“Yes, My Lord.” Doctor Melati could hardly contain her excitement. “This means that the beast has both the abilities of a Bloodline and a hudoq’s black matter. That gives a possible answer of how he got out the first time.”

Lord Senjahari paused to think. Then he said, “So it’s possible for a person to activate both a Bloodline and a hudoq’s black matter. A power that not even Prince Wiracaya can fathom.”

“Not only that, My Lord. If we can figure out a way to activate the cells safely, perhaps we can harness it in a way that doesn’t make the person go berserk.” Doctor Melati couldn’t help but let out a laugh, “We’re conducting this research to find a way to revive the lost Bloodline powers of our comrades and yet… we found a possibility to create an army of powerful soldiers.”

Lord Senjahari narrowed his eyes.

An army to level against Prince Wiracaya and Princess Kipassalju. With this power, I can regain everything we’ve lost.

“Doctor, do whatever it takes to harness this power. We will send out more explorers to capture hudoqs and gather the black matter.”

Doctor Melati appeared startled. “My Lord, capturing a hudoq alive is unheard off. It’s a dangerous mission to send someone to, and I believe no one is willing to do such an insane thing.”

“We do have someone,” Lord Senjahari turned to leave the laboratory. “Someone who lives to kill, someone who’s willing to do anything as long as it involves blood.”

“My Lord, you can’t mean–” Doctor Melati rushed after the Lord, “He’s still in recovery. We’ve just managed to fix his leg! Yuda may be strong, but if he continues to go about recklessly, his body will not last!”

“He is well enough by now. And I’m sure he is itching to run out into the wilds again. When I gave him a second chance, he swore to do all our dirty work no matter how dangerous it is. He is our very own Mad Dog.”

-

At the far back end of the barracks, Kirana perched on a rooftop, studying the foreigner she had been assigned to keep watch on. She was one of the top hunting archers in the Sunrise Boundary so having to sit back in the darkness like an assassin was out of her element.

The day Lord Senjahari and Captain Taring returned, she was given the job. Though she wanted to refuse, she had no choice since her partner was injured gravely in the last outing. Every expedition group required at least two or more people. It was the policy of safety in numbers and if one of them were to die, the other had a better chance of escaping and bringing back the news.

But who would have thought that her supposedly gravely injured partner decided to approach her target?

Since the Lord instructed her only to keep watch and not to interfere, she had to shoot Baja a plea for help. If only she hadn’t done so, if only she had disobeyed the orders, her fiance wouldn’t have been in a bloody state because of her own partner.

But when the foreigner revealed himself to be a Bloodliner, more than being surprised by her mistake, Kirana’s eagle eyes narrowed in on the unusual powers.

It glowed like Setia’s manipulation of waters but from her position, she couldn’t see the foreigner’s face markings to confirm his Bloodline. Not control over water, not air. As though he created the threads from himself.

How strange.

Was it because he had foreign blood?

Kirana ruffled her hair, frustration apparent in her scowl.

Now she was watching over the foreigner sitting next to Baja’s bed. The wounds Yuda caused were wrapped in clean bandages but she couldn’t shake off the worry in her heart. Since the foreigner saved him, was he in the clear? Would it be okay for her to end the scouting job?

She missed Baja. Because of the nature of their jobs and situations, they hadn’t seen each other in a long while. Getting hurt was part of their lives as soldiers. Getting mauled was part of their lives as friends of Yuda.

Regardless of what happened, she needed to make sure that Baja was safe. Once the foreigner leaves Baja’s bedside, she would sneak a chance to check on her fiance.

Kirana sat up with a stretch but before she could adjust her position, a horn blew through the air, signalling a danger alert. The beacons on the top of the watchtower lit ablaze. Soldiers rushed to the gates separating the town from the desert.

The watchmen yelled out, “Hudoqs approaching! Battle troops head out!”

-

In the shadows of the hospital wing, Fuxiao stared at Baja’s unconscious form. The threads had closed all the major wounds and his identity as a combat medic allowed him to finish up the treatment without any scrutiny from the nurses. It would be more troublesome if they questioned the massive blood stains when the injuries were cleanly dealt with.

It’s true that he could have killed Baja without a second thought. But there was still more information that he wanted to ask, no, to dig out. Why did Lord Senjahari capture Topan? Sure as a war prisoner, but did he have to be imprisoned, cut up, and used as a study experiment? The memories of their first encounter riled up his blood and for a brief moment, his dark eyes flickered a shade of red.

Fuxiao drooped his head into his palms.

He missed Topan.

Every second of not being in his strong arms was driving his Blood insane. The urge to kill every single person in the hospital room bubbled inside him like lava awaiting the time of eruption. He realised that the moment his Bloodline connected with Topan’s, there was no going back. They were one together. The spellbound intoxication of his blood that turned Topan into a mindless beast was his doing because Fuxiao needed him.

Desperately.

Where are you?

A loud horn bellowed in the distance.

While the hospital wing was located towards the back of the barracks, soldiers in the area rushed to the frontlines and within seconds, the atmosphere was filled with the pressure of multiple Bloodlines going into their states of Bloodrush.

Fuxiao glanced at Baja. He couldn’t afford waiting for Baja to regain consciousness. He wasn’t familiar with the layout of the barracks but if he didn’t take this chance now to search for Topan, there was no telling when he could sneak around again.

He slid into the shadows of the darkened hospital wings. Hurried footsteps ran outside. The remaining medics who were in charge of critical condition patients left to join the battle raging in the frontlines.

-

A distance away from the gates of the Sunrise Boundary, a group of large hudoqs slithered and moved towards the settlement. Their bodies left behind a trail of black matter which seeped into the ground, killing off grass that had fought to survive in the wilderness. 

Gurgles and screeches escaped their mouths. Glowing red eyes behind wooden masks focused straight ahead at the Sunrise Boundary.

And they continued forward.

The gates opened with a loud creak as the troops gathered in formation, led by Lord Senjahari with Setia and Captain Taring by his sides. A grim expression fell over his face as he took note of the situation. The horde of hudoqs trudged through the sandstorm on the horizon. Black smog escaped their mouths, staining the air into a cloud of darkness.

“This is the first time such a large number of them are heading towards us.” Setia said. “We’ve only ever had to fend off a few of the stray ones on this side of the land. What in the world triggered this?”

“No point in thinking about it right now. We’ll kill them all.” Captain Taring said.

Lord Senjahari brandished his sword at the hudoqs. “Soldiers, draw your weapons! Stay in formation! No matter the reason why they are here, we have to stop them. We will protect the people of the Sunrise Boundary!”

Lord Senjahari’s royal blue feathers burst around him, a majestic elegant dance that cut through the hudoqs’ body with ease. The speed at which he sliced the monsters was on a different level even to Setia, his right-hand man, and Captain Taring, his left-hand. He jumped into the air, backed against the bright moon grinning down at him, and struck the centre of the flying hudoq, splitting it into two and piercing through the monster’s body. With the Lord’s charismatic lead, the soldiers followed after with a battle cry.

Captain Taring unleashed his Lion Bloodline and charged into the horde, slashing the monsters’ large bodies without hesitation. Black matter splattered the air but before it could land on Captain Taring, an aquatic veil covered him.

“Don’t be too rash!” Silver scales shone around Setia’s eyes. His Arowana Bloodline took control of the water from the barrels at the back of the formation. The water turned into a sword and slashed at the hudoqs.

“I’m running straight in ‘cause I know you’ve got my back!” Captain Taring slashed his broadsword again.

Setia clicked his tongue. “Just because I’m here doesn’t mean you should do anything rash!”

-

Behind the equipment storage. An underground dungeon.

Pressed against the walls, Fuxiao followed the echoing silence till he reached the open training grounds. The chaos had diverted everyone’s attention to the gates, allowing Fuxiao leeway to investigate the rooms until he noticed two guards stationed at the end of a hallway.

The anxious guards argued with each other, unsure whether they should head out to help the frontlines or stay at their position. And in that moment of hesitation, Fuxiao launched his white threads and pierced the necks of the guards, ending their lives before they could realise what happened.

The bodies fell onto the ground with a dull thud.

Fuxiao didn’t bother to search the guards for the key to the door. The white threads snaked into the keyhole and unlatched the lock. His mind was perfectly clear, his body moving on instincts, relying on his Bloodline’s sole desire to find the man who could ground him to reality.

Swords, shields, and assortments of weapons lined the walls but Fuxiao’s eyes zeroed in on the door at the far back of the storage room. Without missing a beat, he pushed it open and hurried down the steps.

When he was all alone in the midst of the desert, Topan had found him.

So this time, he would be the one to find Topan.