Born in Blood



Liam called the ability 'Expel'.

Liam had actually found that branch of his Transfiguration by mistake.

When he was attempting to clear himself of the deformity using his Ashura Form, a morsel of his flesh abruptly exploded due to a mistake.

And it wasn't a normal explosion either.

It had three entire levels of strength behind it.

His Rank 4 body, his Rank 3 Blood, and his Rank 3 core.

And these powers stacked atop one another!

The result was a devastating explosion far more destructive than Liam's Abyssal Needle or his Surging Burst.

But it was harmful.

That morsel of flesh that exploded?

It took 2 weeks to heal.

A tiny morsel.

Half a nail's length.

And this was with Liam's monstrous regeneration, which healed up the most lethal wounds in less than 10 seconds.

This meant that something fundamental had been deleted off of Liam's body. 

A part of his anatomy or otherwise.

For this reason, Liam didn't think he'd ever use Expel unless his life was in severe danger.

Even for him, it was dangerous.

But Liam didn't figure out how to deal with the deformity.

And truth be told, he was getting annoyed with it.

He could inscribe with that arm, and it was pretty much useless unless he painstakingly figured out a cure.

So, what did he do?

Simple.

He just exploded it in Twilight's dumb face.

Obviously, this was an oversimplification.

Liam was getting sapped of his energy during the fight, and in a battle of resignation, he'd lose.

Was winning worth sacrificing an entire arm?

…Yes.

Yes it was.

Liam didn't know if he could regenerate limbs, but it was probably possible.

Probably.

He could grow fingers back.

And toes.

But he was never injured enough to lose a hand.

Nevertheless, when the arm exploded, producing a noise similar to several shotguns going off, Liam was blown away like a leaf in the wind.

Twilight managed to cover her body with light to defend herself last minute. 

But it wasn't enough.

"Shadow Demon wins."

The magic words.

The beautiful, beautiful words were spoken, even as Liam flew through the air.

Liam was conscious as the pain poured in, but he didn't dare lose consciousness.

No.

He wanted the world to see this victory, and know who it belonged to.

Outside, the atmosphere came to a standstill.

The world seemed to stop at the sight of three words.

"Shadow Demon wins."

And when they saw the battle's aftermath, they simply couldn't voice a cheer or any coherent word.

Liam was missing an entire arm, and patches of his bloodied and bruised skin looked strangely wrinkled.

But Twilight's face and body were smeared across the ground.

Liam took in the silence, studying the clans' expressions.

North Star looked distraught.

Myriad Brush looked shocked.

Unmoving Mountain had furrowed brows.

Felling Wind had widened eyes.

Sun's Spear scowled.

Miasma Queen was crestfallen.

Cerulean Dragon was amazed.

Not even the acolytes cheered, staring at him blankly.

Liam looked towards the night sky, heaved a sigh, and hid the smile from his face.

A small cheer grew louder in the audience.

They spoke of a name.

"Shadow... Demon…"

"...Shadow Demon!"

"Shadow! Demon!"

"SHADOW! DEMON!"

It spiraled into chaos after that.

No one had seen him fight, yet they roared for him like he was their savior.

Liam didn't even hear their roars.

Instead, his gaze was on the stars.

'Just wait for me.'

***

After the outrage and pandemonium, Myriad Brush announced Liam as the victor.

What followed afterwards were just formalities.

The Miracle Fruit would be born in two weeks.

Until then, the Temple had to wait patiently for their reward.

The other clans were already preparing gifts and pledging allegiance.

Even if there was a little chance of it, having a powerhouse as an ally wasn't something light. 

For this reason, the Temple surged in strength once more – in both resource and manpower.

If his actions were any less of an indicator, Usan was one to hold a grudge.

Some pledges of allegiance were outright denied because the Unforgiven didn't like them.

Like the Wings of Glory.

Past that, Liam's notoriety grew like wildfire.

Though, it wasn't his notoriety.

It was the Shadow Demon's.

Shadow Demon was basically the poster child for the Temple of Shadow.

Having a second identity was perfect for Liam.

Whatever ridiculous thing he did could just be pinned on the Shadow Demon and not him.

And by the end of it, Liam was back in the temple hall rooms, in a high ranking meeting with the Unforgiven and his trusted Elders.

In front was Usan, and to his sides, the dozen-some Elders of the clan.

"Nice arm," Usan sarcastically complimented the stump on Liam's shoulder.

Where Liam's arm once was, there was nothing.

Strangely enough, it felt like there was, like a phantom limb. 

But when Liam moved it, nothing happened.

"Not bad yourself," Liam gestured towards the stump on Usan's shoulder.

Indeed, both of them were now crippled!

For Liam it was the right arm, and for Usan it was the left.

Although the circumstances were a little funny, nobody laughed.

Losing an arm was a serious thing!

But the two still had the energy to exchange blows.

The air turned serious.

"I've gathered everyone here who was privy to a cut of the fruit," Usan said. "And since I lost the final battle and Liam won his, it's only fair for a few things to change."

All those present nodded their heads in agreement.

Before Usan could continue, Elder Ryu cut in.

"I'd like to give up my share of the fruit," he said.

Silence.

The Elders looked at Ryu with raised brows.

Ryu shrugged. 

"I didn't win those battles. They did. It's only fair that we relegate our shares. It's a bit selfish to receive a cut, anyway."

Usan and Liam said nothing.

"I'll give up mine, too," Elder Verium added with a little sigh.

"Same," Elder Jax said.

"Us too," Elder Jane, Aki and Orisa followed.

Everyone followed suit, until it was just Liam and Usan privy to the Miracle Fruit.

[Well, what do you want to do now?] Usan said to Liam. 

Now that Liam was his 'heir', the Unforgiven wasn't as secretive and restrictive to his plans.

Liam shrugged.

[Just eat the whole thing and give me an inch of it. All roads lead to my stomach, anyway.]