Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 23: Believing In The Future

Lily staggered, dropping to one knee as the Fairy dimmed behind her.

"That was... too close," she gasped.

Aren tightened his grip on Abby, heart hammering.

"Ggh—" Abby grunted.

Aren felt it more than he heard it.

He looked down.

The edges of her gash had darkened. The flesh around the wound looked swollen, warped, as if something beneath was trying to eat its way out.

"...That’s not good," Aren muttered.

His stomach sank.

The Wendigo’s blood antlers, stained with rot and whatever foul essence it carried, had torn through her flesh.

Its blood had mixed with hers, poisoning the whole system.

Lily scrambled forward, hands shaking as she pressed them over the wound. Life energy poured out in a desperate surge, the Fairy flaring weakly as it tried to knit the flesh together.

Tears streamed down Lily’s face.

"Why— why isn’t it working?"

Abby exhaled slowly.

Then she shook her head and gently pushed Lily’s hands away.

"Save it," she said quietly. "You’re going to need it later."

Aren didn’t argue.

He stared at the spreading corruption for one more second, then looked away and clenched his jaw.

He’d seen countless Mystics and civilians die before, his loved ones, his family...but it always pained him to see another.

Abby straightened slowly, rolling her shoulder despite the way her breath hitched. The metal spines along her arms grew unevenly now, some shorter than before, others dull at the tips.

"I can still force it," she said. "Create an opportunity for you."

Aren looked at her.

She met his eyes without flinching.

"When the chest opens," Abby continued, voice steady, "you hit the core. Don’t hesitate."

Lily shook her head violently. "No—there has to be another way. We can stall it longer, we can—"

"Lily," Aren said.

She froze.

He turned to her, expression tight. "She’s right."

Tears welled up instantly. "Aren—"

He shook his head once.

There was nothing else to say.

Abby let out a short breath, almost a laugh.

"Good," she said. "I was worried I’d have to convince you."

Aren looked back at her.

"...I won’t let you down."

Abby nodded once, satisfied.

Behind them, metal shrieked as the barricade finally gave way.

The Wendigo burst through the wreckage in a storm of debris, frenzy fully unleashed.

Lieutenant Abby straightened, stepping forward to meet it alone.

They both moved at the same time, charging towards the other as a flurry of attacks was thrown out.

She slipped past the Wendigo’s initial swipe by inches, the antlers blitzing past where her head had been a heartbeat earlier. She ducked low, rolled through shattered concrete, and came up inside its reach.

Spikes tore free from her arms as she drove them forward, ramming them in with her full body force.

The Wendigo howled as steel punched into its chest.

Abby didn’t stop.

She carved.

Short motions, rip and tear. Every strike widened the wound, shredding muscle and snapping ribs apart as she hollowed the beast’s chest out from the inside.

The Wendigo screamed in pain as its movements went wild.

The core pulsed visibly through thinning flesh, its glow erratic and exposed.

Abby saw it.

Yet, her body gave out, collapsing on one knee.

"NO!" Lily yelled, but it was too late.

The demonic beast didn’t miss its chance, driving its antlers right through her stomach, impaling her as it lifted its head up in a triumphant grin.

However, Aren saw what she did.

Two spikes plunged deep into the Wendigo’s legs, anchoring the beast for one last time.

It tried to move, swinging wildly as it threw her body to the side, crashing into an abandoned car and breaking the glass.

She slumped down into a heap.

By the time it looked back up again, Aren was already there.

Ether condensed into his fists as he poured everything into one strike, one that was impossible to miss.

His fist slammed point-blank into the exposed core.

The impact was absolute.

The demonic core shattered in an instant, light erupting outward as the Wendigo let out one final, broken scream. Its body froze mid-thrash before collapsing into the street.

Silence fell.

Aren landed hard, dropping to one knee, chest heaving.

Abby coughed.

Blood spilled from her lips, dark and thick as it dripped down her chin.

Lily was already there, her tears mixing with the pool of blood on the ground.

There was a hole in Abby’s chest.

Lily collapsed forward, gripping the lieutenant’s sleeve as her shoulders shook.

Abby’s breathing was shallow now.

But her eyes were clear when she looked at them.

"You two..." she murmured. "You’re not meant to die here."

Aren said nothing.

He knelt beside her, close enough now to hear every strained breath.

"The world’s changing," Abby continued softly. "Old powers are breaking. New ones will take their place." Her gaze lingered on Lily first.

"Mystics like you will be the ones people follow. Whether they want to... or not."

And settled on Aren.

"Especially you."

Aren’s jaw tightened.

"Dragons," she said, voice barely above a whisper, "are forces of balance. They protect. They rule. They end wars before they begin."

She coughed again, blood bubbling at her wound once more.

"But they’re also disasters," she continued. "When they burn... the world burns with them."

Her fingers twitched weakly against the ground, gaze locked onto Aren’s.

"Don’t become that kind of dragon."

Aren swallowed.

"...I won’t," he said.

Abby exhaled slowly, tension leaving her body at last.

"That’s good," she whispered. "Then maybe... this was worth it."

Her eyes fluttered once, then went limp.

Lily clenched her fists, lips trembling as she murmured a quiet prayer under her breath.

Aren leaned forward and gently closed Abby’s eyelids.

For a moment, he stayed there.

He wanted to give her a proper burial, but in this situation, it was impossible. Still, he looked around for a personal belonging, anything at all, until he found her dog tag.

Aren gripped it tightly.

At least the others and her family deserved to know the truth.

Aren helped Lily to her feet, steadying her when her legs nearly gave out. She wiped at her face with the back of her sleeve, eyes red, but she nodded.

"Let’s get the others," he said again, softer this time.

They turned back toward the wreckage.

The remains of the Wendigo were already breaking apart, its massive body collapsing inward as the demonic essence broke down its body. Most of it faded quickly, scattering across the cracked pavement—

But not all of it.

Aren slowed.

Something near the creature’s chest hadn’t dissolved.

He frowned and stepped closer, brushing aside loose debris with his boot. Beneath torn flesh and splintered bone was something smooth.

Aren knelt. Carefully, he cleared away what remained. Lily’s eyes widened as he produced what was inside.

An egg.

It was oval and pale, just barely the size of his palm.

"...It’s alive," she whispered.

"And not corrupted," Aren said.

He could feel it too. Just a quiet warmth, untouched by what its mother had become.

His gaze flicked briefly back to Abby.

"The Wendigo," Aren said quietly. "Before it changed... it was a Serene Golden Deer."

He cradled the egg carefully, lifting it free from the ruins. It fit against his chest almost too easily, as if it belonged there.

"She was protecting it," Lily said, her voice breaking again.

Aren nodded once.

"Then we will too."

He stood, turning toward the hospital in the distance, the dog tag cool and heavy in his pocket, the egg warm in his arms.

The first door creaked open a few minutes later.

Civilians began to emerge cautiously from the hospital door, drawn out by the sudden absence of roars.

"Is it... gone?"

"Did we win?"

They saw Aren first.

Then Lily.

"...Where’s Lieutenant Abby?" someone asked.

Aren didn’t answer.

He didn’t need to.

Eyes drifted past him, toward the ruins. Toward the scorched street where something massive had died, and the body right next to it.

Horror spread through the crowd.

A few people covered their mouths. Someone dropped to their knees. Others stared at Aren as if waiting for him to tell them this wasn’t real.

He straightened.

"The King-Class is dead," Aren said, voice steady despite the tightness in his chest. "It’s safe for now."

That alone stopped the panic from tipping over.

People began moving again, instinctively clustering around him. Doctors checked patients. Parents pulled children close. No one asked who was in charge.

They already knew.

Aren lifted his gaze.

The sky had turned bright while they weren’t looking.

The city was still in ruins, but just the tiniest bit of light gave people hope.

"We move now," Aren said. "While the sun’s up."

A few people hesitated.

"The bunker’s still a distance away," he continued. "And it’s safer to travel while we can see."

"We’ll do it like this," he said. "I’ll be in front. Lily will bring up the rear."

Aren paused, eyes sweeping across the crowd.

"Anyone with a Bloodline," he said slowly. "Even if you don’t know how to use it yet."

"Please—step forward."

There was a moment of silence.

Then people started moving forward. Aren directed them into a single group. There were about 40 of them, able-bodied, just lacking the strength and technique.

It was more than he expected.

"Alright," he said. "Half of you will take the front. The other half stays behind."

He gestured between the two positions as he spoke, making it simple.

"We keep anyone who can’t fight in the center," Aren continued. "Where it’s the safest."

People nodded, shifting instinctively into position as families clustered closer together. The group tightened, taking shape without needing to be told twice.

Lily caught Aren’s eye and gave a small nod from the rear.

Everything was set.

Aren exhaled slowly.

"I’m not going to lie to you," he continued. "Some of us won’t make it to the bunker."

A ripple passed through the group. Someone inhaled sharply. Someone else looked away.

"But if we move together," Aren said, "if you’re willing to stand where it’s dangerous—then the people in the middle get a chance to live."

He met their eyes, one by one.

"That’s all this is," he said. "A chance."

Nods rippled through the crowd as people tightened their grip on whatever makeshift weapon they had.

Aren turned toward the road ahead, the long stretch leading to the bunker.

"Then...Let’s go."