Born in Blood



Liam entered the Temple after taking a well needed bath and rest.

Elder Jax had already gathered the Dark Stars required for the tattooing process.

He had given Liam a day to rest and regain his strength for the procedure.

Acolytes, Disciples and Shadows had gathered around the Temple to see Liam enter the building.

The Acolytes looked at Liam with a bit of envy in their eyes. 

Most of them were older compared to Liam, but way weaker in contrast.

It didn't help that Liam had so much attention from the Elders and Shadows, and already lived in better quarters than them.

The Disciples and Shadows, on the other hand, looked at Liam with respect.

Something special about the Temple was the brotherhood they naturally felt to one another. 

They saw Liam as a junior brother that was completing his rite of passage into adulthood.

Even the Acolytes, despite their envy, were proud of Liam.

Liam, however, was pissed off.

He felt like an animal in a zoo.

Hastening his steps, he made his way through the long and dark corridors. 

This time, he descended down a large slope, the end of which were two large doors.

Liam opened the doors, and a faint blue light shone on his face.

Inside, there was a large, circular pit flowing with iridescent black liquid. 

Inscribed lines ran across the sides of the pit and all around the room. 

There were also formations on the ground, which gave Liam a feeling of vitality and durability. 

Straight ahead was a chair designed for Liam's stature. It had the same braces as the one from the torture room.

Above, the space was lit by a flickering blue flame. Strangely, the fire released a relaxing aroma, numbing Liam's skin and feeling.

'They sure went all out for this.'

Elder Jax was standing beside the pit with a slight smile on his face. 

He wore a different kind of clothing this time. 

A sleeveless black vest that clung to his lean body, with similar pants wrapping his legs.

Covering his hands were jet-black gloves, the fingertips of which were incredibly wafer-thin and sharp. 

To his side was a table. On it was a large bowl with a pure black liquid inside. 

Liam could see that there was something wrong with that liquid.

He felt as though something was pulling him towards it.

Whispering in his ear to rush and drink it all in one gulp.

In fact, Liam unknowingly took a step towards it. 

"Careful. You're being affected," Elder Jax voiced.

Liam blinked, then frowned.

Instantly, he used Thicken. 

Unbeknownst to him, something was weighing against his mental sphere and clouding his thoughts.

As soon as he activated the mental barrier, Liam's mind cleared.

"Come sit. If we finish quickly, you might even have some energy to walk," said Elder Jax, a cryptic smile on his lips.

Liam heaved a sigh and made his way over to the chair, taking off his upper clothing.

"I'll tell you how this works."

Elder Jax tightened the glove around his hands.

"First, I'll apply the Inkshadow."

Inkshadow. 

That was the technical term for the tattoos given to members of the Temple of Shadow.

"To do that, I have to rip out chunks of your flesh and quickly replace them with the hardened Dark Star."

Liam casually nodded in understanding. 

As if ripping out chunks of flesh was the most normal thing in the world.

"Once that's done, I'll have to submerge your body into the pit. You'll have to hold your breath for at least twenty minutes. It's best if you can go over that, but don't push yourself."

Liam nodded again.

Holding his breath for that long wasn't a problem. Rank 3 bodies could go at least an hour without air.

Elder Jax gave him a large pill that helped numb most of his remaining senses. 

Even his taste went mute, and his muscles relaxed.

"Since this is my first time applying these inscriptions to a darkness cultivator, I had to go all out," Elder Jax said, a hint of excitement in his voice. 

"With your level of resistance to torture and pain, this will go without a hitch. Though… I might have gone overboard with how much I had planned."

Liam gave him a blank stare.

He was already strapped in.

But at this moment, he no longer felt comfortable. 

"Just grit your teeth."

Elder Jax's words held no comfort or warmth. 

Liam had become a guinea pig. A material for the Elder to play around with.

Liam let out another sigh.

A few minutes passed with Elder Jax making small preparations. 

The atmosphere slowly changed in the room.

In the next moment, Elder Jax tensed his gloves.

Sharp, tendril-like needles exited his fingertips and lined up against Liam's chest, forming a pattern of red lines that leaked blood.

They were wafer-thin, and at first, Liam didn't even feel them cutting into his body.

Then, Elder Jax pulled back his glove. 

SHPLURT!

A precise pound of flesh left Liam's chest.

Before any blood could drip on his figure or the floor, Elder Jax used his 'Ora' to stop the liquid midair. 

Instantly, the Elder used his left hand to manipulate the Dark Star liquid from the basin.

It rose up as a blob, then solidified into the exact shape of Liam's gaping wound.

Due to the drugs, the formation below, and the fire above, Liam didn't feel too much pain.

Still, he felt the numbing effects of the drugs slightly wear off. 

Like connecting a puzzle piece together, the hardened Dark Star material entered Liam's wound. 

Then it hit him.

As Liam's flesh slowly reformed, it combined with the Dark Star.

It was like liquid cyanide had combined with his muscles. 

Pangs of agony spread throughout his body and somehow reached his mind. 

Liam's rapid heartbeat echoed in his ears, his breathing grew unstable, his ears started ringing.

Liam was given no reprieve. 

The needles dug into him again.

Another chunk of flesh was torn off.

Solid Dark Star filled it.

The process repeated until Liam had to be flipped around, and the same thing continued on his back.

Needles.

Chunk.

Dark Star.

Pain.