Chapter 23: Eternas

A strange, inexplicable connection pulsed between Aiden and the blood arrow. It thrummed with a faint, unsettling energy, a feeling he attributed to the fact it was formed from his own flesh.

The woman scrutinized the arrow, her brow furrowed as if she couldn't quite decipher its secrets. This wasn't good. Aiden didn't want his blood to have such an unsettling effect. It would just put him closer to death.

He didn't like the implications that his blood had such a strange effect on the arrow. This woman, already erratic, might even consider him expendable to harvest more of his blood for a full-fledged blood arrow.

"Jiange," the woman finally spoke, a mix of excitement and confusion lacing her voice, "the properties of this arrow… they're difficult to grasp."

"Let me see," the male hunter grunted, his gaze fixated on the arrow from afar. From that distance, it didn't seem particularly potent, weaker even than an adult caterpillar's blood arrow.

Without a word, the woman flung the arrow towards him with a flick of her wrist. The male hunter reacted with lightning speed, snatching it out of the air with a practiced ease. A faint, unfamiliar energy pulsed beneath his fingers, a strange tingle that sent a shiver down his spine. He examined the arrow intently, his eyes gleaming like a predator who'd stumbled upon a rare prize.

Then, with a suddenness that startled everyone, the male hunter slammed his fists around the arrow, his face contorted in a fierce concentration. It was as if he was trying to crush a viper in his grasp.

A sharp crack echoed through the clearing. But to everyone's astonishment, the arrow didn't shatter or even bend. Instead, the blood within seemed to surge with life, furiously flowing towards the break point, mending the fracture at an impossible rate. The pulsating red flesh seemed to writhe and twist, knitting itself back together before their very eyes.

Within seconds, the arrow was whole again, as if it had never been damaged.

A booming laugh erupted from the male hunter, his cold demeanor melting away. "The Undying Arrow!" he roared, his laughter echoing through the silent forest.

The woman stared at him, bewildered. Her partner rarely smiled, and she had certainly never seen him laugh with such unrestrained glee. A faint memory flickered at the edges of her mind. 'The Undying Arrow… I've heard it somewhere before,' she thought, straining to recall a lecture from her childhood.

There are seven types of blood arrows, each imbued with a specific potent power. But beyond those seven, whispers lingered of arrows crafted with even more extraordinary properties, defying the very laws of nature. The Undying Arrow was one such legend. It was said to be forged from the blood of the Eternas Tribe, a race blessed with unparalleled regenerative abilities and an almost unyielding will to live. Their blood held the essence of life itself, making them perfect prey for the Bloodfang tribe, whose power stemmed from the potent blood arrows they crafted. The Bloodfang relentlessly hunted the Eternas for generations, their arrows fueled by the coveted blood becoming prized relics – the Undying Arrows. With the Eternas gone, the arrows became nothing but just a legend within the Bloodfang tribe– a weapon capable of mass destruction.

The woman's eyes darted back to Aiden, his face a mask of pain and confusion. Could this truly be…?

—

The woman wasn't sure about the Undying Arrow's full power, but once the Elder of their Bloodfeng tribe told them that it is the only blood arrow that explicitly hides the weakness of their Bloodfang tribe.

Normal how powerful a blood arrow extracted from the beings, it can be only used on time. Only Undying Arrow was an exception, it could be used as much as possible until the undying will within it sputtered and died.

The woman's gaze sharpened, a predator sizing up its prey.

Aiden, oblivious to their internal debate, felt a prickle of unease under their intense stares. He couldn't fathom why they both regarded him with such covetous gazes. Nonetheless, he understands that all because of the power within the blood arrow.

He, himself, recognized the extraordinary nature of his primordial devil bloodline. Just obtaining a new power every 15 days makes it quite powerful. Even though it has some limitations, it didn't diminish even a little of his Primordial Devil Bloodline vast power.

He cursed his misfortune at encountering beings whose power stemmed from blood. He didn't know their exact intentions but they couldn't be any good.

"You are Eternas..." The male hunter, Jiange, finally spoke, his voice a guttural growl laced with excitement. His eyes burned into Aiden, a predator sizing up a potential meal. "No, perhaps you have the blood of Eternas flowing through your veins."

Aiden furrowed his brow, confusion etching lines across his face. "Eternas?" he echoed, the word foreign on his tongue. How could he be something he'd never even heard of?

Jiange's grin widened, chillingly predatory. "Yes," he affirmed, "A thin lineage perhaps, but enough to awaken this ability. To think," He continued, his voice trembling with a thrill that went beyond mere possession of the arrow, "I'd stumble upon a descendant of the legendary Eternas in this legendary Realm!" He had not just acquired a potent weapon; he had found its source – a living Eternas.

Aiden met Jiange's gaze, the hunter's excitement contrasting starkly with his own rising fear and pain. Though he didn't understand how Jiange arrived at this conclusion, a connection to the blood arrow seemed evident.

However, Aiden didn't try to completely refute it, he just made an expression of being confused.

Aiden understands that even if he told them that he is just blind human, they would never believe him. Even if they believed his claim of being just a blind human, suspicion would linger like a bad smell. Escape, for now, depended on him appearing in control.

Sometimes to pull down someone it is Better to Remain ignorant and Be Thought of a Fool.

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