Lind felt better as the foul air left his body. It was not as strong as his first attempt but he now knew he had confronted part of his 2nd heart demon. It was nowhere near the progress of his first, but still a start.
Lind finally entered his quarters but he barely closed the door when he felt the wrongness of his main room. Lind used his World Eyes and was shocked at a change. Before, he could only perceive higher quality Qi around a World Realm cultivator but he now saw the patterns woven from Qing's wards. He could compare the fine details more than just that all of them were at World Realm.
Lind also recognized that Qing's wards had been strengthened. They were far more powerful and if he was to guess, they were Diamond Tier. Why had she done this? Lind moved farther in and did not find Qing anywhere in the quarters.
He was about to cultivate when the door blew open and her platinum blonde locks flowed with Qi in the air. She had used her cultivation to enhance her body to far beyond human speed, but why?
"Where have you been?! Why were you not in the Stone Ward and what happened to the shop?!" Her questions were intense and her aura was pushing down on him but Lind endured as it was not directed at him thankfully. He tried to speak but she was then examining him to within an inch of his life. What was she looking for?
Lind once more tried to speak but then was stunned as Qing began to weave more formations and placed their nodes around his door as if she was expecting an assault from other World Realms.
"What is going on, Qing?" Lind was getting disturbed but rather than answer, she seemed to withdraw slightly. She was breathing heavily due to her expenditure of Qi and clearly running around the Inner District. Her pale eyes finally looked at him but were distracted by the golden glint on his robes.
She moved forward and examined the badge in detail before she looked at Lind in awe and smiled.
"You are a grade 3 elixir master?" Lind tried to catch up but nodded dumbly to her earnest question before he was suddenly hugged tightly. Confusion was mixed in with the pleasant sensation of Qing hugging him. Why was she suddenly so touchy with him? Normally they might exchange blows for training but he honestly could not recall her being affectionate beyond holding his hand and smiles.
"Qing, please tell me what is going on." Lind knew something had set her off and her stiffening at his words confirmed it for him. He had been in a longer than normal training session with her permission but it had ended far earlier than normal ones as Lind usually came home at night.
"There are things we need to discuss, but first, I think I need some tea to calm down." Qing was still jittery from what Lind could see, but this stunned him more as she was normally very calm. Even when some of his history clearly enraged her, it was only a flash in her eyes, but nothing like this.
Lind brewed the tea with some World Realm leaves. Unlike meat or vegetables, Lind could enjoy this tea with Qing. Tea leaves were gentle on cultivators and diluted by water as well. Lind sipped and waited for Qing to begin.
"How much do you know about demons, Lind?" The question was odd but Lind easily answered it.
"I know they are as old as humans but derive their elements from the so-called natural set of 6. There seems to be a side effect of increased aggression and the change of their skin and eye colors at least. While Body Refining demons would be showing the same, it really blossoms in the Soul Realm." Lind sipped on the tea and thought about all he had learned here at the Academy. "They have different names for their realms as well. They are equivalent so either name can apply for descriptions but some take pride in their naming system. Demon Soul vs Soul Realm and Purgatory vs World Realms for example."
Lind knew it was more pride from what he had read than anything else. Even so, there may be reasons unknown to a human academy. Lind would have loved to ask Cyntilla but that was not allowed.
"There are reasons their realms are called differently than ours but it is admittedly a gray area as it pertains to the condition of the demon as they progress. Essentially you are correct, but I was being a bit simpler. What do you know about the demons of Darkmoor Kingdom?" Qing's elaboration raised his curiosity but he pushed it aside as he thought about the disastrous encounter with the Demon Empire.
"Darkmoor Kingdom is a rather tolerant demon power. The Lotus Empire was nurtured by them so they may have a rosy remembrance but generally they love honorable battles over domination. They have strict rules about demons abusing their human members, but their brutality can be far harsher than any human finds comfortable." Lind thought some more and came to some conclusions. "If given a choice, most humans would not live with demons but compared to the Demon Empire, Darkmoor Kingdom is just fine to most humans."
Qing nodded and sipped her own tea. Lind was confused as to why he had to go over this fairly basic knowledge and why it had Qing so on edge.
"What do you know about the rituals shared between all demons then?" Qing's question sent Lind down a more difficult path. While the Darkmoor Kingdom did rule over humans, it did not share much in the way of demonic rituals. Part of that was due to no need to know every tiny detail, but the other was their complex honor code system. It did not allow outsiders to know how personal issues were resolved.
"I only know what most would say is common knowledge. I know demons pursue strength in their partners and friends. I know they respect battle prowess over words. I know they disdain most humans but generally comply with local laws like in the Lotus Academy." Benefits drove everyone to compromise. The Ruins of the Lotus Empire were a treasure trove that was impossible to ignore.
Since Darkmoor ruled over them all, the demons knew they had to comply as the resources were paid as required from the Lotus Empire to those above them. So long as the Lotus Empire complied, all demonic powers had to follow the rules of engagement. Threatening the stability of access to the Ruins was heavily frowned on, so the Lotus Empire was generally left alone.
Carving out swaths of land at the borders was of no importance, but the capitol was unlikely to ever fall without direct allowance from Darkmoor.
Qing nodded along but noted something Lind did not touch on.
"What about the mark on your right cheek?" Lind frowned as he knew this was something he also wanted clarity on as it seemed to be a bigger deal than Cyntilla told him, but there were no books or anything to tell him what it was. There were references to other humans or aether children being marked by demons, yet a strange lack of detail followed. It was as if the authors were reluctant to talk about it.
"I have not found anything firm, but Cyntilla told me it made me safe in demon lands." That was the only thing he had been able to confirm. Apparently a conflict had occurred in the Golden Dynasty a few centuries ago and while most of the humans had died or had severe injuries, a marked human walked out unscathed.
"That is mostly correct but not all of it. The mark of a demon states an intention." Lind now looked firmly at Qing. She had known what the mark meant? Lind was somewhat frustrated she had not told him but then he recalled they already had the far more dangerous heart demons to deal with. Something had changed the priorities so he would not balk at learning the truth.
Qing then laid out 2 stones on the table. She sliced one of the stones and placed a piece of it on the other. Lind then saw her weave a weak flow of Qi between them. Lind was fascinated as he watched what appeared to be the first stone creating a bond with the piece put on the other before the blood drained from his face. She saw him react and nodded.
"It is not this exact, but the effect is essentially the same. She put a piece of her soul into you. It does no harm on its own but I think you understand after explaining demons what this mark can be used for." Lind focused on his right cheek and fully felt out the slice of Qi there. It was not acid nor poison, but spiritual Qi. It was literally a part of Cyntilla's soul woven into his own. How they came up with it was pushed to the back of his mind as he carefully probed the slice.
It was intricately woven into his essence but there was a very faint flow of Qi exiting his body and going to where Cyntilla was no doubt. Compared to the stone example, what was in his cheek was a starship compared to a car on the table. There was more that he understood, that if Cyntilla wished, his cultivation could be destroyed by her at any time, but then he remembered the Demon Empire envoy.
What would have happened to Cyntilla then? As if reading his mind, Qing replaced the flow on the stone with another to her. The other stone developed a crack and was knocked back by the backlash of the bond being broken suddenly.
"Princess Cyntila would have received moderate but fixable damage to her cultivation base and body. She would not have died." The reassurance did little to calm Lind but then he remembered why he received the mark. Her mother was fighting off a version of pneumonia that could drop a World Realm. It was desperation and appreciation rolled into one. If Lind had lied, she would have punished him without a thought, but now what did it mean?
"What am I to Cyntilla?" Lind mumbled the question and was surprised when Qing smiled at him. It was her normal gentle smile that he enjoyed these last 4 months.
"From what I can gather, she took an oath before Heaven and Earth that whoever healed her mother she would submit to, but she is still a fierce demon princess. She likes you Lind and is infuriated at how you are treated. She risks a lot just giving you puzzles as she could be severely punished if it was reported." There it was again. It was not just Cyntilla. Someone was blocking reports that should have landed her in trouble. Why would someone do that? Who was doing it?
"So she is my friend but what does this mark mean and am I supposed to reciprocate it?" Lind saw Qing suddenly blush deeply. He was now very confused. What had he said that caused that reaction?
"Lind, the only way to reciprocate the mark is marriage." Silence descended in the room. Lind had known. He had known the mark was more than he was told and it made even more sense why the Demon Empire envoy tried to mark him. She was trying to 'claim' him for their empire. A sudden burst of rage rose in Lind but he quickly suppressed it with the exercises Qing had taught him. Now was not the time for a heart demon to let loose.
"I am engaged?!" Lind nearly shouted but Qing nodded. Lind thought he would feel betrayed or used but he did not. He was more shocked than angry, and he had to really think to understand why. Cyntilla did not try to use him. She did not push her connection to be with him against his will and more, she had been kind. She had essentially been courting him with the only gift she could give to convey her message.
He calmed down but still did not understand. He appreciated finally learning what had been done to him and it seemed to be going in a good direction if complicated by politics. So why had Qing suddenly reinforced her wards to maximum power and tore across half the capitol to find him?
"Lind, I need you to remain calm. Princess Cyntilla's father has been in negotiation with the Darkmoor Kingdom for the last 5 years. They finally settled the matter last year, just before the entrance ritual of Lotus Academy." Lind did not like where this was going. "Crown Prince Ryu is quite infatuated with Cyntilla not simply as decoration, but for the warrior she is. He is not really a bad man, just focused."
Lind really, really did not like where this was going.
"Lord Trynith Fang hid the fact his daughter marked a human until now. Now, he is intentionally twisting facts to make it seem like you forced Cyntilla to fulfill her oath and submit to you." Lind felt rage surge again but this time it was not his heart demon. He was being targeted because he did a good deed and did not ask for anything. Cyntilla did this of her own volition and even befriended him. His friend was being ignored!
A flash of the scene in the Inner Students dorm passed in his mind and Lind felt a feeling once more. It was smaller, but foul air exited his body like an impurity and Qing was stunned.
"I understand. I will stand by Cyntilla no matter what." Lind looked firmly at Qing and something shifted in her eyes. He was not sure what it was but he filed it away to ask later. Now he had to prepare. He had to prepare for the coming of Crown Prince Ryu.