Chapter 10 – The Red Current

  Eo moved through the water, a silent observer in an ever-shifting world. The mist, his new discovery, had integrated into him, its presence almost imperceptible now, like a subtle extension of his being. His movement felt smoother, his senses sharper, and the water itself no longer felt like an external medium—he was part of it, flowing effortlessly.

  Yet his curiosity did not wane. If anything, it had only grown stronger.

  The depths were never truly still, never truly safe. He had begun to notice the unspoken rules that governed this world—creatures moved with caution, their bodies tense, their motions deliberate. Some lurked, some fled, and others... hunted.

  Eo had no concept of fear, no true understanding of danger. Not yet. He merely observed, fascinated by the interactions before him.

  A disturbance caught his attention—a sudden shift in the water’s flow. Tiny vibrations rippled through the currents, an unseen force disrupting the quiet rhythm of the deep. Eo turned his focus toward the source.

  A school of small, translucent creatures darted frantically through the water, their tiny bodies shimmering with each frantic movement. Their panic was palpable, but Eo did not yet understand why. He merely observed.

  Then, it struck.

  A blur of motion. A gaping maw. Rows of needle-like teeth clamped down, tearing through the fragile bodies with ruthless efficiency.

  A predator.

  Eo watched as the attacker—a streamlined creature, far larger than the prey—twisted its body, snapping up another struggling victim. The water darkened, a crimson mist unfurling in delicate spirals, staining the currents red. The smaller creatures writhed, struggling as their bodies were torn apart, the last flickers of their existence vanishing in the predator’s relentless jaws.

  Eo did not move. He merely absorbed.

  The predator devoured its fill, its body shivering in satisfaction as the remnants of its prey drifted downward like scattered debris. What was once a flurry of panicked life had now been reduced to nothing but drifting scraps and a fading stain in the water.

  Fascinating.

  Eo had observed life before, studied movement, shapes, differences. But this… this was something entirely new. The raw finality of it. The sudden, absolute transition from life to death.

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  He wanted to understand more.

  Eo moved closer, cautiously approaching the remnants of the slaughter. The crimson mist fascinated him. It was different from the water, different from the magic mist he had studied. It carried something else—something deeper, something… vital.

  He reached out, brushing against the drifting red cloud.

  A spark.

  It was fleeting, but it was there—something within the blood pulsed with energy. It was not magic, at least not like the mist he had come to understand. But it contained something fundamental. Something powerful.

  Eo remained still, letting the blood swirl around him. It clung to his form, staining his translucent body, seeping into him. He could almost feel it.

  What was this?

  His thoughts swirled, a growing hunger for knowledge tightening around him. He needed to see more.

  Another ripple in the water. Another predator.

  This one was smaller than the first but just as lethal. It moved with sharp precision, slithering through the current, its black eyes locked onto a lone, weakened creature struggling to flee. It struck fast, jaws snapping down, crushing its prey in an instant.

  Another burst of blood. Another fading life.

  The cycle repeated itself again and again. Some fought, some fled, some devoured. And within all of it—within the struggle, the desperation, the final moments—there was something deeper at play.

  Survival.

  It was an unspoken law, a rule etched into the very fabric of existence. Strength determined life. Weakness meant death.

  Eo understood.

  But understanding was not enough.

  He needed more.

  He wanted to witness, to experience, to grasp the very essence of what made these creatures fight, what made them kill. He wanted to know what coursed through the blood, what power lay within the final breath of the dying.

  The crimson mist was not just a stain—it was knowledge.

  And Eo desired knowledge above all else.

  His focus sharpened. His curiosity burned.

  For the first time, something stirred within him.

  Something deeper than observation.

  Something closer to hunger.

  He remained still, allowing the blood to flow around him. He did not yet understand its properties, but he could feel its difference from the mist. Unlike the magic particles, which drifted like an unseen force, blood carried substance. It spread, it dissolved, but it did not disappear entirely. Even as the predator moved away, the scent of death lingered in the water.

  Eo observed more closely, focusing on the delicate movement of the red tendrils dispersing. It spread faster in some areas, slower in others, guided by the flow of the currents. It behaved differently from the mist, reacting to the environment in ways he had not yet considered.

  Did the predators sense it too?

  The larger creature, the first predator, had long since moved on. But something else approached. A scavenger.

  It was smaller, less streamlined, with a slower, more cautious movement. It did not hunt like the others—it fed on what remained. As it neared the fading red, its tendrils extended, tasting the blood in the water before devouring the scattered remains.

  Even in death, the prey was useful to another.

  Another rule of this world. Nothing was wasted.

  The weak perished, and the strong consumed. But even the remnants found purpose.

  Eo absorbed this understanding, letting it sink into his being. He did not know what he would do with this knowledge yet, but he did know one thing.

  Blood was different.

  And differences meant discovery.

  And discovery meant power.