Angels blood

"Impossible" that word was on repeat within Joseph's mind, like a bad song you just can't get rid of.

"SSS grade?!" He shouted internally, "No treasure or ability for that matter has ever been recorded above S rank. He must be mistaken."

Looking at the man's face again he blurted out his thoughts, "You must be joking Aden, no such treasure exists, and if it did why did they not use it to defend themselves?!"

Aden frowned slightly as the boy quit calling him father like he asked, but given the situation he decided it wasn't important right now.

"There is no mistake." Aden said firmly still presenting the unopened box to Joseph for him to take. "It is indeed a SSS grade treasure, but it is impossible for anyone who is already awakened to use it."

This made absolutely no sense to Joseph, he had never heard of any such thing. Treasures were meant for the awakened, they literally delved the Towers to find them, so how could a treasure they can't use even exist?

Seeing the confusion on his face Aden took pity on Joseph and quickly explained.

"Don't hurt your brain here boy, it's really not that complicated. They couldn't use this treasure because it is a catalyst."

Understanding dawned upon Joseph immediately, "Really they actually exist!?" He exclaimed, not fully believing what he was hearing.

He had stumbled upon some obscure texts in the library that spoke of catalysts. Supposedly they were to be used with the awakening stone, they usually enhanced the grade of the ability one was blessed with, or determined the blessing by themselves outright if they were strong enough.

But none of them had ever been found, at least not since the Towers first appeared. The rumor was that the original 7 found extremely powerful catalysts when they first climbed the Tower. Which enabled them to stave off the destruction and carve out a place for us to thrive. But none have been reported since, not to say they didn't exist it's just that he had never heard of any. Most likely due to selfishness or perhaps prudence depending on the circumstances of those who found one.

His thoughts then ran to his parents, and he finally understood what happened.

"Someone found out, didn't they." The pain in his voice was palpable, but was also mixed with a rage he hadn't felt before.

Looking into Adens eyes and seeing the guilt there he knew…his parents weren't killed for some heroic cause, they were killed for the avarice of human kind.

"Who did this?" Joseph's voice was soft and low, but Aden knew that he was anything but calm. He could feel the waves of bloodlust coming off Joseph's body, and couldn't help but shiver at their intensity.

"I don't kn…" he began to speak but before he could finish Joseph started screaming.

"WHO FU%@ING DID THIS!!! YOU BASTARD!! I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW!!!"

Aden was momentarily taken aback, in the 12 years he had raised him, he had never heard Joseph rage like this, let alone curse at him. And while he understood Joseph's pain he couldn't allow him to loose himself, it would destroy everything his parents fought for.

"SILENCE BOY!!" Aden thundered, bringing a swift end to Joseph's spiraling condition. "Do you not think that if I could I would not have destroyed those responsible already?! That if it was in anyway possible I would not have avenged them?!"

His words, filled with pain and regret at the loss of his friends pierced through the fog of Joseph's own pain, allowing him to understand that whoever was responsible was truly out of reach…at least for now.

Still struggling to remain calm he looked back into Adens eyes, tears dripping down his face as he choked out his words, "What the hell am I supposed to do?"

Aden sighed heavily, then walking around the desk to place his hand on Joseph's shoulder he said, "You survive…and when the time is right we get the bastards that stole them from us."

The conviction in Adens voice calmed Joseph down enough to finally get control of himself. He knew that at least one person would stand with him when he found those responsible, and he would find them.

"Now let's get back to the issue at hand." Aden said as he once again presented the box to Joseph. "I only ever looked at the item once, and that was enough to shock the daylights out of me. And I'm sure it will do the same to you."

Joseph took the box shakily, still not totally recovered, and slowly opened the lid to discover a small cylindrical tube. Inside of it was a thick golden liquid that flashed with small white arch's of electricity. He was mesmerized by its beauty and mystery, subconsciously stretching his hand out to touch it.

Aden was about to stop him as he remembered the violent shock he received when he touched it. However the shock never came, he stared dumbfounded by what he was seeing.

As Joseph's fingers touched the cylinder small tendrils of white lighting sprung from it and trailed across his hand. He expected them to hurt but instead they felt comforting, like a long lost friend welcoming him back.

He was amazed at this wonderful treasure that he held and turned towards Aden for answers. "What is this?" He queried, still holding onto the cylinder of golden wonder.

"That boy…is Angel Blood."

A simple enough answer but with world shattering implications, to even be here one would need to have not only met but defeated an angel. The idea didn't even compute within Joseph's mind for a solid minute, when it finally clicked he exclaimed "Your telling me that my parents defeated an angel?!"

"Indeed they did boy," Aden replied while nodding his head sagely, "They were part of the first ever delving team to clear an S ranked Tower, the boss of which was the archangel of vengeance. Their reward for landing the final hit on the boss was that very vial of angel blood you now hold. Useless to them, but will give you a shot at the highest rated ability the world has ever seen."

Joseph's mind was swirling with myriads of different thoughts, ranging from excitement to worry, of who knew what kind of treasure they got, and who would have ordered them killed to get it.

At this point Aden began to speak again saying, "Your lucky boy, no one else in the history of the world has had a catalyst like this. There is no telling exactly how powerful you may become if you succeed in awakening with it. But you'll have to wait until tomorrow as you need an awakening stone to make use of it."

Nodding his head Joseph placed the vial back into the box then pocketed it, he would not risk losing it before he completed his first delve.

"Now Joseph," Aden began speaking again in a lighter tone, as he walked back around his desk to sit once more. "You have been well trained over the last 12 years, and should be more than ready to take on the tower you'll be going to tomorrow. You will find a beginner gear set in your room for your use in the tower, a gift from all of us here at the guild. We are looking forward to your triumphant return. Don't let us down boy."

A gentle smile graced Aden's face as he finished speaking, and Joseph could feel how much the old man cared for him.

Smiling back in reassurance he promised, "I will come home again father, don't you worry about that." Striking a confident pose he then briskly exited the office before rushing up to his room. Upon entering he found a medium set of leather armor set upon his bed, consisting of arm, shoulder, chest, leg, and foot guards. These were all white grade, or F grade gear and provided only basic protection. But they were still better than nothing, along side them was a newly forged short sword with an accompanying leather scabbard. He had always been fond of the short swords versatility, and was glad to have it. "I'm ready." He thought determinedly, "tomorrow will be the beginning of everything."

Later on that evening when most were asleep, Aden could be found in his study sitting before the fire. He sat for hours just watching the flames dance, a single thought playing on repeat through his mind. "Hurry up boy, I can only delay them for so long."