The Bloodline System

Chapter 1598: Unrelenting Chase

The living room in Calden Reistʼs household was filled with an air of quiet despair as Endric sat across from Caldenʼs wife, who nervously wrung her hands.

Her eyes were red from tears and her face pale from worry. Caldenʼs young daughter clung to her side, looking up at Endric with hope and fear. It had been a difficult conversation, but finally, they had come to the heart of the matter.

”Thereʼs a cabin in the woods,” Caldenʼs wifeʼs voice trembled softly. ”Itʼs… itʼs where we used to go as a family. Calden loved that place. It was secluded, and peaceful. He even kept a small spacecraft there, stashed away underground in a bunker. Weʼd fly out from there sometimes.

Thereʼs a particular star we used to visit, out in space, far from everything. Heʼd take us there for vacations—just the three of us.”

Endricʼs nodded slowly in understanding. ”That might be where heʼs gone. Do you remember the name of the star or where itʼs located?”

She shook her head, wiping her eyes. ”No… Iʼm sorry. I never really knew where it was exactly. Calden always set the coordinates himself. But the spacecraft… it should still be there.”

Endric leaned forward slightly with a look of gratitude. ”Thank you. I promise you, weʼll put an end to this.”

The woman gave a weary nod while holding her daughter closer as if seeking comfort in the promise. ”Please… he is a good man. Even if heʼs broken. Do your best to save him.”

Endric offered a reassuring glance before heading out the door.

---

Back at Gustavʼs residence, Endric reappeared in the living room, where Gustav was seated, still deep in thought, poring over maps and energy readings in a futile attempt to locate Calden Reist. Endricʼs arrival immediately broke his concentration, and Gustav looked up, sensing the urgency in his little brotherʼs expression.

”What did you find?” Gustav question cut through the tense atmosphere.

Endric explained quickly. ”Caldenʼs wife mentioned a cabin in the woods where theyʼd go as a family. Heʼs got a spacecraft stashed there in an underground bunker. Apparently, theyʼd use it to visit a specific star, where theyʼd go on vacation. She doesnʼt know where the star is, but the ship must still be there. It might have the last coordinates he used.”

Gustavʼs eyes gleamed. ”Thatʼs all I need.”

Without another word, Gustav stood and stepped outside.

The wind immediately picked up around him as he prepared to take flight. His body became enveloped in a faint glow as crimson energy surged through his veins.

With a single leap, Gustav shot into the air, cutting through the skies like a meteor.

The sound of the atmosphere tearing as he moved at impossible speeds echoed across the landscape. Clouds split and dissipated in his wake, leaving a trail of shimmering light behind him as he flew toward the location of the cabin.

The world below became a blur as Gustav crossed vast distances in mere moments. Cities, forests, and mountains rushed past, all of them blending together into a single line of motion. The sky above darkened and lightened as he cut through different time zones. His speed was so immense that even time seemed to fold around him.

Within two seconds, he arrived at the coordinates. The cabin, nestled deep in the woods, stood in quiet solitude, untouched by the chaos of the world beyond.

A moment later, Endric blinked into existence beside him. His control over space had brought him there instantly.

”This is it,” Endric murmured as his eyes scanned the peaceful surroundings. ”Feels almost too quiet.”

Gustav nodded in agreement. His eyes narrowed as they approached the cabin. It was a quaint place, the kind of location a family might visit to escape the world. The air was still, and the trees surrounding the property swayed gently in the breeze, as though guarding the secrets within.

The two of them stepped inside, and it was immediately clear that this was a familyʼs retreat.

Pictures lined the walls—images of Calden, his wife, and their daughter, all smiling, and happy. Toys were scattered about, and an old book lay open on the table, as if it had been left behind in the middle of a peaceful evening. It was a place filled with memories.

”He really loved them, didnʼt he?” Endric said quietly as he looked at the pictures.

”Yeah... the opposite of our biological father,” Gustavʼs reply was equally soft. ”Which is why this whole situation is such a tragedy. Nevertheless...” He trailed off knowing that he wouldnʼt hesitate to do what was needed when the time came.

They moved through the cabin swiftly, searching for any sign of the bunker Caldenʼs wife had mentioned. After a few moments, they found it—a hidden door beneath a rug in the living room, leading down to a narrow staircase. Gustav pushed the door open, and the two descended into the darkness below.

The bunker was small but efficient. In the center of the room was the miniature spacecraft, smooth and well-maintained despite the dust that had gathered in the corners.

Gustav and Endric exchanged a glance before approaching the control panel. Endric stepped forward. He began tapping on the screen dashboard as he accessed the last coordinates.

”Got it,” Endric stated with enthusiasm.

The screen displayed the coordinates of the star the family used to visit.

”Itʼs not far from Earth. We can get there quickly.”

Without wasting another second, Gustav turned toward the exit. ”Letʼs go.”

With a powerful leap, Gustav launched himself into the sky, breaking through the atmosphere in seconds. The Earth rapidly shrank behind him as he hurtled into space while the stars stretched out before him.

Endric blinked out of existence from the bunker, reappearing in space beside him, matching his speed as they soared through the cosmos.

The vastness of space was a sight to behold, but neither of them had time to appreciate it. Their focus was entirely on the task at hand—finding Calden before he caused any more destruction. The stars streaked past them in a blur, and within moments, they were approaching the star that Calden had once taken his family to.

”This is it,” Endric voiced while his eyes scanned the surroundings. The star shone brightly in the distance like a green glacial orbital body, casting a warm glow over the nearby planets.

”I sense a presence...” Gustav muttered.

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the galaxy, E.E. was still trying to evade the figure who had been chasing them. He had managed to get Elevora back to their spacecraft and now they were flying at full speed away from the planet where they had barely escaped with their lives.

Elevora was seated in the co-pilotʼs chair. Her face was still a bit pale as she glanced at the radar. ”Heʼs still following us,” she muttered with a strained voice.

E.E.ʼs hands gripped the controls tightly in frustration. ”I know. Heʼs fast, Iʼll give him that.”

The radar showed the dark figure gaining on them, moving impossibly fast through the void of space. His presence seemed to warp the space around him, bending reality itself as he pursued them with relentless intent.

”We need to lose him, E.E.,” Elevora said, glancing at him. ”He wonʼt stop. If he catches us while Iʼm in this state—”

”He wonʼt E.E. interrupted as his eyes narrowed. ”Iʼll make sure of it.”

It wasnʼt news that Elevora was stronger than E.E. and one of the most powerful in their group. They would only have the upper hand if she wasnʼt missing an arm. Right now, they were no doubt at a disadvantage.

E.E. went on to activate the shipʼs hyperdrive, and the stars around them blurred into streaks of light as they surged forward at incredible speed.

The ship shuddered under the force of the acceleration, but E.E.ʼs hands remained steady on the controls.

The radar blinked for a moment, showing the figure falling behind—but only slightly. His speed was so unparalleled, and even the hyperdrive couldnʼt completely shake him.

”How is he keeping up?” Elevoraʼs voice was laced with disbelief.

She couldnʼt remember Gustav ever moving that fast so who was this dude? How was he keeping up with even hyperdrive that evoked a speed that was multiple times faster than light?

E.E.ʼs face darkened. ”How indeed... Even with the distance I put between us when I opened a vortex, he still managed to keep up. It makes no sense. Do you know what his ability is?”

”I donʼt... All I know is that he tanked the power from my eye and ripped my arm off before I could even begin to piece things together,” Elevora answered.

For a moment, silence hung between them as the chase continued. They were well aware that their options were running out.

”What do we do?” Elevoraʼs voice was much quieter now, tinged with worry.

E.E. glanced at her, his eyes calm but resolved. ”We keep running—for now. But Iʼll think of something. Weʼre not getting caught by that monster.”

With that, he adjusted the shipʼs trajectory, steering them deeper into the far reaches of space, hoping to outmaneuver their relentless pursuer.