When Darian heard that Clan River Heart had invited Clan Wind Dance and Clan Stone Pillar to join them for dinner, he had imagined it would be a private and low-key affair. They would eat, socialize for a bit, and then head home. Perhaps his inexperience with formal affairs had skewed his perspective, because apparently Clan River Heart had something else altogether in mind.
Instead of a private dinner with members of each of the three clans, Clan River Heart had also invited key figures from the most important clans and sects within the local area. There would be a lavish feast, followed by dancing and music. It wasn't a dinner, it was a goddamn party with dozens of guests in attendance.
As someone who actively avoided large gatherings, Darian felt betrayed by this. This was not what he had in mind when he came to Crescent Moon City.
Still, it amazed him that Clan River heart managed to organize something like this on such short notice. Or maybe not. Maybe they had planned this party for a while, and had waited until Clan Wind Dance and Clan Stone Pillar had both arrived in Crescent Moon City before putting their plans into motion. From what he overheard, Clan Stone Pillar arrived a few days before Clan Wind Dance.
At least he had come prepared. After that awkward and disastrous dinner with his grandparents, Darian decided to acquire formal clothes to avoid such awkwardness in the future, or at least mitigate it. It turned out that he didn't need to bother. His mother had also left behind some rather beautiful robes for him in Duskfall Hall. Like his usual outfit, they were red with gold accents.
He supposed he could have gone to his clan for help, but decided against it. Master Nova was both his mother and his Master. In terms of loyalty, he leaned more towards her than his clan, despite what she did to him. It would make him stand out amongst his kin, but he was used to it at this point.
While he was getting ready, with Ellen's help, Astra hovered nearby in her cat form and offered the occasional comment. When he finished, Darian looked at himself in the mirror and was astonished by what he saw. He looked rather fetching in the robes. The colors looked good against his skin tone. It was weird. He wasn't used to thinking of himself as handsome or good looking.
Ellen liked what she saw as well. She stared at him with avarice in her eyes.
"If we didn't have to leave soon," she muttered. "I would pounce on you right here and now, and eat you up."
Darian's face heated up when he heard this, and coughed to cover up his embarrassment. Despite being together for a little over two months now, Ellen's aggressiveness caught him off guard every now and again. While it wasn't as bad as it had been before they had gotten together, it was still present.
"Calm down, children," Astra said with a chuckle. "There will be time for playing around later on. Right now, Darian needs to focus on this dinner. He's about to meet the woman who will be his first wife."
When she said this, Darian's stomach twisted with nervousness. His plan to talk with Willow in private, and work things out between them, seemed stupid now that he thought about it. The potential for things to go wrong was just too high. Yet, what else could he do? No matter how he thought about it, the other options seemed worse in comparison.
"Are you fine with this?" Darian asked Ellen. "You know why I agreed to this, but give me the word, and I'll call it off."
Ellen smiled at him, before leaning over and kissing him on the cheek.
"I'm fine, Darian," she whispered in his ear. "In fact, I rather look forward to meeting this Willow Stone Pillar. After all, the two of us are going to be sisters in the near future."
After some discussion, Astra and Ellen decided that they would attend the dinner as well. Ellen as Darian's retainer, and Astra as his Master's stand-in. Darian pointed out that since Astra taught him more about cultivation than his actual Master had, calling her his Second Master would be more accurate. She batted his forehead in response, and told him that she preferred to be his Auntie. Nothing would change that.
"Yes, I'm looking forward to meeting Willow as well," Astra said. "I have to make sure she's a worthy bride for my nephew. I can't let just anyone marry you, young Darian. What if you marry someone who embarrasses our family?"
Darian gave Astra a look that was equal parts annoyed and exasperated.
"Didn't you once tell me that Master Nova likes to drink and sleep around?"
"And? What's your point? Your mother is an Immortal. She can get away with doing stuff like that. Everyone is too afraid to tell her otherwise."
Huh. Strength really mattered the most in this world. When you were strong, people were less likely to nay say or judge you. Or if they did, they kept it to themselves.
"Before we go, young Darian," Astra said. "What are you going to do about the Necklace of Plain Sight?"
Darian started, and then looked down at the Necklace of Plain Sight. He had gotten so used to wearing it, that he often forgot he had it on.
"What about it?" he asked, looking back up at Astra.
"Are you going to keep wearing it?" she asked.
Darian frowned at her.
"Yes. Why wouldn't I?"
Astra tilted her head.
"Is that how you want your first public appearance outside of Silverwood Vale to go?"
Darian's frown deepened. Ellen embraced him from behind, and looked at his face through the mirror.
"What Guardian Astra is saying, Darian," she said. "Is that first impressions matter. How do you think people will see you if they meet you while you're wearing the Necklace of Plain Sight?"
That was an easy question to answer.
"They would think I was mortal," he said. "They would look down on me. They wouldn't respect me."
As someone who had spent most of adolescence being looked down upon because he couldn't cultivate, he was familiar with the sensation. It wasn't pleasant.
"Exactly," Astra said. "While there are benefits to hiding your strength, they are outweighed by the downsides. You get less respect, fewer opportunities, and more attention from less scrupulous folk. Those kinds of people always target those that they think are easy prey. That wasn't a problem back in Silverwood Vale, but we're not in Silverwood Vale anymore. How people see you matters more out here."
"Yes, but revealing your strength can also get you attention you don't want," Darian pointed out. "Jealousy, envy, and so on."
While Darian had little experience being the object of envy, he had plenty of experience being the envious one. He had envied his peers of course, since they could cultivate and he couldn't. However, he had also envied Lucius. That envy had tainted their friendship, and made things difficult for Lucius. It was hard being friends with someone who both loved and hated you.
Thank the ancestors Darian had gotten over that.
"So what?" Astra said with a snort. "Let them be jealous. Let them envy you. The opinions of people like that are like the baaing of sheep, meaningless noise from weaklings who don't know their place."
"I used to be one of those people," Darian said in a dry voice. "You know that, right?"
"Yes, and you did something about it. Your mother and I afforded you plenty of opportunities, but you're the one who took those opportunities. When we first met, you could have told me no and continued on with your current course. You didn't. Instead, you took the leap and changed your life. You didn't remain a weakling."
Astra had a point. He had been tempted, back when he first met her, to ignore her words and stay safe, to keep within the familiar.
"There's another point you should consider, Darian," Ellen said, still embracing him from behind. "You are about to meet your future wife and her family. Do you want them to see you as strong and capable, or at least the potential to become strong and capable? Or do you want them to see you as weak?"
Ellen also made a good point. Honestly, Darian knew they were right. The reason he was arguing with them about this was because he was afraid. Fear was the reason why he had wanted to hide his cultivation in the first place. Irrational and illogical fear.
He also didn't like attention. The less people who looked his way, the better. However, by hiding his cultivation, he achieved the opposite effect. He stood out more by pretending to be mortal, and not in a good way.
"You're right," Darian said, slumping his shoulders.
"Of course I am," Astra said, preening. "I'm always right."
Darian ran his hand through his hair.
"It's just that…I don't know. If I take the necklace off, it will all become real. All of this will become real."
Astra and Ellen both gave him raised eyebrows at that.
"What?" Astra asked. "Did you think this was all a dream?"
"Sometimes," Darian admitted. "While there have been some bad moments, my life has been better ever since I became a cultivator. I sometimes have a hard time believing it's real." He reached up and caressed the side of Ellen's face. "Sometimes I'm afraid that this is all a dream, and when I wake up, things will be as they were before, when I was weak and miserable and alone."
Ellen tightened her hold on him and kissed his neck.
"This is not a dream," she murmured into his ear. "This is real. I am real. I won't let you get away from me that easily."
If Darian hadn't been in love with Ellen already, he would have fallen for her right then and there.
Astra hovered over to Darian and swatted him on the head.
"You say all that," she said. "But you're also afraid of taking off the Necklace of Plain Sight and accepting that all of this is real."
"Yes," Darian said. "Fear doesn't always make sense."
"No, it doesn't. The question is, are you going to let your fears rule over you for the rest of your life? I can tell you right now that if you do, you will never become an Immortal. The path to immortality is not for the faint hearted and weak willed."
Darian shook his head.
"No, I won't."
After pulling away from Ellen, he reached up and removed the Necklace of Plain Sight from around his neck.
"I don't suppose it's too late to trade this in for something else, is it?" he asked, holding the necklace out to Astra.
She let out an exaggerated sigh.
"According to the instructions left behind by your mother, all decisions regarding your three items per stage are final. It's supposed to teach you to make careful choices, as well as have you learn to live with the consequences of your decisions." She grinned at him. "However, I've bent the rules a few times already. I'm sure she won't mind if I bend them one more time."
With this, Astra grabbed the Necklace of Plain Sight and made it disappear.
"You'll only get two items in return, however, since you already have the Flamebound Gauntlets."
Darian thought that was fair. He opened his mouth to tell her about the two kinds of items he wanted, but then paused and closed his mouth. He wasn't in a hurry. It was better to think it over before making his decision.
Astra smirked at him, as if reading his thoughts.
"Thank you, Auntie," Darian said instead.
"You're welcome, young Darian. I'm proud of you. You've hidden your light under a bushel for far too long. It's good that you're letting it shine out in the open now."
Darian nodded.
"Now then," he said. "We should go. It's almost time to leave, and we don't want to be late."
***
The dinner wasn't as bad as Darian feared. It was worse. Clan River Heart held it in the main hall of their compound, which was the only building large enough to hold everyone. The guests numbered in the high dozens, and several members of Clan River Heart attended as well. All in all, there were a couple hundred people at this "dinner".
Of the major powers in the Myriad River region, Clan River Heart was the largest. It had the most members, and ruled over the most land. However, that didn't mean it was the most powerful. After all, while Clan Wind Dance numbered in the hundreds, compared to Clan River Heart's thousands, Clan Wind Dance provided at least minimal support for its members. Not so with Clan River Heart.
According to Vera, many of the outer members of the clan were left to fend for themselves. Most of them didn't even live in the River Heart compound. Instead, they resided in Clan River Heart's outlying properties. Even Darian, back when he couldn't cultivate, received more support than the lowest member of Clan River Heart.
It certainly put things into perspective. Was that why his mother chose Clan Wind Dance to raise him? He suspected it was.
The Clan River Heart compound was a beautiful place. As befitting a clan of water cultivators, there were a lot of water features. Fountains, ponds, water gardens, and more. A series of small decorative streams wound their way through the compound. Fish swam in these streams. The smell of water, the smell of life, permeated the place.
It was evening by the time Darian and his kin reached the River Heart compound. Lanterns illuminated the area, bathing the compound in a gentle light. The full moon hung high in the sky, like the eye of a goddess gazing down on the world.
Several groups made their way towards the main hall from the entrance of the River Heart compound, each guided by a member of Clan River Heart. The sound of their chattering filled the air. These groups belonged to the local clans and sects in the area. Each one wore formal robes that also doubled as uniforms that declared their allegiances, including the group from Clan Wind Dance.
Their uniform consisted of sky blue robes with the symbol of Clan Wind Dance over the heart; a white harp and sword crossed over each other.
Darian, Ellen, and Astra were the exception to this. Darian wore his red and gold formal robes, and Ellen wore robes in the same colors instead of her usual black. It pleased a primitive part of Darian that Ellen wore clothing that marked her as "his". Barbaric, yes, but true.
Both wore medallions with Clan Wind Dance's symbol on it, so everyone knew where their allegiances lie, despite their garb.
Astra, in her human form, wore her usual clothing. Given her level of power, Darian doubted that anyone would make an issue of it. Then again, she was keeping her aura in check. After the little speech she gave him about keeping his light hidden under a bushel, she had the audacity to do the same.
Annoying little cat.
The group from Clan Wind Dance consisted of Darian's grandparents and his father, Elders Bryce and Dominic, Lucius and Vera, plus himself, Ellen, and Astra. They drew a lot of attention from the other guests, which made sense. They were from Clan Wind Dance after all, which was notoriously isolationist. Not only that, but they were the only ones who had spirit beasts among their group.
As far as Darian knew, this was the first time his clan had sent an entourage like this in decades, maybe even centuries. In the past, they had sent two or three Elders at most. This time, the Patriarch himself had come.
The main hall was two stories tall. A wide set of double doors served as the entrance, which were thrown open to let all the guests pass through. As his group neared the main hall, Darian heard a band playing music through the open entrance. While the band couldn't compare to his kin when it came to musical skill, they were still pretty good. He had to give them credit for that.
The inside of the hall was lavishly decorated with flowers, colorful paper creations, crystal lanterns, and more. Two rows of wooden pillars held up the ceiling. Due to their placement near the walls, they created shadowy alcoves. Several long wooden tables ran along the length of the main hall, already piled high with an obscene amount of food and drink. Many of them were already occupied. The buzz of their conversation filled Darian's ears. A band of musicians occupied one of the main hall's corners.
At the far end of the hall, atop a raised dais, stood another table. This table was for the key members of Clan River Heart, as well as their guests of honor, the key members of Clan Wind Dance and Clan Stone Pillar.
When Darian saw it, he was worried that there wouldn't be enough room for everyone. It was a big table, but it needed to seat a lot of people. Not only that, but they would only utilize one side of it, the side facing the rest of the main hall.
Their guide led them towards the high table, where Darian saw several people already waiting for them. Most of them belonged to Clan River Heart, though he noticed a few that didn't, including a white haired woman who wore a set of white robes. He saw no one from Clan Stone Pillar.
"It's going to be all right," he heard Lucius say from his side.
He turned towards his friends, and saw Vera clutching Lucius' arm, her face taut with tension. She stared at the high table, or rather at the people sitting at the high table.
"I know," Vera said, putting on a brave face. "I just hadn't expected to come back here so soon."
Darian put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at him, and he gave her a reassuring smile.
"You're not alone. We have your back."
She returned the smile, before looking back at the high table, a determined expression on her face.
When the invitation from Clan River Heart came, everyone reassured Vera that she didn't have to come. Lucius even volunteered to stay behind with her. She declined, saying that she needed to go, since Clan River Heart had invited Clan Wind Dance, and she was a Wind Dance, despite her cultivation and her surname. She even wore Clan Wind Dance's colors.
As their group approached the high table, a woman who looked similar to Vera, but had the air of someone older, approached. She was in the Golden Core stage, putting her real age in the centuries at least. Several people who had been waiting at the high table followed behind her, including the white haired woman.
'Darian,' Astra said in his head. 'Whatever you do, avoid the white haired girl as much as you can. Trust me. If she is who I think she is, you don't want to get involved with her.'
Darian started. Before he could ask her what she meant, the woman who looked like Vera reached their group.
"Patriarch Darin," the woman called out in a rich voice. "Elder Astoria. Greetings! It has been far too long."
"Matriarch Carlisa," Grandfather Darin said. "You looked as lovely as always."
"Oh, you flatter me. Keep doing it." Matriarch Carlisa looked him up and down. "You're in fine form yourself. However, I don't think I can compete with your darling wife. You look quite ravishing, Elder Astoria."
"Thank you, Matriarch Carlisa," Grandmother Astoria said with real warmth in her voice.
Darian's grandparents introduced the rest of their group to the Matriarch. In situations like this, when two large groups were being introduced to each other, the leaders of each group would handle the introductions. This saved time.
The Matriarch's eyes lit up with interest when they fell on Darian.
"Ah, so this is your grandson," she said. "Paradoxically, I've heard a lot about him these past few months but learned little. Shame on you, Patriarch Darin for not telling me about him." She looked him up and down the same way she had with his grandfather. "I'll admit, he isn't what I expected."
Her voice rose near the end of her sentence, turning it into a question. Darian bowed to the woman.
"Greetings, Matriarch Carlisa," he said, bowing to her. "To answer your question, I take after my mother."
When he mentioned his mother, Matriarch Carlisa's eyes flickered to Astra. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that look meant. Not that he blamed her. Since Astra had based her human form off of Master Nova, she did look like Darian's kin. A stranger might think she was his mother.
"So I see," she said. "Except for your eyes. You have the sky blue eyes of Clan Wind Dance. At least you take after your father in that regard."
When Matriarch Carlisa said that, she glanced at Darian's father and gave him a wink. He returned it with a smile. Was this woman flirting with Darian's father?
Before Darian could question this further, his grandparents moved along with the introductions.
"Ah, I remember you," Matriarch Carlisa said when it was Vera's turn. "You're Gareth's daughter, aren't you? The younger one, if I recall correctly."
"Yes," Vera said, her voice and body language stiff. "I am honored that you remember me, Matriarch Carlisa."
"A shame about your mother. You have my condolences."
"Thank you."
Vera's feelings towards Clan River Heart were quite clear, but if Matriarch Carlisa took issue with it, she kept it to herself.
After Clan Wind Dance finished introducing itself, it was Clan River Heart's turn. Matriarch Carlisa introduced her group, which included her three husbands. None of them caught Darian's interest, except for the white haired woman. Objectively, she was the most beautiful woman Darian had ever laid eyes on. Everything about her was beautiful. Her face, her body, even the way she held herself.
He hadn't been the only one who noticed. Many of the men, and several of the women, eyed the white haired woman. Some were more subtle than others. One man wasn't even trying to hide his interest. He openly gawked at her with his mouth hanging open. The man's wife glared at him, holding a knife in her hands. Darian looked away before she could stab him. It wasn't any of his business.
Yet there was something about the white haired woman that set Darian on edge. He couldn't quite explain it. His demonic nature took interest in her, and not in a friendly way. While he didn't feel any drumming, his intuition told him that the white haired woman was a threat somehow.
"And this is Avaline Snow Heart," Matriarch Carlisa said when she introduced the white haired woman. "She is from Clan Snow Heart, the parent clan for Clan River Heart, though we broke away from them a long time ago. She is visiting us from the Frost Moon Sect."
"Greetings to you, Patriarch Darin and Elder Astoria," Avaline said. Even her voice sounded beautiful. She wore a gentle expression on her face.
'I knew it,' Astra's voice said in Darian's mind. 'I suspect that this Avaline is Immortal Frost Moon's daughter. She looks just like her.'
Darian turned and stared at Astra when she mentioned that. What? He thought that the children of Immortals were rare. What were the chances that two of them would meet like this? If it was a coincidence, then it was one hell of a coincidence. It had to be fate. Darian didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
'Like I said earlier,' Astra continued. 'Avoid this girl as much as possible. Immortal Frost Moon and your mother have a…complicated history. I'll explain more later. Just don't get too close to that girl.'
Darian's mind whirled as he pondered that. He stared at Avaline. Not because of her beauty, but because she was like him, the child of an Immortal. Another one of his kind, if he wanted to put it into those terms.
Was that why his demon considered her a threat?
After the introductions, everyone headed towards the high table. As Darian feared, there wasn't enough room for everyone. Not only that, but they had to leave seats for Clan Stone Pillar, who still hadn't arrived. Several members of each group were relegated to the lower tables.
On Clan Wind Dance's end, Darian's family, including Astra, would sit at the high table. Everyone else would sit at the lower tables. Any retainers, including Ellen, would stand behind their masters during the main feast and eat at a later time.
Most of Matriarch Carlisa's group had to move to the lower tables. The only ones who remained were the Matriarch herself, her three husbands, and Avaline Snow Heart. Darian found her inclusion interesting. It meant that she was considered an honored guest, one held in particular regard.
Did Clan River Heart know about her heritage?
A commotion at the main hall's entrance caught Darian's attention. He turned to see what it was, and saw a group of people enter. Their uniform consisted of earthen toned robes with the symbol of a black pillar over the heart. While Darian wasn't familiar with most of the clans and sects within the Myriad Rivers region, he was familiar with this one.
Clan Stone Pillar had arrived.
Darian searched their group, looking for his future bride, Willow Stone Pillar, when his eyes caught one woman in particular. She was tall, taller than everyone else in the main hall, with muscles to match. They were proportionate to her size, and Darian found her muscular body aesthetically pleasing. She towered over everyone like the pillar that was her clan's namesake, radiating an air of strength and stability. She had the aura of an Energy Gathering cultivator.
Underneath all that, Darian saw that this woman had curves, though her uniform did its best to hide them. She had a feminine figure. Her powerful physique enhanced her femininity, complemented it, forming a whole that was pleasing to the eye. The woman wasn't beautiful by objective standards, but Darian found that he couldn't take his eyes off her. Everything else fell away as he stared at this specimen of physical perfection.
"You might want to close your mouth, Young Master," Ellen said in his ear, amusement tinging her voice. "You're drooling."
Darian realized he had been staring, and looked away from the woman. To his relief, he had not in fact been drooling.
While Darian had been staring at the Stone Pillar woman, her group had moved forward to greet the groups from Clan Wind Dance and Clan River Heart. Another round of introductions followed. The Stone Pillar Matriarch, Ava Stone Pillar, greeted his grandparents and Matriarch Carlisa.
Darian noted that the rest of Clan Stone Pillar had similar physiques to the woman who caught his eye. All in all, they were a tall and muscular clan. He suspected it had to do with their cultivation technique, Pillars of the Earth. From the little he knew, it was body refining technique as well as an energy refining technique, though it leaned more towards the former. It was similar to The Nine Gates of Destruction in that regard.
To his surprise, Darian realized that he found all of the Clan Stone Pillar women attractive, though his eye kept going to the tallest one.
Huh. That was something new. Darian hadn't known that his tastes ran in that direction. That, or he appreciated all kinds of beauty. After all, he found Ellen attractive, and she was the polar opposite of the tall Stone Pillar woman in many ways.
Ellen was pale and slender, with long black hair. The Stone Pillar woman was tanned with thick muscles and short dark hair. Yet, Darian found them both beautiful.
"And this is my granddaughter, Willow Stone Pillar," Matriarch Ava said, gesturing to the tallest woman.
Willow Stone Pillar. The tall muscular woman was Willow Stone Pillar, his future bride.
Darian's heart skipped a beat.
Ellen chuckled in his ear.
"Well now," she said, a hint of lasciviousness in her voice. "This is interesting."