The underground chamber fell silent after Blood's final words.
"The creature you killed… gave you something."
The torches along the stone walls flickered weakly, their orange light stretching long shadows across the underground hall while dust from the earlier sparring session still lingered faintly in the air.
No one spoke immediately.
Gray sat still near the center of the chamber, the spear still resting loosely in his hand while Blood's words repeated themselves inside his head.
The creature you killed… gave you something.
"What exactly does that mean?" Gray finally asked.
Blood remained seated against the stone platform nearby, his crimson eyes calmly fixed on him.
"It means," he said quietly, "that the corrupted being left a fragment of its Essence inside your body."
Zil blinked.
"…Hold on."
He pointed toward Gray.
"You're telling me that thing shoved monster power into him?"
Marie's expression darkened immediately.
"Brother…"
Gray himself looked confused more than anything else.
"…Essence?"
The room went quiet again.
Blood stared at the three of them for a moment before sighing softly.
"…Right."
"You three truly know nothing."
Zil immediately frowned.
"Hey, I know stuff."
Blood ignored him effortlessly.
Then slowly—
he stood up.
The atmosphere inside the underground chamber shifted almost instantly.
Not violently.
Not aggressively.
But enough for all three of them to feel it.
Pressure.
Heavy.
Ancient.
Like the air itself had become thicker.
Blood raised one hand calmly.
A crimson light slowly gathered above his palm.
Marie's eyes widened slightly.
Gray narrowed his gaze.
The crimson energy moved like liquid smoke, twisting unnaturally before forming a floating sphere above Blood's hand.
"This…" Blood said quietly, "…is Essence."
The sphere pulsed softly.
Alive.
Gray stared at it carefully.
For some reason, just looking at it made his chest feel strange.
"Essence is the source of power within all living beings," Blood continued. "Every creature in existence possesses it. Humans, vampires, werewolves, witches, even monsters."
Zil folded his arms.
"So Essence is basically energy?"
"In simple terms."
Blood nodded.
"But Essence is far more important than mere energy."
The crimson sphere suddenly changed shape.
A blade.
Then chains.
Then spikes.
Then a shield.
All within seconds.
"It reflects the nature of the one wielding it."
Gray frowned slightly.
"…So different races use different types?"
"Yes."
Blood closed his hand slowly, causing the crimson energy to disappear.
"Vampires possess Blood Essence. It enhances regeneration, physical ability, blood manipulation, and pressure."
As he spoke, crimson Essence suddenly spread across his arm.
Immediately the atmosphere inside the chamber became heavier.
Gray's instincts reacted instantly.
Marie unconsciously stepped backward.
Even Zil's expression stiffened slightly.
"…Whoa."
Blood looked at them calmly.
"Blood Aura. An advanced Blood Essence reinforcement technique."
The crimson pressure disappeared.
Everyone subtly relaxed.
Then Blood extended his hand toward the far wall.
Crimson energy condensed violently into a single point—
BOOM.
A massive blast exploded against the stone wall.
The underground chamber trembled violently.
Cracks spread instantly across the stone surface.
Dust rained from above.
Marie stared with widened eyes.
"…That was Essence too?"
"Yes. Blood Cannon. A ranged Blood Essence technique."
Zil stared at the damaged wall.
"…You call that a technique like it's normal."
"It is."
Blood replied calmly.
Then he continued.
"Werewolves possess Beast Essence. Unlike Blood Essence, Beast Essence focuses heavily on instinct, explosive power, durability, physical reinforcement, and heightened senses."
Zil smirked slightly.
"Now that sounds more like me."
Blood glanced at him.
"You rely on Beast Essence unconsciously already."
Zil blinked.
"…Wait seriously?"
"Yes. When your senses sharpen during battle, when your strength increases emotionally, when your instincts react before your thoughts—that is Beast Essence."
Zil slowly looked down at his hands.
"…Huh."
Then Marie suddenly spoke.
"What about humans?"
Blood looked toward her.
"Humans possess Soul Essence."
Gray frowned slightly.
"…Soul Essence?"
"Yes. Unlike supernatural races, humans are not naturally powerful. But Soul Essence is highly adaptable."
Blood walked slowly across the chamber while speaking.
"Human warriors reinforce their bodies with Soul Essence. Mages convert Soul Essence into phenomena like fire, ice, lightning, and wind. They shape Essence into those forms."
Marie's eyes widened slightly.
"So magic is Essence too?"
"Yes. Everything is."
Then Blood stopped walking.
"But witches…"
The atmosphere shifted slightly again.
"…are different."
Zil immediately muttered:
"Here comes the creepy part."
Marie elbowed him instantly.
Blood ignored both of them.
"Witches possess Arcane Essence."
Gray frowned.
"How is that different from Soul Essence?"
"Because Arcane Essence does not simply shape power…" Blood's crimson eyes darkened slightly. "…it manipulates the laws surrounding it."
Silence.
Marie stared carefully.
"…Meaning?"
"A mage creates fire. A witch can alter the behavior of the fire itself."
The room became quiet.
"Arcane Essence specializes in runes, space manipulation, binding, illusions, memory alteration, gravity distortion, and advanced ritual arts."
Zil slowly lowered his arms.
"…Okay."
"Yeah."
"That's terrifying."
Blood nodded once.
"Which is why witches are feared even in the Dark Regions."
Gray remembered the map Zil explained weeks ago.
The Vampire Domain.
The Beast Domain.
And the uncharted territories.
"So the witches live in the uncharted grounds because of this?" Gray asked.
"Yes."
Blood folded his arms.
"Very little is known about them. They rarely involve themselves with outsiders. And during the Holy War…" His voice lowered slightly. "…many witches experimented with forbidden Essence."
Gray immediately remembered the corrupted being.
"…Chaos Essence."
Blood's eyes moved toward him immediately.
"Yes."
The atmosphere became colder.
"Chaos Essence was born during the Holy War. It is unstable, unnatural, and corruptive. Unlike normal Essence, Chaos Essence mutates whatever it touches."
Marie's grip tightened around her blade slightly.
"So corrupted beings… are creatures consumed by Chaos Essence?"
Blood nodded.
"Some were warriors. Some were monsters. Some were ordinary people. But eventually all corrupted beings lose themselves."
Gray remembered the hooded figure inside the void.
The calm voice.
The sadness.
The gratitude.
You freed me from my suffering.
The memory made his chest tighten.
Then Blood looked directly at him.
"The corrupted being you killed placed a fragment of Chaos Essence inside your body."
The dark pressure beneath Gray's chest pulsed immediately.
"…Why?"
Blood became silent briefly.
Then answered honestly.
"To suppress your Shadow Core."
The room froze.
Marie immediately looked toward Gray.
"Shadow… Core?"
Gray himself looked confused.
"…Wait."
"What exactly is a Core?"
Blood crossed his arms calmly.
"A Core is condensed Essence. An evolved Essence source formed through refinement, inheritance, battle, or mutation."
"Most beings only possess Essence. But some evolve beyond that. Blood Cores, Beast Cores, Arcane Cores, even Soul Cores."
Zil blinked slowly.
"So Cores are rare?"
"Very."
Blood nodded.
"Your father most likely possessed a Blood Core."
Gray's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Dad."
Everything suddenly made more sense now.
The blood chains.
The overwhelming pressure.
The unnatural control.
Then Marie spoke quietly.
"…Do I have one too?"
Blood looked toward her carefully.
"Possibly. Your Essence flow is abnormal. A dormant Blood Core may exist within you."
Marie froze hearing that.
Zil immediately pointed at both siblings.
"…Your entire family is ridiculous."
Gray ignored him completely.
"And the Shadow Core?"
Blood's expression darkened slightly.
"The Shadow Core is forbidden."
The torches flickered violently.
"Long ago, Shadow Essence users became disasters during the Holy War. Shadow Essence evolves through fear, death, imbalance, and consumption. The stronger it becomes, the more dangerous the wielder becomes."
Gray felt cold hearing that.
"Because of this, all knowledge regarding Shadow Essence was erased within the Vampire Domain. And anyone discovered possessing a Shadow Core…" Blood's crimson eyes sharpened slightly. "…is executed immediately."
Silence swallowed the chamber.
Even Zil stopped joking.
Gray slowly looked down toward his chest.
"…So the Chaos Essence is hiding it."
"Yes."
"The corrupted being wrapped your Shadow Core in Chaos Essence before dying. To most vampires, your Essence now feels distorted instead of forbidden."
Gray remembered the unbearable pain inside the void.
"A protective measure…"
Blood nodded once.
"But understand this carefully."
"The Chaos Essence is suppressing your Shadow Core. Not controlling it."
Gray looked up slowly.
"…Meaning?"
Blood stared directly into his eyes.
"If your control weakens… the Shadow Core may awaken completely."
Silence.
Then Blood stepped backward calmly.
"Which is why your training changes starting now."
Zil groaned immediately.
"Oh come on."
Blood ignored him.
Crimson Essence slowly spread around the underground chamber once more.
"You've learned how to fight."
"Now…" His crimson eyes moved between all three of them. "…you learn how to use Essence."