Chapter 2: Birth and Bad News

Planet Earth

Waiting Area, New Dawn Hospital, New York City

A handsome man paced anxiously in the waiting area, his mind consumed with worry. Another man, older but bearing a striking resemblance, entered the room

"How is she, Sam?"

Sam, his face etched with concern, replied, "They just took her to the OR. There was a complication, and they might have to operate. Dad, if anything happened to her or our son, I don't know what I would do."

The older man placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder and reassured him, "I remember being in the same position when you were born. I was so anxious, but it all worked out in the end, didn't it? Ellie's going to be fine."

He chuckled and added, "I can't imagine the look on your competitors' faces if they saw the ruthless Guildmaster of New Dawn Guild, Samuel Chase, like this."

Suddenly, a thunderous clap echoed through the air, capturing their attention. They turned their gaze towards the window, witnessing the night sky illuminate with a colossal bolt of lightning that vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Unbeknownst to them, this was no ordinary lightning but the manifestation of a wandering soul that had finally completed its mission.

Moments later, a nurse emerged from the operating room, wearing a joyful expression. She announced, "Congratulations! The delivery was a success. Both mother and baby are safe." Before she could share further details, Sam, overwhelmed with emotion, engulfed her in a hug before rushing into the OR.

Stunned, the nurse could only stand there, speechless. The older man approached her, offering an apology for his son's actions. He then uttered words that nearly caused her to faint on the spot, "Every employee at New Dawn Hospital can expect a very nice bonus this year."

Collecting herself, she managed a nod before Sam returned, his cold tone cutting through the air as he inquired, "Where are my wife and child?" Startled, the nurse flinched, prompting the older man to scold his son, "Go to the maternity ward, you idiot. Ellie should be resting there. And stop scaring the nurse. She is just doing her job."

Sam appeared as though he wanted to say something in response but refrained, taking a deep breath instead. He offered his apologies and made his way towards the maternity ward.

In the serene confines of the maternity ward, a beautiful woman lay asleep. Beside her, a baby boy slumbered peacefully in a crib. Sam approached them, gently planting a kiss on the woman's forehead. Her eyes fluttered open, filled with a drowsy awareness.

"How are you feeling?" Sam inquired. Ellie, still groggy, replied, "Just a little tired." His gaze shifted to the baby, a profound admiration evident in his eyes. "He is beautiful." At that moment, the older man entered the room and inquired, "Have you decided on a name?"

A smile graced Ellie's lips as she responded, "Yes, we have. His name is Damien, Damien Chase." The cry of the baby drew their attention, prompting Ellie to say, "He must be hungry. Give him to me." She extended her arms, eager to hold her child. Sam carefully lifted the baby, noticing something remarkable. "His eyes..." Arnold, curious about what had captivated his son's attention, leaned closer to catch a glimpse of his grandson.

He discovered that Damien's eyes were heterochromatic—one violet, and the other a deep red. "He's special, ain't he?" Ellie remarked as she cradled the baby. Arnold turned to Sam and declared, "You know what that means, right?" Sam nodded, a mixture of awe and anticipation coursing through him. "He has already Awakened."

The Chase family settled into their home, with Arnold choosing to move in with them to be close to his grandson. From the very beginning, it was clear that Damien was no ordinary child. He displayed an extraordinary level of activity and development, surpassing the milestones of a typical infant.

This left the family astounded, particularly Ellie, who was renowned as one of Earth's greatest healers. They attributed Damien's exceptional abilities to his status as an Awakened being, but little did they know that his uniqueness went even further.

As time passed, Damien continued to defy expectations. At just three months old, he began crawling, astonishing his family with his mobility. By six months, he took his first steps, and by eight months, he could already speak broken sentences. The rapid progression of Damien's abilities left the Chase family in awe and wonder.

One year later, Arnold, eager to share his knowledge and history with his grandson, embarked on a lesson about Earth's past.

"About 150 years ago, a meteor crashed on Earth, causing what is now known as the Great Cataclysm. For the next five decades, natural disasters ravaged the planet, and plants and animals began evolving, hunting humans.

In the face of this adversity, some humans Awakened to supernatural powers. They could control elements, possess enhanced physical abilities, manipulate minds, and even bestow blessings or curses. They became known as the Awakened, and their abilities varied across four categories: Elementalists, Enhancers, Psychers, and Blessing/Curse Masters."

Arnold paused for a moment, observing the curiosity in Damien's eyes. "You were born Awakened," he continued, confirming Damien's suspicions. "I knew because when people Awaken, their irises change colour." Intrigued, Damien questioned how Arnold possessed this knowledge. Arnold revealed the hidden history known only to the Chases and the other three founding families of the New Dawn Guild.

"When the meteor crashed, my father and his three closest friends were nearby. They investigated the crash site and were exposed to radiation emitted by the meteor. Their physiques transformed, making them the true first Awakened.

However, they kept their powers a secret, as possession of such knowledge was dangerous, and the world was not yet ready. Each of them formed their own families and made a pact to withhold their powers until necessary. The four families were the Chases, Jacksons, Kanes, and Graces," Arnold revealed, his voice filled with solemnity.

Arnold explained how the four families assisted a group of humans during the rampage of evolved monsters. They guided these individuals in Awakening, marking the beginning of the Awakened Association and the protection of Earth.

Damien absorbed this hidden history, his mind buzzing with newfound knowledge. The weight of his lineage and the destiny that awaited him began to take shape.

Damien looked at his grandfather with shock. Then his shock turned into excitement as he asked "Grandpa are you very strong?" Arnold put on a gloating expression as he answered his grandson "I am one of the strongest in the world."

"Then, can I become as strong as you? asked Damien, his excitement almost bubbling over. "Of course, you can. But you need to put in a lot of hard work to achieve that."

"Then when can I start?" Damien asked. Arnold held Damien's wrist for a moment and said "Right now your body is very weak. Usually, even children who Awaken early don't start cultivation before they are 10 years old. Since you are Awakened at birth and your body is gaining strength at a rapid pace in comparison to a normal child, you can start cultivating when you are 5 years old."

Just as Damien's expression fell Arnold said "Cultivation is not the only way to gain strength. If you have strength but cannot control it, you will remain weak no matter how strong your cultivation is. I can teach you hand-to-hand combat as I taught your father if you want to learn." Damien once again became giddy with excitement and said "Thank you, Grandpa."

The next day Arnold began training Damien. For half a year they only focused on strengthening his body with some basic exercises like push-ups, squats, pull-ups, etc.

Arnold wanted to make sure that he wasn't negatively affecting Damien's growth. He also added the meat of the lowest-level mutant beasts to Damien's diet. When he was sure that Damien's growth wasn't affected, he officially began his training.

About 3 years later,

Training grounds, Chase Residence,

A young boy could be seen punching a training pole. Arnold and another old man were observing him. Arnold looked at the other old man and asked "What are you doing here, Jason? Don't you have clan affairs to take care of?"

Jason put on a carefree expression and said "What clan affairs? None of them are as important as training my grandson. Even if there are any, I'm sure Robert can handle them." Jason was Ellie's father and the Family Head of the Kane family.

Two years ago Ellie had taken Damien to visit her family. When Jason found out that Damien was learning hand-to-hand combat from Arnold, he got a bit jealous. He handed his duties to his first son, Robert, and started teaching Damien about the way of the spear. After that, he practically lived at the Chase Residence.

Damien finished his training and went to his grandfather's and asked "Did I do well today?"

"Yes, you did. And I have good news for you. You can finally begin cultivating." Damien felt all his tiredness vanish as he asked "Really?"

"Yes, we will start tomorrow. Today rest well." This time, it was Jason who answered. Damien jumped with joy and went to take a bath. He quickly ate his food and went to sleep. He took both of his grandfathers' advice very seriously.

The next morning he woke up, quickly ate his breakfast, and went to his grandfathers. They were waiting for me in the energy room. It was a room with energy stones embedded in it. Energy cultivation was twice as effective there.

Arnold instructed him to sit cross-legged on a mat that was placed in the centre of the room and to close his eyes. He did as his grandfather instructed and closed his eyes after sitting down on the mat. He heard Arnold's voice

"I want you to empty your thoughts and focus on the energy in the room. When you do so you should be able to sense some particles of light in your surroundings. I want you to try and pull these particles towards yourself and absorb them. It might take some time but don't force it."

Damien did as told, he emptied all his thoughts and focused on his surroundings. As soon as he did that he saw a sight he would never forget. He saw storms made of different colors but the most prevalent were a deep red and a bright violet. He had heard before that different elements had different colours of particles.

A bright violet represented lightning and thunder while deep red represented blood. He tried to absorb these particles but an accident occurred. All the particles rushed toward him as if they were moths and he a gigantic flame. Before he could even alert his grandfather, he felt pain from the depths of his soul and fainted.

30 minutes ago, Arnold's POV

I told my grandson what I had told his father when he had started to cultivate. My grandson is such a genius, he learned in 3 years what took me almost 10 years. I'm sure he is just as talented in energy cultivation. Even if he's not, it doesn't matter. He is my, Blood Emperor Arnold Chase's grandson.

If somebody has a problem with him, they have a problem with me. Just then I sensed a riot in the surrounding energy as it rushed into Damien's body. At first, I thought he was just that talented but then realized that something was wrong. That's when Damien started bleeding from his seven orifices and fainted.

Jason rushed toward Damien and started healing him and I called Ellie over who after arriving started helping her father. Sam arrived just a moment later and asked me "What happened Dad? Why is Damien bleeding so much?" I couldn't answer him as I didn't know what had happened.

Ellie and Jason barely stopped the bleeding and Ellie carried him to his room. Jason walked up to me with a grave expression and said "He can never cultivate again or he'll experience a death so painful, I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." I was shocked but still asked what exactly had just happened. He told me that Damien was sick. It's a sickness even he hadn't seen before and it's attacking Damien's very cells. Energy is like fuel to it and it will kill Damien in an instant if he ever cultivates.

He then said something that nearly made my heart stop, "Even if he never cultivates he will still die, just much later. This disease, it's like a ravenous beast that won't be satisfied until it has devoured Damien completely." Hearing this Sam fainted and I didn't blame him for it. No parent should have to hear their child's death sentence. But I won't let it happen. I will save my grandson even if it's the last thing I do.