The Northern Sky Breaker was annoyed at this mortal that he had been assigned to babysit. Gram Gram and Uncle had made Hen Ri his responsibility. Fei didn’t know how he felt about the boy. On one hand, he was resourceful and talented. On the other hand, he had his father's legacy, which made Fei angry.

Gram Gram liked the boy enough, and Fei trusted her judgment implicitly. Uncle just found the mortal interesting, like a shiny new toy, and insisted he participate in this ruse. The plan felt so harebrained and slapdash that, in its idiocy, Fei thought that it could work.

With that in mind, he decided to take Hen Ri to the Demon Gates. If you want to know the North, you must know about the Demon Gates. A giant enchanted stone wall of some foreign nature stood as the last bastion of security for the rest of the continent. The gate was old when Fei was young; he felt small and insignificant standing on the stone walkways.

“Welcome to the North Hen Ri; we are the mountain that the waves strike upon,” Fei said majestically, waving his hand over the horde of demons trying to scale up the walls.

“I see you are silent; the sight is awe-inspiring, I know. You should take it all in.”

Turning around slowly, expecting to see an astonished youth, he was instead met with the sight of Hen Ri throwing up violently onto the floor.

“Godamn, you suck at portaling; when Gram Gram did it, I barely felt anything.”

Fei just stared at him, wondering if the juice was worth the squeeze.

“So what do you just spend all day here doing? Killing demons that seems crazy inefficient.”

Fei chuckled softly and looked off into the distance as if pondering some bit of revelation.

“If only it were that easy.”

“You know, just because you try and look profound does not actually mean you are profound,” Henry quipped as he got up.

Again, that urge to swat Hen Ri like a bug rose inside Fei. He quickly tamped it down. This boy was an outworlder, and they were a peculiar lot.

Looking like a parent dealing with his problem child, Fei just sighed heavily.

“Do you never think before you speak?” he said as he started to make his way down the carved steps of the wall.

“That's rich coming from mister. I'll burn a whole sect down for not getting my tea order right,” Henry scoffed, flippantly following along.

“Those stories are wildly inaccurate; first off, I burned down the sect because they were literally using babies' blood as cultivation regents. Secondly, tea is disgusting; I prefer wine.”

****

Henry thought that the climb down from the wall was unnecessarily long. It didn’t seem built for cultivators who could probably hop down without much pause. They seemed to be made for mortals, possibly for the soldiers who would have manned them in the past. Henry made a note to pester Fei about it.

The Northern Sky Breaker seemed unnaturally reserved as if he was trying to mull something unpleasant over. Henry didn’t get the guy. Why did he hate the fact Goldy gave away his legacy so much? He was doing just fine without it. People in the South literally shat themselves just by the mention of his name.

Henry thought this scheme of him being some long-lost scion of the North was quite possibly the dumbest thing he had ever heard. However, he had to say something back in that meeting at Gram Gram’s. Fei looked like he was ready to bail and leave him to fend for himself. Henry had gotten stronger, but he was sure people would be taking shots at him if he returned to Crucible City without some backing.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Lost in thought, he did not notice that Fei had slowed down. It was strange, but Henry heard music and people clapping and cheering. What was going on? He had thought there was no one here. Reaching the end of the stairs, the sight before him was shocking.

Thousands of people, all dressed in furs, were lining the dirt pavilion, cheering at the top of their lungs. Musicians were playing some sort of spirited marching song, and in the middle of it all was a raised wooden platform with six very sturdy-looking cultivators on it. When the crowd caught sight of Fei, the cheering redoubled in volume and intensity.

“Lord of the North”

“Sky Breaker”

“Lighting Caller”

People were losing it as Fei walked to the platform. Henry noticed that the quiet, introspective man was gone, and a boisterous, domineering leader was in his place. Fei beat his chest and roared, which was met with similar roars from the crowd. Henry followed him dumbly, not really knowing how he should be behaving in this situation. What was expected of him? Was he supposed to also beat his chest and roar?

Not knowing what to do, he put his hands in his pockets and pretended like he was walking through the park without a care in the world. Here and there, people whispered and pointed at him. The six cultivators on stage all gave Henry death glares. Those must be Fei’s kids, he thought. They were a friendly bunch. Henry just waved at them and gave them a huge smile.

Fei motioned with his head for Henry to follow him as he made his way to the stage. Stepping to the center and turning around to face the crowd, he held up one hand to the air. The cacophony turned into a dull hum as people stopped cheering. He paused for effect. Henry could appreciate a good showman; it reminded him of Goldy. With a slight clearing of his throat, Fei turned to speak to the crowd.

“People of the North, today we celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the Demon Gate. We celebrate another fruitful year of hunting and trading. We celebrate new births and new deaths. We gather here to send our wishes to the brothers and sisters who have laid down their lives to defend our home. Join me as we quiet our mouths, hearts, and minds.”

Fei puts his head down, and the crowd joins him. For a moment, it is deathly quiet in the packed square. The chill of the northern wind blows through, sending fleeting smells of ash and salt water. Henry kept his head up, observing the surrounding landscape. The North was a desolate, barren land of rocky crags and valleys. Brutal lands made hard people. From Henry’s readings, the North dealt primarily with trade. It was the border from which goods would come in from across the ocean. Henry assumed that most of the people who lived in the North would be by the sea, not here in this desolate wasteland.

Fei lifts his head and slams his hand to his chest. The crowd copies his action. That must be their way of showing respect, Henry thought.

“Now, on this day of remembrance of friends and family, I would like to introduce you to one of mine. This is my son Hen Ri.”

Fei motions towards Henry expectantly.

That was his cue, he guessed as he moved forward to stand beside Fei.

“My son has been lost for a very long time in the South, stolen from birth by my many enemies. He is now returned to his rightful place. Here in the North.”

There was a momentary lull before the crowd broke out in applause again. This time, it was deafening.

Henry stood there looking like a smuck as he waved like a beauty queen.

****

The crowd kept cheering as Fei escorted Henry away into a carriage. His many supplicants and officials immediately bombarded him with questions and requests, which he shooed away like flies. He used Henry as an excuse, saying he wanted to introduce him to his siblings.

Fei walked him to a handsome, sleek carriage drawn by a pack of horse-sized timberwolves. The driver had buckets of meat a club and was missing an ear and eye. The wolves kept trying to take bites at each other. The driver broke it up with the club at his side when shit got too rowdy.

The inside of the carriage had the same space expansion shenanigans that Gram Grams training house had. It felt like a luxurious dining car of an expensive train. There were servants with food and drinks. All of these were left untouched by Fei’s six children.

Fei had said something about checking in on his tax collectors before dashing off. Henry knew that Fei did not do any of the administrative work. What he did know was that Fei was exactly like Goldy—a deadbeat dad.

This shit was so awkward that Henry couldn’t take it. He had to say something. He had to make some quip or funny comment. There were six very pissed-looking cultivators all looking at him like he was some disgusting parasite. Henry felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t do something to break the ice, before he had a chance to thought one of the kids walks over to him.

She was big and muscular, with all sorts of tattoos on her body. Her long raven hair was twisted into braids that bounced as she stomped over to him. She wore leather armor that hugged her ample curves. On her sides were what Henry could only describe as Butchers' Cleavers. Her hard, frost-colored eyes bore into Henry as she thrust one meaty finger into his chest.

“When we get back to the palace, I’m going to fuck you up.”