Darian walked through the halls of his estate, going toward the servants' quarters. Floating balls of warm yellow light illuminated his way. The servants' quarters was a part of the estate he hadn't had much reason to go to. Whenever he had spent time with Ellen or Elliot, he had done so in one of the estate's more public areas. He had made it a point to respect their privacy, and leave their respective domains alone.
After making peace with his friends, or some semblance of it at least, Darian knew that there was one other person he needed to talk with. Ellen. He didn't know why he needed to talk with her, to apologize perhaps, but he knew that it was important.
As he made his way to the servants' quarters, Darian almost bumped into Elliot after turning a corner.
"There you are, Young Master," the snake man said, stepping into his path.
"Elliot, I'm in a bit of a hurry-…" Darian started to say, but Elliot interrupted him.
"It's about Ellen, Young Master," the snake man said. "You need to speak with her."
"Elliot, I-…"
"I know it might not seem like it, but she was deeply affected by what happened. She's more sensitive than she lets on. She'll say it doesn't bother her, but I know that hurting you hurt her as well." Elliot put a hand on Darian's shoulder. His grip felt like iron. "A part of me wants to be angry with you for what happened, but my sister bears just as much responsibility. She is more than capable of making her own choices. As her brother, however, I worry about her."
"Elliot, if you'll ju-…"
Elliot leaned in closer, gazing into Darian's eyes with an almost overwhelming intensity. His suffocating intent leaked out a little.
"Ellen cares about you, Young Master," he said. "More so than I had realized, and not just because you're Master Nova's son."
Wait, Elliot knew about that? He thought back on it, and mentally slapped his forehead. Of course Elliot did. He had been there during Darian's conversation with Stella. A part of Darian felt embarrassed that an outsider had listened in on a private conversation like that. He had only himself to blame, however, since he was the one who had worn Elliot around his wrist at the time.
"My sister is afraid that you'll fear and hate her for what happened," Elliot continued. "She's afraid that you'll send her away. Please talk with her and let her know that you don't intend to do that." He paused. "You don't intend to send my sister away, do you? Because if you do-…"
"Elliot!"
That got the snake man's attention.
"I was already on my way to speak with your sister when I bumped into you," Darian said. "And no, I don't intend to send her away. I asked her to help me with my training, and she did. I can not, and will not, bear her ill will for that." He returned Elliot's gaze. "I know your sister cares for me. That is why I am on my way to let her know that I do not hold what happened against her. Now, move out of my way."
Without a word, Elliot let go of Darian's shoulder and stepped aside.
"Thank you, Young Master," he said. "I…Thank you."
"There's no need to thank me," Darian said with a smile. "It's the least I can do. Your love and concern for your sister is a credit to you, however. I know she appreciates it."
Elliot returned the smile, before Darian continued on his way. He didn't run into anyone else on the way to Ellen's room.
The servants each had their own room, though their rooms were smaller than the ones meant for guests, and much smaller than Darian's. Once, before he had gone back to Mt. Wind Dance, Darian had asked Ellen and Elliot why they hadn't picked one of the larger rooms for themselves. They were free to do so, if they wished. They both had said that it was unnecessary.
When Darian reached the door to Ellen's room, he hesitated for a moment before knocking. After several long seconds, the door opened and Ellen stood before him. She wore a night dress, which revealed a lot more of her body than her usual gown did. Her pale skin looked smooth and creamy, and her chest…
Darian forced himself to look into her eyes, instead of her slender body, which he found more enticing than he thought he would; much more enticing.
"Young Master," Ellen said, a little surprised. The surprise morphed into a polite mask. "Is there anything I can do for you?"
Darian opened his mouth to speak, but found that he couldn't. His body started to tremble, and an icy claw of fear gripped his heart. Memories of Ellen cutting into him flashed through his mind.
"Young Master?"
Darian shook his head and cleared his throat. The trembling subsided.
"We need to talk," he said.
Ellen's eyes narrowed.
"Elliot sent you, didn't he?"
"I'm here of my own volition. May I come in?"
Ellen hesitated, before she stepped aside to let him in. Darian accepted her wordless invitation. Ellen's room was a small, simple space. For furniture, she had a bed, a dresser, and a dressing table with a chair. A yellow ball of light floated near the ceiling. A potted flower sat atop the dresser. Darian wondered how it survived without sunlight, since the estate didn't have any windows. He guessed the ball of light was enough.
Ellen pulled out the chair to her dressing table, and gestured for him to sit.
"Please, have a seat," she said.
Darian sat down. Since there was no other chair available, Ellen sat on the bed. A silence fell over them as Ellen gazed at Darian, waiting for him to speak. Darian opened his mouth to say something, but like before, he couldn't get the words out. The trembling returned, this time stronger than before.
An image of Ellen's face surfaced in Darian's mind. Another memory. In this one, she gazed at him with that cold expression of hers, the one where she looked at him as if he were an insect to be studied. Panic clawed at his throat.
"You're afraid of me," Ellen said, her expression sad. "I can see it in your eyes. You're even shaking." She shook her head. "I think it's best if you leave, Young Master. Whatever you have to say can be said later."
Darian clenched his fists. No. He would not let his fear win. Ellen was more important to him than a little trauma.
He gritted his teeth, stood up, and rushed over to sit next to Ellen on her bed. Perhaps he could force his way past his fear. Ellen observed this with a concerned expression on her face.
"There's no need to force anything, Young Master," she said. "We can speak later. Your wellbeing is more important right now." Her eyes narrowed.
Her words only strengthened Darian's resolve. Even now, she was trying to take care of him, despite her own pain. On the surface, she seemed fine. Deep down, however, Darian knew that she was hurting. He knew this because he knew her, or a part of him did at least. He listened to this part.
However, despite his resolve, the trembling strengthened. Close proximity to Ellen had worsened it. It grew so bad that his teeth started chattering. He remembered the pain as she cut into him, as she broke his bones, as she burned his flesh. A smell akin to cooking pork filled his nostrils. It made him want to throw up.
"Young Master, that's enough," Ellen said in a stern voice. "Leave."
Despite her words, she made no move to evict him. She could have easily done so, given the differences in their strengths.
"Th-this is no-nothing," Darian said through chattering teeth. "I ca-can do thi-this."
With great difficulty, Darian grabbed Ellen's hand. She allowed this.
"Why?" she asked him in an incredulous voice. "I'm merely a servant. There is no need for you to push yourself like this just to speak with me."
Darian tried to give her a smile. It came out as a grimace instead.
"Of cou-course there is," he said. "Yo-You're important to m-me."
Ellen stared at him for several long seconds, before her expression changed into one of tenderness.
"You stubborn little fool," she said. "Here, this might help."
As she said this, Ellen clambered onto Darian's lap, straddling him. The trembling had gotten so bad, that he couldn't have stopped her even if he wanted to. From her new perch, Ellen looked down at him. Their faces were inches apart.
"Look into my eyes, Young Master," she said. "Follow my lead. Inhale when I exhale. In your mind's eye, visualize my breath leaving me and entering you, becoming yours. Exhale when I inhale. Visualize your breath leaving you, and entering me, becoming mine. One breath, shared between the two of us."
Darian stared into her serpentine eyes. She breathed out, and he breathed in as she instructed. She breathed in, and he breathed out. In his mind, he imagined a single breath between them, from his lungs to hers, and vice versa. It connected them on an intimate level.
At first they were out of sync, and they missed it a few times, but as time went on, they fell into a rhythm. They shared their breathing, as if they were one being, taking deep and slow breaths.
In. Out.
As they breathed together, Darian felt the trembling subside. It grew weaker and weaker, until it disappeared altogether. His fear dimmed and died away. Without him even realizing it, he wrapped his arms around Ellen and pulled her closer to him. Her body felt warm against his, which surprised him. He thought that snakes were cold blooded. Then again, she was in human form.
They continued to breathe together.
In. Out.
Darian didn't know how long they stayed like this, staring into each other's eyes, as they shared their breathing. It felt like it went on for hours, but maybe it had only been minutes. Darian had lost track of time. All that mattered to him in that moment were Ellen's eyes, and the breath they shared between them. He never wanted it to end.
All things end, however. Ellen closed her eyes, and pressed her forehead against his. Darian closed his eyes as well. The connection between them remained.
"Do you feel better, Young Master?" Ellen murmured.
"Yes," Darian whispered. He didn't know why he did so, but it felt like the moment called for it. "What was that?"
"Shared Breath," Ellen said. "It's a meditation technique, one used for dual cultivation."
Dual cultivation. Darian had read about it, though his clan's library had little information on it. According to the scroll he had read, it was a way for two cultivators to cultivate together, each gaining more benefits than if they had cultivated alone. The scroll didn't go into detail on what those benefits were, or how to dual cultivate, but reading between the lines, Darian guessed it involved sleeping together.
Darian and Ellen remained that way for several long minutes. His body started to react to her close proximity. Her warmth soaked into his skin. Her scent, surprisingly light, teased his nose. Darian held his reactions in check as best he could. He didn't want to ruin this fragile, precious thing between them. It was something he had never experienced before, and he wanted it to last for as long as possible.
"Where did you learn all those things?" he blurted out.
Ellen stiffened and pulled away. Darian missed the close contact between them, and mentally berated himself for asking that question. He kept his arms around her, keeping her from going too far. He would have let her go, if that was what she wanted. He wouldn't force her to stay. It wasn't like he could keep her contained, even if he had wanted to. However, Ellen seemed content to remain where she was.
"What things?" she asked in a monotone voice.
Her face was an inscrutable mask. Darian didn't like that.
"Don't do that," he whispered. "Don't close yourself off. Not now, not with me."
Ellen didn't respond for several seconds, before a hint of uncertainty and unease crept into her eyes, creeping through the mask.
"What things?" she repeated, this time whispering as well.
"Your skills in extracting information from people," Darian asked. "You said that you learned them from your first master, the one you had before you and Elliot joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Tell me. There is so much I don't know about you and your brother. I want to know more about you."
The unease in Ellen's eyes grew.
"Are you sure, Young Master?" she asked. "I will obey, but I don't want to." Her voice lowered in volume. "I don't want you to hate me."
"I promise that I won't hate you," Darian said, looking her in the eyes, trying to convey his sincerity.
When Ellen had first told him about her skills, Darian knew that he hadn't been ready for this conversation. Now, however, he was.
"Very well, Young Master," Ellen said.
She laid her head on his shoulder, facing away from him, as if she could bear to look at him as she told her story.
"My brother and I once belonged to a clan of snake spirit beasts," Ellen began. "Our clan was small and weak, so we hid ourselves from the rest of the world. That was how we survived."
Darian pulled her tighter against him as he listened to her words.
"One day, cultivators from the Snake Hunter Sect found us," she said. "The body parts of snake spirit beasts can be used to create certain pills and elixirs that increase one's longevity. Even for spirit beasts, we live long lives. I'm over two hundred and fifty years old, give or take a decade, and that is young by snake spirit beast standards. If I hadn't cultivated, I could have lived to over a thousand years old without issue. It does come at the cost of a slower cultivation speed."
Darian's mind boggled at this. Being able to live for over a thousand years, without cultivating? He knew that spirit beasts had several advantages over humans, but he hadn't realized that it was this extreme.
"Cultivators live long lives," Ellen continued. "But unless they achieve immortality, they will still die of old age eventually. As you can imagine, anything that can increase one's life span is in high demand. The Snake Hunter Sect specialized in hunting snake spirit beasts and using their body parts to make pills and elixirs to fulfill this demand. They kept some for themselves, and sold the rest to others."
Darian's hold on Ellen tightened as he thought about a group of people trying to hunt her and her brother down in order to kill them and harvest their body parts. Rage filled him, running through his veins like liquid fire. He felt the pulsing in his chest again. Heat emanated from his body.
"Shh, it's all right," Ellen said in a soothing voice. "Calm your anger, Little Demon."
At her words, the pulsing subsided, but Darian's anger remained.
"'Little Demon?'" he asked her, his voice rough.
Ellen paused.
"It's the name I gave you when you were smaller," she confessed. "Though I never said it out loud to the others."
Darian thought she was lying, but didn't say so. Still, her story was plausible. She had watched over him as he grew up, after all. Had he been a little demon when he was younger?
"Our clan fought back against the hunters, though it was in vain," Ellen said, continuing her story. "There were too many of them, and they were stronger than us. My brother and I barely escaped with our lives, while the rest of our kin were slaughtered. We were the only survivors."
Darian tightened his hold for a brief moment. Not out of anger this time, but to comfort Ellen. She squeezed him back.
"After that, Elliot and I wandered the world, seeking to grow stronger. We both wanted to avenge our clan, though we had different ideas about what this meant. Elliot wanted to bring justice to the ones who had destroyed our clan, and only them. I wanted to destroy the entire Snake Hunter Sect, and exterminate everyone who had the least blood connection to them. I wanted to eliminate them all, root and branch. We fought over this many times, and eventually we split ways. We didn't see each other for decades after that."
This surprised Darian. He had assumed that Ellen and Elliot had always been together since birth, given that they were twins.
"It was during this time period that I met my first master. She was a demonic cultivator who went by the name Nightshade. As you can imagine, she wasn't a good person. That didn't matter to me back then. All that mattered to me was learning the skills necessary to get my revenge. Nightshade agreed to take me on as an apprentice." Her voice hitched. "You wouldn't have liked me back then, Young Master. I was so full of hate and anger, that it blinded me to all else."
"You were a demonic cultivator?" Darian asked.
He didn't know much about demonic cultivators. His clan's library had little information on them. He just knew that they were evil, and their techniques were corruptive in nature.
"No," Ellen replied. "Even back then, I knew that becoming a demonic cultivator was not a step I wanted to take, no matter how much I desired revenge. That didn't stop Nightshade from trying to tempt me, however. Still, she taught me what I wanted to learn, despite my refusal to practice her technique. The woman may have been an evil and vindictive woman, but she had been a good teacher to me. She taught me the skills I needed to get my revenge."
Ellen's voice took on a wistful note.
"Do you miss her?" Darian asked.
"A part of me does," she admitted. "She was there for me when no one else was. The rest of me, however, is glad that she is dead. Nightshade was a blight on this world, and I was too, for a time."
Ellen pulled her head away and faced him again.
"Make no mistake, Young Master," she said. "I only directly targeted people who I deemed evil, but that doesn't mean my actions were righteous. Innocents still suffered because of me. Evil deeds are still evil deeds, no matter who they are done to. I seduced corrupt officials and murdered them in their sleep, leaving their bodies for their families to find. I tortured the underlings of greedy merchants for information, using the knowledge I gained to bring the downfall of their masters. Nevermind that these merchants had family and friends who they supported, as well as employees they looked after. I caused a lot of collateral damage through my actions, but I didn't realize it until decades later, when it was too late to make it right."
Darian stared at Ellen, unsure of how to react to her revelation. So he didn't. Instead, he continued to listen to her story. Any judgments he had could wait until she finished.
"Somewhere along the way, I lost track of my original goal. During our last years together, Nightshade pushed me harder and harder to become a demonic cultivator. I'm ashamed to admit that I was tempted. If I had more power, I could do more good, or so I had thought to myself at the time. Still, I resisted my temptation."
Ellen shook her head and looked away from Darian.
"One day, Nightshade made a mistake. She liked to bring me people to practice my skills on. These people always deserved it, or so I told myself. Murderers. Rapists. Thieves. I didn't kill them, however. Nightshade took them for herself, using their suffering and life force to fuel her cultivation. The last person she brought to me was a middle aged man, a thief. However, when I peeked into his mind, I saw that he had only stolen to feed his family. He wasn't an evil man, just a desperate one. It was at that moment, I had realized just how far I had fallen."
Her breath hitched, and she paused for a moment.
"I knew that Nightshade would kill me if I spared the man, and then kill him anyway. She was a good teacher, but only because I was useful to her and did what she wanted. So, I prepared the most potent poison I knew, one that didn't kill right away, and pretended that I was going to use it on the man. When the time came, however, I struck out against Nightshade. She was stronger than me, so it was the only way I could defeat her. In her weakened state, I managed to kill Nightshade, though it still wasn't easy. After that, I burned everything down, returned the man to his family, and went in search of Elliot."
Ellen fell silent again.
"This is when you joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect?" Darian asked.
She nodded.
"A little before that, yes," she said, letting out a bitter laugh. "While I had been consumed by my hate and anger, losing my path in the process, Elliot had continued walking his. He had hunted down the ones responsible for destroying our clan, and killed them one by one. He succeeded where I had failed. Everything I had done for the sake of revenge had been for nothing. While I was busy indulging my darkest impulses, he had remained true to our original goal. That had been a particularly bitter pill for me to swallow."
She shook her head.
"After we met up again, Elliot and I decided to join the strongest sect we knew about, to protect ourselves from the Snake Hunter Sect. They wanted revenge against my brother for killing several of their disciples. I believe you know the rest of the story from there. We met Master Nova, became her honorary disciples, and joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect."
Ellen fell silent after that. Darian didn't say anything either. He didn't know what to say. Ellen's actions in the past horrified him. It was so far removed from the Ellen he knew, that it was almost as if Ellen had been a different person altogether back then. Perhaps she had been. People changed over time. Darian certainly wasn't the same person he had been before becoming a cultivator.
"So now you know the story of my life," Ellen said. "At least the part of it before my brother and I joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect." She faced him again and gave him a sharp smile. "I told you that I was a monster. That hasn't changed, only now I'm your monster. There's no need to hide your fear and disgust. Even after all these centuries, I deserve it for the things I have done."
Darian still didn't say anything. He was still coming to terms with Ellen's story. Her smile turned sad.
"I was afraid this would happen," she said, shaking her head. "It's best if you leave now, Young Master. I wish to be alone right now, and I doubt you want to be near me at the moment. Thank you for indulging in my whim."
Ellen moved to get off of him, but Darian's hold on her tightened. Rather than break free, which she could have done with ease, Ellen stilled.
Darian was certain of two things. The first was that Ellen had lied when she told him that she wanted to be alone. The second was that letting go of her now and leaving would be a mistake, perhaps an irrevocable one.
This certainty came from the same part of him that had known that Ellen was in pain. As before, Darian listened to that part. It had guided him this far.
He pulled her onto a tight embrace, almost burying his face in her chest. While he had noble intentions, for the most part, his body reacted to her proximity. He did his best to ignore it.
"I don't hate you," Darian stated. "Nor am I disgusted with you. I am afraid, but that will fade in time. What you did, what I asked you to do, left its scars on me. Even so, I do not hold it against you."
Ellen didn't respond. She didn't return his embrace, but neither did she reject it. Darian guessed that she was waiting for him to finish his piece before deciding what to do.
"It is not my place to judge you for what you did, regardless of our current relationship. It would be the height of arrogance. I haven't gone through what you have, and I pray to the heavens that I never will. Maybe things would be different, if I had been one of your victims, but I'm not." Darian paused, unsure of where he was going with this. "I just wanted to let you know that I accept you. Monster or not, I accept you as you are."
Silence followed his words as Darian waited for Ellen's reply. Her shoulders started shaking, and at first Darian thought that she was crying. When he pulled back, however, he saw the smile on her face. Laughter soon followed, one full of pure mirth. Darian just stared at her, confused, and more than a little embarrassed. Maybe he had said the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry, Young Master," Ellen said in between bouts of laughter. "It's just that someone else said the exact same thing to me, a long time ago." She wiped a tear from her eye. "You remind me of him. He was also kind and considerate, despite his nature and his origins."
For some reason, her words caused Darian to feel something dark and ugly inside him. He didn't like her comparing him to other men.
Where had that come from?
His left eye twitched, which did not go unnoticed by Ellen.
"Oh?" she said, her voice a little mocking. "What's this? Are you all right, Young Master?"
"It's nothing," Darian said.
Ellen studied him for a long moment.
"Yes, you remind me of an old friend of mine. My best friend, in fact."
Darian's left eye twitched again.
"I would even go so far as to call him my first true love."
At that, Darian crushed Ellen to him in an embrace that would have hurt a mortal woman, burying his face into her chest again. He didn't want her to talk about other men, not while she was in his arms.
"Oh my," Ellen said in that same tone of voice. "Are you jealous, Young Master?"
Until she had named it, Darian hadn't realized what he had been feeling. Jealous. He had never felt like this before, at least not to this degree.
Mine, a voice inside him said.
A ridiculous statement, since Ellen was a person, not a possession. Yet, that didn't stop him from wanting her.
"Yes, yours," Ellen whispered, returning his embrace. "Only yours, now and forever."
Darian realized that he had said the word aloud without realizing it. His cheeks reddened.
"If I had known that talking about my past like this would have finally made you return my affections, I would have done so sooner, Young Master," Ellen said, rolling her hips.
It took a supreme effort of will to keep his reactions in check.
"I don't know what's come over me," Darian said, his voice muffled. "It's like there's something happening to me, something beyond my control." He lifted his head and glared at her. "What have you done to me?"
"I don't know what you mean, Young Master," Ellen said, a faux innocent look on her face. She continued to roll her hips, grinding against him. "I'm only doing what I've always done."
Darian growled at her. This just caused her to smile.
"I like that," she said. "Do it again."
"I genuinely can't tell if you're just teasing me again, or if you're being serious," Darian said, still glaring at her.
Ellen threw her head back and laughed.
"Young Master," she said, slightly exasperated. "I don't think I can be any more obvious than this without being vulgar about it." She rested her hands on his shoulders. "Yes, I've teased you plenty of times, but my feelings are genuine. Would you like me to prove it?"
Darian looked down and rested his forehead against her chest.
"Why?" he asked, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. "Why me? We only met a short time ago."
Ellen took her time before answering.
"That is something I'm afraid I have to keep secret for now. Just know that what I feel for you is real."
"I just…I just find it hard to believe."
Ellen pressed a finger against his chin, tilting his head up so he looked her in the eyes.
"Is the idea of a woman loving you so unbelievable, Young Master?"
Darian's eyes widened at this.
"Love?"
"Yes. Love."
With that, Ellen tilted her head down and pressed her lips against his. Darian's kiss with Elena had been sweet and innocent, almost chaste even. There was nothing chaste about this kiss. Ellen pressed hard against him, her lips soft and moist. Darian reciprocated with equal fervor. Her hands explored his body. He reached up with one of his and he gripped her by her hair. She moaned at this, the sound setting Darian's blood aflame.
After some time, Darian found sanity again and he pulled away, keeping his grip on Ellen's hair.
"Why did you stop?" she asked in a breathless voice. "We were just getting to the good part."
"I don't know if we should continue," Darian said. "I don't want to take advantage of you."
Ellen smirked. Before he knew what had happened, Darian found himself lying on his back atop the bed, Ellen holding herself above him while straddling his waist. Her hair cascaded down like a waterfall, framing her face. The tips brushed against Darian's skin.
"Young Master," she said. "If anyone is being taken advantage of, it's you. You may be Master Nova's son, but I'm older, stronger, and much more experienced than you. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to, even if you are the Young Master." She leaned in closer. "The question you need to ask yourself is this, do you want this or not? If not, you can leave and we'll pretend like this never happened. Things won't change between us." She leaned in even closer, until her lips brushed against his. "If you do want this, stop holding yourself back, Darian."
As she said this, Ellen ground herself against him. Any semblance of restraint or control within Darian snapped. With a snarl, he flipped her onto her back. Ellen let out a sensual laugh.
"Finally," she said.
Neither of them did much talking after that.