Spinning…'" He was trying so hard to recall, but something was interfering with his thought. He shook his head.

"No matter, we can continue later, ok Raphael?" Butler Long smiled. He was glad that his memories hadn't entirely vanished.

…

Back to the present.

Raphael's hooves shuffled impatiently as his mind returned.

"That move, I remember it. And also what that wench Ewa Nier did to me. She suppressed my… my… my power!

My Solar Blood Spirit! I had a Sapphire Spring Blood Dragon! A power even that queen couldn't claim, a gift meant for me!"

The realization had his massive form trembling. Then his awareness was pulled inwards towards his 'Cosmic Mind Sea.'

He saw it.

BOOM!

A small, blue orb was being violently ejected from his sun center. And as it traveled outward, it devoured the blue radiance from the sun, leaving it a brilliant golden-white.

Within his Cosmic Mind Sea… a new star was being born!

This was his true Solar Consciousness.

"Mine…"

The blue orb grew larger and larger. It radiating a potent energy that rivaled Shao Jin's power. And then, in a blinding flash of blue light…

"ROAR!"

A magnificent, serpentine figure uncoiled! It soared upward with a grace befitting a celestial being. It was Raphael's Sapphire Spring Blood Dragon. Its lengthy body shimmered with thousands of blue scales and its eyes radiated an ethereal silver.

Its arrival was nothing short of spectacular, for from its very breath.

"Coronal Mass Ejection!"

WHOOSH! CRACKLE!

A wave of pure blue energy, laced with silver, pulsed outward and shattered the remnants of Ewa Nier's influence that had clouded his soul for so long. He was truly free!

And from those waves of power…

A new 'Astro Soul Orbital' came into being around the dragon. It was empty, but the possibilities it represented were beyond anything Raphael could have imagined.

This was his true power!

The Sapphire Spring Blood Dragon didn't hesitate.

It was no mere decoration. It swam through his Cosmic Mind Sea, coiling around planets and stars, a force that defied logic. Even his 'Shadow Blood Planet' trembled as this Dragon came near.

"I am free."

...

Outside, within the Citadel's training ground, Qi Fenwei was growing impatient. "Will you stand there frozen in FEAR forever, bull? Or have you FINALLY accepted your pathetic existence?" Her words dripped with venom.

"Don't be an idiot, Princess!" Lu Jade shouted in frustration. "He's not afraid! Can't you sense the energy emanating… It's like…" He couldn't find the right words, but he could sense it. He was witnessing something magnificent.

Thienika's staff began to thrum gently, "That aura…" She watched as a resonance of something both ancient and new spread around the bull. "He is remembering his truth!"

Raphael's eyes snapped open. They now blazed with an eerie silver light. He snorted hot air which brushed against his black nose ring. The crimson face of the 'Abyss Nylon' that adorned his form flickered before settling on a vibrant blue.

He glared at QI Fenwei, who scoffed.

"So you want to see what I can DO?!"

He growled and those segments on his horns began spinning rapidly.

Red blood trickled from their tips.

But it wasn't simply red, no, it was transforming!

"His blood essence…" Qi Fenwei whispered in awe. It was turning a brilliant blue, laced with silver particles.

"It's… truly magnificent!" Even Thienika was stunned.

Raphael laughed.

Then he extended his right hand, and the blue blood converged. It was condensing into a sword.

"Not… DONE yet!"

He drew golden sparks from his soul and began to infuse the sword with it!

"Hmm… You think I'll simply stand here and watch?" QI Fenwei's wings flared as she observed the delicate changes taking form, a worthy opponent perhaps?

In a blink of an eye, she vanished.

"Light Bodies!"

Twelve forms, mirroring her silhouette, materialized. They charged toward Raphael from multiple directions.

He watched them come, then, as if channeling those very memories of Butler Long's training and that yearning for something uniquely his own, he smiled.

"This… will… be… EPIC!"

"Here's a NEW MOVE for you… DON'T DIE!"

He roared.

"Gold Radius!"

WHOOSH! BOOM! CRACK!

The air exploded with energy!

A sapphire-gold radial wave of countless sword slashes spread outwards in an orbital! It had the force of a supernova!

Qi Fenwei's clones were unable to withstand the sheer power and shattered!

Only her true form remained! And even she'd been forced to cut a hole through those incoming blades of sapphire-gold to escape annihilation.

She landed, breathing hard. Her amethyst armor had a few scratches now, the first time in centuries.

"Have… another!"

With a defiant grin, he unleashed 'Gold Radius' once more, forcing her to backflip to safety.

"Not bad, bull, but is THAT all?!" She landed gracefully, and her blades hummed as she observed his newfound mastery.

"Tsk, tsk… Not… even CLOSE." Raphael's reply had the ground trembling.

Then with his silvery-blue eyes now staring at her, he yelled.

"SAPPHIRE SPRING DRAGON!"

…

And deep within his 'Cosmic Mind Sea' a draconic flow of blue energy ripped through his sun!

…

WHOOSH!

And those watching on from the training ground, they witnessed a spectacle far more terrifying and elegant.

"What is happening to the ground?!"

"It's… It's…"

Blue blood!

It rose from the ground like an ocean, erupting with a life force!

"Big Brother's BLOOD…" Lu Jade eyes widened. He then saw it, and pointed it out to Thienika who gasped.

A fin!

A silver dorsal fin was cutting through the waves of blood, creating a frothy wake!

Qi Fenwei hovered nearby, observing this new emergence.

"What… monstrous creature… resides within those depths?!"

And then,

It emerged!

BOOM!

A colossal dragon with magnificent silver-blue blues, and upon its head, six brilliant silver eyes glowed with an intensity that rippled space.

Its body was long and sinuous, coiling gracefully as droplets of blood cascaded, leaving a brilliant trail. At the end of its tail, a silver fin flicked, creating a miniature whirlwind.

Upon its sleek hide, strands of silver hair flowed with each motion. Silver strands were also present above its six piercing eyes.

Three eyes on each side of its head blinked slowly. It gazed upon those before it with curiosity.

It roared.

Its breath was a cloud of blue steam.

Even Rai Shen Long, the golden lightning dragon coiled around Raphael's hammer, shrunk back. Its potent energies faded in the presence of this truly majestic Spring Blood Dragon. It was larger, more imposing and it radiated the essence of Raphael's newfound mastery over his own blood.

This dragon wasn't simply a creature of scales and claws. No, this was a being of pure majesty. A being that had even Thienika, the ancient Draconic Star Lumber, bowing her head in respect.

It was a sight that left the onlookers speechless and awestruck.