Chapter 110: Power and Peace

Barrond’s eyes glowed with a wild light, his broad grin widening. “Don’t blame me if this hurts.”

'Steel Knights peak at around a hundred Cauldrons,' he calculated, feeling his body’s new durability. 'Perfect starting point for testing these.'

As Barrond shifted his stance, rearing onto his hind legs, his form transformed into a more humanoid shape. He retained his bear-like features but took on a smaller, more agile build, similar to the form Darius had seen during their first encounter.

The world-bear drew back a massive fist, his legs stabilizing as he grounded himself. A sudden tension prickled Darius’s senses. “Remember, only around a hundred Cauldrons."

“Cauldrons?”

“What? Wai—!”

Darius’s words were cut off by the impact. Barrond’s punch connected squarely with his chest, the force of it explosive. Darius’s body shot across the landscape like a blazing comet, leaving a trail of distorted air in his wake.

Barrond watched his figure vanish into the distance, steam hissing from his knuckles. "I wonder what he meant by cauldrons," his head tilting slightly. "Maybe he's hungry."

A thunderous BOOM echoed from afar, the ground trembling beneath Barrond’s feet. He winced slightly, his form shifting back into its full bear shape. "Probably should check if he’s alright," he chuckled, dropping to all fours before bounding toward the source of the impact.

He arrived to find the side of a massive rise—more a hill than a mountain, but still enough to halt Darius’s flight. An enormous crater marked its side, rocks strewn everywhere. Darius lay buried at the center of the smoking impact zone, completely obscured by boulders.

“Young Valdene, are you alright?!” Barrond shouted, his voice tinged with genuine concern, and—oddly enough—his earthen face flushed slightly red.

A sudden burst of laughter erupted. “Amazing!” Darius’s voice rang out with unrestrained excitement, immediately followed by a shockwave as he exploded out, dust and rocks scattering in all directions.

Landing gracefully, his eyes shone with an almost childlike wonder as he inspected his robes. 'Not a scratch! The armor absorbed every ounce of Barrond’s punch. Only my own physical strength hadn't been enough to keep me grounded.'

‘That punch was at least two hundred Cauldrons, maybe more,’ Darius brushed himself off, suppressing a grin. ‘And I doubt that’s the armor's limit.’

A wide smile spread across his face as he flicked his robes with a casual air, clasping his hands behind his back as he approached Barrond. “I take it you’re not familiar with the term ‘Cauldron of Force,’ then?”

“Cauldron of Force?” Barrond echoed, genuine confusion in his deep voice. “How does one cook force? Is it a type of porridge?”

Darius sighed, shaking his head slightly. “Never mind.”

As he walked past the world-bear, a sudden thought crossed his mind. He turned back, studying Barrond curiously. “Tell me, can you see my aura?”

Barrond’s eyes widened with surprise. “Why yes, I can! But how?”

‘I thought so,’ Darius frowned, a flicker of intrigue in his gaze. ‘Daemen’s influence is stronger than I realized. His origin may have unlocked something far more unique than I anticipated.’

Not lingering on the revelation, he nodded toward the exit. “I’m not entirely sure myself, but I feel it's better this way. For now, we should head back. I need to spend time stabilizing my cultivation.”

Barrond fell into step beside Darius, his curiosity palpable as they made their way back. “Your much stronger,” he remarked, his tone brimming with eagerness. “What exactly happened during your breakthrough? What happened to the leylines, how did you get them to converge?...”

The barrage of questions continued as they traversed the rocky terrain, Barrond’s insatiable curiosity unabated. The bear seemed to lack the usual secrecy that most of the world held regarding personal techniques. Fortunately, Darius managed to satisfy Barrond’s inquiries with vague responses, offering just enough to keep the journey back peaceful—if not tiresome.

---

Standing at the center of the All-Room, Darius exhaled sharply as the portal sealed behind him. "Annoying root ball," the irritation clear in his voice. "Must’ve asked a thousand questions—has he no shame?"

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With a sharp flick of his sleeves, he turned toward the farm door. His steps, however, abruptly halted. "I should take care of this now."

Touching his pouch, he retrieved the signet ring and slid it onto his finger. His thoughts formed clearly as he communicated, 'As you can probably guess, the breakthrough was successful.'

'Congratulations! And here I was getting worried. So can I come out?'

'It’s fine.'

In response, a fist-sized orb of light squeezed out with a pop from the ring, floating freely. 'Much better! Honestly, it was getting cramped in there—feels good to stretch.'

"You don’t even have a body to stretch, what are you complaining about?"

'Don't be insensitive. I have feelings too, you know. Who are you to say I can’t feel cramped?'

"Alright, alright. No point in arguing, not when we have more important matters to discuss."

Sensing the shift in his tone, Daemen’s light dimmed slightly, floating closer. 'You sound serious. Did something go wrong during your breakthrough?'

'No need to delay this. He deserves to know my thoughts, whether they turn out to be true or not.' Lowering himself into a seated position, Darius gestured for Daemen to draw near.

“This actually involves you,” he began, his voice steady but firm. “And until I’m finished, I need you to stay silent. Can you manage that?”

'You’re really freaking me out, but… I can do that.'

"I'm sure this has crossed your mind—or maybe it hasn't—but it’s something I think you deserve to hear." Darius’s voice was steady but serious. "It's about your birth. Or rather, your possible lack of one."

The light from Daemen’s orb flickered slightly, a silent tension growing in the air.

"This is just a theory, but there’s a lot of evidence behind it, even if we never get the full truth." Darius paused briefly, then continued with resolve. "I believe you might actually be the original Darius Valdene—or at least, you once were."

Daemen’s light dimmed for a second, but he remained silent, clearly processing the words.

"When I died as Xue Feng, I drifted in a boundless void," Darius recalled, his tone measured. "I can’t say how long I was there, but I remember mana’s light pulling me toward this world, toward reincarnation. And when I arrived, I was born instantly—no time spent in the womb."

He waited for a moment, letting Daemen absorb the implications. "Normally, a soul binds to a body at conception. So, unless Amara and Jarek conceived a child without a soul, there had to be one before I arrived. That’s the undeniable part. The uncertain part is whether that soul was you."

"I have two theories," Darius continued slowly, "one, is that something happened during birth, causing the original soul's death, leaving this body empty for me to inhabit, and you are solely my evolved heart-demon. The second, is that original soul was you, and my arrival somehow forced you out, merging you with my heart-demon."

He exhaled quietly. "Either way, I needed you to know this. I want no secrets between us, nothing that could cause doubts in the future."

For a long moment, only the faint glow of Daemen’s orb responded. The silence stretched as he processed the revelation.

“It’s alright—”

‘It changes nothing.’ Daemen’s orb bobbed a few times, then sank into Darius’s abdomen. As it approached the Arcane Sanctum, the light shifted, revealing Daemen’s true form. His white hair reflecting the radiance of the five elements. ‘Even if the worst is true, it changes nothing between us. I am Daemen, and you are Darius. Besides… when can I get one of these?’

'I doubt it's that easy, but I will give you time.' Darius smiled as he rose to his feet. “You can’t have one. And until you have a body of your own, there’s no point in asking.”

‘Do you really think your array can do it?’

“The Elemental Forge Matrix is the only lead I have right now,” Darius admitted. “I could build you a body with puppet techniques—I’ve memorized countless manuals that could craft a true masterpiece. But if you want a real body, one that’s genuinely yours, mastering the matrix is our best shot with its potential.”

‘…Puppets… what kind of puppets?’

“I’ve seen some extraordinary ones. The strongest was a mount that…” Darius’s words drifted as face reddened.

‘That?’

“I’m an ass. Hold on.” Darius muttered to himself, tapping his pouch. The Immortal Beast Codex materialized in his hand, which he quickly strapped over his left bicep. He projected his mind into the Codex, probing the grey cloud where Kahoon, the Dust-Moth, resided.

‘I can’t believe I forgot about him this whole time. Luckily, he doesn't need food or water in there.’ His awareness pierced through the mist, finding Kahoon nestled in a straw bed, the large cream-colored moth sleeping peacefully.

Satisfied that Kahoon was unharmed, and seeing no point in waking him, he pulled his mind back. ‘I need to figure out what he eats. Never got around to asking Marcus.’

“Sorry about that,” Darius coughed, shifting his focus back to Daemen. “I’d forgotten about Kahoon until just now, but he’s fine.” He opened the door to the farm, taking a deep breath of the fresh air.

‘The moth beast with no mana? Still not sure why you wanted that poor thing. I get the whole dud aspect, but what’s your plan?’ Daemen floated beside the five-element yin-yang Sanctum, his gaze lingering on the intricate runes.

“I intend to alter his potential. If I can do it for myself, I can do it for him too.”

‘Softie.’

Darius frowned, when an idea suddenly struck him, prompting him to stretch his mana sense across the farm. 'Focus on studying my runes until I call you, I intend to introduce you to everyone soon, so be ready.'

'Yeah, yeah, old man.'

"Brat."

Ignoring Daemen, he quickly located everyone within the Lodge. "Lunch?" he guessed, a slight grin forming.

“Ethereal Steps.”

Vanishing in a flash, the sudden burst of speed caught him off guard. Instantly canceling the technique, he found himself mere inches from slamming into the illusionary boundary of the Beast-Farm, his nose nearly pressed against the shimmering barrier.

“I really need to stabilize this realm,” shaking his head with a chuckle. Opting not to use his movement technique, he simply used his strength and some wind mana, dissapearing from the spot.

Keeping his presence hidden, Darius slipped inside the lodge, sticking to the shadows. He crept into the dining hall, where everyone was already seated and sharing a meal.

At the head of one of the tables, Crelos was animatedly telling a story, his gestures wide and exaggerated. “And that’s when Darius zapped the groom! It was the perfect distraction for Neko…”

‘Mouthy kid, stealing my stories.’

Darius grinned as he slid into the seat beside the feline orphan Milo, snatching a roll from his plate and taking a bite, his eyes still fixed on Crelos.

“Without my phantoms, none of this could’ve worked. So technically, I did most of the heavy lifting,” Haku chimed in, his chest puffed out with pride, face smeared with grease.

Without skipping a beat, Darius casually cut in, “I’d beg to differ. If anything, Marcus put in the most effort.”

A wave of shock swept across the room.

“Big Brother!”

“Master!”

“You scared us!”

Laughter quickly followed the surprise, and the group eagerly gathered around him. As he absent-mindedly toyed with Milo’s cat ears, Darius’s smile widened. “What’s for lunch? Feels like I haven’t eaten in ages.”

A deep sense of peace washed over him as everyone showered him with questions, congratulations, and affection. Savoring the warmth of the moment, Darius decided to set cultivation aside for the day. Today, he would enjoy a simple meal and rest.

----

“Stop wasting time on the others. He’s more than enough,” Barrond stated, his voice steady within the oppressive darkness.

“Are you certain?” came a distorted, monotone response from the shadows. “We can’t afford another mistake.”

“I’m positive,” Barrond replied without hesitation. “He is our best option to break the curses. I’d stake everything on that.”

The silence stretched, thick and heavy. After what felt like an eternity, the flat voice responded. “Very well. I’ll handle it. But you must ensure that the other Kings fully support him. Failure is not an option.”

Barrond’s eyes glowed with a fierce determination as he nodded, the light casting eerie shadows across his face. “I understand the consequences.”

The mana in the air rippled as the connection abruptly severed. Barrond exhaled deeply, a low chuckle rumbling from his chest as he turned toward the shadowed wall.

“Finally... some real fun.”