My Descendants Are My Power

[Heavenly Path\'s victory did not quell his thirst for Blackwood blood. Sunshine Mansion, even the empire itself, sought to grind the clan to dust. No survivor was to be spared.]

[Your scattered kin, unable to face the horrors they witnessed, are lost in a haze of fear and despair. Their spirits are broken, their identities erased. They live in hiding, haunted by the past. Trait gained: Lost Lineage.]

[The weight of their loss cripples them. Cultivation speed reduced by 10%, combat prowess reduced by 10%, comprehension reduced…]

…

Five years had passed.

One by one, Blackwood\'s allies had come and gone, their questions unanswered, their grief echoing in the silence.

They knew only that a force of unimaginable power had descended upon the Blackwood clan, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.

Glory City, once a symbol of Blackwood strength, was now a ghost town, its streets eerily silent, its citizens frozen in time.

King Bryce had declared it a sanctuary, forbidden to outsiders, a somber reminder of a bygone era.

Everyone knew of Dennis, the lone guardian who kept vigil over the Blackwood statues, his music a constant lament for the fallen.

But no one knew of the figure who sat alone in the Blackwood ancestral shrine, his spirit as broken as the once-mighty Primordial Blood Tree that stood withered and lifeless outside.

Autumn had returned, cloaking the shrine in a thick blanket of fog. The air was heavy with the scent of decay, a fitting metaphor for the despair that had settled over Ethan\'s soul.

Five years he had spent trapped in that moment, reliving the horror of Heavenly Path\'s assault, the shattering of his dreams, the loss of his family.

All their plans, their ambitions, their hopes for the future… all of it had turned to ash in the face of Heavenly Path\'s overwhelming might.

They had envisioned a glorious future for the Blackwood clan, a future where their children would inherit the mantle of leadership, their laughter echoing through the training grounds of Glory City, their names whispered with respect throughout Sunshine Mansion.

He had told Heavenly Path that it wasn\'t over, that their story had just begun.

But now… now he wished for nothing more than to erase that day from his memory, to bury the pain so deep that it could no longer haunt him.

The sun rose, casting long shadows across the shrine, burning away the fog, but doing nothing to dispel the darkness that had settled over Ethan\'s heart.

"Chirp!"

A bird sang outside, its cheerful melody a jarring contrast to the message that flashed repeatedly on the translucent panel before him.

[Your descendant, Benjamin, is being pursued by enemies! He begs for your protection!]

[Your descendant, Benjamin, implores your aid!]

[Benjamin… begs… protection!]

"Benjamin…" Ethan whispered, the name unfamiliar, yet the message, the desperation in that plea, stirred something within him. With trembling hands, he opened the clan registry, a task he had avoided for five long years.

The list of names, once a source of pride, was now a painful reminder of his loss. Each name dimmed, the word "Deceased" etched beside it like a brand.

Finally, he found Benjamin\'s entry.

[Benjamin, son of Oliver]

[Oliver (Deceased)]

…

Green Manor, Milltown City.

Benjamin, a slender youth with haunted eyes, crouched behind a towering oak tree, his energy shield shimmering faintly in the dappled sunlight. He clutched the Forebearer Talisman, his heart pounding against his ribs.

Tiny paper figures, their eyes glowing with an eerie light, floated around him, searching, seeking.

"Forebearer, please," he whispered, his voice trembling with fear and desperation. "Father said you would protect me. Please… don\'t let them find me."

The paper figures continued their relentless search.

Footsteps crunched on fallen leaves, drawing closer. Benjamin held his breath, his body trembling uncontrollably.

"Benjamin!"

A figure emerged from the trees, his face twisted into a cruel sneer. He was an elderly man, his robes adorned with intricate runes, his aura radiating the power of a peak Emerging Ability psychic.

"Playing games, are we?" he chuckled, his voice dripping with malice. "You thought you could lure my disciple to his death and escape my wrath?"

Benjamin was trapped.

He knew it was futile, but he couldn\'t just surrender. He had promised his father. He would live. He would avenge his clan.

He stepped out from behind the tree, his jaw set, his eyes blazing with defiance. He bit down on the Forebearer Talisman, his hands gripping his twin sickles, their blades shimmering with a faint, ethereal glow.

"You disgust me," Benjamin spat, his voice trembling with a mixture of fear and rage. "Preying on the innocent… forcing yourself on…"

"Insolent whelp!" the old man roared, his hand snapping up in a gesture of arcane power.

The paper figures shot towards Benjamin, their eyes burning with malevolent intent.

Benjamin unleashed his power, his Foundational Energy surging outwards, but it was like pitting a candle against a raging inferno. The old man\'s power slammed into him, shattering his defenses, his sickles cracking under the strain.

And then, just as all hope seemed lost, the Forebearer Talisman in Benjamin\'s mouth began to glow.

A wave of pure, unadulterated Competent Force energy erupted from the talisman, washing over the battlefield, scattering the paper figures like dust motes in a hurricane. The old man screamed, his body engulfed in flames, his flesh melting away as the stolen life force he had used to fuel his power turned against him.

Benjamin watched in stunned silence as the old man\'s charred remains crumpled to the ground, the air thick with the stench of burnt flesh and ozone.

He had survived.

He fell to his knees, his forehead pressed against the cold earth, tears streaming down his face.

"Thank you, Forebearer," he whispered, his voice choked with emotion. "You saved me."

…

[Blackwood Year 195, Benjamin, son of Oliver, is born.]

[Blackwood Year 197, as part of the clan\'s "Millennium Blood Renewal Project," Benjamin and his father, Oliver, relocate to Sunshine Mansion.]

[Blackwood Year 200, Benjamin learns of his Blackwood heritage and embraces it with pride.]

[Blackwood Year 205…]

[Oliver, a prodigy of unparalleled talent, faces a Competent Force fragment of Heavenly Path. In his final moments, he performs a forbidden technique, shielding Benjamin from Heavenly Path\'s senses and sending him away to safety.]

[Benjamin embarks on a perilous journey north, seeking the last remnants of the Blackwood clan, his heart burning with a desire for vengeance. Trait gained: Unquenchable Flame.]

[He will never forget his clan\'s legacy, nor the injustice they suffered. His resolve is unshakeable, his determination absolute. Cultivation speed increased by 50%, combat prowess increased by 50%.]

"Forebearer…"

Benjamin stood before the Forebearer Talisman, his head bowed in reverence. He pointed to a spot on his chest, a little over four feet from the ground. "I was this tall when Father sent me away."

Ethan watched him, his heart aching for the young man\'s loss.

"He told me to live," Benjamin continued, his voice thick with emotion. "But I didn\'t know how. I wandered for five years, Forebearer, clinging to the memory of Father\'s words. He said we had kin in a small village by the North Sea. I\'ve been searching ever since."

"I never stayed in one place for too long. Father said… he said that to stop… to cease moving… was to die."

"I don\'t know where they are, Forebearer. But I\'ll find them. I have to."