When they rematerialized, they were inside the Starlit dimensional pocket that had been on loan to Master Lu Sha from the Sect, though it had changed significantly since the last time the Emperor had been inside. Kuzunoha almost gagged at the amount of blood, however the Demon Queen had a different response.
"{WONDROUS!}" To a Demon, the atmosphere and heavy concentration of blood energies made it seem more like sacred ground. The blood had a sort of stinging sensation against her skin, it was both pleasing and painful whenever she came into contact with it.
"{Do not wander, there have been many changes since we last came.}" He was speaking to both of them. It wasn't a worthless gesture either, much of the blood that circulated carried a holy effect, which was somewhat harmful to demons in greater concentrations. The scenery was strange, the Emperor saw several small dwellings, none were taller than himself as a whole, from their perspective it was easy to see the roof of the baser buildings. However, when he looked up, he saw massive towers, like condominiums woven together, a hive, suspended in the air.
Craning his neck, he also saw the remains of several portals, they had been crudely constructed but it was something to be proud of. 'They rechanneled the formations..' Wu Hai was admiring the craftsmanship of the Portals and Kuzunoha coughed gently.
"When this is over, you're going to explain... her." Kuzunoha pointed at Vira.
Vira's eyes widened gently in anticipation and watched as Emperor Zao carried the young girl to a blood pool on the far island. Even she couldn't help but admire the scenery, it was giving off a sacred vibe like something extremely mystical. In the Center of the dimension, a large crystal acted like a source for gravity and blood, drawn from every corner, flew toward it.
He pulled out a table, many treasures, the eight soul essence bottles, crystal box and a red compass. Wahchung's voice came out immediately, he felt something strange and was incapable of restraining himself. It was exactly as the Emperor had hoped. "Alright you little bastard, you've basically treated me like I didn't exist until I threatened your destruction, get over here and explain. Qu gave me the run down but I need some confirmation on details."
Wahchung saw the Demon Queen and turtled.
"Get out here, this instant." Wu Hai used his spiritual sense and congealed a hand of energy, it grabbed the tortoise shell of the Mata Turtle Spirit.
"The Demon Queen, that's the Demon Queen." Wahchung cried out from within the shell.
"My Daughter requires help, you either assist me or die today." Wu Hai's expression was serious and some pressure was applied to the compass.
"My lord, I did not know. What would you like to know?" Wahchung hung in the air and turned away from the Demon Queen, hiding her from his line of sight.
"I know recreating the conditions of my demons purification cannot be done so quickly, I'm here to ensure that it can happen. Even if I have to strip the soul from the demon beforehand." Wu Hai caressed the box.
"{HA …}" A single laugh came from Vira.
"{Ha... Ha ha.. hah. Hah-ha. This. .. Ha... Haha..This is why you .. Ha.}" Vira's inappropriate laughter enraged Kuzunoha and she grabbed at the Demon Queens dress, white fire burned around her and her wings spread wide and ready for a fight.
"{This girl, she..is suffering a backlash, right?}" Vira smirked while she spoke, a knot appeared on the side of Kuzunoha's head. She released Vira and pulled out a blade of white bone.
"This is your only chance, answer me. You know how to fix this problem? If not, you're going to die today." Kuzunoha grit her teeth and pointed the blade toward Demon Queen Vira's throat.
Vira touched the side of the blade, a sizzle appeared, burning her finger as she pushed it aside slowly.
"{This is laughable. Had he asked me to cure some human of a backlash instead of making demands, this could have been resolved much easier than explained.}" Vira finished speaking and Wu Hai crumpled his fists. "{Hold yourselves responsible, the dumbest question is one unasked.}" She waved her hand and a small demon was drawn from a secret space. She waved again and looked at the Emperor.
"{What do I get?}" Closing her hand, she knew she had a card to play.
"You dare negotiate?" Kuzunoha's anger was swelling.
"{I am a Demon. If you're going to be part of my family, you'd better start treating me with some more respect.}" Vira bounced her tits a bit and postured for position.
All of that served to enrage Wu Hai. A black flame erupted from his back and began to surround them all. "{Tell me.. tell me or I'll kill you.}" He gave a dead stare, Kuzunoha was afraid and backed away.
Hana was laying on the table, her body was giving off perspiration and weakening during their discussions. Wu Hai took a step forward.
Vira started to speak but the words got caught in her throat when she was held in the air by the Emperor, his fingers tightened. "{We signed a contract, that doesn't mean I lack a way to kill you and dissolve our relationship.}" He turned toward Kuzunoha, "Collect her soul."
"H-huh?" Kuzunoha didn't expect the change of events, her mind was fragmented for a moment but she threw out a sacred scroll and the air began to fill with chants. "Are you sure?"
"{SPEAK!}" Wu Hai held the Demon Queen and watched her smile.
"{Set... me-e... down.}" She struggled a little and an intense light permeated the area. The chanting had begun to speed up and she could feel her soul being drawn from her body slowly. "{O..Okay.}" The word came out of her mouth and the Emperor released his grip.
She spit some blood onto the ground, it was drawn into the air and floated away.
"{I will have but a simple requirement and it does matter to the process.}" She held up her hand and stopped the Emperor from grabbing again at her throat.
"{I said Speak.}" His temper had grown to fit his bloodline, it was exactly how Kuzunoha had feared.
Vira removed her necklace and rubbed at her throat. "I only need to call a certain demon here, he can easily mend this." She turned to a dry spot and drew a spell circle, it was a summoning spell. "{Nightwishers, Obey my command. ^#@&@-$%*#%^($^&-$%@$%^#}"
A violent condensation began to erupt from the summoning circle, a black figure, its clothes, although visible, were also made of something that looked like ash and charcoal. When it arrived, it looked like a burnt corpse that was constantly falling. Its eyes opened and a bronze light turned the shadows around it into tattered hands that fluctuated toward the Queen.
"{We serve.}" As if ordered to do so, it bowed toward the Demon Queen.
"{I have this one here, a backlash and I can't be troubled with it.}" She scoffed like it was too much trouble to even explain further. Her fists tightened, "{Fix her now or I'll consume your soul and get another to replace you.}" The black hands stood arrested, unwilling to move further.
Vira's head tilted and a stream of energy began to pull from the Nightwisher.
Chants began to come from the mouth of the Nightwisher. A black smoke came out, it wandered toward Hana's body and surrounded her momentarily. A fog lingered around her body and tendrils drove into her eyes nose and throat. Then slowly the hands began to revolve around Hanahaksu's head.
It had been completed just like that, the Nightwisher began to speak, like a prophecy, "{Her life restored. My fee, a twist of fate, a devils cause, not for you, who's left in caws. Broken wisdom, a shattered dream, calling forth th..."
"{Demon's who complete a prophecy before a price has been paid, will always have one later.}" Vira completed the soul extraction and held a small crystal, she chucked it over the blood falls. "{Did it work?}" She stared at Hana who still laid motionless on the table.
"The process has only just begun." Kuzunoha felt annoyed, Vira couldn't even have confidence that her actions would work, and yet, she had called another demon to her location and even had him cast a spell of some sort onto her daughter. The whole matter wreaked of foul play.
"{Hmmph, still don't trust me? A favor from a demon, any demon, if gone unpaid, will always come at another time. You should be thankful, instead of sneering at me with eyes of suspicion.}" Vira cracked a smile when she saw the Emperor getting on with matters, feeling like she had won.
Wu Hai opened a bottle of ancient healing potion from the table and poured it into Hana's mouth, then he hand reached for a bottle of the soul essence. As it passed across the table, he quietly stared at the Crystal Box and opened it. Inside, the egg was resting, suspended in a pocket space all its own. He poured the solution into the space with the egg. As it drained from the bottle to fill the space, it began to swirl gently into a whirlpool, sucking toward the center. 'Harris and Kim Li really did a good job with this one.' He closed the box.
"We will see." Pulling another bottle of soul essence, he poured it into Hana's mouth and pinched her nose.
Hana's body, which still needed to breath, began to pull and swallow. Emperor Zao's resting hand was used to search her body, he couldn't wake her by traditional means but the so called treatment had only just been begun. It would take longer than a single moment for her to recover.
They waited and several minutes later, Hana turned to cough. Her complexion was terrible and she felt like she had died, her whole body ached. When her eyes came into focus, she saw her mother with fear flashing on her face.
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"Demon." Hana struggled to speak, one of the first faces to appear in her vision besides her mother, was a bright red woman, she wore a red dress and had horns atop her head.
"Don't speak for now, just focus and try to regain your strength." The Empress held Hanahaksu's head up and placed a pillow behind her. "You suffered a backlash."
Hana slowly picked her hand up and held her chest, she felt broken inside. There was tremendous damage, though the healing potion had kept her alive, there was a lot that couldn't be repaired so easily. "The Enemy.."
"Don't worry, you were successful in at least that much." Zao Wu Hai stared at his daughter and shook his head. "Its my fault, I should have warned you about the blood cost. You were not ready, maybe not for a few more years even." He took a step closer and examined her condition now that she was awake.
Hana's face was complex in that moment, she wasn't sure what to expect for her future but she was glad to be alive. "Where is Dissait?" Looking around, she couldn't see him, Hana wondered if he had also survived. When last she'd seen him, he was clutching his chest, preparing to die.
"Dissait." Emperor Zao paused for a moment and pulled out a communication stone. "I will contact Master Lu Sha and have him bring your pets. Dissait is alive but he is recovering."
"I don't understand, everything is so fuzzy." She felt a sharp pain again, her head felt like it was ready to explode and the energy channels in her body felt like they were on fire. A ringing filled her ears and disoriented her.
The Emperor grabbed another bottle of the soul essence and had her consume it.
"Channel your energy, let it circulate and fill your body. Slowly absorb the Soul Essence, these last five bottles, I need them to help settle your condition, in conjunction with.." Before he could say another word, gold light shrouded Hana's body. Her complexion got much better but the injuries that were not healed by the Ancient healing potion were still present, keeping her in a weakened state.
"Looks like you've leveled up." Wu Hai checked her body for changes and except for a much larger hole where her energy reserves were originally, not much change had taken place. 'This is weird, even for someone with my bloodline.' Scratching his head, he explained what the treatment he had planned and the risks that he assumed would come to light. Before he began to give his reasons why, he waved his hand and an isolation formation surrounded them both. Even Kuzunoha was kept away from their discussion.
"Hana. Your power isn't born of this world, our bloodline, my bloodline, it is something that shouldn't exist on this plane. A power of the Immortals, the bloodline of this worlds creator. I don't know if this makes us truly immortal, because it did not save Xue, Xi or your Grandfather." He let it sink in a moment and Hana stared coldly at her hands. "I don't have the whole story, perhaps no one does. Qu has details he's neglected to share with me, all based on some oath he's bound to. However, all hints point to what I've just told you, this world is not meant to contain us. It is meant to foster us into Eternity, safeguarding the ones we love along the way."
Hana broke into tears at the news of her Grandfather's death. The Patriarch was a strong and stubborn man but he had shown her a kindness and respected her anonymity.
"I have gathered all the necessary means to bond you to a demon, just like the one hidden inside of my chest. With its help, we can regulate our power and the backlashes that come along with it. The bonding doesn't erase the Blood cost but it certainly cuts it down to a level you can survive and fight again. This has come at great costs to the Sect and Kingdom, I hope that you will not reject it." He pointed to the table and many objects covered its surface, treasures accumulated throughout his lifetime. "For you, I would sacrifice almost anything."
"But.." Hana started to speak but to her, it sounded like rejecting his offer and she forced herself to stop. "Yes. Father." She bowed her head gently and did her best to stand up. As she got to her feet, Wu Hai lowered the formation.
"She has agreed?" Kuzunoha watched him turn to the table and the bottles floated in the air.
He waved his hand and the fluid chamber from the medical ward materialized.
A stream of fluids appeared from a separate ring and began to fill the tank. The bottles of soul essence spun around the chamber like it had its own gravity. A formation was laid with the Bloodpool at the center and the tank was brimming with energy.
"Hana, it is time. Get into the tank." He motioned for her to enter and she flew into the air, lowering herself softly into the solution, making sure not to spill anything. A small hose connected her to an air source and she sank beneath the surface, immersing herself in the slurry.
"This will take however long it needs, she must absorb the energy of the spiritual essence through this solution. Afterward, we only need her to remain in the Bloodpool with the Egg until it hatches. I've prepared enough food to satiate it." He scanned the ring on his thumb to make sure. "I will return in a few minutes with Dissait and your pets, Master Lu Sha says you've done significant training. When this is all a matter of the past, you will have to show me."
Wu Hai grabbed Kuzunoha's hand and pressed it to his chest. "I am still me. Even if I look like this." he kissed her forehead and grabbed Vira. "{You're job while she recovers, is to guard the Sect. Once she recovers, we can expand your territory and act from there.}"
Vira didn't like the way that sounded, she furiously pulled her hand away. "{That was never part of the deal.}"
"{When we first met on that battlefield so long ago, some of the first words to come from your mouth to me were exactly this. You even said that if I came to demon clan, I can have anything, do anything, even have you as a trophy.}" He put his hands up and continued, "{Was that all a lie? I thought demons kept their word.}"
Emperor Zao knew what buttons to press and Vira sneered.
"{Besides, since you now carry a child of my heritage, of my clan, my family is now your family, that includes the girl in the tank, Zao Hanahaksu.}" He beamed and grabbed her wrist once more, pulling her closer in front of Kuzunoha. "{You are my second wife, accept this change of fate, you are bound to it.}"
Vira seemed to change shades of red, she pushed at his chest to pull away but was unable to move. His fingers created another spell circle, he was ready to teleport back to the Sect.
"{So you keep insisting.}" Vira whispered under her breath, the words only traveled to the Emperor's ears.
Wu Hai flicked his finger and they both disappeared.
Kuzunoha placed her hand on the tank and Hana did the same.
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