Chapter 2 - Chapter 1: A Clash of Wills

In a dark dimly lit room two people were discussing the implications of a task."You're really gonna do it?" a woman covered in head to toe with a long robe spoke, only her eyes were visible.Across her sat a young man with dark cultivator robes with even darker hair. He met her eyes with his own."Have you known me to ever turn down a request I found interesting? Especially when it involves eyes that can see through the secrets of heaven and earth." he asked as he bit down on an apple."Indeed it's rare, all you do is work a job and return before working another job. Just what is it that you want?"The man smirked as he looked at her."If I just came out and told you that there would be no suspense left."The woman moved on, clearly she wasn't going to get a straight answer."Truth Seeking Demonic Crow you may be, but I've heard you don't take jobs involving children." the woman asked, her gaze unmoving."I thought you were smarter than that, everyone who's ever known me knows I do what I must. Not to mention a seventy year old woman, a child, hardly."He slightly tilted his head as he leaned back in his chair."A child still." she responded.He nodded slowly."You still think it's wrong, after all this time."The woman opened her mouth to speak, yet nothing came out."An Ethereal Core cultivator like her, have you considered how many people had to die for her to get there. Not to mention the contractor is her own grandfather, that's quite immoral by the standards of those orthodox doves isn't it."She seemed conflicted but still chose to speak."But what about the orthodoxy who slay beasts to cultivate?"The man sighed."The beasts they hunt aren't livestock, they cultivate, they have families, they have lives, they think so they are."He took another bite out of the apple."In the same way humans are enraged when a beast eats one of their own, they feel the same."The woman exhaled slowly before speaking."So what? Are there no innocent people?"The man felt his grip tighten around the apple as he accidentally crushed it."Of course there are innocent people."Images of days long gone flashed in his mind."However, there are no innocent cultivators."He slowly stood up."From Body Refiners to Dao Lords, the gains from cultivation are unnatural, the higher you rise the greater the price, blood sacrifices, killing sentient spirit plants and harvesting them, refining pills from corpses. They're all the same."He began to walk away."If you hate cultivators so much, why are you one?" The woman called out.He stopped without turning around."I didn't claim to hate cultivators, The only thing I've said is that I have no qualms with killing them. I am no saint, but I'm also no bloodthirsty freak. I do what I must because it is relevant to my will, and for that I owe no one any apologies, but I am also not one to senselessly slaughter.""Now if you'll excuse me, I have a grandfather to poison."He opened the door to leave the room, holding a vial of what seemed to be colorless poison, but he spoke once more."Just in case you're confused, I don't think someone's immoral for attacking me, but I will kill them regardless, not because I want to uphold something imaginary like morals, but because It interferes with my will, which is the most real thing in this ever changing world."The door closed as the man left.The woman rested her elbows on the table as she looked at it close and sighed deeply before talking to herself."Fifty years and I still don't know anything, Demonic Crow just who are you?"….Within a void somewhere unknowable, a blazing shadow knelt before an empty throne, a throne that had been lined with the fabric of existence itself."Holder of eternity, of the supreme.""Exalted Sage of the Endless, grant this lowly one an audience."The void trembled as a certain misty existence appeared before the blazing shadow."The time….. It approaches." the misty existence spoke."My Lord, I have organized it as you instructed." the blazing shadow bowed its head as it responded.The void trembled as the misty existence opened its eyes, a deep golden color."None of the Caelum Juravi must be wasted, none may escape, none may live and none may learn, bring forth the Gu demon once more."The red shadow felt its heart palpate at the words."It shall be done, as it was done before and as it will be done for eternity." as it finished speaking it vanished, it could no longer bear the strain of bowing before the misty existence.The golden eyes looked up towards the endless void."Destined slaves, do you slumber still?"However no response came from the void, just as it had expected, the eyes shifted in anger."How many Eons must I be imprisoned!?"The void shook violently at the question, almost tearing apart, threatening to reveal the existence of an even deeper layer beneath it, but managed to keep itself together.The golden eyes closed once more effectively phasing out of existence."Is this what it means, to know?"