Guldrin’s Gluttony: Family Bound by Speed & Food

Shiro stepped between them, her usual calm and composed demeanor cracking as she took on a fierce protectiveness. Her golden eyes burned with defiance, and her voice trembled slightly, not with fear, but with determination. 

"Hold on. You can't just-" She gestured wildly toward the vial in Alisa's hand, frustration spilling over. "-do that! He's not some science experiment! He's my boyfriend, mine! You can't just risk his life like this!"

Alisa, calm as ever, met Shiro's fiery glare with a precision that seemed almost mechanical, but with an undertone of experience. "No, he's not an experiment," she said, her tone steady, almost clinical. 

"Trust me, I've seen experiments… More than I care to recount. Jin and Devil Jin performed enough to haunt my circuits. This isn't like that. This is a rite of necessity, a path carved by the sacrifices of many, not a gamble. Guldrin is the heir to a legacy that demands strength far beyond what he currently possesses. The world you're stepping into doesn't offer second chances."

Shiro clenched her fists, her knuckles whitening as her emotions warred within her. Logic told her Alisa wasn't wrong. The world they'd been thrust into, a world teeming with devils, angels, and gods, as crazy as that sounds, was as merciless as it was vast. 

But her heart screamed at her to protect Guldrin, to shield him from the unknown, no matter the cost. "And what if something goes wrong?" she countered, her voice a mix of defiance and desperation.

Alisa's gaze softened just enough to hint at something akin to empathy, though her demeanor remained unyielding. "Like I said before… That's why I'm here," she replied, her voice carrying a calm certainty. "To ensure it doesn't."

The tension between them crackled like static electricity, and for a moment, it seemed as though words might fail entirely. But Guldrin, standing at the eye of this emotional storm, raised his hand, his gesture a quiet but firm command. "Enough," he said, his voice cutting cleanly through the thick atmosphere. He looked at Shiro, his blue eyes met her golden eyes with an unspoken plea for understanding. 

"Shiro, I trust you to have my back. I always have, and I always will. But I also trust myself to make this decision. I need you to do the same." His tone was steady but held a gentle undercurrent of affection

Shiro's lips parted as if to argue, but she held back, her love for him battling with her instincts to protect him.

Guldrin pressed on, sensing her hesitation. "We've just learned that the world is far more dangerous than we ever imagined. Devils, angels, dragons, and everything out there are threats. If I don't take this step, I'll always be behind. I'll never be able to protect you, protect us. Protect what I want to protect, it will be Big Boss all over again, playing catchup without all the pieces." He offered a small, wry smile. "Besides, maybe this will help me understand my gluttony better."

Turning to Alisa, Guldrin crossed his arms, his posture shifting to one of cautious resolve. "What's the catch? There's always a catch."

Alisa's lips curved into a thin smile, her red eyes gleaming with a mixture of admiration and gravity. "The catch is pain," she said simply, her words carrying a weight that settled heavily in the room. "Unimaginable pain. Your body will have to adapt to the dragon's blood, to the influx of mana it brings, even if you have the bloodline inside you, it is dormant, and this will jumpstart it and all your others. The process will feel like your very soul is being ripped apart and stitched back together. But…" 

She leaned slightly forward, her gaze piercing. "If you survive, you'll awaken as a true Nephilim, a being capable of standing against gods, devils, and everything in between. Well, you will start out from low-class, but there will be no bottleneck, no hoops to jump through, and with proper training, you could very well surpass Big G. Well, one of them? OAA, the true form, even I can't establish a proper power scaling for that being… When your father"

"Jin. I don't recognize that man as my father…" Guldrin interrupted with a scowl that would remind you of Letty when she was pissed.

"Sorry little master, when Jin met OAA for the first time, it was like an elder scolding a toddler, he wouldn't even give him the respect of a battle, he just snapped his fingers, and poof, sealed in a 10x10 cube… He stayed sealed for 1 year outside, but hundreds of years passed inside… So, OAA isn't someone we can dream of contesting against, thankfully, he isn't hands-on, and will leave us alone for the most part. Speaking of, I sense his power in this area, like an artifact of unknown origin." She shook her head but stored that away for future investigation.

Her words hung in the air like a storm cloud, oppressive and inescapable. The faint hum of her power source seemed to grow louder, their lights flickering as if echoing the gravity of her statement.

Guldrin stayed silent as he mulled over her words before he took a deep breath, his mind racing. He glanced at Shiro, whose defiance had softened into something more vulnerable, a mixture of fear and hope. She looked as if she wanted to punch Alisa and drag him away at the same time, but her eyes stayed locked on Guldrin's, silently begging him to reconsider.

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "I've been through worse."

Her response was immediate, sharp, and incredulous. "You have not been through worse!"

He shrugged, the motion casual despite the tension in the room. "Probably not, but it sounded cool, didn't it? And think of it this way, if I survive..." 

He paused, raising his eyebrows meaningfully when Shiro shot him a death glare that spoke of retribution. "When I survive, I can truthfully say I've been through worse if the question ever comes up again."

Shiro let out a sound that was half-laugh, half-growl, and Alisa rolled her eyes, her patience clearly wearing thin. "If you're done with the theatrics, little master, we need to start immediately," Alisa said. "The longer we wait, the more vulnerable you become."

She had no idea how right she was, the dormant bloodlines inside Guldrin were raging from the moment she produced this vial of blood. Even if she didn't help fully awaken his bloodlines, this action sparked something that couldn't be stopped. A change felt by all.

—

–

-

Across the vast expanse of the supernatural world, an unsettling ripple spread like wildfire. The blood of Vritra, an essence so potent and ancient that its presence alone could fracture the delicate balance of power, had made its move. The air itself seemed to tighten, crackling with an unfamiliar energy that left even the most formidable beings uneasy.

In the hidden sanctum of Heaven, a single name began to etch itself into the celestial registry. Slowly, deliberately, the divine stone absorbed the essence of a new force. One lone archangel stood watch, her wings trembling as tears slipped down her face. Change was coming, change that even the heavens themselves could not halt. 'A new angel, I never thought it was possible.'

Meanwhile, in the Underworld, whispers spread like shadows. The major powers of the devils convened in hushed tones, speculating about the tremor in the ether. Was this a new contender? A reincarnation of a mighty soul? Or, perhaps, something even more terrifying: a new force capable of tipping the scales of the ancient war's stalemate?

From the gods of far-off pantheons to hidden sects buried deep within mortal lands, every faction felt the shift. None could yet name the source, but one thing was clear: the world as they knew it was about to get fun.

—

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-

Unaware of the chaos he had unwittingly ignited, not that he would have cared, Guldrin stood in the dimly lit chamber in his underground workshop. The faint hum of magical wards buzzed around him, enclosing the space in an eerie stillness. 

He stared down at the object in Alisa's outstretched hand, a vial that shimmered with an unnatural brilliance. Inside swirled the heartblood of Vritra itself, a concoction of pure dragon essence and concentrated mana.

Its glow reflected in Guldrin's eyes, but his expression remained one of defiant bravado. He smirked, the way someone does when facing an absurdly bad idea but diving in headfirst anyway.

"This feels like the beginning of a very, very bad decision," Shiro muttered, arms crossed as she glared daggers at the vial. Her posture screamed disapproval, but the slight tremor in her voice betrayed her concern.

"Yep. Yes, yes it does." Guldrin replied, his grin widening into a forced cheerfulness. "But since when has that ever stopped me?"

Shiro groaned, her frustration spilling over. "That's not exactly as inspirational as you think it is."

Before she could say more, Alisa stepped forward. Her movements were precise, her demeanor colder than the stone walls surrounding them. She held the vial like a weapon, her gaze locked on Guldrin. "This will hurt," she said flatly, her tone devoid of emotion.

"Fantastic," Guldrin muttered, rolling his shoulders as if preparing for a fight. "Love hearing that. Let's unlock my hidden potential or whatever."

Shiro rolled her eyes. "Cringe. But… yeah, that's you in a nutshell. Just… Don't die."

Alisa didn't wait for him to change his mind. In one swift, practiced motion, she plunged the needle into his heart, forcing the essence of Vritra into his bloodstream.

The effect was immediate.

The pain struck him like a storm, a hurricane of fire, ice, thunder, and lightning tearing through his very being. His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the cold floor. His body writhed uncontrollably, muscles spasming as though trying to escape the torment coursing through him. The essence burned its way through his veins, shredding the fragile barriers of humanity piece by piece, only to rebuild him in a new, brutal image.

Shiro was at his side in an instant, panic etched into every line of her face. "Guldrin! Say something!" Her hands hovered uselessly, torn between her urge to comfort him and the helplessness of watching him suffer.

Through gritted teeth, Guldrin managed a strangled laugh. "This… was… a terrible idea!" His words were strained, barely audible over the sounds of his own ragged breathing.

"No kidding!" Shiro snapped, her voice trembling as she fought back tears. "I told you not to do this! Dammit, Guldrin, stay with me!"

Alisa, standing a few feet away, observed the scene with an unreadable expression. Her arms were crossed, her stance unwavering. "Good, you can still talk…" she said, her voice cutting through the chaos like a knife. "That means it's working."

Shiro whipped her head around to glare at Alisa. "Working? He's dying!"

"Hardly," Alisa replied, her tone unflinching. "This pain is necessary. To awaken as a Nephilim, his mortal shell must be destroyed and rebuilt. It's the only way."

Shiro turned back to Guldrin, her hands trembling. She wanted to punch Alisa, to scream at her for putting him through this, but she knew deep down that Guldrin had chosen this path. 

He had made the decision, knowing the risks.

Guldrin's body jerked violently, a guttural scream tearing from his throat. The magic in the room surged, flaring like a tempest. Shadows and light danced erratically, and the air grew thick with a pressure that made it hard to breathe.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun, the chaos subsided. Guldrin lay still, his chest heaving as he sucked in deep, ragged breaths. His skin glistened with sweat, but his eyes… his blue piercing eyes burned with a dark light, flickering like the embers of an evil dragon's flame.

Shiro exhaled shakily, relief flooding her as she knelt beside him. "You idiot," she whispered, brushing a damp strand of hair from his forehead. "You better not pull something like that again."

Guldrin chuckled weakly. "No promises… but hey, I'm alive, right?"

Alisa stepped closer, her gaze assessing. "Alive and more. The first transformation is complete. Welcome, Nephilim. Now you need to grow, accumulate, and enhance yourself to improve."

And just like that, the first step in Guldrin's journey as a true Nephilim was complete.

Guldrin sat up slowly, wincing as his body adjusted to its newfound power. "Nephilim, huh? Sounds fancy. Do I get a badge or something? Maybe a sticker that says, 'I nearly died?'"

Shiro rolled her eyes. "You get a punch to the face if you keep joking about this."

Alisa ignored their banter, her expression turning serious. "Now, Shiro, it's your turn."

Shiro froze, her composure cracking. "Wait, what?"

"If you intend to remain by his side," Alisa said, her tone leaving no room for argument, "you must undergo the same transformation, as all Goldbloods before have done. This is not a request. While you don't have a hidden bloodline, hmmm, well? Now that I look, you may have a deluded high human bloodline… But you will gain the Vritra bloodline as well."

Shiro's eyes widened, her mind racing. "You can't be serious! I'm not letting you do to me what you just did to him!"

"You don't have a choice," Alisa replied coldly. "The world you both are entering will not spare the weak. If you want to protect him, if you want to survive, you must be willing to sacrifice. Otherwise, you will be his weakness."

Guldrin, though in pain from the ordeal, reached out, placing a hand on Shiro's arm. "Shiro, it's okay. You don't have to do this."

She turned to him, her expression conflicted. "But what if-"

He cut her off with a small smile. "I trust you. Whatever you decide, I've got your back. Always. This isn't the only way, you are a Gamer, plus if we travel, who knows what we will discover."

Alisa just raised a brow, 'Travel, Gamer? Is he referring to the ability to leave this multiverse? And Gamer, I feel this name means more than my memory banks associated with it.'

Shiro's resolve hardened. She looked at Alisa, her eyes blazing with determination. "But that isn't now, and doesn't help us… We have over half a year before we can go to another… Damn it! Fine. Do it. But if this kills me, I'm haunting you."

A rare smile tugged at the corner of Alisa's lips. "Understood, little mistress, I approve of your dedication... Now, let's begin." That was the first time she acknowledged her, and for some reason, Shiro felt pleased hearing this.

The tension in the room thickened as Alisa prepared the vial for Shiro. The same viscous, glowing liquid swirled within, an ominous promise of pain and power. Shiro stood stiffly, her fists clenched at her sides, but her determination was evident in the way she squared her shoulders and raised her chin.

"Let's get this over with," she muttered, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands.

Alisa approached with practiced calm, her movements deliberate and precise. Guldrin, still recovering, tried to steady himself against the wall, his piercing blue-black cloudy eyes locking onto Shiro's. 

The pain he had endured was fresh in his memory, and the thought of her going through the same agony twisted his gut.

"Shiro," he began, his voice hoarse, "you don't have to-"

"Shut up," she snapped, but there was no malice in her tone. Her eyes softened as they met his. "I've made my decision, Guldrin. We're in this together, remember? No running, no turning back. You did it, and so will I."

He didn't argue further. He knew better than to try.

Alisa inserted the needle into Shiro's heart with the same clinical efficiency as before. The liquid seemed to resist, as though reluctant to leave the vial, but it finally surged into her veins, glowing brighter as it was absorbed. 

It was a completely different reaction than Guldrin had when the process was performed.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Shiro stood still, her eyes darting between Guldrin and Alisa, a flicker of hope crossing her face.

Then the storm hit.

Shiro's scream tore through the underground room as the transformation began. Her body convulsed violently, her knees buckling under the assault. The air around her shimmered and cracked with energy, as though reality itself were bending under the strain, even her mana threads whipped around her with a mind of its own, it seemed to be saying 'STAY AWAY!' 

Guldrin surged forward, but Alisa stopped him with an outstretched arm.

"Stay back," she ordered, her tone sharp. "Interfering now will only make it worse. Similar to those cultivation novels, if you interfere, the world will give her a backlash, making the process ten times harder for her."

Guldrin growled but obeyed, his fists clenching helplessly at his sides. Watching Shiro writhe on the ground, her cries echoing in his ears, was a fresh kind of torment. He had no idea what was happening inside her, but the signs were clear, it was no easier for her than it had been for him.

Shiro's skin began to glow faintly, her veins outlined in a fiery gold as the dragon blood coursed through her. Her teeth gritted against the pain, her body twisting as though trying to escape its own destruction. Sparks of light and shadow danced around her, an unstable aura that seemed to war between creation and destruction.

"Her bloodline is resisting," Alisa murmured, her brow furrowing. "Fascinating. It's more resilient than I anticipated."

"What does that mean?" Guldrin demanded, his voice rough with worry.

"It means she'll survive," Alisa said without looking at him. "But the process will be… more intense. Unlike yours, which brought the blood to heel, she is, accepting it? Vritra's blood isn't consuming her bloodline as it always has in the past, and her bloodline, it isn't fighting the process, just ensuring its own survival. Fascinating."

Shiro's screams subsided into ragged gasps as the energy surrounding her began to stabilize. The golden glow deepened, shifting to a dark, iridescent hue that pulsed like a heartbeat. Her body trembled, sweat pouring down her face as she struggled to push herself up onto her hands and knees.

"Shiro!" Guldrin called out, his voice breaking.

She turned her head toward him, her eyes half-lidded but burning with a fierce, unyielding light. "Still… here," she rasped, a weak smirk tugging at her lips. "That… all you got?"

Guldrin exhaled a shaky laugh, relief flooding his features. "Yeah, that's my Shiro."

"Yeah… Sorry, that wasn't the end." Emily, who had been silent the whole time, spoke.

As the feline said, the transformation wasn't over. The aura around Shiro flared again, this time with greater intensity. Her body was lifted off the ground, suspended in midair as the energy consumed her. Her features contorted, her hands clawing at the air as if grasping for something unseen. A deep, guttural growl escaped her throat, more animal than human.

Inside Shiro's mind, a new prompt appeared, 'New bloodline detected, do you wish to merge (High-Human) with (Dragon King: Vritra)? Doing so will cause a change in the user's essence. Please proceed with caution.'

'YES! JUST DO IT!' Shiro screamed in her mind, she already chose this; so why make her confirm it? Just end this pain.

Alisa watched intently, her expression unreadable. "It's awakening fully. The bond with Vritra's essence is stronger in her. She will not simply bear the bloodline; she will embody it. Incredible, this is what Master Jin was striving for… So the key: it was high human? But that brings a set of its own questions, can I find undiluted high-human? *Mutter, mutter, mutter*"

Guldrin's heart pounded as Shiro's form began to shift. Her hair, once pristine and white, darkened to a silvery black, streaked with veins of purple. Purple-black scales shimmered across her arms and neck, disappearing as quickly as they appeared. Her eyes snapped open, glowing with a haunting mix of gold and violet, slit like a dragon's.

When her feet finally touched the ground, the room fell silent. The oppressive energy dissipated, leaving only a faint hum in its wake. Shiro stood there, breathing heavily, her hands trembling as she flexed them. She looked down at herself, then back at Guldrin, her expression caught between awe and terror.

"I feel…" she whispered, her voice tinged with something primal. "I feel everything."

Guldrin rushed to her side, catching her as her legs gave out. She clung to him, her newfound strength nowhere to be found, she barely had enough to keep herself upright. "You did it," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "You're okay."

"Define okay," she muttered, leaning heavily against him. "Because I feel like I got hit by a truck, poisoned… and then set on fire… And then, I needed to raid my favorite dungeon after."

"Yeah, that sounds about right," he replied, a small grin breaking through his worry.

Alisa approached them, her expression uncharacteristically approving. "You both have taken your first steps into a larger world. The path ahead will not be easy, but you are no longer ordinary beings. Guldrin you are the first true Nephilim, And Shiro, you are the inheritor of Vritra, you both carry the Vritra legacy. The strength you now possess will be both your greatest weapon and your greatest burden."

Shiro glared at her weakly. "You're… terrible at pep talks."

Alisa smirked faintly. "Perhaps. But you're alive, aren't you? I said both of you would survive, I made sure that happened… Pep talks, as you put it, are not in my agreement. Little mistress, I know my strengths and weaknesses."

As the adrenaline began to fade, Guldrin and Shiro leaned against each other, their breaths evening out. They had crossed a threshold, one that could never be uncrossed. Whatever lay ahead, they would face it together.

But the world wasn't going to wait for them to recover.

-

–

—

Unbeknownst to the trio, their transformation had not gone unnoticed. Across the realms, the ripple of power they unleashed had reached far and wide, igniting interest and alarm in equal measure.

In the Underworld, the Pillar families convened in urgent council meetings, their leaders whispering of a potential new threat, pawns, or allies. The Four Great Satans themselves debated the implications, their calculations masked by carefully measured words.

In Heaven, the archangels gathered, their luminous wings casting long shadows as they discussed the arrival of the new Nephilim, and the return of Vritra. Michael's gaze was distant, his expression both pensive and resolute. "Jin… You madman, If they are truly touched by Vritra," he murmured, "then their fate will shape more than just their own. What have you done?"

Even in distant pantheons, whispers spread like wildfire. From the Norse halls of Asgard to the fiery depths of the Hindu realms, gods and deities turned their gazes toward Earth, drawn by the disturbance. Alliances were considered, and strategies were revised.

And then there were those who saw opportunity in the chaos. Rogue devils, fallen angels, and creatures of the Abyss, all hungering for the chance to claim a piece of the power emanating from the new Nephilim.

In the shadows of a massive cave, an ancient figure stirred, its eyes gleaming with malice, curiosity, and nostalgia…? "Vritra's blood awakens once more," it mused, its voice a silken whisper. "Let us see if they are worthy of the legacy they now bear."

The storm was coming, and Guldrin and Shiro stood at its center.

(Give me your POWER, Please, and Thank You! Leave reviews and comments, they motivate me to continue.)