Chapter 5 (Part 2): Blood for Power – Aftermath
The battlefield still crackled with residual energy. The trees were scorched. The ground, littered with beast corpses, shattered blades, and broken bodies, reeked of blood and smoke.
Tory stood motionless, staring at his own hands — fingers slightly trembling. Not from exhaustion. But from power.
The Space element had settled inside him like a hidden pulse, invisible to others but thrumming with limitless potential. It coiled beneath his skin like a second heart — quiet, cold, and precise.
Jim placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You alright?"
Tory nodded once. "I will be."
Jim didn't ask questions. He just stood with him, watching the last flickers of ash and flame drift into the sky. They both knew something had changed.
"Tory," Keira called from across the clearing, limping toward them, "we need to move. More scouts might show up."
Rohn grunted as he hauled a corpse onto a wagon-sized beast carcass. "We're not leaving without taking these. Do you know how much a Lord-level ant queen's core is worth?"
Tory stepped forward, hands already moving. He activated Void Pocket silently, and with a pulse of space distortion, over a dozen beast cores vanished from the ground around him.
Keira's eyes widened.
"Wait. Did you just—? What kind of ring is that?"
Tory kept a straight face. "One I built."
"Seriously?" She blinked. "Your gadgets are freaky."
Jim chuckled. "You have no idea."
---
Back at the Orphanage
It took hours, but they finally made it back.
The outer districts of the city were still run-down — broken streets, cracked windows, and dull, rusted buildings with power flickering on and off. But the orphanage remained standing.
Matron Elise opened the gate herself.
She nearly collapsed when she saw the beast materials loaded on the floating cart behind them.
"Tory... Jim... is that...?"
Jim grinned and reached into his spatial ring, pulling out a glowing crimson core the size of a melon.
"A Lord-class ant queen," he said.
Elise gasped. "You... You killed that? And you brought it back?"
Keira set down a bag of smaller cores. "We have enough here to fund the entire building renovation. You could buy new land in the upper district."
Elise looked between them, tears glimmering in her eyes. Then she walked up to Tory, pulled him close, and hugged him tightly.
"You're alive. That's all that matters."
Tory flinched for a second... then returned the hug.
---
They spent the evening sorting the loot. Jim sold most of it at the guild in exchange for raw gold and contribution points — enough to register them as an unofficial hunting team under the name Ashwing.
They were granted clearance to participate in low-level guild missions.
Rohn joined quietly. Keira only agreed after Jim promised she could lead negotiations. Tory stayed in the background, observing.
That night, after everyone else was asleep, Tory sat on the rooftop, alone.
The city lights flickered in the distance, a sea of dying fireflies. But in his mind, the system pulsed steadily.
> [Level: 3]
[Current EXP: 35/1000]
[Unlocked Elements: Ash (Reality), Space (Tier 1)]
[Current Quests:]
— "Ascension Begins": Kill 10 Beast-Lords or Human Warriors (Master realm+)
— "Shadow of Man" (Hidden Quest): Kill 1 Corrupted Human Experiment (0/1)
[Skill: Void Pocket – Active]
[Skill: Ash Step – Blink using corrupted space threads]
[Skill: Reality Thread – Manipulate creation and destruction principles temporarily]
Tory clenched his fists.
Power was coming quickly. Too quickly. He couldn't afford to be careless. The more he used it, the more questions would come. Especially from Jim.
He can't know about the system, Tory thought. Not yet.
Just then, Jim climbed onto the roof, holding two meat buns.
"Couldn't sleep either?" Jim asked, tossing him one.
Tory caught it. "No."
Jim sat beside him, biting into his own. "Jason's still unconscious. Guild's deciding whether to charge him or sweep it under the rug."
Tory looked away. "They'll bury it. He's from the Raging Flame."
"Yeah," Jim agreed, a bit of bitterness in his voice. "They always do."
For a while, neither of them spoke. Then Jim said, "You changed out there, you know. I've never seen you fight like that."
Tory stayed silent.
"You awakened something, didn't you?"
Tory nodded. "A support-type ability. Space-based. Nothing flashy."
"Support, huh?" Jim smirked. "Funny. Looked like you were carving through people just fine."
Tory looked at him. "You don't trust me?"
Jim shook his head. "No. I do. That's the problem."
He stared into the sky.
"But others won't. Especially if they find out you can manipulate reality itself."
Tory froze. "What do you mean?"
Jim turned to him slowly, eyes sharp but kind.
"I'm not stupid, Tory. The way your energy devoured the ant queen's power? The way it bent space just now? That's not just 'space.' That's something else. Something older."
Tory's heartbeat pounded.
"Don't worry," Jim added, smiling. "I won't tell anyone. But... be careful. Powers like that draw more than attention. They draw hunger. Envy. War."
Tory exhaled slowly. "I know."
They sat in silence again.
Then Jim added one last thing.
"When the time comes... if the guild turns on you, or the government sends hunters after you—I'll stand with you."
Tory stared at him, words failing.
"You're not alone," Jim said.
Tory finally smiled.
Not because he felt safe.
But because now he knew what he was willing to fight for.
---
> [System Notice: Hidden Trait Activated – "Chosen of Ash"]
[Effect: Loyalty triggers +20% power boost when defending bonded ally.]
> [New Title Unlocked: "Silent Warden"]
[Effect: EXP gain increased by 10% when fighting to protect someone.]
Tory stood up.
Tomorrow, they would take on their first official mission as a team.
But in the shadows of that path lay something deeper: blood, ambition, and truth.
He could feel it now. The system wasn't just giving him power.
It was preparing him for something no one else could see.