The Bloodline System (Web Novel)

Author's Note: Unedited Chapter

"Why haven't they returned yet?" Ria questioned from the other end, his voice laced with concern. His gaze was fixed on the second rift that gaped menacingly on the right side of the monolith. The portal stood wide open, a dark maw that seemed to mock their hopeful anticipation with its silent, ominous hum.

Gustav's eyes narrowed as he considered the situation. The plan had been straightforward: split into two teams, with Gustav and Ria rescuing Falco, while Endric and Aildris went after Angy. Yet, only one team had returned. With the rifts unstable and their time running out, anxiety began to gnaw at the edges of his resolve.

"We should trust Endric and Aildris to return safely with Angy," Gustav finally said, his voice steady despite the turmoil within.

"We still have at least two hours before the rifts close forever."

Falco, still disoriented from his prolonged captivity, furrowed his brows in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and concern.

Ria and Gustav exchanged a glance before explaining. They hadn't embarked on their perilous journey alone; they were four in total, dividing their forces to rescue both Falco and Angy. The revelation seemed to shock Falco to his core.

As the gravity of the situation settled, Falco's expression darkened, a shadow passing over his features.

"When I was imprisoned," he began, his voice low.

"I sensed something...or rather, someone. There was a being struggling to adapt to that higher dimension because it wasn't truly from there. It had half the properties of being from our plane."

Ria and Gustav listened intently, a sense of foreboding growing with each word.

"That being was probably Angy," Falco continued the weight of his words heavy in the air.

"I could sense them performing some kind of should I say experiments... If she is truly the one then, Angy is no longer the person we all know. If Endric and Aildris went after her, they might be in grave danger."

The revelation hit Gustav like a physical blow. The mission to save their friends had been fraught with unknowns, but this...this was a variable they hadn't considered. Angy, transformed by the powers within the dimension's corrupting influence, posed a threat they were unprepared for.

They had been trapped in there for nearly a year and that was pretty much like a lifetime within the other plane. How else did he think things would have gone?

Realization dawned on Gustav, and with it, a resolve as hard as the monolith beside them.

"I have to go after them," he declared, the decision made before the words even left his lips.

"Wait, Gustav, it's too dangerous to go alone!" Ria protested, his concern palpable.

But Gustav was already moving toward the rift, the portal's dark tendrils beckoning him back into the unknown.

"Stay here with Falco," he instructed, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"I put them in danger. It's my responsibility to bring them back."

With a final glance at his friends, Gustav jumped into the second rift, his figure swallowed by darkness. The portal seemed to pulse once, as if in acknowledgment, before returning to its silent vigil.

Ria and Falco were left staring at the rift, the tension and worry palpable between them. In their hearts, they knew the stakes were higher than ever. The silence that followed was heavy with unspoken fears and hopes, as they waited for any sign of their friends' return from the mysterious and treacherous realm beyond.

...

In the surreal expanse of the higher dimension, where the very essence of darkness and light seemed to coalesce, Endric and Aildris found themselves traversing a landscape unlike any they had encountered before.

Beneath their feet, dark matter spread out like an ethereal carpet, so smooth and polished that it mirrored the void above, creating an illusion of walking between two endless dark skies.

Ahead, in stark contrast to the surrounding darkness, stood a figure that seemed to embody the very dichotomy of the dimension itself. Half of its form radiated a luminous white, while the other half was ensconced in shadow, merging seamlessly with the darkness.

The figure was in a kneeling position, its back turned towards them, rendering its identity a mystery. Yet, something about the being's posture, the way it seemed to hold itself amidst the surrounding chaos, struck a chord of familiarity in both Endric and Aildris.

Endric, ever the pragmatist, broke the silence that had settled between them.

"Doesn't this figure remind you of the being E.E and Gustav mentioned? The one that appeared on Earth and fought Jack and also nearly freed the death angel?"

Aildris, whose memory was as sharp as his senses, nodded slowly.

"Yes, but they described a creature of immense power, not quite human. Yet, there's something...humanoid about this one."

The air around them felt charged as if the very dimension itself was holding its breath in anticipation of what was to come. They advanced cautiously, every step measured, aware that the ground beneath their feet was not just a surface but a reflection of the darkness that permeated the place.

"It could be Angy," Aildris finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"But we remember Angy as... different."

The physique playing in their minds was that of a cute girl with two short, unicorn-like horns on her forehead. She had silver and pink hair that shimmered in the light. She was incredibly beautiful... a stark contrast to what was before them.

Endric, focusing on the figure ahead, responded, "I don't know what to tell you, Aildris. She has been trapped in here for too long so anything could have happened. If the rift led us here, then it stands to reason this being could indeed be Angy. But whatever transformation she's undergone... it's beyond what we could have imagined."

As they drew closer to the figure, the details of its appearance became clearer, sharpening into focus. The dark side of the figure was not merely shadowed but seemed to be made of a void, absorbing any light that dared to touch it. In stark contrast, the white side shimmered with an almost blinding purity, creating a halo effect that seemed to battle the surrounding darkness for dominance.

"Angy?" Aildris called out tentatively, his voice echoing slightly in the open space.

They still weren't sure if she was the one but tried to see if they would get a reaction.

The figure stirred as if awakening from a deep trance. Slowly, it turned to face them, revealing a visage that was both familiar and utterly alien.

The half that remained in the light bore facial similarities with the Angy they remembered, albeit matured, with features sharpened by experience and eyes that held a depth of emotion but still had a dark eye.

The other half, however, was a stark contrast, with features twisted in a semblance of pain or anger, and an eye that glowed ominously white, as if harboring a power too great to be contained.

For a moment, none of them spoke. The air was thick with a tension that felt almost tangible.

"Endric...Aildris..." Angy's voice was a harmony of light and darkness, each side of her being contributing to the tone in a way that was both beautiful and disconcerting.

The response immediately confirmed that she was indeed the person they were looking for.

They could now properly see the stark transformation Angy had undergone. Where once there were two short, innocuous horns, now there was a single long, dark horn protruding from the dark side of her forehead, curving downwards like a saber. Her hair, once a mix of silver and pink, now flowed in a gradient from pure white to the deepest black, mirroring the dichotomy of her form.

Her face, half hidden in the shadow, bore an expression of deep contemplation or perhaps conflict, making her almost unrecognizable from the Angy they remembered.

"You shouldn't have come here."

Her words hung in the air, a warning, or perhaps a lament, spoken by someone who had traversed the boundaries of their nature and come back irrevocably changed.

"We came to bring you back, Angy," Endric stated, his voice firm, yet carrying an undercurrent of concern.

"Your friends, we...we miss you... Gustav misses you..."

Angy's expression softened, the human side of her visibly moved by the mention of Gustav's name.

"Gus... Gus... Gus-tav... we... we... where is..."

At this moment the dark side of her body wriggled and writhed with intensity.

The once human gaze and expression of softness suddenly vanished as Angy's pupils multiplied within her eyes.

Aildris taken aback by the sudden change moved to drag Endric backward but he wasn't fast enough...

Thoooommmm~

With a single thrust of her palm, Endric and Aildris were both sent flying backward with a force that defied comprehension.

The surroundings shimmered and pulsated with instability as Angy's face distorted while she stood to her feet.

A dark blade materialized in her hand as she slowly carved a line across the air like an artist painting on a canvas.