Darian sat in the training courtyard of his secret realm, which he had finally named; Duskfall Hall. He would have put it off for longer, except Ellen had told him that everyone was starting to call it Darian's Secret Place, which had unfortunate implications. He suspected that she made it up just to tease him, but when he questioned everyone, they confirmed her story. The fact that they had done so with knowing smiles on their faces deepened his suspicions, but he let it go.
A month had passed since his last conversation with his grandfather, a month that had gone by in the blink of an eye. Between cultivating, training, the tutoring lessons, sparring, the occasional torture session, and spending nights with Ellen, Darian's days passed like grains of sands falling in an hourglass. No wonder cultivators could often spend decades, maybe even centuries, in seclusion. When one's lifespan became thousands of years, time started to lose its grip.
When Darian had informed his loved ones about the meeting with Clan Stone Pillar, and Darian's upcoming marriage to Willow Stone Pillar, they both congratulated and questioned him. Astra in particular demanded to know everything about this Willow Stone Pillar.
"I won't let just anyone marry my nephew," she had declared.
Darian thought that Ellen would be angry or upset with him about it, but no. She remained as loving and supportive as ever.
At some point, the discussion turned away from Darian's marriage and towards Crescent Moon City, where the meetings would take place at Clan Stone Pillar's insistence. Darian had never been to it before, and listened with eager ears. Apparently, it was massive, far larger than Mt. Wind Dance and Valeheart, and located within the inner crescent of Crescent Moon Lake. Darian could hardly imagine such a place, though he had some frame of reference. The dream he had of Carina, in that unnamed city, gave him some ideas of what Crescent Moon City would be like.
In the end, they all decided to join Darian for this meeting with Clan Stone Pillar. While they didn't need to, except Darian's father, the others would come to lend their support. Elliot and one of Astra's clones decided to stay behind, since someone needed to keep an eye on Duskfall Hall. If nothing else, the garden area needed tending, and Astra was a poor gardener.
After that, people threw themselves into preparations. Even though the meeting was several months off, everyone wanted to be ready for it. In the meantime, Darian focused on ways to earn spirit stones, as well as grow spirit plants and gather cultivation resources. So far he had gotten mixed results.
As Grandfather Darin had promised, Darian's stipend had increased. He now received quite a bit from the clan, but not enough for his purposes. Still, he was grateful for it.
Hunting dire monsters had proven to be the most profitable venture for him. He took hunting missions from the clan, which earned him spirit stones, and then he sold the hides and bones of those same dire monsters to Clan Wind Dance's repository. They fetched quite the price, and Darian accumulated several hundred spirit stones this way. He kept the meat and gave it all to Ellen, who could make the most out of it with her skills as an immortal chef.
Doing other missions for the clan, on the other hand, proved frustrating for the most part. Aside from hunting dire monsters, the only other missions available were mostly mundane and menial tasks. Delivering packages, helping with repairs, and so on.
However, Darian did take the missions that involved gathering special plants and herbs that grew within the wild places of Silverwood Vale. It turned out that there were plenty of resources available to those who knew what to look for. Since Darian considered this good practice for the future, he threw himself into these with enthusiasm.
The clerk at the mission hall also stressed to Darian the importance of only taking what he needed. To preserve these resources for the future, he needed to make sure that he left enough behind to ensure that they continued to flourish. Being greedy now meant doing without in the future. Working in harmony with nature was ideal.
Darian committed this lesson to heart.
As for growing spirit plants…Well, it turned out that he had no talent for it. In fact, he had a negative talent for it. Some people had green thumbs. He had a black thumb. He spent some time working in the fields where Clan Wind Dance grew its cultivation plants. Any plant he tried to nurture died within the week. He could gather, but he couldn't grow. His inability to care for plants had actually earned him a bit of infamy within the clan, and the enmity of his kin that were responsible for Clan Wind Dance's supply of spirit plants. They had even banned him from helping after the third try.
When Darian had mentioned this to Astra, she reminded him that he practiced The Nine Gates of Destruction, which was a combat technique. He was never going to be a gardener or a farmer.
Darian's training, on other hand, progressed well. He studied and practiced the techniques he had on hand with even more dedication than before. He mastered Fire Fist up to the first level, which was the highest he could go at the moment, and was well on his way to mastering Wings of Wind. The scroll containing the incomplete version of Severing Wind, however, gave him trouble.
Darian studied it now. It was noon, and the sun shone down on the training courtyard. He sat on a cushion and drank chilled tea as he tried, and failed, to understand the scroll. It had been much easier to comprehend Wings of Wind. That technique had been a gift from a roc, it was meant to be understood. More than that, it was a complete technique. This fist variation of Severing Wind, while based off a complete technique, was itself incomplete. It was like trying to understand a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
The most maddening thing, however, was that Darian could almost see how it could be completed. It was like the pieces he did have were almost enough for him to grasp the whole picture. Almost, but not quite. It didn't help that Astra kept bugging him.
A clone of hers, in feline form, played chess with his father off in the corner. Her main body, in human form, sat next to him. She reached over and poked his head. Darian let out a sigh and looked at her.
"Auntie, will you stop doing that?" he asked in an aggrieved tone.
"I can't help it," Astra said, grinning at him. "It's so shiny."
Darian touched the top of his head, and felt nothing but smooth skin. A few days ago, Darian had taken a bath after a tiring sparring session. However, when he had gotten out, he realized that every bit of hair on his body had fallen off. It turned out that Vera, as revenge for his comment about her not being as likable as she thought he was, had switched out his usual cleaning solution with one that removed hair.
The others had burst out into laughter when they saw him with no hair and no eyebrows. Astra, in particular, spent a full hour just breaking out into fits of laughter. Only Ellen felt his pain, since she liked to play with his hair. Vera just gave him a smug smirk.
He still wasn't used to the lack of hair. At least he couldn't get sunburned, or his head would be redder than a ripe tomato by now.
While Darian would have liked to get revenge, he let it go. During one of their trips to Mt. Wind Dance, he had overheard Vera informing Cassandra's family about her death. It had been a heart wrenching scene. They had found Jaime's holding bag, which he took as his own, so at least they managed to return Cassandra's body to her family, though that provided little consolation.
"If you're going to bother me, Auntie," he said with annoyance. "You could at least help me understand this. There is something missing here, but I can't figure out what."
Astra shook her head.
"Nope! I haven't gotten permission to learn any of your clan's techniques, and I'm not a thief. If I read that, I'd feel obligated to provide some form of compensation. A waste, since it's not like that technique would be useful to someone like me."
"Don't you use your claws to fight? This is a cutting technique. Surely you could find some use for it."
"For a technique at the Foundation Establishment level?" Astra snorted. "I doubt it."
"Lucius said that it could be combined with other offensive techniques to enhance them."
"He's correct," Darian's father said, speaking up while still focusing on his chess game. "I still use it, and I'm in the Element Collection stage."
Human Astra, the one not playing chess with Darian's father, glanced back at him. Cat Astra focused on the chess game with single minded intensity.
"I'm in the Nascent Soul stage," Human Astra said. "There is a world of difference between us."
Darian's father leaned back, pinching his chin.
"How about this?" he asked. "If you help Darian understand that scroll, and you find that you can't make use of that technique, you don't have to compensate Clan Wind Dance for it. As the son of the Patriarch, you have my permission." He nodded to Darian. "My son is ahead of his peers, but he's not at the level where he can create and modify techniques just yet. He just doesn't have the experience. Without access to our clan's secret archive, he doesn't have the knowledge either"
While Darian felt chagrined at this, he couldn't argue against it. He wanted to reach the Energy Gathering stage as soon as possible, so he could finally get access to that damned archive. Hmm, unless marrying Willow Stone Pillar counted as a meritorious deed? He would have to ask his grandfather about that.
After giving it some thought, Human Astra shrugged.
"Fine by me," she said. "If you're willing to give away your clan's secrets like that, I won't stop you."
Darian's father just smirked at her.
Human Astra held out her hand. Darian gave her the scroll and she started to read it. After a single glance, however, her demeanor changed. Human Astra focused on the scroll with the same intensity that Cat Astra gave the chess game.
"Damn it," Cat Astra said. She knocked her king over. "You win this round, Cultivator Darren."
Darian's father gave her a boyish grin.
"Wait, someone at your level can actually use this technique?" Darian asked, surprised.
As far as he knew, this technique was an experiment created by his clan's ancestors. Despite his words earlier, he hadn't actually thought that a Nascent Soul cultivator would find a use for it.
"Yes," Cat Astra said, giving him a baleful glare. "It was created by that bastard Honored Ancestor of yours, Sword Immortal Darian. Anything created by an Immortal, even an incomplete technique, contains profound secrets. I wouldn't be surprised if he was the one who created the original Severing Wind technique."
"He was," Darian's father said. "He's also the one who created the combat variation of the original Dancing Wind technique, Dancing Wind Blade."
When he heard this, Darian felt mixed emotions. He had always admired Sword Immortal Darian, the Honored Ancestor who he had been named after. However, not too long ago, Darian's father told him the story of how he had saved a mortal girl from a feral dog with his Demon's Wrath ability. After that, Darian had attacked Stella. Sword Immortal Darian intervened, sealed away his Demon's Wrath ability, and erased the memory from his mind. That had been a tiring discussion.
Too many Immortals had interfered with Darian's life, he felt.
"I need to study this in some place quiet," Human Astra said, holding the scroll. Without another word, she flew off and out of sight.
"Wait, Auntie, I was studying that!" Darian called out after her, but she didn't acknowledge it.
He looked at Cat Astra.
"Don't worry, she'll return it when she's done comprehending it," she said. "She might even complete it, so you don't have to worry about figuring that part out by yourself." She paused in thought. "I will have to think of suitable compensation for your Clan."
Darian's father started resetting the board, with a self satisfied smile on his face. Darian himself slumped. He had set aside this time specifically for studying the incomplete version of the Severing Wind technique. He had even begged off helping Lucius teach their juniors for today. Lucius and Vera had taken that opportunity to visit Mt. Wind Dance.
Hmm, perhaps he could take this opportunity to ask Astra about something that had been bothering him.
"Auntie, am I a demon?" he asked her.
Ever since that day, when Darian had talked with his friends about it, that question had plagued him.
Both Astra and his father froze for a moment, before they looked at him.
"Why would you ask that?" she said, shaking her head. "The Nine Gates of Destruction isn't a demonic technique. You're not a demonic cultivator."
That was a poor attempt at evasion. Darian arched an eyebrow at her and pointed to himself.
"Demon's Wrath."
"Darian does have a point," his father said with a frown. "I'm not too familiar with the Demon's Wrath innate ability. All I know is that it gives its user the strength of a raging demon, but that's it. Our clan's secret archive mentions several techniques with similar effects, but those aren't innate abilities."
Astra sighed and looked up at the sky for several moments.
"You know, I had planned on waiting until later for this discussion. I'm not sure if you're ready for it yet." She looked back down at him. "Are you?"
"Ignorance would be more harmful to me at this point," Darian said in a quiet voice. "I almost lost control several times before you told me about my Demon's Wrath ability."
In the time since he had learned about his Demon's Wrath, Darian had felt the pulsing inside him a few times. He had reined in his anger every single time. Only once had he had to resort to the Mind Flame meditation technique.
"Very well," Astra said with a nod. "The answer to your question is yes. You are a demon, Darian, at least in part."
Her answer felt like a blow to the gut. His clan's library only had limited knowledge on demons, but what he had read told him that they were evil creatures; be they demonic spirits native to the Underworld, or the inner demons that plagued the hearts of cultivators. Did that mean he was evil?
Even his father seemed shocked by this.
"How?" Darian asked, feeling a little numb. "Both of my parents are human. How am I part demon?"
"I don't know," Astra said, shaking her head. "The children of Immortals are rare and strange creatures. It's very difficult for an Immortal to conceive a child. Usually it takes a rare natural treasure, or some kind of forbidden technique. I have lived for thousands upon thousands of years, and I have only met two, three if I include you. I have heard about two others. The children of Immortals, and their natures, are a mystery to everyone except their Immortal parent." Her expression darkened. "Your mother failed to share the truth of your existence with me. My guess is that your demonic nature is related to the natural treasure or technique she used to conceive you."
She glanced at Darian's father, silently asking if he knew the truth. He just shook his head.
Darian heard the anger and pain in her voice, something he could empathize with. Master Nova had also lied to him and deceived him about something important. He still hadn't reconciled her true identity with Stella.
"Yet Darian isn't like any demon I have heard of or read about," Darian's father said. "I have never encountered one myself, but demons are supposed to be vile, monstrous creatures." He gestured to Darian. "Darian let his friend prank him without retaliation because he sympathized with her pain. That doesn't sound like the actions of a demon to me."
Wait, how did his father know about that? Had Vera told him? As far as he knew, no one had caught him. Had Astra told his father? Darian never knew when she was watching him or not. She liked to hide her presence from him often.
"I have a theory, though it would make more sense with some context," Astra said. "Darian, I assume you don't know much about demons? This sounds like the sort of knowledge that would be kept in your clan's secret archive."
"I do not, no," he said.
"In that case, let me turn this into a little lesson on demonology. Do you mind, Cultivator Darren?"
Darian's father gestured for her to go ahead.
"Most beings are a mix of good and evil, of positive and negative," Astra said. "Demons are evil through and through. They are negative aspects of reality given form. Corruption, decay, pain, suffering, and so on. They are inherently evil. That is their nature, and they revel in it. Inner demons are the same, but instead of originating from the Underworld, they originate from the darkness of a cultivator's mind and soul. Anger, sorrow, lust, and more. They haunt the cultivator that spawned them, and will destroy said cultivator if they aren't dealt with."
"This isn't making me feel better, Auntie," Darian interjected.
"Quiet," she said. "Let me finish." She cleared her throat. "However, they can transcend their nature. Humans are mortal beings. It is in their nature to die. They can overcome this by elevating themselves to higher states of being. Demons are similar in that they can overcome their inherently evil nature, though this is rare. Most don't bother trying."
"As rare as a human achieving immortality?" Darian asked in a dry voice.
"If you want to see it that way, yes." Astra shrugged. "The point I'm trying to make is that demons, specifically inner demons, can be tamed. They can be reformed, and made to serve their cultivator. While this is a form of demonic cultivation, it's one of the more tolerated forms of demonic cultivation, as long as the demonic cultivator doesn't use it for evil. Our Dawn and Dusk Sect even has a specific technique for this called The Path of the Inner Demon. It was created by one of our Immortals, the King of Sin, who I consider a personal friend of mine."
She pointed at Darian.
"I think the reason why Darian isn't a monster raging out of control is that his human nature keeps his demonic nature in check. He has tamed himself, so to speak, the same way certain demonic cultivators can tame their inner demons. As long as he doesn't get angry to the point where he loses control, he'll be fine."
Darian shook his head.
"Except it is easy for me to get angry and lose control." Thinking back on it now, it amazed him that his demon hadn't gotten out of control more times. "Trying to stay calm and meditating is a stop gap measure, as you said. I need to learn how to control my demon."
"I agree," Astra said. "I have a few ideas on how you can accomplish this, but that will have to wait. You're not at a stage where you can use any of them. Until then, continue to strengthen your will. A strong will is required when dealing with demons."
Darian's father frowned at this.
"Do these ideas include learning techniques from this 'Path of the Inner Demon' you mentioned?"
"Yes," Astra admitted.
Darren's expression darkened.
"So you seek to turn my son into a demonic cultivator."
"Cultivator Darren, Darian is already part demon. We're beyond demonic cultivation at this point. If we want to avoid Darian becoming a monster, he needs to learn how to control his demon and make it serve him."
"I don't want my demon to serve me," Darian said, shaking his head. "I just don't want to lose control and harm the people I care about most."
If given the choice, Darian would never use his Demon's Wrath innate ability ever again. Remembering how he felt back then, when he had lost control, chilled him. He had felt anger and rage at everything and everyone. He had wanted to destroy them all, including his loved ones.
"And the only way you'll do that is by learning how to control your demon," Astra retorted. "The Path of the Inner Demon is one of the better ways for you to accomplish this. It's a technique that focuses on discipline and self control."
Darian's father walked over and knelt next to him.
"Darian," he said. "I want to forbid you from doing this. There is a reason why even the most benign of demonic cultivators are barely tolerated. Demonic cultivation is corrosive and corruptive. It deforms the soul and twists it. However, I fear that Cultivator Astra may be correct." He put a hand on Darian's shoulder. "I just want what's best for you."
Darian gave his father a smile.
"So do I, Father," he said. "Unfortunately, I don't know what's best in this scenario. However, to do nothing would be the worst choice of all."
***
Stella brought the immortal boat she rode in on to a stop and gazed down at the scene before her. The boat floated high in the sky, above a long, but narrow, mountain range that ran from north to south. In terms of size, it would have run across the entire length of the Myriad Rivers region. Here, in the Iron Leaf Hills region, it only took up a third. Each mountain was at least the size of Mt. Wind Dance, and there were many that were bigger. Right in the center was one of the biggest mountains of the world, Dawn and Dusk Peak. It stretched so high, that its spire pierced the sky and touched the void beyond this world.
There were valleys, vales, and crevices that occupied little niches in the mountain range. Life flourished in all of them, as the spirit energy in this area was rich and abundant. Farms and gardens occupied most of these areas, growing rare fruits, vegetables, and cultivation plants. Special beasts occupied the others, raised for their meat, furs, and bones. Some were raised to become familiars.
It was night time now, but despite the late hour, Stella saw bright lights scattered across the mountain range. They looked like stars that had come down in order to interact with the mortal world. These lights illuminated the many buildings scattered across the mountain range. From her perch, Stella saw the place was a hive of activity. It might have been night, but after reaching a certain level of power, time lost all meaning to cultivators.
This was the Dawn and Dusk Sect, Stella's home. A part of Stella relaxed. Silverwood Vale was beautiful and peaceful, but there was no place like home.
Stella had spent the past month making her way here, bringing Estelle with her. It would have taken her less time had she traveled alone, and if she hadn't been wearing her current disguise. The disguise hid her aura from almost everyone, but it also sealed some of her power away. With these restrictions in mind, Stella had taken the immortal boat that Jaime, now named Estelle, and her comrade, Darrell, had left behind for her own uses.
While Stella could step into any secret realm she had created, there was a range limit to it. The distance between the Myriad Rivers region and the Iron Leaf Hills region exceeded that limit by a large margin. She also wasn't versed enough in the mysteries of space to teleport without a formation. Even if she was, there were formations around the Dawn and Dusk Sect to prevent that.
In short, Stella had to take the long way home, especially since she had a passenger.
Stella glanced back at the sleeping girl, who was in a stasis formation to protect her from the cold and to prevent her from starving to death. Estelle was in the Core Shaping stage, but at this height, the temperatures were cold enough that even she would have felt it. She was also at the stage where she still needed to eat and drink, albeit not as much as lesser cultivators. Since she was Stella's newly adopted niece, she was Stella's responsibility for the time being.
Stella navigated the boat, a simple leaf-shaped construct, and brought it closer to the formations that protected the Dawn and Dusk Sect. She didn't actually cross them, even though she could have, but rather stopped at the border and waited. Given her position, unless things have changed since she left, the one who would come out to greet her was…
"Halt!" a booming, demonic voice called out. "Who are you? State your business with the Dawn and Dusk Sect, or be destroyed!"
A great beast, which looked like a mix of a wolf and a bear, flew over to her. The beast was the size of Patriarch Darin's house back on Mt. Wind Dance. It had black fur, sharp claws, and horns curving out of its head. It glared at her with red eyes that burned with rage and hate. The beast snarled at her, showing off its fangs.
Umbra's Wrath, one of the Dawn and Dusk Sect's Guardians. Stella called him by his other name.
"Nephew Quintus," Stella called out in a cheerful voice. "I haven't seen you in decades. How have you been?"
Quintus, also known as Umbra's Wrath, studied her with a perplexed expression, which Stella found amusing on such a large and terrifying looking beast.
"Aunt Nova?" he asked, puzzled. He sniffed, and he snarled at her again. "No, you aren't Aunt Nova. You don't look like her, you don't have her aura, and you don't smell like her. Tell me who you are, intruder, or I will destroy you."
He could try. Quintus, like Astra, was at the Nascent Soul stage. All of Umbra's children were. Even in her current state, Stella would have no problem defeating him.
"It's me, Nephew Quintus," she said. "I'm wearing a disguise, that's why I don't seem like myself. However, it really is me, Nova. Message your father. Have him come here and identify me. He should be able to see through the disguise."
The Dawn and Dusk Sect was well within the range of Quintus's mind sense, even at this distance. He would have no trouble messaging Umbra.
"Ask him yourself, intruder. If you really are Aunt Nova, you should be able to sense him."
Stella shook her head.
"If I did that, everyone would know that I have returned. The fewer people who know I am here, the better. I don't want to deal with any hassle. This is just a short visit. I'll leave as soon as I'm done with my business here."
The beast continued to glare at her for several long moments, before nodding.
"Very well, intruder," he said. "Don't come any closer. I don't care who you claim to be. I am a Guardian of the Dawn and Dusk Sect, and I will fulfill my duty."
Stella smirked at him. Despite his words, Stella had been there shortly after his "birth". It was hard to take him seriously after she had seen him as a cute pup with fuzzy fur.
It took about an hour for Umbra, Quintus's father, to show up. The King of Sin materialized out of the darkness, a shadow that coalesced into the form of a man. Umbra was a pale skinned man that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Myriad Rivers region. He had fine features, black hair, and black eyes. Of course, he also wore black robes made of a material that seemed to absorb light.
Stella didn't know if he chose the name Umbra because of his appearance, or if he changed his appearance to match his name. When they had met, he had already taken on his current form.
"Father," Quintus growled. "This intruder claims to be Aunt Nova in disguise. I would have destroyed her already, but if she really is Aunt Nova…" He trailed off at that, a hint of nervousness in his voice.
Quintus was an inner demon born from Umbra's anger and rage, thus the title, Umbra's Wrath. During his youth, he often lost control of his temper and went on many rampages. He had done so once, when visiting Stella's home, and she had taught him a lesson he had never forgotten. Even to this day, millennia later, he still remembered. Good boy.
Umbra studied Stella with a neutral look on his face. She had never seen him wear any other expression, despite whatever he felt in the moment. Even in moments of great joy or great sorrow, his face remained the same. She had gotten used to it by this point.
Umbra scanned Stella with his mind sense. It wasn't necessary, but still prudent. When Stella had commissioned this disguise, she had ensured that there were a few exceptions who could see through it. That way, she could verify her identity without breaking the disguise. It had cost her tens of thousands of spirit stones after all. While she was a wealthy woman, her wealth wasn't unlimited.
"Sister Nova," he said, in a quiet voice. "Why do you look like that? And where did you get that disguise?"
"I had the Faceless One make it for me," she said with a grin. "I wanted to watch over my son without his Honored Ancestors throwing a fit."
The Faceless One was a loose Immortal, someone who wasn't affiliated with any clan, sect, or school. They specialized in transformations, illusions, and disguises. No one knew what the Faceless one looked like, what sex they were, or if they were even human. Every time someone met them, they wore a different face, and sometimes looked like a spirit beast.
"Ah, I see," Umbra said. "How is Little Demon, by the way?"
Stella's left eye twitched. She had forgotten, quite deliberately, that the ones who knew her son during his previous existence called him that, as if that were his actual name. Not for the first time, she regretted calling him that. It was supposed to be a descriptor, not a name.
"He is doing well," she said through gritted teeth. "I'm actually here because of him." She gestured to Estelle. "He adopted this girl into our family, so I brought her here to ensure she isn't an embarrassment."
Umbra flew over to the boat and studied Estelle.
"I had wondered who your traveling companion was." He shrugged. "It's no business of mine. The only one I'm interested in is Little Demon. Since I've done my part here, I shall depart."
Umbra turned to leave.
"Hold on," Stella said. "Before you go, can you tell Peak Master Brand to meet me at my home? I have some business with him. Please ask him to be discreet. I don't want anyone else to know I'm here."
After a moment's thought, Umbra nodded.
"I assume you wish the same from my son and I?"
"Yes." Stella sighed. "Please keep my presence here a secret, especially from your daughters. Otherwise, they'll bug me about my son and his whereabouts. That is the last thing I want to deal with right now."
Umbra had two daughters, Prima and Septima. They were his Pride and Gluttony, respectively. Both were interested in Darian, or Little Demon as they insisted on calling him. At least, they had been. Stella wasn't sure if it was still the case.
She never did find out if Little Demo-…Darian. She never did find out if Darian returned their interest.
"Very well, Sister Nova," Umbra said after a brief pause.
He melted into darkness and disappeared.
Quintus, who had listened to this exchange in silence, flew over to Stella's immortal boat. He wore a piteous expression on his face.
"Aunt Nova," he said, in his demonic voice. "When is Brother Little Demon coming home? My siblings and I miss him."
Stella sighed. While she would have preferred if everyone called Darian by his name, she couldn't tell them what it was yet. She couldn't take the risk. The fewer people who knew about him, the better. While the other Immortals of the Dawn and Dusk Sect tolerated Umbra's children, his inner demons, the same could not be said for Darian.
After what happened with Gavin, Immortal Skysplitter's son, it was hard to predict how they would react to Darian's existence. The children of Immortals were more dangerous than mere inner demons, after all. They might try to kill him. Even if they didn't, they would still make Darian's life difficult.
Plus, if Umbra's daughters found out her son's name, they would try to look for Darian on their own, which was the last thing Stella wanted. Both women were annoyingly persistent when it came to her son.
Stella was also concerned about Umbra's other children. While Umbra's daughters worried her the most, his sons might get it into their heads to find their "little brother". The last thing Darian needed was a horde of demons descending upon him.
"Soon, Quintus," she said, petting his head. "When he grows up some more and gets stronger."
To an outsider, it would have looked comical. A woman Stella's size comforting a beast the size of a small palace by petting him.
"You should keep in mind that he won't remember you or your siblings. The process of rebirth erased his memories of his previous existence. You will all be strangers to him."
"We know. Even so, we miss him. Especially my sisters."
Stella nodded, before flicking Quintus's forehead.
"Now shoo. I have work to do, and so do you."
With that, Quintus flew away to continue with his duties, while Stella flew the immortal boat towards the Dawn and Dusk Sect. The formations recognized her and let her through without a problem. Since Estelle was with her, they let the girl pass through as well.
Stella aimed for a particular peak. While the Dawn and Dusk Sect had tens of thousands of disciples, they couldn't occupy all of the mountains they had claimed as their own. There were plenty that remained wild, while her sect's Immortals had claimed entire peaks as their own, including her. The sect had even named it after her: Mt. Nova.
The formations protecting her home let her through.
When Stella reached Mt. Nova, she flew towards a small cave located near the peak. A small wooden dock sat next to the cave, specifically for immortal boats. She moored the immortal boat, picked up Estelle, and entered the cave. She walked in complete darkness for a solid minute, before she felt a strange sensation. It felt like she was being turned inside out. It wasn't painful, but it was very uncomfortable.
After the sensation passed, Stella found herself in a plain stone courtyard. Behind her stood a stone archway, with a glowing portal where the door should have been. Beyond the courtyard was a secret realm the size of Silverwood Vale. It was a lush, fertile place with rolling hills covered in grass, small forests, and a river of spirit water running through it. In the center of the secret realm, sat a palatial estate about the size of Valeheart. A stone pathway led from the courtyard to the estate.
Dawnrise Hall, her home within the Dawn and Dusk Sect.
Since it was night, yellow balls of light provided illumination, same as with Darian's secret realm. As Stella walked towards the estate, keeping to mortal speed since she wasn't in a hurry, two figures approached her. One was a short woman with long black hair, and solid black skin. Her skin gleamed in the light, and had a chitinous quality to it. She also had eight solid black eyes on her mostly human face.
The other figure was a tall, muscular man covered in a fine layer of rust-red fur. His face, while human looking, had a distinctly canine quality to it, and a pair of floppy ears adorned the top of his head. A bushy tail protruded from his back.
Lavina and Russell, her most senior retainers. They were a spider spirit beast and a dog spirit beast, respectively, who were both in the Golden Core stage.
When they neared Stella, they stopped and both bowed. Stella had ensured that they were both exceptions to her disguise as well.
"Welcome back, Mistress Nova," they said at the same time, before rising again. Unlike Ellen and Elliot, they were just her retainers, not her Honorary Disciples.
While they both wore placid expressions on their faces, Stella knew they were both excited to see her. Well, she saw that Russell was. His tail was wagging so fast, it was a blur. It was harder to tell with Lavina.
"Thank you," Stella said with a smile. "This is my niece, Estelle. Settle her near my quarters, and see that she is taken care of."
If either of them were surprised by her statement, neither showed it.
Estelle was no longer in the stasis formation, so she needed someone to care for her as she slept. Stella needed to take care of some business first, and then she could work on the girl's soul.
"Yes, Mistress Nova," Lavina said.
She tossed two wooden dolls forward. Before they landed on the ground, the dolls expanded until they were human sized. Now they looked like human shaped wooden manikins. Controlled by Lavina's will, they took Estelle from Stella with the utmost care, and carried her towards the estate.
"Mistress Nova," Russell said with barely contained excitement. "How long will you be staying? Are you home for good?"
Stella smiled at him and reached over to pat him on the head. Despite being a centuries old spirit beast, Russell was still a dog at heart. As Stella petted him, he stood there with a blissful expression on his face.
"Unfortunately, I can only stay for a few months at most," she said. "I need to work on Estelle's soul and ensure her cultivation starts on the right track. After that, we must leave again."
Russell looked torn between asking her more questions, and continuing to let her pet him. Lavina had no such problem.
"Mistress Nova," the spider spirit beast said. "If I may be so presumptuous, where have you been? You left, taking Elliot and Ellen with you, saying that you needed to work on an important project. While I would never question you under normal circumstances, the rest of the servants and I are concerned. Russell, in particular, has been worried about you."
The dog spirit beast in question gave Stella puppy dog eyes. They remained effective, even in his current form, though Stella had long become immune to them.
"I can't tell you," Stella said, shaking her head. "Not yet, at least."
While she trusted her servants, she couldn't tell them about Darian. She couldn't risk his life like that. The only one of her servants who knew of his true nature was Ellen, and that was because she had stumbled upon him entirely by accident during his previous existence. The fool girl had even fallen in love with him, and he with her.
Lavina and Russell looked unhappy about this, but didn't question her further.
Before any of them could say anything, the portal behind Stella glowed for a brief moment and emitted a surge of spirit energy. Stella turned to find a figure emerging from the portal. It was a man with light brown skin and dark curly hair with gray streaks in it. Like his brother, Stella's first Master, he had a rough face but warm brown eyes.
"Uncle Brand!" Stella exclaimed.
She rushed over to give the man a hug. He was also one of the few people who could see through her disguise.
"Immortal Nova," the man scolded, though his tone said that he didn't mind. He returned the hug. "You have long surpassed me. I am Peak Master Brand to you, or Nephew Brand."
"I don't care," she said. "You will always be Uncle Brand to me."
They hugged for a few more seconds, before pulling apart. Stella studied Uncle Brand, and her heart squeezed with pain. He had aged in the time she had been gone. While the signs were subtle, as an Immortal, she saw them clearly. Uncle Brand was in the Nascent Soul stage, with a lifespan of thousands of years. However, he neared the end of that lifespan. In a single short century, unless he became an Immortal, he would die of old age. When that happened, Stella would lose one of her last remaining links to her first master, the man who had saved her life and raised her like his daughter.
"I'm surprised you're here already, Uncle Brand," Stella said. "I expected you tomorrow, or a few hours from now, at the earliest. I know how busy you are."
The Dawn and Dusk Sect was divided into two factions, the Dawn Faction and the Dusk Faction. Each faction focused on different aspects of cultivation. The Dusk Faction focused on martial pursuits, while the Dawn Faction focused on everything else. These two could be divided further into peaks, which functioned like schools within the sect that each focused on a specialty.
Uncle Brand was the Peak Master of the Mystic Arts Peak, which focused on spells and formations. As such, he was always busy running the Mystic Arts peak, often to the detriment of his own cultivation.
"When I heard that you were back, I hurried over here," he said in a cheerful voice. "I haven't seen you in decades, and I missed you."
Stella smiled back, feeling melancholic. She needed to make more time for Uncle Brand when she returned for good. They had little time left, after all. She also wanted Darian to meet him. Uncle Brand was one of the few people she considered family.
"You're right in that I am busy," Uncle Brand continued, sounding regretful. "So I can't stay for long. What might this humble Peak Master do for you, Immortal Nova?"
While Stella would have liked to chat some more, the sooner she got to work, the better.
"I need a copy of the Crimson Dragon technique," she said. "All of it, including its supplementary techniques, as well as any Air and Earth spell techniques that you are willing to spare."
Crimson Dragon was a fire based energy refining technique that focused on using spells. Its practitioners sought to become dragons themselves by emulating the divine beasts' power. Uncle Brand, and Stella's first master, practiced this technique. Stella had too, until she created The Nine Gates of Destruction, which suited her more.
Uncle Brand froze for a fraction of a second.
"Immortal Nova," he said, measuring each word with care. "I love you as my niece, but the Crimson Dragon technique is one of the core techniques of Mystic Arts Peak. I can't just give it to you."
"I'm not asking you to give it to me," Stella said, shaking her head. "I'm willing to trade copies of the Reborn Demon Sect's collected works on soulcrafting for it."
Uncle Brand started at this, before a wide smile spread across his face.
"Now that is a trade I am willing to make," he said. "You have a deal." He gave her a questioning look. "Why do you need this? You have your own copy of Crimson Dragon."
"It's for my newly adopted niece," Stella explained. "She isn't a member of our sect yet, but she will be in the future. Her current cultivation is being erased, and she will have to start over with a new technique. Since she is now part of the family, so to speak, I thought it would be appropriate for her to learn Crimson Dragon."
Stella already had plenty of suitable catalysts to upgrade Estelle's dantian, so she didn't need to worry about that. While going from green to violet was unfeasible, reaching indigo was doable.
Uncle Brand frowned.
"I see," he said, stroking his chin. "While this situation is unorthodox, as Peak Master of Mystic Arts Peak, it is within my authority to allow this. If it had been anyone else asking, I would have already walked away. Since it's you, I'll allow it." He pointed a finger at her. "However, I must demand an additional price. Tell me the story behind this. Something tells me that this is an interesting tale."
Stella shook her head.
"I can't tell you now, Uncle Brand. It isn't the right time. I can tell you later, however, when I return. Will you accept that?"
Uncle Brand thought it over before nodding.
"Very well," he said. "I will hold you to that. Give me a day or two to gather the copies. I will return then."
Stella nodded and watched as the man she considered her uncle disappeared through the portal. With a sigh, she turned back towards Lavina and Russell. She looked forward to the day when she no longer had to lie and keep secrets from her loved one.
Motherhood carried a heavy price sometimes.