CH90 Choice To Be A Fury
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"Indeed." Earl Drake confirmed with a slow nod. "Our progenitor discovered that the only way to stabilise the bloodline... was to draw upon the energy of the Infernals."
He turned his gaze to the remnants of the massive Infernal Dragonâs corpse in the distance.
"With what little strength and life force he had left, he returned to the Infernal Realmâone last time. There, he hunted and slew a Legendary Infernal Dragon."
Alexâs eyes narrowed, absorbing every word.
"The dragonâs head and core was used to create a sanctuary," Earl Drake continued, "a place where those of our bloodline could awaken safely... without losing themselves. The site, and the ritual surrounding it, became the foundation of the rule our family abides by to this very day."
The silence that followed was heavy.
Then, Earl Drake Fury looked straight at his son.
"Iâm telling you all thisânot just to share our familyâs historyâbut so you can make an informed decision."
Alex blinked. "What do you mean, Father?"
"You have the option," the Earl said evenly, "to forsake the Furor Bloodline."
Alex froze.
"Youâve awakened your maternal bloodline, havenât you?" Earl Drake asked. "I can sense it... and I suspect its purity is no less than your Furor bloodline."
Alex remained silent, but his expression confirmed the truth.
"Your motherâs bloodline is a natural antithesis to ours," the Earl explained. "Because of that, there exists a methodârare, dangerous, but possibleâto cleanse your body of the Furor Bloodline entirely."
"To carry the Furor Bloodline is to forever walk the line between man and Infernal," he said gravely. "You can reject this path."
Alex stared at him in stunned silence.
Coming from the head of the Fury household, that wasnât just unexpectedâit bordered on heresy. He was essentially advising his heir to abandon the very essence of their legacy.
This... was nothing short of treason.
But before Alex could voice his disbelief, his father continued:
"Very few people know the precise purity of your Furor bloodline. Most assume you simply failed to awaken it, given your lack of its important warrior talent. If you choose to let it go, no one would question it."
"To be a pure-blooded Furor bearerâas pure as you areâis to live shackled to its nature. You wonât just fight your enemies... youâll be fighting yourself."
There was no anger in the Earlâs tone. No pressure. Just cold, measured words. And yet... beneath them, Alex sensed something else.
Concern.
A fatherâs worry, buried beneath noble stoicism.
"Your journey home was littered with danger," the Earl added. "I hear you were nearly killed by an assassin."
Alexâs fists clenched slightly at the memory.
"This will be your life," Earl Drake said. "Constant threat. Endless pursuit. If you accept the Furor Bloodline, you must also accept everything that comes with it."
Alex exhaled slowly.
"I understand, Father," he said at last. "But thereâs nothing to consider. No choice to be made."
"Talent. Bloodline. Family... these are things chosen by destiny at birth. Whether they are good or bad doesnât matter. What matters is how we live with them."
His voice gained a resolute edge.
"Even if I abandon the Furor Bloodline... even if I leave the Fury Family... Iâll still be one of you. That truth wonât change."
"My identity is bound to this house. One way or another, my fate is entwined with it."
He took a deep breath.
"So rather than resist whatâs inevitable, Iâd rather accept itâwield it. Shape it to serve my will."
His decision had already been made long ago.
Alex had begun forging a True Name from the Furor Bloodline. Though still veiled and incomplete, it had already begun to manifestâan imprint left on his very soul.
He doubted such a name, or the bloodline that birthed it, could be so easily erased.
And more than that... he had never been the sort to run from any hand dealt to him by fate.
To him, fate and destiny were neither blessings nor curses.
They were neutral forces.
Even in the worst cases, there was always a sliver of opportunityâa crack in the wall.
One just needed to find the right angle... and pry it open.
Infernals... Daemons of arcane fantasies...
They were more than a little alike.
By that logic, the Fury bloodlineâhis bloodlineâcould be seen as akin to Demonic Humans.
From that perspective, Alex could understand why his father had offered him a way out. It was a fatherâs attempt at mercy... a choice not many nobles would even consider giving their heir.
Still, he didnât think much of it.
Demonic Energy. Infernal Energy. Holy Energy. Solar Energy. Light.
He didnât particularly like or dislike any of them.
In his mindâas someone who had once been a voracious reader of fantasy novelsâno power was inherently good or evil. What mattered was the intent and character of the one wielding it.
To reject the Furor Bloodline simply because of its dark origin... that wasnât in his nature.
"I will keep my bloodline," he declared firmly.
Then a slow grin spread across his face.
A wolfish grin.
"And as for the dangers associated with the family... the ones scheming to kill me... well, like you said, itâs all a game of power.
"Let them come... I only hope they prove to be worthy adversaries."
Earl Drake Fury froze. Then, he threw his head back and laughed.
A deep, satisfied laugh.
He said nothing more, recognising that his sonâs mind was already made up.
"Very well," he said finally. "Since that is your choice... place your hand upon the Dragonâs head."
Alex stepped forward and obeyed, pressing his palm against the massive, scaled head. The severed dragonâs skull was easily as tall as he was.
The instant his hand made contact, a primal hunger surged from within his body. Something in him latched onto the Dragonâs headâan irresistible pull that glued his hand to it.
Then, like a floodgate opening, a sinister, destructive cold drilled into his body.
Infernal energy.
It wasnât just coldâit was cruel, malevolent, and violent. It wanted to rampage through him. But his bodyâs instinctive defences flared, preventing the energy from doing any real damage.
His fatherâs voice echoed behind him:
"Our Furor Bloodline is awakened by Infernal essenceâNegative Energy. Feel it. Command it. Let it flow through your body... if you truly accept the path of a Fury."
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