Sans followed Karbone into the bowels of the palace, passing stairwell after stairwell and entering obscure passageways that would randomly have a sentry posted watch. The whole while the two walked in silence, biding their time and sinking deeper into their thoughts. Following them lingered Chenbo, who marched with squared shoulders and a resolute expression.

Eventually, they came across a particular, dimly lit hall. The lights flickered, and the lack of maintenance was made evident by the numerous cracks in the stone.

“Good of you to have such patience. Come, join me in my study. Bobo, was it? Stay outside for now.”

Chenbo clicked his heels together, turning into a human statue. Karbone pushed open a heavy door and walked inside.

Why is his study room so far below the rest of the palace?

Sans’ eyes flitted across the room with calculating precision. While Karbone stood in the center of the room, watching the young man in earnest, Sans was investigating the numerous markings on the walls.

Intricate designs wove into one another. Branching away and pulsing with scarlet energy, before finally recombining into a series of formations inscribed along the floor. At the center of the room, where Karbone stood, was the most complex portion, displaying a series of symbols that almost appeared like a different language entirely.

“This is… blood energy?”

Sans furrowed his brow, remembering Elsie’s lengthy lecture on the happenings below the palace.

Blood sacrifices. People in a constant state of torture. All for what? To be turned into a source of energy for this mad man…

Karbone’s gaze turned grave as he waited for Sans’ final assessment.

He’s secret channeling energy throughout his body. It seems he’s ready to kill to keep this a secret.

The next moment, Sans cracked a sinister smile and laugh loudly to the ceiling.

“Ah-haha! This is great! This is wonderful. Karbone, you’re a genius!”

“Oh! Am I? Well don’t speak too soon… eheh.”

The energy swirling around Karbone disappeared in an instant with his bashful laugh. The elder click his cane on the floor before pointing it toward the walls and ceiling.

“Right you are, blood energy. On a scale of taboo, Twilight Fel can’t compare even the slightest to the forbidden art of blood magic.”

Sans shrugged his shoulders and walked toward the center of the room.

“It’s banned for a reason. Innocents and all that… but sometimes sacrifice is necessary. Wouldn’t you agree?”

He asked Karbone with a harrowing smile. With the Goat’s Death pill still in full effect, he looked every bit the evil genius that he pretended to be.

“Well said my boy! Well said!”

Karbone cackled violently, never looking more pleased in his life.

“I will admit, my knowledge of formations is weak, but it’s nothing I can’t learn. Please, explain what I’m seeing here.”

Sans gestured toward the walls and ceiling.

“Your adaptability is exactly why I invited you down here! Now, look here, do you see those marking at the base of the wall? That’s blood energy being redirected from somewhere else.”

Karbone hobbled over and smacked the base of the wall with his cane.

“Been workin’ this operation for some time now. A couple decades of draining select citizens of all their worth… you wouldn’t believe how much blood energy is stored!”

Sans’ eyes lit up.

“Karbone, you’re a crafty fellow! The laws of Anthor state that those with drug problems have to be kicked out of the city, to the outskirts. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right…”

The two men shared an evil grin.

“And yet… the outskirts never seem to have an issue with over population.”

“Sans, we’re going to work well together. I’ll admit that you had initially foiled some of my plans with your cure, Daybreak Remedy. But now… not only do we have an enhanced version of Twilight Fel, but we’re no longer limited on the fox’s blood supply! We can scale the operation up a notch, effective immediately!”

Karbone laughed while doing a small jig with his feet. Sans gave him a modest waving gesture.

“It’s nothing. After all, I was being compensated. Speaking of which, please continue with your explanation. How is this blood energy being used?”

“Yes, yes of course. Blood magic is the ultimate form of borrowed power. One doesn’t need to be an expert to benefit from blood energy, and in fact it can have miraculous effects! Unheard of possibilities await, but first the energy has to be converted and adapted for usage.”

Karbone ran his hand along the length of one of the many scarlet streaks.

“The blood energy you see here is simply following a series of intricate formations all to serve that purpose. By the time it gets to the center, it has been converted to be used in a particular… ritual.”

Sans nodded as he observed the centermost circle.

“Are you suggesting the formation is already complete?”

“Eh-yes, it’s complete, but not for our purposes. You see, this ritual is an ancient one, and also one that I have no interest in. Too barbaric for my tastes.”

Sans stole an odd glance at the elder.

Too barbaric? Even for Karbone?

“This ritual site is wasted potential, but the formations here can be adapted and shifted. With the amount of blood energy we have stored and will continue to collect in the future, this could be an amazing opportunity!”

Karbone made his way toward Sans with a genial smile.

“Karbone… does the king know about?”

Sans asked him with raised brows, but also with a hint of trepidation.

If the king is in on this… then… perhaps he isn’t so innocent after all.

It was a suffocating feeling; understanding that he would have to kill this doting father figure, the king of a thriving nation.

“Bah! The king… I’ve told him about my plan, but he refuses to indulge me! Too dangerous he says!”

Sans internally let out of a sigh of relief, but outwardly he gave Karbone a firm and reassuring nod.

“Do not worry, friend. I understand completely. We will figure this formation out together. In order to do that, please explain the end goal. How is the stored blood energy a potential opportunity? How can we use it?”

“Right, look here. If the blood energy is filtered properly it can be absorbed seamlessly into the body. The center of the ritual site is already structured to funnel everything into two individuals, but its methods… let’s not talk about it. Instead, I want to redesign it such that the energy can be absorbed by one person.”

He tapped his cane on the center circle, and from it arose a platform dripping with blood.

“The goal is for the person on this blood altar to absorb everything. For an old man like me, this could be thousands of years added to my longevity, but for a young lad such as yourself… pure strength. Raw, unmatched power!”

Sans’ eyes glowed and his chest felt stifled with excitement, his mind racing as he calculated the different possibilities. Seeing Sans’ positive reaction, Karbone revealed a pleased and triumphant smile. However, they were absolutely not on the same page.

The… Solarstone! I can upgrade the Solarstone with raw energy!

Back in Herbs and Cauldrons, he had repeatedly attempted to upgrade a lesser purifying agent to a higher tier. His plan was simple. He would upgrade the lesser material, and then upgrade the new result once again, and again, until he finally achieved something of similar quality as a Ragnar variant Solarstone. Unfortunately, his approach was a shot in the dark at the time, but things were different now.

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“K-Karbone! You’re a genius!”

“I know!”

“The second compensation, I want to use it for this benefit!”

Sans blurted out without a second thought. Karbone gave a hesitant laugh in response.

“Okay, settle down. I thought you might think this way, but it’ll have to be some years from now. After all, I am old and frail… I need this stored energy for myself. However with our combined efforts, we’ll be able to source up a new wealth of blood energy—courtesy of our humble citizens.”

“Yes, of course. I wouldn’t dare impose on your opportunity. I’m only happy to take part in the future. As you said, I have many years left.”

Sans gave the advisor a humble half bow, concealing his spark of hope deep within.

“Well mannered, not at all arrogant. I wonder, is this what it’s like to have a son? My boy, we’re going to accomplish great things together! But enough of that. Starting next week we will ramp up production of Twilight Fel, and once that happens I’ll be able to share with you all my learnings of these ancient blood formations. We’ll end this for today, but feel free to come study the ritual site whenever you please.”

“Thank you for this opportunity, Advisor Karbone. I will be sure to come here frequently and uncover as much as I can. I believe that together, we will make short work of these formations.”

Although these were the pleasantries that came out of Sans’ mouth, his thoughts were completely different.

I have absolutely no idea what is going with these formations, but I have a feeling I know who would.

----

“So, what do you think?”

Sans nervously asked the cloaked individual before him. It was the dead of the night, and Advisor Karbone had left long ago to attend other business. Even Chenbo wasn’t able to escape the allure of sleep and was dismissed long ago.

“You’re insane.”

Elsie’s sweet, soul crushing words came from beneath her hood.

“But, I-“

“No, not just insane. Absolutely and unequivocally crazy with all sense of reality tossed out the door. What you’re suggesting is not at all safe. I’ve told you, many times now, we can just rid ourselves of this place. Let’s go practice-”

“No!”

Sans stamped his foot on the ground with a stern look in his eye. It was rare that he ever pushed back against Elsie’s suggestions, but at this time he felt cornered.

“This… this is an opportunity. Can’t you see?! The Solarstone can be upgraded!”

“This is not an opportunity, this is blood magic.”

Elsie let out a gentle sigh, stepping closer to Sans.

“What you’re suggesting is a theory, one that has been lost to history for good reason. Technically it can works, but even still I would want to attempt it without blood magic.”

“But just now, you said it yourself.”

Sans frowned as he replied.

“You said it can work. I know that you can read these formations. I know that you can change them! You’re always like this, why can’t you just be on my side? Why do you have to veil everything in mystery? Why do you always leave me uncertain and guessing?”

His voice slowly grew hoarse with each word, while his face was pained and exasperated.

“You have all this strength and knowledge. I get it. You know everything, and you know best. But do you have any idea what it’s like to be me? I’m always in the dark! Always so, so confused. I don’t know my next step. I don’t even know if I’ll survive tomorrow!”

Elsie stared at him, her gaze unwavering and her breath steady.

“It’s because I care about you…”

Her voice came out softer, softer than Sans had ever heard before.

“I don’t know what adverse effects the blood energy will have on the Solarstone, and I don’t want to risk your life to find out.”

She reached out to grasp his hands, but he pulled away without hesitation.

“I’m going to die anyway, what does it matter? What do you care? Aren’t I just a servant?”

Sans muttered with a dark look, and after a small pause, Elsie let out an exhausted sigh.

“Fine! You wanted to learn?”

She flicked Sans on the forehead, breaking him out of his moody spell. He stared at her with wide eyes and growing anticipation.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes! I won’t have you experimenting with that idiotic old man. He would have gotten himself killed, sooner or later. Let’s start with the basics.”

With a smooth motion, Elsie swiftly swiped her cloak to the side and stored it inside a storage ring. Her sleek black shirt was tucked into a matching pair of thinly pinstriped trousers. Somehow she had also acquired a pair of black boots with high laces. Her cheeks were tinged with a red blush, but they failed to distract away from her eyes, which were humming with blood-red energy.

“In order to activate blood formations, one must first partake in blood magic itself. Millennium Dragon has banned the use of blood magic throughout the tower, but that’s only if it’s used on other people.”

With a clean stroke of her nail, a light gash was created on her palm. Ruby red droplets coagulated along the line, but strangely, they didn’t fall.

“Controlling your own blood is the first step into the art of blood magic. Even if you decide to not go down this path, it could be life saving in a pinch should you find yourself with no other resources.”

Copying Elsie’s actions, Sans sliced open his own hand without even a flinch. Compared to everything he had ever experienced, a mere cut would never faze him. A steady stream of blood dripped out from his hand and fell toward the floor, but before it could land—it formed a pool in midair.

“In the future, don’t let your blood mix with an unknown formation.”

She made a grasping motion with her hand, and the pool formed of Sans’ blood floated upward.

“First focus your energy toward your heart, and then your veins. Feel each artery and organ as an extension of yourself. It should be as natural as breathing. Once you’re ready, take back control of your own blood.”

Sans could feel the unending stream flowing through his hand, and upon further inspection he could sense a peculiar tether that bound it to him. With a simple thought, he wrestled back control, fighting off Elsie’s grasp on his blood.

“When against another blood magic user, your bond with your own blood will be vastly stronger. However I should warn you, it is possible to overrule that bond entirely if the gap in strength is big enough.”

Her eyes flashed and a sinister haze of red mist arose from around her. With a simple flick of her finger, she stole away Sans’ blood, forcing it to pool beside her own but never touching.

“Different sources of blood also have unique properties. In your case…”

She brought his sample of blood closer to her face, which was now flushed with intoxication. A delirious smile overtook her as she licked her lips.

“Ahem, take this back…”

With an unwilling push, she forced the blood away from her and relinquished control.

“Now that you can manipulate your own blood, we will return it to our bodies and seal the wound. One of the most cornerstone aspects of blood magic is its regenerative properties. Those that practice this esoteric art are notoriously difficult to kill if they’re willing to preemptively sacrifice their strength… keep that in mind.”

Elsie’s blood danced around her like a beautiful silk ribbon before finding its way back into her palm. A small motion later, the wound was sealed back together without even leaving a mark. Seeing the example before him, Sans replicated her actions and channeled his blood back into his hand. He knit his brow as he attempted to seal the wound.

“This is more difficult than I imagined…”

He mumbled as he gripped his hand with full concentration. Naturally, he was unaware that these simple actions alone would have taken a normal person years to develop.

“It is, but you can practice that later.”

Elsie’s body became a blur of black shadows as she appeared directly before Sans. Staring into his eyes, she grasped his hand and lightly stroked his cut with a stray finger. Her face was breathtaking and shapely. Even her teeth, slightly hidden behind those soft lips, seemed to have an enchanting glint to them.

Why has she changed so… dramatically?

Caught in her ruby-eyed trance, Sans’ heart accelerated faster than ever before. His wound closed, but he barely noticed. The next moment, Elsie brought her finger, tinged with his blood, toward her lips. Her pink tongue crept out, but the next moment—her finger ignited within a plume of golden fire.

“Mm… I think we can move on to the next step.”

Sans merely nodded his head like a broken statue. His mind was caught in an inexplicable haze, but he quickly shook his head clear of nonsense.

“What was all that about?”

“Hmm?”

“…never mind.”

Elsie stifled a laugh as she watched Sans face contort in confusion.

“Your blood is poisoned with Heaven’s Tears. I would be a fool to savor it. Now, let’s continue.”

But what if it wasn’t poisoned…

Sans buried his thoughts deep into the recesses of his mind. It was a scenario that he couldn’t fathom, nor was he willing to waste time on it.

“The engravings that we see are orchestrating a parasitic loop through the center.”

Elsie walked along the floor, pointing toward each and every line.

“This section here acts as a purification zone. It is not a bad attempt, but it could use some improvement. The purification zone is one of the most key components when transferring blood energy, as usually the blood is secured from a multitude of different donations. As I mentioned earlier, different blood… different properties.”

Sans nodded with grim determination as he followed along.

“I hope with just this you can see why I don’t want to use this crude formation to funnel energy into the Solarstone…”

Her voice lingered, and she cast Sans a sideways glance.

“But you can improve it, can’t you? You said yourself how crude it is. What if we change it to meet your standards?”

Sans suggested in earnest but was met with a sigh.

“I can improve it…”

She clicked her tongue as she gave certain parts of the formation a scrutinizing gaze.

“…but even then I don’t know if it would meet the standards that I would want. Let’s continue with the formation.”

“You said it was parasitic, what exactly does that mean?”

Sans inspected the central circle, which was composed of a series of intertwined markings.

“It means that one part takes from another, so in this case it’s a transfer of energy. First the energy is channeled into the user at the circle’s center. Then blood energy would invade the sacrifice on the altar, which is…”

Elsie stamped her foot on the ground, and the next moment a bloody platform rose from the ground.

“This altar.”

She gestured toward it with a distasteful look.

“Once the energy invades the sacrifice, it is then sweeps away the soul of both bodies and swaps them. In this case, the sacrifice itself is the parasitic one, meaning it absorbs the energy from the blood user. Although, this too could use some refinement as much of the blood user’s energy would be left to waste.”

Elsie twisted her mouth in thought and squinted at the engravings. At the same time, Sans stood beside her and inspected them as well.

“So the blood user is giving their power away to the sacrifice?”

“That’s right, but due to the soul swap the consciousness of each body would also follow. So in essence, the blood user is attempting to funnel the strength of both bodies and the energy reserves of the formation all into one, and then take control of that body.”

Sans scrunched his face, mimicking Elsie’s expression of distaste.

“That sounds awful… so what happens to the blood user’s original body?”

“If the formation was done properly, then nothing would be left. There would be no evidence that such a swap had even occurred. However as it is now… the energy that remains would have nowhere else to go, transforming the original body into an amalgamation of mutated flesh…”

She pursed her lips in thought before continuing.

“… or it would simply die. A constant supply of blood energy would be required to continue existing, otherwise it wouldn’t be able to maintain the body’s integrity.”

Sans shook his head with a full-bodied shudder.

“Karbone mentioned it was barbaric. I didn’t realize this is what he meant… so how do we adapt the formation for the Solarstone?”

He focused his attention on Elsie, who grew a wide smile.

“First, my dear, is we improve the purification process. If that part isn’t up to my standards… then I will never allow this to go through. After that, we will modify the formation here at the center to improve the energy transfer. We can also use its parasitic nature to our advantage as well by placing the Solarstone on the altar and offer up a healthy amount of other purification minerals!”

Elsie rubbed her palms together in a most devious fashion. If Sans didn’t know any better, he would have thought her to be an evil mastermind, plotting to sink the world into chaos.