As she watched Darian walk away from her, Willow had a premonition. Her intuition told her that if she let him leave, now, she would regret it.
“Darian, wait!” she called out to him.
Darian paused, still facing away from her. He stood in the middle of the wooden bridge.
“I’m sorry for what I said,” Willow said. “I spoke out of malice and spite. Maybe you deserved it, maybe you didn’t. Regardless, I apologize for my words.”
And she did. Yes, she was angry and hurt and insulted, but she was a cultivator of Clan Stone Pillar. She should have better control of herself than that.
Darian didn’t respond for a long moment.
“It was the truth, though?” he asked. “Wasn’t it?”
Willow thought about lying or deflecting, but decided against it. Since they were being honest with each other, trying to hide the truth now seemed pointless.
“Yes, it was,” she said. “When I first heard that you couldn’t cultivate, I was afraid that it could be passed on. Being born into a cultivation clan, but being unable to cultivate…I didn’t want to put my children through something like that.”
Darian stood there for several moments, not moving or responding, before his shoulders slumped. Despite her anger towards him, and she was still angry, her heart went out towards Darian. His body language spoke despair and misery.
“I don’t blame you,” he said. “I went through it myself, and I hated it. If it hadn’t been for my father and my friends, I would’ve left Clan Wind Dance long ago.”
Willow blinked at that. So the rumors had been true? He hadn’t been able to cultivate? Yet, based on his aura, Willow saw that he was in the mid Foundation Establishment stage. It took her years to get to that point. How long had he been cultivating?
“So it was true?” she asked. “You hadn’t been able to cultivate?”
Darian finally turned around to face her, his expression closed off.
“Does it matter?” he asked. “I’m a cultivator now. That’s what’s important.”
Willow wanted to press him for answers, but her intuition told her that if she did that, she wouldn’t get any answers. His expression and body language suggested as much.
“Children,” she said instead.
That caught Darian off guard.
“What?” he asked.
“You said you wanted to talk about what we both expected out of our marriage,” Willow said. “That’s why you’re here, right? I want children.”
She wanted more than just that, but it was a start.
“Isn’t that a given?” Darian asked with a snort.
“No. I know a few women who have no interest in having children. There aren’t many, but they exist.”
It was Darian’s turn to blink, before he looked thoughtful.
“I’m not opposed to children,” he said. “Though I hadn’t really given it much thought before. Honestly, for the longest time, I thought I would never get married. How many?”
Willow shrugged.
“At least two. I was an only child growing up, and I always wanted to have a sibling or two. Of course, that wasn’t possible.”
Her parents had tried for a second child, but died before they had the chance. Willow had grown up surrounded by her kin, but her direct family only consisted of her grandmother and her great uncle.
“At least two,” Darian said in a soft voice. “Sounds good to me.”
This was the strangest conversation Willow had ever had with anyone. Darian and Willow were strangers, and had said terrible things to one another not too long ago, yet here they were, discussing how many children they were going to have. It was odd, but Willow didn’t hate it. It built an odd sort of intimacy between her and Darian.
“What did you hope to gain by telling me you had a lover?” Willow asked after a long moment. “You could have kept her a secret, and then married her later on, after we had been married for some time. That’s the usual way these sorts of things are handled.”
Darian leaned back against the bridge’s railing, and looked up at the night sky. The moonlight gave his features an ethereal quality.
“I’m beginning to realize how unusual I am,” he said. “To answer your question, I’m not sure what I hoped to gain by telling you about my lover. Forgiveness? Your blessing? I just wanted to be upfront and honest with you, as if that would make my actions right.” He looked at her, a self deprecating smile on his face. “I should warn you now that blundering ahead without forethought isn’t unusual for me.”
“You don’t say,” Willow said in a dry tone.
Darian’s smile widened, before his expression grew somber.
“You are right,” he said. “It isn’t fair. Everyone is asking you to make a sacrifice for their sake. Your clan. My clan. Me.” He looked at her again. “What can I do to make it right for you? What can I do to make your sacrifice worth it? Tell me, and if it is within my power to do it, I will.”
“Will you stop seeing your lover?”
Darian shook his head.
“No. That is not within my power.”
Willow sighed.
“Then I don’t know if you can make this right.”
She walked over to Darian, leaned against the railing next to him, and looked down at the pond. The railing groaned underneath their combined weight, but held. From the corner of her eye, Willow saw that Darian watched her with a wary expression on his face.
“It will be a long time before I forgive you for this,” Willow said. “But I will. It helps that you don’t seem like the sort to be deliberately cruel. And despite how it turned out, I respect that you were honest with me. Most men wouldn’t have been.”
Darian shrugged and didn’t respond. They remained where they were for a long time, neither of them saying a word. Willow guessed that the dancing started a long time ago. She and Darian had been talking for a while. Their absence must have been noticed by now. After all, they were both guests of honor.
Willow wondered if anyone thought they were having some kind of romantic tryst, and then snorted. As if that would ever happen.
She let out a frustrated groan.
“Ahhh! I finally have the chance to get married, and it turns out that someone already got to my future husband first. How annoying!”
Despite her flippant words, Willow felt sad and disappointed by how things turned out. She would be Darian’s first wife, but second in his heart, if she had any place in it at all.
“Just don’t hide me away in some forgotten corner of Mt. Wind Dance,” Willow continued. “I swear, if you do that, I will break your legs and dump you in the middle of nowhere.”
Darian laughed at this.
“I promise I won’t,” he said. “But what do you mean you ‘finally have the chance to get married’?”
Willow scoffed.
“Are you serious?” she asked. She stood up straight and gestured to her body. “Men don’t want to marry women who look like me. The only thing attractive about me is my status as Clan Stone Pillar’s Young Mistress.”
Darian stared at her.
“Why not?” he asked, incredulous. “You’re gorgeous.”
Willow gave him a baleful look.
“Has anyone ever told you that excessive flattery is unattractive? Because it is. I appreciate your efforts, but it’s starting to annoy me.”
“I’m not flattering you. I truly believe that you are beautiful.”
Darian spoke with complete sincerity. Willow’s breath hitched at this. He was lying. He had to be. There was no way he would find her attractive. He was just saying that to make her feel better.
And yet, a part of her wanted to believe him. No one except Grandmother Ava, Great Uncle Caleb, and Willow’s parents had ever called her beautiful. Beast. Gorilla. Mannish. People called her all these things and more. While she did her best to ignore them, their words still left their mark on her.
A tender part of Willow’s heart, the part she kept hidden from everyone else, wanted to believe Darian. What if he was telling the truth? What if he did find her beautiful? Willow wanted it to be true, with an aching, desperate hope.
“Prove it,” Willow said, the words leaving her mouth before she had a chance to think about it. “Prove that you think I’m beautiful.”
She wanted to smack herself. What an asinine request. How was he going to prove that he thought she was beautiful? Write an ode to her looks? The mere thought filled Willow with embarrassment. If he actually did something like that, she would hit him.
Darian tilted his head, before grinning at her.
“Very well,” he said, pushing off the railing. “Come closer. Lean in.”
Willow narrowed her eyes at him, wary of what he was up to, but complied anyway. When she drew close enough, Darian reached up and cupped the back of her head. Before she realized what he had planned, he brought their lips together. Willow stood there without moving, too shocked to do anything.
This was her first kiss. It was brief, but sweet and tender. Darian’s lips felt soft and warm against her. A spicy scent filled her nose. Willow realized that it came from Darian. She found it enticing.
Darian pulled away, but kept his hold on the back of her head. Willow stared at him, dumbfounded. When she fully realized what had just happened, her face exploded with heat. She blushed so hard that the tips of her ears burned.
Darian continued to grin at her. However, there was now something predatory about his gaze. The darkness she glimpsed earlier was there again, except there was something different about it. It sent a shiver down her spine, though Willow couldn’t tell if it was from fear, or something else.
“That was my first kiss,” she whispered, still a little stunned.
Darian’s grin widened.
“You shouldn’t have told me that,” he said. He leaned in closer, until his lips brushed her ear. “Those words, and the expression on her face, make me want to take advantage of you.”
He spoke in a suggestive tone, leaving no doubt as to what he had in mind.. Willow blushed harder, something she hadn’t thought was possible. She pulled away from Darian, taking a few steps back.
“Why…Why…” she stammered, covering her mouth. “Why did you do that?”
Darian tilted his head.
“You wanted me to prove myself, so I did. Actions speak louder than words after all.” He took a step forward. “Well, are you satisfied?”
He gave her a wicked smile as he said this. Like before, it left no doubt as to what he had in mind. Willow should have slapped him for his behavior. If it had been anyone else, she might have. However, Darian’s actions left her so flustered, she didn’t know how to react.
While she wasn’t ignorant about relations between men and women, the cultivators of Clan Stone Pillar were not a modest sort, she had little personal experience herself. In matters of the heart, she was an innocent maiden. At the moment, Darian seemed like a wolf intent on devouring her.
A part of her wanted to flee and return to the relative safety of the main hall, which was a ridiculous notion. She was the Young Mistress of Clan Stone Pillar, and in the Energy Gathering stage. Darian was still in the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, that didn’t change how she felt. Another part of her was curious, and wanted to see where this led. She was a cultivator after all, and cultivation was all about taking risks.
The only reason why she was even considering this was because of the difference in strength between them. Darian couldn’t do anything to her that she didn’t allow. Besides, he didn’t seem like the sort of person to force himself on a woman, even this predatory version of Darian. Perhaps she was deluding herself, since they had just met tonight, but she trusted her intuition.
“Well, Willow?” Darian asked, taking another step forward. “Are you satisfied? Or would you like another demonstration?”
The implications of his words were quite clear. Willow stepped back to maintain the distance between them, and to give herself time to think. Did she dare accept his offer?
They were going to get married, after all. This sort of behavior wasn’t unusual between soon to be betrothed couples, right? While people might raise their eyebrows, no one would censure them. She was the Young Mistress of Clan Stone Pillar, and he was the Young Master of Clan Wind Dance.
Willow decided to take the plunge. She wanted to know what it was like to be desired, and be desirable. For the first time in her life, someone wanted her as a woman, and she wanted to explore more of that.
That didn’t mean she needed to make things easy for Darian.
“No,” Willow said, standing taller and crossing her arms. She spoke in a haughty tone. “I’m not satisfied. A paltry kiss like that proves nothing.”
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The look on Darian’s face said he didn’t believe her words.
“Oh?” he asked, deciding to play along anyway. “In that case, I’ll just have to try harder.”
Darian stepped forward again. Willow had the distinct impression that he was stalking her. She stepped back again, bringing her to the pavilion’s threshold. She grasped the sides of the entranceway to maintain her balance.
This continued until the back of Willow’s legs hit the pavilion’ s bench and she sat down. Darian stalked forward, until he was right in front of her. Thanks to her height, their faces were almost level, even though she was sitting down and he remained standing.
Darian leaned forward, grasping the pavilion’s railing, his arms on either side of Willow’s head. Their faces were inches apart. With nowhere to go, Willow was now trapped. Her heart beat against her chest like a drum. Her nerves thrummed with fear and anticipation. Darian stared right into her eyes. Her lips felt dry. She licked them, and his gaze snagged onto the motion.
“Well?” Willow asked, deciding to goad him into action. “Are you going to keep me waiting? I thought you were going to sho-…”
Darian’s lips clamped onto hers before she finished her sentence, cutting her off. Unlike their first kiss, there was nothing sweet or gentle about this one. It was full of want and need. Willow felt Darian’s desire for her, his desperation. It mirrored her own. His tongue probed her mouth, and hers did the same.
Unlike before, she wasn’t passive either. She was an active participant. Darian caught her off guard, but Willow soon recovered and gave as much as she got. Due to her inexperience, she knew she wasn’t any good, so she tried to make up for it with enthusiasm. Darian seemed fine with this.
Heat blossomed from deep within her abdomen, aching and throbbing. It grew hotter and hotter, until it felt like it would burn her right up. Her skin felt sensitive, with every sensation magnified a hundred fold. The spicy scent from before filled her nose, fogging her thoughts
Darian cupped her face with both of his hands, and pulled her towards him. It was as if he were trying to devour her. Not to be outdone, Willow grabbed his back and pulled him right into her. Their bodies collided, and Willow let out a little moan at the contact. His body felt like a furnace.
His hands left her face and reached into her robes. The small part of her that remained clear headed wondered what he was up to, when a jolt of pleasure surged throughout her body, causing her to groan into Darian’s mouth. It was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It eclipsed even the sensations she felt during the course of her own self explorations.
The heat of their embrace started to die down as Darian pulled his hand away and removed his lips from hers. He stepped back. Willow felt colder without his heat. She missed it already.
Neither one of them said a word for a long while. Their chests heaved, as if they struggled to take in air. Willow noted that Darian’s cheeks were as red as hers, and he had a dazed expression on his face. He looked more like the Darian she first saw, a young man on the cusp of adulthood, rather than the predatory wolf from before. A small part of her felt gratified that she had the same effect on him that he had on her.
“That was…” Willow started to say then stopped, unable to finish her sentence.
Darian seemed to understand what she meant anyway.
“Yes, it was,” he said. “I think it’s best if we both head back now. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be able to hold myself back. That’s a line we don’t want to cross just yet. We aren’t actually betrothed yet, after all.”
Willow nodded at that. She didn’t know if she would be able to hold herself back either. While no one would censure them over a romantic embrace, going further than that was out of the question. That didn’t stop her from feeling disappointed.
At least she had something to look forward to during their wedding night. That thought filled Willow with anticipation.
Wait, no. She was supposed to be angry with him. He had already had a lover.
That doused the heat running through her veins, at least enough to clear her head.
“That’s for the best,” she said. “You head back first. I’ll stay here for a while. If anyone saw us together now, they would get the right idea of what we were up to.”
Darian grinned at this, before nodding.
“Sounds like a plan to me,” he said, then paused for a bit. “So?”
“So, what?” Willow asked.
“Do you believe me now?”
It took Willow a moment to realize what he meant. He was asking if she believed him, that he thought she was beautiful. That was what started all this.
“Yes,” she said. “Or at least, I’m beginning to.”
If nothing else, he conclusively proved that he lusted after her. Willow could say that much at least. It would take a little more before she believed he thought she was beautiful.
“That’s a start,” Darian said. He reached down to grasp one of Willow’s hands and kissed it. She allowed this. “Have a good evening, Cultivator Willow.”
Willow snorted at his sudden formality, but smiled.
“You as well, Cultivator Darian.”
With that, Darian turned and left the pavilion. Willow remained where she was. She now had hope that maybe, just maybe, things wouldn’t be so bad after all. That didn’t mean she forgave Darian just yet. It would take more than two kisses to make up for what he did. However, she was more open to the idea than before.
As Darian said earlier, that was a start.
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Darian wandered through the River Heart compound in a bit of a daze. He had no particular destination in mind. Given his current state, if he returned to the main hall now, he would face more questions than he cared to answer. Instead, he decided to walk around to cool the fire in his veins and clear his head. The crisp autumn air helped.
His encounter with Willow Stone Pillar had been…Darian wasn’t sure how to describe it. It had been full of ups and downs. His initial plan to tell Willow about his lover, and work something out between them, backfired disastrously. Darian wanted to slap himself. Why did he ever think that would work? Overwhelming optimism? That was the only answer that made sense.
What was the saying? You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Well, he had attempted just that, and it didn’t work.
Her words about him being cripple had pierced his heart. They had touched upon some of his oldest wounds, and he almost lost control of his demonic nature. Thankfully, he didn’t. Otherwise, it would’ve been a disaster.
That said, their encounter had ended on a high note. Oh, how it ended on a high note. A smile stretched across his lips as he remembered their embrace. While Willow wasn’t as skilled as Ellen, she more than matched her in passion. It had further fueled the fire running through his veins.
Thinking back to their embrace caused Darian to frown. After their first kiss, something happened to him. It reminded him a little of what happened when he lost himself to his demon. However, instead of filling him with hate and anger and the urge to destroy everything around him, it fanned the flames of desire he felt for Willow. Any uncertainty and hesitation he felt at the time fell away, leaving only the thrill of the hunt, the chase. Willow had made for excellent, and willing, prey.
His thoughts had remained clear. He had been fully aware and in control of his actions. He had just been in a different mental state, a different frame of mind. If he thought about it like that, it wasn’t too different from how he meditated before cultivation. Of course, there was a world of difference between a romantic embrace and cultivation.
Unless one considered dual cultivation. Now that was a thought. He didn’t know much about it, but it allowed two cultivators to cultivate together, gaining more benefits than if they had cultivated alone. The scroll Darian had read on the subject implied that it involved the two cultivators sleeping with each other, but didn’t go into much detail.
He guessed it was because the library was more public than the clan’s secret archive. After all, many of Clan Wind Dance’s Foundation Establishment cultivators were adolescents, barely out of childhood. This wasn’t the sort of topic the adults of Clan Wind Dance wanted their children to learn from the clan’s library.
Still, considering he was about to get married in the near future, perhaps he should learn more about dual cultivation. If nothing else, it was bound to be interesting.
Should he ask Astra about it?
No. No, he should not. There were some things one did not discuss with one’s aunt. This was one of them.
Shaking his head, Darian headed towards the main hall to rejoin the other guests.
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Darian sat in the stone courtyard in front of the personal residence he shared with Ellen, watching the night sky. Each of the personal residences had one, so their occupants could cultivate and train in peace and privacy. Nearby crystal lamps bathed the courtyard in a warm yellow light, though the full moon’s light rendered them unnecessary. The two lights mingled together, gold and silver.
A pot of herbal tea sat on the ground next to him, with three tea cups in front of it.
Ellen laid on the ground next to him, a blanket beneath her, with her head on his lap. She also watched the night sky. Darian stroked her hair. Neither one of them said a thing, though occasionally they glanced at each other and shared a kiss.
Astra lounged nearby in her feline form. On occasion, her tea cup floated over to her and she took a sip.
After Darian had returned to the main hall, the rest of the party proceeded without issue. While there was some drama between a few of the guests, and more than one brawl, that was normal. Cultivators were a proud bunch, and emotions ran high when cultivators from different clans and sects gathered together in large groups. Hell, sometimes trouble even broke out when members of the same clan or sect gathered together in large groups.
No one dared to start too much trouble in Clan River Heart’s domain, however.
While they weren’t known for their combat prowess, the cultivators of Clan River Heart were adept healers and alchemists. That also meant they were good with poisons. After all, the only difference between medicine and poison was intention and usage. Angering the people you relied on for healing, and who could poison you with ease, sounded like a poor idea.
Darian joined the dancing and performed well, as was to be expected. He was a Wind Dance after all. While he couldn’t compare to his kin, who practiced dancing as part of their cultivation, he didn’t shame his clan. He did try his best to get Astra to join in, but he gave up after a rather painful flick to the forehead.
One of these days he would find out why she had such disdain for dancing.
By the time Darian and his kin left, it was well past midnight. However, he didn’t feel like sleeping just yet. When they all returned from the River Heart compound, Darian invited his father and his friends to join him for a cup of herbal tea. His father declined, saying he wanted to spend some time alone with his parents. Lucius and Vera declined as well. They had encountered Vera’s father and stepmother at the party, which resulted in an altercation. They wanted to retire for the night.
Darian respected their wishes, and headed back to his personal residence with Ellen and Astra.
“Auntie,” Darian said after some time had passed. He felt fatigued, but he could stay awake for a bit longer. “What can you tell me about Avaline Snow Heart and this Immortal Frost Moon?
That was something that had nagged at Darian ever since he first saw Avaline Snow Heart and received Astra’s warning. Now was as good a time as any to ask.
Astra opened one eye for a brief moment before closing it again.
“I don’t know much about Avaline herself,” she said. “I just met the girl, but from what I saw she is vain, self absorbed, and thrives on attention. Even if she wasn’t Immortal Frost Moon’s daughter, I would recommend you stay away from her.”
Ellen nodded her head, though she didn’t say a word.
“Are you sure she’s the daughter of an Immortal?” Darian asked with a frown. “I always had the impression that people like me were rare.”
“They are,” Astra said. “Having two in the same place at the same time is unprecedented, as far as I know. Then again, not every child of an Immortal announces their parentage. You haven’t. There could be more than anyone realizes. Avaline is the Ice Witch’s daughter, no doubt about that. She looks just like her mother.”
Darian wasn’t sure what to think about that. On the one hand, he felt less alone in the world. There were more people like him out in the world. On the other hand, it also made him feel a little less…special.
He snorted at that. It seemed like Avaline wasn’t the only vain one.
“What can you tell me about Immortal Frost Moon?” he asked. “You said that she had a complicated relationship with my mother.”
“I am curious as well, Guardian Astra,” Ellen said. “I have heard of Immortal Frost Moon, of course. She is rather famous. However, in all my years of service to Master Nova, I have never heard her name associated with Immortal Frost Moon’s.”
At this, Astra opened both of her eyes and sat up.
“That’s because Immortal Frost Moon is a sore subject for Senior Sister Nova,” she said. “Even the other Immortals of the Dawn and Dusk Sect are afraid to mention her.”
Darian stared at Astra. Whatever happened between this Immortal Frost Moon and his mother must have been monumental to cause this sort of enmity.
“To give you a bit of context, young Darian,” Astra continued. “Immortal Frost Moon specializes in the mystic arts, especially ice magic and moon magic. Your mother also specialized in the mystic arts for a time, before she focused on becoming a fist fighter.”
That surprised Darian. He thought his mother had always specialized in fist techniques. Then again, from what he understood, she had developed The Nine Gates of Destruction after becoming an Immortal. She must have practiced some other technique before then.
Once again, it struck Darian that his mother had lived for several lifetimes before giving birth to him. It boggled his mind.
“Your mother and Immortal Frost Moon met a long time ago at a mystic arts competition, back when they were both still just disciples of their respective sects.” Astra paused as if trying to find the right words. “From the moment they met, they became both the fiercest of rivals and the best of friends. That’s the best way to describe it. They competed with each other all the time, which often devolved into fights, but whenever one was in trouble, the other would rush to help. I’d even say that Immortal Frost Moon is the person closest to Senior Sister Nova, second only to me of course.”
Darian listened to Astra’s story with rapt attention. He was like the dry ground, thirsting to hear more details about his mother’s life, and Astra’s words were like the rain. He soaked them in.
“However, three hundred years ago an…incident occurred between the two of them,” Astra said. “I won’t go into the details, because what happened is your mother’s private business. However, I will say that the incident resulted in a battle between your mother and Immortal Frost Moon that lasted for ten years. They haven’t spoken to each other since. One of the quickest ways to earn your mother’s ire is to mention Immortal Frost Moon’s name in her presence.”
Astra’s expression grew serious.
“Darian, if Immortal Frost Moon learns that you are Senior Sister Nova’s son, I don’t know how she will react. I doubt any of us would like it. That is why you must keep as much distance between you and Avaline Snow Heart as possible, so Immortal Frost Moon doesn’t learn of your existence.”
Darian nodded at this.
“I don’t think that will be a problem,” he said. “I doubt she has any interest in me. When this is all over, we’ll return to Silverwood Vale and Avaline will go back to her Frost Moon Sect. We won’t see each other ever again after that.”
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Immortal Frost Moon smirked as she heard Darian Wind Dance’s words. Oh, what a sweet and naive boy. It amazed her that someone like him came from someone like Nova. Then again, from what she observed, the boy inherited his mother’s lecherous nature. Had he been a lust inner demon, before Nova removed him from her?
No. Immortal Frost Moon shook her head. While Darian had traces of his mother’s lascivious nature, she guessed that he was born from Nova’s wrath.
Immortal Frost Moon sat next to her scrying pool, which occupied the central courtyard of her immortal abode atop Mt. Frost Moon. The pool was circular and shallow, about an inch deep, with a diameter of nine feet. Most of the time, the silvery water of the scrying pool reflected the full moon. Mt. Frost Moon was a secret realm created by Immortal Frost Moon. She controlled everything about it. The weather, the time of day, everything.
It was always the night of the full moon in this place. It had never known the light of day.
At the moment, however, the scrying pool showed the image of Darian Wind Dance, the snake spirit beast Ellen, and the sun cat Astra. The image viewed them from above, as if from a great distance. That meant nothing to someone like Immortal Frost Moon. Even the smallest of creatures were revealed to her eyes.
Immortal Frost Moon traced the image of Darian with her finger as he stared up at the night sky, with Ellen’s head in his lap. While she hated to admit it, the old trickster, Immortal Farsight, had been right. Sending Avaline to Crescent Moon City was the right choice. As always, his skills in divination were rather terrifying to behold.
The day after Avaline had injured Alex Ice Blade, Hall Master Terence’s son, Immortal Farsight had come to visit Immortal Frost Moon. She had been busy with an experiment at the time, and almost sent him away without seeing him. Doing so would have insulted him however, and insulting Immortal Farsight was never a good idea.
During the course of their conversation, Sect Leader Trystan, Avaline’s father, came by to report Avaline’s latest infraction. He wanted to discuss Avaline’s punishment. That’s when Immortal Farsight suggested that Immortal Frost Moon send Avaline to Crescent Moon City in the Myriad Rivers region.
While the diviner acted nonchalant about the suggestion, Immortal Frost Moon didn’t buy his act for a second. When Immortal Farsight made a suggestion, it was always a good idea to listen, even though the reason for the suggestion might not become apparent for years, maybe even centuries. He was tight-lipped when it came to the actual contents of his divinations, but he never led anyone astray.
That didn’t stop him from playing some rather outrageous pranks when the mood struck him.
Afterwards, Immortal Frost Moon continued on with her research while keeping an eye on her daughter. While Avaline might think her mother ignored her, she was wrong. Immortal Frost Moon kept her distance from her daughter, but she was well aware of everything her daughter was up to.
The scrying mirror was a powerful magic item that allowed Immortal Frost Moon to keep an eye on anyone connected to her, either by blood or through the Frost Moon Sect. It also allowed her to scry on anyone or anyplace touched by the light of the full moon.
That was how she caught her first glimpse of Darian Wind Dance, by watching her daughter. His features were similar enough to Nova’s to catch Immortal Frost Moon’s attention. At first she dismissed it as coincidence, but then she saw Astra, Nova’s junior sister. Astra’s presence all but confirmed that Darian was Nova’s son. Nova wouldn’t trust anyone else to watch over and teach him.
Well, maybe Immortal Frost Moon, once upon a time.
As Immortal Frost Moon gazed down at Darian, she wanted to pluck him through the scrying mirror and bring him to her realm. The moon was a mirror, and mirrors were just passageways to those who knew how to tread them. However, she resisted this urge.
Patience was key here. Darian was the perfect bait to lure Nova out, but if she acted too soon, her plan might end in failure.
Besides, her daughter had taken a liking to the boy, and she wanted to see how that turned out. Perhaps she might end up calling Darian her son-in-law. Perhaps not. Avaline’s interest in a boy waned fast after she caught his attention.
Yes, it was best to wait for now. She had waited three centuries, she could wait for a little while longer. She would wait for as long as it took.
Immortal Frost Moon clenched her fist as a strong emotion welled up inside her chest. The air around her froze.
One way or another, Nova would pay.