Chapter 6 – Chains of Blood
Modern era, Third Era – Aven Era
Mis, 19 Jes 910 AC — 9:10 AM
The city, half-industrial, half-contemporary, stretched out beneath a light mist.
On a busy street, lined with old brick buildings, one shop stood out: Dragon White Eye, a flea market and antiques dealer renowned for its strange objects.
Inside, behind the counter, stood Yin, a tall man with silver hair and eyes of the same shade, luminous to the point of giving him an almost divine aura.
His traditional Chinese clothing, white, was decorated with grayish dragons, one of which went up his sleeve until it wrapped its head around his neck.
Aliss approached, wearing her tight sleeveless top and fitted purple pants, marked with a thin vertical white line.
"Yes, we will," she said. But first… I need something.
Yin raised an eyebrow, surprised.
—What then, little one?
Aliss looked away, slightly embarrassed.
— You know… my little problem with progress.
— Do you mean that? Breath of Dragons?
---
— In the past —
Yin was then his teacher, animated by contagious enthusiasm.
- Good ! Let's start with the basics, he announced. The first technique is energy manipulation. Normally, everyone can do it.
He walked around her, his hands behind his back.
— Then come two completely different paths, but still close in their essence:
1. Magic, which consists of absorbing ambient energy and converting it into clean energy.
2. Martial mastery, much more versatile, based on one's internal energy. It elevates the body, the mind, and even the soul.
— Martial masters can be even more dangerous than mages in urban or confined environments. Conversely, on open ground, mages dominate.
Yin snapped his fingers.
— To improve, you need a suitable cultivation technique.
He stared into Aliss's eyes.
—You are a dragon. And I am certain that your lineage is not ordinary.
Among dragons, Breath often contains a unique cultivation technique: instant inheritance.
He paused for a moment.
— But the Breath is also a singularity exclusive to sovereign species. It is not just a technique: it contains spiritual, almost magical, paths and "shouts" specific to the main branches.
He sighed.
— In your case... you belong, according to my analyses, to the SS lineage: Savior & Sun.
Aliss opened his eyes wide.
"And that's where your problem begins," Yin continued. This lineage carries a major handicap: at the start of adolescence, they become prisoners of their own Breath.
He tapped his temple.
—Without their particular cultivation technique, they completely stagnate. Unable to learn anything else. Their blood... binds them.
---
— Return to the present —
Yin nodded, suddenly remembering.
—Ah, that.
Aliss blushed slightly.
- Yes, sir...
Yin smiled.
— Sorry for you, but you won't escape it.
This is an extreme level curse, almost divine.
It binds the nobility of the blood of this lineage - their greatest pride, in the past.
He twisted an old pendant between his fingers.
—The purer the blood, the more it is chained. The more he loses his potential.
— The less pure it is... the less it is hindered, but it also loses power.
He looked at Aliss seriously.
—Whoever imposed this decree was damn afraid of your lineage.
Aliss remained silent.
A decree… Why a decree? A divine curse should be a spell, not a law.
A decree is a royal order… an operation of power.
Royal…divine…
Suddenly, everything in his mind became clear.
The decree of the Assembly of Gods.
A heavenly sentence, inscribed as a sacred law.
A political condemnation, not a magical one.
And that… doesn't exist in any known history.
She raised her head.
—Professor… why would they be so afraid? And why these two aspects together?
Yin waved the question away.
— Do you know the family hierarchy? Secondary branches, main branch, patriarchs… and above, the Great Ancients, thousands of years old.
If you want answers, you'll have to ask them. I don't care about your dragon affairs.
Aliss took a deep breath.
— And my progress...? Can I do something?
Yin regained his seriousness.
— Only one solution.
Learn your Breath.
Master it completely. Both, in your case.
And create a perfect balance between them.
He smiled mysteriously.
— Only then... can you go get this collector's box.