CH65:BORROWED POWER.

[4:00PM]

[Host's Current Status: Nearly Unstable]

[Chances of Survival:5.1%]

Right now, Ace was feeling how one would if they were waiting so desperately for the weekend to come but it was Thursday morning and time chose to move at its slower pace. The boy was far beyond exhausted and famished but he could see the city clearly before him. He saw the tall buildings, people moving in and out, and some wild activity going on and yet, his body chose to give out in this last second.

Like the system warned earlier, he wouldn't be able to last an hour and thirty minutes in the desert. It constantly reminded him about the risks he was taking, but he chose to reject every one of them until he got there and found help for him and Sky.

[Body Moisture at Critical Levels.]

[Hunger Levels Critical.]

[Energy Levels Critical.]

Ace's body trembled with painful tremors and flashes all over as he pushed himself beyond his limits. Throughout the entire journey, he was forced to consume blood just to keep his body from completely drying out and now and before he knew it, the dreaded message appeared right before his eyes…

[Your bloodlust grows!! Consume blood before you feed on yourself.]

Ace's insides felt like they were drenched in acid, salt, and slowly dragged across freshly made razors. His breathing became so intense that the smell of iron was all he was receiving. His throat was too dry to yelp for help. His muscles squeezed his bones, forcing him to stop, and his lungs literally refuse to take in any air he took in until he fed his bloodlust.

*SNIFF* *SNIFF*

Ace's nose was hit with the sweet, meaty smell of blood coming from one of the people he didn't want to hurt the most. In order not to do the unthinkable, Ace forced his eyes not to wonder towards Sky's partially open wound that had dry blood around. The most painful part was how his body punished him from depriving it of what he needed.

His stomach twisted in knots and filled itself with acid, making him belch uncontrollably. His heart begun beating faster as his fingers slowly begun to cut through her skin. "NO!!"

Ace quickly dropped Sky's body and fell back a couple of feet. The girl winced in pain while she gained less than a fifth of her consciousness back. Ace crawled even further away from her as evil thoughts of him drying Sky of her blood filled his head.

'No, not her. Anyone but her.' He thought to himself. Suddenly, the boy felt a warm liquid rolling down the side of his head. Thinking it was maybe sweat or tears, he simply wiped it off with his fingers, but it left a stinging sensation.

Looking at his fingers, he saw his own blood seeping out of his body through wounds that he didn't bring upon himself.

'What's happening to me?'

[!!WARNING!!]

[Your bloodlust must be quenched. In ten minutes, your body will begin to transform into the true blood mutant form. You are at your strongest in this form but also at your most vulnerable. One fatal hit is enough to end you in this state unless you consume the blood your body needs. Remember, it doesn't matter whose blood it is, as long as it isn't poisonous.]

Out of nowhere, Ace felt an unknown amount of energy coursing through his veins, but it didn't feel normal.

His body was energized beyond anything he had ever experienced but his stats showed that he was incredibly weak. "System explain what this is?"

[Borrowed Power: At the moment, your body knows its on the brink of death so it's taping into reserve power tanks. This method is similar to when the average human as an adrenaline rush during an accident or horrific incident.]

[Use it wisely. You have only ten minutes.]

Without even gathering his thoughts, Ace quickly jumped to his feet, quickly but carefully carried Sky and started to run. His legs didn't hurt anymore and his body felt brand new so he ran as fast as his body possibly could.

The more Ace run, the more energy he felt, but his body started to show physical signs of backlash. His once white skin started to darken into an ashy, gray color as his veins became clearer. One could see the blood travelling through his veins, arteries, and capillaries, and it wasn't quite horrifying. Next, his eyes glowed a violent red color and the world around him started to change.

The once clear blue skies and dull orange color of the sand turned into a deep red hue. The sky looked like a lake of blood and the ground felt like he was running on open flesh.

[7:59]

Ace lowered his upper body slightly, placed Sky on his back and ran. He could now see the streets of the city clearly, but he wasn't close enough yet. He still had ten more minutes to reach, but the system's added energy was running out soon. His body suffered more with each passing second and the longer he took, the more the chances of thoughts of Sky turning into his dinner were about to become a reality.

"!!HEEEELLP!!" Ace shouted as loud as he could but it seemed like no one heard him. "HEEELLLPP!!!"

He shouted one more turn and luckily, one person seemed to turn their gaze toward his direction.

[3:59]

"PLEASE!!! SEND HELP!!" Ace got closer and closer to the city. Relief started to flood his mind as he slowly begun to relax. A crowd of people were coming out to him with water, food, and some clothes so he ran even slower.

[0:59]

"How is time running out do fast!!" He panicked. His eyes turned completely blood red while his body began to bleed. His hands became numb and lost feeling. His thoughts started to roam around as he lost his human consciousness.

His veins bulged and popped as his blood slowly covered his body. Out of fear of being seen and either killed or not given the help he desperately needed, Ace wrote in the sand "Please Help' before running away and using another direction to get into the city.

[Transformation Complete.]

[Embrace The True Blood Mutant Form.]

*ROOAARR*