Cursed Blood

Margit, the Fell Omen's corpse gradually turned to ash and scattered away, leaving only a pitch-black crystal lying quietly on the ground.

Lu Mingfei bent down and picked up the black crystal. It refracted an eerie halo beneath the sunlight, its sharply defined facets so perfect they hardly seemed naturally formed.

"Could this be the item that sends me home?"

Lu Mingfei turned the crystal over and over in his hands.

"But... how do I use it?"

Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

"Open sesame?"

Lu Mingfei shouted at the crystal. When it showed no reaction, he tried several other poses.

"Poroporo honey! Grant me power! I am She-Ra! Balala energy! By law and decree, obey at once!"

He smashed the crystal onto the ground.

"Whatever happens, happens!"

The crystal bounced twice across the ground, completely unharmed.

After all, it came from the Lands Between. Lu Mingfei had tested it long ago; the thing was even harder than diamond. Otherwise, he would not have dared throw it on the ground.

"Looks like I'll have to ask a professional..."

Lu Mingfei sighed.

Honestly, among the fellow Tarnished he knew, there was currently only one: Emiya Shirou. The guy was an exceptionally good person and seemed to leave summon signs everywhere to help newcomers.

He had previously promised to help Lu Mingfei defeat Margit, the Fell Omen, making him one of Lu Mingfei's guides.

But why had he not appeared?

It was not that Lu Mingfei thought himself skilled enough to solo the Fell Omen. It was that he had been unable to contact the guy lately...

Ever since Emiya had taught Lu Mingfei how to use the Finger Severer, Summon Finger, and Tarnished's Old Finger, Lu Mingfei would occasionally use the Tarnished's Old Finger to communicate with him, and Emiya had generally answered every question.

Yet, on the eve of Lu Mingfei setting out on his own, he had suddenly lost contact. It caught Lu Mingfei completely off guard.

With one huge, reliable pillar gone, he could only grit his teeth and face the Fell Omen alone.

"Old Emiya..."

He muttered,

"Could he have run into some trouble?"

He thought of what Emiya Shirou had said during their last contact.

"I'm going to help a friend. Wait for my news."

Lu Mingfei had not thought much of it at the time, but it had been so long now...

After hesitating again and again, he took out the Small Golden Effigy, first located Emiya Shirou's world coordinates, then used the Tarnished's Old Finger to write a message on the ground.

"Brother Shirou, I've already defeated the Fell Omen. What should I do next?"

Unexpectedly, Lu Mingfei did not have to wait long before a familiar golden summon sign appeared on the ground!

Of course, he knew it was Emiya's summon sign. Without hesitation, he touched it and summoned him over.

Amid a burst of dazzling golden light, a familiar figure wearing a full set of Carian Knight Armor slowly appeared.

"Brother Shirou!"

Lu Mingfei rushed over with an Arrow Step and gave him a bear hug.

"Long time no see! It's so good that you're not dead!"

Emiya Shirou staggered back half a step from the impact, then gave a wry smile and patted Lu Mingfei on the back.

"Lu..."

He hesitated, and in the end, it became a sigh.

"Sorry. I should have..."

Lu Mingfei hurriedly waved him off.

"Ah, it's nothing. I know you really couldn't get away, and besides, I only died twenty-three times before winning. It's not like I suffered much..."

Emiya Shirou froze at that, carefully studying his old friend. When they had last parted, Lu Mingfei had still been a rookie who could not even clear Coastal Cave. Now, he was capable of standing on his own.

"By the way, what have you been busy with lately? You didn't even send a message."

Lu Mingfei looked at him curiously.

Emiya Shirou forced a helpless smile.

"We went to help a friend. His name is Ken Kaneki..."

"Wait." Lu Mingfei's eyes widened. "I remember him. Didn't you say he was an invading spirit and tell me to be careful around him? How did he become a friend?"

Emiya Shirou sighed.

"Kaneki is actually a very gentle person. I've known him for some time, and he has a good reputation among the Tarnished as well. He only fell onto the Bloody Finger path recently."

"Strictly speaking, there's nothing inherently wrong with being a Bloody Finger..."

As he spoke, Emiya removed his gauntlet and extended one of his fingers. Its originally flesh-colored skin slowly turned red.

"It is only a symbol, a qualification for entering the Blood Dynasty. As long as you do not actively invade others, it is not a big deal..."

"The Blood Dynasty is a place highly suited for acquiring Runes. Ever since we discovered it, all of us Tarnished have gone there to explore and train."

"Once you reach Liurnia, you'll encounter White-Faced Varre again. He will tempt you onto the path of blood."

"You only need to play along with him, then use items to trade with other Tarnished and complete the invasion task. After that, run a few errands that are not very difficult, and you'll obtain the qualification to enter the Blood Dynasty."

Emiya Shirou spoke somewhat wistfully.

"It seemed that Kaneki had run into something urgent in the real world and desperately needed strength. So he went through with it..."

Lu Mingfei scratched his head.

"That doesn't sound like a problem."

Emiya sighed again.

"But Kaneki's origin resonated with Cursed Blood. Combined with his already unstable mental state and emotions at the time, White-Faced Varre lured him straight onto the path of Cursed Blood. Then, through one careless moment, his mind was eroded..."

"Cursed Blood?"

Lu Mingfei was somewhat confused.

"Yes, Cursed Blood." The red-haired youth explained, "Just like the Glintstone magic I wield, and the Dragon Communion you asked me about before, Lu, it is one kind of origin path, part of the Lands Between's inherent rules of power."

"Besides that, there are the Golden Order, flame, Black Flame... Some people also choose not to touch these powers at all, strengthening and training themselves instead. That is also a path."

"Every one of these paths has its own flaws to some degree. Take the Dragon Communion you walk, Lu. It is a path no one has attempted so far, because the risks are too great..."

"Cursed Blood is the same. It is too mysterious, so no one understands it. Kaneki was the first person qualified to learn and walk that path."

"So," Lu Mingfei finally understood completely, "this so-called Cursed Blood has the side effect of affecting one's mind. And Kaneki just happened to get hit by it, right?"

Emiya Shirou nodded, then shook his head.

"The side effects of Cursed Blood itself are not that powerful."

He wearily rubbed his brow.

"Kaneki's situation is very unusual. His constitution produced an astonishing resonance with Cursed Blood, and under White-Faced Varre's encouragement, his power grew too quickly. On top of that, Kaneki truly was emotionally unstable at the time, so it took advantage of that opening...

"It was not until recently that we found a way to help him regain his senses through Yura, Hunter of Bloody Fingers."

Emiya Shirou paused, then asked Lu Mingfei,

"Lu, since you defeated Margit, the Fell Omen so quickly, I assume you have already accepted Dragon Communion, right?"

Lu Mingfei nodded.

"Then," Emiya Shirou said gravely, "please be extremely careful."