“Okay,” I muttered, staring down at the blank page in my notebook. The charcoal pencil in my hand tapped against the edge of the makeshift desk as I tried to gather my thoughts. “I need to document this skill properly. And, for the love of all the gods, I need to figure out how to minimize the goddamn blood cost.”

  I sighed, letting the pencil spin between my fingers before I leaned forward and began writing.

  “First things first,” I said aloud, jotting down a quick header: Sanguis Telum (Blood Lance).

  “Alright,” I continued, speaking to no one in particular—though Luna, curled up on the corner of the bed, perked up her ears like she was following along. “Let’s start with the basics. Number one: the skill takes blood from a source. This is the cost.”

  I underlined the point for emphasis, glancing over at the skull staff leaning against the wall. Without that damn thing, this skill would be draining me every time I used it. Not ideal.

  “Alright, number two,” I muttered, scribbling again. “The skill directs the blood and shapes it into a one-meter-long lance. That’s the default, or what I’m calling the ‘base settings.’”

  I paused, tilting my head as I reread the line. Luna let out a soft mrrp, padding closer to nudge my hand with her nose.

  “Yes, furball, I’m working,” I said, laughing as I scratched her behind the ears. She purred loudly, hopping up onto the desk and planting herself squarely in the middle of my notes.

  “Really?” I said, smirking as I gently nudged her aside. “You want to help or just ruin my work?”

  She responded with a loud meow and flopped onto her side, batting at my pencil.

  “Alright, moving on,” I said, shaking my head as I wrote. “Number three: while forming, the lance is tethered to the user. That’s me. And with a mental command, it launches forward. Fast as hell, too.”

  The pencil scratched noisily against the page as I added the details. Luna watched intently, her tail swishing as if she were keeping track of my progress.

  “And number four,” I said, tapping the page. “For about... forty to fifty seconds, I’d say, I have full control over the lance. After that, control starts degrading until the thing becomes unresponsive.”

  I glanced at her. “You following this, furball?”

  “Meow,” she replied, stretching out her tiny paws.

  “Good, because there’s one more point,” I said, writing the final note. “Number five: once the blood solidifies, it’s completely inert. No energy, no connection. Just a solid-state lance.”

  I sat back, staring at the list I’d made. My fingers drummed against the edge of the desk as I read through the points again, making sure I hadn’t missed anything.

  “Alright,” I said finally, exhaling through my nose. “That’s the basics. Now I need to figure out how to improve this thing.”

  Grabbing the pencil again, I turned to a fresh page and began jotting down ideas. “Let’s make a new list. Things to test.”

  “Number one,” I said aloud, underlining it heavily. “Changing the amount of blood required to cast the skill. Maybe I can make the lance smaller or thinner. Save some blood that way.”

  Luna let out a curious meow as she pawed at the corner of the notebook.

  “Patience,” I said, smirking as I scratched her chin. “We’re just getting started.”

  “Number two,” I continued, writing quickly. “Shape. How much freedom do I have with this? Can I make it longer? Wider? Hell, what about something completely different, like... I don’t know, a fucking sword or something?”

  The kitten chirped in approval, swiping at my pencil like she agreed with the idea.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “See? You’ve got good taste,” I said, laughing.

  “Number three,” I went on, “methods of delivery. Can I spin it? Curve it? Maybe even launch it in a way that isn’t just straight ahead? And what about mid-flight adjustments? Is that even possible?”

  My mind raced with possibilities as I scribbled the question down. This skill was powerful, but it could be so much more if I could figure out how to make it versatile.

  “And finally,” I said, underlining the next point twice, “number four: can I activate the skill from anywhere? My fingers, my mouth, my chest—wherever. That could open up a lot of interesting options.”

  I leaned back, setting the pencil down as I stared at the new list. “Alright, that should be enough to start with,” I muttered. “Four solid tests. I can manage that.”

  Luna, clearly bored with my rambling, rolled onto her back and swatted at my hand.

  “What do you think, furball?” I asked, smirking as I scratched her belly. “Good plan, or what?”

  She let out a loud meow meoOW, her tail flicking enthusiastically.

  “Damn right, I’m awesome,” I said, laughing as I scooped her up. “You’re lucky to have a genius like me around, you know that?”

  She purred loudly in response, nuzzling into my chest as I stood and stretched.

  “Alright,” I said, glancing toward the clearing outside. “We’ll tackle this list first, then tomorrow we’ll go hunting. Gotta refill the blood reserves if we’re gonna keep this up.”

  Luna let out a chirp of agreement, curling around my neck like a furry scarf.

  “Let’s get to it, furball,” I said, grinning as I headed for the door. “Time to see what this skill can really do.”

  Meow!

  The little ball of fluff meowed again, this time louder, drawing my attention away from the crimson glow emanating from the testing apparatus. Its tiny pink nose twitched as it pawed at the hem of my sleeve, eyes as wide and curious as the midnight sky.

  “Alright, alright, you’ve got my attention,” I said, laughing softly and lifting the kitten onto the table. “You’re trouble, you know that?”

  It mewled again in protest, batting at a loose thread on my tunic.

  I placed my hand on the ancient skull staff, its cold surface humming faintly as it recognized my touch. The staff practically pulsed with dormant power, a tool waiting for mastery—or disaster. Time to put it to work.

  “Alright, let’s test this out,” I muttered, steadying myself and activating the skill [Sanguis Telum].

  Power rippled through me as I willed the skill into being. My blood thrummed in my veins, responding to the pull of the rune's hunger. But this time, I wasn’t rushing it. I slowed everything down, deliberately stretching the activation process. Every flicker, every connection in the flow of energy became a window into understanding.

  The rune embedded within the staff wasn’t just etched in; it was alive. It resonated with the essence of my blood, like an echo finding its source. As my blood connected to the rune, a faint line of crimson light began to form, drawn like thread between the staff and my palm.

  I was deep into observing the intricate dance of blood and essence when the control started to slip.

  “Fuck,” I hissed, frowning as I tried to regain dominance. But the skill was stubborn, resisting my will.

  Then it clicked—what if I let go? I let the skill feed on my blood essence as it wanted, just enough to stabilize it. The glow dimmed, the process slowing to a crawl.

  “Gotcha,” I whispered, but my confidence waned as I felt the energy falter again.

  I canceled the skill entirely, the blood essence retreating back into my body with a dull ache. The process hadn’t failed, but it wasn’t good enough either. Frustration gnawed at me.

  Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and focused. The familiar pull of my mind sphere enveloped me, and I stepped into the mental sanctuary I had crafted.

  The guardian kitten greeted me immediately, its soft, ethereal form circling my feet. It rubbed against me before leaping into my arms, purring in that melodic way only it could manage.

  “Hey, you,” I said, chuckling as I scratched its phantom ears. “You’re always happy to see me, aren’t you?”

  The kitten purred louder, swiping at the small imaginary ball I conjured in my hand. It batted the orb into the air and chased it across the sphere, its playful antics a small reprieve from the tension I’d been carrying.

  Shaking my head fondly, I turned my attention to the blood essence swirling in the center of the sphere. The rune skill sat embedded within it, glowing faintly like a smoldering ember. This time, I had a plan.

  Exira’s strength surged through me, clearer and steadier than ever at Level 1. I poured a fraction of that energy into the blood essence, letting it merge seamlessly with the source. The rune’s glow intensified, responding eagerly to the additional power.

  “Let’s try this again,” I murmured, activating [Sanguis Telum] within the sphere.

  The connection formed instantly, but now I could observe it from within. Every thread of power that tied the blood essence to the rune became visible, as if magnified a thousandfold. I wove my will through the connection, slowing it down, controlling it.

  I fed the skill precisely half a liter of blood, a calculated amount to stabilize the process without overloading it. The energy coalesced, forming a focused construct within the sphere. A lance began to take shape, its dimensions tightly controlled—one meter long, 2.5 centimeters in diameter.

  The blood essence responded with perfect precision this time, bending to my will without resistance.

  I opened my eyes back in the physical world. The staff glowed faintly in my hand, and the blood lance materialized before me, a sleek weapon of concentrated energy. The sharp tip shimmered, almost seeming to hum with restrained power.

  I exhaled, leaning back and letting the staff rest against the table.

  “Not bad,” I said softly, a small smile tugging at the corner of my lips.

  HOUSE OF END DISCORD

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