Godless Blood: Last Apostle

Silver stood in front of Ashen, feeling the weight of expectation pressing down on him. The rest of the guild members watched from the shadows, their expressions unreadable.

Silver's lips curled in confusion. "Lab rat?"

The room suddenly felt colder.

Ashen's gaze was cold, unwavering. "Apostle Blood."

Silver blinked, confusion lacing his expression. "What?"

Ashen leaned against the table, arms crossed. "I've heard about it on my mission. The Seraphic Theocracy has been experimenting on so-called 'Heroes.' Injecting Apostle Blood into normal humans, with machinery powered by the liquid to balance it out. They're creating Synthetic Beings..."

His voice darkened, before sighing. "And, I rationally thought all of this was bull. But you..." He gestured towards the few drops of Silver Blood left on the area where they once fought, shimmering ominously under the candlelight. "...You're living proof."

Silver kept his expression neutral, but inside, his mind whirled. Half-Apostles? Was that what they thought he was? He didn't remember his past... If that was the truth, then who was he?

He looked down at his arms. Were they artificial? If so, how had he escaped the Theocracy? And why did he feel so… real?

The others were still watching him, their eyes filled with silent questions. It was as if they were waiting for him to break or react.

Silver sighed deeply before standing up, pushing the storm of thoughts to the back of his mind. It didn't matter. If he was artificial, so be it. It would make things easier... After all, he'd still have one purpose:

Avenge Mira's death.

But there was something itching at the back of his mind. A strange sensation, telling him that the truth wasn't that simple. A part of him resisted the thought of being artificial, as though his very existence wasn't meant to be confined to such a narrow definition.

For now, however, he would keep those questions buried deep inside.

He walked toward Ashen, the Guildmaster's expression unreadable as he nodded silently in approval.

The guild was a strange, eclectic group of people, each one carrying a unique aura. Silver spent most of his time observing them, trying to understand their habits, their mannerisms.

Ludon, the strategist, always had a distant gaze, his eyes calculating and silent, as though seeing the world from a perspective no one else could grasp. Then there was Kara... Blunt, sharp-tongued, and quick to speak her mind. "If you fall behind, no one will wait," she had told him the first time they spoke.

Dara, on the other hand, seemed like a puzzle. Playful on the surface, yet his sharp eyes never missed a detail. "You're lucky, kid. Ashen's never taken a student before."

Lucky? Silver wasn't so sure about that. The thought of being a 'student' under Ashen's intense training weighed on him.

Still, one thought gnawed at him. "...How am I alive?"

He looked down at his bandaged ribs, the memory of his bones cracking, his lung collapsing under Ashen's force. He shouldn't have survived.

Kara sighed, rolling her eyes as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Lena did it. Healing Magic. Took a lot out of her."

Silver blinked. Healing magic? He hadn't even known that existed. Sure, the village shaman had healed people, but they always called it a blessing from their god. But the village was godless. So... everything began to make sense.

Kara seemed to sense the confusion on his face and shrugged. "Yeah, exactly. Healing magic from an assassin? Weird, huh? She practices every day. Something about her brother…" Kara trailed off, then shot a sharp look at Dara. "Not my business. I'm off to check the Mission Board."

Before Silver could ask any more questions, Kara disappeared into the shadows with a fluid motion, her body dissolving into mist as she melded with the darkness.

...And just like that, she was gone.

Hesitantly, he turned to Ashen. "Where's Lena now?"

Ashen scoffed. "She was sent on a mission. She'll be back soon."

A mission.

Silver's stomach twisted. It felt like they were purposely distancing them.

He clenched his fists. He hated being in debt, hated needing to be saved.

He felt Useless. Weak. A burden, and nothing else.

Before he could dwell on it too long, Ashen's voice cut through his thoughts. "Done standing around?"

Silver flinched, his muscles tightening. Ashen was already turning away. "Come. Training starts now."

Silver stared at the figure blankly, before snapping back to reality. He followed him, walking away from the stares of the other guildmembers.

Silver followed the Guildmaster through the cold, dim corridors of the hideout. The walls were filled with taxidermied monsters on the walls, with golden name plates underneath them, showing off the severed monster heads like trophies.

Silver shivered. 

Eventually, they emerging into a secluded courtyard. The air felt heavy, as if the world itself was waiting for something to unfold.

Ashen gestured for Silver to stand in the center. "First, we start with the breathing technique. If you can't accumulate Kairo properly, everything else is useless."

Silver frowned. "Kairo? Is that… Mana?"

Silver heard of Mana before. It was the foundation of Magic... The Elder taught him that.

The elder... Silver suddenly had flashbacks about the Elder's sudden burst of energy. The raw power that he felt before he fainted...

Would he be able to do that if he learned to use Mana..?

Ashen scoffed, clearly annoyed. "Mana is for mages- Those useless cowards who stand in the back. We assassins use Kairo. It's lifeforce. We cultivate it, shape it into our bodies. Only then can we strike with true power."

Ashen's arm began to glow... A deep, red light swirling around his forearm, twisting like a living thing. The air around him seemed to shimmer as he exhaled slowly, then swung his arm in a fluid motion.

BOOM.

A rush of force exploded outward, silent but powerful, shaking the very ground beneath Silver's feet.

Silver stood frozen, eyes wide, as Ashen's voice, calm and cold, broke through the shock. "You breathe wrong, you die. You rush, you die. You fail to control it?" Ashen's eyes narrowed. "You'll be torn apart from the inside."

Silver swallowed, nerves coiling tightly in his chest.

Training began under Ashen's strict guidance. The Guildmaster's voice was both a command and a challenge, leaving no room for hesitation. "Sit. Close your eyes."

He felt the Guildmaster's hands on his back, as he suddenly felt a weird power flowing through his back and into his veins... Clearing it out..?

Silver obeyed, his body tense as his breath deepened, focusing.

"Focus…"

And then it happened.

A warmth spread through his chest. In the darkness behind his eyelids, he saw it: tiny, glowing dots scattered throughout his body, like distant stars.

"Good." Ashen's voice was almost a whisper. "Now connect them. Draw them to your core."

Silver concentrated, visualizing the dots, struggling to bring them together. He could feel them resisting, like drops of water that didn't want to merge.

Ashen's hand pressed against his stomach. "Lower Dantian," he murmured. "Gather the energy here."

Silver's muscles tensed, sweat forming as he fought to focus. Slowly, the dots began to shift, flowing through his body and toward the point where Ashen's finger rested.

Hours passed.

Silver's concentration faltered and then... snap.

It was like a wave breaking through him.

His eyes snapped open, and his breath came out in controlled, even bursts. His body felt different... More controlled, more powerful.

Ashen stood silently, watching. "Not bad."

Silver wiped the sweat from his brow, exhausted but exhilarated. Something had awakened within him, deep and primal.

Ashen turned away. "Get some rest. We start again tomorrow."

Then, he simply walked away, leaving Silver sitting on the floor, staring at him blankly as he struggled to breathe.

Silence fell into the room, as the guildmaster's footsteps started to fade away...

Silver swallowed, exhaustion weighing heavily on him. That was it..?

"...Wait..-"

The world spun.

He tried to rise, but his legs buckled. His vision blurred, the sound of rushing blood in his ears.

Everything went dark.

And his body crumpled to the ground.