BloodStar

Xenia had arrived early to her mother’s training session on Khan Island. She and Victoria often trained within Khan Valley on the Khan family grounds near the castle for the sake of privacy while also having lots of room to spread out.

She entered the valley and walked down to the center and sat in the lotus position to meditate and pass the time. Meditation was essential to mastering ki control, and as a 10th degree black belt, Xenia knew the importance and value of meditation and took the opportunity to do so whenever she could.

She sat in silence for ten minutes, twenty minutes, and then thirty minutes with her eyes closed until suddenly… she felt a massive ki presence directly in front of her. She opened her eyes to see Empress Victoria standing before her.

Victoria wore a traditional black karate gi with her black belt secured around her waist. The belt was solid black save for ten red stripes adorning the right strand hanging down from her tied knot.

Xenia also wore a black belt with ten red stripes; however, instead of a traditional karate gi, she wore black, tight dry-fit leggings and a black athletic sports bra. She looked no different than any other fit, young girl attending the gym save for her remarkable 10th degree black belt and goddess-like physique.

Xenia stood up in her presence and bowed to her respectfully. Victoria asked her, “Now tell me Princess. How did I arrive?”

Xenia smirked and said, “You teleported, of course.”

Victoria replied, “Incorrect. I walked right up to you as I concealed my ki. I could’ve killed you with ease.”

Xenia smiled and said, “No. You teleported. I was thirty minutes into meditating. I could since the latent ki in the insects, the rustling of the dirt in the wind throughout the entire valley, and even your spacetime distortion bringing you here. Nearly indetectable, mother. But only nearly.”

Victoria smiled back at her and declared, “I am happy to see you taking your meditation seriously. Although you have reached the 10th degree black belt at the youngest age of anyone in history, trust me when I say there are thresholds beyond the 10th degree. So few have traveled as far as I have in the realm of martial arts.”

Xenia asked, “Then what do you call these plateaus past the 10th degree?”

Victoria smiled and replied, “Should anyone else ever achieve these levels, maybe I will give them a proper name then. You are far from these levels, but you are far enough along that it is time to endeavor to learn our namesake technique, our trump card.”

Xenia clasped her hands and said, “Really! Mother, you are serious?!”

Victoria sternly said, “You are ready to learn the BloodStar technique. There are many degrees of mastery of the BloodStar technique. Today, I will teach you the first, most basic principle.”

Xenia looked like a child having her favorite book read to her as she eagerly listened to every word that left her mother’s mouth. This technique was reserved for only the strongest in their family’s history, and Empress Victoria was the last to learn the technique.

Victoria began, “This is not a bloodline power but one intrinsic to our family’s ancient ki. You have mastered the art of manipulating blood in others, even being able to inflict strokes, heart attacks, and if my intel is correct… erections.”

Xenia bit her lip in embarrassment hoping her mother would simply move on. To her relief, she did. Victoria continued, “The true nature of controlling blood though isn’t in killing but boosting your own power. The basic building blocks of ki are the same in every living organism. Some of us can wield it to a great degree of mastery while others can’t. Some of us can shoot energy blasts, inflict curses, nullify, teleport, and in our case… bloodbend.”

Xenia continued to listen intently as her mother continued, “Now as you know, every living cell has ki potential but the greatest reservoir of ki for our family is in our blood. As such we have the ability to harvest additional ki from other’s blood as well.”

Victoria then waved her hands and a massive dome of ki energy encircled the valley. She looked to Xenia and said, “To keep prying eyes away.” She then used the same portal ability to transport 25 7-foot-tall wooden stakes concentrically around their position.

Upon closer inspection, Xenia noted that each wooden stake had a living human bound to it. Xenia thought to herself, “So this is why Constance has been busier than usual. Victoria has increased the human trafficking quotas to prepare for my training.”

The Khan Family ruled Khan Island and did most of the dirty work that the BloodStar Family could not afford to be caught performing. One of the largest illicit activities was human trafficking. The BloodStar Empire had for centuries required non-citizens for numerous activities. Many of the captured humans were sent to serve as training partners for gladiators. Most of these humans died during training. In Xenia’s case, they would likely all die during her training in order for her to perfect her technique. Human trafficking was also largely the source of premium human meat cuts for consumption within both the Khan Island and the BloodStar Empire.

As Constance was in charge of human trafficking, she knew the easiest ways into other countries and used her energetic and bubbly personality to lure men, and women, into her trap.

Victoria began to instruct Xenia, “Now resume your lotus position. For you to perform this technique successfully, you will need to be able to feel the residual ki within every single one of these men simultaneously. All twenty-five of them. Then once you have killed them, continue to concentrate in order to collect the ki…”

Xenia snapped, “Mother! I know what the BloodStar technique is. I have studied it since I was a child. Just let me try it already.”

Victoria held her hand out and sternly said, “Xenia. You need guidance. You have never seen the technique with your own eyes. I too was a gifted killer at your age; however, collecting and nurturing ki is not…”

Xenia became visibly angry and shouted, “I will seek your guidance for the more detailed and advanced portions of the BloodStar technique. But do not assume me to be so weak and foolish. You will find I may be more gifted than your younger self.”

Victoria nodded, “Much more gifted, indeed you are. Very well. Proceed.”

Xenia began to meditate. She could reach and feel all 25 men with ease. She was offended by the ease of this scale and began to search for other living things including insects, grass, and trees. Once she had a lock on all of her targets, she began…”

Victoria observed the silent, peaceful meditation until suddenly in less than a second the serenity turned to frightening power. Although nothing had changed visually, Victoria could feel massive amounts of ki from her daughter.

With Xenia at the center, the heads of the 25 men surrounding her suddenly became decapitated in an invisible attack of ki. Blood shot forth from their severed necks and heads; however, not a single drop hit the ground. The stream of blood from each victim ran like a river to a single point twenty feet above Xenia and began to rotate.

In less than 10 seconds, the bodies ran dry of blood, and Xenia had formed a small 25–30 gallon sphere of blood hovering in the air above. The sphere rotated clockwise.

Xenia broke her concentration and seemed to maintain the “BloodStar” above her with ease. She looked up and said, “This is a BloodStar? Seems small.”

Victoria was stunned into silence for not only had Xenia collected the blood and accompanying ki from the men tied to the wooden stakes, but she had also sapped pure ki energy from the grass, insects, and trees leaving a circle of death around her. Much like she had pushed her healing ability past the limit to bring back the recently dead, she had also unknowingly pushed this technique past the boundary of blood to Victoria’s honest surprise.

Victoria snapped out of it and hurriedly said, “Now do something with the ki in their blood! Harness it for your own use! Yes!”

Victoria was amazed that Xenia had performed the BloodStar technique with such ease, and she urged her to take it further to use the ki within the extracted blood.

Xenia instantly drained the ki from the hovering ball of blood causing the sphere of blood to disappear, and she formed a weak ball of energy in her hand. She threw it into the valley far away causing a small explosion.

She frowned and said, “That wasn’t very impressive. That was so little ki. I thought the BloodStar technique was feared through history causing armies to surrender before the battle even began?”

Victoria laughed, “Did your small ball of blood look like a “star” in the sky? No, it did not. While you have shown to be a true prodigy at every turn, it will still take practice if you want to create a true BloodStar.”

Xenia said, “Fine. If you are so great at it, then show me a true BloodStar.”

Victoria gave her a stern look and said, “No. The last time I made a true BloodStar, the Sage Family’s most gifted curse master in history saddled me with curses forcing me into a corner.”

She then looked off in a gaze at nothing and said, “But I can tell you what I did. The entire United Army of Master Families led by the Sage and Heraklinos families charged forth at me planning to overwhelm my forces by sheer numbers.”

Xenia had never heard this part of the story and listened keenly. Victoria continued, “Then, in a few moments, I did to tens of thousands of soldiers what you have done here with 25 men.”

Xenia nearly choked, “You killed tens of thousands of soldiers in an instant!? But how did you control that much ki? That much blood?”

Victoria looked Xenia in the eye and said, “The rage of war fueled me. I pooled the blood of their army into the sky forming a true BloodStar that blotted out the sun creating a red sky. I had a massive reservoir of ki. I could have fought forever without running out of ki. I would’ve won too.” She paused before saying, “But alas, I had decisions to make. Decisions that have only delayed their demise. The fools.”

Xenia knew she didn’t have all of the information and asked, “What decisions?”

Victoria brushed her question off, “You have finished your training here today rather easily. However, the next level of mastery is anything but easy, even for you. Practice this technique every chance you get. Constance has increased her volume strictly for the purpose of your training.”

Xenia didn’t want to hear her praise in the moment and asked again, “What decisions?”

Victoria said, “Master the next level of the BloodStar. Then I will tell you everything you want and need to know about the last Great War.”

Before Xenia could protest, Victoria vanished into a black portal leaving Xenia alone with 25 carcasses surrounding her. With Victoria’s absence, the dome of shielding ki disappeared and the sky revealed itself once more.

Xenia had a fire burning within her. One she hadn’t had before. She had never fathomed her mother was powerful enough to massacre entire armies in an instant. But what she did know, is that if her mother could do it… she could do it too.