Chapter 16: Is There Something Wrong With Me? (Patreon)

Darian studied the setting sun in the distance. He sat in the same spot he had occupied weeks ago, when he had shared a cup of immortal wine with Elliot. Well, half a cup in his case. It was nice and quiet. Watching the sun after training had become a habit of his. There was just something so peaceful about it. It soothed his soul. Darian also spent these moments in introspection, thinking about his cultivation progress.

The fight with the dire monster earlier today, for example, made him realize just how far he had to go. If he hadn’t thought about actively using his mind sense, or if he hadn’t trained it as much as he had, then that fight would’ve ended differently. He might have even died. The fight illustrated for him just how dangerous and difficult the path towards immortality really was. And this was against an easy foe, at least for most cultivators.

Darian wouldn’t stand a chance against a proper spirit beast, such as Elliot or Astra for example, not in his current state at least. As someone in the early Foundation Establishment stage, he was at the bottom of the food chain. It would take some time before he was ready to go against a real foe.

At least this excursion had been profitable, and in more ways than one. After killing the dire monster, Darian met up with Gregory, who had cleaned and treated the dire monster’s carcass, before the two of them headed back to Hunter’s Rest. Since Darian hadn’t known how to make his way back to the secret realm from the dire monster’s territory, he decided to head back to the hunting village to get his bearings.

As they traveled, the young hunter had looked at Darian with newfound respect in his eyes. It was a far cry from friendliness, but it was a step in the right direction. When the two of them had reached Hunter’s Rest, Gregory took the dire monster’s hide for payment, as they had agreed. Darian took the rest of the carcass, and headed back to his secret realm.

Since the dire monster’s body had special properties, Darian figured it was best to bring it back to Ellen since she was an immortal chef and a trained alchemist. If anyone could make use of it, she could.

Darian had been right. Ellen had been overjoyed at getting some new ingredients to work with. So much so that she had kissed him on the cheek. Just a month ago this act would have caused Darian to blush, but he was getting used to her antics. He just accepted it, before heading out to clean himself off. As he left, Ellen prepared the dire monster’s body for tomorrow’s meals. According to her, it was best to cultivate right after eating a natural treasure like this, to get the most benefit out of it.

After he had cleaned up, Darian wandered to this spot to think. He studied his hands. While he had washed off the dire monster’s blood, he still saw it in his mind’s eye. It didn’t bother him. It should have, but it didn’t. That in itself concerned him. Death should have some kind of meaning to him, especially for a creature he killed. It disturbed him that it didn’t.

As he studied his hands and thought about today’s events, Darian felt his father’s aura approach. Not long after, he heard his father’s footsteps.

“Hey there, son,” Darren said.

Darian looked back. His father’s condition had improved ever since they had both come here, and his limp was no longer as pronounced as before. It wouldn’t be long before his father didn’t need the cane to move around. This warmed Darian’s heart.

“Father,” Darian said, before facing the setting sun again.

“I heard that you made your first kill today,” his father said.

He sat down next to him, letting his feet dangle over the edge.

“Yes.”

“Well? Is that all you have to say? I can tell something is bothering you. I knew it would. That’s why I came here. You can talk about it with me, or you can continue to brood in silence.”

Darian snorted.

“I’m not brooding. I’m just…thinking about death.”

At that, his father chuckled.

“I’m pretty sure that counts as brooding.” He paused. “What is it? I know the first kill can have a big impact. It did for me. Mine was some kind of snake dire monster with wings. It liked to dive at people from above and wrap its body around them, before crushing them to death. I was about your age when I killed it. After that, I ended up vomiting in some nearby bushes.” He looked thoughtful for a moment. “Now that I think about it, I might still have its skin stashed away somewhere.”

Darian shook his head and didn’t respond right away. His father didn’t pressure him. Instead, Darren waited for him to talk.

“That’s the problem,” Darian said after a while. “There is no problem.”

He turned to look at his father. Darren looked at him with a questioning look.

“What do you mean by that?”

Darian took a moment to find the right words to articulate how he felt.

“I killed a living being. I should have had some kind of reaction to it. You did, but I didn’t. I still don’t. I killed something, and felt nothing. The dire monster’s death meant nothing to me. It was something I did, a means to an end. That’s all. I felt no sorrow, no joy, no nausea. Nothing.” He frowned and looked at his hands again. “That is what’s bothering me. What if killing in general doesn’t disturb me? Would it be the same if I killed a person?” He looked up at his father again. “Is there something wrong with me?”

Darian’s father studied him with a composed expression on his face, before looking out towards the setting sun.

“I don’t know if I have an answer for most of your questions, son,” his father admitted. “For the last one, the answer is no. There is nothing wrong with you. Some people are troubled by death, no matter how much of it they see. Some get used to it. Some aren’t bothered by it all. You are one of the latter, that is all.”

“How do you know?” Darian took a deep breath. “I have heard stories of cultivators who oppress the weak and treat them like insects. Theft. Abuse. Murder. What if I’m just like them?”

He could imagine it now. He saw himself years from now, after he had achieved a higher level of power, walking through the streets of some strange city. A mortal would bump into him, and he would kill them with a casual flick of his hand. Would such a cold and callous murder bother him at all?

Darian’s father didn’t refute his words right away. Darren remained silent for several minutes. Darian, in the meantime, kept imagining worse and worse scenarios. Perhaps he was just panicking and worrying over nothing, but he would prefer that than not worrying about it at all.

“Tell me, son,” his father said, breaking the silence. “Would you kill someone in self defense?”

“Yes,” Darian said without hesitation. “I don’t want to die.”

“What about to save someone else’s life?”

Darian blinked at him.

“Father, what is the point of these questions?”

“Just humor me.”

Darian took a moment to think about it.

“It would depend on the circumstances. To save someone I care about? Absolutely. To save an innocent? Also yes. I wouldn’t kill to save a murderer or a rapist, however.”

At that, Darren gave him a quick smile. It was there and gone so fast, he had almost missed it.

“Last question,” Darian’s father said. “Would you kill someone to take a treasure they had in their possession?”

“What? No! I’m not a thief. What kind of question is that?”

“What if you needed that treasure to save another person’s life, and they refused to give it to you? Assume they aren’t interested in talking.”

At that, Darian had no answer for him. He sat there, looking troubled.

“To answer your earlier question,” Darren said. “The point of these questions is to illustrate that life is messy, and there often aren’t any easy answers. I wish it were different, my son, I truly do. The world is a harsh place, and I would spare you if I could. However, I can’t. The best I can do is prepare you, so you can face life head on.” He grimaced. “In many ways, I’ve failed in that. I wasn’t there for you as I should have been.”

“You were injured,” Darian said. “Still are. I don’t hold it against you.”

Darren shook his head.

“It’s not that. It’s…” He paused, before letting out a sigh. “To get back on topic, there is objective good and objective evil. However, most of the time, you will find yourself in situations that aren’t as clear cut. Instead of black and white, you will be surrounded by gray. You must navigate it as best you can, given whatever circumstances you end up facing. The advice and guidance of your ancestors and elders can help you, but at the end of the day, you are the one who will have to live with the consequences of your choices.”

Darian looked to the sky. While it was still light out, a few stars had revealed themselves.

“It sounds complicated,” he said.

“Life is complicated, yes,” Darren said. He grinned, before shaking his head. “I’m sorry. I wanted to help, but I probably just muddled things up further.”

“And yet, I feel better. You didn’t give me the easy answer. Instead, you told me the truth as you see it.” Darian held his hand up, before clenching it into a fist. “At the end of the day, I am responsible for my own actions.”

“Yes,” Astra’s voice cut in. “And speaking of being responsible for your own actions, I am upset with you, young Darian.”

Darian looked back to find the cat spirit beast floating towards the two of them. While her intrusion into what was clearly a private conversation between him and his father annoyed Darian, they were in an open area. They should’ve taken it to a more private setting if they had wanted to be left alone.

“And why is that, Auntie?” Darian asked, grinning.

He had no doubt that she was going to use some kind of excuse to bully him. If that was the case, he might as well embrace it and learn to fight back.

“You go out on a dangerous mission, and you don’t think to report back to me the moment you return?” Astra asked in an aggrieved voice. “I was so worried for you. The least you could have done was put your dear Auntie out of her misery and let her know you were safe.”

She said all this with such a sincere expression on her face, that Darian almost believed her. Almost.

“Sorry, Auntie,” Darian said, matching her sincerity. “I just assumed you were omniscient and didn’t need me to report every little detail to you. In the future, I shall be more considerate of your limitations.”

A beat of silence followed his words. Darren made a sound that seemed suspiciously like laughter. He tried to cover it up by coughing, with limited success. Astra floated to the front of Darian, grabbed his cheeks, and pinched them.

“Cheeky brat,” she said, trying to sound stern but couldn’t keep out the amusement in her voice. “Just for that, I’ll make sure your puni-…I mean, the special training I have planned for you is extra difficult.”

“Special training?” Darian asked.

“Yes. While I am not omniscient, I did see your performance earlier. You punched a tree and hurt yourself more than the tree. I can’t let that stand. Your body should be tougher than that. I plan to rectify this deficiency.” She gave him a malicious grin and leaned in closer. “Don’t worry, by the time we’re done, you’ll be able to punch through solid metal.”

Darian’s heart sank when he heard those words.

“Is that really necessary?” he asked.

“Yes. I will not let you embarrass me. Now, I suggest you get some rest. You’re going to need it.”

With that, Astra released his cheeks. Darian let out a sigh. While he could complain about this “special training” of hers, it wouldn’t do him any good. If he tried to get out of it, he had no doubt that she would make it worse for him somehow.

“Very well, Auntie.” He stood up. “Goodnight, Father. Goodnight, Auntie.”

With that, Darian headed back to the estate. Something told him tomorrow was going to be unpleasant.

***

Astra watched as Darian made his way back to the estate. While she enjoyed teasing him, she was also proud that he was starting to stand up to her and tease her back. Good. His spirit was starting to shine through. He just needed to make sure he didn’t go too far. While she was more lenient with him than most in her position would be, she had her bottom line as well.

“Do you have to punish him for something as trivial as that?” the boy’s father asked. “He’s only in the early Foundation Establishment stage.”

Astra sniffed.

“Of course.” She didn’t even bother to hide that it was a punishment. “He’s the one always complaining about being behind his peers. When I was his age, I was able to smash through trees with ease.”

“Uh huh,” Darren said in a wry tone. “And what stage were you born at?”

Astra gave the man a sidelong glance. He was too clever for his own good. Spirit beasts could be divided into two broad categories. There were those who started life as mundane creatures, before evolving into dire monsters and then forming a spirit beast core later on.

And then there were those who were born with fully formed cores, starting at the equivalent of the Energy Gathering stage or above. Some of the latter were unique creatures, the only ones of their kind. Others were born into a distinct race of spirit beasts.

Those who were born as spirit beasts also had some kind special innate ability. It was an intrinsic part of their being. What this ability was, depended on the spirit beast in question.

In Astra’s case, she was born a spirit beast. Specifically, she was a sun cat. Sun cats were descended from the Great Cat that came into being within the sun’s core when the universe was created. Their affinity with fire rivaled that of the fire dragons. Their innate ability was an immunity to fire and heat, as well as the ability to eat flames. Sun cats were also almost always born at the Core Shaping stage. Astra had been able to slice through metal with her claws from birth.

“I fail to see how that’s relevant,” Astra said.

“I thought so.” Darian began to stand up. “I should head to bed as well. Darian isn’t the only one pushing himself these days, and I could use the rest.”

“Before you go, Cultivator Darren,” Astra said. “There is something I want to talk with you about. In fact, that’s why I came over here in the first place.”

At that, Darren paused before sitting back down.

“How can I help you, Cultivator Astra?” he asked in a wary tone.

While the two of them had forged something of a friendship, the man held her at arm’s length. Astra suspected it was because of her relationship with Senior Sister Nova. The man was a closed book, and it was difficult for most people to read him. Thankfully for her, Astra was not like most people.

“I have watched over Darian almost his entire life,” Astra began. “I assumed he was just some random person who Senior Sister Nova had found and decided to make her disciple. A lucky find, you might say. However, recently, a number of details about his life have caused me to question that assumption. His cultivation speed, the purity of his spirit root, the seal that prevented him from cultivating. I want answers, and I figured you would be the best person to ask.”

Darren crossed his arms across his chest.

“And if I refuse to answer?”

“I would rather you didn’t. My primary concern is Darian’s training and wellbeing. I can’t perform my duties to the best of my abilities if I am in the dark.” Astra grimaced. “It is clear to me now that Senior Sister Nova left out a few details when she asked for my help.”

A fact that Astra was not happy about. When she met with Senior Sister Nova again, she would give the woman a piece of her mind.

Darren didn’t respond right away. After several moments, he let out a sigh.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll answer your questions to the best of my ability.” He gave her a wry smile. “It’s not like I have a choice in the matter, do I? If I refused, you could just force the answers out of me, given the difference in our realms.”

Astra gave him a smile of her own, and didn’t reply.

“All right then, ask your questions.”

“I only have two. The first is this: did you know about the seal on Darian’s spirit root?”

“Yes,” Darren answered without hesitation. “I was there when Immortal Nova put it in him. It was a part of her plan to raise him in the right environment, her words, and my clan agreed to it. Rather, our clan’s Honored Ancestors, our Immortals, agreed to it.” He gave her a flat look. “I objected, but my objections were overruled. Our Honored Ancestors even put a seal on me to prevent me from telling Darian about it. While our Honored Ancestors don’t like Immortal Nova, they will honor their bargain with her.”

Astra nodded. So there was a bargain between Senior Sister Nova and Clan Wind Dance’s Immortals, a bargain that centered around Darian. She had suspected as much, otherwise why would those very same Immortals tolerate her presence in their territory? She had felt them notice her with their mind sense a few times over the years, but they otherwise left her be.

“What are the terms of this bargain?” she asked him.

“Is that your second question?”

“Consider it a continuation of the first.”

Darren shrugged, as if it didn’t matter to him.

“I won’t bore you with the details, but in broad strokes, the bargain was for our clan to raise Darian until he reached the right age to receive the inheritance Immortal Nova left behind for him. The seal on his spirit root, as well as the consequences of said seal, were a part of this bargain. Immortal Nova had very specific plans for his upbringing.”

The expression on his face made it clear just what he felt about that. Astra didn’t blame him. Sealing a cultivator’s spirit root was the equivalent of crippling them. Why would Senior Sister Nova do that to her chosen disciple?

“In exchange, she paid our clan an obscene amount of resources,” Darren continued, before gesturing to his body. “This included the medicines that saved my life and healed the injuries to my being.”

Astra raised an eyebrow at that. She would love to hear the story behind his injury and how Senior Sister Nova played a part in that, but refrained from asking. She could indulge her curiosity later. For now, duty came first.

“My second question is…”

Astra paused, before taking on her human form. Flames engulfed her body, as if burning away her true form. When they died away, a woman who looked a little older than Darian floated before Darren.

She had dusky skin and long, dark curly hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. Her facial features were vaguely feline, but otherwise normal for a human, with two exceptions. A black diamond marked her forehead, and she had cat’s eyes that burned white hot. The woman wore a red cloth around her chest to preserve her modesty, red trousers, and black boots.

As she transformed, Astra watched Darren’s expression. While he did a good job at hiding it, she noticed the faint traces of fear, anger, and lust that flashed across his face.

“Who is Darian’s mother?” Astra asked.

Darren didn’t respond right away. Instead, he studied Astra.

“I see that you based your human form on Immortal Nova.”

Astra nodded. When a spirit beast gained the ability to take on human form, which varied depending on the spirit beast in question, they could choose what their human form looked like. Once this choice was made, it was impossible to change it, so most spirit beasts spent a long time perfecting their human form.

Astra chose Senior Sister Nova as her inspiration. When the two of them stood side by side, they really did look like sisters.

“Is Senior Sister Nova Darian’s mother?” she asked.

“What do you think?”

“I believe she is, except some of the pieces don’t fit.”

In the normal course of things, Immortals could not have children. Becoming an Immortal changed a person’s being in ways that prevented this from happening. It was impossible, except under rare circumstances. Usually this was the result of using some kind of natural treasure, or performing a forbidden rite. When Immortals did have children, however, those children were extremely powerful. Faster cultivation speed, purer spirit roots, as well as an innate ability akin to a spirit beast’s.

Darian fit this description. He even looked like Senior Sister Nova, something Astra hadn’t cared to think about until now. However, he didn’t have an innate ability. If he did, it would have manifested by now.

“Senior Sister Nova would have told me if Darian was her child, especially since she is the one who asked me to look after him and teach him,” Astra continued. “I refuse to believe otherwise. Also, Darian doesn’t have an innate ability. And yet, it would make sense if he was her son, given all the effort she went through for his sake.”

“You know a lot about the children of Immortals?” Darren asked.

“A bit. I’ve met two, and heard about two others.”

“What were the two you met like?”

Astra grimaced and didn’t respond right away. Memories from another time surfaced in her mind, memories of battles that had drowned entire regions in blood.

“Well?” Darren prompted.

“They were absolute monsters.”

Darren nodded, as if he had expected that answer.

“Darren does have an innate ability, but our Honored Ancestors sealed it away when he was a child.” He stared off into the distance, lost in thought. “He was ten years of age when it happened. I had just regained the ability to walk again. To celebrate Stella and I took him to one of the beaches along the Silver River. While we were there, Darian witnessed a feral dog chase after a little girl younger than him. She was the granddaughter of a local shopkeeper, if I remember right.”

Astra listened with a frown on her face. Something told her that she wouldn’t like this story.

“Darian flew into a rage. That is the only way I can describe it. He attacked the feral dog before it could reach the little girl. He tore into it and ripped it to pieces with his bare hands. After that, he then attacked Stella, who was the closest to him at the time. He was a child, with a child’s strength, yet he almost overpowered her. I had been too weak to help. If one of our Honored Ancestors hadn’t intervened, Darian might have killed Stella.”

Astra was a sun cat. Fire was an inherent part of her being. Yet, when she heard this, she felt her blood run cold.

“The Honored Ancestor sealed Darian’s innate ability and erased the memory of the incident from his mind. The Honored Ancestor then swore Stella and I to secrecy. He believed that if the clan council learned of the incident, they would do something unwise. Stella and I agreed. Until now, the two of us were the only ones who knew the truth of this incident.” He paused. “Well, there was the little girl, but she had passed out long before that point. I doubt she remembers it.”

“Demon’s Wrath,” Astra muttered.

Darren nodded.

“Yes. Tell me, Cultivator Astra. If Immortal Nova had asked you to train her son, who she knew would have the Demon’s Wrath innate ability, would you have said yes?”

“No,” Astra answered in a heated voice. “I love Senior Sister Nova, but I would have refused her. I’ve seen what happens when someone with the Demon’s Wrath ability becomes too strong. It never ends well. One of the Immortal’s children I told you about earlier had this ability. He destroyed entire cities and killed millions before someone put an end to his rampage.” She clenched her teeth. “In fact, Senior Sister Nova was the one who had killed him. Of all people, she should know the dangers of the Demon’s Wrath ability.”

The Demon’s Wrath ability was powerful, but dangerous. It multiplied its user’s strength, but at the cost of their reason. Battle lust consumed them to the point where they were unable to distinguish between friend or foe. Everyone was an opponent in their eyes. They kept fighting and fighting, until there was no one else around for them to fight. While it was possible to control this ability, doing so took an exceptional will.

Gavin, the Immortal’s son that Senior Sister Nova had killed, hadn’t even bothered to keep himself in check. He just unleashed his strength and slaughtered everything around him. Astra knew this because he had been the treasured disciple of a neighboring sect, the Thousand Blade Sect, and she fought by his side several times. More than once, he ended up attacking her.

“What I’m about to say is speculation on my part,” Darren said. “So keep that in mind. Immortal Nova trusted you and wanted you to be the one who trained her son. However, she knew you would say no if she had told you the truth. Instead, she told you some of the truth and left everything else out. By the time you would figure it out, it would be too late.”

Anger burst to life within Astra, anger and the pain of betrayal. It thrummed in her veins, growing hotter and hotter.

“So, Senior Sister Nova tricked me.” Despite her growing rage, Astra’s voice came out calm.

Darren shrugged.

“Again, that is just speculation on my part. I don’t know for sure. You would have to ask Immortal Nova yourself.”

“Oh, I will.”

And she would. Still, a part of her knew that Senior Sister Nova wasn’t above doing things like this. As Astra had told Darian not too long ago, Senior Sister Nova sometimes took extreme measures to accomplish her goals. There were times when these measures were morally dubious at best, and outright villainous at worst. Astra just hadn’t expected to be the target of one of these schemes.

When she saw Senior Sister Nova again, there would be a reckoning.

“I need to go,” Astra said. “If I stay, I’ll end up doing something we’ll all regret.”

Darren nodded and gave her an empathetic look that told her volumes about his treatment at Senior Sister Nova’s hands.

Astra returned the nod, before flying towards the exit to Darian’s secret realm. Anger bubbled within her, and it was just a matter of time before it quite literally exploded out of her. She needed to find some place isolated, or she would end up killing everyone around her. There was one place she had in mind, a place she had found when she first arrived in Silverwood Vale.

Astra needed to stay away from Darian in particular. If she saw him right now, she didn’t know if she would be able to hold herself back. The rational part of herself, what remained of it, knew she would regret that. Despite what she had just learned, she still loved him as her nephew.

That just fed her anger because it meant that Senior Sister Nova’s little scheme had worked. Otherwise, Astra might have killed him to prevent him from becoming a monster like Gavin.

With a snarl, Astra activated the teleportation formation. After she appeared in Silverwood Vale, she flew high into the sky before heading north, flying at her top speed. With each passing minute, it became more and more difficult to hold her aura in check and keep it concealed. As she flew, she felt one of Clan Wind Dance’s Immortals notice her through their mind sense. She paid them no mind and continued heading north.

The sun set as Astra passed above the Ice Fang Mountains. She kept flying north until the land beneath her changed from forest and grassland to icy tundra. Even so, she kept going until she hovered in the middle of a frozen wasteland and the Ice Fangs were a distant memory.

The stars shimmered in the night sky above her, shining so bright and brilliant it was as if their light could pierce through any darkness. The half-full moon hung in the sky. Astra didn’t know if it was waxing or waning, and neither did she care. The wind around her howled, carrying little shards of ice. The air was so cold and bitter that it stung Astra’s skin. It even smelled like ice and frost. A mortal would have died of exposure in minutes. For someone at Astra’s level, it was little more than an annoyance.

Astra scanned the area around her with her mind sense. Once she was sure that there was no living being anywhere close to her, she released the full power of her aura. Fire and claw intent exploded out of her. At the same time, she screamed at the heavens above. Anger and pain and sorrow laced her voice.

The sudden increase in temperature caused the frozen wasteland around her to explode. The ground sizzled and hissed, before letting out steam. Even the air exploded as the little shards of ice evaporated immediately. Astra’s intent also gouged the earth, rending it.

“Not enough,” Astra said.

The glow in her eyes grew brighter.

She held her palms in front of her, as if holding a ball. A small sphere of fire sparked to life in between her hands. It grew bigger and bigger. Within seconds, it grew to the size of a boulder. With a shout, Astra threw the ball of fire. It flew away from her and hit the ground, detonating on contact. The resulting explosion lit up the area around her for dozens of miles. It was as if a miniature sun had been born in this frozen hell. When the explosion died down, it left a crater a quarter of the size of Silverwood Vale.

Shouting each time, Astra threw more of these fireballs. In this part of the world, night turned to day for a brief time. Soon, the area surrounding her was littered with these craters.

“Still not enough,” Astra said, panting with rage.

She felt the need to rend and tear, the need to destroy. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, it wasn’t enough. Destroying the landscape around her didn’t vent her rage. In that case, she would have to wait for a while before her anger died down on its own, which would take days at the earliest. Otherwise, she would kill people through her aura alone.

“Well, that was an entertaining display, little kitten,” a languid voice said. “Is there more where that came from?”

Astra turned to find a man floating in the air near her. He hovered on his side, as if laying on a couch, facing her. Her eyes grew wide as she recognized the man. He looked like a typical member of Clan Wind Dance, but had the aura of an Immortal.

“You!” she sputtered, forgetting her rage for a moment.

“Me,” the man said.

“But…how?”

The man smirked at her.

“You and your senior sister aren’t the only ones who can hide their auras, little kitten.”

Astra narrowed her eyes at the man and scanned him with her mind sense. While he kept it restrained, his aura belonged to the Immortal that had noticed her earlier. He was a blade made of wind, one sharp enough to split the sky and cut the earth. What concerned Astra was that she knew this man, and when she had last scanned him with her mind sense, his aura had been much weaker.

“I didn’t realize that one of Clan Wind Dance’s Honored Ancestors would take such a personal interest in Darian.”

“Of course, little kitten. We made a deal with your senior sister. Did you think we would leave things to chance?” The man shrugged. “Besides, the boy is one of my direct descendants and carries my name. I owed it to him.” He righted himself, until he floated right side up. “Where are my manners? Let me properly introduce myself. I am Darian Wind Dance, though to avoid confusion, you can call me Sword Immortal Darian.”

Astra sneered.

“Darian, Darren, Darin. Just how many variations of the same name can you people come up with?”

Sword Immortal Darian shrugged at this.

“Blame my descendants. They’re the ones who decided to make a tradition out of naming their sons after me.” He raised an eyebrow. “May I have your name, little kitten?”

“Astra. And you better stop calling me ‘little kitten, Sword Immortal.”

“Or what?” Sword Immortal Darian asked, smirking.

“Or I’ll make you regret it.”

At this, he grinned. A sword appeared in his hands.

“Good. I needed some exercise, and I have a feeling you need to work through some issues.”

Astra grinned in return. Her fingernails grew longer and sharper, until they resembled claws. Without a word, she launched herself at Sword Immortal Darian. Reality around them rippled as claw met sword.