119 THE CORE OF BLUE BLOOD
In a heartbeat, steel and power flashed.
The Deacons and Zalira raised their scythes, blades humming with lethal energy. Zalira could face one of them—but not against both.
Their cursed power burst forth, the cavern erupting in a blinding arc as beams of pure light clashed.
When the glare faded, Zalira lay bleeding on the stone, her breath shallow. The female Deacon stumbled, wounded, but the male still stood—cold, untouched, and advancing.
"For betraying your godly blood," he said, lifting his scythe, "you must die."
"No!" Eryn's scream echoed through the hollow.
Zalira closed her eyes and waited for the end. The blade hung an inch above her throat—then froze.
The Deacon's hand trembled.
A second later, his scythe vanished. Dan stood behind him, one hand gripping his neck.
"You—" the Deacon began, but Dan's twist snapped the word and his spine together.
The other Deacon barely had ti to react before Dan's kick shattered her throat. Both bodies fell, lifeless.
Eryn stared in shock. "Dan… how did you beco so strong? Those creatures are ranked…."
Dan wasn't too constrained about power Ranks anymore.
Zalira, still on the ground, only smiled faintly. She had seen his power before. She already knew he had awakened the cursed blood.
"Dan, why are you here?" Eryn asked, trembling.
"I was about to ask you the sa," Dan said evenly.
Zalira's form shimred, shifting into that of a woman—Eryn's mother.
"Mother!" Eryn rushed to her. "I missed you so much!"
"My dear, didn't I tell you not to co here?" Zalira said gently. "It's too dangerous now."
"I had no choice… it's Father."
"What about him?"
"He wants
to marry that idiot, Shawn."
Dan's eyes widened.
He hadn't seen Eryn in months… he didn't expect her to face so much pressure at ho. All this ti he was busy with his own matters and wasn't there for her.
"You should have co to
instead," Dan said sharply. "You know this place could've killed you."
"I didn't want to drag you into my family's ss," Eryn said with tears brimming. "Father already blas you for everything. If you stand up for … he'll have you killed."
"You're a stubborn girl," Zalira sighed.
Then she looked at Dan. "But you… you ca here for sothing else, didn't you?"
Dan nodded. "I need to know how to break the Blood Curse."
Zalira studied him. "Strange. With your level of cursed blood, you should've transmuted into a Deacon already. Why are you still human?"
"I found a way to dilute the curse," Dan said. "Blood transfusion. It lowers the intensity of the cursed blood."
"Clever," Zalira murmured. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"I had it under control but," Dan continued, "because of the slaughter in the battlefield, the curse is rising again. I can feel it now—like an unquenchable hunger."
Zalira's expression darkened. "Then you must act quickly. The blood devours the mind when it's left unchecked."
Eryn grabbed Zalira's hand. "Mother, please help him."
Zalira smiled softly. "He's not as bad as you think. That thod of his—if it really works, he's in a better situation than I ever was."
Eryn's eyes brightened. "Then you can co back with us to lrose City now that you know of the cure?"
"Perhaps," Zalira said thoughtfully. "If I can receive a transfusion, I may be free of this burden."
Then Dan spoke again. "Zalira… teach . Teach
how to control the curse."
Zalira knelt beside one of the fallen Deacons. Without hesitation, she plunged her blade into his chest and tore free his heart.
Eryn recoiled. "Ew—Mother!"
Inside the heart, a faint blue glow pulsed. Zalira held it up.
"This is a Core of Blue Blood. The essence of Annunakin's power. It can suppress the curse's effect on the mind."
Dan activated his Identify glyph.
Na: Core of Blue Blood
Description: Essence of a Rank-C or higher Annunakin. Has the ability to suppress the mind or liberate it.
"Will this Core of Blue Blood stop the curse?" Eryn asked.
"This is not the cure but a thod to slow the suppression of the alien's bloodlust. The problem is I don't have the equipnt to refine its elents into your body…I've used the last of my equipnt when I refined the Blood Core for myself
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