---
📖 Chapter 2: Bloodlines and worth
In this world, strength was never just about power.
It was about where that power came from.
---
Long before Auren was born, the world had already been divided.
Not by borders.
But by blood.
---
Two dominant lineages stood above all others.
Those who carried the traits of the Serpent Clans—
and those who inherited the legacy of the Aerial Clans.
---
The Serpent Clans were known for precision.
Cold patience. Calculated strikes. Venom that didn't always kill immediately—but always won in the end.
They were feared not because they were loud—
but because they weren't.
---
The Aerial Clans were the opposite.
Sharp. Fast. Untouchable.
They ruled the skies, their abilities built on speed, vision, and overwhelming force.
They didn't wait.
They struck.
---
For generations, the two sides clashed.
War wasn't an event.
It was a constant.
A cycle that no one questioned anymore.
---
Until three years ago.
---
A treaty was signed.
---
No one called it peace.
Not really.
It was more like—
a pause.
---
To maintain that fragile balance, both sides agreed on something unprecedented.
Exchange.
---
The most promising students—five hundred from each side—would be selected and sent across borders.
To study.
To observe.
To understand the very enemy they had been raised to fight.
---
And in return—
the other side would do the same.
---
It was a test.
Not of trust—
but of control.
---
Auren had grown up hearing about it.
Hearing about the clans.
The war.
The expectations.
---
Because his family was part of it.
---
The Virelith Family.
---
One of the ten prestigious bloodline families of the Serpent Clans.
Ranked tenth.
Always tenth.
---
Not weak.
Never weak.
But never enough.
---
That was the problem.
---
The Vireliths were known for their adaptability.
Their ability to observe, analyze, and counter.
But in a world where raw dominance often mattered more—
adaptability was seen as hesitation.
---
And hesitation was weakness.
---
Auren knew that better than anyone.
---
"You're falling behind."
---
His father's voice was calm.
Too calm.
---
Auren stood in the training hall, shoulders steady, even as the sting of failure still lingered in his muscles.
---
"I'm improving," Auren replied quietly.
---
"Not fast enough."
---
Silence followed.
Heavy.
Familiar.
---
Around them, other members of the branch family continued their own training.
Some glanced at him.
Some didn't bother.
---
It didn't matter.
Everyone knew.
---
The main family branches were constantly competing.
Not openly.
But always.
---
To climb higher.
To be acknowledged.
To matter.
---
And Auren's branch—
wasn't winning.
---
"You understand what's at stake," his father continued.
"The selection for the exchange program has begun."
---
Auren's gaze didn't waver.
---
"Yes."
---
"The top five hundred will be chosen," his father said. "From across all clans."
A pause.
---
"If you fail to make it—"
---
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
---
Auren already knew.
---
You'll prove them right.
That we don't belong higher.
---
His father turned away slightly.
---
"This is an opportunity."
---
Not encouragement.
Not support.
---
Just expectation.
---
"To rise above our current standing."
---
Top ten.
But never beyond.
---
Auren clenched his hand slightly.
---
So that's all this is.
---
Not about him.
Not about his future.
---
But about the family name.
---
As always.
---
"Don't waste it," his father said before leaving.
---
The sound of his footsteps faded.
---
The training hall felt colder after that.
---
Auren stood there for a moment longer.
Then exhaled slowly.
---
Top five hundred…
---
For others, it was ambition.
A chance.
A dream.
---
For him—
it was proof.
---
Proof that he was worth something.
That his branch wasn't just… average.
---
That he wasn't.
---
Auren stepped outside later that evening.
The air was colder than before.
Snow falling lightly, settling across the ground in silence.
---
He looked up.
Watched it fall.
---
Quiet.
Slow.
Unbothered by everything below.
---
If I get there…
---
To the Sage Realm.
To the other side.
---
Will anything change?
---
He didn't know.
---
But for the first time—
he wanted to find out.
---
And maybe—
just maybe—
prove something along the way.
---
Not just to them.
---
But to himself.
---
To be continued… ❄️✨
---