Demon of Dawn and Dusk

A few minutes later, I found myself back in the immortal cave’s living area sitting across from the intruder. Astra sat to my right, which put her at the intruder’s left. A pot of spirit tea sat on the table. Each of us had a cup filled with tea in front of us.

Spirit tea was a type of tea made with leaves and water infused with qi. Astra explained to me that it was common fare for cultivators since most cultivators eschewed any food or drink without qi. Drinking spirit tea even benefited one’s cultivation by a minuscule amount.

The spirit tea smelled divine and tasted even better. When I took my first sip, I let out a small moan of pleasure without meaning too and my cheeks heated up. While I was used to this sort of behavior in front of Astra, the intruder was a stranger to me. Revealing this side of myself to someone other than my older sister embarrassed me. To cover up my embarrassment, I coughed and glared at the intruder. He leaned his elbow against the table and just smiled. This just irritated me further.

When we left the training hall earlier and arrived at the living area, Astra pulled out the table she kept in her storage ring. After we all settled down, she pulled out the pot of spirit tea and poured each of us a cup. Afterwards, we all sipped our tea. No one said a word the entire time.

“You may as well get it over with,” the intruder said after taking a sip of his tea. “Delaying the matter won’t change things.”

Astra gave him a grumpy look.

“I will,” she said. “I’m just enjoying my tea first. It would be a shame to waste it.”

From the intruder’s expression, it looked like he didn’t believe her but didn’t say anything.

“You can start by telling me what your feud with Big Sis Sidra has to do with you taking me away from Mt. Wind Dance,” I said.

“It doesn’t!” Astra said. “You know why I took you away!”

I narrowed my eyes at her. Astra sighed.

“Fine,” she said. “The two are somewhat related.” She paused. “I think it’s best if you start from the beginning.” She gestured to the intruder. “This is Raphael White Wing, the second son of the hall master of Celestial Warrior Hall.”

Celestial Warrior Hall was one of the Dawn Halls of the Dawn and Dusk Sect.

“A pleasure to see you again, Cultivator Darian,” the intru-, Cultivator Raphael said, nodding his head towards me. “The last time I saw you was before Cultivator Connor left for Clan Wind Dance, just after your naming ceremony.” He smiled. “I see that you’ve grown into a fine young man, though it’s a bit of a shame. You were such a cute little baby.”

I felt conflicted. On the one hand, Cultivator Raphael’s very presence irritated me for some reason. On the other hand, he reminded me a little of Lucius and that made me more inclined to like him.

“As I mentioned earlier,” Astra said. “Raphael and I are engaged to be married.” She threw a glare his way. “Which is how this all began.”

“I should point out that it isn’t the marriage itself that Astra objects to,” Cultivator Raphael interjected. “It’s how the engagement came about.”

I grew even more uneasy when I heard this.

“Shush you,” Astra said, giving him a withering look. “I’m the one telling the story.” She turned back to me. “He’s right though. Raphael and I grew up together. When we were children, we promised to marry each other. I intend to keep that promise.” Her expression grew soft. “More importantly, I want to.”

I tried to maintain a calm expression, even as I moved my hands beneath the table and clenched my fists. I wasn’t sure how well I succeeded.

“Unfortunately, I kept putting it off,” Astra continued. “The timing never seemed right. I felt bad about making Raphael wait, though he never said a word about it.”

Cultivator Raphael shrugged.

“Your heart wasn’t ready,” he said. “I understand. You’re worth the wait.”

Astra gave him an affectionate look.

“Unfortunately,” she said, her expression turning sour. “Big Sis Sidra had other ideas. Rather than let Raphael and I handle things ourselves, she decided to interfere and force the issue.” Anger twisted her features. “Worst of all, she decided to use our marriage as a means to make a trade deal with Hall Master Elliot.”

From the context, I guessed that this Hall Master Elliot was Cultivator Raphael’s father.

“While I understand why you’re angry,” Cultivator Raphael said. “You have to admit, it is a mutually beneficial arrangement. The exchange of resources will benefit both of our halls. Not only that, but it will strengthen ties between Celestial Warrior Hall and Flame Fiend Hall, strengthening the stability and solidarity of the Dawn and Dusk Sect overall.”

Astra slammed her fist on the table, though she must have held back because it remained undamaged.

“It doesn’t matter how beneficial it is!” she said. “Big Sidra had no business using our marriage as a bargaining chip! How dare she? It’s our marriage, not hers!”

“With your mother in seclusion, she is the head of your family,” Raphael pointed out.

Astra pointed a finger at him.

“Whose side are you on?” she demanded.

Cultivator Raphael held his hands up in surrender and didn’t respond.

“To continue with the story,” Astra said, looking back at me. “After Big Sis Sidra and I had a small fight, I left the Dawn and Dusk Sect for a time.”

“Small?” Cultivator Raphael asked. “You call that a ‘small fight’? You and Vice Hall Master Sidra smashed through several arrays and destroyed a garden filled with rare herbs that Elder Ellery had been growing for the past century.”

Astra smirked at him.

“Yes,” she said. “We only destroyed a single garden. It could have been much worse.”

Cultivator Raphael opened his mouth to respond, but then paused and shook his head.

“I traveled for a bit after that,” Astra said, continuing the story. “When I neared the Myriad Rivers Province, I decided to go see you, Darian. It was my way of getting revenge on Big Sis Sidra, small as though it might be. My plan was to check in on you, see how you were doing, and then leave. However, when I saw how Clan Wind Dance was treating you, I decided to take you away from that place. It wasn’t to spite Big Sis Sidra, whatever you might think. You know everything that happened after.”

Cultivator Raphael looked between us in confusion.

“What do you mean by that?” he asked.

Astra glanced at me. The look on her face said that it was my decision on whether or not to tell Cultivator Raphael about my past. While his presence irritated me, and I felt reluctant to reveal any weakness to him, I decided to go ahead and tell him regardless. As Astra’s betrothed, he was my future brother-in-law. That made me more positively inclined towards him, despite my irritation.

In a few brief sentences, I summarized my life at Mt. Wind Dance and how my kin there treated me. Cultivator Raphael’s expression darkened when he heard my story.

“I’m surprised you left them alive,” he said in a low, glancing at Astra. “In your shoes, I would have scorched that entire mountain until only bare rock remained.”

My opinion of Cultivator Raphael went up another notch when I heard that.

“Getting Darian out of there took precedence,” Astra said. She glanced at me. “Cultivator Connor might still be alive. As the head of Clan Wind Dance, it’s his decision on how to handle the matter.” She paused. “And if he isn’t alive, I didn’t want to deprive Darian of the opportunity to get revenge himself.”

I clenched my jaw at the mention of my father, and the possibility of him being alive. The chances were low, but not zero.

“Thank you, Big Sis,” I said after a moment. “But I’m not interested in revenge. Those people aren’t worth any more of my time. With the exception of Lucius…” And possibly my father “…I wanted nothing to do with them.”

Cultivator Raphael blinked at me in surprise.

“Huh,” he said. “That’s rather generous of you. Your older sisters are more than powerful enough to wipe out Clan Wind Dance. It wouldn’t even be that difficult for them. If I remember correctly, Cultivator Connor was the only Nascent Soul cultivator in Clan Wind Dance. The rest should be at the Golden Core realm or below.” He shrugged. “And that isn’t even including your mother, who is an existence far above Nascent Soul cultivators.”

I shook my head.

“While I hate Clan Wind Dance for the way they treated me, that doesn’t mean I want them all to die.” I paused. “I don’t want to be the cause of a massacre. I know that many would see such a sentiment as a weakness, but I don’t care.” I looked at Astra. “You once told me that our mother has lines that she won’t cross, principles that she won’t betray. Well, so do I. This is one of them.”

Astra and Cultivator Raphael glanced at one another.

“That makes you an exception among cultivators,” Cultivator Raphael said. “Others in your position wouldn’t hesitate to massacre an entire clan for the sake of revenge.” He frowned. “Myself included, depending on the revenge in question; and the clan for that matter.”

“Though there’s nothing wrong with being a kind soul,” Astra said, reaching over to pat me on the shoulder.

“Of course not,” Cultivation Raphael said. “It’s just difficult in our world, where the strong oppressing the weak is taken for granted.”

I gave them both a withering look.

“I’m not a child,” I said. “You don’t have to treat me like one.”

“I know you’re not,” Astra said with a helpless expression on her face. “It's just that the world is a harsh place. Excessive kindness is a weakness, and can lead to your downfall if you’re not careful.”

I took a moment before responding.

“I’m well aware of how harsh and cruel the world can be,” I said. “I experienced it myself. I know exactly what it feels like to be the weakest among the weak. And that’s exactly why I choose to be…different. I refuse to be like my kin.”

Several seconds of silence followed my words, before Cultivator Raphael let out a chuckle.

“I wonder who he got that outlook from,” he said. “He certainly didn’t inherit it from Hall Master Nova.” He grinned at me. “Your mother is rather famous for paying back slights and injuries tenfold.”

I blinked at him, before I realized that Nova was my mother’s name. This was my first time hearing it. Astra always referred to her as “Mother” and I never thought to ask her about our mother’s name.

Nova. It fit, given what I heard about my mother.

“There is one thing that puzzles me,” Cultivation Raphael said with a frown. “Why did you bring Cultivator Darian here instead of bringing him to the Dawn and Dusk Sect? Why are you keeping his presence a secret from your sisters?”

“At first I wanted to avoid punishment,” Astra explained. “You know how Big Sis Sidra is. To her, Mother’s word is law and disobedience must be severely punished. I thought that if I trained Darian and had him join the Dawn and Dusk Sect by passing the entrance exam, it would mitigate her anger somewhat.”

“That doesn’t explain why you’re keeping Cultivator Darian here. Even if you don’t want him to join the Dawn and Dusk Sect by using your family’s status, you could still bring him there for training.”

Astra looked at me. Cultivator Raphael followed her gaze.

“I don’t want Big Sis Sidra to send me back to Mt. Wind Dance,” I said in a quiet voice. “According to the agreement between my parents, I was supposed to stay there for twenty years. When Big Sis Astra kidnapped me, she violated that agreement.”

Cultivator Raphael looked at me in disbelief.

“Vice Hall Master Sidra wouldn’t send you back to those people,” he said. “While she may be stern and unyielding, she isn’t that inflexible. If you tell her about the way Clan Wind Dance treated you, surely she would understand.”

I looked him right in the eyes.

“Can you say with complete certainty that Big Sis Sidra wouldn’t send me back to Mt. Wind Dance?” I asked.

Cultivator Raphael hesitated, before shaking his head.

“No,” he said. “However, the chances are low. Vice Hall Master Sidra isn’t heartless, despite what others say about her.”

I shook my head.

“I can’t take that risk,” I said. “I believe you, but any chance above zero is too high for me, even if it’s a fraction of a percent. I cannot go back to Mt. Wind Dance. If I pass the entrance exam, I won’t have to worry about that happening.”

Cultivator Raphael glanced at Astra, who nodded.

“I see,” he said. “Still, five and a half years is a long time for someone at your cultivation level. Are you sure you want to wait that long? Why not wait until the twenty year agreement expires and then head on over to the Dawn and Dusk Sect?”

“Seven months,” I said.

Cultivator Raphael gave me a blank look.

“I plan on taking the upcoming entrance exam in seven months, not the one in five and a half years.”

Cultivator Raphael chuckled, as if I had told an amusing joke. However, when he realized that I wasn’t joking, his amusement faded.

“Are you being serious?” he asked, before turning to Astra. “Is he being serious?”

Astra sighed.

“Yes,” she said in a long suffering tone. “It was my idea initially, even though I knew better, but Darian made it his own. No matter what I say, he remains insistent.” She paused. “In his defense, he does have a good chance of being ready in time.”

Cultivator Raphael scoffed.

“Of course it was your idea,” he said. “You tend to jump before you look. However, unlike you, your brother isn’t a Golden Core cultivator.” He turned towards me. “I don’t know what Astra told you, Cultivator Darian, but you need to at least be in late Qi Condensation to even attempt the entrance exam. With your current cultivation, I doubt you’ll be ready in time. If you had heavenly spirit roots, then perhaps you would have had a chance. However, since you’re a divine demon, I know you don’t.”

My eyes widened.

“How did you know?” I asked.

Cultivator Raphael smirked at me.

“I’m not blind,” he said. “As a divine cultivator myself, I’m more sensitive to divine qi and demonic qi than most other cultivators. Based on your aura, you practice a divine qi refining technique and a demonic physical refining technique.”

My jaw dropped and I looked over at Astra.

“Like I told you before,” she said. “Reading auras is an important skill. Having an idea of what kinds of cultivation techniques other cultivators practice, even a vague idea, would give you an immense advantage in battle.” She turned to Cultivator Raphael. “However, you’re wrong. Darian does have a chance at being ready in time.” She looked at me. “Would you mind letting Raphael take a look at your body?”

I hesitated for a moment, before nodding. I reached over to Cultivator Raphael, letting him take my hand. He probed me with his spirit sense. It felt different from Astra’s, though I couldn’t quite explain how. It felt…holier? That was the best way I could put it. After a few moments, he withdrew his spirit sense and let go of my hand.

“His physical refinement is at a higher level than his qi refinement,” Cultivator Raphael said, frowning. “But I still don’t see how he would be ready in time for the upcoming entrance exam.”

“It only took Darian three months to reach this point,” Astra said with a proud smile.

Cultivator Raphael looked at her with a surprised expression on his face.

“Truly?” he asked.

Astra nodded.

“His aptitude for physical refinement is the highest I’ve seen,” she said. “He surpasses even Big Sis Estelle.” She nodded in my direction. “At this rate, it’s possible that he could reach the physical refinement of late Qi condensation in time.”

Cultivator Raphael looked thoughtful for a moment, before frowning.

“Possible, but not guaranteed,” he said. “If you gave him the right medicines-…”

Astra cut him off with a slashing gesture.

“No,” she said in a firm tone. “You know the philosophy of our Flame Fiend Hall. Our disciples must earn their cultivation resources. Giving them resources they haven’t earned is detrimental to their progress.”

Cultivator Raphael gave her a wry smile.

“I understand that,” he said. “However, Cultivator Darian isn’t a disciple of Flame Fiend Hall. Surely you can make an exception.”

Astra shook her head.

“He is still a member of our family,” she said.

“And I intend to join Flame Fiend Hall when I do enter the Dawn and Dusk Sect,” I pointed out.

Cultivator Raphael looked between the both of us before sighing.

“Very well,” he said. “I understand.” He looked at me. “I should point out that as a divine demon, you don’t have to go through all of this. You can skip the entrance exam. Becoming a divine demon is an accomplishment few ever achieve. The Dawn and Dusk Sect would accept you on that basis alone.”

I shook my head.

“I want to take the upcoming entrance exam,” I said.

Cultivator Raphael chuckled when he heard that.

“He certainly inherited your family’s stubbornness,” he said.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Astra said in a prim tone. “I am the very soul of level headedness.”

Cultivator Raphael and I glanced at each in shared understanding. Astra scowled when she noticed this, but didn’t say anything about it.

“However, now that you’re here, Raphael,” she said instead. “There is a way Darian can speed up his progress in physical refinement. Isn’t your cousin studying to become a spirit chef?”

Cultivator Raphael gave her a questioning look.

“Yes,” he said after some hesitation.

“Spirit chef?” I asked.

“Spirit chefs use special ingredients to cook food that can benefit one’s cultivation,” Astra explained. “This applies to both qi refiners and physical refiners.” She grinned at me. “Their cooking is also several leagues above mortal food in deliciousness.”

Food that tasted delicious and benefited one’s cultivation? My mouth watered at the mere thought.

“Didn’t you just say that you didn’t want to give Cultivator Darian resources that he hasn’t earned?” Cultivator Raphael asked, raising an eyebrow at her. “Wouldn’t giving him meals cooked by Amaya go against that?”

“If he didn’t do anything to earn those meals, then yes,” Astra said. She looked at me. “Are you still interested in hunting spirit beasts and demonic beasts in order to gain combat experience?”

I smiled at her and nodded with enthusiasm.

“See?” Astra asked, smirking at Cultivator Raphael. “Darian can hunt spirit beasts and demonic beasts for their meat, you can bring that meat to your cousin so she can cook it, and then Darian can eat the meals she cooks to speed up his physical refinement.”

Cultivator Raphael gave her an odd look.

“You know,” he said. “Most older sisters would hesitate before sending their little brothers off to fight demonic beasts.”

“I’m not most older sisters,” Astra said. “Besides, we can just have Darian hunt low rank demonic beasts. He’ll be fine once he reaches the physical refinement equivalent of mid Qi Condensation.”

“‘We?’” Cultivator Raphael asked. “While I won’t reveal your secret, I haven’t agreed to help you train Cultivator Darian.”

Astra looked at him for a moment, before her expression turned pleading and pitiful. Her eyes grew wide and teary, her lips trembled, and she cupped her hands in front of her.

“Please, Raphael?” she asked in a small voice. “This is important to me, and I would very much appreciate your help. Darian is a divine demon. As a demonic cultivator, there is only so much that I can teach him on my own. You have access to divine techniques and mystic arts that I don’t.” She reached over to touch his shoulder. “Think of it as doing a favor for family. After all, the two of you are going to be brothers in the near future.”

Seeing Astra act like this left me stunned. Cultivator Raphael, on the other hand, remained unfazed. It was clear that this wasn’t the first time my older sister had tried this with him.

“Uh huh,” Cultivator Raphael said in a flat voice. “What are you offering? I love you, but if I help you with this, I risk running afoul with Vice Hall Master Sidra. The only person who scares me more than her is your mother. You know this. So, what are you offering in payment?”

The pitiful expression disappeared from Astra’s face and she scowled at him.

“How did I ever fall in love with a heartless man like you?” she asked in her normal voice.

Cultivator Raphael just raised an eyebrow at her in response.

“Fine,” Astra said, rolling her eyes. “I found a piece of Radiant Iron Ore. I planned on using it to refine a magic treasure for Big Sis Sidra, as part of my peace offering to her, but I suppose I can give it to you instead. You can use it to increase the power of your Heaven Piercing Spear by a whole grade.”

Cultivator Raphael’s eyes widened at the mention of Radiant Iron Ore. I didn’t know what that was, but it sounded valuable.

“Wait a moment,” he said. “Demonic cultivators have no use for magic treasures refined from Radiant Iron Ore. It’s a divine natural treasure.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You were going to give it to me anyway, weren’t you?”

Astra’s scowl deepened.

“Do you want the Radiant Iron Ore or not?” she demanded.

Cultivator Raphael sighed.

“Fine,” he said. “I’ll help you train Cultivator Darian.” He smiled at me. “It can be a bonding experience between brothers.”

I had mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, Cultivator Raphael irritated me. On the other hand, I needed his help if I wanted to be ready for the entrance exam in time. Not only could he teach me divine mystic arts, but the meals cooked by his cousin would speed up the progress of my physical refinement. While there was a chance I could make it without him, there was also a chance that I wouldn’t. It was better to be safe than sorry. Besides, while he irritated me, Cultivator Raphael reminded me somewhat of Lucius.

“Thank you, Cultivator Raphael,” I said, giving him a slight nod. “I look forward to learning from you.”

“Oh, don’t thank me,” he said. “Your sister is paying me for it.” He grinned. “I also intend to poach you for Celestial Warrior Hall. Divine demons are rare, and this is an opportunity that may never happen again. I’d be a fool not to take advantage of it.”

“Don’t you dare,” Astra said, a warning in her voice. “He belongs to Flame Fiend Hall.”

“Exactly,” I said, giving him a flat look.

Cultivator Raphael’s grin just widened in response. And just like that, I gained a second teacher.