Blood Elevation
Narrator
Time...
Never waits for anyone.
The river continued to flow.
The seasons continued to change.
Children slowly grew taller.
The trees surrounding Restart Village stretched even higher toward the endless sky.
And before anyone truly realized it...
Four more years quietly passed.
The little children who had once chased butterflies through the village paths...
Had begun walking the road toward adulthood.
Among them...
One child had changed more than anyone.
V White...
Was now eight years old.
Every morning...
Before the first rooster announced the dawn...
V was already awake.
The cool morning breeze slipped through the wooden window.
Whoooosh...
The scent of fresh grass filled the room.
Without making a sound...
V carefully folded his blanket.
He glanced toward the bed beside him.
His little sister, Tia...
Still slept peacefully while hugging a small cloth doll.
A gentle smile appeared on his face.
"...Sleep well."
He whispered quietly.
Then he stepped outside.
The morning sky was still painted with shades of blue and gold.
Birds welcomed another day.
Chirp...
Chirp...
Restart Village slowly awakened.
Smoke rose from the chimneys.
Farmers prepared their tools.
Hunters checked their bows before entering the Death Forest.
Everything followed the same peaceful rhythm it always had.
Tak!
Whoosh!
Tak!
Whoosh!
Inside the White family's training yard...
A wooden sword cut through the morning air again and again.
Sweat rolled down V's forehead.
His breathing remained calm.
"Haa..."
"Haa..."
Each swing was cleaner than the last.
His posture had improved.
His footwork had become steadier.
Even though he was only eight years old...
His movements carried the discipline of someone who had practiced for years.
Not because he possessed extraordinary talent...
But because he never missed a single day of training.
From a nearby chair...
Brald White watched silently.
His arms were folded across his chest.
A faint smile appeared beneath his calm expression.
"Again."
V immediately corrected his stance.
"Yes, Dad."
Whoosh!
The wooden sword moved once more.
"No."
Brald shook his head.
"Your shoulders are too tense."
"If your body becomes stiff..."
"So will your sword."
V nodded seriously.
He adjusted his posture.
Took a slow breath.
Then swung again.
Whoosh!
This time...
The movement flowed naturally.
Brald smiled.
"Better."
V's tired face instantly brightened.
After finishing breakfast with his family...
V prepared for the second part of his daily routine.
His destination...
Never changed.
The Sacred Mountain.
Deep inside the Death Forest.
Just as he had done for the past four years...
He walked along the familiar forest path.
Every tree.
Every stone.
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Every stream.
Had become part of his daily journey.
The forest welcomed him with its usual silence.
Whoooosh...
Leaves danced above his head.
Small birds hopped from branch to branch.
Even the magical beasts that occasionally watched him from the shadows...
Simply observed him before quietly disappearing again.
As though they already knew...
This small child belonged here.
Step...
Step...
Step...
V slowly climbed the Sacred Mountain.
His breathing remained steady despite the steep path.
At last...
The familiar cave appeared before him.
An enormous entrance carved by time itself.
Ancient symbols covered the surrounding stone.
Cold air flowed from within.
V smiled.
"I'm here!"
His cheerful voice echoed through the cave.
"Good morning, Liza!"
Silence answered him.
Then...
The mountain itself seemed to awaken.
Rumble...
A deep vibration spread through the ancient cave.
Golden eyes slowly opened within the darkness.
Eyes older than kingdoms.
Older than history.
The Legendary Dragon...
Liza.
A gentle smile appeared upon her ancient face.
"You've become faster."
V laughed.
"I've been practicing every day."
"I can climb without stopping now."
"I noticed."
Liza lowered her enormous head.
"You've worked hard."
Those simple words filled the little boy with happiness.
Praise from the Legendary Dragon...
Meant more to him than anything else.
The training began.
Unlike Brald...
Liza did not simply teach swordsmanship.
She taught understanding.
"Again."
V rushed forward.
His wooden sword slashed toward her enormous claw.
Tak!
Before it could even touch...
Liza lightly pushed it aside with a single claw.
"No."
"You looked at my claw."
"You should have watched my shoulders."
"My shoulders moved before my attack."
V blinked.
"...I didn't notice."
"Exactly."
"The sword never lies."
"The body speaks before the blade."
"Learn to listen."
V nodded.
"I'll remember."
Again.
Again.
Again.
Hours quietly passed.
Each mistake became another lesson.
Each lesson became another step forward.
By noon...
Both sword practice and magic training had finally ended.
V sat down upon a large stone.
Completely exhausted.
"Haa..."
"Haa..."
Liza watched him with gentle eyes.
"You've grown stronger."
"But..."
"Strength without wisdom..."
"Is only another path toward destruction."
V quietly listened.
Every lesson she spoke...
He engraved into his heart.
That afternoon...
Something unexpected caught V's attention.
While washing his hands in a nearby stream...
He noticed something strange.
The flowing water reflected his face.
For just a brief moment...
A crimson light flashed within his own reflection.
"...Hm?"
He blinked.
The light disappeared.
When he looked again...
Only his ordinary reflection remained.
"...Maybe I imagined it."
He quietly returned to the cave.
Liza had also sensed something.
For the briefest moment...
Her ancient eyes narrowed.
But...
She said nothing.
Instead...
She simply continued watching the child.
Years earlier...
On V's fifth birthday...
Something extraordinary had happened.
It had happened so quietly...
That almost no one understood its importance.
Not even V himself.
That day...
While practicing alone beneath the morning sun...
A strange crimson aura had briefly surrounded his body.
It disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
Liza immediately noticed it.
For the first time in countless centuries...
Surprise appeared in the eyes of the Legendary Dragon.
"...So..."
"It has finally awakened."
V looked at her curiously.
"Awakened?"
"What awakened?"
Liza remained silent for several moments.
Then she softly spoke two words.
"Blood Elevation."
V blinked in confusion.
"Blood... Elevation?"
The unfamiliar words echoed softly inside the ancient cave.
He looked down at his small hands.
Nothing seemed different.
No strange light.
No overwhelming power.
No mysterious voice.
He simply looked...
Like the same ordinary boy.
"What does it do?"
V asked honestly.
Liza remained silent.
For the first time...
The Legendary Dragon slowly shook her head.
"I don't know."
That single answer surprised V.
"You... don't know?"
Even after thousands of years...
Even after witnessing countless civilizations rise and fall...
Even Liza had never seen such a skill before.
"There are many skills recorded throughout history."
"There are also Ultimate Skills..."
"Abilities so rare that only one person can possess them at a time."
"But this..."
She looked into V's emerald eyes.
"...has never appeared before."
"No ancient record speaks of it."
"No legend mentions it."
"No dragon remembers it."
"It is completely unknown."
The cave fell silent.
The wind drifted past the entrance.
Whoooosh...
V scratched his head.
"So..."
"It might not even be useful?"
A gentle smile appeared on Liza's face.
"Never judge a seed before it has the chance to grow."
"Many things reveal their true value only with time."
V nodded.
"I'll keep training then."
Liza quietly smiled.
"...I expected nothing less."
Days turned into months.
Months quietly became years.
Life in Restart Village continued as always.
When every child reached the age of five...
They awakened their Skill.
Some awakened abilities suited for farming.
Some gained talents useful for hunting.
A fortunate few awakened powerful combat skills.
The entire village celebrated each child's awakening.
Then...
It became V's turn.
The villagers gathered with warm smiles.
Everyone expected the hardworking son of the village chief to awaken something extraordinary.
After all...
He trained harder than anyone.
The ceremony ended.
Silence filled the square.
The village elder looked at V with confusion.
"...Blood Elevation?"
He had never heard that name before.
The villagers looked at one another.
"What kind of skill is that?"
"I've never heard of it."
"Is it related to healing?"
"Or blood magic?"
No one knew.
Not even the elder.
As the days passed...
Rumors slowly spread among the children.
Some simply pitied him.
"It's okay, V."
"Maybe it'll become useful later."
Others weren't as kind.
"So that's your special skill?"
"It doesn't even do anything."
"You train every day for... this?"
A few children laughed.
To them...
A mysterious skill that showed no visible ability...
Was the same as having no skill at all.
V lowered his head for only a moment.
Then...
He smiled.
"It's alright."
"I'll just keep practicing."
He turned to leave.
He had already taken several steps...
When another voice suddenly echoed behind him.
"What did you just say?"
Kai stood there.
His fists were tightly clenched.
His cheerful smile had completely disappeared.
One of the boys shrugged.
"I said his skill is useless."
"So what?"
Before anyone could react...
Kai stepped forward.
"You apologize."
The other boy laughed.
"Or what?"
"You'll cry?"
Kai's expression hardened.
"I said..."
"Apologize."
The atmosphere instantly became tense.
The boys pushed each other.
Dust rose beneath their feet.
Just as the argument was about to become a fight...
Someone stepped between them.
It was V.
"Kai."
Kai looked at him.
"They were making fun of you."
"I know."
"They don't understand."
"So what?"
Kai replied immediately.
"If anyone laughs at my best friend..."
"They'll have to deal with me first."
For a brief moment...
V didn't know what to say.
Then...
A small smile appeared on his face.
"...Thank you."
Kai folded his arms.
"Hmph."
"Next time..."
"Don't stop me."
V laughed softly.
"I'll think about it."
The tension disappeared.
The children slowly walked away.
But the warmth of true friendship remained.
As always...
The two boys spent the rest of the afternoon together.
Tak!
Tak!
Tak!
Their wooden swords collided beneath the open sky.
Each swing was filled with determination.
Each mistake ended with laughter.
Whenever Kai lost his balance...
V helped him stand.
Whenever V became too serious...
Kai made another ridiculous joke.
They competed.
They improved.
They dreamed together.
As the golden sun slowly began sinking beyond the distant mountains...
The boys finally started walking back toward Restart Village.
The forest welcomed the evening breeze.
Whoooosh...
Everything felt peaceful.
Suddenly...
Kai stopped.
"V..."
"Hm?"
Kai scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"...Nature is calling."
V blinked.
"...Again?"
"Hehe..."
"I'll be right back."
Before V could answer...
Kai disappeared between the trees.
"Don't wait for me!"
His voice echoed through the forest.
V sighed helplessly.
"...He's always like this."
Minutes passed.
The wind continued blowing.
Birds slowly returned to their nests.
But...
Kai never came back.
The smile on V's face slowly disappeared.
"Kai?"
No answer.
A strange uneasiness filled his heart.
Without another thought...
V ran toward the place where Kai had disappeared.
Branches brushed past him.
Rustle...
Rustle...
Then...
He suddenly stopped.
Several boys were lying on the ground.
Covered in dirt.
Groaning in pain.
"...Owww..."
"My head..."
Standing in the middle of them...
Covered in dust from head to toe...
Was Kai.
His clothes were dirty.
His hair was a complete mess.
There was even a leaf stuck to his head.
Yet...
He was still smiling.
V hurried over.
"Kai!"
Without hesitation...
He pulled his best friend into a tight hug.
Kai blinked in surprise.
"Uh..."
"V..."
"I think..."
"I smell terrible right now."
"You don't have to hug me this tightly."
Even now...
He was joking.
V couldn't help laughing.
"...Idiot."
Kai laughed too.
"Hehehe..."
For a brief moment...
The forest echoed only with the laughter of two children.
Far above...
From the entrance of the Sacred Mountain's ancient cave...
Liza quietly watched them.
A gentle smile appeared on her face.
"...A beautiful friendship."
Then...
Her smile slowly faded.
Her ancient golden eyes turned toward the distant horizon.
The wind suddenly changed.
Whoooosh...
For only an instant...
She sensed something.
Not danger.
Not hostility.
Just...
A subtle movement of fate.
"So..."
"It has finally begun..."
She whispered softly.
But whether she was speaking about the two boys...
Or something far beyond the horizon...
Even the ancient dragon did not say.
The evening sun slowly disappeared.
And another page...
Of destiny quietly turned.