I stared up at Ellen. The two of us had met before, back when I was a child? I looked back on my memories, before shaking my head. That didn’t make sense. I didn’t recall ever meeting someone like Ellen. If I had, I would’ve remembered it. She was a memorable person.
“Are you sure about that?” I asked, wondering if Ellen had mistaken me for someone.
Ellen smiled at me.
“Of course I am.” she said. “Do you think I mistook you for someone else?”
I remained silent, since that was exactly what I had thought.
“Well, I don’t blame you.” she said. “The meeting was more memorable for me than it was for you. After all, I was a snake at the time.”
A snake? A memory tickled my mind, like a long buried secret longing to break free. However, before I could try and tease the memory out, Ellen sat up straight and looked out towards the door to my bedroom.
“We’ll have to continue this conversation later, Young Master.” she said. “Young Mistress Astra is on her way. We don’t have much time before she arrives.”
She was? Oh right! I remembered now. Today was the day when either Sidra, or one of my other sisters, was supposed to check in on me. For a moment, I felt elated. I hadn’t seen Astra in a while, and I missed her. When that moment passed, panic set in. What would she think if she caught Ellen and I in this compromising position? What would she do? I shuddered to think of it.
“Ellen-” I said, a warning in my tone.
“I know.” She said, facing me again with a wistful expression on her face. “However, let me leave you with a reminder of this occasion.” She leaned towards me. “If you don’t want this, say something. Otherwise, I’ll take your silence as consent.”
It took me a moment to realize that Ellen meant to kiss me. At first I wanted to tell her to stop, but refrained. A part of me was curious about what it felt like to kiss a woman. It wouldn’t hurt to give it a try, would it?
When she realized that I wouldn’t stop her, Ellen gave me a wide smile, before she kissed me. Her lips felt cold against mine, but not in an unpleasant way. They were soft and pliable. Her tongue licked my own lips, demanding entrance. I opened my mouth and let her in. I felt a rush of pleasure at the sensation. I followed her lead and mimicked her movements.
I didn’t know how long this went on. By the time we finished, I felt so lightheaded that I lost track of time. All I knew was that if kissing always felt this good, I wanted more of it. Ellen closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against mine.
“That was a mistake.” She said in a hoarse voice. “I don’t know if I can hold myself back anymore, even though I know I need to.”
“You aren’t the only one.” I muttered. “However, if Big Sis Astra catches us like this…”
I trailed off. Ellen nodded, before she leapt off of me and exited my bedroom. I took a moment to gather my thoughts. What now? Back when I lived on Mt. Wind Dance, I never gave much thought to romance. I hadn’t had the luxury at the time. All of my attention had been on practicing the Dancing Wind Blade style and trying to prove myself to my kin. Even if I had been interested, as a demonkin I wouldn’t have had many prospects.
Like many others things, that changed after Astra rescued me and I joined the Dawn and Dusk Sect. Cultivator Willow, Cultivator Harlow, Clarissa, and Ellen had all made their interest in me clear. Well, Ellen made her interest clear, to the point that even someone like me noticed. As for Cultivator Willow, Cultivator Harlow, and Clarissa, the only reason why I knew about their interest was because Astra pointed it out to me.
Regardless, they made their interest known. The problem was, I wasn’t sure if I returned their interest… No, that was a lie. I knew I was interested in them in return, Ellen included, if I was being honest with myself. However, didn’t that make me greedy? Wasn’t I being unfair to all four of them? Shouldn’t I just pick one? Perhaps it was better to eschew romance altogether and focus on my cultivation; at least for now. I could return to the romance problem later on.
With that in mind, I hopped out of bed and got ready to meet with Astra.
----------------------------------------
A few minutes later, I found myself in my front courtyard, waiting for Astra to arrive. One benefit of wearing such loose and revealing outfits was that it was easy to change clothes. However, I hadn’t had enough time to wash up, so I still smelled like wine.
Elliot joined me in the courtyard. Every once in a while, he gave me a curious look. No doubt he wanted to know if anything happened between me and his sister, though he refrained from asking. He didn’t seem upset, though I still felt awkward around him.
A familiar voice interrupted my musings.
“Darian!” Astra exclaimed.
She swooped in from above and pulled me into a tight embrace. Thankfully, she had sent word of her arrival ahead of time, allowing Elliot to turn off the defensive arrays protecting my estate. Otherwise, she would have collided with them.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to see you when you first woke-…” Astra started to say, then stopped.
She pulled away from me and gave me an intense stare while gripping my shoulders.
“Darian,” Astra said in a low voice. “Why do you smell like wine and women?” Before I could answer, she looked at Elliot. “You were supposed to look after him. What happened? Tell me!”
I glanced over at Elliot. While he tried to maintain a calm facade, I noticed the panic in his eyes. I decided to draw Astra’s attention away from him.
“Leave him alone, Big Sis,” I said in a soothing tone, trying to calm her down. “I drank with some friends yesterday. Things became a little wild, but nothing too crazy happened.”
“What friends?” Astra asked. “Who did you drink with?” Her grip on my shoulders tightened. “Did you already forget what I told you? There are people within the sect who would try to take advantage of you. This is why I told you to remain vigilant.”
It occurred to me then that maybe there weren’t people within the sect who wanted to take advantage of me; or if there were, there weren’t that many of them. What if this was all just an excuse my sisters concocted to disguise their overprotectiveness? I loved my sisters, but sometimes I think they treated me too much like a child.
“Senior Sister Zenia, Senior Brother Kayden, and Senior Sister Eliana.” I said. “We met at the central square yesterday and they invited me to join them for a drink.” I gestured to Elliot. “My personal servants were there to make sure nothing untoward happened.”
Astra glanced over at Elliot, who nodded, before narrowing her eyes at me.
“Zenia.” she said. “I know her. She’s Elder Isadore’s disciple.”
I nodded, though I hadn’t known that.
“Yes,” I said. “She sought me out with an agenda in mind, but she was honest and upfront about it.” I placed my hands on Astra’s. “As much as I appreciate your concern, Big Sis, I’m not a child. Please don’t treat me like one.”
Astra studied my eyes for several moments, before she sighed and released her grip.
“I’m sorry, Darian,” she said. “Compared to someone my age, you are a child. I sometimes overreact because of that. Forgive me.”
I held back from letting out a sigh of relief. That could have ended poorly.
Just as I thought that, the door to my estate opened and Ellen walked out, looking cleaner and more put together than I did. She clasped her hands together and kept her hands lowered.
“Young Master Darian,” she said in a demure voice. “Young Mistress Astra. Would you like to talk inside while I cook breakfast?”
I opened my mouth to say yes, but then I heard a sniff and felt a surge of killing intent explode out of Astra. I looked over to find her glaring at Ellen.
“You!” Astra growled.
In the blink of an eye, she disappeared from my side and appeared before Ellen. My sister grabbed her by the throat and lifted her up. Ellen remained still and didn’t resist. Not that she could have, given the difference in their cultivation.
“So it was you.” Astra snarled. “I can smell you all over Darian. You dare take advantage of my little brother to try and take him for yourself? You forget your place, snake.”
My sister emanated such strong killing intent that I found it difficult to breathe. Elliot looked over at me with a pleading expression on his face. None of us were strong enough to defeat or subdue Astra, which meant the only way to stop her was to convince her to let go of Ellen. To that end, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
“Big Sis!” I said. “If you don’t let go of Ellen this instant, I won’t talk to you for the next decade.”
Astra stiffened, before she turned to look at me with a look of utter betrayal on her face.
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“Darian?” she asked.
“Now.” I said in a firm voice.
Still looking at me, Astra let go. Ellen fell to her knees, coughing. Elliot and I rushed over to her, to check on her.
“I’m…fine,” she said in a hoarse voice.
I pulled out a bottle of low-grade healing pills from my storage ring and gave one to Ellen. Elliot gave me a grateful look as he massaged his sister’s throat while she swallowed the pill.
“Thank you.” he mouthed to me.
After tending to Ellen, I turned to face Astra. She had recovered from her shock and regarded me with narrowed eyes.
“You would choose a servant over your own sister?” she scoffed.
I rolled my eyes. Now this was getting ridiculous.
“Ellen is my personal servant,” I said, glaring right back at her. “You don’t have the right to touch what is mine without permission.”
Astra seemed taken aback by my assertion.
“But-…” she started to say, but I interrupted her with a slash of my arm.
“I love you, Big Sis.” I said. “Meeting you was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. However, please stop meddling in my life like this. You have given your warnings and I have heard them. Now, unless my actions adversely affect the rest of the family, let me handle my own affairs.”
Astra slumped forward and drooped.
“I just don’t want you to make the wrong choice and get hurt.” she said. “None of us do.”
I gave her an incredulous look.
“Weren’t you the one who told me to go through the Crucible of Flames?”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
I stared at Astra for a few moments, before I sighed and shook my head.
“Nevermind.” I said. “Just don’t cross the line. Please, Big Sis?”
Astra let out a sigh of her own and ran a hand through her hair.
“Fine.” she said. “I…may have overreacted. Again. But, in my defense, any older sister would feel the same in my shoes.” She looked over at Ellen. “I apologize for my actions, Ellen.”
Ellen stood up and nodded at Astra.
“I accept your apology, Young Mistress Astra,” she said. “I prepared myself for the possibility of something like this happening when I chose my current path.”
Astra’s face scrunched up, as if she wanted to say something, but then she glanced at me and remained silent.
“Shall we go inside?” I asked.
Everyone nodded and followed me inside. Ellen went into the kitchen to finish cooking breakfast, while Astra and I talked in the dining room. Elliot stood nearby, in case we needed anything. My sister tested me on my knowledge of the manuals Sidra gave me last week, which I expected. However, what I hadn’t expected were the words that she said next.
“After breakfast, I’m bringing you to Celestial Warrior Hall,” Astra said.
I stared at her dumbfounded, before I remembered Sidra’s words from last week.
“Am I joining Celestial Warrior Hall as an honorary disciple?” I asked.
Astra nodded, grinning.
“Yes,” she said. “This will further strengthen ties between our two halls.”
I frowned.
“What does being an honorary disciple entail?”
“You will have access to Celestial Warrior Hall’s facilities,” Astra answered. “However, because you aren’t a full disciple, your access will be limited. At the very least, you will be assigned a meditation chamber, so you can cultivate.” She shrugged. “Anything beyond that depends on what your Second Master grants you.”
I blinked at her.
“‘Second Master?’” I asked.
“Mother is your Master,” Astra said. “However, since she’s still in seclusion, you’ll need someone to help you with your divine qi refinement.”
“Wouldn’t that make them my first Master since they’re teaching me first?”
Astra gave me a flat look.
“No.” she said in a voice that brooked no disagreement.
I decided to drop the topic rather than continue on. I didn’t want to risk angering Astra. Things were still a little awkward between us from earlier.
A short while later, Ellen entered the dining room carrying breakfast. However, there was only enough for Astra and I. It took me a moment to realize why. Servants didn’t eat with their masters. Over the past week, the snake twins and I had disregarded that custom at my insistence. However, we now had to follow it since Astra was here. I sighed, before I started eating.
“At least she is a spirit chef.” Astra muttered as she ate. “That isn’t the worst quality in a wife.”
I started choking on my food when I heard this and had to thump my chest to clear my throat. Everyone stared at me, but I was too distracted to feel embarrassed.
“Wi-wife?” I asked.
Astra raised an eyebrow at me.
“Well, given your newfound relationship with Ellen,” she said. “I assumed you were going to take her as your wife, or one of them at least. Unless you’re the kind of man to sleep with women and then discard them.” She frowned. “Hmm, maybe you’re more like Mother than I realized.”
I gaped at Astra, shocked. It never occurred to me to take Ellen as my wife. Rather, the possibility of marrying anyone never occurred to me. I just barely accepted the idea that anyone would have romantic interest in me. Marriage seemed like something for the distant future. Well, it had until Astra brought it up.
I flushed with…I wasn’t sure. Embarrassment? Excitement? Shame? Regardless, I blushed so hard that even the tips of my ears burned. I flailed about as I tried, and failed, to explain the situation to Astra.
“I didn’t-…We haven’t-…That is-…”
In the end, I gave up and covered my face with my hands. How mortifying. I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
“You will have to forgive Young Master Darian.” Ellen said. I felt her hand on my shoulder. “He is rather innocent and tenderhearted when it comes to the affairs between men and women.”
I glared at her, peeking through my fingers. I still remembered her words from earlier, when she said I had the heart of a young maiden. That was the last thing I wanted my sister to hear.
“As for what happened between us-…”
I interrupted Ellen by pulling her into my lap and covering her mouth. Either I caught her off guard, or she chose not to resist.
“Enough.” I growled, trying to mask my embarrassment.
Ellen stared at me in surprise, before she smiled at me with her eyes. I heard a snort, and I turned to find Astra covering her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter. In that moment, I realized the hole I had dug for myself. In my attempts to…I wasn’t sure what I was trying to do. Regardless, my actions made Ellen and I seem like lovers, which wasn’t what I intended.
“My, my, Young Master,” Ellen said, pulling my hand away from her mouth. “You’re even more possessive than you were last night.”
I buried my face in her shoulder, trying to hide once more.
“Please stop talking.” I said, my voice cracking. “Otherwise, I might just die of embarrassment.”
At that point, Astra stopped holding back and burst out into laughter. She slammed her fist on the table over and over again.
“Oh, by the ancestors,” she said between bouts of laughter. “You should have seen your face, Little Demon. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone make that kind of expression before. I don’t know if this is a result of your upbringing or if this is just who you are, but you are possibly the most pure hearted demonkin I have ever met. Most are driven by their baser desires. I knew you were different, but not to this degree.” She paused. “Maybe that’s why you were able to become a divine demon.”
I kept my face buried in Ellen’s shoulder and didn’t respond. She started rubbing my arm.
“I think you should stop teasing Young Master Darian, Young Mistress Astra.” she said, her voice laced with amusement. “I’m not sure how much more of it he can take.”
Astra let out one last chuckle.
“Very well.” she said, before she resumed eating.
Ellen and I remained in our current position for a while as I let my emotions settle down.
“Since you haven’t separated us, Young Mistress.” Ellen said a few minutes later. “Does this mean we have your approval?”
My embarrassment, which had mostly died down by this point, flared back up again. I pulled away from her.
“Ellen!” I exclaimed.
She grinned at me, before facing my sister again.
“Mother is a heart demon born from hunger and desire,” Astra said with a sigh. “And we inherited that part of her nature. So, if Darian truly does desire you, standing in the way of that will harm him in the end.” She glared at Ellen. “However, if I find out that you harmed him or toyed with his feelings, I will kill you and devour your soul. Understood?”
Ellen nodded, a solemn expression on her face.
“I swear that I mean Young Master Darian no harm,” she said.
“Good.”
“Don’t I get a say in the matter?” I demanded.
Ellen raised an eyebrow at me.
“You’re the one still holding onto me.” she pointed out. “You made your stance on the matter clear through your actions.” She tilted her head to the side. “Unless I am mistaken.”
I glared at her and moved to push her off of me, but stopped myself. It took me a moment to understand why. Beneath the fear and the anxiety and the worry, I felt something even stronger. Hunger. My hunger for Ellen from earlier had simmered down, but it never went away. It remained, lurking beneath the surface. There were plenty of reasons why it was a bad idea to take Ellen as my lover. However, the hunger I felt superseded all of them. It flared up at the thought of letting her go.
“Mine.” I growled, tightening my hold on her.
Both Astra and Ellen blinked at me in surprise.
“I was just teasing you, Young Master.” Ellen said. “I wouldn’t force myself on you like that.” She glanced over at Astra. “And the young mistresses wouldn’t stand for it if I tried.”
“Mine.” I repeated.
Ellen tilted her head and gave me an inquisitive look.
“Darian, look at me,” Astra said, her voice strange.
I looked over at my sister. She studied me for several moments.
“Why don’t you let go of Ellen and finish eating your breakfast?” she asked, still speaking in that strange tone of hers.
I grew angry when Astra told me to let go of Ellen. However, when Astra mentioned breakfast, I suddenly felt like I was starving. It was as if I hadn’t eaten anything for days. I resumed eating my food. Using chopsticks took too long, so I just grabbed the foot with my free hand and started shoving it into my mouth. My stomach felt like a bottomless pit. No matter how much I ate, it wasn’t enough. It was never enough. I felt like I could eat an entire Devil Hog by myself.
“Young Master, what are you doing?” Ellen asked in a concerned tone.
“It’s no use,” Astra said. “His demonic nature is starting to awaken. A pinch or a good slap should snap him out of it.”
I ignored them both and continued eating. It took me mere seconds to clean off my plate. However, I still felt ravenous. More. I needed more. I saw another plate of food on the other side of the table and leaned over to grab it. Before I could, Astra pulled it away from me. I snarled at her. How dare she take my food away from me? I launched myself at her, or tried to at least.
Ellen, who remained sitting on my lap, pinned me in my chair. I turned to her. She regarded me with a soft expression on her face, before she flicked my forehead. Her movements seemed gentle, but she put a lot of force into her flick. The pain knocked me free of the hunger that had taken a hold of me. However, the hunger didn’t go away, it just shimmered down.
“What was that?” I asked, shocked by my behavior.
“We need to bring you to Celestial Warrior Hall now,” Astra said in a serious voice. “I’ll explain on the way.”