“You can’t seriously expect us to believe that,” Cultivator Willow said, scoffing. “I expected better from a Verdant Lotus.” She gestured to me. “There is now way that Cultivator Darian is Hall Master Nova’s son. If you’re going to lie, you should make it more convincing.”

“Oh no, she’s telling the truth,” I said in a flat voice. “I am Nova’s son.”

Silence followed my words, heavy and oppressive. A strong breeze blew across the stone courtyard, ruffling everyone’s hair and clothing. Cultivators Willow and Harlow both turned towards me with stunned expressions on their faces, their eyes wide. I crossed my arms and glared at Cultivator Harlow.

“You’re Hall Master Nova’s son,” she said in a strained voice.

“Yes, I just said that.”

“Nova the Frenzied Fiend,” Cultivator Willow said in a strained voice as well. “Also known as Nova the Demon of Destruction. That Nova?”

Demon of Destruction? That was a new one. Just how many titles did my mother have, and why were they were all so…villainous?

“Once again, yes,” I said.

“What-…But-…” Cultivator Harlow sputtered. “How?”

I raised an eyebrow at her.

“She gave birth to me?” I said. “I’m not sure what you mean by that.”

Cultivator Willow closed her eyes and massaged her temples with her fingers.

“I think she meant to say ‘How is someone like you Hall Master Nova’s son?’” she said, opening her eyes again. “The Frenzied Fiend and her daughters are famous, or infamous, rather for their violent and cruel dispositions.” She gestured to me. “You…Well, you’re you. It’s impossible for someone like you to be related to them.”

I was beginning to realize that I knew little about my older sisters. One family dinner wasn’t enough to find out everything about a person. I knew Astra the best, since I lived with her for about a year, but I knew there were hidden depths to her.

My sisters treated me with kindness last night, but I was their younger brother. It made sense. However, just because they treated me with kindness didn’t mean they treated others the same way.

“I heard it from Vice Hall Master Sidra myself,” Cultivator Diana said, still hiding behind Clarissa. “She called Cultivator Darian her little brother. He is the Frenzied Fiend’s son.” She peeked out from behind Clarissa, her eyes filled with fear. “You’re not going to have your sisters come after me, will you? I know I was mean to you and Junior Sister Clarissa, but I was young and foolish back then. Surely you can forgive a few youthful indiscretions.”

I stared at her in amazement. Everything that happened between us occurred just yesterday, yet she was speaking as if it had happened a long time ago. Just how simple minded and shameless was Cultivator Diana?

I glanced over at Cultivators Thurstan and Euphemia. The former looked amused, while the latter wore a stony expression. My intuition told me that this conversation was one of the reasons why the two of them stayed behind.

“I’m not going to do that.” I said, facing Cultivator Diana. “Just what kind of person do you think I am?”

“The Frenzied Fiend’s son.” she answered.

I gave her a troubled look. What did that mean, exactly? How should I even respond to that?

“Regardless of who his family is,” Clarissa said to Cultivator Diana in a soothing voice. “Senior Brother Darian isn’t like that.”

Cultivator Diana grasped her hand and looked at Clarissa as if the other woman were her savior; a far cry from her attitude yesterday.

“Thank you, Junior Sister Clarissa,” she said. “I’m so glad that I convinced Auntie to take you in as a disciple of Divine Dancer Hall.”

Is that what happened? I thought back to last night’s events. From what I understood, Elder Iola, or Martial Aunt Iola, made that decision on her own. Why was Cultivator Diana taking credit for that?

I shook my head. Some things weren’t worth delving into. Instead, I focused my attention on Cultivators Willow and Harlow, who still seemed shocked by the realization that I was Nova’s son.

“The Frenzied Fiend’s son.” Cultivator Harlow said, staring off into the distance. “I said all those things to the Frenzied Fiend’s son. No wonder Father was so unhappy with me last night.”

Cultivator Willow covered her face.

“Of all the people in the world that I had to…” she said, before trailing off. “Gah! I must be cursed!”

I stared at them in complete bafflement.

“Just how bad is my family’s reputation?” I muttered to myself.

“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Astra said, her voice coming from right beside me. “They’re just overreacting.”

I turned to find my sister standing right next to me. She propped her elbow on my shoulder and leaned against me. Her tail swished through the air, moving from side to side.

“How long have you been standing there?” I asked.

Astra grinned at me and refused to answer. I looked at the others, and found them frozen with fear. They all stared at Astra, their faces white. I didn’t blame them. Astra had appeared out of nowhere and had the aura of a demonic cultivator in the Golden Core realm. Not only that, but we had just been discussing my mother’s family. In their shoes, I would have been frozen stiff as well.

“Well?” Astra asked, still grinning at me. “What are you waiting for, little brother? Why don’t you introduce me to these new friends of yours?”

I frowned.

“Didn’t you watch the entrance exam yesterday?” I asked. “You should already know who they are.”

Astra faced the others. She kept grinning, but her eyes gleamed with a hint of malice.

“Yes, but it’s still polite to go through the formalities.” she said, glancing at me. “Unless you want me to introduce myself to them.”

My intuition told me that this was a terrible idea and I shouldn’t let that happen, no matter what. I stepped in front of Astra and held my hands out.

“No,” I said in a frantic voice. “Let me introduce you.” I gestured to the others. “Big Sis, these are my new friends. Willow Stone Pillar and Harlow Gentle Cloud. Clarissa Wind Dance is a junior of mine from Clan Wind Dance.” I looked over at Cultivator Diana. “And this is Diana Verdant Lotus, Junior Sister Clarissa’s fellow disciple from Divine Dancer Hall.”

I gestured to Astra.

“Everyone,” I said. “This is my Big Sis Astra.”

“Greetings,” Astra said. “It is a pleasure to meet you all.”

Despite her words, Astra’s eyes narrowed as she took in the other four women. Cultivator Harlow swallowed.

“The Black Claw.” she whispered.

“Oh?” Astra said. “I see you’ve heard of me.”

I gave my older sister a questioning look.

“It’s the title I earned after I…” She paused. “You know, I’ll save that story for later.” Her grin widened. “Right now, I’m more interested in your friends.”

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A chill ran down my spine when she said the word “interested”. While Astra was my sister, I knew that catching the interest of a demonic cultivator in the Golden Core realm was never a good thing. I needed to divert her attention.

“Why don’t we just head out now?” I asked, putting my hands on Astra’s shoulders. “I’m looking forward to seeing Flame Fiend Hall.”

When I touched Astra’s shoulders, I heard Cultivator Diana suck in a breath. My older sister gave me an amused look.

“Aw!” she said. “That’s cute. You’re afraid that I might do something to your friends.” She patted me on the cheek. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt them. I’m just here to say hello, nothing more.” She paused. “And give them a little warning.”

“What war-…” I started to say, but she disappeared before I could finish.

I heard her voice from behind me. She must have moved so fast that I couldn’t keep up.

“My little brother either hasn’t noticed your interest in him or is pretending not to,” Astra said.

I turned around to find Astra embracing both Cultivators Willow and Harlow, with one arm around each of their shoulders. She continued to wear a grin on her face. Cultivators Willow and Harlow struggled to break free from her hold, but to no avail.

Despite everything, I found the situation somewhat comical because of the height difference between Astra and Cultivator Willow. She had the bigger woman hunched over. Clarissa and Cultivator Diana had taken several steps back, putting some distance between themselves and the others.

“Regardless,” Astra continued. “My sisters and I are not so blind. We have noticed what you two have been up to, and we are…” She stopped grinning. “… Displeased. Keep your greedy little hands away from Darian.” She looked at Clarissa and pointed at the other woman with her tail. “The same applies to you as well, little dancing wind.”

Clarissa raised her head and met Astra’s gaze, though she flinched while she did so.

“Who Senior Brother Darian decides to spend his time with is his decision, not yours,” she said, her voice even despite her trembling body.

Astra’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Well now,” she said. “It seems I underestimated you. Looks like you have a spine afte-…”

A pool of blood appeared right below Astra, interrupting her. Chains of blood shot up and tried to wrap themselves around her, but my sister disappeared once again and appeared right next to me. She hissed at the chains. Cultivators Willow and Harlow, freed from my sister’s grasp, stumbled a bit before righting themselves. The chains of blood retreated back into the pool and disappeared. The pool itself remained however, and a woman rose up from its depths.

The woman was tall, almost as tall as Cultivator Willow, but much thinner. In fact, she was so thin, she seemed sickly. Her skin was pale, so much so that it seemed translucent. Like Elder Iola, she had long red hair, which she wore loose. However, this woman’s hair was the color of freshly spilled blood. She wore a set of crimson and black robes. The stench of blood filled the air.

When I saw the woman’s aura with my spirit sense, my knees almost buckled. It was bloody red. Not only that, but she was in the early Nascent Soul realm, putting her one large realm above my sister. Astra was at peak Golden Core, one step below Nascent Soul, but that step was as vast as the distance between the heavens and the earth.

“Master!” Cultivator Willow cried out, her voice filled with joy.

The woman nodded at her, before focusing her attention on Astra. She gave my sister a cold look.

“That was a warning, Martial Niece Astra,” she said in a raspy voice. “Lay your claws on my disciple again, and I won’t be so lenient.”

Oh, so that was how Astra had dodged the bloody chains earlier. I had wondered about that.

“Apologies, Martial Aunt Alexia,” Astra said, giving the woman a bow. “I hadn’t realized that Junior Sister Willow was your disciple.” She stood up from her bow. “I was merely giving her a warning to stay away from my brother.”

The woman, Martial Aunt Alexia, snorted.

“I don’t care what your reason was,” she said. “Don’t let it happen again.”

“Yes, Martial Aunt Alexia.”

Satisfied with Astra’s answer, Martial Aunt Alexia nodded and looked over at Cultivators Thurstan and Euphemia.

“And you two,” she called out. “The next time something like this happens, call for an elder instead of standing around and gawking.” Her eyes narrowed. “I will make sure to report your failure to your masters.”

Cultivator Thurstan looked like he had swallowed a lemon, while Cultivator Euphemia’s expression stiffened.

“Yes, Martial Aunt Alexia,” they said in unison.

Martial Aunt Alexia nodded again, before turning towards Willow.

“Come along, Disciple,” she said. “We have much to do.”

With that, she sank back into the pool of blood and disappeared. Cultivator Willow stepped into the pool of blood and started sinking. Before she disappeared, she looked over at me and gave me an indecipherable look. After she was gone, the pool of blood disappeared as well, as if it had never been there in the first place.

“Show off.” Astra muttered, before raising her voice. “Let’s go, Darian. The others are waiting for us.”

Before I could say anything, she grabbed me by the back of my vest and flew off. Caught off guard by her actions, I yelped as Astra dragged me into the air.

“Cultivator Darian!” Cultivator Harlow called out.

“Senior Brother Darian!” Clarissa cried.

The two of them soon disappeared from sight as Astra carried me off.

----------------------------------------

An hour later, though it felt much longer to me, Astra landed and set me down. The moment my feet touched the ground, I braced my hands on my knees and took deep breaths to try and calm my pounding heart. Flying through the air while being carried by my sister was a terrifying experience. The entire time, I was afraid that my vest would rip and I would fall to the ground. I knew that Astra would catch me if something like that happened, but that didn’t make things any less scary.

“Are you okay, Darian?” Astra asked with genuine concern in her voice. “I know it’s scary, but the best way to get used to flying is through experience. The more you do it, the better. That way, you’ll be prepared when you reach the Foundation Establishment realm and can use flying magic tools.”

She reached over to rub my back, but I slapped her hand away. My sister stared at me with wide eyes, as if she couldn’t believe what had happened.

“Why did you do that?” I demanded in a heated voice.

Anger roiled up inside me, threatening to burst out. I was angry at Astra, yes. However, I was also angry at myself for my weakness.

“I just told you,” Astra said, still surprised. “It was to help you get used to flying. That was how Mother taught the rest of us.”

I shook my head.

“No,” I said. “Before that, when you threatened my friends!” As I spoke, my voice grew louder and louder, until I was outright yelling. “Why would you do that?”

I clenched my fists. If only I had been stronger. When Astra started threatening my friends, there was little I could do about it. In the end, the only thing I could do was watch. By the time I thought about protesting her actions, Martial Aunt Alexia had arrived and any chance of intervening slipped through my fingers.

A dark emotion rose up inside me, something that went beyond frustration and anger. It was familiar to me: self-loathing. If I hadn’t been so weak, I would have been able to do something instead of just standing by and watching.

“Ah, so that’s what you meant,” Astra said, her eyes lit up with understanding. “Darian, I did that for your own protection.”

“I don’t need your protection!” I said. “Not from them. They are my friends.” I clenched my jaw. “Or they were. After what happened today, I’m not so sure anymore.”

Astra gave me a pitying look.

“People aren’t always as they appear to be,” she said. “There are those who will pretend to be your friend, but will stab you in the back if it meant advancing their own interests. The sooner you learn to distinguish your true friends from those who only want to use you, the better.” She gestured to me. “Besides, you did need protection from those three, given your inexperience with romance.”

I took a moment before responding.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said.

Astra scoffed.

“Please,” she said. “You can’t be that dense. They were like a pack of hyenas hunting down their prey. Their flirting was so obvious that a blind man would have noticed.”

I looked away from her.

“They were just being nice,” I said.

It sounded like a weak excuse, even to my ears. A part of me noticed what Cultivator Willow, Cultivator Harlow, and Clarissa had been up to. However, I ignored that part and denied it altogether. After all, who would want to flirt with me? Who would find me attractive? I just couldn’t believe it.

Astra placed a finger on my chin and forced me to look at her. Sympathy filled her eyes.

“They weren’t just being nice,” she said. “Those three wanted you, and they weren’t subtle about it. However, you need to be careful, Darian. While I believe those three were genuine in their attraction to you, that didn’t mean someone else wouldn’t use them to get to you. That was why I said what I said.” She paused to consider her next words before continuing. “Our family has particular traits that others have tried to take advantage of before, and will continue to do so in the future.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, skeptical.

Astra shook her head.

“Not now,” she said. “Later. Big Sis Sidra should be the one to explain things to you. She’s the best at it. Just trust me. It’s safer to focus on your training for now. Romance can wait until you become stronger. That’s part of the reason why I waited so long with Raphael.” She gave me a wry grin. “Too long, if you ask Big Sis Estelle.”

I studied Astra, searching for traces of deception, and found none. However, that meant nothing. She was a Golden Core cultivator who had lived for centuries. Tricking someone like me, a Qi Condensation cultivator not yet twenty years old, would be child’s play for her. In the end, I decided to trust her. She was my sister, and I wanted to believe in her.

“Very well,” I said. “I’ll wait until later.”

Astra gave me a warm smile.

“Thank you,” she said. “It means a lot to me.” Her smile morphed into a mischievous grin. “Now then, let’s go. The Crucible of Flames awaits.”

I stared at her.

“The what?”

“Oh, don’t worry. It’s not some kind of magic tool or artifact. It’s just a hazing ritual that every disciple of Flame Fiend Hall goes through. It’s painful, but it does benefit your cultivation.”

Before I could question her further, Astra started walking off. I stared at her retreating figure for a few seconds, before chasing after her.