I didn’t have time to worry.

They weren’t shouting, so I grabbed the fruit with the haste

only a mage had.
“Run!” Michelle said suddenly by my side, casting her shield spell between me and the
cliff face.
I didn’t understand why until I saw the cliff… move?
It rose up on four short legs, and I realized it certainly was not a cliff face. No, the mana
beast was a massive rocky-scaled flood dragon.
Its eye locked onto me, and I knew in that moment it was a terrifying body of power. This
had to be a peak second-rank mana beast if it hadn’t already passed into the third rank.
“Run,” I echoed Michelle, grabbing her hand and rushing away from the waking giant.
I had managed to pick the tree clean of ripe fruit before it had stirred, storing the eight
fruits away in my spatial ring.
But that wouldn’t matter if I didn’t live to use them.
The flood dragon lifted its head and roared with a voice that echoed for miles before it
slammed its long tail around, leveling the surrounding trees.
I looked back, hoping to see Jonny and the others fleeing to safety. They weren’t in sight.
“We need to worry about ourselves. They’ll be fine,” Michelle yelled over the sound of
devastation as dozens of trees crashed to the ground.
The flood dragon was looking right at us, with its slit golden eyes staring down its maw
of a mouth.
It didn’t look fast, which might save us. It was clearly growing to be like a dragon, but it
lacked flight and its legs were small compared to its body.
Unfortunately, it was going to do what it could with what it had to protect the tree. It
abandoned the pretext of using its legs and started slithering across the ground, closing the
gap between us quickly.
Pouring on the speed, I tapped into as much mana as I could handle, bursting through the
jungle floor and pulling Michelle along.
The flood dragon practically swam through the forest as the trees tore away from its
path. I couldn’t so much see it as see the massive devastation it was leaving in its wake as it
cut through the jungle.
We burst through to a clearing, where several mages were fighting a mana beast. Both
sides paused in surprise, but we kept pushing forward.
Screams from both mages and mana beasts came from behind us as they realized the
greater danger of the flood dragon.
“Stud, it can’t see us. Let’s. Cut. Right.” Michelle was gasping for breath.
Taking the turn in stride, we made a sharp right, hoping to lose the flood dragon to the
dense forest.
It certainly couldn’t see us through the jungle, but it wasn’t dumb.
Not long after we’d switched directions, an eruption of water came from the flood dragon
like a tsunami. The wave of water stripped the forest bare for a mile around the flood
dragon. This thing really liked scorched earth policy when hunting.
“Isaac. Duck.” Michelle pulled us down behind a large tree and threw up her shield to
cover us.
The tree flexed and groaned as the wave tried to rip it out by the roots.
I was afraid it was going to wrench free, until the top half of the tree splintered and was
swept away in the flood dragon’s attack, taking the pressure away.
The roots resettled, and we hunkered down as the flood dragon continued to send tidal
wave after wave out, wrecking the surrounding jungle.
I looked around, and what was left was like the jungle had suffered a natural disaster.
This rank three mana beast was a force of nature.
The flood dragon stood amid the leveled forest, looking back and forth for the thief that
stole its fruit.
I could feel dozens of eyes scanning the forest. There was no way this level of destruction
didn’t pull the attention of everyone in the dungeon.
Every mage in the dungeon in the vicinity was watching this scene.
“Should we make a run for it?” Michelle asked.
I shook my head. “We do not want to be the first to pop back up and make a run for it.
The flood dragon is on a warpath.”
Digging at the roots of the tree, I tried to make a better position to last.
“What are you doing?”
“Digging in. It is going to keep watch until it finds something to chase. It might even start
spewing those waves again.” I kept digging, not afraid to get my hands dirty.
As my hands touched the soil, I felt a draw to the earth. I couldn’t explain it. I worked life
mana—earth shouldn’t be pulling me.
“This is ridiculous,” Michelle grumbled as she joined me to help. “Why is there something
so strong in this dungeon?”
“The flood dragon is probably the king of this dungeon. And even though the dungeon
portal wasn’t stable enough for second-rings to enter, it doesn’t mean the dungeon would
be tuned to a first-ring mage’s strength.”
As if in agreement, the flood dragon let out another frustrated roar before huge waves of
water began hammering the surroundings again.
“Isaac!” Michelle hissed happily as she cleared away dirt to reveal the lip of a stone hatch.
“I swear, we are far too lucky.”
Looking at the hatch, I paused. The draw and the hatch made me hesitant, but we didn’t
have many options. Plus, it just felt right.
Hurrying to help her clear away more of the dirt, we found a metal ring still attached and
slipped inside the hatch.
I could feel cold stone steps below me and pulled a ball of life mana into my hand for
some light. We still couldn’t see much further than a few feet with the light it gave off.
Michelle already had out a torch and was working to light it.
The torch came to life, and the stone room lit up. It wasn’t some ancient tomb, or a
cavern full of danger. Instead, it seemed like a simple cellar. Like one that might have
belonged to a building long gone on the surface.
The contents of the cellar had turned to dust, at least most of them. In the center of the
cellar was a stone pillar etched with an enchantment. It looked very familiar.
“Stud, are you okay?” Michelle asked. Aurora pulsed in her ring.
Letting Aurora out, she joined Michelle’s concern before looking at the pillar again. “I
think you should try to put your blood on it.”
“What do you mean?” Michelle looked back and forth between us until I explained why I
was so startled. That pillar looked surprisingly like the one I had retrieved my mother’s
sword out of.
It had the same patterning—the mana beast that seemed to flow from one type to
another.
I cut my palm and pressed it against the stone.
Unlike before, there was no big flash. Instead, my blood seeped into the channels of the
enchantment, and it shifted, unlocking a portion.
A soft blue beam came out and standing before me was my mother, smiling with
crinkling corners of her eyes.
“It’s been a while my baby boy!” my mother squealed, her arms spread wide for a hug. I
stood dumbstruck.
Chapter 28
M y mother stood before me with wide open arms and an excitement that was
impossible to miss.
But how was this possible? There’s no way my mother could be here, now.
I stepped back, looking around the room for some ambush or other trick to this. Could
this have pulled my memory of her from my blood?
The excitement in her eyes dimmed as she pouted. “My baby boy won’t hug me. I’m
sorry, Isaac. I had to leave.”
Hearing her plea felt like someone stabbing me in the heart. “If you’re really my mother,
I’m going to need you to prove it.”
She rolled her eyes before sighing again. “Well technically, I’m not really your mother.
I’m a fragment of her soul, left here, where so many of your threads of fate converged. It
was a near certainty you’d end up in this little cellar for one reason or another. And it was a
safe place for me to leave a message.”
“Strings of fate? I don’t understand.” I lost some of my caution, my curiosity taking over.
“Bothersome things my—our family spend far too much time on. We are naturally lucky,
but no, that wasn’t enough. We had to start manipulating our luck until we touched fate
itself.” My mother shrugged then opened her arms again with a hopeful expression.
“Should we give it another go?” She transitioned straight from speaking factually to
ebbing with energy.
I didn’t really understand, but a part of me wanted this to really be my mother. Honestly,
a part of me felt this was really her.
Taking a chance, I stepped forward into her embrace. She wrapped her arms around me
in a fierce hug that only a mother could have.
Tears stung at the edge of my eyes, but I took a deep breath and returned the hug with all
my might. This was my mother. I could feel it.
“My baby boy,” she whispered over and over as she hugged me, like she was trying to
make up for thirteen years.
When she finally calmed down, she put me at arm’s length and looked me over before
she looked at Aurora and Michelle with a judgment that could only come from a mother.
“You are not who I expected.” She gave Michelle a tilt of her head. “His strings of fate
were tied so tightly with that little girl, Kat.” Then she looked back at me, but it felt like she
was looking through me to something else.
“Still are actually,” she said, her forehead wrinkling. It was like she was looking through
me.
My brain spun as I tried to process finding a bit of my mother, that wasn’t my full mother,
but was able to see aspects of fate?
“Mother, where are you?” I asked.
She focused back on me. “I don’t know. When I’m done here, this piece of my soul and our
meeting will go back to my body. But since this fragment was left here, I don’t know what’s
happened. I’ve probably long since returned to the clan. They will probably put me in
isolation for a very long time as punishment for running around. I’m probably super
bored.”
“Clan—where’s that?”
My mother just shook her head. “I don’t want you to be found by our clan. Not yet.” I
went to press her, but she just held up a hand and silenced me with a look only a mother
knows how to give.
I was frustrated, but I had expected it on some level. Aurora had been quiet, and I pulled
her close. The moment I touched her, I realized she was shaking.
“Aurora?” I asked, turning to her as she stood still watching my mother, full of caution.
“Oh yes, this little one.”
Aurora stiffened as my mother focused on her again. My mother tilted her head, studying
her closer. Aurora’s shaking picked up.
“You did very very well with your first ring, Isaac. Though, I might have bumped a few
strings of fate before I left, seeing if we could spice things up.” She winked.
“You forced—” I started, but Aurora cut me off with an intensity I never expected.
“You will not think that my choosing you was forced. It doesn’t work that way, and
damnit, Master, we are not going back to you being rocks-up-your-nose stupid!”
Laughter filled the cellar as I struggled to come up with words.
“Feisty. I approve of you and my son, Aurora.” My mother scooped her up in a hug that
destroyed Aurora’s intensity.
Aurora grumbled something to my mother that I couldn’t hear.
“It’s okay. I’ll set him right if that’s what’s needed. But first, don’t I have a second
daughter-in-law to meet?” My mother turned to Michelle.
“Hi… mother?” Michelle said after a moment. I certainly wasn’t expecting to meet my
mother, and I doubt Michelle was ready for the meet-the-mother-in-law moment here.
“So cute.” My mother pulled Michelle into the hug with Aurora.
Free from my mother’s attention for the moment, I couldn’t help but come to grips with
just how crazy this all was.
My mother, or rather a piece of her soul, was here. Here because she could read fate and
this spot was the best place to ensure I was here.
And now I had a clan somewhere, which is apparently strong enough to imprison a
woman whose soul fragment terrifies my strong mana beast.
I sighed with the sudden realization at just how far I had to go and how much I still
needed to learn.
My mother turned to study me. “Good, it’s good that you understand.” She nodded to
herself.
“That flood dragon is going to be throwing a hissy fit for at least a day, probably two.
Which means two days with your mother!” She giggled to herself, like she’d planned this all
along.
Part of me wondered if she hadn’t actually planned this in some way or had nudged it
into reality.
“Two days with my mother.” I smiled, feeling a sense of warmth.
“Now, if you are to survive what comes after this, we need to work fast. Isaac, Michelle,
your cultivation technique is okay. These next few days you’ll be safe and not want for
resources. You need to hurry up and finish your meridians.”
“But the next stage says we should seal ourselves in a cave alone,” Michelle protested,
earning herself a sharp look from my mother.
“Each of your stages is testing and forging your soul so you have a solid foundation for
forming your nascent soul during your second ring. You will fight the urges that present
themselves, or you aren’t good enough for my son.” My mother finished her statement with
a stern face. Gone was the bubbly mother and out was coming tough love.
Michelle looked like she’d been slapped. My girl never took a challenge lightly. “Fine.
Let’s do this.” She raised her chin, moving to a side of the cellar and sitting down,
immediately getting to work on meditating.
“She’s a keeper. Just have to motivate her,” my mother said, winking. “As for your lovely
mana beast, I’ll work with her while you form your meridians. The pillar will be
concentrating mana from the dungeon for you to use. Just focus on cultivating.”
Aurora rapidly looked between me and my mother.
“Aurora, it’ll be okay. She only has your best interests at heart.” I looked to my mother.
“Right, mom?”
“Of course. Aurora, you are my daughter-in-law and quite literally inseparable from my
son. I’d never do anything to make him hate me.”
I gave Aurora a kiss before stepping off to my own corner to cultivate. My mother was a
bit odd for sure, but I didn’t doubt Aurora’s safety with her for a moment.
If the flood dragon would be active above ground for the next two days, then I’d take this
opportunity to use the cellar to cultivate.
After we left here, there wouldn’t be much time left in the dungeon. And I had no doubt
we’d need every bit of strength we had.
Settling down, I calmed myself, putting all of the problems out of my mind and finding
my center.
Armed with the knowledge that each of these layers was a test, I focused on my will as I
began the next layer of the Seven Hells Meridians.
The warning about locking oneself in a cave was a hint. I’d be a harm to others.
I steeled myself as I concentrated on the mantra and the pattern that began to unfold in
my inner world.
The layer of meridians was becoming a sharp, abrupt design like an angry mana beast. It
was so filled with aggression that my own blood became hot with the urge for violence.
I felt the mantra swell in my voice, with barely contained violence as a haze of bloodlust
gathered in my mind.
My bloodline was oddly quiet this time. Was it because of my mother’s presence?
Just the thought of someone else being present with me filled my head with murderous
thoughts that I recognized as a test against my will.
Breathing deep, I let those urges into my will and smothered them. I could almost feel it,
like an unused muscle stretching for the first time.
I continued letting in the attacks on my soul and suppressing them in turn. It didn’t take
long for exhaustion to touch me as I continued to exercise my soul in resisting the effects of
this layer of the Seven Hells Meridians.
Without a sense of time, I fell into a rhythm, taking in the bloodlust and suppressing it,
unsure if there was going to be another.
I could feel my resistance growing weaker every time I let in the foreign emotions, but
the flashes of things I’d do to Michelle and Aurora should I lose the war in my soul only
made me steel myself and dig deeper.
And then, like a passing breeze, it was over.
I slumped to the floor, gasping for breath. I was sticky, covered in sweat as Aurora came
to my side and helped me sit against the wall.
My beautiful mana beast looked paler than I remembered. “Aurora, are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine. Your mother helped me regain something, but it wasn’t easy.” Aurora kissed
my forehead and wrinkled her nose. “You stink.”
“Good. Good. You were able to fight it and exercise your soul,” my mother said, watching
both of us.
“I need to be stronger. If I’m ever to find your clan—”
“Our clan. If they do find you, they will accept you. But they are quite adamant about not
letting any of our bloodline wander free.”
I heard her but was distracted when I saw Michelle.
She was still meditating in the corner, but it looked like something was wrong. A black
pattern was spreading on her forehead, like a disease.
“Mich—” I started to get up, but Aurora held me down and my mother shook her head.
“Don’t disturb her. I’m helping her. No daughter-in-law of mine can be ordinary.”
“What are you doing to her?” I asked, watching the pattern grow like it was taking over
Michelle’s body.
“Helping her keep up with you. She has a bloodline of her own, terribly weak as it is. I
have given her something to help bring it out and elevate it.”
“Does she know?” I felt a surge of protectiveness at my mother doing things to Michelle
without her consent.
“Yes. She exited cultivation hours before you. She begged me to help her keep up with
you.” My mother gave me a smile that turned her eyes into half-moons. “I’m very pleased
with my first daughter-in-law. She has set a high bar for all of the many others now.”
All the others? I mean, she could see into the future right? That meant there would be
more, much more by the sound of it.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s natural for our clan to have many spouses, usually at least
a dozen per clansmen. I expect many grandchildren. After these memories return to my
main body, I half-expect I’ll start building a few nurseries.”
“Mother,” I chided. She was getting ahead of herself.
She just chuckled at my embarrassment. “What? This old woman would love all over
them.” I stayed silent, so she continued on.
“Anyways, Aurora, do you want to give it to him?”
Aurora looked a little sheepish before pulling out a vial that contained a swirling sphere
of gold and green, like a droplet of liquid suspended in air.
“What is it?” I asked, feeling a large desire towards the droplet.
“Your mother explained that your bloodline is incomplete because of your father. That
you need the blood of powerful mana beasts to help complete it.” She looked at me with a
smile on her pale face.
“You hurt yourself to make this,” I said, realizing it.
Her smile only grew. “Yes, I did. But it will help you tremendously, and to me that is
worth the price. I’ll recover this drop of essence blood eventually.”
I pulled back from the vial that represented her pain, but I was against a wall and didn’t
have anywhere to go.
“Oh no. You will take it. I didn’t make this for nothing.” She opened the vial and the bead
slid out to my chest.
The pull I felt towards it intensified and my bloodline awoke in a crazy frenzy that felt
like it would reach out of my body to grab this drop of blood.
I cradled the drop to my chest. “Thank you, Aurora. I’ll make your efforts worth it.”
As soon as the bead touched my chest, it was sucked into my heart where the bloodline
beast devoured the drop of essence blood.
It shivered and expanded before contracting several times. Each time it did so, golden
streaks would appear both within it and within my body. It left my heart and swam through
my bones, changing my marrow.
Pain ripped through my body as my bloodline sought to change the core of my being. But
the pain was short lived.
Gold streaks appeared in my marrow, and slowly, all the blood throughout my body
started to match with its own gold streak.
When my bloodline beast finally settled back down in my heart, it felt content.
Returning from observing my inner world, Aurora looked at me expectantly.
“Did it work?”
“Yes, I think so,” I said, feeling my body bursting with explosive energy.
She leaned in and nuzzled my neck. She took deep inhales, like she was trying to
remember my scent.
I gave my mother a puzzled look, wondering if she had an explanation.
“It’s our bloodline. It is very attractive to mana beasts.”
“Care to share more?”
“I can’t say. It will only cause you trouble,” she said, sounding serious, but a little twinkle
of mirth hid in her eyes.
“Really?” I glared at my mother.
“You can’t be found lying about it if you really don’t know. People will ask when they see
your strength. It is better to let them assume than tell them what it really is.”
I let out a sigh. If she wasn’t going to tell me, I’d just have to figure it out later.
I paused, trying to figure out what to do next. It was still going to be a while before the
flood dragon calmed down.
I decided to rest and recover. I’d exhausted my soul with the most recent layer of the
Seven Hells Meridians. I also needed to give my body time. It was continuing to adjust to
the drop of Aurora’s essence blood.
“Alright. The plan is to eat, rest, and keep cultivating.” I said, to no one in particular.
Mages often entered secluded cultivation to force themselves to grow quickly. That’s
how I’d treat time in this cellar.
***
“It’s time,” my mother said, waking both Michelle and me from our meditation.
She looked at me with an expression of sadness. “Even if you know the time is going to
end, it doesn’t make facing it any easier when the time comes. Give me another hug?”
It was the most vulnerable I’d seen my mother look. Over the last two days, I had started
to get an understanding about just how unfathomable her cultivation was. To think there
were mages with cultivations this deep was a startling realization.
“Of course.” I gave the fragment of my mother’s soul a tight hug that I hoped would
transfer my love back to her when she returned to her main body.
“I love you, my baby boy.” She kissed my forehead, and a brilliant warmth spread into my
soul as it swelled.
I felt her touch disappear, and for a moment, I didn’t want to open my eyes.
With her parting moment, I knew she gave me some strength that entered my soul. Over
the last two days, I’d trained to the sixth layer of the Seven Hells Meridians. And with each
one, I’d flexed and could feel my budding soul grow in strength.
I felt ten times stronger. I was confident I could resist the last layer of meridians.
Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes. She was gone. I smiled, knowing that her body
had received the piece of her soul back, and she knew of our time together.
Aurora gave me a solemn smile. “I haven’t heard the flood dragon in hours. It’s time to
finish the dungeon.”
I kissed my lovely mana beast. “I bet you could trounce it if you weren’t in my ring,
right?”
She blushed scarlet. “Maybe.”
I laughed. After experiencing her blood when I had used it to enhance my bloodline, I no
longer had any doubt. She was on the level of a mythical beast.
Michelle gave me a hug filled with emotions, knowing my mother’s departure was tough
for me. “I know she was a little odd, but my mother-in-law seems amazing.”
“Yes, she is. I’m still dealing with just how different she is than what five-year-old me
remembers.”
“She left us one last gift though.” Michelle went over to the enchanted pillar in the center
of the cellar.
“Do you know how to use that?” I looked at the network of complicated enchantments.
“Sorta. She showed me how she used it to draw out my bloodline. At a minimum, it’s my
responsibility as the start of your budding harem to make sure the rest are capable.”
Michelle started tracing lines in a way that definitely seemed like she knew more than
just how to awaken a bloodline with it.
“Can we not just awaken the bloodlines of everyone back in town?” I asked, looking at the
device.
Michelle shook her head. “Nope, she used essence blood from a mana beast. A powerful
one aligned with my path in cultivation.”
The pillar cracked and unfused from the ground with Michelle’s final flourish before she
stored it in her spatial ring.
I knew we needed to head out. “Love you, Aurora.” I gave her a peck on the head before
she disappeared into the ring on my chest.
Her mana pulsed warmly within me.
Knowing Michelle would be following me, I headed out of the cellar for the first time in
two days.
The light of the dungeon made me squint as I took in what had been a jungle two days
ago.
It was now flat earth. We had dug a few feet into the ground to find the cellar hatch; now
it was even with the surface.
The flood dragon had scoured over two feet of earth in a ten-mile circle trying to get to
us.
I shivered at the sheer power of a rank three mana beast. With the forest cleared, I could
see the mana beast curled into a ball around what I assumed was the Meridian Cleansing
Tree.
The rise and fall of its gargantuan frame made me think it was slumbering after
exhausting itself.
Giving Michelle a hand out of the hatch, she looked around with the same awe that must
have been on my face a moment ago.
“It wiped out the whole jungle.”
“It didn’t run rampant over the whole dungeon though. This was only maybe a fifth of the
whole. I wonder if there are other beasts here that it didn’t want to tangle with.”
Michelle slugged me in the shoulder. “Do not jinx us.”
I rubbed the spot. With her training, she hit harder than she did before.
“There’s little left here for us. Let’s get out of here.” I set off away from the sleeping flood
dragon.
“I still can’t believe this was the result of a single mana beast,” Michelle said as we made
our way across the flat muddy plain.
Grabbing Michelle, I tumbled to the side as a snake shot out of the mud to strike where
she’d just been.
She let out a startled squeak, throwing up her shield spell in the same instant.
Instead of the previous blue, her shield was now black as the bloodline mark appeared
on her forehead.
The snake recovered quickly, curling back in a striking pose as I drew my sword,
watching for the slightest movement from the snake.
Now that I got a good look at it, it was probably twelve-feet long and as thick as my thigh.
But it had moved with such speed that its size didn’t seem to hinder it.
Michelle, however, was not in a patient mood.
“Ha!” she yelled as she shoved her shield forward, using it as a blunt weapon.
The snake tried to move out of the way, but Michelle picked it up on the edge of her spell
and slammed it into the ground, then she pulled her mace free and started battering the
mana beast into the ground.
Heaving, she finished it off, pulling out its beast core.
“What did it do to you?” I chuckled. She wasn’t the only one feeling pent up from being in
that hatch.
“I’m all muddy now. These were my favorite leather pants.” She frowned as she tried to
rub off the mud from her form-fitting pants.
“Maybe I’ll keep my eyes open a bit better to avoid having to roll in the mud.”
Chapter 29
We picked our way through the forest, which was full of mana beasts.
Mana beasts that looked like they belonged in the jungle continued to be present as the
terrain shifted to a hilly forest.
“These must all have been displaced from the flood dragon’s territory,” I said, pulling out
the core of our most recent kill.
At least all of these mana beasts kept me from being able to get stuck in my head and
worry too much.
After parting from the intense training with my mother, I was worried about the rest of
our group.
Did they make it out of the area before the flood dragon went mad? And how were they
doing in the dungeon?
Especially given the hatred that I’d garnered from the Earth Flame Sect and the
corruption I now believed was in the Sun and Moon Hall, the last thing I wanted was for my
friends to come to harm for my actions.
And I couldn’t help but feel some guilt over Kat. I now knew the monsters that she was
trapped with, and I hadn’t been able to do much of anything about it. We may not be in a
romantic relationship now, but I’d always care for Kat, and I still hoped for a future with
her.
“I can’t stand leaving Kat with those monsters much longer. We need to take them down.
Maybe that’s what my mother meant about our destinies? Saving Kat?” I looked over to
gauge Michelle’s expression.
Michelle took a deep breath before answering. “I know you have a deep need to protect
us all, but I don’t think there is much we can do right now. Your mother gave her something
too. I think she’ll be alright for the short term.”
“My mother?” I cocked a brow.
“Yeah, she gave Kat a bloodline as strong as the one she gave me, and she wasn’t weak
before that. She can handle herself for now.” Michelle paused, tilting her head to listen.
I stopped the conversation and listened as well.
It was faint, but a sound like tiny pin drops echoed through the forest. Somewhere ahead,
metal was meeting metal.
“That way.” I pointed towards the sound of mages battling and hurried.
It could be anything, but on the chance that it was the rest of our group, I needed to get
there quickly.
I plunged through the forest, giving up any ideas of stealth.
Michelle kept pace with me as we jumped into the middle of the fight.
Our arrival didn’t even turn a head; the two sides were clearly going at each other with
their full focus. It was a fight for their lives.
I recognized one of the closest defenders as one of the guys who’d been with Grant.
Fighting him was a mage in black robes. There wasn’t a sect that had been wearing black
robes.
Trusting my gut, I cast Golden Needle at the first mage with black robes.
It caught him off guard, and though he reacted at the last second, the incredibly deadly
spell tore right through his abdomen.
I winced. It was a fatal wound, but a slow one.
To my surprise, the wounded mage didn’t even falter. Instead, he let out a crazed laugh
and cast a spell. Like a red balloon, his chest began to inflate as his eyes filled with manic
glee.
Grant’s friend noticed us and shouted, “Run.” Then he dove to the ground and threw a
wall of earth over himself.
The black robed mage continued to swell until he exploded in blades of blood.
Michelle cast her shield, and the razor-like streams of blood hammered her shield.
Its black tiles shifted and sunk, as if they were going to collapse until the blood was
spent. Finally, Michelle let go of her shield.
The enemy mage was no more than a smear of blood across the ground. Grant’s friend
was releasing his protection, but his shield hadn’t been as good as Michelle’s.
He was torn up in a dozen places where his shield hadn’t held.
The finale to that fight had finally drawn the others’ attention to Michelle and me.
There were seven on five remaining, with one black robed mage dead and Grant’s fellow
disciple too injured to fight.
Grant and a slim woman in teal robes had been holding back two of the black robed
mages together.
Having a moment to take it all in and seeing that spell, I now understood. These were
corrupt mages.
“Isaac?” Grant shouted, realizing who I was.
“Hey, buddy. Looks like you continue to have all the fun without me. Some friend you
are.” I swung my sword in lazy circles as I started flowing my mana throughout my limbs.
Looked like it would be time to test out my new strength.
I continued swinging, taking in the scene and planning my attack. “Thanks for that spell.
Came in handy.” I nodded towards what remained of the exploding mage.
Grant kept his eyes on the corrupt mages but tilted his head in acknowledgement. “No
problem. Looks like you might be able to use it a bit more. Although I gotta tell you, I’m
starting to think you may be my bad luck charm.”
“Me? I’m as lucky as they get. What better lesson in corrupt mages than to kill a few?
Where did these guys come from anyway?” I thought back to the elders of each sect, who
should still be guarding the entrance to the dungeon.
“I’ll tell you my theory later. All you need to know is that the sects always band together
to take them down. So it’s your lucky day. You get to fight alongside me again.” Grant
positioned himself, preparing to attack.
The corrupt mages didn’t seem fazed, despite one of their group having just turned
himself into an exploding balloon. They simply stood there taking in our exchange.
A bad feeling trickled up the back of my neck. If all of the sects were fighting the corrupt
mages, what were the Sun and Moon Hall up to? From what I knew so far, they may be
helping each other. But there were more immediate problems I needed to solve.
Three of the remaining corrupt mages had their hoods down, showing off their pale faces
and blood red eyes. The other four had their faces hidden deep in their hooded robes.
Without warning, all of the corrupt mages threw themselves at one of the teal-robed
mages.
I was on them as fast as I could, forcing them back.
Michelle put herself in a position to protect the downed mage.
All of us worked together to square up a fight with the corrupt mages, but the blood
mages ignored the others, with three coming straight for me.
I didn’t have time to worry about the mage they had just attacked as a flurry of blood
spells sought to empty my veins.
Their spells were sharp, but there was minimal volume to them. Like lines of bloody
barbed wire, they were effective but would take a long time to cause extreme damage.
“Hold him down,” the woman among the blood mages hissed.
I blocked one attack to the right and kicked out to the left, only to feel a blade sink into
my calf.
Twisting, I used the blade in my calf to pull the attacking mage closer as I let loose my full
power, smashing a fist hard enough to cave in his skull.
Staggering away, I managed to stumble through blocking another hit as the other blood
mage came at me.
He rounded on me, coming from my right side in a flurry of blows.
With my left leg still injured, I struggled to redirect the attacks.
Out of options, I cast my Golden Needle spell to force him off me.
“Bet that leg is feeling pretty heavy about now,” He laughed, anticipating his impending
victory.
I knew that he was only buying time for the female blood mage. Looking over, I saw her
channeling some spell that I was sure I didn’t want to finish. But I cringed further after
seeing a six-armed, three-headed monstrosity that had appeared beyond her and was
fighting the rest of the mages.
The tattered black robes on the beast indicated that it had been one of the other corrupt
mages. That was a new one.
That fight looked close. I needed to finish this and help them. I took quick inventory. My
left leg was going numb even with my life mana doing its best to mend the wound.
Whatever poison they used was doing its job.
Digging deep, I felt the aspect of life mana that Aurora had taught me. I felt my body burn
brightly, and it felt like my forehead was ablaze.
The blood mage paused in excitement. “Ha! I knew you had powerful blood. Time to
bleed!” The blood mage came at me again.
I swung hard enough to force him off balance and moved quicker than he expected.
His eyes were wide with surprise as he realized I was inside his guard. His chest
expanded, and he spat out a dagger made of blood.
I cast Golden Needle at point blank range to intercept it.
It cut right through the dagger and took out a chunk of the blood mage’s throat.
Jumping back, I was wary he’d try another trick, but he clutched at his throat and gurgled
blood as he slumped to the floor, looking over my shoulder with a smile.
I turned back to the female blood mage who floated slightly in the air, her hair whipping
every which direction.
Blood from those who had died was already streaming towards her.
I readied myself for whatever spell this was, and in the back of my mind, I was readying
the spell Aurora had taught me to counter this one.
But the spell she used wasn’t what I was expecting. Rather than form something in front
of her, the blood dived to her body as it changed.
She bulked up as blood built upon her, sheathing her like a second body. Large blood red
arms and legs formed over her own, ending in claws as she transformed into a demonic
blood creature.
The change was so rapid, so jarring, that I didn’t even get a chance to attack.
Her eyes lost all humanity, as she screamed like some demon rising from hell rather than
a human woman.
I was on her before she lowered her head from the scream. I could end this here and
now. I had a feeling this transformation would be on par with the six-armed creature
fighting the others.
The blood devil whipped its arm, catching my blade in a stalemate for a moment. Then it
pushed and sent me flying back.
I landed on my feet, but the blood devil was already upon me. Its entire body was
covered in protrusions, turning its entire surface into a weapon.
It slashed, and I jumped out of range as I cast my Golden Needle spell once again.
The sharp spell tore a hole in its arm. I smirked at the damage done.
But my smirk didn’t last long as blood welled up and reformed where I’d done the
damage.
“Shit,” I cursed as the blood devil pressed on, barely pausing from the damage.
There had to be a better way to deal with this thing. I realized that the entire body was a
spell, but there should still be the female mage underneath. If I could kill her, maybe the
spell would end.
She leapt into the air, howling as she flew at me like a meteor.
I dodged to the side, getting a face full of dirt spray as the ground erupted.
This spell was on another level from what I’d seen. The only thing like it would be
Aurora’s.
But if I used that, I wasn’t sure I’d have mana to help the rest of them with the creature. A
glance over at their fight showed they were still being suppressed by the six-armed
monstrosity.
The blood devil screamed at my lack of attention and threw a hasty fist at me.
I summoned the strength of my bloodline and the aspect of my mana to meet it fist for
fist. Looked like I’d truly get a chance to test my new strength.
The air rippled as we both were forced back by the attack. I steadied myself after about
eight steps. The blood devil had only taken three. We were closely matched, but I’d need to
be creative to pull out a win.
It snarled and narrowed its eyes, like it only now saw me as a threat.
I was sure the mage who had cast this spell was in there, but I didn’t think she was in
control. Which gave me an idea…
The blood devil roared again before throwing itself into another charge. It was powerful,
amazingly so, but I wasn’t fighting a mage. I was fighting a beast.
I took a gamble and put away my sword, readying myself.
The crazed monster saw my gesture as giving up, abandoning all pretense of defense,
already savoring victory.
But at the last moment, I summoned a spear from my spatial ring, bracing it against the
ground.
The blood devil realized the move too late. It tried to throw its body to the side but
wasn’t able to move far enough. It staked itself to the ground by its shoulder.
I was prepared for that, and in the blood devil’s moment of surprise, I was already
behind it. I pulled out two more long swords and staked its exposed legs to the ground.
It flailed, trying to pull itself free of the spear in its chest and the swords in its legs. I
knew it would be free in seconds, not minutes.
So I moved quickly. Placing my hand against its back, I cast three golden needles in rapid
succession down its back, hoping to strike through to the blood mage.
I wasn’t sure exactly where her vitals were, but each one of the spells put a hole
completely through the blood devil. I could see that I had hit the blood mage underneath.
The blood devil began to bubble and boil. Afraid of a repeat of the first blood mage, I
dodged back and watched as the false body formed by the spell melted away, leaving the
female blood mage.
She was actually quite pretty behind all of the spooky makeup. Unfortunately, she had
three fist-sized holes in her chest. By how fast she was fading, I must have hit her heart.
“Lucky shot.” She coughed up a mouthful of blood.
“Maybe you should kill fewer people in your next life if you’re given the chance.” I really
did hope that she got a chance to make things right. I couldn’t imagine the horrors she’d
done to gain the spell she’d used.
She chuckled. “Of course someone from a sect would see us as evil.”
“We—” The blood mage started a coughing fit that ended in eerie silence.
I sighed. I wasn’t sure where she was going with that, but I didn’t have time to dwell.
Turning back toward the group, Michelle seemed to finally have the six-armed
monstrosity backpedaling.
The other three corrupt cultivators were pinned down by the rest of the group.
I was sad to see there were only three of them still in the fight.
Michelle saw me coming. “Kill the two cultivators. I’ll keep this thing distracted.”
I blinked and looked at the monstrosity. Only now did I realize it was stitched together,
like it was made. It was a puppet.
That meant one of the other three was controlling it.
Grant and the other two still fighting were looking worn out. If I let this drag on, it would
only become worse for our side. Fast and intense it was.
Drawing on my mana, I began to cast the giant talon spell. It would only take a few
seconds, but in a battle with mages, seconds were precious.
One of the corrupt mages sensed my spell and dashed around his opponent to stop me.
I smirked as I let loose the gigantic spell. I could feel my bloodline surge from the drop of
Aurora’s blood as the spell finished.
A massive golden claw stretched open as it raced towards the corrupt mages.
The corrupt mage that had come at me was first up.
He exploded with dark mana, but his resistance only lasted a second before the claw
pushed forward, destroying his defenses and carrying him with it.
The force of the spell caused his robes to explode, showing yet another puppet.
The other two had a moment to brace but couldn’t do much as the spell crashed into
them and destroyed their defenses outright. One of them was immediately crushed, leaving
the other weakly coughing on their knees.
The girl in teal robes moved like the wind and was there, cutting both of their heads free
of their shoulders.
I looked back and saw Michelle’s fight was over as well. The six-armed puppet had
collapsed to the ground.
I released a deep sigh, taking an equally deep breath as I re-centered. “So, now can you
tell me what’s happening?”
Grant sank to a knee, breathing heavy and struggling to form words between deep gulps
of air.
I looked to the other leader in the group. The girl in teal robes had her hair dyed purple,
and it was shaved on one side, leaving the other side to fall down to her chin. I was sure it
normally looked better than the wind-whipped and muddy mess it did now.
She stood taller as I observed her. But she was small to begin with, probably not much
over five foot. What skin I could see was covered in corded muscle. She was almost more
handsome than pretty.
She stepped forward, taking the opportunity to greet me. “I’m Zee. We appreciate the
hand but let me see to my fellow disciples before we talk. And I wouldn’t turn down some
additional help if you are willing to give it.”
She gave me a stiff nod before moving onto helping her sect mates.
Michelle was already dragging one of Grant’s friends free from the dirt and working to
patch his wounds.
I went over to Grant. I really needed to learn how to heal others. I decided to give it a
shot anyway. He was pretty badly injured, and it might be his best bet.
Putting my palm to Grant’s back, I was surprised as my life mana began pouring into his
body, searching for wounds and nourishing them with mana like my own self-healing. I
smiled.
His breathing settled down quickly, and I felt my mana concentrate on his ribs. He’d been
fighting on with four broken ribs. This had been a true life and death battle.
“Thanks,” Grant wheezed as he stood straighter. “I’ll last. Can you help him?”
Grant had nodded to his other sect mate, who was lying still on the ground.
I feared he was already dead, but on touching him, I found he still breathed. Pouring
more life mana into him, I managed to stabilize him, but he still didn’t rise.
After helping all we could, five of the six were back on their feet. But nobody was looking
ready for another fight, besides Zee, who always looked like she was ready to punch
someone in the face.
We moved away from the scene of battle and made camp. The wounded were quick to
lay down for rest.
“The Windswept Mountain owes you a debt,” Zee said stiffly as we settled down,
everyone pitching in to make some stew.
I waved off the favor. “I just need to understand what happened.”
“Your friends have been looking for you. Given how long it had been, we feared you were
dead,” Grant said.
I winced at the thought of Celina thinking we were dead. She’d for sure do something
stupid. “No, we were near the flood dragon and dug in, literally, to wait it out.”
“Ah.” A bit of enlightenment showed in Grant’s eyes.
“You were lucky then. Many died from the flood dragon,” Zee said, stirring the pot.
“Given what we saw when we came out, I doubt many survived if they were in the area.
But I’m glad to hear our friends managed to escape,” Michelle said.
Grant looked at Zee before continuing. “Maybe it would have been better if they
bunkered down like you. The dungeon has gotten far more dangerous.”
I stared at Grant hard, waiting for the next bit. Corrupt mages shouldn’t be here, and if
there were puppets again… I feared the Sun and Moon Hall had betrayed the other sects.
“You saw the corrupt mages. We’ve been fighting them since just before the flood dragon
went crazy.” Grant reached towards the pot, only for Zee to slap his hand away with a
reproachful look.
Grant looked like a chagrined husband as he pulled back his hand with another look at
the pot.
“What of the other sects?” I brought him back to the conversation at hand, ignoring his
and Zee’s flirtation.
“We are all fighting the corrupt mages. But I don’t know how they got in here.”
“There are ways to enter dungeons without going through the portal, and some
dungeons do present two portals.” Zee didn’t look up from the stew.
“What about the portal we came in? Can we not leave?” I asked.
“It is our duty to remove corrupt mages when we find them,” Grant said with a hard face,
starting to stand.
I held up my hands palms out. “Not saying we should run. I’m just wondering what the
situation is.”
“Sorry,” Grant said, sitting back down. “After what they’ve done here, I am feeling a bit
hot-headed.”
“As for the portal we came in, the Sun and Moon Hall is protecting it for just the reason
you were concerned. They’re guarding in case we need to retreat.” Grant looked over,
watching intently as Zee pulled out a very large bowl half-filled with rice.
She poured the stew over it before handing Grant his steaming dinner.
He accepted it happily and started to dig in.
I on the other hand had gone stiff with the news. If the Sun and Moon Hall was protecting
the dungeon portal, that meant we were trapped. Worse, those outside the portal would be
fresh if we managed to clear out the corrupt mages.
“Is the Sun and Moon Hall not helping clear the corrupt mages?” Michelle asked,
disapproval clear in her voice.
“Guarding the dungeon portal is important,” Zee said, as if it was natural.
“But aren’t they supposed to be the top sect? Shame that they sit by while the rest of us
fight,” I argued.
Grant and Zee shared a look before shrugging.
“That’s the way of it. If our escape route was cut off, they could turn this whole dungeon
into a death trap. The Sun and Moon Hall even sent in their new Saintess.”
“Saintess?” Michelle asked.
“Haven’t seen her face because she wears a veil, but I hear she’s a breathtaking beauty.
But more than that, they say she has the bloodline of a vermillion bird and possesses its
five-colored flame.” Grant shook his head.
“Heaven-born genius. She’s not on a level we can compare to.”
Zee looked at Michelle. “I saw you both expressed a bloodline as well. Is your whole town
full of talents like you?”
Michelle looked a bit panicked at the compliment. “No, it’s just a weak mana beast
bloodline that runs in the family.”
Zee gave her a look that said she didn’t quite believe her, but she left it at that.
I didn’t think there was anything special in town besides my mother. She was the source
of both mine and Michelle’s bloodlines.
“Anyways, shouldn’t this Saintess be showing an example and destroying the corrupt
mages along with the rest of us? Feels like they are lording over the rest of us.” I turned the
conversation back to the Sun and Moon Hall.
Zee answered for Grant. “We respect strength. They have the strength to lead.”
I couldn’t help it. A heavy sigh escaped from me.
“Got an issue with the Sun and Moon Hall? I thought they ran your town.” Grant asked.
They certainly did run Locksprings, though it took me a while to realize it. I wanted to
tell Grant and Zee everything, but I decided to start small and see how it went.
“Sun and Moon Hall recruits from Locksprings, but we never see them again,” I said,
starting into the conversation.
“Sects do keep people busy, Isaac. I haven’t been back home since I joined. That’s not
unusual. Sects are also quite dangerous. Some of them probably have died.” Grant gave me
a look like I should know better.
“It’s not that simple. They recruit mostly the pretty girls, who never come back home.
Sometimes the recruitment is a bit… forceful.” Michelle stepped in, locking eyes with Zee
when she said it.
“I can see how that might look bad, but they do practice Dual Cultivation. Dual, they both
must actively participate,” Zee said, explaining away the insinuation.
We couldn’t undo years, maybe even decades, of their beliefs with one conversation.
They had answers to all our issues with Sun and Moon Hall. Half of them even started to
convince me, but I had my own conviction after seeing Narissa.
“Just keep an eye out for yourselves. Okay?” I said at the end.
I could feel the distance between me and Grant growing with my attempt to warn them
of the impending threat that Sun and Moon Hall represented.
Wanting a change of direction, I asked after my friends and Grant’s last meeting with
them.
I was relieved to hear that Jonny and Steve were still together, but news of Celina was
that she’d gone off on her own after Michelle and I disappeared.
With heavy topics on my mind, I settled down for sleep with Michelle in our tent. Aurora
joined us, raising our spirits as we enjoyed each other’s warmth.
Chapter 30
The next morning, I found myself up early, stirring a pot of oatmeal.
As soon as I woke up, I was filled with an eager restlessness to find Celina, Jonny and
Steve.
Celina was strong. I had to have faith that she could take care of herself. But I’d also seen
the fury in her eyes when she talked about the Sun and Moon Hall.
I was more worried about her doing something stupid than being overpowered by the
mana beasts in the dungeon.
She wanted to help Narissa as much as I did. I just hoped we could figure out a way to
pull it off.
I looked over at the rest of the group’s tents. Everyone was still resting off yesterday’s
injuries. If Michelle and I left them, it would leave two able-bodied fighters to defend the
group of six.
It felt like I was leaving them to die if I headed off with Michelle.
I compromised and made breakfast, hoping to speed up their recovery, so we could move
on.
If only we could gather a large group from all the sects, we could protect each other. I
was also hoping that if such a large group exited the dungeon together, it would force Sun
and Moon Hall to play nice.
They couldn’t do anything underhanded if there were enough people; they wouldn’t be
able to silence everybody.
The oatmeal looked a little bland, so I focused on adding some dried fruit I had taken
from home.
I needed to keep my mind off all the worries and focus on what I could do here and now.
The best move I saw was to hustle everyone out of camp to group up with more of the
sects.
Michelle came over, sitting next to me as I worked on breakfast.
“You didn’t sleep well. Was the tent too cramped?” She leaned over, giving me a peck on
the cheek as a good morning.
I shook my head as I stirred. “I’m worried about Celina and the others.” Grabbing a ladle,
I scooped out some oatmeal and handed her a bowl.
“I am too, but we need to keep our strength up, so we can bail her out of whatever mess
she’s gotten herself into.” Michelle smirked, avoiding my eyes as she took the bowl.
“You’re so sure she’s going to be in a mess?” I asked, trying to get her to look at me.
“Yep. Mmm, this is good. I like the strawberries.” I did not miss the change in subjects,
but Michelle was stubborn. She clearly wasn’t going to voice whatever she knew.
I continued to stir the oatmeal to keep it from burning, looking over at our fellows’ tents.
“Stud, it’s okay. We’ll head out soon.” She rested a hand on my leg, settling it. I hadn’t
even realized I’d been bouncing it.
“Michelle—” I cut off as our friends started rustling in their tents.
“Morning! I made breakfast,” I yelled, loud enough to reach those still in their tents.
Zee came out, giving me a curt nod and joining us, followed by Grant and their teams.
Each moved their tent into a spatial ring on their way over.
“You look ready to get going.” Grant nodded thanks as he took a bowl of oatmeal.
“Unfortunately, we can’t continue on,” Zee interrupted. “We need to get our teams back
through the dungeon portal. We’re not going to make it much longer here; it’s time to
retreat to safety.” She eyed me, waiting to see if I’d push on why the Sun and Moon Hall was
guarding it again, but I’d already seen it was going to be hard to sway them.
“So, we head to the exit together? We send them through for medical, and then the four
of us continue,” I said, waiting to see if they’d join us further.
Grant looked at Zee, and she nodded. “Sounds like a plan, Isaac. You’ll get a chance to see
the Sun and Moon Hall in action outside your town. I’m sure they’ll be different than you
imagined.”
I just smiled and packed away camp, ready to go as soon as everyone was done with their
meal.
“It’ll be a whole day’s journey back to the portal,” Grant said, looking over his shoulder as
we got underway.
I focused to feel the direction that all the mana in the dungeon was flowing. “If there are
two portals, would we potentially follow the mana flow to the wrong one?”
“I haven’t felt a second flow to indicate another portal.” Zee shrugged. “There might be
another, but I’m fairly sure the one we used is the only portal drawing this much mana.”
“So, you two an item?” Michelle asked as we walked slowly so the injured could keep up.
Grant froze and went beet red. “U-uh.”
Zee gave him a glare that shut him up. “Yes. But it’s complicated being in a different sect.”
Michelle sidled up to Zee and started talking in hushed voices that I did my best to not
overhear.
My beautiful woman sliced right through the tense atmosphere that had settled since our
disagreement last night, as both the girls began talking in the rapid back and forth that only
girls gossiping could mimic.
Something caught my attention, and I stopped. The rest of the group paused only seconds
after me.
I scanned the surroundings, but that feeling of unease spread as I looked back through
the trees, trying to figure out what caught my attention.
“What is it?” Grant asked.
“Something isn’t right,” I said, trying to take in all of my senses at once. Feeling the mana
flow, I listened to the forest as I scanned our path.
Grant started to object, but Michelle cut him off. “Isaac has great instincts and is generally
quite lucky.” She gave me a wink.
I wasn’t in a joking mood. Everything was so peaceful around us. Then it hit me. That was
it, wasn’t it? I didn’t sense any mana beasts, nor small woodland critters.
There was absolutely nothing, like there had been a fight near here recently. But there
was no sign of a fight, and a mana beast wouldn’t cover their tracks.
“I think there is an ambush up ahead.”
Grant frowned and looked around like he’d missed something. “How do you suppose
that?”
“It’s too quiet,” Zee agreed before checking her sword. “Best be cautious. I will not
gamble with my fellows’ lives.”
After she finished speaking, Zee blurred as she shot forward.
I lost sight of her, unsure if it was some sort of wind spell or if she really was that fast.
“Damn.”
“She’s incredibly fast and finishes most of her fights in her first sword stroke,” Grant said
with a proud grin.
She’d make an incredible assassin, but from what I saw of the fight yesterday, she
struggled with the drawn-out engagement. The Puppet Sect’s reinforced puppets were also
likely her greatest weakness.
Zee appeared before us again. “Isaac’s luck holds out. Four corrupt disciples are ahead,
lying in ambush. One of them appears to be injured.”
“So, we aren’t their first prey,” I sighed, knowing that meant another group had fallen
prey to them.
“But we will be their last,” she said.
Time to ambush the ambushers.
“Zee, Grant, Michelle, with me. Michelle, you’re going to spring the ambush. Stay safe,
keep your shield ready. Zee, take out anyone you can when the fight starts. Grant, stay close
to me. Let’s take out anyone who hangs back from the initial engagement.”
Nods were shared all round and we separated from the injured mages to spring the trap.
Michelle went straight forward, while Zee led us around to the side.
“Are you not worried about your wife?” Grant asked.
“She won’t go down from an ambush. We just need to act fast.” I had every confidence in
Michelle. And I found it actually made me happy that Grant had thought she was my wife.
“Quiet. We are getting close,” Zee shushed us.
Ahead through the trees, I caught sight of the ambushers. I could see three mages in
black robes waiting among the branches. They were right in the path we’d been walking.
If they were that ready, then the corrupt mages must have already scouted us. That made
me look over my shoulder for the fourth.
“There.” Zee patted my shoulder and pointed to a second tree, where the last mage was
leaning heavily, like his leg was injured.
I didn’t have time to worry about anything else. Michelle was about to spring the trap.
She walked under the tree where they were lying in wait. They patiently waited until she
was well within the trap before the three jumped down, casting spells.
Michelle ducked into a roll, throwing up her black shield around her.
The spells were followed by weapons, and I could hear cursing as more than one of them
felt the sting of hitting a solid wall.
Zee was already gone, dashing towards the injured man in the tree.
I let her deal with him as I leapt out, casting golden needles as fast as I could at the three
ambushers, who were recovering from their failed attacks.
The first caught him square in the neck, and he slumped down dead.
The other two managed to react, one gaining an injured shoulder and the other dodging
it entirely.
Grant was near me and was there to distract the one who avoided injury. Michelle came
out of her spell swinging at the one with the arm injury.
I felt like we had cleaned this one up when I felt danger from behind me.
Falling into a roll, I felt the air ripple where my head had been.
Popping back up with my sword ready, there was a fifth corrupt mage pulling his sword
around into another swing.
I blocked his sword and kicked him in the chest with a snap kick to make some space.
He just grinned and stabbed far short of me, but his sword bridged the gap and I jumped
back.
It had been like his sword stroke bent space. I then realized what it was; he practiced
void mana and was able to warp space.
I shot a golden needle at him and checked on the rest of my group. The other three had
converged on the remaining corrupt mage. This would be over soon.
Looking back, I saw his body ripple around my spell as he calmly strode forward.
It was then that I noticed that his mouth had been sewn shut. The skin long scarred over,
it had happened to him years ago.
He wasn’t in a hurry as he pulled a pouch off his belt and opened it up to show me it
contained dozens of spatial rings.
The silent mage jangled the bag happily, showing off his trophies.
“You’re sick, you know that?” I slashed out in anger.
He stepped back further than he should have and put away his bag with a tilt of his head,
like he was asking me a question in turn.
I didn’t have time for games. Letting my mana flood my body, I rushed him with a flurry
of my sword.
He saw the move and manipulated space to stay out of my range while he stretched his
thrusts into my guard.
It was a frustrating fight, like trying to hit a ghost.
When I saw Zee in the corner of my eye, I schooled my expression to not give her away.
She came at his side, and for the first time, I saw his mocking expression disappear,
replaced with worry.
He managed to pull away, but now with a deep wound in his side. He glared at both of us
and took in the fact that the rest of his team was dead.
With a shrug, the silent mage tried to escape.
I chased after him before Zee stopped me. “Don’t. You won’t catch him. And we need to
go check on the others.”
Her expression was grim, and I felt my throat go dry when I thought about all the spatial
rings he’d been taunting me with.
I set off as fast as I could to where we had left our four injured compatriots.
They were laying with deathly stillness that made my heart plummet.
Four clean cuts to the throat. They hadn’t even put up a fight.
“Fuck.” I lashed out at a nearby tree.
The others were right behind me, and I heard their own sounds of grieving as I was lost
in my own.
“Who—what—was that?” I asked.
“I forget you don’t know that much about the world,” Grant started. “That was a Specter.
A very small sect within the corrupt mages. They sew their mouths closed as infants and
train them from birth to be assassins.”
“They don’t do dungeons though. They cultivate by killing and consuming the soul of
their victims. If one of them is here, it means this is a full-blown attack.” Zee didn’t take her
eyes off her fallen comrades.
“Should we bury them?” I asked, not wanting to leave them to nature.
“We’ll take them back to the sect. They died as heroes,” Grant said.
“They fought valiantly. Giving their lives for a purpose greater than their own. Let your
sects do them the proper honors as such,” I said, bowing my head in a moment of silence.
Grant and Zee took their bodies into their own spatial rings.
I turned and saw Michelle crying silently.
“Come here.” I hugged her and kissed her tears.
She calmed down after a moment, and I felt Aurora pulse sympathetically in my chest.
“Thanks,” Michelle said, pulling away and wiping away the last of her tears. “They were
just the first, you know?”
The first friends that had died in a war we’d just stepped into merely by cultivating a
certain way.
None of us had known that, outside our small town, there was a war on this level. This
loss was just our first taste that we’d likely have of this war.
I felt anger and the wrongness of it build in me until it galvanized to a firm resolve. This
needed to end.
“Change of plans,” I said to the group. They all turned their heads.
“We respect their deaths by preventing others. We’ll head towards the portal and clear
out the woods around them. I doubt this is the only ambush setup on the way to our exit.
We clear the way for other injured.”
“Perfect.” Zee grinned with revenge in her eyes.
***
We had killed two other ambush parties. Neither of them gave us as much trouble as the
Specter had.
We all fought with a zeal and passion unlike anything I’d felt before.
I wasn’t fighting; I was killing those who would kill my friends. Each ambush destroyed,
was lives saved.
When we came upon the fifth group, we were messy and splattered with blood. I knew I
certainly didn’t look like a ‘good guy’.
I looked like a serial killer after a bender and I felt powerful, like I was growing with each
kill.
The sounds of battle caught our attention as we stalked through the forest, looking for
another ambush site.
At this point, we didn’t need to talk. We knew each of our roles.
With a glance, we all set off in that direction. Zee and I were in the lead; Michelle and
Grant were bringing in the rear.
We’d used the tactic of Michelle springing the trap before, but for this active fight, myself
and Zee would surprise them. Michelle and Grant would come barreling into the fight after.
Darting through the woods, I felt faster, sleeker than before.
The sudden influx of combat had let me tap into my potential as a mage. I was more
accustomed to my mana. Each of these fights was quickening my cultivation towards
completing my second ring.
The fight came into view, but this one was more like a battle than an ambush. I split from
Zee to spread out our opening move.
Corrupt mages were everywhere as they swarmed a large group of sect disciples with
many injured among them. It almost looked like this was all of the surviving disciples
making a final push to the portal.
The injured disciples had formed a ring to protect themselves and those unable to even
hold a weapon.
I set my sights on a cluster of corrupt mages fighting them.
In a flash, I was behind one of the corrupt mages, skewering through his back before
whipping my blade out to decapitate another before they realized what was happening.
They all turned to me, and one swung with all his strength.
I blocked and jumped, letting his attack carry me back out of range of the rest and what I
knew was about to happen.
Like a wrecking ball, Michelle came in from the side with her shield spell up, barreling
straight through the bunch of corrupt mages.
I picked off those that fell or stumbled my way in their disorientation.
Michelle had already stopped her spell and took the chance to crack a few skulls.
Our arrival was met with cheers as the injured disciples advanced, taking their own kills.
Cheers turned into vigor as the desperate disciples exploded with mana, pushing back
their corrupt counterparts.
Zee and Grant had made a similar explosive entrance, freeing up more of the able-bodied
disciples to roam the battlefield.
I lost myself as Michelle and I danced together in battle. My vision became covered in red
as I slew corrupt mage after mage.
When I lifted my blade but saw no corrupt mage for me to swing at, it all came to a
screeching halt. I sagged suddenly, feeling unsteady on my feet.
My mana was down to dregs, flowing slowly through my meridians.
I looked over at my partner, and Michelle was just as worn as I was.
“Come here,” I said, pulling Michelle to my side as we both leaned against each other for
support.
Michelle blew out a heavy breath. “We almost lost all of them.”
I looked at the injured disciples, and to my surprise, I saw Jonny running between the
injured, applying as much of his healing as he could to keep them stable.
“Jonny,” I tried to call out, but it came out as a croak.
Michelle got the idea, and we carried each other over to our friend.
When he looked up, there was no recognition in his eyes, only exhaustion as he spotted
another two mages in need of healing.
“Jonny,” I said again with as much excitement as I could muster.
Recognition flashed in his eyes. “Holy— Isaac! Michelle!” He was suddenly filled with
energy as he gave us both a big hug.
I took a moment to really see my friend. It had been less than a week, but in that time,
he’d lost so much weight. His face no longer held that childish grin. It was replaced by a
resoluteness that made him seem so much more a man.
“Damn. I barely recognized you two.” He gave me a once over, and I imagined I’d gone
through a transformation not that different from his own.
I was like a blade, tempered for years in Locksprings. In this dungeon, I was finally
quenched in blood and came out forged.
“I’m so glad you’re okay. Where are Steve and Celina?”
Jonny sighed. “Celina ran off not long after we were separated. She said her goodbye, like
it was final.”
I knew she had a deep grudge with the Sun and Moon Hall, but I didn’t think she’d go off
on her own to take care of it herself.
“What about Steve?” I asked, feeling a sense of dread that Jonny hadn’t mentioned him.
“Among the injured,” Jonny said, leading us back to the hastily setup infirmary tent.
The whole group likely numbered almost two hundred. Quicker than I could imagine, a
sea of tents was set up, and a group started patrolling the perimeter like a small army.
Tents formed a tight square, only broken by a few large trees like we were huddling
together for safety.
“You are all well-organized,” I noticed, watching as the army camp sprang to being.
“It’s only been a few days, but it was a necessity to stick together. The corrupt mages
have been coming in larger and larger numbers. Hopefully, tomorrow we’ll reach the portal
and can get out of here.” Jonny pulled aside a tent flap and led us inside.
Steve was laid out on a cot. When he saw Jonny enter, he smiled, but when I and Michelle
joined him, his grin looked like it was about to split his face in half.
He whistled at us. “Damnit Isaac. You didn’t need to go swimming in blood. We all know
you’re ferocious.” He winked at Michelle.
I smiled at my friend’s good humor, but coming from my typically reserved friend, it
seemed forced. “You’re not looking too bad yourself.”
In truth, he had some new heavy scars across him, but it was nothing that would put him
in a ward and not back in battle.
Steve pulled back the sheets covering him and wiggled a stump at me where his leg
should have been. “At least I still got my looks.”
I sucked in a deep breath. “There are miracle medicines out there that could restore
that.”
Steve shrugged. “And lose out on an excuse to just ride everywhere? Nah.” He cast about,
looking for something. When he didn’t find it, he whistled loudly, and something snorted
behind the tent. I could hear whatever it was moving to enter.
A shadow that looked like a horse’s frame stepped around to the tent flap and poked the
front of its body inside to look at Steve.
I looked closer. It actually didn’t look anything like a horse. Large fangs stuck out of its
jaw, and its body was covered in heavy scales. Each leg ended in massive definitely-not-
herbivore claws.
It still had blood dripping from its mouth, like it had participated in the fight.
“Meet my first tame. Once Doctor Worrywart here clears me, I’m riding that beautiful
beast all day long.” He smiled at his own double entendre, which we all hoped was just a
joke.
“Glad to see you’re handling it well,” Michelle said, walking over to the mana beast. “Can I
pet her?”
“Sure,” Steve said, looking surprised. “Glad to see someone else sees the beauty and not
the beast.”
We talked about other things like old friends and showed off our rings to each other.
“Woah. You are almost at your second ring!” Jonny said as I showed mine.
I did a double take. It really was almost complete, and I still had one more layer to set in
my meridians. A panic almost set on me as I realized I needed to complete the Seven Hells
Meridians before I became a second-ring mage.
But I pulled myself back out of my thoughts to focus on my friend. “Yeah, damn time
really does fly when you are fighting for your life.”
They both gave nods to that. Both of their second rings were over half-formed, which
meant that each of them had seen plenty of combat during the dungeon.
The tent flap opened, and Zee hurried in. “Isaac, a woman has come to the camp all on
her own. We are worried about corrupt mages trying to sneak into camp, but she says she
knows you.”
Three faces flashed through my mind. Kat, Narissa and Celina. Maybe the first two
escaped the Sun and Moon Hall or were here to warn me. Celina wouldn’t be back unless
she finished what she set off to do. But a part of me still hoped that it was her, back safe and
sound.
I raised my brow, unsure what I’d find. “Lead on. Let’s see who it is.”
Chapter 31
Heading out of the tent, Zee led the way east through camp.
I was confronted with the reality of our situation. This small army of mages was more
injured than it was healthy.
Those going about tasks in the camp were bandaged up, but given the degree of their
injury, many should be resting in the infirmary. They pushed on, but their bodies were still
far from recovering.
One mage near me was supporting another, more injured, mage. They were slowly
making their way to the nearby food, but both were clearly struggling. I went towards
them, ducking under the injured mage’s free arm and taking the brunt of his weight. They
nodded in appreciation, too exhausted to speak. Once they were settled with a bowl of
stew, I jogged to catch back up with Zee and the others.
I hoped that, once they returned to their sects, they could recover. While Jonny was a
decent healer, he was still a first-ring mage. There was only so much he could do for them
at this point and so many for him to help. Under the care of their elders, they would recover
far quicker.
“Think we can make the final push to the portal tomorrow?” I asked Zee.
“That is our hope. If nothing else, we should be able to connect with the Sun and Moon
Hall. Once we do that, the journey will become far safer.”
I smothered the sigh that threatened to spoil any hopes of conversation. I hoped Zee was
right and the Sun and Moon Hall would be our saviors, but everything I had learned made
that a long shot. I’d seen for myself their slavery of an innocent woman, so it was easy to
extend that to even greater evils. But Zee needed to put it together herself. Her hope in
them was too deep to sway her without evidence.
“Let’s hope it all works out,” I said, seeing the edge of camp and looking around until I
saw the gathering of mages that must have been on guard duty.
I smiled. This was something I could do to contribute to the group right now. I picked up
the pace and strode over to the circle of guards.
The air was tense, and a number of the mages had their weapons drawn.
When I looked at what had them spooked, I understood.
First, I recognized Narissa, who was wearing the black robes of the corrupted mages. But
she was glassy eyed and in the arms of Celina, who looked like she’d been through hell. Her
hair was covered in mud and twigs while her eyes drooped with exhaustion.
“Put your weapons away,” I growled as I pushed through to embrace Celina.
She melted into me, with the comatose Narissa sandwiched between us. Then the tears
started.
I had questions, but they could wait. “It’s okay,” I repeated as I rubbed her back.
The display settled the guards a bit, and about half of them put away their weapons. The
others eased up a bit, but still looked wary. All but one gave us space, milling about, but still
keeping an eye on us. The one that stayed waited patiently while I soothed Celina.
“Shh. It’s okay.” I made eye contact with the remaining guard and he stepped forward.
He looked down, clearly feeling awkward as he pulled out a set of cuffs. “We need to
detain the corrupt mage.”
I felt Celina tense as she did a complete one eighty, her energy surging. She was suddenly
like a cobra with its hood up in warning. “You will not touch my sister!” The fierceness in
her eyes made the guard take a hesitant step back.
Well, that answered a few questions. Looking more closely now, I could see the
similarities.
“I’m sorry, but she is a second-ring mage and a corrupt mage. We need to take everyone’s
safety into account.” The guard looked to Zee for help.
I hadn’t realized Zee had taken on some leadership among the camp, but she stepped
forward to try to mediate.
“Isaac, can you introduce us?” she asked in an overly calm tone people used on cornered
animals.
Celina looked like she was ready to fight. I pulled her back into an embrace, but she
remained stiff.
“This is Celina. We entered the dungeon together and fought together before we were
split up.”
“Hello, Celina, can you tell me about the corrupt mage in your arms?” Zee eased forward.
Celina choked on tears as she tried to talk. “It’s my sister. She was—”
“—taken by corrupt mages,” I finished for her, knowing saying it was Sun and Moon Hall
wasn’t going to make the conversation any better.
“They controlled her. She isn’t really a corrupt mage.” Celina curled over Narissa
defensively.
“How did you capture her?” Zee continued her questions.
“I killed the one controlling her,” Celina said, a vicious smile creeping across her face
before she looked down at her sister, her smile drooping.
“But she’s been like… like this since.”
My heart went out to her, and I gave her a squeeze.
“I’m happy you found your sister, but I’m sure that, when she wakes up, she’ll be
incredibly confused. It would be best if we did what we could to prevent accidents.” Zee
moved slowly, taking the cuffs from the guard.
“To wake up cuffed!” Celina recoiled into me, looking for help.
I wanted to support Celina, but in a camp full of injured mages, it made sense. Even if
Narissa didn’t mean to harm anyone, she was a second-ring mage. A tantrum in the middle
of camp could lead to an unacceptable loss of life.
“Celina, we’ll be there for her when she wakes. She’ll be scared, but think how bad she’ll
be if she kills someone in that moment. We need to save her from that guilt,” I said.
“She’d never hurt me.” Celina teared up again, but she let up her vice grip on her sister.
“But we need to keep everyone else safe.” I took the cuffs from Zee and softly clasp them
on Narissa.
Celina let out one last sob as they clicked closed.
I put away the key in my ring. I’d rather not have someone else hold on to it.
“Come on. Michelle and the others will be excited to see you.” I pulled Celina along with
me and shot Zee a mouthed ‘Thank you’ as we went back through camp.
Celina only looked around briefly before wincing and focusing back on her sister. “We
aren’t doing so well, are we?”
“No, but we are a day out from the portal.”
“Which is guarded by those assholes. There is no way they won’t fight me for my sister.”
I knew there was a risk, but we were out of options. “These injured mages have no better
option. Besides, with this many of us, they will have to keep their nice guy routine going.”
Celina clicked her tongue. “Even when they are pretending to be good, they still act like
asses.” She scowled in annoyance.
“Come on, let’s get you some rest. Jonny can look after your sister.” I opened the
infirmary tent where I’d left the rest of the group.
They looked nervous, but when Celina showed up, they all jumped to their feet and
welcomed her warmly.
When we sat down, Jonny took Narissa and did an examination.
Celina refused to leave her side, so we all sat around Narissa’s bed.
“So what happened after you left?” Steve asked.
“I headed off on my own, looking for answers. I… I hunted some Sun and Moon Hall
disciples. I left one alive for questioning, and I found out my sister was here with them.
From then on, it was a game of hunting and gathering information until I found her.”
I could tell she left a lot unsaid. By how bloodshot her eyes were, she’d barely slept and
had exhausted herself in pursuit of her sister. And she was covered in blood, some dry and
some still relatively fresh. Not that I could talk.
“What about the rest of you?” She turned to me.
I told her the story of hiding in the cellar, but I left out the part about my mother. I
described how we had trained for several days before leaving, and then went into our time
with Grant and Zee. I wrapped it up with the loss of our injured and finding this group of
mages heading for the portal.
When Jonny and Steve told their story, it wasn’t that different from my own. But when
they got to the part about Steve losing his leg, Celina sank in on herself.
I knew she was beating herself up for it, thinking that if she had stayed maybe things
would have ended differently. I tried to change the subject.
“I think it’s about time we washed up and got some rest. Tomorrow will be a big day.” I
gave Narissa another look.
“She will not wake up on her own,” Jonny said, finishing his inspection. “Something is
suppressing her soul from interacting with her body. She’s alive and well, and she’s inside
there. But she can’t control her own body right now.”
“Can she hear me?” Celina asked, putting herself in Narissa’s line of sight.
“I think so,” Jonny said, stepping back to give the sisters space.
Celina was whispering encouragement to her sister as I left to get cleaned up.
By the time I’d gotten clean, Michelle found me and led me off to a large tent.
“Turns out, with all the spatial rings, we’ve collected quite the fortune. And a bigger tent,”
she explained, stepping inside.
I chuckled as I ducked in and saw Celina as well as Narissa laid down in the corner. I
laughed. Cleaned up, it was even easier to see the resemblance. I was kicking myself for not
seeing it before.
Celina was tucked away in the corner with her sister. I could feel a distance starting to
yawn between us. She was recoiling into herself after everything that had happened.
But I wasn’t about to let that happen.
I came over and tilted back her head, letting our lips meet. I kissed her deeply until she
returned it with growing fervor.
She leaned back with a satisfied sigh. “I thought that, after everything, you’d be done with
me. I am causing you too much work.”
“A relationship takes work. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool,” I said with a smile.
My lips had gone numb from her kiss, and I had to remind myself that we couldn’t go too
far as I cycled my mana to speed up my recovery.
Michelle had come over, and she wrapped herself around Celina. “No way. I’m dead set
on keeping you.”
Michelle locked eyes with me as my beautiful woman started kissing along Celina’s neck,
trailing up to her jaw line.
Celina let out a slow moan as she leaned back into Michelle.
I became hard in an instant.
Aurora begged to be free, and I summoned her from her ring. She came out and pounced
on the other two.
The three women devolved into a full exploration of each other’s bodies.
“He really likes this. Look at him, Celina.” Aurora turned Celina’s head to me.
I could feel a bit of heat rise in my cheek, but I didn’t look away. “I really do,” I said, my
voice coming out rough. My eyes locked with Celina’s.
She blushed from ear to chest as she let the other two girls pull her down and smother
her with affection.
“Hmm. I think we’ve neglected Master.”
The way Aurora purred her name for me made my cock twitch with anticipation.
I cleared my throat, trying to also clear my head. But my blood was not rushing to my
brain at the moment. I took a deep breath, using all the willpower I had to make the right
choice. “We will definitely find time to continue this, but it will have to be later.”
Michelle cocked a brow at me, clearly thinking now was the perfect time.
I sighed. “I’m at the edge of my second ring, and I need to complete the Seven Hells
Meridians before we potentially fight again tomorrow.” I hoped the women would accept it;
my willpower was running thin.
The girls nodded at my reasoning, but Michelle still looked unwilling. I needed to get her
thoughts elsewhere.
“We still haven’t consumed the Meridian Cleaning Fruit.” I pulled out three of the fruits. I
had given two away to Jonny and Steve. With these three, I’d be down to three left. While
they were a treasure that would make me rich, it would be better for us to focus on
strengthening ourselves for the upcoming battle.
The reminder of the fruits sent both of the mage girls into excitement as they plucked
their fruit and sat down together to cultivate.
I knew the fruit would have the best effects during our first ring, and even though me and
Michelle had formed golden meridians, there was no end to the progress of cultivation as a
mage. I knew we would benefit.
As I sat down cross-legged, Aurora rested her head against my knee.
Once I was centered in my meditative state, I consumed the fruit in just a few bites,
feeling the rush of mana pour into me from it. The mana was so pure it flushed impurities
from my meridians as it went.
I thought my meridians were at their peak based on what Celina had said, but the
medicinal fruit proved us all wrong. It strove to perfect my meridians.
To help the process, I began cultivation through the Seven Hells Meridians.
Lesson learned, I prepared myself for the attack on my soul that came with each layer. I
breathed deeply, pushing away the anxieties of the past few days. I knew I had gotten blood
on my hands, but it was part of the life I had chosen. A mage’s cultivation was built upon a
pile of corpses.
There was a reason that my town had taught us mental strength and balance.
As my mind wandered, the world I was in started to shift. The sky became red, and I
found myself standing in a field of the dead. Vultures circled overhead and had already
started picking apart the carrion I’d left on the field.
I was pure power. I instinctively knew I had done all of this. I had killed all these people
in the pursuit of power.
Blank faces of corrupt mages and disciples of the sects stared up at me in accusation. I
wondered just how far I’d go to reach the top, to become the most powerful mage. Powerful
enough that I could enforce my will upon the world.
For the first time, I noticed a beautiful woman kneeling before me. Her red hair caught in
the wind as her stunning face stared up at me. It was Kat. She knelt in the blood as it soaked
her skirt and climbed slowly up the cloth. She smiled brilliantly and drew me in with her
beauty.
“Kill me, and nothing will stop you,” she said with all the fervor and passion Kat had
always had. She had always wanted to change things, and in this moment, she could. By
letting me grow stronger, she was determined to change everything.
“Kill me and change the world for the better.” Her smile became fanatical.
I could feel it. I was on the precipice of power that would help me lord over the world.
The choice became clear to me. I’d have to give up love of all those who were close to me,
sever myself from those that would distract me.
Become unfeeling and above the world. To become transcendent in power, would be to
leave behind my humanity.
I could touch upon that power, taste it upon my lips. Power to change everything.
The ecstasy of that power was so sweet that I nearly forgot myself.
I could change it all. It would just cost me everyone.
A shiver from my soul shook off that taste of power that had turned bitter and metallic
like blood.
That wasn’t what I wanted. It wasn’t a life worth living. Taking a deep breath, I dropped
my sword. “If I killed those I loved for power, what use would it be?”
I felt the world shudder as the illusionary Kat shattered.
The cracks spread, and the world around me shifted again. Destruction gave way to
peace. I was now resting with countless beauties, feeling confident in my ability to protect
and care for them. I drew power from each one of them as they drew power from me in a
harmony that sang to my soul.
I breathed in deep, starting to emerge from the haze. As I opened my eyes, I felt each
layer of the meridians smooth together and form one giant pattern that encompassed all
the benefits of the previous layered technique and so much more.
My soul, now tempered once again, opened me up to an entirely new world. Everything
was clearer and crisper than it had been before. I felt an enlightenment that had eased
something inside of me.
Looking at my ring, it even looked complete. But I knew that there was a thread so small
it was barely visible.
Michelle, Celina and Aurora were all staring at me, giant smiles spread across their faces.
“I think we’ve all learned that we should enjoy those we love. Thoroughly.” I paused,
making eye contact with each of them and waiting as they understood my full meaning.
Aurora licked her lips. “What would you guys say if we picked back up where you’d left off
earlier?” I reached over, grabbing Aurora around her waist and pulling her into my lap.
My gorgeous mana beast pushed back, forcing me to pin her arms to her side to keep her
in place.
“You’re so feisty.” Michelle said, leaning in and kissing a trail up Aurora’s neck. Aurora
leaned into the kisses and let out a throaty moan, her struggle weakening.
Animal instincts drove Aurora. She demanded to be overpowered, but clearly Michelle
had enough strength to make it past Aurora’s defenses. I felt Aurora grind against my
rapidly growing length as the kisses continued.
Gripping her supple thighs tight, I felt my fingers sink satisfyingly into her curves. Taking
control, I pulled and pushed her, causing her to grind against me.
“Master.” Aurora gasped, leaning back and letting Michelle assault her neck and nibble
down to her cleavage.
Another set of hands came from behind me and slipped into my robes, giving soft sensual
touches that slowly opened my robe.
I leaned back for a kiss from Celina, Aurora still pressed against my chest. The petite
brunette had her robe slipping off her shoulders as she stared into my eyes.
Our tongues slipped past each other as I explored her warm mouth, sticky with traces of
poison. My mouth tingled. Before my tongue could go numb, Aurora pulled me back to her,
and I shared the taste of Celina’s mouth.
Warm life mana passed between us as I held her still. The soft passionate kiss washed
away the tingle of Celina’s poison.
“Fuck.” I groaned, bucking between the women’s soft bodies.
“Yeah Stud? Who did you want to fuck first?” Michelle pulled Aurora’s breasts free of her
dress and kneaded them in my face. Aurora gasped as Michelle leaned down and bit one of
her nipples, causing her to gyrate even harder against me.
“Aurora, lose the clothes.” I growled, needing to be inside of her. I lifted her off my lap
long enough for Celina to pull free the last of my robe.
Her clothes exploded in green light as she stopped holding the mana construct. Aurora
was beautiful. Her gold spun hair was free and draped over her breasts like a shy maiden.
But her naked body betrayed her anticipation. It was flush and the moisture was obvious
between her legs, like a juicy peach ready for me to devour. Her nipples were perky, still
firm after Michelle’s playing.
I grabbed her hips and pulled her sex to my lips.
“Master.” She squeaked, falling backwards into Michelle’s lap as I gently lapped my first
taste between her folds. She tasted earthy and sweet as I dove my tongue further into her
warm slit.
“Have you been a good little mana beast?” I asked, flicking her clit at the end of my
stroke.
“Yes, I’ve been very good, Master.” She said gasping, abruptly cutting off as Celina and
Michelle started trading her mouth while they mauled her breasts. I kept my eyes up,
watching the two girls play with them while I slowly continued my licking.
“If you were fantastic, you’d help your sister wife get ready for me.”
Aurora leaned forward, making sure not to lose contact with my mouth as she clawed at
Michelle’s dress until it came free. Then she reached and pulled Michelle forward to sit on
her face.
“Such a good girl.” Michelle said, as she started rocking her hips into Aurora, moaning
and increasing the speed.
I looked over, noticing Celina’s hesitation. She was the only one still dressed.
“Only take it off if you are comfortable.” I said, pausing between Aurora’s moans. My
mana beast grabbed my face and pulled it back against her slit. I laughed and enjoyed her
rumble at the vibrations the laugh caused.
“Touch me with my clothes on?” Celina whispered, taking a small step forward.
Michelle grabbed her and pulled her close, and I watched my warrior woman’s hands
dive into Celina’s skirt. “Watch our Stud while I do this.”
I kept eye contact with Celina, not letting up on Aurora’s slit, which was flooding. If
Michelle’s face was any indication, Aurora was not going easy on her either.
“There you go. Imagine my hand is his tongue, and he’s between your legs right now.”
Michelle breathed on Celina’s ear. Pulling her hand out to lick it slick, she put it back down
Celina’s skirt. I could see her hand keeping pace with my tongue.
“Yes.” Celina arched back into Michelle as we kept our eyes locked.
“You’re so swollen.” I flicked Aurora’s pearl, and all three girls let out gasps as each of
them mimicked my tongue. It seemed Aurora had even joined this game.
“More!” Celina gasped.
I buried my face in Aurora’s sex, licking her from top to bottom and lavishing her clit. She
was so close to her peak. Her sex squeezed my tongue, and her juices coated my face.
Each of the girls came undone. Celina popped off like a firecracker, screaming with her
release as she fell to the side. She took over with her own hand, stretching out her own
orgasm.
Michelle whistled at the wanton display. “She really needed that.”
Aurora free tackled me to the ground and rubbed herself against my hard length. “Please,
Master.”
I grinned at my needy mana beast and knew what she needed. Flipping her over, I lifted
her butt into the air and lined myself up. I had become hard like steel throughout the
exchange. “Michelle, pin her arms.”
She turned from watching Celina, grabbing Aurora’s wrists and handing them to me.
“This’ll be better.”
I grabbed both of Aurora’s wrists in one hand and pulled her up on her knees with her
back arched before I sank into her silken vice. “Fuck. You’re so tight.”
“Master, I’m ready. Please don’t hold back.” She was already struggling against me. Her
soft wings were beating against my face as she squirmed.
I had to remember she was a beast and her instincts told her to fight this no matter how
much she wanted it. She needed me to prove I was strong enough to deserve her.
My slow, teasing strokes only made her fight more. She bucked back against me, panting
with need. “Harder.”
Michelle grabbed a fist full of Aurora’s hair and lifted the feisty mana beast to her own
sex. “I don’t think you’ve earned your finish yet.”
I took that as my cue to pound into Aurora. Her sticky juices were already soaking down
my legs. I held her wrists and used them to pull her into each of my thrusts.
She felt glorious. Her sex was sheathing my cock just tight enough to not be painful.
I was already painfully hard from watching Celina, who was still rolling on the floor
recovering from her own explosive pleasure. It didn’t take long in Aurora for me to feel my
own finish coming.
“Aurora, I’m getting close.” Her sex tightened like a silken vice, determined to milk me.
That was all I could take. I drove myself deep and pulled her back against me.
I exploded into her and could feel our mixed juices coating my balls.
Her own orgasm came as I filled her, and her sex rippled like she was trying to suck me
dry.
Aurora went limp and slid off my cock, recovering from her own aftershocks as she
twitched on the ground with a cheerful smile.
Michelle stepped around the blissful mana beast. “Hope you still have some energy,
Stud.” She sank to her knees and cradled my still hard member.
“I think it needs a little resuscitation.”
She smiled and licked me from balls to tip, savoring Aurora and my combined juices.
“Delicious.”
I didn’t have the patience for her games, so I grabbed her by the hair and sank myself
into her throat.
Michelle hummed as she bathed my cock with her tongue. As my head pressed into her
throat, I felt myself revive rapidly between her ministrations and my own life mana.
She came off with a wet pop and licked her lips. “Get on your back.”
I laid down on a blanket and tucked my arms behind my head, as Michelle straddled my
hips and started tracing the muscles on my chest. She reached behind her and pushed my
cock between her ass cheeks.
Her tight athletic body rippled with barely contained muscle. She clenched my cock in
place and started swaying her hips.
It was not the skin on skin friction I expected. “You oiled up back there?” I cocked a brow
as she wiggled, coating my member with oil.
Michelle bit her lip and played coy. “We still have one hole of mine you haven’t taken.”
She leaned back. My member was at full mast, and it pushed against her ass. “Just. Stud,
you’re big. Let me take this easy.”
She took a deep breath, and I could feel her thighs relax as she pressed her ass back into
me. “Oh fuck.” She cried as she opened up and let me in. Putting her weight on her hand,
she braced and slowly wiggled me deeper.
“You sure you’re okay?” I fought the urge to thrust. She felt so damn good.
“Yeah. Just don’t move for a moment. Let me stretch.”
Her slit was still open before me, so I sank two fingers into her and started stroking a
come hither gesture. I could feel her relax into the pleasure of my fingers.
Celina had recovered, stepping up behind Michelle. She began kissing her neck and
nibbling on her ear, trying to take her attention off the tightness.
Michelle closed her eyes and started rocking steadily, my cock still buried in her ass. She
escalated to bouncing as her breathing turned into pants. Her moans built louder and
louder.
When she came all over my fingers, her ass squeezed my cock with a tightness I’d never
felt before. It was almost too much. My cock was locked in place.
“Celina, grab her legs.” I pushed her legs back, folding her in half as I sat up.
“Oh, Stud. I don’t know if I bend quite that way.” Michelle groaned out. But Celina folded
her, leading to her ass sticking up in the air while I got my legs under me.
Grabbing her hips, I pushed deep, bottoming out into her. She cried out in new bliss, as I
started pumping into her tight asshole.
I kissed Celina over Michelle, tangling our tongues in a torrid pyramid as Michelle
moaned below us, lost in her own bliss.
“Imagine that’s my tight hole you are working.” Celina said, as she broke the kiss and
started down my jaw line. “Unload into me, baby.”
Michelle rolled into another orgasm and squeezed me, ripping out my own pleasure into
her ass before I pulled out. I leaned back, watching my seed dripping from her ass as she lay
there zoned out.
“You three are going to kill me.” I laughed between deep breaths.
All three of them broke into laughs. “We can’t let that happen. I’m not sure we are going
to find another monster like that.” Celina pointed to my still hard member.
I grabbed her and finished with a breathy kiss that left my throat numb.
Settling in to rest for the next day, the last thoughts on my mind were Kat. I couldn’t
figure out why she was the one that had tested my soul. While I did care for her, my
relationship with the three beauties around me were growing so much deeper.
In the end, I decided that I really did still have feelings for her, and that was okay. I would
be a heartless monster if I could kill a once lover.
***
I woke up the next morning to three smiling girls. “What’s got you all so happy?”
“Check your meridians.” Michelle grinned.
I did. They were still gold in color, but instead of having a luster like ore, they were
crystalline like a gem.
“What does that mean?”
“No idea. I’ve never heard of something like this. Maybe it’s your bloodline?” Celina
shrugged.
Well, at least it seemed like a good thing. I added it to my list of things to figure out later.
For now, we needed to get all the injured disciples out of the dungeon. The death trap
that it had become needed to be broken.
I started getting ready. “How’s your sister?” I asked.
“The same.” Celina looked over in the corner where her sister rested.
I paused. I’d accessed my soul before. Normally, it took a second-ring mage to do it, but
since I’d already touched on the power, I might be able to sense something from Narissa.
Walking over, I laid my hand on her and probed out with my soul. I could feel her soul,
active and stirring at my presence. But there was a gap. It didn’t connect to the rest of her
body.
Finding the gap, I slipped a thread of my soul into it. Her soul flooded that thread and
pulled it tightly into place.
I heard gasps and crying outside of my body, but I was still lost in Narissa’s inner world.
Her soul was pulling hard enough that it felt like she was going to drag mine from my body.
She was there, her soul contained an image of a stone house. Her sense of self locked
away in what had become her prison.
There was a gap in the construct, a key needed for her to step outside her small stone
house and affect the world.
I could feel the urge to completely fill the gap between her soul and her body. But my gut
told me that would end with my complete control over her. The thread of my soul would be
a gate between her body and mind.
I shivered at how terrifying that was. It would be complete dominance over her.
I recoiled, pulling back my soul, and I heard more gasps from the women around me and
the thud of Narissa hitting her mat again.
Celina’s face was in mine when I opened my eyes again. “What did you do? She was back
just for a moment. Please, Isaac, do it again.”
I felt faint. Tussling souls with Narissa had worn me out. If she’d been more in control of
her own soul, I wasn’t sure I’d still be alive.
“Give him room.” Michelle hovered over me, shoving in front of Celina.
“I’m fine. It just took a lot out of me.” I waved off Michelle’s protectiveness.
“Can you do it again?” Celina asked, worry etched on her face. We were about to leave the
dungeon, but she wanted to see her sister again.
“I wasn’t waking her up, Celina. I was enslaving her. If I had finished, she’d be…”
Celina stopped me. “She’d be awake, and I know you wouldn’t treat her poorly.” Her eyes
begged me to bring her sister back to her.
I turned my focus to the once again comatose Narissa. “I know you can hear me. I will try
again. This time, give me a sign if you want me to complete it or if you want me to stop.
Regardless, we’ll take you back to the Ferrymen and try and solve this, giving you back
control.”
Once again, I bundled up a piece of my soul and stuck it into her. This time, I went slow,
waiting for the response from her soul.
When I touched upon the connection, her soul flooded mine and happily dragged it into
place.
I had no doubt that this was her will. This time, the process was much less taxing, and I
opened my eyes again to see hers flutter open like sleeping beauty.
She sat up and looked at me. “Thank you.”
Celina tackled her with a hug, but I was still stunned at just how drawn I was to her. She
was beautiful, and from the time at the brothel, I knew she had some sort of seduction
technique. But being connected to her soul had brought it to an entirely different level.
I heard the tent flap pull aside as Zee poked her head in and took us all in. “I’m glad your
sister is awake, but camp is starting to move. We need those able bodied to be ready and
helping.”
She didn’t react to Aurora, but my mana beast dove into her ring before another person
could spot her.
“If we are going, I need a change of clothes. Black is not my color.” Narissa picked at the
robes she was wearing.
“Michelle, do you have something for her?” I asked, knowing that Celina’s clothes
wouldn’t fit her sister. Michelle’s clothes might even be too tight in the chest.
“Here.” Michelle tossed out a dress in the Ferrymen’s colors.
Narissa stripped right there in the tent, and I had to look away to keep myself focused on
preparing to head out.
Michelle joined me, a knowing smirk on her face as I started pulling everything into my
spatial ring. “So, you almost did that at the brothel? I really can’t blame you.”
“Yes, well, I have to apologize for that. It’s part of how I’ve cultivated. I radiate charm as
part of it,” Narissa jumped in, clearly having heard Michelle.
“Shit, sorry. I don’t mean to make this harder for you.” Michelle lost her teasing smile.
“Speaking of which, aren’t you taking this a bit too much in stride?” I pulled the tent in
my spatial ring, suddenly exposed to the hubbub of the camp breaking down to move.
“Probably? Honestly, I think you are subconsciously suppressing a lot of it.” Narissa
shrugged, stepping into stride with the rest of us.
I cursed under my breath. I didn’t want to be exerting that much control over her.
But she laughed. “It’s okay. We’ll deal with my shit later. Honestly, it’s probably for the
best. I’m likely either going into an extreme rage or depression when my emotions catch
up. Probably a mix of both.”
I noticed men around the camp doing double takes as she walked past, followed by some
glares my way. I pictured what we must look like, one guy walking with three beautiful
females. My mother would be so proud.
“Do you know what we are up against?” I asked, knowing it was likely going to be our
small group against everyone. The disciples trusted the Sun and Moon Hall far too much, so
we’d need to be the ones ready to take them on.
“The sect’s new Saintess showed up a few months ago. She has the bloodline of the
Vermilion Bird, and she skyrocketed in cultivation after she joined, breaking into the
second ring within a month. Her soul power is on a completely different level. If you think
my presence is charming, it is nothing compared to her. She literally has the entire body of
disciples eating out of the palm of her hand.”
“If she’s here, and as powerful as you say, could they do what was done to you to the rest
of the disciples here?” I asked, realizing what we were walking into.
She grimaced. “Yeah, I think that is their plan. They move slowly, sending people they
control into the rest of the sects and using them to further manipulate the rest of the sects.
They won’t even know they have been taken over till it is too late.”
“If we stop them, we’ll be starting a war.” Even given the potential consequences, I knew
in my bones it was the right thing to do. There was no way I could sit by and watch the
corrupt mages take over every sect.
“Moving out!” a shout came, and everyone echoed it down the line. We all started moving
together toward the portal. I reached out, holding hands with Michelle and Celina as we
walked. We were going into battle, but I’d do all I could to come out the other side with
them.
Chapter 32
“It’s easier now, isn’t it?” I quietly asked Michelle.
“Huh?” She tilted her head.
“Knowing that we are going into a fight. There’s not the same anxiety as waiting, not
knowing if you’ll be attacked. Somehow, knowing what’s to come makes it easier.”
I knew we were going to end up fighting the Sun and Moon Hall, and chances were, the
corrupt mages would be there too.
Michelle gave a long pause. “I guess it does feel different. We are the ones making the
choices versus waiting for someone else to make the first move. We both know I don’t mind
hitting first and hitting hard.” She gave me a wicked grin.
I laughed, thinking back to when we had trained at the academy. The woman could
definitely hit you like a train when she wanted to.
I looked over at Narissa, seeing her watching our exchange and smiling to herself. “What
are you thinking you’ll do after we get out of here?”
“I guess that depends. What are you going to do?” Narissa smiled, both her and Celina
joining the conversation.
“First, we need to get to the Ferrymen’s floating mountain. Once there, we should be able
to fill our second rings. I want to expedite our training any way we can.”
The girls all nodded. It really was our best shot at this point.
I went to continue on, but cries came up around the convoy, cutting me off.
It was time. I shifted into a fighting stance and took in the situation around us.
“With me.” I drew my sword and went for the closest flank.
Black-robed mages swarmed the side of the army. I could feel their cultivation levels as
they came near. None were even halfway through their first ring. This was purely a tactic to
drain us.
Narissa was with me and waved her hands. Everywhere she pointed, the ground
rumbled, sending corrupt mages staggering.
In turn, the disciples cut the unsteady mages down with ease. It was a bloodbath.
She fell into sync behind me, and I could feel her coordinate through the soul bond we
had.
Michelle was there too, covering our backs while Celina darted out, dealing swift death to
those that rushed our formation.
I suddenly felt like a rock in a stream as the corrupt mages continued to pour out of the
trees. This wasn’t a battle; it was a slaughter.
When the first blood mage exploded, taking out a nearby group, Narissa threw up a stone
wall to keep the line.
Disciples paused, looking at the size and speed of the spell with awe. They quickly rallied
behind our group, realizing we had a second-ring mage, as we pushed through the corrupt
mages.
I continued killing every black-robed mage I saw like harvesting wheat, when I
recognized one of them mid-stroke.
It was the same girl Aiden had recruited back in Locksprings, the one that had led to
Aiden’s fight with Jonny and me.
My swing had slowed, but the momentum was too much. I watched in horror as I cut her
head clean from her black robes.
I froze. She’d been turned into something disposable, as if her life meant nothing. Anger
and revulsion churned through my gut as I came to grips with what I’d just done.
Michelle bumped me as she knocked out a few mages I’d let get too close. She continued
focusing on the enemy as she yelled at me to fight.
I blinked and refocused. My survival instincts kicked back in, and I pushed it all aside to
deal with another time.
Fires erupted along the line of corrupt mages, consuming dozens at a time. Cheers broke
out in the army of disciples.
I didn’t understand who had saved us until I heard cheering for the Sun and Moon Hall.
They swept in as heroes, burning their way through the corrupt mages with the intensity.
“Sun and Moon Hall!” Cheers went up all around me as the corrupt mages were routed,
and the pressure eased off the front line of disciples.
A huge five-colored fire flared at the front of the line, and I knew that was the Saintess.
The five-colored flame must be the vermilion bird.
“It looks like it’s time,” Narissa said, looking at the flames warily.
I nodded. “Everyone ready?” I asked the other two girls, who joined in nodding. “When
we have an opportunity, we rush through the portal and get the elders involved.”
I took stock of the army around us. The disciples were looking even more ragged than
they had the day before. But their spirits were high as we all gathered and pushed forward.
They were lining up to greet the Sun and Moon Hall.
The portal to the dungeon loomed about half a mile behind them. We were so close.
“Everyone!” a call to gather was shouted. The disciples pressed forward to a hill as the
Sun and Moon Hall representatives mounted the top of the hill, looking down upon the rest
of the sects.
The Earth Flame Sect hung close to them, taking up a perimeter around the hill.
“Everyone! We fought valiantly, and we prevailed!” a Sun and Moon Hall disciple shouted
from the top of the hill, echoed with a roar from the army below.
“We’ve honored our ancestors and avenged our friends. Best yet, we’ve saved many lives
to come by fighting the corrupt mages together.”
More cheers echoed the sentiment.
“But now it is time to enter a new era. One of unity. One of peace.”
Confused murmurs began emerging around us. A few cheers started, but they fell off as
they realized something was wrong.
The Saintess ascended the hill like she was flowing instead of walking. Everyone's
attention was riveted to her as the wind swept her flame red locks back in the picturesque
definition of otherworldly beauty.
I felt myself drawn to her. My sense of dread was immediately smothered and replaced
with a sense of deep loyalty as my soul fell under her influence. My mental defenses
completely short circuited watching her.
She wore a veil, but I could imagine what she looked like underneath.
Her sinuous body rippled with provocation as she crested the hill. Five colors of fire
burst from behind her, rippling hypnotically.
You could hear a pin drop at that point as the crowd was enraptured by her. I wasn’t sure
if anyone was even breathing.
“We are entering a new era. One where you all have the opportunity to be seeds of
change. Together, we will usher in an era of peace in this slice of the world.”
I found myself nodding.
“You are all so injured. Let us take care of you before you head home.”
A sea of heads bobbed as we agreed to be seen by the Sun and Moon Hall.
I even felt like my leg was suddenly causing a limp. It all made perfect sense. We’d go see
the healers before we left the dungeon.
Glancing to the side to look for the healers, I saw they had glassy looks in their eyes.
Nagging doubts entered my mind about how prepared they were.
“Do not worry. Our healers are ready and waiting. Please, step forward.” Her voice
soothed my concerns.
When I looked back at her, even though she was wearing a veil, I felt like we’d made eye
contact.
Our eyes locked and it was just the two of us in the world for a moment as my heart
ached for her.
She beckoned me to her, and I stepped through the crowd that had parted for me.
As I walked up the hill, I got a closer look. Pinning the veil in place was an opalescent
vermilion bird clip. It was the very same one I’d gotten Kat on our first date.
I walked before her and turned her away from the crowd.
“Isaac,” Kat said in a lilting voice.
She pulled back the veil, and I was struck by how much she’d changed. Kat had always
been a beautiful woman, but in the short time we’d been apart, her entire aura had
changed. She was more confident, and with that, she radiated power and appeal. Her hair
billowed out behind her like flames of passion.
Kat’s eyes had become a kaleidoscope, her five-colored flame shining through them as I
was lost in her eyes.
Her eyes were lidded with sensual pleasure as they crinkled with her smile. “I’ve missed
you, Isaac. But now we can finally be together again! No one will fight me if I bring you into
the Sect. I can give you everything we have talked about.”
I drew her closer, wanting nothing more than to take her up on everything she offered.
If I claimed those plump red lips, I knew she’d give me everything I ever wanted.
But all I would want from that moment on was her.
As I leaned into her, I felt a pressure build in my head.
The pressure became a distraction and I frowned, like it was stopping me from kissing
the woman I loved so dearly.
She was right there, all I had to do was lean another few inches.
Kat pursed her lips and her arms snaked around my shoulders to draw me in closer.
“Everything, Isaac.”
I pushed forward as the pressure continued to build until something in my mind
shattered.
The final wall in my cultivation crumbled from the pressure of Kat’s trance.
And for the first time, I knew what it was like to be a second-ring mage.
With the sudden expansion of my soul, I snapped out of the charm Kat had me in and
held her at arm's length.
Fully in control of myself I walled out her influence.
“What are you doing?” I let outrage bleed into my tone.
Kat’s eyebrows jumped up before she smothered her surprise. “I’m both delighted and
disappointed that you broke the charm. But who am I kidding? I wouldn’t love you if you
weren’t extraordinary.” She started leaning back into me, but I held her firmly away.
I looked around, taking in the situation with a clear head. The army of disciples were
moving like zombies, lining up for the Sun and Moon Hall to do whatever it was they did to
people.
Even the mages of the Sun and Moon Hall wore glazed expressions under Kat’s influence.
“Why?” It was the most important question.
“Isaac, we always talked about what we’d do if we had the power to change the world.
We’d use mages to heal the sick and provide for the poor. Towns like Locksprings would
flourish under the guard of a few disciples of a sect. With the disciples here brainwashed to
follow me in the future, they will be the seeds that turn over all the sects. If I do this
enough, I can reshape the world of mages to better the world.”
I nearly stumbled back. I could tell she meant what she was saying, but I didn’t
understand how she could believe it. “What good is changing it if you are enslaving
everyone? Do you know what the Sun and Moon Hall uses this technique for?”
She sighed, clearly not feeling understood.
Kat’s eyes were like glowing flames. “It’s not enslavement. I’m just forcing behavior
changes of one generation to make the world better for years! It is a worthy goal, and we
need radical steps to make a change! The world of sects and mages is not going to change
on its own.”
“Kat, please listen to me. This technique. The Sun and Moon Hall uses it for horrible
things.” I felt for Narissa in the crowd and used my soul to call her to us.
“I trust you, Isaac, but you just don’t understand. They aren’t enslaving people.” She
looked at me earnestly. “It’s just behavior modification. Yes, it’s drastic, but we need the
sects to come together. We need an era of peace.” She was quietly pleading by the end.
There were still glimpses of the Kat I used to know in her speech. Her mannerisms, her
expressions, they were all Kat. But the look in her eyes and the way she spoke was
different, much more fervent. I kept feeling like I was looking at Kat and talking to a
stranger. But I knew she was in there somewhere. I needed something to cut through her
confusion.
“If you trust me, then listen to me.”
My fiery-haired love turned to Narissa as she approached. “Who’s this?”
“This is a woman I found in our town, in the brothel that the Sun and Moon Hall owns.”
Kat scoffed, dismissing Narissa. “The traitors to the Sect are the ones who are sent there.”
“Narissa, tell your story,” I said.
She described how she’d started out like how most disciples of the Sect did, being picked
from a small town. But hers was far larger and more connected to the rest of the world than
Locksprings.
The man Narissa had followed to the Sect courted her, and one night, when her guard
was down, he performed the technique that turned her into his love slave.
He used her for dual cultivation, and she was scared, but she still had most of her free
will.
It was later when another girl who had just joined the Sect caught his eyes that it all
changed. It started as little asks, getting Narissa to help lure the new disciple in. Then it
turned deeper, using Narissa to start to turn the new girl into a slave as well.
Eventually, he lost interest in Narissa and had her work menial jobs for money. Finally,
that escalated into prostitution when he wasn’t satisfied with the amount of money she was
bringing him.
By the time Narissa finished her story, Kat’s haughty air was gone, and she looked
confused. I could tell she was piecing together this new information with all she’d seen in
the Sect. We stood in silence for a moment.
I thought my Kat had returned for a moment before she sighed. “There’s always a cost to
power Isaac. We both knew power to do what we wanted wouldn’t be free. I can’t change
the past, but I can stop it going forward.”
I smiled. It was about damn time she came to her senses.
She turned to me. “A war is going to start. This was only the opening move. None of us
can stop what’s going to happen. Only shape it, and Isaac, you are on the wrong side to do
that.”
I was wrong, my Kat wasn’t back. “No, Kat, we don’t give up.”
Kat’s voice became shrill in frustration. “Who’s giving up? I’m saving the damned world.
All I asked was to keep my love. But you won’t join me, will you?”
“Kat, can’t you see what they’ve done to you? They’ve changed you. Come with me now,
we can make this right.” I realized in that moment that Kat had been offered the same
choice I had. And she’d chosen power.
“I’m fine—I was fine as long as I had you.” Tears of blood started dripping down her face.
The emotional turmoil had unsteadied her soul and now she was straining to keep
control of the mass of young mages.
I pulled her close. “Kat. Sun and Moon Hall changed you, drastically. I can tell you are
back now, but if you leave, I’m not sure I’ll ever see you again.”
She choked a laugh in my arms. “You made your choice and I made mine, love. You want
to be the hero so bad? Then I love you enough to be your villain.”
I didn’t have a chance to react when she laid a searing kiss on my cheek.
It was like someone had stabbed hot pokers straight into my soul.
I could see her soul as it touched mine. The beautiful Kat I always knew was wreathed in
flames of five colors. Her soul dwarfed mine in that moment, I could see so much of her soul
focusing on keeping the disciples under control. There were other marks, inky black tethers
hooked into her soul.
“Kat, we can fix this.”
“I don’t need fixing. I need your love—it’s what held me together through everything.”
“Kat, I love you. But I can’t love what you are becoming.”
Tears leaked from her eyes. “You finally said it.”
Kat’s personification of her soul reached into her chest and ripped out the very core of
her soul. It gleamed, completely free of the taint that had touched the edges of her soul.
“I love you too.” She thrust the piece of her soul deep within mine.
My soul felt like it was burning up from the inside and I fell to my knees back on the hill
in the dungeon.
The pull towards her grew, before it all of a sudden vanished. She wilted as it vanished,
and a wave crashed across all the disciples. Kat began coughing up blood.
“Kat!” I grabbed her before she could completely fall to the ground.
“You only have a small head start. Use it.” She smiled, the blood blending in with her ruby
red lips.
“Saintess!” Members of the Sun and Moon Hall rushed to her aid.
I tried to pull Kat back, but I was mobbed by the mages. Looking at one, I realized their
eyes were once again clear. The enchantment was gone.
The entire hill burst with confused and angry murmurs, which quickly grew into open
complaint and hostility. The sects started to remember what had just happened to them.
That was when the screaming started, and I knew I was running out of time.
Kat had disappeared into a sea of Sun and Moon Hall disciples. They were turning their
focus to the rest of the sects.
I wanted to go after Kat, but I had to choose. And I couldn’t make her effort be for
nothing. The decision was already made, but I didn’t like it.
“Damnit,” I roared, pulling my blade on the first Sun and Moon Hall mage to catch my eye.
At least I had some opponents to take my frustration out on.
The silver and gold robes were gaudy, but at least they were easy to find. With one swing,
I cleaved him in two.
“To the portal!” I yelled to the sect disciples, trying to get them moving.
At first, only a few started moving, but it quickly became a larger and larger stream.
Soon, it turned into a stampede of people carrying or dragging their friends forward. I
caught sight of Steve riding his new mount, which had Jonny in its jaws, leading the pack. I
relaxed a smidge, a few of my friends accounted for and moving towards safety.
I held the hill that separated the Sun and Moon Hall from the rest of the sects, but the Sun
and Moon Hall was reforming.
I cut a horizontal slash at the mages who were advancing on me.
They backed up, but it seemed to wake them out of the fog even more, giving them a
place to focus.
“He defeated the Saintess,” a cry came up from the back of the crowd. More murmuring
and gasps came from the Sun and Moon Hall.
“He injured her!” a pained cry came out as if they’d been personally wounded.
The cries galvanized the Sun and Moon Hall as they pressed forward.
I blocked and parried, hoping to buy time for more to flee. Using the height advantage, it
wasn’t so hard at first. But it didn’t take long before they began to cover the hill, and I was
beating back swords from too many angles.
One sword caught my leg, and I hissed with pain, jumping back. I wouldn’t be able to hold
the hill for much longer.
Drawing on the strength of my second ring, I cast Aurora’s spell.
The giant claw materialized behind me, only now it was far more distinct. Green and gold
scales trailed along the top of the claw as the spell crashed down among the Sun and Moon
Hall.
Dozens of mages gathered together to repel the spell, but even then, they just barely
managed it.
Once again, I was stunned by the power of Aurora’s spell.
With only a moment of concentration, my mana was back to flowing normally. I smiled at
the progress, then breathed deeply and prepared for round two.
Looking over my shoulder in the brief respite, I saw the other sects were starting to
disappear through the portal.
Bracing myself, I caught another attack and parried it off, stepping away. I needed to
start retreating towards the portal.
One mage lunged deep with his thrust, and I spun to the side with a stroke meant to take
his leg.
Unfortunately, another sword came from the side and I had to pivot. I made a gash in his
leg before I needed to pull my sword back for a block.
I caught his blade awkwardly, and my momentum was stalled as we locked swords.
That was all it took for several probing attacks to turn into cuts.
Wincing, I stepped back and poured my life mana through my body. I was severely
outnumbered. The Sun and Moon Hall poured over me like an angry ant hill.
Hitting a breaking point, I knew it was time to make a final stand. I didn’t love my
chances, but not many options were left.
I exploded with the strength of my bloodline, the aspect of my mana, and the full strength
of my second ring.
The next disciple blocked me, but I didn’t care.
I overpowered his block, tearing and scoring deeply enough along his collar for a fatal
wound.
A charging attack was met with my bone crunching fist to his chest.
I descended into fighting like a wild beast. I fought for every other disciple here. I fought
for the future of the sects. It was a fight of survival, but more than just mine. I was fighting
for survival and freedom of the masses.
Scores, large and small stacked up on me as I fought like a berserker.
“Isaac!” A scream tore through the air right beside me as Michelle came crashing into the
pile. “Run. I got your back.”
I knew she was lying. Michelle was about to throw herself away for my chance to escape,
the same as I’d been trying to do for her. I was not going to let her ruin it.
“Damnit! What is with my women?” I grabbed her and threw her over my shoulder.
“Isaa—”
“Shield. Now.”
Michelle cast her black shield, and I was already running, plowing through the Sun and
Moon Hall.
“You and I are going to have a conversation when we are done here. If I weren’t busy
right now, I’d be spanking your round ass,” I yelled, my blood pumping furiously as I
pushed free with a clear sight to the portal.
Narissa and Celina were there at the portal, waiting for us and protecting our exit.
“Stall them,” I called, as Michelle and I blew past them.
I could feel both of them pour all of their mana they had left into an attack before darting
behind us through the portal.
A field of spikes and a cloud of poison erupted behind us as we escaped the dungeon at
last.
I came up short as we exited, taking in the scene and wondering if the dungeon hadn’t
been safer than the outside.
We had the eyes of everybody around. Disciples of sects were running to their leaders,
and startled whispers were escalating in volume as I carried Michelle away from the portal,
looking for Elder Shaw.
I needed to get the full story out before all hell broke loose. I noticed that the sects were
physically divided.
Sun and Moon Hall, Earth Flame Sect and one other I wasn’t familiar with stood to one
side. The rest were all to the other.
The tension in the air was so thick I was afraid it would snap with a moment's notice,
launching into a full-scale battle among the elders.
“Isaac,” Elder Shaw called. He already had several disciples whispering quickly.
I hurried over. “Elder, we need to go.”
“Our disciples are saying that some sects were engaging in corrupt techniques.” He
looked at Sun and Moon Hall’s side as he said it.
“Yes. And we need to go. Now.”
I was garnering more attention, and I could hear words like Hero and Saintess being
thrown about. I knew I was about to get far more attention than I’d like, or needed, at the
moment.
Soon, the confusion would combust as they determined a target.
“We need to clear the field,” I said loudly, feeling hundreds of eyes turn to me, sizing me
up and looking to the elder for guidance.
But all of the young mages followed my orders. They’d seen enough inside the portal to
trust me.
“Young man!” an elder yelled in outrage.
But I didn’t have time to argue. Once those Sun and Moon Hall disciples came out, this
was going to turn into ground zero for the next war between the sects and corrupt mages.
As the field started slowly clearing, the first mage from the Sun and Moon Hall came
screaming out of the portal. “Elder! We failed to control them. Someone defeated the
Saintess!”
Silence ensued and I braced. I was out of time.
The world turned on its head as elders from the sects collided. Meteors, hundred-foot tall
waves, earthquakes. It was like a dozen natural disasters merged together as a fight broke
out among the elders of the sects.
I stumbled and watched as a number of disciples I’d just saved were blown back. Some at
the back were twisted like rag dolls.
The Sun and Moon Hall didn’t hold back. They had less to lose; their disciples were still
protected in the dungeon.
The scene was cut off from us, as a massive stone wall soared into the sky to protect us.
Several old men were working together at its base.
“Get the disciples out of here,” yelled the same old man who had scolded me earlier.
I nodded.
“Move it!” I shouted, pulling those close to me to their feet as the sentiment rippled
through the crowd and we rushed away. Michelle, Celina, and Narissa helped me herd the
disciples.
But we hadn’t gotten very far before a red-robed elder appeared in front of us. I
recognized him as the one that had tried to kill me in the competition.
The Earth Flame Sect elder held one of his disciples by their neck. “Is that the one?” He
pointed to me.
“Yes, Yes.” The disciple nodded. “He’s the one that injured the Saintess and ruined the
plan.”
I felt the pressure of his cultivation slam me to a full stop.
Others started to stop with me, but I knew that would only get them killed. “Keep going.
Get clear. Return to your sects!” I shouted, and they continued on.
This man was powerful, and his anger was currently pointed towards me. There wasn’t
much these disciples could do to protect me from him; it would be suicide.
I did a quick inventory of my body. I was at the ragged edge of my rope. The wounds
from holding back the Sun and Moon Hall had taken their toll, and my mana was nothing
more than a slow trickle.
Michelle, Celina and Narissa had stayed with me, and I could feel Aurora pounding in her
ring.
With little to lose, I summoned Aurora, catching surprise on the elder’s face as he tilted
his head.
“Ah.” Understanding seemed to dawn on him. “That’s why you were so formidable. To
have such a mana beast as your first ring…” He tisked.
Aurora held my hand, and for the first time, I felt her soul.
It was so large, I felt like a grain of sand on the beach when our souls touched.
Isaac. We have one shot. Together, we attack. Then I’ll take us out of here.
Through our souls, she spoke to me. I was so shocked; my face must have reflected it.
“What? Do you not even know what your mana beast is?” The elder laughed. “Well this
should be even easier than I thought.”
I gathered the rest of my mana.
“Now. Now why must the heroes always fight? I’ll actually leave a corpse for your family
to bury if you make this easy.”
Aurora and I cast the giant claw spell, together.
The elder’s laugh cut off. His eyebrows popped up at the strength we were able to
unleash. He threw up a hasty shield of mana, but he was pinned under the combined weight
of our spells.
“Get on my back!” Aurora pulled me away as she started to change.
The change was fast. At first, standing before me was Aurora. Then, a bus-sized mana
beast was there. And she continued to grow past the size of a house, then further.
I grabbed onto her back as she continued to grow, stunned with what I was seeing.
She was glorious. Two familiar talons bit into the earth as her upper body stretched. A
long flowing tail sprouted from her tailbone, and her wings yawned open to cover the sky.
Her underside was all green and gold scales, which bled seamlessly into feathers until
her top, covered in soft downy feathers. She now had three sets of wings and a long, fish-
like tail finned with feathers.
Aurora had fully transformed into one of the auspicious beasts. The Kunpeng. She let out
a cry that was half bird and half something far deeper and dangerous than any bird.
Aurora grabbed Michelle, Narissa, and Celina into her talons gently.
A massive rush of air slammed me to her back as we were suddenly hundreds of feet into
the air. My brain was still reeling.
I could hear the elder cursing below, but he was cut out by the sound of wind rushing in
my ears.
Aurora didn’t quite so much fly as swim through the sky.
Below us, I could see the disciples dispersing through the wilderness. I knew some of
them would be hunted down, but word of what happened would get out.
The elders at the dungeon paused, and I swore I could see a few of them looking up at
Aurora as we disappeared into the sky, mixtures of concern and awe in their faces.
She slowed down once we were clear of any danger, and I looked around myself in awe.
The world quite literally opened up before me.
“What’s that ahead?” I called out, looking at a large looming shape in the distance.
“Sun and Moon Hall,” Narissa answered from below.
The sects were each located on a floating mountain, and for the first time, I realized just
how massive of an entity a sect was. I looked in awe, knowing that, given the distance, that
mountain was larger than anything I could imagine.
Aurora, are you okay?
Tired, master. Do you still love me?
Of course, now more than ever. You’re a total badass.
“Where to?” Michelle called.
“Where we were always headed. It’s time to join a sect.”
Celina directed us towards where the Ferrymen’s own floating mountain would be, and
Aurora pivoted, heading in that direction
The world flew by below us, and I took a moment to breathe in the cold, crisp air. So
much had changed. The war had begun, and we’d all have a role to play. The corrupt mages
had to be stopped, and the balance of power was still in their favor.
It felt daunting, but I had an amazing team by my side, and an ally within the enemy. I
hoped that one day I’d be able to save Kat.
That’s a wrap folks. I absolutely loved writing this book. It has been a dream of mine to
write a Xianxia, and I’m excited it’s getting popular for western readers. I learned a ton
from people who read and reviewed LR1&2. I feel like I was able to flex some of those
learnings in this book.
I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who’s given me a review. I can’t express as
an author how empowering it is to read those reviews when I’m tired and want to put the
pen down. I thank you all for cheering me on. Know this and future books only come out
faster with your continued encouragement.
That said, I have to ask you to review once again. Reviews are the lifeblood of the
Amazon system. Each review is a health potion before the Zon boss strikes a killing blow
and buries your book in the deep recesses of the 100th page of recommendations.
Please, if you enjoyed the book, leave a review at the link below, you can even just click
the stars now and not leave a written review. Anything helps.
Leave a Review
Book 2 is now out and Mana Beast is even better than Mana Master.
Mana Beast
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Legendary Rule:
Ajax Demos finds himself lost in society. Graduating shortly after artificial intelligence is
allowed to enter the workforce; he can't get his career off the ground. But when one
opportunity closes, another opens. Ajax gets a chance to play a brand new Immersive
Reality game. Things aren't as they seem. Mega Corps hover over what appears to be a
simple game. However, what he does in the game seems to affect his body outside.
But that isn't going to make Ajax pause when he finally might just get that shot at becoming
a professional gamer. Join Ajax and Company as they enter the world of Legendary Rule.
Series Page

A Mage’s Cultivation:
In a world where mages and monster grow from cultivating mana. Isaac joins the class of
humans known as mages who absorb mana to grow more powerful. To become a mage he
must bind a mana beast to himself to access and control mana. But when his mana beast is
far more human than he expected; Isaac struggles with the budding relationship between
the two of them as he prepares to enter his first dungeon.
Unfortunately for Isaac, he doesn’t have time to ponder the questions of his relationship
with Aurora. Because his sleepy town of Locksprings is in for a rude awakening, and he has
to decide which side of the war he is going to stand on.
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Dao Divinity: The First Immortal

Darius Yigg was a wanderer, someone who’s never quite found his place in the world, but
maybe he’s not supposed to be here…Ripped from our world, Dar finds himself in his past
life’s world, where his destiny was cut short. Reignited, the wick of Dar’s destiny burns
again with the hope of him saving Grandterra.
To do that, he’ll have to do something no other human of Grandterra has done before, walk
the dao path. That path requires mastering and controlling attributes of the world and
merging them to greater and greater entities. In theory, if he progressed far enough, he
could control all of reality and rival a god.
He won’t be in this alone. As a beacon of hope for the world, those from the ancient races
will rally around Dar to stave off the growing Devil horde.
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There are of course a number of communities where you can find similar books.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/haremlit
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HaremGamelit
And other non-harem specific communities for Cultivation and LitRPG.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/WesternWuxia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LitRPGsociety
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cultivationnovels