Awakened in a Realm of Magic and Blood
Death was supposed to be the end.
Instead, it was only the beginning.
When the arrogant son of a billionaire opens his eyes, he finds himself reborn in Aetherion, a ruthless world ruled by cultivation sects, elemental powers, and blood-soaked hierarchies. He awakens in the shattered body of an eighteen-year-old orphan—broken, discarded, and left to die after failing a cultivation test.
In this world, the weak are resources, and mercy is a myth.
Marked as talentless, hunted by fate, and surrounded by cruelty, he survives on nothing but willpower and a terrifying secret buried deep within his damaged core: Void—a forbidden power that does not create, but erases.
As he struggles through hunger, violence, and human betrayal, his path collides with Seraphine Virex, the cold and formidable daughter of a powerful cultivation sect leader, whose Blood-bound power is as deadly as the chains that bind her.
Void and Blood should never coexist.
Yet in a realm where strength is law and humanity is optional, survival demands impossible choices.
This is not a tale of destiny.
This is a story of endurance.
In a world of magic and blood, how long can one remain human?
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Chapter: The Second Phase BeginsThe courtyard did not empty when the names were finished.That was the first sign.The caretakers ordered everyone else away—those whose names had not been called. No explanations were given. No comfort offered. The unselected were herded back toward the dormitories in small groups, watched closely until they disappeared through the gates.Some of them looked back.Others didn’t.Andrew noticed how quickly they were forgotten.The fifty who remained were kept standing under the open sky. No one told them to sit. No one dismissed them. Time passed in silence, broken only by the scrape of boots and the low murmurs of caretakers conferring among themselves.Eli stood a few steps away from Andrew, shoulders tense, hands clenched at his sides.Neither of them spoke.Hunger settled in slowly, deliberate and intentional. It wasn’t sharp yet, but it was noticeable. Andrew recognized it immediately for what it was.Pressure.A man Andrew had not seen before stepped into the courtyard.He wore
Last Updated: 2026-01-21
Chapter: Those Who Are WatchedAndrew’s answer didn’t sound heroic.It wasn’t loud. It wasn’t dramatic.But Eli stopped walking.For a second, the noise of Ashwake House faded—the shuffle of feet, the muttered complaints, the caretakers barking orders in the distance.Eli turned slowly. “You didn’t even hesitate.”Andrew met his eyes. “Why would I?”Eli stared at him, searching for something—sarcasm, arrogance, regret.He found none.“You don’t know what they’re offering,” Eli said. “People leave with caravans and don’t come back. Some end up in Blackmere proper. Some disappear.”Andrew’s expression didn’t change. “And?”“And you still said no.”Andrew exhaled through his nose. “I said not without you.”Eli looked away first.“Careful,” he muttered. “That kind of promise gets people killed in places like this.”“Then don’t make me regret it,” Andrew replied.They reached the hut just as a caretaker’s voice cut through the yard.“All residents remain inside. Representatives are touring the grounds.”The door was sla
Last Updated: 2026-01-21
Chapter: When Morning Changes the RulesThe morning came too early.Andrew knew it before he opened his eyes.The bell didn’t ring—it attacked.Metal screamed against metal, sharp and relentless, tearing through Ashwake House without mercy. It wasn’t the lazy, half-hearted ringing of ordinary mornings. This was deliberate. Angry. A command rather than a call.“Up!”A caretaker’s voice followed immediately, loud enough to echo.“Everyone up! Outside. Now!”Andrew’s eyes snapped open.For a brief moment, clarity flooded him.The pain in his ribs was still there, a dull pressure beneath his skin, but it no longer ruled him. His limbs felt lighter. His breathing steadier. That strange calm from the night before resurfaced, quiet but firm, settling into his bones.Prepared.The word surfaced without permission.Andrew frowned slightly as he sat up.Around him, the hut stirred—but not the way it usually did.There were no groans. No curses. No slow complaints about aching joints or cold floors.Only whispers.Low. Nervous. Sharp.
Last Updated: 2026-01-21
Chapter: Those Who Want MoreThe stew was warm.That alone felt like a luxury.Andrew cradled the chipped bowl in both hands, letting the heat seep into his fingers before lifting it to his lips. The liquid was thin, barely more than water tinted brown, with a few floating scraps that might once have been vegetables. Still, when he swallowed, his stomach clenched eagerly, accepting whatever it was given without complaint.Around him, the hall hummed with quiet desperation.No one spoke loudly. No one laughed. The scraping of bowls, the occasional cough, the shuffle of feet against stone, these were the only sounds allowed. Even Eli, usually incapable of staying silent, ate with uncharacteristic focus, his head bent low, shoulders hunched protectively over his portion.Andrew noticed that too.Food isn’t just nourishment here, he thought. It’s territory.He finished half the bowl slowly, forcing himself to pace his bites. The hunger hadn’t vanished. It never truly did. But the sharp edge had dulled, replaced by a
Last Updated: 2026-01-20
Chapter: Hunger Has a ScheduleThe silence that followed Eli’s last words lingered like dust in the air.Andrew was still thinking about the caravan, about tests and gates and cracks in cages, when a sharp, unmistakable sound cut through his thoughts.Grrr.His stomach twisted violently, the ache sudden and humiliating. Andrew stiffened, one hand pressing instinctively against his abdomen. The hunger hit harder than before, as if his body had finally decided to remind him of its priorities.Eli blinked, then burst out laughing.“Oh no,” he said, pointing. “Don’t tell me you forgot about that too.”Andrew shot him a flat look. “My body seems determined to remember everything I don’t.”Eli wiped at his eyes, still grinning. “Yeah, well, your body’s right. It’s almost dinner time.”“Dinner?” Andrew repeated skeptically.Eli was already standing. “If you want to call it that.”Andrew pushed himself up, moving slower this time. His muscles protested, stiff and sore from the earlier fight, and the hunger only made it wor
Last Updated: 2026-01-20
Chapter: Cracks in the CageAndrew didn’t collapse immediately.He stood there long after the others fled, chest rising and falling unevenly, eyes fixed on the doorway as if expecting them to return. His fists were clenched so tightly his fingers trembled. The adrenaline that had carried him through the fight still hummed beneath his skin, sharp and restless.Then it faded.The pain arrived all at once.His knees buckled, and he barely caught himself against the wall. A sharp gasp escaped his lips as fire spread through his ribs, his arms, his legs—everywhere at once. His vision blurred, the world tilting dangerously.“Hey—!” Eli rushed forward and grabbed him. “Don’t you dare fall now!”Andrew let out a low breath, teeth clenched. “I’m… fine.”“You’re lying,” Eli said flatly, hauling him toward the wall and forcing him to sit. “You’re always lying.”Andrew slumped down, the strength draining out of him like water from a cracked cup. His head dropped back against the wood, eyes closing as he focused on breathing
Last Updated: 2026-01-20
