Later that day, a few hours after his conversation with…Estelle, Darian sat on a cushion in the training courtyard. He had bathed, and was now reading the Wings of Wind scroll. From the position of the sun, it was a little after noon. There were no lessons today. Given everything that happened last night, it seemed as if everyone had agreed to spend today resting.
Not for the first time, he questioned if he had made the right choice regarding Estella. It hadn't sat right with him, using the soul binding that Master Nova had put on her. Changing a person's soul seemed more evil than outright killing them. At least killing a person was quicker, and cleaner.
One of the reasons he had chosen leniency was to fight against the darker urges he had felt when he saw her. She had lied to him, and he had wanted to rend her to pieces, to tear her to shreds. He had wanted to destroy her. Another reason was that he wanted to rebel against his mother's meddling, against the path she kept trying to lay before him. He would make his own choices.
The biggest reason, however, was that he understood her a little. Loneliness and isolation had a way of damaging one's soul. He had been lucky that he'd had people to care for him. She had not. Perhaps this was his way of paying it forward, of thanking the universe.
No. Thinking back on it, Darian didn't regret his decision. While Jaime was gone, she had been reborn as Estelle by her own choice. Letting her go without changing her had never been an option, so this was the next best thing. Even if he did have regrets, it wouldn't matter since the deed was done.
Master Nova had collected Estelle already, taking her away for some reason. Astra hadn't known what Master Nova had planned, only that she would return Estelle alive and well. How long that would take, it was anyone's guess.
When Darian had rushed over to Estelle's cell to see for himself, he had only found a beautiful blue stone token. Astra said it was memory stone, and that it contained all of Jaime's knowledge, though it would take someone with a well developed mind sense to read it. Master Nova had left it behind. Since that was something his clan needed, Darian was grateful for that much. He would take it to his grandparents later, or have Lucius take it to the clan council.
The memory stone sat next to him now.
Right now, however, he needed to calm his mind and collect his thoughts. As Astra had said to him just that morning, a lot had happened in a short time span. He needed some time and space to process it all.
After he had cleaned himself up, Darian had gone to the garden area to assess the damage. It was worse than he thought. Several of the plants had burned, thanks to the explosion he caused. However, his father and Elliot were busy putting things right. The two men were cheerfully chatting as they worked, and Darian decided to leave them be. He hadn't wanted to disturb them. Lucius and Vera had ensconced themselves in their rooms. He didn't disturb them either. As for Ellen, Darian avoided her for now.
Instead, Darian took himself to the training courtyard to focus on practicing the Wings of Wind technique. Training would sooth his heart, and last night's events had given him insight into Wings of Wind. In this case, it showed him what not to do. Knowing what not to do was as valuable, if not more valuable, than knowing what to do.
When he had used Wings of Wind last night, Darian had put far too much spirit energy into it. It had left him with too little to continue the fight. More than that, it had resulted in less feathers and therefore less speed. Doing it that way was wasteful and inefficient.
While Darian hadn't mastered the technique, he had practiced it several times. He had produced more feathers during those practices than he had during the fight with Astra, something he only realized in hindsight.
Right now, Darian was studying the scroll to figure out why. For most techniques, using more spirit energy increased their power. In this case, the opposite had happened. Why was that? What had he done wrong?
Unfortunately, studying the scroll didn't reveal the answer to him. Nothing he read told him why using too much spirit energy had resulted in less feathers. He frowned. He was missing something. The problem was, he didn't know what he was missing. If he did, it wouldn't be missing. Or at least he would be closer to figuring out the truth.
Perhaps using the technique would help.
Darian put the scroll to the side before standing up. After putting some distance between himself and the cushion, he used the technique, putting in less spirit energy than he had last night.
"Wings of Wind!"
A coat of feathers covered his body. There were more of them now than there had been last night, giving him a bigger boost of speed, but still not a lot. Darian moved around the courtyard, getting a feel for the technique. At first he just ran around, but then he started ducking and weaving. After a while, he let the technique fade away.
Moving around had given him an idea. Darian didn't know when one of his ancestors had received Wings of Wind from that roc, but if it had been before Clan Wind Dance became sword cultivators, then perhaps it was meant to be used with the original Dancing Wind technique. While he couldn't cultivate with it, he could still go through the movements. Would using Wings of Wind while dancing help?
It was worth a shot.
Darian used Wings of Wind, and then he started dancing. He noticed a difference immediately. Using the technique this way felt right. It clicked with him. Was that the answer? Wings of Wind was a movement technique, and dancing was all about movement.
Still, there was something missing. Darian was on the cusp of understanding something important, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. He stopped to think it over, and his Wings of Wind faded away. He stood there, going through the technique in his mind. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the answer eluded his grasp. It was like trying to solve a puzzle with a few missing pieces.
"Need some help?" Lucius asked.
Darian looked back to find his friend studying him. Lucius had an apprehensive look on his face. He held a harp in his hands.
Music. That was it. What was dancing without music to accompany it? Perhaps a dancing cultivator didn't need any, but he wasn't a dancing cultivator. He was a fighter.
"I wouldn't say no to that," Darian said.
Lucius nodded, before sitting down on the empty cushion.
"This is called 'Flight of the Roc,'" he said. "It was a song created to commemorate the meeting between our ancestor and the roc who gave them Wings of Wind. Some of our kin have said that it helped them understand the technique better." He gave Darian a wry smile. "As you can guess, it was meant to be played with Dancing Wind."
Darian nodded and assumed the first position.
"Wings of Wind."
Feathers made of spirit energy coated his body. He stood there, waiting for Lucius to begin. Darian heard the first notes of the song, and started dancing.
He had heard "Flight of the Roc" before, when he had visited Vera or Lucius, though he hadn't known what it was called at the time. It was a song that brought to mind the soaring majesty of an apex predator flying through the endless blue sky. As he danced, Darian closed his eyes to better feel the music.
His body moved, almost on its own accord, pulled along by the notes of the harp. After a certain point, he stopped following the movements of Dancing Wind, and started following his own intuition. He focused on his breathing in particular. His first night with Ellen had given him that idea.
Inhale. Exhale. In. Out.
As he danced, while focusing on his breathing, Darian saw a scene in his mind. He was on the ground, standing in the middle of an endless plain of grass. It was an ocean of green. There was grass as far as the eye could see, with a vast and infinite sky above him. There was light, but no sun. A cry from above pulled his attention.
Flying above Darian was a massive bird of prey. Its beak was large enough to swallow a man whole, and its claws looked like they could tear his house on Mt. Wind Dance to pieces. Though now that he took a closer look, he saw that the bird seemed strange to him. Its wings looked too small to support its body. The sight was absurd and comical, if he was being honest.
However, when the bird flapped its wings, Darian realized his folly. The bird's wings were much bigger than he had realized. While the centers were flesh and blood, the rest of the wings were made of air and spirit energy. They were quite literally, wings of wind.
Darian watched as the giant bird swooped and dived, dancing in the sky. The way it moved was graceful and elegant, despite its size. He felt blessed just being able to witness such a sight. Its speed surprised him as well. A part of him had expected that something so large would move slowly. He was wrong. It moved as swift, if not swifter, than the wind.
The bird swooped by him, and for a brief moment, their eyes met. The bird's eyes held an intelligence in them. A spirit beast. Was this the roc?
In that moment, Darian understood where he had gone wrong, and what he needed to do.
The moment passed, and the bird flew high into the sky once more. It flew away from him, and soon disappeared from sight. Darian stood in the middle of that sunless grassy plain.
Inhale. Exhale. In. Out.
The sound of clapping pulled Darian out of his vision. He had stopped dancing at some point without realizing it. He opened his eyes to find Vera standing next to Lucius. She was the one clapping. Lines of worry marred her features, despite the smile on her face.
"That was quite beautiful, Darian," she said.
"Thank you," Darian replied, returning the smile.
He looked at Lucius, who studied him with interest.
"Did that help?" his friend asked.
Darian looked at his arms.
"Yes, it did."
It wasn't the amount of spirit energy he had used that was the problem, it was how he used it. When he had lost control last night, he had tried to force the spirit energy. That was not how Wings of Wind worked.
The key was breathing.
Darian needed to "exhale" the spirit energy when using the technique, instead of pushing it. He decided to test his theory.
"Wings of Wind."
As he used the technique, Darian "breathed" the spirit energy out. It felt weird to him. He wasn't used to it. Still, it worked. While he used the same amount of spirit energy as before, he now had more feathers. It still wasn't as much as Lucius and Zayne, but it was more than before. He was one step closer to mastering Wings of Wind.
"Impressive," Lucius said with a smile in his voice. "It takes most of our kin a week to figure that part out. You took a few days. Of course, it only took me less than a day."
Darian looked to find Lucius grinning, letting him know that his friend was only teasing.
"I'm a fire cultivator," he said in a faux haughty voice. "If you take that into consideration, then only figuring it out in a few days is even more impressive, no? The rest of our kin have no excuse."
They looked at each other for a few seconds, before chuckling. Vera joined in. Darian let Wings of Wind fade. He was running low on spirit energy anyway. Afterwards, he sat down next to his friends. They tensed for a second, but relaxed soon after.
No one said anything for several seconds.
"So, are you two going to tell me what's wrong?" Darian asked, looking at them both. "Or are we going to keep sitting here in awkward silence?"
***
Darian's friend glanced at each other, before they looked at him.
"What makes you think anything is wrong?" Vera said.
He just gave them both a knowing look and waited. Vera looked away for a moment.
"What happened with…Cassandra's killer?" she asked in a low voice. "She wasn't there when I went to see her."
Darian raised an eyebrow at that.
"Why did you go to see her?" he asked, though he could guess the answer.
"Your people weren't doing anything about her, and as Lucius said, we needed her knowledge," Vera replied. "I decided to take some initiative."
As he had thought.
"She wasn't yours to deal with, Vera," Darian said. "She was mine.
Her eyes snapped back to his.
"Why?" she asked in a heated voice. "Because your master said so?"
"No. Because this is my home, and she was my prisoner. You are a guest." He gave her a hard look, but after a moment, his expression softened. "I understand your anger. Trust me, I do." He shrugged. "Regardless, she's been dealt with. You won't see her again."
"Dealt with how? Tell me Darian, I deserve that much. Cassandra was my servant. She was under my protection."
Darian shook his head.
"No. Let it go, Vera."
Vera looked like she was going to argue further, but Lucius touched her hand. She looked at him, and he shook his head. Darian watched as she struggled for a few moments, before she crossed her arms and turned away from them both.
"Did you at least find out what she knew?" Lucius asked. "Her knowledge would prove useful in the conflict with the Pit Viper Sect, a conflict that is inevitable thanks to their actions."
Darian held up the memory stone token.
"This contains everything she knew," he explained. "Astra told me that only those with a well developed mind sense can read it. I had planned on bringing it to my grandparents later, after I had settled my mind."
"May I take a look?" Lucius asked, holding out his hand.
Darian gave it to him. His friend concentrated on it for a second, before shaking his head.
"I can't read it," he said, handing the memory stone token back to Darian. "I'm guessing it would take someone in the Core Shaping stage, or even above, to read this."
Darian nodded and placed the token back on the ground. The three of them fell quiet again.
"So, what's the real problem?" Darian asked, breaking the silence once more.
They didn't answer right away. Vera held herself tighter, still looking away from him, and Lucius clenched his fists.
"Darian, are you a demonic cultivator?" Lucius asked.
Darian's head snapped towards his friend.
"What?" he asked. "No. Why would you think that?" His eyes narrowed and he answered his own question. "It's because of what happened last night."
After a moment's hesitation, they both nodded.
"Last night…" Vera began, before pausing. "I've never seen you that way before. You didn't look like the Darian I knew. You looked like someone else. And that voice…It scared me."
Her words chilled Darian to the core. He stared at her, not sure how to react.
"In the secret archive, there are reports of demonic cultivators using certain techniques to increase their strength in battle," Lucius said, a cold expression on his face. "While these techniques allow those cultivators to become stronger, they become maddened with blood lust as a result. They become demons in battle, with red eyes and inhuman voices." His gaze hardened. "So I ask again, are you a demonic cultivator?"
Darian narrowed his eyes at him.
"If I said yes, what would you do?" he asked, though he was afraid of the answer.
"I would do everything in my power to turn you away from that path," Lucius said. "You are my friend, and I would fight tooth and nail to save your soul."
That…Darian hadn't expected that answer. He was afraid that Lucius would try to kill him. Demonic cultivators were evil after all, if left unchecked, they could cause much damage.
Lucius' answer both warmed him, and shamed him. How could he have so little faith in his friend?
"Darian, demonic techniques are never worth the price," Vera said, facing him again. "Yes, you gain power, but you twist your soul in the process. If you haven't gone too far, it's not too late to turn back."
Darian sighed.
"I'm not a demonic cultivator." Lucius opened his mouth to speak, but Darian held up a hand to stop him. "What happened last night was not a technique. It was my innate ability."
His friends stared at him. He shrugged.
"Apparently the children of Immortals are each born with an innate ability. Mine is called Demon's Wrath." He frowned. "I'm not sure if that means it's actually demonic in nature, or just seems like it. Regardless, it's a part of who I am."
That thought disturbed Darian. If Demon's Wrath was actually demonic in nature, and it was an inherent part of his being, then did that mean he was a demon, at least in part? He hadn't thought to ask Astra.
His friends must have had similar thoughts, because they did not look reassured by his words.
"Does this mean you're a demon, Darian?" Vera asked.
"No!" Darian protested, then frowned. "At least, I don't think so. I just found out about it this morning, when Auntie told me. She had wanted to wait until I had finished with the Foundation Establishment stage before telling me, but with everything that had happened over the past few weeks, she thought it was better to let me vent last night, when she was around to contain me.
Lucius shook his head.
"You trust her too much, Darian," he said. "I know you consider her your aunt, but how much do you actually know about her?"
Darian shook his head.
"Lucius, you are my friend and I love you as a brother. You and Vera are family to me, in all the ways that matter." He nodded towards the rest of the estate. "Auntie is my family too, even without taking into consideration the fact that she is my mother's junior sister. I know you don't trust her, but I do. I trust her with my life, and my soul."
Darian paused, and looked up at the sky. It was later than he had expected. Practicing Wings of Wind had taken longer than he realized.
"I understand your concern," he said in a quiet voice. "This ability scares me too. You don't know what it felt like. I wanted to rage and kill and destroy everything and everyone around me. That is why I must learn to control it, even if I never use it again. Otherwise, I'll become a monster that needs to be put down."
He looked at his friends again.
"Darian," Vera said, sorrow in her eyes.
"What happens if you can't control this ability of yours?" Lucius asked.
"Then I want you to kill me, or at least ensure that I am killed. I would rather die than harm the people I love."
Stunned silence followed his statement. Vera put her hand to her mouth. Lucius studied him for a long moment, before nodding.
"We can't let the clan council find out about this," Lucius said. "They might do something drastic."
Darian exhaled, before laying down on the stone floor.
"When did we become so serious?" he asked, staring up at the sky. "It wasn't that long ago that we were kids just playing around. Now here we are, discussing life and death matters."
"We grew up in a cultivator clan," Lucius said. "It was inevitable."
Melancholy settled in Darian's heart.
"Well, if you want to pinpoint a specific event," Vera said. Her voice was strained, but she attempted to put some humor into it. "It began when Darian met a strange talking cat in the woods."
Darian grinned. They needed some levity to lift their spirits.
"You make that sound like a bad thing."
"For most people, it would be! Spirit beasts are dangerous. Not everyone ends up making friends with them."
"You're just jealous that they like me better than you," Darian said in a snooty voice. "Maybe you're not as likable as you think."
Vera pouted at him, then grinned.
"I'm going to get you for that," she said in a poisonously sweet voice.
Sweat broke out along Darian's brow. His intuition told him that he would like her vengeance, petty as it might be.
***
Darian headed towards his room, feeling drained. After their conversation in the training courtyard, Darian and his friends had decided to head to Mt. Wind Dance to inform his grandfather, the Patriarch of Clan Wind Dance, on what had happened. On the way there, Darian flew with Lucius, since he was afraid of what Vera might do to him. She just smiled and didn't say anything.
When they arrived, they waited a bit since Grandfather Darin had been busy with another clan matter. After he was free, he took them to his office, where they told him about what happened with Jaime. Initially, Darian had thought that they would tell him what happened, give him the memory stone, and then head out again. He had been wrong.
What followed was the most grueling interrogation Darian had endured in his life. Grandfather Darin questioned them over and over again, extracting everything they knew about Jaime and the situation with the Pit Viper Sect spies. He had them remembering details they had forgotten about, or hadn't even noticed at the time. It was unpleasant to say the least.
Darian thought his grandmother was scary. She was, but Grandfather Darin was scarier, in a calm and focused sort of way. He was like the icy winds that sometimes blew in from the north, cold and sharp. At least Darian hadn't had to endure it alone. Shared suffering made for stronger bonds, right?
The other spy on Mt. Wind Dance stood no chance.
When it came to Jaime's fate, however, Darian had stood firm. He revealed nothing of what happened to her. All he said was that she had been dealt with. To his surprise, his grandfather let it go. Did he know something Darian didn't?
Afterwards, Darian felt like he had been scooped inside and out.
"Thank you," Grandfather Darin said, holding up the memory stone. "We found Jaime's compatriot a little while ago, thanks to a warning we received. However, we didn't learn nearly as much from him. If that is all, you may go now."
With that dismissal, his friends stood up to leave. However, Darian remained seated. There was one other matter he needed to discuss with his grandfather.
"Grandfather, I would like a private word with you," he said.
Grandfather Darin studied him for a moment, before nodding. His friends gave him curious looks, but left.
"What did you wish to speak about?" his grandfather asked after they left.
"How are the negotiations with Clan Stone Pillar going?" Darian asked.
If Grandfather Darin was surprised by Darian's question, he didn't let it show.
"It's at an impasse," he said. "Our clan won't fight for them without some kind of incentive, but Clan Stone Pillar won't agree to the trade deal without some form of commitment from us. We have sent messages back and forth, but no progress has been made."
Darian didn't say anything for a moment.
"A commitment like a marriage," he said.
"So, your friends told you about that. Your grandmother and I had wondered. We were going to talk with you about that if they hadn't."
Darian nodded.
"They said that you initially wanted Lucius to marry Willow Stone Pillar, but he refused after Grandmother Astoria mentioned another possible candidate. I assume she meant me."
Grandfather Darin nodded.
"Yes. Other than Lucius, you are the best potential husband for Willow Stone Pillar. I doubt Clan Stone Pillar would accept anyone else. Their pride won't let them. Even if we don't take into account your cultivation speed, no other Wind Dance in your generation, or the whole clan for that matter, can match your lineage and pedigree." He frowned. "By the way, how has your cultivation progressed? I can't sense your aura."
"I went up a small realm since we last spoke," Darian said with a grin.
His grandfather stared at him, then shook his head.
"It hasn't been more than a couple weeks," Grandfather Darin muttered, before focusing on him again. "Do you want to marry Willow Stone Pillar? I leave the decision up to you. The resources we can gain from them would benefit our clan greatly, but we don't need them thanks to your mother."
Darian snorted at that. He hadn't really thought about it before now, but the amount of resources an Immortal commanded was terrifying. Even the major powers of the Myriad Rivers region couldn't compare. That, or his mother was obscenely wealthy. Maybe both.
"What do you think?" he asked his grandfather. "Do you want me to marry Willow Stone Pillar?"
"Yes," his grandfather said without hesitation.
"Why?"
Grandfather Darin took his time before answering.
"The Pit Viper Sect is a cancer, a disease that needs to be cut out of the Myriad Rivers region. I don't know if Darren told you about this, but he fought against them several times in his youth. He did so to prevent them from destroying villages and enslaving their inhabitants."
Darian's admiration for his father grew. If his father risked his life to save others, how could he do any less? Still, he wanted to hear what his grandfather had to say first.
"Why don't you do something about it then?" Darian asked. "You're the Patriarch of Clan Wind Dance. If you wanted to, you could command our clan to fight alongside Clan Stone Pillar, and they would obey."
"Yes, I am the Patriarch of Clan Wind Dance. That means my priority is the well being of our clan. That is my first and foremost concern, regardless of my personal feelings. I cannot in good conscience ask our people to risk their lives without getting some benefit in return." He shook his head. "I have sent what aid I can spare, but it is not nearly enough."
As his grandfather spoke, Darian thought that Lucius would make for a great Patriarch. His friend also had an overdeveloped sense of duty towards the clan. From what Darian saw from Grandfather Darin, it was a requirement.
"I'll do it," Darian said. "I'll marry Willow Stone Pillar." He gave his grandfather a hard look. "Not for the sake of the clan. They already benefited enough from my existence. I do this for the mortals who are suffering. The sooner we can end this conflict and wipe out the Pit Viper Sect, the better."
Grandfather Darin gave him a faint smile.
"You're just like your father in that regard," he said. "I believe that one of the reasons why he traveled so much before his injury was so he could actively fight to protect the mortals and others who needed his help."
Darian shook his head.
"No, Father is a better man than me," he said. "I'm just marrying a woman. It's not like I'm risking my life to save people."
Not yet at least. His grandfather's words planted the seed of an idea in his mind. Right now, he was too weak to do anything meaningful. However, given his rate of progress, that wouldn't be true for long.
"Don't disparage yourself like that. We each have our part to play, and this marriage is important."
"I do have one condition, however," Darian said in a firm voice.
Grandfather Darin raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh?"
"I intend to take more than one wife. At the very least, I will take a second one." And maybe a third, depending on how the situation with Elena developed. While he still wasn't sure he believed Ellen's words, about him needing more than one woman, he wouldn't dismiss them out of hand. "That means Willow Stone Pillar must join my household, not the other way around."
When it came to marriage, only the head of the household could have multiple spouses. While more often than not it was the man, it wasn't a rare occurrence for it to be the woman. Darian could think of a few households in Clan Wind Dance where the latter was the case, thanks to gossip he had overheard.
"I see," his grandfather said. "May I ask why? You don't have to answer, but I am curious."
At this, Darian shifted nervously in his seat.
"I…I already have someone."
"Ah." His grandfather nodded in understanding. "Hmm, while I have no objections, that isn't something I can just agree to on my own. Matters like these are usually discussed at the negotiating table. Clan Stone Pillar will have to agree to it, and they'll expect concessions if they do. Willow Stone Pillar is their Matriarch's only grandchild, as well as a genius, and is thus very valuable to them." He shrugged. "Still, I don't think they'll put up too much of a fuss. They need this alliance more than we do."
And Darian didn't need it at all. Still, he wouldn't walk away from the negotiating table. Otherwise, what would be the point of agreeing to this in the first place? He would just have to make sure Clan Stone Pillar knew that he wouldn't budge on this.
"That said, they won't just give Willow Stone Pillar away. As I said, she is very valuable to them. You'll have to prove that not only are you capable of taking care of her, but you have to also prove that you are capable of taking care of any other wives you marry." He smirked. "There is a reason why most people only have two or three additional spouses."
Darian sat there in thought for a moment.
"I have the secret realm my mother left me." He then frowned. "As well as an area for growing cultivation plants. It's large enough to support a small sect. However, I don't know if that'll be enough."
The garden area in the secret realm was large, but Darian only utilized a small portion of it. Well, the snake twins and his father only utilized a small part of it. Darian himself had little to do with the actual gardening part. Regardless, a large portion of the garden area remained fallow.
"That is a good start," Grandfather Darin said, nodding. "A better one that most young men your age have. However, don't forget that you aren't alone. You're a Wind Dance. I know we haven't treated you like one, but you are. You don't have to do everything alone. One of the reasons why clans and sects exist is so that their members can support each other. It's time we started doing the same with you." He sighed. "If we raised you the way we should have, we would have supported your growth the same way we supported Lucius'. We may have even given you more. Your rate of progress is astounding."
Darian looked away. A complicated maelstrom of emotions raged inside his chest at his grandfather's words.
"I don't know if I can accept the clan's support," he said. "At least, no more than I already have. It's…If I'm being honest, if it weren't for Lucius, Vera, and my father, I would have left Clan Wind Dance already. With my mother's support, I don't need any of you. Hell, even without it, my cultivation wouldn't suffer that much."
Given his rate of progress, even without the resources his mother had left behind for him, and the pills his father made, it wouldn't be difficult for him to reach the Energy Gathering stage. It would take longer, but nowhere near the decade it usually took most cultivators. He guessed that it would take him only three years.
"Regardless if you need it or not, you still have it," Grandfather Darin said, a sad note in his voice. "You suffered for the clan's sake, even if you didn't choose to. You should benefit from it as well. To that end, I've decided to increase your stipend. You'll receive what Lucius and Vera received at your stage. This is a decision I made before you came here, so it has nothing to do with you marrying Willow Stone Pillar."
Darian faced his grandfather again, before nodding. While he didn't need the stipend, he wasn't going to turn it down. Actually, no, he did need it. He still owed Vera a dress worth thousands of spirit stones. Vera said he didn't need to do it, but Darian remained firm. Perhaps it was stupid and stubborn of him, but he said he would.
"To get back to Willow Stone Pillar," Darian said. "How else can I prove to Clan Stone Pillar that I'm capable of taking care of her? Besides the secret realm and the monthly stipend, I don't have much else. The resources my mother left behind for my cultivation aren't in my control, and are for my use only."
Grandfather Darin pinched his chin in thought.
"You said you had a growing area. The clan has several gardeners that take care of the fields that grow our own plants. They're less talented clan members looking to earn extra merits or spirit stones. Think of them as the equivalent of Outer Disciples of a sect, though we don't use those terms. I can send some of them your way, if you wish."
Darian made a face.
"I see that this idea doesn't appeal to you," his grandfather said with a smirk.
"I don't like the idea of opening up my secret realm to strangers, even if they are kin."
However, Darian might have to. It would be unfair of him to ask his father and the snake twins to handle everything for him. They needed to focus on their own cultivation and training as well. His father was still recovering, and the snake twins weren't just servants to him, especially Ellen.
"We'll shelve this discussion for a later date then, Darian," his grandfather said. "You can think about it for now. This offer has no expiration date. As for other ways you can support a household, you can always do missions for the clan and go on adventures. Given your stage, you won't be able to take the ones that will take you out of Silverwood Vale, however."
"What sorts of missions?"
"Collecting wild herbs, working the fields, hunting dire monsters, and so on."
At the mention of hunting dire monsters, Darian perked up. Fighting and earning spirit stones at the same time appealed to him.
Darian and his grandfather discussed the topic some more. The marriage wouldn't happen right away. The two clans needed to negotiate the marriage contract first. Either Clan Wind Dance would go to Fort Stone Pillar, or Clan Stone Pillar would come to Mt. Wind Dance. Or maybe both clans would meet in a neutral location. Crescent Moon City came to mind as a possibility.
Regardless, it would take some time to arrange matters. Grandfather Darin estimated that it would take them at least two months.
After that, Darian said his goodbye to his grandfather and met up with his friends again. He told them about what happened. Lucius put a hand on his shoulder, while Vera gave him a hug. While he appreciated his friends' intentions, they didn't need to console him.
By the time they made it back to the secret realm, Darian felt exhausted mentally and emotionally. Physically, he felt fine. He headed towards his room to retire early, and saw Ellen waiting by his door. She looked nervous.
"You're angry with me," she said when he drew close.
Darian paused to give himself time to think.
"I was angry with you," he said. "Last night, and this morning as well. You kept something important from me."
"I know, and I am sorry that I had to." She shook her head. "I think that is one of the reasons why I told the ra-…told Jaime to confess the truth. That way, I would no longer have to hide it from you."
"Do you know about…?"
Darian trailed off, but Ellen understood what he was getting at. She nodded.
"Yes," she said. "Guardian Astra told Elliot and I." She smirked. "I don't think anyone expected you to use the soul binding that way."
To be fair, it had been more Jaime's idea than his.
"Darian," Ellen said. "I am sorry I kept the truth about Jaime from you." She shook her head. "The problem is that my loyalties are divided. You are the Young Master, but Guardian Astra is my senior within the Dawn and Dusk Sect, and is responsible for protecting this secret realm. As for Master Nova, well, she's Master Nova." She cupped Darian's cheek. "If it means anything, my heart belongs to you. All of it, without reservation."
Darian grabbed her hand. She stiffened, but he just brought it to his lips and kissed her palm. She relaxed at this.
"I said I was angry. I'm not anymore. I'm…I'm tired of anger right now, especially with what happened last night." He watched her eyes. "You're not afraid of me, are you?"
While Darian understood his friends' reactions, their fear had cut into him. He wasn't sure if he could handle it from Ellen.
To his surprise, she just smiled.
"Why would I be afraid of you?" she asked. "I already told you that I'm a monster. Demons don't scare me."
There was more to that statement than she was saying. Darian hadn't forgotten her nickname for him, Little Demon. She said she had called him that when he was smaller, yet Astra had only recently learned about his Demon's Wrath innate ability. That implied that Ellen knew about it before Astra had, which was interesting. Plus, on their first night together, Ellen had soothed his anger before he lost control. He hadn't thought much of it at the time, but that was because he hadn't known that the pulses had something to do with his Demon's Wrath.
Ellen knew more than she was letting on.
That was for later, however. Right now, he ached for her, and he just wanted to spend the night in her arms. They could discuss the truth at a later time.
Without a word, Darian picked up Ellen and carried her into his room.