It was early in the morning, there were guards roaming constantly and none of them were complacent. Events over the last few weeks had been a roller coaster that none of them wanted to experience again. Dramatic changes had swept across the Sect, the gates were locked and barred, a massive shield covered the entirety of Zao City.
Calistown had been worried ever since the attack earlier. The loss of her husband, the Patriarch, the Leader of the Zao Clan, had devastated her emotions. She wept constantly and could only be consoled by those closest to her. Rachael had seen Calistown in some rather difficult moods but never so distraught. Zhan's transformation and self-exile had not even brought such a heavy burden upon her soul.
Guzhe had been working overtime to secure the perimeter and prepare the Stealth Corp for combat action. The intruder, even though he was powerful, should have been met with more of the security forces but Teleporters were difficult to contend with, they could appear anywhere.
A black dot began to appear in the courtyard, fifty stealth soldiers arrived and more than a hundred guards were rushing to their position, all had their weapons drawn.
When the black dot expanded, it revealed five figures.
"Stand down." Guzhe saw the Emperor's eyes and gave the order. "Sir. You've returned. How did the mission go?"
"Just as expected, sideways. However. Darkwing is dead." Wu Hai grabbed Guzhe's shoulder, "Where is the Matriarch?"
"Sect Leader Calistown is in the Throne room listening to the Elder Council. They should have been alerted to an arrival, I will walk with you there." Guzhe offered to escort the Emperor to meet with the Matriarch.
"No need." Wu Hai channneled another teleportation circle and brought the group into the throne room. His arrival startled the Elders, they stood ready for battle, all of them channeling and prepared to strike. "Mother, I have returned."
Wu Hai emerged from the teleportation bubble and energy undulations that were unmistakably the Patriarch's met with Calistown. "Husband!" Calistown rushed to Ooran and grabbed at his chest. "You asshole! Don't ever do that again! Don't leave me here like this!" She pounded on his fists and he smiled.
Smiling, Ooran could only talk gently to his beloved. "I was sure that I had died. Rest assured, I won't be so easily fooled again." Brushing Calistown's hair from her face, he wanted to kiss his wife but remembered his body. "Because I was in soul form, I survived. Wu Hai, he really found a way."
Ooran let his hands down and Calistown grabbed at his waist, unwilling to let go. "This body, I am a demon.."
"I don't care what race or blood flows through you, you're still my Husband." Calistown kissed Ooran, it felt different as she pressed her lips against his but she wouldn't allow that to stop her from sharing her affections and rejoice at his survival. "If Ho can live and love as he is and has been, then surely I can as well. Wu Hai, give me the demon bloodline."
"Calistown." Ooran put his hand against her face. "Are you sure you want to do this?"
Wu Hai had foreseen some of the likely scenarios but he had to admit, he didn't see his mother choosing this route. "I am able, but are you truly willing to give up what you knew. A Demon's body betrays your emotions, you cannot hide them so easily."
"So I will be able to show love more vividly, who dares to stand in my way!" Calistown glowed with starlight, her illusory body flickered with motes of light. "I am sure."
Emperor Zao pulled out the Gygax and cup. "If you want to change anything else, I have plenty of other options."
"Just the Demon Bloodline will be enough." As the Matriarch, she had never been greedy, she had no reason to start.
"If there is something wrong or strange, we can adjust it." Wu Hai pulled out the First form Gygax, he remembered it like it was yesterday. Sighing, he placed it in the cup. "Becoming a Demon will greatly extend your life.. as I know it, Demon's do not die from age.
"To spend eternity with my Husband, was that not what we always agreed to? I choose this happily." Calistown shed a tear, the last tear from her human body. She grabbed the cup and cast it.
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
The Ying Demon Clan had taken up residency in the Red Hills. Ying Qingchi and Zao Ho had made quite the home for themselves and the rest of the Demon blooded Espers. They had no interest in participating in the many affairs that complicated society, Ho had lived for several thousand years in a childs body and only now was he able to grow up, mature and reproduce. Populations made kingdoms and among the seventy families of Demon blooded Espers, Qingchi and Ho had the largest.
The Zao Priesthood had followed Ho to the area and even devoted themselves to serving the Demon Prince, their savior from another world. A Black bubble appeared in the central square, it wasn't uncommon, Ho himself frequently jumped from one place to another. The Priesthood prepared for Ho's arrival, bowing their heads to the floor, leading themselves into a sort of prayer.
"{Such a warm welcome.}" Vira approved and watched the others come out of the bubble's interior.
"Vira, this is the Ying Demon Clan. A branch of the Zao Clan." Wu Hai pointed to the Elemental Pools that were gathering under isolation formations.
"{The Zao Family is a Demon Clan?}" It didn't make a lot of sense to Vira, the Demons and Zao Clan had been at odds even after their escape from the battlefields of Hell. "{Wait? Did I hear that right? Did you just say branch of the Family}" Vira's eyes tightened on her surroundings, she started staring at the details of the people in the City.
Then, she saw a Baby being held by her mother. 'Baby demons??' There were children and homes, entire groups of young ones running around. Of the seventy families in the branch, most of them had chosen to regularly have children. The original population of 142 demons and five hundred priests, had risen to nearly seven hundred in the last fifteen years. Each year, there were more of them maturing. Ho and Qingchi's two eldest children, Ying Xue and Ying Wu, were almost the same age as Hana.
A strong soul force wafted over, it stunned Vira again. 'So Stong!' She winced and looked up to see a pink light approaching her.
Qingchi's soul searching abilities left nothing unseen, she, without hesitation, quickly scanned Vira from head to toe upon her arrival. "UNCLE!" Landing, she ran up to Zao Wu Hai and kissed him on the cheek. "What brings you here! Who's this?" She pointed to Vira.
"There is a lot to talk about, and much of it is a secret. Where is your husband?" Wu Hai laughed and booped her nose.
"Quit it. I'm not a child anymore." She giggled and closed her eyes for a moment. "He's about an hour away dealing with something. When he's done he'll be back, I don't feel any danger so he should be fine."
'Feel any danger?' Vira's mind went in circles.
"Yes, I can feel danger." Qingchi responded to Vira's thoughts and Vira shirked.
"{You can hear my thoughts?}" Vira asked.
"Of course, I am the first of the Truthers." Qingchi stuck out her tongue. "No one can hide things from me. As for the matter you've come to discuss, you can stop trying to conceal it. Not a single one of our residents has malice toward her."
Wu Hai sighed, "Hey, at least I try. I must admire your ability to handle the thoughts of others, I find it hard to transition into that power set. The thoughts of other people can be … misleading."
"Haha.. yea. They can be, but I've spent so much of my life already learning to control my ability, my control over psychic power and the soul cannot be matched so easily. Come come.. I have Tea waiting. Grandma Zao, will you be staying for a while?" Qingchi turned to Calistown and asked.
"Grandma Zao... I sort of like it, but I'm not that old." Her once snowy appearance had become even more illusory, Calistown's body had gone through changes when she finally changed forms. Her abilities remained the same, giving her a very unique set of skills as a Demon. Zao Calistown's feet no longer needed to touch the floors, she floated gracefully next to the Patriarch. "You've grown up well, How is your brother?" The two of them chatted while they strolled across the City, every now and then one of them would giggle.
"Luitian is still working with Master Xuan, but he hides in the libraries of the Cities and only calls when he needs transportation from one place to another. I see him about once a month, Mom's doing well, she's been in charge of the Priesthood's needs." Qingchi laughed and fluttered up a flight of stairs. "Its really not all that bad, with the Truthers around, this place is very safe."
The Tea House was just up the to the next level, the group had some time to kill and refreshments were welcome.
"I've come to ask something big." Wu Hai knew Qingchi could read his mind but chose to speak anyway.
"It can wait till Ho arrives, that decision will be his alone." Qingchi believed in Ho, for her, he was the sun and stars. "Besides, repeating yourself has always sucked."
A Waitress, a young demon girl named Perrasse poured Tea for the group, she set down a basket of cookies. "Would you like to try one?" He breasts nearly fell out of her shirt as she leaned in toward Wu Hai.
-'(Perrasse!)' A Mental projection invaded the girls mind, Qingchi reminded her of who she was flirting with and the girl disappeared like a cat that had been stepped on. "Sorry about that." After giving the girl a stern look, Qingchi took a sip from her cup. "She's just now budding, her hormones are in overdrive. Many of the girls in the branch are coming of age, so many young mothers recently.."
֍ꟷꟷꟷꟷ֍
Back in the blood theater, Hana sat with Dissait, both of them watched eagerly as pieces of the shell began to poke away from the egg.
Small tendrils began to slink out and soon, a small liquid like goop of black oozed its way out of the egg and onto Hana's abdomen. She dripped some blood from her fingertips onto its head, the spot demon seemed to have noticed the change and its body reoriented itself and charged into Hana's ribcage barbarically.
She screamed and fell into the pool backwards while clutching her chest.