Dawn broke over the Eternal Mist Pavilion, painting the crimson mountains in shades of blood and gold. Anthonio stood at the window of his chamber, staring at the peaks that loomed behind the estate. Somewhere up there, hidden in a cave he had described in exacting detail, waited his salvation.
The Heart of the Crimson Storm.
Three days had passed since his arrival at this gilded prison. Three days of careful observation, of settling into the rhythm of this isolated existence. Old Aldric kept to himself in the servant quarters, the cook rarely emerged from her domain, and the Pavilion itself seemed content to slumber in its perpetual mist.
Perfect. The fewer eyes watching him, the better.
Anthonio turned from the window, his mind already cataloging the journey ahead. In his novel, he had written that Damien Crimsonhart would discover the Heart during a visit to the Pavilion six months from now. His cousin would stumble upon the cave while hunting, claim the artifact, and use it to elevate himself from S-Rank to SS-Rank—becoming one of the rising stars of his generation.
But Anthonio had no intention of waiting six months. And he certainly had no intention of letting Damien claim what should be his.
"Young master?"
Selene stood in the doorway, dressed in practical traveling clothes instead of her usual servant uniform. Dark leather fitted for mountain climbing, weapons concealed beneath her cloak. Her gray eyes studied him with that penetrating gaze he was beginning to recognize.
"Are you certain about this?" she asked softly.
"Completely." Anthonio moved to the small table where he had laid out supplies—rope, a light crystal, basic provisions. "We leave within the hour."
"You still haven't told me what we're searching for."
Anthonio paused, considering how much to reveal. Then he turned to face her fully, his expression serious.
"Selene, I know what you are."
She went completely still. "Young master?"
"A Transcendence 5-Star cultivator. Shadow Class, Rank S." Anthonio watched her carefully. "Don't bother denying it. I may have Broken Veins, but I'm not blind to the signs."
For the first time since meeting her, Selene's servant mask cracked. Shock flashed across her features, followed quickly by something that looked like fear. Her hand instinctively moved toward the dagger at her waist before she forced herself to stop.
"How..." she whispered. "How could you possibly know that?"
"I'm more observant than people give me credit for," Anthonio said, which was partially true. "The way you move, the way shadows seem to bend around you when you think no one's looking, the fact that you've stayed loyal to the family's disgrace when any normal servant would have found an excuse to leave." He smiled slightly. "You're not here because you have to be. You're here because of an oath."
Selene's face had gone pale. "The Duke Maximilian—your grandfather—saved my life when I was young. I was being hunted by the Shadow Syndicate for betraying them. He gave me sanctuary, protected me when no one else would. I swore to serve his bloodline until my debt was repaid."
"And now you're bound to the family's trash," Anthonio said without bitterness. "That must be frustrating."
"Young master, I—"
"I don't need your pity, Selene. I need your strength." Anthonio picked up the pack he'd prepared. "What I'm about to attempt is dangerous. Potentially fatal. But if it succeeds, everything changes. And for it to succeed, I need someone I can trust absolutely. Someone who won't question me when I ask them to do something that seems impossible."
Selene was silent for a long moment, searching his face. "You're different," she said finally. "The arrogant boy who went to the Awakening Ceremony... he's gone, isn't he?"
"People change when they face their mortality," Anthonio replied. "The ceremony showed me exactly how worthless the world considers me. But I intend to prove them all wrong." He gestured toward the door. "Starting today. So I'll ask you again: will you help me?"
Selene straightened, her hand moving to her heart in a formal salute. "Until death, young master. Whatever you're planning, I will stand with you."
"Good." Anthonio smiled. "Then let's go claim my destiny."
The journey through the mountains was exactly as Anthonio had written it—treacherous, beautiful, and utterly isolated. They followed a narrow path that wound upward through the mist, the red stone beneath their feet still stained with the ancient dragon's essence.
Anthonio's author knowledge guided them perfectly. Past the twin peaks where the wind howled like wounded ghosts. Through the Valley of Echoes where every sound reverberated in disorienting patterns. Around the areas where Crimson Wolves made their dens—Anthonio had no desire to test whether his knowledge of their behavior would actually prevent them from attacking.
After two hours of steady climbing, they reached the cliff face.
Anthonio stared up at the sheer rock wall that disappeared into the mist above. Somewhere up there, approximately seventy meters high, was the cave entrance. The ledge was barely visible, a dark shadow against darker stone.
"The entrance is up there," he said, pointing.
Selene followed his gaze, then looked at him with obvious concern. "Young master, you cannot climb that. Not without cultivation to enhance your strength."
"I know." Anthonio turned to her with a slight smile. "That's why you're going to carry me."
"Young master, I don't think—"
"Selene, you're a Transcendence 5-Star cultivator. This cliff is nothing to someone of your level." Anthonio's voice was gentle but firm. "I need you to trust me. Can you do that?"
She studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. "Very well. But if I judge the situation too dangerous, we retreat immediately. Agreed?"
"Agreed."
The ascent was terrifying in a way that Anthonio's author memories hadn't fully prepared him for. Clinging to Selene's back as she scaled the sheer rock face with supernatural grace, feeling the empty air beneath him, knowing that one slip meant death—it made everything viscerally real in a way that writing words on a screen never had.
But Selene moved with absolute confidence. Her fingers found holds in seemingly smooth stone. Her feet landed with perfect precision on ledges barely wide enough for a bird. In less than five minutes, they stood on the ledge before the cave entrance.
Anthonio slid off her back onto solid ground, his legs trembling with relief. The cave mouth yawned before them, exhaling air that crackled with electric charge and smelled of ozone and ancient stone.
"This is it," he said quietly.
Selene produced a luminescent crystal from her pouch, and pale blue light pushed back the darkness. The cave walls were covered in crystalline formations, all tinted deep crimson, pulsing with a faint inner light like a heartbeat frozen in stone.
"Dragon essence," Selene breathed. "Young master, this concentration... it's incredible. If someone were to cultivate here—"
"That's not why we're here," Anthonio interrupted, already moving deeper into the cave. "What we're looking for is at the center."
They followed the winding passage as it descended into the mountain's heart. The crystalline formations grew denser, larger, more brilliant with each step. The air itself felt charged, making Anthonio's skin prickle and his Broken Veins ache with a sensation he couldn't quite name.
Then they emerged into the central chamber, and even knowing what to expect, Anthonio felt his breath catch.
It was a cathedral carved from living crystal. Stalactites and stalagmites of pure crimson essence filled the vast space, creating a forest of frozen lightning. The walls pulsed with inner fire, and the air crackled with barely contained power.
And at the very center, suspended in mid-air by crackling threads of energy, floated the Heart of the Crimson Storm.
A perfect sphere of crystallized lightning, roughly the size of a human head. Red electricity danced across its surface in mesmerizing patterns, beautiful and terrible. Even from across the chamber, Anthonio could feel the sheer power radiating from it—a pressure that made his chest tight and his Broken Veins sing with resonance.
"Impossible," Selene whispered. "That's... young master, that level of concentrated primordial essence, it shouldn't exist. It could—"
"I know what it can do," Anthonio said softly, unable to take his eyes off the artifact. "I know exactly what it will do."
He stepped forward, drawn toward it like iron to a lodestone. The closer he got, the stronger the resonance in his Broken Veins became. It wasn't pain—it was more like recognition. As if his empty pathways were calling out to be filled, and the Heart was answering.
"Young master, please!" Selene grabbed his arm, her face pale. "We don't understand this artifact. It could destroy you. We should study it, prepare, find records—"
"There's no time for that," Anthonio said, gently pulling free. "In six months, my cousin Damien will discover this cave. He'll claim the Heart and use it to elevate himself to SS-Rank. He'll become one of the rising geniuses of the kingdom." He turned to look at her. "But he doesn't need it. He already has talent, resources, family support. I have nothing. Just Broken Veins and an author's knowledge of what's possible."
"Author's knowledge?" Selene's brow furrowed in confusion.
Anthonio realized his slip but pushed forward anyway. "Trust me, Selene. I know what I'm doing. Broken Veins aren't truly broken—they're empty. Hollow vessels waiting to be filled. For normal cultivation, that's worthless. But for absorbing primordial essence like this..." He gestured toward the Heart. "Empty vessels have no resistance. No conflicting energy. The Heart won't just enhance my power. It will become my power."
Understanding and horror dawned in Selene's eyes. "That's theoretically possible, but the shock of absorption—young master, it could kill you!"
"It won't." Anthonio's voice was calm, certain. "I know it won't. I can feel it." He looked back at the Heart, feeling the pull growing stronger with each passing second. "This is my chance, Selene. My only chance to become something more than trash. If I don't take it now, I'll regret it for the rest of my short, meaningless life."
Selene's face went through a dozen emotions before settling on grim determination. "Then at least let me be ready to pull you away if something goes wrong."
"Deal."
Anthonio took a deep breath and stepped forward, crossing the remaining distance to the Heart of the Crimson Storm. Up close, it was even more magnificent—a perfect sphere of condensed lightning, crackling with power that transcended normal classification.
He reached out slowly, his hand trembling slightly. Not from fear, but from anticipation.
"Here we go," he whispered.
His fingers touched the Heart.
The world exploded into crimson lightning.
Pain.
Pain beyond description, beyond comprehension, beyond anything Anthonio had ever imagined possible. It felt like every nerve in his body was being torn apart and rebuilt simultaneously, like he was being struck by infinite bolts of lightning all at once.
He was dimly aware of screaming—his own voice, raw and desperate, echoing through the crystal chamber. He was aware of Selene shouting something, moving toward him, then being blown back by the sheer force of energy erupting from the Heart.
But most of all, he was aware of the power.
It flooded into him like a tidal wave into an empty canyon. The Primordial Red Lightning poured through his Broken Veins, filling every hollow pathway, every empty channel. And as it filled them, they began to change.
Visions exploded across his mind—
A dragon the size of a mountain, wings that blotted out the sun, scales like rubies turned to armor. It roared defiance at the heavens themselves, and lightning answered—not normal lightning, but something older, something primordial. Lightning that was red as blood, bright as stars, powerful enough to shatter the sky.
The dragon fell. Not in defeat, but in sacrifice. Its essence scattered across the mountains, seeping into stone, waiting through millennia for someone worthy to claim it.
And now that essence was claiming Anthonio.
No—Anthonio was claiming it.
The Broken Veins weren't just filling with power. They were transforming at a fundamental level. What had been weakness—hollow, empty pathways that couldn't hold normal cultivation energy—was becoming the ultimate strength. Because emptiness could hold anything. Everything.
The primordial essence flooded in without resistance, without conflict, reshaping the very structure of his Essence Veins. They became vessels designed specifically for this power, containers that could hold what no normal cultivator's pathways could bear.
Through the pain, through the chaos, understanding crystallized in Anthonio's mind. The cultivation system of this world unfolded with perfect clarity:
Awakening (1-9 Stars) - Opening the Essence Veins, establishing foundation Consolidation (1-9 Stars) - Solidifying power, stabilizing cultivation base Manifestation (1-9 Stars) - Projecting power externally, creating techniques Transcendence (1-9 Stars) - Surpassing mortal limits, touching legend Sovereign (1-9 Stars) - Ruling one's domain, peak of mortal achievement Emperor (1-9 Stars) - Transcending mortality, approaching divinity God (1-9 Stars) - True divinity, power to reshape reality
Most cultivators spent years advancing a single star. Decades to move between stages. The talented few might reach Manifestation in their lifetime. The legendary rare touched Transcendence.
And Anthonio, in a single moment of primordial fusion, was bypassing the entire Awakening stage.
The Heart of the Crimson Storm dissolved completely, every particle of crystallized essence merging with his transformed Veins. The chamber's light began to fade as the artifact's power transferred entirely into Anthonio's body.
The pain peaked—unbearable, impossible, a crucible that should have shattered him completely.
Then, like a storm breaking, it began to subside.
Not disappearing, but becoming manageable. Comprehensible. The lightning was still there, surging through his veins, but now his body was accepting it. Adapting to it. Making it his.
Anthonio collapsed to the crystal floor, gasping, his entire body smoking with residual energy. Every muscle trembled. His vision swam. He tasted copper—had bitten through his lip at some point without noticing.
"Young master!" Selene's voice cut through the haze. She was beside him instantly, her face pale with terror. "Young master, speak to me! Are you—"
Anthonio opened his eyes.
They glowed. Deep crimson, shot through with veins of red lightning that crackled in his irises like miniature storms.
"I'm..." he coughed, his voice hoarse. "I'm alive."
Alive was an understatement. Despite the pain, despite the exhaustion, Anthonio had never felt more vital. Power hummed through his veins like a living thing, coiled and waiting. His Broken Veins—no, his transformed Veins—pulsed with primordial essence.
He struggled to sit up, Selene supporting him with shaking hands. When he raised his hand, crimson lightning danced between his fingers—wild and uncontrolled, but undeniably real.
"What..." Selene's voice trembled. "What are you now?"
Anthonio closed his eyes, feeling the power flowing through his body. The sensation was intoxicating. Where there had been hollow pathways, now surged an ocean of primordial essence. His cultivation base felt solid, stable, real in a way it never had before.
He searched for the right words, the right classification. The power wasn't at Awakening level—that stage was meant for opening and establishing Veins, and his were already transformed and filled. It wasn't quite Manifestation either—he couldn't project this power externally yet, couldn't shape it into techniques.
But it was definitely Consolidation. The essence had settled into his Veins, was stabilizing, becoming part of his fundamental being. And the level...
"Consolidation," Anthonio said quietly, opening his eyes. "Consolidation 5-Star."
Selene's eyes went wide. "That's... that's impossible. No one jumps from F-Rank to Consolidation 5-Star in a single moment. It violates every principle of cultivation theory—"
"Normal cultivation theory," Anthonio corrected, his voice growing stronger. "But there's nothing normal about Primordial Red Lightning. And there's nothing normal about Broken Veins that become perfect vessels for primordial essence." He looked at his trembling hand, where lightning still crackled across his skin. "The emptiness that made me trash... it's what allowed me to hold this power."
He had written it all, theorized it in his novel as an interesting possibility that would never matter. But theory and reality were vastly different things. The sheer presence of the power in his body, the way it responded to his will even in this uncontrolled state—it was exhilarating and terrifying in equal measure.
"Can you stand?" Selene asked, her voice still shaky.
"I think so."
With her support, Anthonio got to his feet. His legs felt like water, his muscles screamed in protest, but he managed to stay upright. Around them, the crystal chamber had dimmed significantly—the Heart's absorption had drained much of the ambient essence.
"We should return to the Pavilion," Selene said. "You need rest, proper food, time to stabilize—"
"Agreed." Anthonio took a tentative step, pleased when his legs held. "And we need to discuss what happens next. This power... it's going to take time to control. Time to master."
As they made their way back through the cave, Anthonio's mind was already racing ahead. Consolidation 5-Star was incredible, but it was only the beginning. In his novel, Kael Stormborn would enter the Royal Academy at Manifestation 3-Star, having trained with his three SSS-Rank divine essences for years.
Anthonio had two years. Two years to not just match that level, but surpass it. Two years to master the Primordial Red Lightning, to push his cultivation to heights that should be impossible for his age.
The journey down the cliff was easier than the ascent, though Anthonio was so exhausted that he barely registered it. By the time they reached the valley floor, the sun was beginning to set, painting the crimson mountains in deeper shades of blood.
"Young master," Selene said as they walked the path back toward the Pavilion. "What you said earlier... about knowing what the Heart would do, about your cousin finding it in six months... how did you know all that?"
Anthonio was quiet for a moment. He couldn't tell her the full truth—that he was the author who had created this world, that he knew the future because he had written it. But he needed to give her something.
"Let's just say I have sources of information that others don't," he said finally. "Knowledge that allows me to see opportunities others would miss. It's why I know where certain treasures are hidden, why I know what's coming in the future."
"Knowledge is power," Selene murmured.
"In this world? Knowledge is survival." Anthonio looked toward the Pavilion, now visible through the evening mist. "And I intend to survive, Selene. More than that—I intend to thrive."
They reached the Pavilion as full darkness fell. Old Aldric was already asleep, and the cook had retired to her quarters. The manor was silent, shrouded in its perpetual mist.
Anthonio collapsed into a chair in his chambers, every muscle in his body aching. Selene brought water, food, basic medical supplies—though there were no visible injuries, just the deep exhaustion of someone who had pushed far beyond normal limits.
"Rest tonight," she said firmly. "Tomorrow we can begin to understand what you've become."
"Tomorrow," Anthonio agreed. But even as he said it, he could feel the power in his veins, restless and wild. Sleep would be difficult with lightning literally running through his body.
After Selene left, Anthonio sat alone in the darkness, holding his hand before him. Crimson electricity danced between his fingers, beautiful and dangerous.
Consolidation 5-Star. In a single day, he had gone from worthless trash to a level most cultivators spent years trying to reach. The EX-Rank essence had made it possible, but controlling it would be the real challenge.
He thought of Kael Stormborn, probably still living in poverty somewhere, unaware that his carefully planned destiny was about to be stolen. He thought of the ten heroines scattered across the continent, waiting for the protagonist who would never come—because Anthonio would reach them first.
He thought of his family, who had thrown him away like garbage, who had no idea what they had unleashed by exiling him to this place.
Two years. That's what he had. Two years to master this power, to claim every advantage, to prepare for the moment when he would reveal the truth.
Anthonio smiled in the darkness, crimson lightning reflecting in his eyes.
The real story was just beginning.
And this time, the villain would be the one who won.
END OF CHAPTER 2