Demon of Dawn and Dusk

After leading Sidra to the dining room, I went inside the kitchen to make some spirit tea for us. Someone already stocked the kitchen with everything I needed, so that wasn’t an issue.

As I fiddled about with everything, it dawned on me that I wasn’t hungry. Sidra told me that I had been asleep for three weeks, yet I was in perfect physical condition. Not only that, but I didn’t feel hungry or thirsty. Why? I knew that powerful cultivators no longer needed to eat or drink in order to survive, but I hadn’t reached that level of power yet.

I thought back to the dream I had, and the creature I saw. Was this part of the gift she mentioned? I didn’t know. Maybe I could ask Sidra about it. Considering the topic at hand, that wouldn’t be a bad idea.

After the water finished boiling, I carried everything needed into the dining room and made two cups of spirit tea. I gave one to Sidra and she nodded in thanks. I took a sip of my own tea and let out a small moan of pleasure. By this point, I no longer felt embarrassment about my particular habits when eating, at least not in front of my sisters.

“As odd as this might sound,” Sidra said. “That quirk of yours is related to the subject at hand.”

I blinked at her in surprise.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“How much do you know about Mother?” Sidra asked.

I shook my head.

“Very little.” I said. “What little I do know about our mother scares me, if I’m being honest. She sounds like a terrifying person.”

Sidra nodded in acquiescence.

“She can be.” she admitted. “I’ve known her the longest, and sometimes I find myself terrified of her. However, when it comes to family, she means well.” She smirked. “Mother isn’t always the best at being, well, a mother, but she does mean well.”

I wasn’t sure if that made me feel better or not. I recalled some of the stories my sisters shared with me during the feast and shivered.

“To get back on topic,” Sidra said. “I asked because I wanted to know how much you knew about Mother’s origins.”

“Her origins?”

Sidra nodded.

“Mother began her existence as a heart demon.”

I stared at her with wide eyes. According to what Astra and Cultivator Raphael taught me, a heart demon was born from the darkness inside a cultivator’s mind and soul. They interfered with one’s cultivation, and if one grew powerful enough, it could even destroy the cultivator it came from. There were even stories of heart demons consuming and possessing the cultivators they came from, effectively taking their place.

Powerful negative emotions spawned heart demons. Anger, sorrow, greed, and so on. Sometimes traumatic events, such as the death of a loved one, gave rise to a heart demon. The stronger the emotion, the higher the chance of forming a heart demon. This was why a cultivator’s mental state was important. As long as they kept their mind balanced, this lowered the risk of forming a heart demon.

“How is that even possible?” I asked. “I thought heart demons were like spirits, except they haunted the cultivator that spawned them.”

“I’ll let Mother explain the details, once you meet her.” Sidra said. “It’s her story, so she deserves to tell it to you herself. That isn’t important right now. What is important is the kind of heart demon Mother was. She was a heart demon born of hunger and desire.” She gestured to the both of us. “As her children, we inherited that hunger and desire.”

My jaw dropped.

“Is that why I have such a large appetite?” I asked. I thought back to the feast. “Why we all have such big appetites?”

Sidra nodded.

“Yes.” she said. “However, this isn’t limited to hunger for food. As I said, Mother was a heart demon of hunger and desire. How this manifests differs for each of us. Take Estelle, for example. Out of all of us, she is the biggest martial idiot. While she had other hungers and desires, she likes fighting the most. A long time ago, an enemy of our family tried to take advantage of this in order to use Estelle to get to Mother. He failed in the end, and Mother destroyed his soul, but ever since then we have been wary of others trying to take advantage of our demonic nature.”

Sidra gestured to me.

“It doesn’t have to be an enemy either. A supposed friend might use your demonic nature to influence you. This is why you must be careful about who you befriend. There are plenty of people out there who will try to use you for their own benefit.” She sipped her tea. “This doesn’t have to be a bad thing, as long as it is a mutually beneficial arrangement, but don’t be someone who gives without taking in return. I refuse to have a pushover for a brother.”

I frowned at that.

“And you think my friends might try to use me like that?” I asked.

Sidra shook her head.

“No.” she said. “However, I believe their backers will use them in order to influence our family through you.” She shrugged. “Whether or not your friends know they’re being used like that is a different question altogether. Regardless, you need to be careful.”

A part of me felt hurt that my friends might have befriended me with ulterior motives in mind. Yes, in the beginning, I hadn’t minded so much. Sometimes relationships were transactional in nature. However, after a certain point, I grew fond of them. I…wanted more than a transactional relationship with them.

“You think my demonic nature will influence my relationship with my friends?” I asked. “I mean, I didn’t feel anything strange or particular when I interacted with them.” I paused. “Well, nothing a young man in my position wouldn’t feel.”

Sidra snorted and shook her head.

“That’s because you’re still mostly human, Little Demon.” she said. “That will change when you reach the physical refinement equivalent of peak Qi Condensation and unlock the Demon Form innate ability. That ability simultaneously draws its power from your demonic nature, and strengthens it. Your hungers and desires will become that much stronger.”

“What sorts of hungers and desires?” I asked. “You mentioned that how they manifest differs for each of us. What will be mine?”

Sidra shrugged.

“It’s difficult to tell,” she said. “Though, if I had to guess, I would say that food will be one of them. From what I heard, you are a bit of a glutton.”

I flushed at that.

“Is there anything we can do about this?” I asked. “Or are we slaves to these hungers and desires?”

Sidra scoffed.

“Of course there is something we can do,” she said, flicking my forehead. However, she held back her strength, so it didn’t hurt that much. “You must learn to discipline and control yourself. There is a reason why Astra provided you the manual for the Song of Dawn and Dusk technique. As the children of a heart demon, it is even more imperative for us to maintain a stable mental state, lest our demonic natures control us rather than the other way around.”

“I thought she did that to help me become a divine demon,” I said.

“Yes, that too. It’s possible to have more than one reason for a single action.”

I fell silent at that. My appreciation and gratitude for Astra deepened. She had done so much for me. One day, when I grew powerful enough, I would give to her as she gave to me. Not to repay a debt or because I owed her, but because she was my sister and I loved her.

“Now then,” Sidra said, standing up. “I have to go now. As the vice hall master, I have plenty of responsibilities and I can’t put off my duties any longer.” She smiled at me. “Though, I don’t regret the time we spent together, Little Demon. I’m glad I was the one who found you after you just woke up.” She chuckled. “I can’t wait to see our sisters’ faces when they find out.”

I stared at Sidra. From her perpetual cold and haughty expression, I assumed that my eldest sister was a serious person. It surprised me that she had a childish side to her as well.

“Here,” Sidra said, pulling a bag out of her storage ring and handing it to me. “This storage bag contains your reward for going through the Crucible of Flames. It also contains your sect crest, the complete manuals for the techniques you’ve learned so far, and a surprise gift from me.”

I grabbed the storage bag. While I was glad about the sect crest and the rewards I earned by going through the Crucible of Flames, it was the complete manuals that interested me the most. Ever since I learned that I had only read the abridged versions, I’ve always wanted to get my hands on the complete ones. Having that wish of mine fulfilled made me happy.

“Be sure to study those manuals diligently, Little Demon.” Sidra said in a stern voice. “I will be back in a week to check up on you. If I can’t come myself, I’ll send either Estelle or Astra in my place.”

“Yes, Big Sis Sidra,” I said. “I won’t disappoint you.”

Sidra smiled at that and tousled my hair.

“Good.” She started to leave, but stopped. “Oh, I’ll send the twins your way later today. The young master of Flame Fiend Hall needs to have at least a few personal servants. It wouldn’t look good otherwise.”

I stared at her. Young master. While I knew that applied to me now, it hadn’t seemed real until this moment. I wasn’t sure how to react to that.

“Who are the twins?” I asked.

“Their family serves ours,” Sidra said. “Think of them as your retainers.”

I nodded. Having personal servants would be a new experience for me, since I always had to do everything myself back on Mt. Wind Dance. I felt a bit nervous. Everyone in Clan Wind Dance, including the servants, looked down on me. What if these twins were the same? No. That wouldn’t happen. I will make sure of it. If these twins caused any trouble, then I would ask Sidra to replace them.

“Thank you, Big Sis Sidra.” I said.

“Think nothing of it, Little Demon. That is what family is for.”

With that, Sidra left.

After my eldest sister left, I opened the storage bag and studied its contents, starting with the sect crest. Storage bags were spatial magic treasures, like storage rings, except they were cheaper and couldn’t hold as much.

The sect crest looked like the one Astra showed me, back when she first took me away from Mt. Wind Dance. It was a jade medallion, with the symbol of the Dawn and Dusk Sect Carved into it. It served as a badge and a form or identification, proving I belonged to the Dawn and Dusk Sect. I bound the crest to me, the same way I would any other magic treasure, before setting it aside.

Next, I studied the rewards I earned from going through the Crucible of Flames. This included one hundred low-grade spirit stones and the equivalent number in sect contribution; with the latter recorded on a jade slip. Considering the life I lived before Astra rescued me, this seemed like an unimaginable amount of wealth to someone like me.

The rewards also included two jade bottles filled with pills. One contained Qi Condensation Pills, which would help with my qi refinement. The other contained…I wasn’t sure what it contained. When I opened the bottle, a noxious smell filled the air. Poison? That didn’t make any sense. Why would my sister give me poison? I would have to ask her about it when I saw her again.

The surprise gift from Sidra turned out to be a flying magic treasure in the shape of a carpet. Most flying treasures were either swords or boats, but I had heard that the natives who lived in the deserts south east of Mt. Wind Dance used carpets instead. I unfurled the carpet and let out a sound of amazement. It was a beautiful piece of art, decorated with intricate geometric patterns. It was too bad that I wasn’t in the Foundation Establishment realm, otherwise I would have flown around on it right away.

I placed the flying carpet in my storage ring, before turning my attention to the manuals Sidra left behind. With a gleeful smile on my face, I started reading them. The complete manuals were similar to the abridged ones, except they contained more detailed knowledge on the techniques described within them. They answered many of the questions that plagued me about the techniques and clarified several things that I hadn’t understood. I felt my cultivation go up just by reading them, though not by much.

The most important part, however, was how the manuals described the innate abilities I would gain by practicing these techniques. I already knew about the Demon Form innate ability, thanks to my sisters. As Sidra told me, it drew upon my demonic nature and strengthened said nature. While the effects varied, depending on the practitioner, the core of the ability was the same for everyone. Practitioners who used this ability gained the physique of a demon. A cultivator with fire demon ancestry would turn into a fire demon, one with poison demon ancestry would become a poison demon, and so on.

To my surprise, the Song of Dawn and Dusk also had an innate ability. Rather, it had two innate abilities: the Light of Dawn and the Cloak of Dusk. The former strengthened a practitioner's spirit sense, allowing them to better pierce through concealments and illusions. The former allowed a practitioner to hide their cultivation, and their whole presence at the highest levels.

For practitioners of the Soul of Divine Fire technique, the innate ability they gained when they reached peak Qi Condensation was called Armor of the Celestial Warrior. As the name suggested, using this ability covered the practitioner's body in an armor made from divine qi. It worked well with defensive mystic arts and defensive magic treasures, adding another layer of protection to keep the practitioner safe.

According to the manual, Armor of the Celestial Warrior synergized well with divine defensive mystic arts, creating an effect that was stronger than the sum of its parts. It was quite powerful, as expected of a technique that belonged to Celestial Warrior Hall.

Hmm, now that I thought about it, the mystic arts and techniques of Celestial Warrior Hall seemed more defensive in nature than the ones that belonged to Flame Fiend Hall. At least, that was how it seemed to me, looking back on the mystic arts and techniques that Cultivator Raphael taught me. Armor of the Celestial Warrior, Heavenly Shield, Heavenly Seal.

I took a moment to think about how Armor of the Celestial Warrior would look in conjunction with Demon Form. I imagined myself with pitch black skin and golden eyes while clad in armor made from golden fire. It was a compelling image, I had to admit. I would look like a true divine demon.

Of course, in order to make that fantasy become a reality, I needed to reach peak Qi Condensation in both my qi refinement and my physical refinement. For the latter, it wouldn’t be a problem. However, it would take me years to reach peak Qi Condensation with my aptitude. And that was if I cultivated everyday. Unfortunately, I had no access to Divine Fire qi, or even regular Fire qi here at Flame Fiend Hall. The qi here was all demonic. I would need to discuss this with Sidra when I saw her next, otherwise my progress would be severely hampered.

In the middle of reading through the manuals, a chill ran down my spine. It felt like someone was watching me. I looked around, but saw and heard no one, even with my spirit sense. Despite this, I couldn’t shake the sensation that there was someone watching me. I stood up and took a stance. If my watcher was hostile and attacked me, they wouldn’t find me unprepared.

As the minutes passed and nothing happened, I started to feel silly. Maybe what I felt had been a trick of the mind. That wouldn’t surprise me, given everything that had happened. I was prone to bouts of (unnecessary) paranoia. I breathed out and relaxed.

However, the moment I did, I heard a scratching sound come from above me. I looked up to find a woman clinging to the ceiling. The moment I caught sight of her, the woman flung herself at me. I attacked her, but my blows couldn’t connect. The woman’s movements were too smooth and fluid. It was as if her body was made of water instead of flesh.

After dodging several of my attacks, the woman struck back. I even recognized the fighting style she used: Disrupting Fingers. She hit several of my acupoints with her fingers, which were empowered by her qi. Within seconds, I found myself unable to move, no matter how hard I struggled.

Back when Astra demonstrated the Disrupting Fingers fighting style, and used it to immobilize me, I felt annoyed and humbled at the time. Right now, I felt terrified. There was a difference between learning from one’s sister, and being attacked by an intruder far more powerful than myself.

“Tsk, tsk,” the woman said. “That was careless of you, young master. If you were going to immerse yourself in reading, you should have activated the arrays protecting your estate. What if I had been a real intruder? You would have been dead before you even knew it.”

Did she just call me young master? With an effort of will, I reigned my panic in and studied the woman before me. She was tall and thin, with ivory skin, long black hair, and androgynous features. She wore a black robe embroidered with snake imagery. Countless iridescent scales covered her skin. Her eyes were bluish-green, with vertical slits for pupils.

To my chagrin, the woman was a late Foundation Establishment cultivator. Even if she hadn’t caught me by surprise, I would have been no match for her.

“Look at you,” the woman said, smirking. “As helpless as a babe in the woods. I could do whatever I want to you, and there would be nothing you could do to stop me.”

She caressed my chest as she spoke and licked her lips.

“Who are you?” I demanded, surprised that I could talk. It seemed that this woman hadn’t taken away my ability to speak.

The woman opened her mouth to answer, but someone else spoke up before she could

“Ellen!” a man said, sounding furious. “What do you think you are doing?”

I felt a rush of air as someone rushed over and put the woman in a hold. She just smiled and put up no resistance. I studied the newcomer. He looked almost identical to the woman, down to the androgynous features, though he looked more masculine than the woman. His eyes were also amber in color rather than blue. Like the woman, he was in late Foundation Establishment.

“I was just teaching the young master the importance of vigilance.” the woman said, sounding nonchalant despite her current position. “Even in the heart of Flame Fiend Hall, he should exercise caution.”

“It is not our place to teach the young master in this manner.” the man said in a dangerous voice. “Even if it was, you overstepped your bounds. Release him.”

The woman sighed, before slithering out of the man’s hold, her movements as fluid as water. It was as if she hadn’t been grappled in the first place. She hit my acupoints again and I found myself able to move again. I stepped back, putting as much distance between myself and the woman as possible, until my back hit a wall. The man placed a hand on the back of the woman's neck and forced her to bow from the waist. He bowed as well.

“You have my deepest apologies, Young Master.” he said. “My sister means well, despite her questionable methods. Feel free to punish her in any way you deem fit, though I hope you find it in your heart to show mercy.”

I stared at the two of them as understanding dawned within me.

“You’re the twins that Big Sis Sidra told me about?” I asked, incredulous.

“Yes,” the man said. “My name is Elliot, and this is my sister Ellen. From this day forward, we are yours to do with as you wish. Our lives belong to you.”

I stared at their bowed forms with wide eyes. These were my personal servants?