Chapter 4
Bloodline Hunt
Abaddon awakens to find himself sitting on an opulent throne. The lanterns on the walls lit a small area around him but everything else past it was shrouded in a solid wall of darkness.
“Who’s there?” Abaddon stared into the void sensing something was staring at him.
(Listen, well, we don’t have much time.) Abaddon clutches his head in pain. Something was forcing its way into his mind. (I’m approaching. but I’m still far away. They’ll reach you first.)
“Who are you? And who’s coming for me?” Abaddon gritted his teeth fighting back against the searing headache while peering into the darkness, searching for any signs of whatever was talking to him.
(I’d left something for you in the waking world. Use it to protect yourself.)
“Explain yourself!” Abaddon shouted. “Who the hell is looking for me?!”
(Stay safe, hide, and be careful.) The voice grew fainter despite it speaking in his head.
“Hey!” Abaddon jumped to his feet. “You didn’t answer any of my questions. Who the hell are you?!”
(We’ll meet in due time, my dearly beloved.)
A deafening sound rang in Abaddon’s ear. Instinctively, he reached out towards the noise, grabbing something cold and metallic. Abaddon opens his eyes, not realizing they are closed. A digital clock rested in his hand. Slowly, everything returned to him as his brain woke up.
“A dream?” Abaddon stared blankly at the ringing clock, still unable to fully wrap his head around his new reality. After a moment of contemplation, he presses the button, silencing the alarm.
Three days have passed since Abaddon awoke in the body of a nine-year-old girl named Anna.
Anna sighed and crawled out of her bed. “Time to get up.” She said as she stretched. Aaron groaned in response. He threw his blanket over his head to shield himself from the cold and the waking world.
Anna clicked her tongue annoyed. She was tempted to leave the boy and let him miss school. But it always been her job to wake him up and it’d be suspicious if she just stopped doing it now. She walked over to the other side of the room and ripped the blanket off Aaron’s body.
“You better be up when I come back,” she said as she carried Aaron’s blanket to the bathroom.
After shutting the door, she took off her bunny pajamas, barely resisting the urge to burn them. After taking off her clothes, she carefully glanced around. Confident no one was looking at her, she let out a sigh. Abaddon ran a finger down the back of his neck. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel the heat of the mark that formed when he made a contract with Typhon.
The tattoo didn’t exist until three days ago when Abaddon awakened in this body. As much as that worried him, there was something far more pressing on his mind.
Abaddon unclenched his hand. a small light hovered in the center of his palm. The moment he woke up this morning he felt something attached to him.
I’m guessing you’re the gift the thing in my dream was talking about?” The light pulsed in his hand as if it was trying to respond. Somehow, Abaddon knew almost instinctively that something would happen if he fed the star some of his mana.
“I’ll deal with you later,” Abaddon said as he clenched his hand, making the light vanish. He turned on the shower while avoiding looking at himself in the mirror. His small and frail form was a cruel reminder of everything he lost: his kingdom, his people, and even his own body.
There’s a lot to worry about. Abaddon thought as he began to wash himself. “It’s bad enough. I woke in the body of a sick girl. But I just so happened to be in a land ruled by one of my enemies, surrounded by mountains and monsters.” That’s way too many inconveniences.
For a moment, Abaddon believed that someone might be behind this but quickly dismissed that thought, as it didn’t make sense for his enemies to revive him after killing him. He also couldn’t imagine his allies purposely putting him in a weak body surrounded by enemies.
Maybe the thing in my dream is behind all this. “Ha.” Abaddon sighed heavily as he brushed back her wet hair, deciding to drop the issue. No point in trying to solve a mystery with no information. I should focus on finding an ally like Typhon.
Abaddon intertwines her fingers, making the hand signs to summon the Father of Monsters. Now where can I summon a monster the size of a mountain?
“Anna, your brother needs to wash up too.” A knock at the door shook Abaddon out of his thoughts.
“Fine.” Abaddon hopped out of the shower and quickly dried himself off. He stopped at the bathroom door. In the corner of his eyes, he notices his tattoo reflecting in the mirror. The image of a massive dragon with countless monsters emerging from its body was etched to his back. His eyes glowed faintly as he cast an illusion spell to hide the marking. Once the tattoo faded, he opened the door without putting clothes on.
Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.
“Anna!” Olive gasped. She pushed Aaron away and grabbed the towel hanging on her daughter's shoulder. “You can’t walk around like this!” she shouted as she wrapped the towel around her daughter.
“I don’t see what the problem is. I’m sure I bathe with everyone in this house at some point.”
“That’s not the problem.” Olive pushes Anna to her room. “You’re a young lady. You need to learn modesty.”
“I guess that’s true.” Abaddon looks at himself, realizing he’ll have to live the rest of his life as a woman. Even if he learned whatever spell put him in this body, it would be impossible to return to his original since it was turned to ash centuries ago. Abaddon’s shoulders dropped. The realization nearly sapped him of his strength.
Olive hums to herself as she brushes her daughter’s hair, unaware of the mental anguish she's going through. She smiles softly as she looks at her daughter in the mirror. “I’m so happy you inherited your dad’s good looks.” Olive whisper. Her smile quickly vanishes when she notices the short, overweight woman with dark blemishes in the corner of the mirror. Reflexively, she took a step back. Afraid her presence could somehow sully her daughter’s beauty.
Anna glances back at Olive, confused as to why she suddenly stops brushing her hair.
“You should get dressed before you're late,” Olive whispered as she backed out of the room.
Anna turns her attention to the outfit hanging on the closet door. The outfit included a dark green overall dress, a black shirt, and tights. “Do I have to wear this?” Abaddon cringes at the thought of wearing a dress. However, what truly bothered him was wearing the colors of the enemy that destroyed his kingdom.
Anna clicked her tongue annoyed, as she grabbed the uniform. After becoming an emperor Abaddon quickly learned how important a person’s appearance was. Thus, he took his time to dress properly.
“I wonder if I’ll ever get used to this,” Anna grumbled as she examined him, her dress fluttered each time she turned.
“Anna, you’re going to be late?” Olive shouted. Anna sighed and headed downstairs, to see Olive running back and forth across the house making sure her children had everything they needed for school.
“Ah, Anna, your breakfast is on the table. Hurry up and eat, or you’ll miss the bus.”
“If we miss it, we’ll just walk,” Anna said as she grabbed sausages and toast from her plate before heading to the front door.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Hm?” Anna looked back at Olive, confused, with a piece of sausage in her mouth. Olive sighs and opens her arms wide, waiting for a hug.
Anna cringed, remembering almost being crushed the last time Olive hugged her. “Maybe later,” Anna mumbled as she fled outside.
“Don’t forget about your health!” Olive yell. Aaron used this moment to sneak around his mother to avoid being hugged and chased after his sister.
As she walked, Anna looked up at the sky, expecting to see Eris, but a blanket of gray clouds covered the sky. She absentmindedly stared at the slowly cascading snow, unsure if she was relieved, she couldn’t see the celestial.
“Cold,” Aaron mumbles, his body trembles uncontrollably. The frigid wind wipes away any lingering drowsiness from the boy. However, his desire to return home and wrap himself in his blanket increases every second.
“Sis.” Aaron turns to his sister, hoping to start a conservation that would distract him from the cold. His eyes widen in disbelief when he notices she isn’t wearing a coat. A cold gust blew through her hair, yet Anna stood perfectly still, unaffected by the winter breeze.
“How are you not cold?”
Anna tilted her head confused. “Abjuration,” she said matter-of-factly as if the answer was obvious. Aaron waited silently, thinking she would elaborate further, but she turned her attention to something else, ending the conservation.
Aaron nervously reached for his sister’s hand but quickly pulled away. Even though he never wanted to attend Dys Academy, he thought it would be fun if his sister went with him. And yet lately, she seems colder than usual, more distant.
Maybe she’s nervous. Aaron thought. She has always wanted to go to school, and this is her first day. Not to mention the principal put her in the elite classes. I bet she’s under a lot of pressure. Aaron nodded his head, satisfied with the answers he came up with.
An awkward silence closed in on the two siblings that was occasionally broken by Aaron’s groan and his teeth chattering.
Growing annoyed with the boy’s whimpering, Anna places her hand on his head. A soft light wrapped around his body before suddenly vanishing.
Aaron blinked a few times, unsure of what he saw. It took him a moment to realize he wasn’t cold anymore. “What did you do?”
“I cast an abjuration-based spell on you.”
Aaron blinked a few more times, not sure his sister was even speaking the same language as him. Anna sighs heavily. “How do you not even know the basics? Have the school taught you nothing?”
“So far, we’ve only been doing tests to determine our ranks?”
“Oh, and what’s yours?”
“They say I’m an apprentice but have the potential to be a sage,” Aaron said as he shrugged his shoulders. Unsure of what any of that meant.
“Sage? That can’t be right.” Anna took towards the boy to examine him closer
“Um, Is that bad?” Aaron looked at his sister nervously. Anna simply replied with a smile finding the boy's cluelessness somewhat endearing.”
“Mages are divided into five ranks. Apprentice, Caster, Adept, Sage, and Archimage. All mages start at apprentice.”
“I guess. I’m stronger than I thought.”
“That’s not how it works." Anna continue. Mages are not ranked by their strength but by how many spells they know and how effectively they can cast them. Apprentices are people who just learn about magic.”
Then again, centuries have passed, and they might’ve changed how the ranks work. Abaddon thought.
Anna looks down at the little boy. The last time she checks Aaron she only observes the mana gathering around him. This time she focuses her attention on how well magic flowed inside Aaron. The smoother flow the more skilled the mage was.
Anna's eyes glowed faintly as she narrowed them. A vast energy explodes from the little boy’s body. She reflexively jumped away almost believing the energy might consume her.
“No way.” Anna hesitantly took a step towards the boy still in shock by the dense mana that shrouded Aaron’s entire being. “To have this much mana at such a young age...”
As expected of my offspring. An almost predatory smile stretched across Anna's face. She grabbed Aaron’s shoulders, her eyes glowing bright from excitement. “Looks like they weren’t wrong, you have potential. How about I teach you? I can help cultivate that potential.”
“Oh…sure.” Aaron tilted his head, confused as to why she suddenly wanted to train him when just a moment ago, it seemed she didn’t want anything to do with him.
The bus blew its horn alerting the sibling of its presence. The annoyed and tired driver silently beckoned to get on.
"We talk about this later." Anna patted the boy's back gently shoving him towards the vehicle. Aaron hesitantly stepped onboard, freezing almost instantly when he felt a dozen eyes on him and his sister. Anna pushed the frightened boy into a nearby seat. As the bus began to move Abaddon found himself thinking about the dream he had earlier.
As much as Abaddon wanted to dismiss it as nothing more than a dream. The moment he saw the star earlier, he knew something somehow was trying to reach him. As he stared out the window a chilling thought came to his mind.
How does anyone know I’m alive?