Born in Blood

[A/N: Adjustment-from-last-chapter. Mayor-didn't-keep-the-blood-figurine.]

***

As the Liam figurine shattered into a million motes of red glitter, a sour look bloomed on the Mayor's face.

Liam gave him a wry smile, but under the ruby-red lighting from the rose chandelier, it looked sinister.

"I'm sure you understand, Mayor. My blood is… a little too important for me to give to others so casually."

The Mayor raised a hand, shaking his head. His chin jiggled again.

"No, no! It's my fault. I shouldn't have made an esteemed guest uncomfortable with such an unreasonable request. You have every right to refuse. In fact, thank you for refusing." 

Liam nodded.

Thankfully, the Mayor wasn't an unreasonable or stingy person. 

Had it been anyone else, they would have thrown a temper tantrum and acted like they were entitled to Liam's gift. 

It wasn't surprising anymore. 

The rich and powerful were so used to getting what they wanted, their brains shut down when they didn't.

…Huh. 

That sounded just like the Royce family. 

The Mayor looked back at Liam with a light smile and made a 'please, continue' gesture.

Right. Liam wasn't done with the demonstration.

He outstretched a hand to the side.

"Thanks to my blood… and combining with a Shifter octopus, I could freely manipulate my body into any form I want to."

SHING!

Liam's right hand twisted and turned, bursting into a single, jagged spike made just from his dark-crimson bone matter. 

The Mayor's crystal-blue eyes shone with amazement.

There was a long moment of silence.

"You… you've combined with an octopus?" the Mayor said incredulously. 

"It's a long story," Liam said with a wry smile. "I doubt speaking about it here would be appropriate."

After a quiet pause, the Mayor nodded.

Obviously, Liam hadn't included the details of how he gained his powers in his story.

Perhaps there wasn't a way possible for him to accurately explain it in the first place.

At least, without sounding like an absolute madman.

Which he was.

But the Mayor didn't push for details.

Slowly, the arm reverted back to a normal humanoid hand.

Next, shadows flowed from Liam's arm and enveloped his entire body.

"You can guess where the name 'Temple of Shadow' came from," Liam said. 

"I can manipulate their mercurial form, and enhance, sharpen or strengthen anything I want." 

The Mayor watched intently as Liam slowly submerged into the floor, then reemerged from the ceiling head first.

Silently, the Mayor's eyes sparkled once more as he idly twisted the tip of his mustache.

A moment later, Liam sat back on his chair.

Liam pointed to his right eye.

"There's also my right eye," Liam said, conjuring a quick illusion of himself on the Mayor's desk. "It could do… that."

Slightly amazed, the Mayor leaned in and looked at the illusion from different angles.

Then, he looked at Liam with a nod.

Illusions were just illusions.

They could never be used to kill anything, hence why the Mayor didn't over exaggerate and praise him.

Liam continued. 

"As you know, I'm the Eternal Sword's heir," Liam said, unsheathing his odachi.

SHIING.

"This is the Black Blade."

The Mayor's wide eyes ran along the peerless edge of the black odachi, quietly studying its near-perfect form.

By now, Liam realized the Mayor loved entertainment.

Sort of like how some rich individuals enjoyed keeping lions in their backyards.

Sir Cornelius enjoyed seeing the most dangerous, powerful people on the planet showcase their abilities.

"May I hold it?" the Mayor asked, hoping it wasn't an unreasonable request. 

Liam gave him a wry look.

"I would… but the sword itself doesn't want to be held by anyone other than me."

The Mayor raised a brow.

"One of the Eternal Sword's abilities," Liam said. "I can speak to my blades."

The Mayor chuckled incredulously. 

"What's it saying now?"

Liam glanced at the odachi.

Silence.

Please don't let him hold me! Please don't let him hold me! Please don't let him hold me!

Liam looked back at the Mayor.

"'Don't let me go,'" Liam said. 

Technically, it was the truth. 

Except, the odachi wanted nothing to do with the Mayor.

Saying that flat out was a little blunt.

And quite frankly, bad for the mood.

So, Liam switched up the words a little.

The Mayor hummed in amazement, twisting his mustache. 

"A Celestial's inheritor… you're among a tiny, elite group of people, Mister Liam."

Liam arched his brow.

"Who else inherited a Celestial's work?" 

Sir Cornelius tutted, then laughed cheekily.

"I wish I could say, my friend, I really do."

The Mayor grew serious for his next few words. 

"But my very life depends on it."

Silence.

Liam brushed that topic aside. 

It had to be one of the top five powerhouses.

There had to be a reason they were so damn strong and revered.

"Nevermind that," the Mayor said in a lighter tone. "Please, continue. I'm sure you're just about to conclude."

Liam nodded.

There was no need to talk about the Eternal Sword anymore.

Liam would just show his greatest powers and get the meeting over with.

"By the way," Liam said suddenly. "What happens if you tell someone else a lie?"

The Mayor smiled.

"I instantly explode."

"My Path denies any deceit or dishonesty, and there are already Truth Formations all around the Mount."

"The Law of Balance will cause me to outright die if I betray that covenant." 

Liam hummed to himself.

That was good to know.

"But if it makes you feel any better, I'll add some more protections around the area."

A moment later, the Mayor waved his hand again. 

Any faint sounds echoing from the outside grew muffled and distant, before fading into absolute silence.

An invisible Isolation Barrier had formed around the two.

'Good enough,' Liam thought.

Liam raised a hand.

Red sparks gathered on his palm and crackled like lightning as it expanded, gradually repulsing the space around it. 

SHHHHHHH!

"This," Liam said, "is Chaos."

The Mayor's jaw fell. 

His chin was jiggling on its own!

Liam wasn't done though.

On his left, a Black Hole expanded in size.

The Mayor's tophat was nearly yanked off his head, but he used his hand to hold it in place.

The Mayor's eyes widened even further.

What was that thing?! 

And why was it pulling him towards it?! 

The Black Hole and Chaos combined, slowly forming a tiny mass of Void on the tip of Liam's index finger.

"And this," Liam said, "is Void." 

The Mayor's monocle fell off his face.