Mad God

Yanda was calmly standing on the road that led to his home while before him stood another figure, namely Lulu.

"Yo." Lulu greeted him with a small smile. "It seems we met again!"

"And?" He asked back with an emotionless voice, "Should I be thrilled? Concerned? Angry? Afraid?"

"No, none of that. I just want to say; I will get you back!"

"To be your slave? Sorry, that won't happen."

"You never know. We will see! You can be mine again without a collar."

"You are delusional." He walked past her as Lulu turned towards his leaving figure, watching his back.

"At least you can't escape from my view now!" She chuckled as she followed him and stalked the boy because their rooms were in the same building.

Along the way, they did not speak again, and as they ascended the steps of the inner disciples' dormitory and Yanda opened his room's door, Lulu did the same. At exactly the opposite side of his.

"See you tomorrow." Lulu giggled while Yanda just shook his head.

"Freak." He whispered before closing the door behind him.

Inside, every room was the same. It had a bed, a small room for a bath, and a basic meditation circle to help their cultivation. Yanda took out the jade tablet, sending his energy inside again, before sitting down on the formation and starting to cultivate, following the instructions inside. Taking in the energy was much easier, thanks to the formation's help, and as he guided it through his body, it didn't take long for him to find the first energy point.

"It is really there. Going by this method, if I nourish it, I can feel my affinity flow through it… and I already have a faint watery sensation in my blood..." He murmured, continuing the process, immersing himself in it.

After only an hour or so, Yanda had already explored all of his energy points. Connecting them up refreshed him as if a previously unknown door had opened for him.

"They are already… strengthened…?" Yanda opened his eyes with a little bit of confusion. "It seems my demonic heritage nourished them as I used my affinity." he thought about the only possible explanation for it. "At least now they are truly connected, and I can strengthen them consciously. Heh…" he smiled softly. "Better to be ready. That bitch won't give up easily!" Yanda closed his eyes once again, continuing working on it while in the other room, Lulu was also meditating.

"No good!" Lulu sighed, opening her eyes. "I had already advanced a lot. My speed is too slow if I try converting it. I have no choice! If I want to achieve the best results, I can't wait!" She stood up, leaving her room in a hurry.

Inside the Pill Garden, Kyu was sulking and pouting, sitting below a giant tree, and Ren stood before her, hands on her waist.

"Listen here, you can't scare them like that! They are disciples working here. This is not your garden but the Sect's! Be happy you have permission to come in and munch on the herbs! If you were not mine, you would have been tossed out long ago, or who knows, Sect Head maybe already made a soup out of you and wore your skin as underwear!"

"Uuuu…." Kyu moaned, lowering her head as mentioning the Sect Head made her afraid. The natural scent of Aerthus was something a demon in her realm would avoid at all costs.

"Don't play the sorry card before me. I won't buy it! Anyway, behave from now on. If there is more problem with you, I'll bring you to Thunder Valley and leave you there!"

"Uuuu… uuuu!" She shook her head rapidly, putting on a teddy bear-like look with moist, giant eyes, pleadingly crawling towards her, pressing her puffy head against Ren's body.

"Okay, okay. You big baby…." Ren giggled, patting her and enjoying the soft fur as she hugged her head. "Be a good girl, okay? If you can behave, I'll treat you to rare delicacies. Promise~”

"This is why she acts the way she does!" Leinor chuckled, arriving next to her.

"What can I say… She is just sooooo cute~" Ren sighed.

"Haaah…" Leinor shook his head. "Anyway, you won't guess what happened!"

"Someone came, asking you to drain her cultivation."

"Huh? You already knew?"

"It was Lulu, wasn't it?" Ren turned towards him, letting Kyu go.

"Yes. How did you know?"

"Easy. I was expecting her to do it. I gave her an 80% chance to come to you on the first day and 90% on the second day. If she wouldn't do that, I would pass her on and wouldn't take her as a disciple!"

"I see. Sect Head mentioned that you will be responsible for the two later. When do you plan to take them in officially?"

"I don't know, maybe when they are at the 6th or 7th stage. We'll see!"

"It was you who placed their rooms opposite to each other?"

"Busted~"

"You really are a demon!" Leinor laughed, leaning forward and giving her a kiss as Kyu covered her face with her big paws.

"Fufufu~ It is a psychological move on my part. There is no better motivation for their duo. They are going to make the other work twice as hard! Also, by frequently meeting, I hope to curb their animosity a little before they come under me."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Then let a fight break out between them! Then I'll step in and resolve it! It is better if it comes to the surface instead of festering inside them."

"You're already acting like their master~" He patted her head as Ren pressed it against his palm happily.

"I am! It's just not official yet. What about you? Did you see anybody interesting?"

"Not yet. But it is too early to talk about it! I am not sure if I'm even ready to have disciples. You have it easy. You have worked with us for a decade, so you have experience! I still feel uneasy about teaching others."

"It was fun teaching you and the rest. I think you would also make a good teacher!" Ren laughed, hugging his waist and leaning against his chest.

"Yeah… It was fun when you beat me up… YEOW, why?!" He moaned, rubbing his butt as Ren just pinched it.

"You thought it was only fun for me, didn't you~ You wear your emotions on your face!"

"I really did marry the devil…."

"Do you regret it?"

"Never. Not for a minute~" He leaned forward, kissing her passionately.

When their lips separated, Ren smiled happily, flicking his chest.

"Good answer~ Fufufu~ What about the others?"

"Zern and Isha are coordinating the outer disciples. They are swarmed with work, and Poli helps organize their allocated resources. Father locked himself in with Shaman in the Pill Hall. They are making pills nonstop to have enough for the future. Honestly, they look like zombies by now."

"Nobody said it would be easy, ahaha~ Father and Mother have it a bit easier, though. If everything goes smoothly, we will have flying swords by the end of the year, just like Poli. Not as durable or sharp as his, but they will be a fine weapon, controllable by those in the body refinement realm too."

"Will you get one too?"

"Nah, no. I am used to wielding a spear. I'll skip it. You?"

"Not really. I am not good with weapons."

"I could vouch otherwise." She giggled, looking downwards, between his legs.

"Tut-tut. That is different as it is used in emergencies only." Leinor put his hand on his hips, "stretching."

"Oh my… true~ And I think there is an emergency in my Thunder Valley… maybe you should come and help me~."

Ren licked her lips as she grabbed onto his uniform, pulling him close, but before it could escalate out of control, Kyu's paw separated them. She moaned in a soft voice, pleadingly looking at them to stop.

"Ahaha, okay, okay…." Ren patted her head. "Let's postpone it for now."

"Devil." Leinor scratched his throat, fixing his clothing as he was almost lost in her devious ploy.

"Says the one who was ready to jump in on the action~."

"No comment."

"Fufufu~ Come, Mr. No Comment, let's visit Isha. Maybe we can help out a little." She flew up, quickly followed by Leinor, as Kyu ran after them on the ground, grumbling about why they had left her behind just like that.

…
….
…..

As the Sect's gears started to slowly turn and pick up speed elsewhere, deep in the Kingdom's territory, a middle-aged man with short, black hair and silvery eyes was walking along a busy street in one of the trading hubs of the Naulin's territory. This bustling city was one of the main connections towards the western side of the Kingdom, so many merchant caravans stopped there to exchange goods.

"Mister, you look tired. Maybe come in and taste our new tea leaves! It is guaranteed to refresh you!" a young, lively girl's voice greeted him. She was wearing a white and red dress, holding a metal tray in her hands, and smiling happily as she tucked her blonde, curly, long hair behind her ears.

"Thanks." The man nodded, dusting off his black traveling robe and putting on a simple leather vest and trousers underneath.

The girl happily led him into the teahouse to a free table before coming back with a pot and a small mug, making the tea right before him. The man said nothing, just sat there calmly, waiting for her to finish it.

"The long road can be tiring. This will help keep your feet light!" she giggled as she finished brewing and poured the coffee out.

"How do you know how long I have traveled?" He asked calmly.

"By the amount of dust on your shoes, Mister! The reddish hue especially shows you traveled through the Crimson Canyon. You must be someone strong to cross it!"

"You are pretty good at observing others." He nodded, looking down at his shoe, revealing a faint smile.

"It is a must to attract more customers!" she giggled, finished serving the tea, and bowing, went away. Soon, her sweet voice was heard from outside again, greeting travelers and attracting others, too.

"She would make a good agent." He murmured, taking a sip from his tea.

"Oh? I didn't know you were interested in taking in disciples." came a voice from behind him. Sentios sat there, facing the opposite way, sipping a cup of tea. "How have you been?"

"Same as always. Thank you for asking." He answered calmly, "I have a letter for you from your father."

"I see. No wonder the famous Nameless himself delivers it." He leaned backward as Nameless passed on the latter, not even looking back.

After opening the letter and reading it through, his expression did not change, but it took him half an hour before he finally put it away.

"The tea got cold. Sorry." Sentios spoke up, and his voice was heavy, mixed with a tinge of pain. Maybe… even regret it.

"Doesn't matter," Nameless answered, masking his feelings perfectly.

"I appreciate his offer, but I can't."

"I see. It is a shame you betrayed us. You could have been a great asset."

"What is done is done. There is no point in mulling over past mistakes." He folded the letter gently, putting it away.

"So it was a mistake?" Nameless caught on his words sharply.

"Yes." He answered, standing up and throwing coins on Nameless's table too. "My treat." He said while fixing his clothes, "I sunk too deep into the mire. I cannot leave. Tell my father I said hello." Sentios sighed quietly before he left.

After he was gone, Nameless finished his tea before standing up and greeting the young girl who was once again outside. As he left, he tried to bring in customers, mulling over Sentios' words.

"Unable…" Nameless chewed on the meaning of the word, "This happens when you walk into the tiger's den… you may not wear it like a slave does his collar, but you are on a leash." he shook his head before going towards the city's gate. "Mmm?" He turned back but saw nothing, yet his feelings did ring an alarm bell in his mind. "Let's see how well you can follow me." Nameless stepped forward again, merging into the people's shadows, disappearing from sight in a blink.

When he reappeared, he was already outside the city, in a forest nearby, coming out from an oak's thick shadow, taking a human form once again. Before anything, he produced a pill from his pocket, swallowed it, and recovered the lost energies. It happened just at the right time as a thick, curved blade swished before him, loudly striking the tree trunk, lodging itself in it with a loud ringing sound. A long chain was welded onto its end, which was held by the young girl from the tea house, only a few steps away from him, arriving without a sound.

"Mister can run really fast!" She chuckled, pulling on the chain and drawing the blade back to her hand.

"Yet here you are, keeping up with me. I am impressed!" He materialized his scythe, resting it on his shoulders.

"Oh my! Are you Nameless?"

"Maybe. Maybe not."

"I have a list of a few individuals with a big bounty on their heads here in the Kingdom! You are pretty high on the list! Now I am really fired up!" She laughed, getting ready to fight.

"I know. But you know why I am up there? Because none could claim it yet." He looked into her still, innocently shining blue eyes. "You are not the first to try it and won't be the last either. Come. I have things to do!" Nameless said with a monotone voice, beckoning her to make the first move.

"Heh, confident… yeah, I guess you can be after the years you have been active… but I am also really confident in taking you down!" She laughed as she sent out her weapon, flying once again, and a deadly match exploded between them in the forest.