The earth shook and the Heavens raged as the Demonic Divinity clawed its way into existence, a most fascinating and novel experience worth studying, but Taduk absently took it all in for later perusal while wistfully reflecting on how quickly the years flew by.

These days, sweet Lin-Lin and Rainy boy were everything to him, but less than thirty-odd years ago, Taduk was but a vagrant bachelor who spent his days and nights immersed in whatever subject caught his fancy. At the time, it was Spiritual Beasts and Plants and the methods they employed to become more than their mundane counterparts, the latest branch in his wide-spread efforts to better understand how one became a Divinity so as to shed new light on his own Path. The Saint’s Tribulations mountains had plenty of specimens to study and Akanai had been more than happy to accommodate his ‘eccentric’ and ‘reclusive’ ways without too many requests or demands, so life was good for an indeterminant number of years, or at least more than he cared to keep track of.

Then things changed, and Taduk never did like change much. It all started when Akanai took in a wolf-pup for a Disciple, and that rabbit-brained blockhead Hua Lie thought Mentoring looked fun, so she took a Disciple too. This led to both women making more demands of him, because neither one knew how to treat a Disciple gently, and they even dragged him off to do battle with the Defiled at one point, but this much he could tolerate. Mostly because little Hai understood gratitude and gifted Taduk with a manor in Shen Huo once he became Magistrate, but also because he was rather fond of Baatar and Sarnai. The real disaster was not the distraction they all posed, but rather something far worse, for the wolf pup and mountain rose went and fell madly in love and kicked off what might well be the greatest calamity of the century.

Not for them, as Baatar and Sarnai were a heartwarming couple who suited each other well, but a calamity for Taduk which he was ill-equipped to endure. It all started when those two love-struck darlings invited Hua Lie to their wedding, where their vows put all sorts of silly ideas into that wooden head of hers. From the day they met, that floppy-eared temptress had been making bold advances upon him, which in turn spurred Ling Lu to do the same out of a sense of friendship and rivalry. Not the worst thing in the world, for no man was immune to the attentions of beautiful women, and there was no denying that they were both very lovely indeed. Under different circumstances, he might have considered a dalliance with one or the other, but he rejected them both because neither one truly held his best interests in mind. Hua Lie only desired him because she mistakenly believed their pairing would result in a viable child, one who would naturally grow into a Divinity as he or she came of age, but he knew full well she would leave him once she realized no pregnancy was forthcoming, as well it should be between a rabbit and a hare. As for Ling Lu, her motives were even less pure than Hua Lie’s, for the Ancestral Gazelle’s interests were driven solely by her desire to one-up Hua Lie, and Taduk was no prize to be mounted and stuffed.

Nor did he have any desire to risk Hua Lie’s ire, for somehow, the stupid, flea-bitten, ancestor of a rodent had learned how to utilize a limited amount of Heavenly Energy without killing everyone and everything within a dozen kilometres.

It wasn’t that she was necessarily stronger than Taduk, but that she could beat him silly without breaking the Treaty, while he was unable to retaliate or even effectively defend himself without risking it all. Should their relationship turn hostile, the only thing he could do was run, and while he was the faster of the two, she possessed a dainty little nose which could track him to the ends of the Empire and back again without missing a single step. Among the Divinities of the Saint’s Tribulations Mountains, Hua Lie was second in terms of usable strength, inferior only to Lao Lang, an Ancestral Wolf so old he’d likely known the Saint who gave the mountains their namesake, assuming it wasn’t him in the first place. In contrast, Hua Lie was close enough to Taduk’s age that they were unsure who was older, a coincidence which only further reinforced her belief that they were a fated pair. That being said, deflecting her advances was simple enough because in spite of her many insistent proposals, there was no real love between them, as demonstrated by how every few decades she would become enamoured with some mortal or another and bear yet another child which she so desperately tried to love.

Say one thing about her, but Hua Lie was a determined woman, one who treated all her half-rabbit children well despite her instincts screaming at her to kill them for being too weak. Not an experience Taduk wanted to share in, for he feared the guilt and pain would be too much for him to bear.

Hua Lie’s determination would soon prove to be Taduk’s downfall however, for after witnessing Sarnai’s trials and tribulations of love result in a resounding success, Hua Lie approached Taduk and told him in no uncertain terms that she intended to marry him and be his wife regardless if she could bear his child or not. Before, her interest lay solely in the realm of mating and propagation, which was easy to reject because he knew it was a partnership destined to fail, and he had no desire to subject himself to that particular brand of misery without good reason. A marriage however, that was a different story, for he’d long since envied Machali and Da Hui’s partnership, tumultuous as it might be. Though they were always arguing about this or that, they were also always together and supportive of one another, and as wonderful as it was to watch Baatar and Sarnai’s romance bud and blossom into something beautiful, Taduk had lived long enough to know it was destined to end in heartache and distress once the mountain rose withered away and left the wolf pup to mourn alone.

Which was why Taduk mostly kept to himself. It was just easier that way, but a marriage with another Divinity, one that would last into the ages… that was something entirely different, a possibility wholly worthy of consideration.

A decision of this magnitude could not be made lightly, especially since he had next to nothing in common with Hua Lie save for the fact that she was rabbit and he a hare, which was only a similarity to an idiot like her. Despite all their differences however, he was still tempted to at least try, because among other reasons, it was rare to find new ground to explore and navigate. To give himself time to think, he escaped to his manor in Shen Huo for a time, but little Hai’s incessant requests made it all but impossible to focus on his dilemma. How was anyone supposed to get anything done with him dropping in every few weeks to see if Taduk could treat this person’s boring, mundane sickness or attend that person’s insipid banquet? You would think that short-lived mortals would be more prudent with their limited time, but they frittered away whole decades doing nothing of note, and they thought him the mad one.

Then one morning, Taduk woke up and decided he’d had enough of everyone’s antics, so he set out from Shen Huo without leaving word of his departure. It wasn’t the first time he’d set off on a journey by himself, since he often went wandering to search for Spiritual Beasts and Plants alike, but it was the first time he left without telling anyone since he settled down in the Saint’s Tribulations Mountains. Akanai was rather particular about that, keeping track of his comings and goings, a good friend and hard woman who wasn’t afraid to lambaste him for accompanying Husolt out at all hours of the night, as if her husband wasn’t the one to drag Taduk out and about to begin with. More than once, she’d put him on an involuntary vegetarian diet in reprisal, and there wasn’t a thing he could do about her cruel and immoral punishment. There was not a single denizen of the mountain range who would dare cross their hero and Chief Provost, not even for a Healer. Even if Taduk were willing to publicly reveal himself as a Divinity, he wagered they’d still all take her side regardless, for Divinities were abundant as cabbages at the marketplace compared to the unique and extraordinary Akanai of the Bekhai.

Still, despite knowing the horrors that would await him should he ever return, Taduk felt a weight lift off his shoulders the moment he took to the open skies. He was never any good at making important decisions or interacting with other people, as he preferred to focus on his studies instead. Lately, things had gotten too complicated for him, what with Baatar and Sarnai and all their friends, as well as little Hai spreading word of Taduk’s work and calling him a ‘Medical Saint’. That title never sat right with him, because even though the world praised him for his generosity and kindness, it had always merely been a means to an end. In order to study medicine, it was best to see it in action, so he went out in the world to treat as many people as he could. Gold was meaningless to a Divinity like himself, but others saw his indifference to wealth as altruism and benevolence, even though he felt that the information gleaned from Healing so many was more than worth the effort. Then there was the wide array of test subjects for medicines, which he was always careful to ensure was safe, but even he made mistakes every now and then. Yet even when his errors resulted in someone’s death, no one ever blamed him for his failures, they only thanked him for his efforts even though he might well have made things worse.

Curious creatures, humans were, so full of hate and anger, but also empathy and compassion. Now there was a mystery even he couldn’t solve, not that he was doing any better with his chosen studies.

It’d been decades since he made any real progress with his research, for no matter how many Spiritual Beasts or Plants he came across, he had yet to find a singular thread to link them all, and nothing to explain how a mundane beast or plant might elevate themselves to become more. There was a time when he tried to study the Martial Path instead, but he was not suited for it, because too much of his Dao came naturally to him, which left him unable to fathom the hardships others encountered along theirs. Just finding Balance was a struggle for some, which was as incomprehensible to Taduk as a healthy human struggling to breathe, which was why he’d switched focus to beasts and plants instead. Beasts because at one point, he’d been one, and plants because they were easier to understand than people or animals, but alas, his success was limited at best.

Which was why as soon as he realized he was simply taking his normal route around the province, checking in on previously discovered Spiritual specimens, he quickly grew bored and wanted to do something new. It’d been less than a century since his last trip, so surely there wasn’t much of interest to find, though years later, he learned that a garden snake living at one of those sites had successfully Refined its Spiritual Heart, but only after it put its tail through Rainy boy’s chest. That would come later however, as Taduk picked a new heading on a whim and soon arrived in the forest of his birth, the isolated heart of a lush and verdant jungle in the Southern Province many kilometres away from civilized life. Once, there’d been a giant Kapok tree overlooking the waterfall nearby, and he’d lived out his earliest days inside the nooks and crannies of that towering giant, but the original one had long since withered and died with new trees sprouting in its place. There were still fruits and tubers aplenty scattered throughout the familiar jungle, and plenty of stagnant pools where fish stopped to spawn, both of which provided him with ample, albeit unappetizing sustenance. Those were his earliest memories of this place, when he was already an established resident of the jungle living comfortably on his own, a child younger than even Tali and Tate were now, yet wholly capable of surviving without any help.

But only just. Divinity though he might be, back then, he’d only been marginally stronger than a mortal, and wholly ignorant to boot. Even now, the memory of gnawing away at tough roots and chomping down raw fish made his stomach turn, and he cringed to think of what a fool he’d made of himself when he finally found the courage to leave the jungle to seek out others like him. That had been a long and arduous journey he did not care to revisit, filled with trials and tribulations aplenty, but being in the jungle again reminded him of simpler times, when all he cared about was filling his belly and avoiding the fierce predators of the night.

As if on cue, he heard the tell-tale cry of a minokawa and an involuntary shudder coursed down his spine, reminding him of all the close brushes with death he’d had in this life and the last. This fear was something ingrained into his heart and soul, for the minokawa was the Cloud Chaser Hare’s one and only competitor for the title of King of the skies, a massive avian predator capable of hunting even jaguars and anacondas, to say nothing of a young boy or Cloud Chaser Hares. To feel such fear irked Taduk greatly, for he was a Divinity now, one powerful enough to dominate everything under the Heavens, and he refused to be cowed by a fat flying turkey. In a fit of pique, he Cloud-Stepped over to where he heard the minokawa cry and unleashed the strongest attack he could conceivably let loose without breaking the world, an Amplified slap that could shatter stone from inside and out.

Admittedly it wasn’t much to be proud of, but he was surprised when his blow merely dazed the minokawa for a moment, though a moment was all its prey needed to turn the tables around.

That was the first time Taduk laid eyes on his sweet, precious daughter, though she looked very different at the time. A tiny, rounded thing, even for a Cloud Chaser Hare, able to fit comfortably in the palm of his hand, yet so full of fury and voraciousness as it tore through the minokawa’s throat and set it plummeting from the skies. So intent on devouring her catch, the little hare almost crashed into the ground before catching up to the corpse, but she caught it at the last moment and Cloud-Stepped from mere centimetres above the ground to arrest its momentum and keep its catch from being pulped into the dirt. Settling down on a nearby tree, Taduk watched the little beast partake of its meal from afar and noticed a deep and vicious puncture wound in its side, one which would likely prove fatal if left untreated. Seeing how she might well be one of his descendants from his past life, he Healed the hare on a whim only to discover that it was no mere beast, but a Spiritual Beast brimming with power and potential.

Usually, he could sense a creature was a Spiritual Beast so long as he could see it, though it was only recently that he understood how. Back then however, he was fascinated to find a Spiritual Beast capable of evading his superlative perceptions, and more importantly, able to find him despite his cloak of Concealment and offer a bared tooth threat warning him to stay back. Seeing him heed her warning, the little hare continued to stuff its cheeks while Taduk Healed her considerable injuries, and he was amazed by how quickly she devoured the minokawa which was almost twenty times her size. Once her meal was finished, she hopped once in Taduk’s direction, then thought better of it and took to the skies, whereupon she disappeared into the clouds and evaded all of his attempts to track and follow her away.

Back then, he thought it merely a missed opportunity to study a powerful Spiritual Beast and didn’t give it a second thought, but then two months later, he came across the same hare almost two-hundred kilometres away from where they first met. It was injured again, ripped open from shoulder to hip along one flank, and it hopped out in front of him as bold as could be while watching his reaction as if asking him to Heal her again. He did, because this level of intelligence was beyond anything he’d ever seen before, to not only realize that he’d Healed her earlier, but also track him down from so far away after so many weeks which he spent under a cloak of Concealment.

This happened several more times over the course of a year, and each time, he could tell that the little hare was growing bolder thanks to his care. Not just with the targets she hunted, coming back with more grievous injuries each and every time, but also with how comfortable she was in his presence. One time, after he finished Healing her missing paw, the little hare hopped over to his shoulder and planted herself there as if too tired to go searching for a safe place to rest, and he was touched by the level of trust she showed. While it might not seem like much, he knew how difficult it was for a creature that was both predator and prey to sleep in the presence of another, but she was all too happy to curl up against his neck and snore fitfully without a care in the world. After a few days, she left once more only to return an indeterminate amount of time later bearing fresh injuries, but eventually as the months turned into years, she started staying with him longer and longer until she was rarely away from his side.

It was a novel experience to be sure, for she wasn’t so much a pet as she was a companion, and Taduk had been starved of companionship for too long since leaving the mountains. As such, he was all too happy to keep her close and spoil her rotten while also studying her behaviour and mannerisms, only to be blown away by the sheer level of intelligence the little darling demonstrated. She learned her name quickly enough, as well as a dozen simple commands like ‘no’, ‘eat’, ‘wait’, and ‘sleep’. She also loved to perch in his pocket or in between his ears with her face sticking out in order to study the strange world of humans around her, tilting her head this way and that as if struggling to comprehend what lay before her eyes. She even knew how to communicate in a primitive sort of way, leading him out of the city and away from civilization before showing him how she loved to play, by soaring high into the clouds then letting gravity bring her back down to earth in a rush of pure, unadulterated glee, which he experienced first-hand as he played alongside her and spent many a day chasing her about through the clouds, or being chased in a joyous game of tag.

Though he didn’t realize it at the time, it soon became clear that the little hare had chosen him as her protector, for one fateful night after more than a decade together, she brought him back to the jungle where they first met and stomped her feet every time he tried to leave while refusing to let him catch her. Figuring he’d humour the sweet hare, he found a comfortable spot in the treetops and laid down to rest, while the little hare nestled up under his chin and snuggled in for the night. A few hours later, Taduk’s beauty sleep was rudely interrupted by a monumental convergence of Heavenly Energy, one unlike anything he’d ever felt before, and he opened his eyes to see the darling little hare awash in the power of Creation and Destruction both as she took her first step towards True Divinity.

In that one, singular moment, the secrets of the universe were laid bare before him and Taduk learned more about controlling the Energy of the Heavens than he’d learned in all his years of studies combined. Even now, he still could not find the words to describe it, except to say that it was a form of Balance far beyond his meagre comprehension, a mellow, undemanding method that only required he stay true to himself, but even the tiny morsel he understood was enough to catapult him along his personal Path to stand shoulder to shoulder with Hua Lie and the Old Wolf in terms of usable strength. This was significant, because a Divinity without usable strength might as well be a fish upon the chopping block, for the Treaty would not protect them if they lacked the strength to protect themselves, and bearing witness to this Cloud Chaser Hare’s ascension provided Taduk with usable strength aplenty.

Then, reality shifted and in the blink of an eye, the little hare was no more and a toddler sat in her place, a brown-eyed, honey-skinned child who looked to be no older than two, with a full head of sable hair and two floppy little hare ears dropping down from her crown. Those large, limpid eyes filled with tears as she tried to make sense of her strange surroundings and circumstances, but even as she took her first breath to let loose a terrified wail, she caught Taduk’s gaze and suddenly all was right in the world. The tears spilled out, but her chubby cheeks stretched into a smile of pure love and joy as she reached out towards him with a laugh, and there was no force in the world strong enough to keep him away.

From that day forward, Taduk was a father in every sense of the word, for though she was not the blood of his blood, Lin-Lin was his daughter in every way that mattered. As he swaddled her in a white-silk scarf and cooed at her adorable expressions, he knew the world would not treat them kindly, for the temptation of a breeding pair of Divinities was too strong for most to resist. An army of Divinities to raise and mould as you wish, even the Emperor himself would be tempted by such a prospect, but Taduk had only just met his darling daughter and would sooner tear the world asunder than let her come to harm. Knowing their future might well be one filled with bloodshed and calamity, he decided then and there to never harm another living creature again, not unless it was to protect his precious Mei Lin. The day he killed again would be the day he broke the Treaty, and now almost twenty years later, it appeared as if that day had finally come.

Not solely because of the Demonic Divinity mind you, which was rather fascinating now that he thought about it. Even accounting for the danger this miscreation represented, it’d been a good many centuries since he’d encountered something so unique. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, as Rainy boy always had some peculiar notion worth exploring tumbling around the back of his head, but this anomaly might well prove to be a watershed moment for every Divinity present. Demons were, at the core of it all, a deviation from the Dao, or at the very least an irregularity worth studying, but Taduk never had the time or inclination to make contact with the Defiled. Putting aside their murderous tendencies and hideous concept of home decor, the Defiled were an unpleasant bunch who resided in inhospitable lands, to say nothing of their lacking manners, hygiene, and culinary skills. ­

There was a time when Taduk would’ve hardly cared about what he ate, but he’d long since grown spoiled living with the Bekhai, especially once Rainy boy learned how to cook. Another oddity that, the fact that everything the boy made tasted so much better than anything bought or paid for, even though he wasn’t anywhere near as skilled as Charok or even Alsantset. An extra pinch of love, that was the answer Rainy boy gave when asked why his food tasted so good, and though he was being tongue-in-cheek, Taduk suspected it might well be the truth.

Something worth looking into if and when he had the time, like after he navigated through this calamity alive and puzzled out all this Runic Inscription nonsense, but for now, it would be best to focus on the matter at hand. While a Demonic birth wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary, as Taduk had seen more than his fair share in recent years, a Demonic Divinity was another thing altogether. Demons were fundamentally the result of a massive imbalance, but the Path to Divinity was achieved through Balance, so how would the creation of a Demonic Divinity differ from that of a regular Divinity or Ancestral Beast? How fortuitous a happenstance to see this happen so soon after Rainy boy’s recent unfathomable progress, because now Taduk could compare and contrast the two events while they were both fresh in his mind. Not that he understood much about what Rainy boy did, nor would it help if the boy explained it, for he was always going about things in his own unique manner. No matter though, because Taduk did so love to solve puzzles and mysteries, and today’s events would provide both in spades.

A shame about all the lives which would soon be lost, but between Hua Lie, Rainy boy, and himself, Taduk was certain they could at least save the lives of little Lin-Lin and her friends, while the Abbot and his gaunt Divinity friend would undoubtedly save a few more. Only a handful out of hundreds of thousands, a true tragedy to be sure, but Taduk just didn’t have it in him to mourn for strangers anymore. Not like Rainy boy, a kind soul who would undoubtedly blame himself for all these deaths, and the Empire would likely blame him too. Not because he was at least partially responsible for taunting the mad monk in his moment of death, but because only then would the Empire have justification to rally Divinities to attack the Saint’s Tribulations Mountains. Regardless of how matters unfolded moving forward from here, Lin-Lin’s status was no longer a secret and the world would soon come a-hunting for Taduk and his daughter both.

Something to deal with tomorrow, as he had more important matters to focus on today, but he never was any good at keeping his mind on task. The gravity of the situation finally dawned upon him as he calculated how quickly they’d all have to move to leave safely, and as much as he would love to witness the Demonic Divinity’s birth in full, preparations needed to be made. Cloud-Stepping over to Yan’s side, he uttered, “Pardon my hands,” and carried her over to stand with sweet Lin-Lin, well within reach of Rainy boy so they could all make their escape together. Bless Yan’s heart, for she didn’t so much as blink in surprise, taking the speedy movement in stride and reaching out to clasp Lin-Lin’s hand like the supportive sister wives they were. A tough girl, little Yan, so full of pluck and spirit, and he wished there’d been something he could’ve done to help her find her Path, or at the very least guide her during her Awakening. Akanai had asked if he could help, but Taduk wouldn’t have known where to start, for using his Blessing of Air and Water was more a matter of instinct and intuition than actual intellect. Everything he knew about utilizing it, he’d learned in his past life, when he soared through the skies as the king of all hares and chased the clouds wherever they went. His precious Lin-Lin was the same, though the subject matter differed greatly between them and she learned at a much faster pace. Whether this was because of her inborn talent or sheltered upbringing was difficult to say, but Taduk had hoped to give her many, many, many more decades to learn and laugh before her carefree days came to an end.

Patting his sweet Lin-Lin’s soft, fluffy ears and pinching her pliable cheeks, he supressed the urge to just carry her away to safety, maybe even back to the hidden heart of the jungle of their birth where they’d be safe and sound for a time. Alas, she was no longer just his precious, adorable daughter anymore, but Rainy boy’s wifey first and foremost, and he could hardly bring them all away into hiding. Such were the trials and tribulations of being a father, to place your child’s needs and desires before your own, but even though these last two decades had passed by in the blink of an eye, he couldn’t remember a time when he’d been happier.

Rainy boy and Lin-Lin were just perfect for each other, one too serious and the other too carefree. A good Balance between the two, capable of complementing the other’s Path, and together with Yan, they should be fast enough to get safely away from Meng Sha before the Demon attacked. A difficult thing to do, leaving his precious daughter’s safety to another man, but aside from Rainy boy, there wasn’t another person Taduk would even think about trusting with his sweet Lin-Lin’s life.

Sensing his melancholic thoughts, his sweet daughter looked up at him with her big, brown eyes, so worried and anxious for once. Wishing he had the strength to overturn the Heavens and set her troubled mind at ease, Taduk could only scrunch his nose and smile to reassure her before Cloud-Stepping away to the boat. Muttering an apology under his breath, he hefted Luo-Luo under his arm like a sack of rice, not the most comfortable or dignified means of conveyance, but it couldn’t be helped. Taduk lacked Hua Lie’s ability to Domain Plate anything she pleased, and Luo-Luo was too tall and top-heavy to be easily held in one arm any other way, not to mention the fact that this minimized the impact of her frantic movements once she inevitably panicked.

Stolen story; please report.

Before the girl could even let out a cry however, he brought her away from the ship to Li-Li’s side, for Hua Lie had already gathered Mi-Mi and the pets, leaving only the precocious half-cat to collect. Patting her lightly on the head to notify her of his arrival, he kept a close eye on Li-Li’s sword hand until she relaxed her grip, for her quick-draw attack was fast approaching a level where it might conceivably kill him if he wasn’t actively guarding against it. The same could be said about Yan and Mila’s exceptionally destructive applications of their respective Blessings, and Taduk wasn’t sure if this generation was pushed to excel because of the war, or if Rainy boy had done something to help all his wives along, but it didn’t really matter either way. The important thing was that these women were important to him and Lin-Lin both, to say nothing of what Akanai would do to him if he failed to bring her daughters back, so Taduk would see them all safely away, or die trying. “Hello Li-Li,” he chimed, bouncing Luo-Luo on his hip in hopes it would ease away her screams and struggles, but unlike Lin-Lin, the Imperial Scion was not so easily soothed. “I’ve come to bring you away before the big bad Demonic Divinity kills us all. If the thought of this discomforts you even the slightest, then I can bring you over to Hua Lie instead, yes?”

Turning his full attention back to the Demon to make sure he wasn’t missing anything important, Taduk idly hoped Li-Li would have no objections, because the alternative was carrying sweet Mi-Mi away, and while he loved the girl dearly, he would rather not have to Cloud-Step with ponderous Mi-Mi in one arm and uncooperative Luo-Luo in the other. Not because he couldn’t, since he could carry ten Mi-Mi’s away to safety if he really had to, but Hua Lie was strong enough to carry a hundred while barely even noticing the extra weight, so why not pass the burden over to that hard-headed fool of a rabbit?

Despite all of Akanai’s silly arguments about treating Li-Li like a kitten, the girl didn’t mind having her head patted and even leaned into it, so starved of affection yet terrified to seek it out. Alas, Taduk didn’t have time to indulge her or even listen to her answer, for matters with the Demonic Divinity became even more interesting, and he lost himself in thought.

Balance and Imbalance. Creation and Destruction. Two sides of the same coin. This was something he’d long since determined to be true, and the driving force behind his desire to learn how to Heal. As he grew in power as an Ancestral Beast, he soon discovered he was functionally unable to wield the Energy of the Heavens with more than a bare modicum of control, limiting him to less than a single percent of his total capabilities in order to avoid widespread destruction, a restriction which frustrated him to no end. It was like having all the books you could ever want except they were all written in some indecipherable language, while also inlaid with Runes that might well explode when you tried to open them to boot. Thus, in an effort to learn how to exert more control over the Destructive aspect of Heavenly Energy, Taduk sought to uncover the mysteries of Creation, mostly because studying the Destructive aspect would have seen him hunted down by every Divinity in the world for violating the Treaty.

Yet another bothersome constraint, the Treaty, prohibiting him from exploring the full depth and breadth of the Dao, but even he had to admit it was a necessary one. One mistake while carving a Runic Inscription resulted in an explosion strong enough to shatter stone, the result of only a smidgen of Heavenly Energy running amuck, so he could hardly even imagine the aftermath of a Divinity faffing matters up while trying to harness Heavenly Energy with their Will alone. Then again, he hardly had to imagine it; he could just look beyond the borders of the Empire to see the total destruction their predecessors had wrought.

That being said, he would still have loved to explore both aspects of the Dao, but until now, he’d been restricted only to one. In all likelihood a good thing in more ways than one, as he might never have come so far if not for the Treaty forcing him to focus on the most advanced form of Heavenly Energy use that one could safely utilize. Healing was a fascinating subject, because the human body was a complex and convoluted machine that belied understanding, so intricate and interconnected that even an entire human lifetime wasn’t enough to unravel all its mysteries. Suffice it to say that Healing was the subject that’d captured Taduk’s interest for the longest, and he was still learning more and more about it with each passing day. That being said, he was also one of the foremost authorities on the subject, meaning that if he were to declare himself the second most knowledgeable Healer in the world, no one would dare claim themselves as the first, including the egotistical upstart Zhen Shi who fancied himself as some grand visionary. Taduk had read the man’s journals which Rainy boy kept tucked away in his chest, and it was clear the man was brilliant, but also deeply disturbed and easily distracted, overlooking important details and critical discoveries that didn’t fit his line of thinking in order to pursue studies he found more interesting or agreeable instead.

Zhen Shi was a genius visionary, this much could not be argued, but a failure as a scholar, one obsessed with finding facts to fit his predetermined conclusions and satisfying his sadistic urges rather than following the facts to the immutable truth.

As for Taduk, he felt no shame in admitting his wrongs, because life would be boring if he already had all the answers. As such, he found Vyakhya's transformation into a Demon most fascinating even though it was so different from what he’d seen before, doing away with many of the facts and preconceived notions he once believed to be true. Or maybe Taduk found it fascinating because it was so different, for this was a glimpse at the other side of the coin which had long since been forbidden, one which gave him an entirely new perspective of the Dao to consider and might well hold the answer to the issue that plagued him and all others like him. What was the next step after Divinity? Whether it be an Ancestral Beast or Human Divinity, it was clear that their Path had yet to reach the true Peak. As a Cloud Chaser Hare, Lin-Lin had been so close to perfection on the day of her human birth, while Taduk didn’t know what to make of Rain’s progress, but where were they supposed to go from here? A lack of control meant they couldn’t study the uses of Heavenly Energy as they pleased, not without risking catastrophic consequences. This was doubly so considering how much focus most placed on the Martial Path, meaning they only ever learned how to kill and destroy, so all they could really do was twiddle their thumbs and maybe practice in secret far away from prying eyes and potential collateral damage.

Which made this Demonic transformation a calamity and opportunity both, one Taduk would be a fool to dismiss out of hand.

At first glance, it was easy enough to see that Vyakhya was a false Divinity, a contentious term one could arguably use to describe most of the human Divinities Taduk had met. Degrading though it might seem, there was really no better term for it, because Vyakhya had not arrived at his current level solely through personal Insight and achievement, but through external aid and support. This wasn’t to say his method was inferior, because a Divinity was still a Divinity, regardless of the process used to become one, but a false Divinity was deemed false because their awareness and comprehension of the Dao was sorely lacking in comparison. It was a difficult matter to quantify, but it showed in the results, for though Vyakhya had clearly Shattered the Void, his success was superficial at best.

To Shatter the Void meant to bring down the barrier between the physical and what Rainy boy called the metaphysical, which was as good a name for it as any. Whether you called it the Void, the Heavens, the Empyrean plane, Primordial Elements, or what have you, it was all semantics. What mattered was that it was there, and mortals were separated from it by a barrier, but in order to ascend to Divinity, one must first bring down that barrier in order to have unfettered access to the Energy of the Heavens. Therein lay the rub however, for if one were to wholly Shatter the Void and remove all barriers between themselves and the Heavens, then one would have to bear its full weight.

And having experienced the oppressiveness of the Heavens firsthand, Taduk knew that even he, a proud Divinity and Ancestral Cloud Chaser Hare, had no hopes of surviving such an attempt.

Not that he could describe the experience with any words, for he’d been but a mere beast at the time, an adorable, long-eared, satin-furred king of the skies much like Lin-Lin when he first met her. While he had no memories of his ascension or his life before it, he still had an impression of how formidable the Heavens truly were, and from this, he’d long since concluded that he, and every other Divinity true or false, had yet to wholly Shatter the Void. This wasn’t to say that they’d failed in the attempt, because they’d all clearly found some success, but after seeing Lin-Lin’s ascension, Taduk believed that each and every one of those Spiritual Beasts had abandoned their attempts to wholly Shatter the Void out of continued self-interest. Those Spiritual Beasts set out to overcome mortality and ascend to the Heavens, but once they touched upon the secrets of Creation and Destruction both, they realized that moving forward could only end in failure or death. And so, having discovered they were still lacking in some way, they abandoned their efforts and reincarnated into human form instead, a reincarnation they themselves controlled and directed in order to set themselves up for future success.

Meaning that, in a way, becoming an Ancestral Beast was but the first step on a new Path that went beyond Divinity, a most awe-inspiring perspective to take in.

Of course, all this was merely Taduk’s own personal theory on the matter, and he might well be wrong. It seemed as if Rainy boy and Ping Ping set Guan Suo on a Path going the other direction, but neither one could explain what they’d done or why they went about things in that way, while Guai Guai hardly seemed aware of his past life’s accomplishments. However, since Taduk had yet to discover anything to disprove his ideas, it was the best information he had to work with, and he would continue to do so until the facts proved otherwise. Regardless if you were a true or false Divinity however, the cold hard truth of the matter was that Ancestral Beasts and Human Divinities alike had yet to wholly Shatter the Void, because if they had, they would have been crushed under the weight of the Heavens. Or swept away, or consumed, or broken down and repurposed by the cycle of reincarnation, the actual outcome was still a matter of debate, but suffice it to say that Taduk was certain no Ancestral Beast or Human Divinity in existence had wholly Shattered the Void, else they would not exist. Thus, the greatest distinction lay in how much of the Void each Divinity had Shattered, which again, was difficult to quantify, but without anything better to work with, Taduk assumed that the more powerful Divinities had Shattered more of the Void, and thus were closer to ultimate success.

It made sense after all, if one assumed the ultimate goal was to have unfettered access to Heavenly Energy without expending all of oneself to hold it, meaning less of a barrier equated to more access. Some Divinities might have Shattered themselves the equivalent of an open window, meaning the Energy of the Heavens was less responsive to them than to a Divinity who’d Shattered themselves a door or what have you. The greater the remaining barrier, the weaker the Divinity, but such things were not set in stone. With time and comprehension, one could whittle away at what remained of the barrier and turn a window into a door or whatnot, and perhaps even one day wholly Shatter the Void once they understood what they themselves were lacking and made up for it in some way. This was the goal most Divinities worked towards, but Taduk never did like to sit still and meditate, so instead of looking inwards for answers, he looked outwards at the world instead.

All roads lead to the Dao after all, and even if Taduk’s methodology was flawed, he had plenty of time to improve upon it. Though old for a Demi-Human, he was young for a Divinity after all, so why not take the path less travelled? It only seemed right, and Taduk was always one to trust his own instincts.

And those instincts told him that in the grand scale of Divinities, Vyakhya sat close to the bottom, if not at the very bottom itself. Not only was his comprehension of the Dao sorely lacking, his presence was only marginally more significant than a powerful Martial Warrior like Shen ZhenWu, or that Seneschal he kept on hand, though still many times more substantial than someone like that hateful Hideo currently cowering behind the monk or the likes of Akanai and Baatar. In more practical terms, this meant that Vyakhya’s connection to the metaphysical was tenuous at best, meaning he would likely have to work at it in order to summon enough Heavenly Energy to break the Treaty, a willful act rather than an inadvertent one. A failing of most Human Divinities, which was both a blessing and a curse, the former because it gave them more free-reign to act, and the latter because it meant they were too far removed from the Energy of the Heavens to wholly appreciate it in all its glory and majesty.

Now however, Taduk’s instincts were screaming at him to say that Vyakhya’s flaws were being fixed and fortified at an unbelievable pace, likely by the maleficent spiritual entities Rainy boy called Spectres. Though visually, this appeared like every other Demonic birth Taduk had ever seen, metaphysically it was a storm unlike any other. The currents of Heavenly Energy roiled and raged as Primal forces overrode the laws of Creation and Destruction both, twisting reality and rewriting causality in order to accommodate its vast and domineering aberrant presence. It was unlike any other ascension in that there was no sense of awe or admiration for the Heavens, only a cold and foreboding gloom and doom that twisted his stomach into knots. Unnatural was the only way to describe it, an affront to nature and life itself, but even more pronounced here than with any other Demonic birth because these changes went beyond the mere physical, and not in any way familiar to Taduk. When Spiritual Beasts Shattered the Void, they underwent a process to entwine the physical with the metaphysical, but it was always in that one direction. The essence of their existence was anchored in the physical world with ties to the metaphysical one, yet the Demon here was going about it in the opposite way. This was a metaphysical entity forcing its way into the physical realm, which would not be so surprising if not for its incredibly massive metaphysical presence.

And if metaphysical presence was any indication of strength, then this Demonic Divinity was several times stronger than every Divinity currently in Meng Sha combined, including Rainy boy whose connection was so substantial it was a miracle he had yet to slip up and cause widespread destruction given how much anger and emotion he’d already shown. This Demon was by far the strongest entity Taduk had ever come across, for if Martial Warriors were blades of grass, Taduk was a towering tree, and the Demonic Divinity was a mountain at the very least, but only because he lacked the ability to take its full measure.

In contrast, Rainy boy’s recent progress was a mix of contradictions, for Taduk had been unable to follow along with what he’d done. It was both familiar, yet unnatural, straightforward, yet profound, boisterous, yet subtle, and altogether wholly implausible as the Heavens raged and stilled, blazed and chilled, came together and fell apart in a process that borrowed elements from both sides. Though it was clear he succeeded, it was difficult to gauge his presence, for there were times when his power seemed deep and unfathomable as the ocean, a sturdy and domineering seven-story fortress of a pagoda, while at other times, Taduk could hardly perceive the boy’s presence with anything besides his five physical senses.

This was a phenomenon Taduk had only seen on two other creatures, the illustrious Divine Turtles Ping Ping and Pong Pong. In all likelihood, Rainy boy was right in denying he was a Divinity, for he’d accomplished what Taduk had hoped to do and gone beyond mere Divinity, a being who could control the Energy of the Heavens without running the risk of breaking the world.

A most curious process, especially given how Rainy boy’s attacks appeared so deceptively weak to Taduk’s instincts among many other things, not even as powerful as Nian Zu’s Shooting Star. There was still so much to study, so many questions to ask, but he knew now was not the time for distraction and put his musings aside for later. Though there might well be several seconds more to go before the Demonic Divinity was fully formed in reality, it was high time they all put Meng Sha behind them, for there was no guarantee the Demonic Divinity would strike once and only once. Going back through his memories to find Li-Li’s reply, Taduk ascertained that she’d indicated she was willing to allow him to carry her, so he lifted her by the waist and Cloud-Stepped back over to the others and said, “Grab Yan and Lin-Lin then run fast as you can, Rain my boy. There’s nothing else we can do here.”

Bounding over a kilometre away in a single step, he stopped when he realized Rainy boy had yet to move, and in his panic, Taduk almost cursed the boy for his stubbornness. Returning back to Meng Sha with his wards in hand, he prodded the silly blockhead with his toe and said, “Come come. Long past time we were gone and I can’t carry everyone away on my own.” That was the best way to convince him to move, to ask him for help rather than tell him what to do, but this tried-and-true tactic failed to provoke a response, so Taduk moved onto his next gambit, which was logic and reasoning. “You might think you can Devour the Demon, but this one is a Divinity-level existence. Even if you can defeat it, its death throes alone will be enough to kill everyone here, so it’s time we were away, yes?”

Just as Taduk was about to try something else, Rainy boy came out of his fugue. “Hm?” he began, so distracted from studying the Demonic birth that Taduk’s words had only just reached him. “Oh, don’t worry Taddy,” he continued, which was the first time he’d ever used this curious term of endearment, and Taduk absolutely loved it. “It won’t attack. He won’t let it, because he wants to study it himself.”

He being Zhen Shi, Taduk presumed, since Vyakhya was hardly in any state to study anything now that he’d willingly given into anger and despair. Say what you will about him, but Rainy boy had a knack for driving his foes to Demonification, though it would be better if he learned to exercise this talent with more restraint. Then again, Taduk rather liked seeing him act so unbridled and unrestrained, because for better or for worse, this was the man Falling Rain was, and the man Taduk loved like a son.

He still remembered the day they brought the little foundling to him, so broken and battered he could hardly understand why anyone would treat another living being this way. Kill if you must, but what purpose did torture and torment serve? The poor boy had been a little twig of a thing, so thin he was more bone than flesh, and covered in so many bruises and cuts it’d been easier to categorize the areas which didn’t need Healing. Most incredible of all was the fact that he still refused to let his guard down, despite being battered, broken, and near death, sitting there wrapped in a blanket while shivering with fatigue and fright yet still vigilant against any and all threats in a desperate bid to stay alive.

But then he looked upon Taduk and his amber eyes lit up for all of a second, his cracked, bleeding lips stretching into a smile so full of joy and amazement at the sight of two magnificent, velvety, Cloud Chaser Hare ears.

It reminded him of Lin-Lin’s first smile, and Taduk could scarcely believe someone in Rainy boy’s state could still find joy in spite of everything he’d experienced. He knew then that Rainy boy would go far in life, and time proved him right. Oh how refreshing it’d been to see the boy talk down to a Divinity while wholly aware of Vyakhya’s status, to say nothing of how magnificently he dispatched of his admittedly overconfident and unprepared foe, but that unbridled, domineering arrogance which cared nothing for rank or status was part and parcel of Falling Rain. It wasn’t that he was rude, not exactly. He could be polite when he wanted to, and usually was, but he was also not a man to suffer disrespect lightly. He treated others the way they treated him, and in the eyes of the noble elite, this was arrogance beyond his station. In recent years, he’d grown more subdued and reserved as a result of the trials and tribulations he’d faced, believing that his attitude had brought trouble down upon himself, but while this was partially true, he wasn’t being fair to himself by trying to change who he fundamentally was just because people in power didn’t like how he refused to grovel at their feet.

As for Rainy boy, today marked the return of that unconstrained man, the same one who had the courage to face Akanai every day without complaint and beat up a noble in public for being overbearing and tyrannical. Falling Rain was someone who dared demand kowtows from a Brigadier and extort his peers for gold during a contest, a bold and domineering Warrior who mocked his rivals and drove them mad while simultaneously feigning humility to lessen their achievements. Then there was the matter of how bold and brazen he could be, defying a Purge and staining his own hands in blood just to spare strangers another second of suffering, or charging headlong at a Demon with nothing but a mundane spear in hand at the tender age of sixteen. He loved, he laughed, he fought, he cried, and throughout it all, he was never ashamed of what he did, only indignant that his way was not the way things were. This was a strength few truly understood, the strength to stand apart, for at the end of the day, humans were social creatures who lived in packs, yet Rainy boy was more than happy to stand against the tide because he believed his way was right.

A quality he kept all these years and would soon help him change the world, assuming he survived this calamity today.

Against his insistent instincts and better judgement, Taduk directed Li-Li, Luo-Luo, and Yan to go stand with Hua Lie while he took his place with Lin-Lin behind Rainy boy. Since he seemed confident that it was safe enough to stay, Taduk would trust him, or in the worst-case scenario, give his life buying time for Hua Lie to get everyone out safely. At least then Lin-Lin would no longer be hunted, or at least not hunted by all without the temptation of two Ancestral Cloud Chaser Hares around. Besides, despite all his talents and accomplishments, Rainy boy was rarely this assertive when other lives were at stake, so surely he knew something everyone else didn’t. Standing there with his Spiritual Rifle resting on his shoulder, he was the very picture of calm and undaunted while watching the Demonic Divinity take form. With the actual metaphysical process over and done with, Taduk had no interest in watching the grotesque metamorphosis play out, and instead hummed a cheery little tune while covering sweet Lin-Lin’s eyes to spare her the sight. It didn’t sound pleasant at all, with all the bones cracking, flesh squelching, tendons snapping and more, but at least it was mercifully short.

When the Demonic Divinity let loose an inhuman screech, Taduk finally turned to study it and found a hulking humanoid aberration towering over them with spade in hand, in what he assumed was a debased image of Vyakhya during his younger years. Clad in flowing robes of bloody entrails hanging down to its bare feet, the muscular, monk-like Demon held a string of blackened skulls in one hand, a grotesque mockery of the wooden beads that Mahakala held during Rainy boy’s banquet, and a weapon similar to the spade Vyakhya held in life, only with a massive bladed head that would look comically oversized if it wasn’t clearly a weapon of death and destruction. Howling in defiance to the Heavens above, the Demonic Divinity lowered its eyes to gaze upon Rainy boy down by its hips, and only then did Taduk see its empty eyes and vacant expression fixed in a ghoulish, fanged smile, one which almost seemed kind and merciful if you didn’t look closely enough.

Not to Taduk though, for he knew that was not a smile of joy or compassion, but one of a predator looking down at its prey.

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” the Demonic Divinity intoned, neither features nor lips moving as it spoke with Zhen Shi’s booming voice. “So it would –”

A dull, hollow thunk echoed all across Meng Sha as Rainy boy’s bullet of Chi smashed harmlessly into the Demonic Divinity’s Domain defenses. The impact wasn’t enough to shift the aberration, but clearly it felt something as the empty sockets of its eyes glowed with naked black hatred and barely restrained violence. Looking at his Spiritual Rifle in mock surprise, Rainy boy exclaimed, “Oh gods, I’m sorry. Finger slipped.” Taduk might almost have been convinced had he not felt the stirring of Heavenly Energy gathering in the rifle once more as Rainy boy continued, “I really need to see about putting a safety on this thing, but I swear this never happens.” Even as he said it, he pulled the trigger and fired a second shot, this one powerful enough to rock the Demonic Divinity back on its heels with an impact that sent air and sand flying in all directions. “Oh, geez, I can’t believe I did it again, but in my defense, it’s been so long since I handled my polearm, so you understand, right?” Even now, Rainy boy was able to make jokes, but then he threw away all pretense and said, “Ah fuck it. SUP-PRES-SING FIREEEEEEEE!”

Bullet after bullet hammered home into the Demonic Divinity, but without taking the time to gather his power, these shots were far too weak to move it, much less cause it any harm. After a good ten seconds of non-stop firing, Rainy boy sighed and shook his head. “Alright then. Clearly this isn’t working, so I guess I’ll let you go on with your monologue then.”

In spite of the gravity of the situation, Taduk found it difficult not to laugh at the boy’s pluck and courage, and many a soldier in Meng Sha managed a nervous chuckle, but Zhen Shi was not amused. “Try as many times as you care to, little worm,” he hissed, and Rainy boy took that as an invitation to begin gathering power into his rifle once more, a turn of events even Zhen Shi hadn’t expected. Ignoring it for now, the crazed torturer brought the Demonic Divinity’s ghoulish face down to loom mere centimetres from Rainy boy’s, but he matched its vacant stare with a smirk. “Your futile efforts will change nothing. This Transcendent being is beyond your pitiful comprehension, one which has surpassed all others.”

“A weapon to surpass Metal Gear,” the boy intoned, though Taduk had no earthly idea what he was saying.

Neither did Zhen Shi, but he paid it no mind and continued, “Little worm, this Sovereign offers his thanks for providing him with so potent a puppet. You have succeeded where so many others have failed and helped create a being which surpasses Divinity, one unbound by the restrictions of feeble human Will and emotion.”

“You’re welcome,” Rainy boy replied, sounding wholly unimpressed and unintimidated. “Honestly? Wasn’t even trying. Anyone who spent centuries failing to accomplish this should probably take a good long look in the mirror and ask themselves why they’re so fucking useless.”

A snicker slipped past Taduk’s lips, but only because sweet Lin-Lin buried her face in his robes to muffle her laughter and squeezed his stomach too tight. Playing it off as a cough, he mumbled something about sand in his throat and pretended to look for his waterskin while gesturing for Zhen Shi to continue, because so long as he was talking, he wasn’t killing, which meant Meng Sha could still be saved.

“Mock all you want, little worm,” he hissed, his tone concealing a mountain of barely restrained anger. “It will not change your fate. Know that this Sovereign now holds the unlimited power of the Heavens in the palm of his hands, and could kill everyone you hold dear with little more than a thought.”

“For someone so old and powerful, you sure are a terrible liar.” Still gathering power into his rifle, Rainy boy scoffed at Zhen Shi’s declaration. “If you could kill us all, you would, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation. It’s probably not easy controlling a Demonic Divinity, is it? Yea, didn’t think so.” Rainy boy sounded mighty pleased, but somehow, Taduk wasn’t sure it was a good thing that the Demonic Divinity was not so easily controlled, since it would wreak havoc upon the Empire should it be set loose. “Whatever. My time and patience are limited, so say your piece and be done with it. Some of us have things to do and places to be.”

For long seconds, Zhen Shi said nothing, but the Demonic Divinity drew a long, slow breath into its lungs before deliberately stretching out its exhalation. All for effect, since it hardly needed to breathe, or perhaps it was being affected by Zhen Shi’s efforts to rein in his anger, Taduk wasn’t sure which. Either way, there was a long silence before he spoke again, and when he did, his tone was tense and terse. “This Sovereign will make this offer but once. Order your forces to withdraw from the West and surrender yourself to my care. This Sovereign will then leave the outer provinces untouched for a period of ten years, and swear to never use this Transcendent Divinity in battle so long as the Treaty remains intact.” Holding out a hand to forestall Rainy boy’s instant retort, Zhen Shi added, “Think before you answer, little worm. Ask your honoured teacher to gauge this Transcendent’s strength, for it is no empty boast to say it is utterly unmatched.”

“I can sense how strong it is myself,” Rainy boy replied, faking a reluctant sigh. “Very powerful. Unimaginably so.”

The boy paused, yet still continued gathering power into his rifle, so much so that even Zhen Shi could no longer stand idle. “And?” he demanded, drawing the Demonic Divinity back to ready its defense. “What say you, little worm?”

“What say I?” Even the surrounding soldiers could see what Rainy boy’s answer would be, and their grim acceptance spoke volumes to their courage. “I say, ‘Parry this, you filthy casual.’”

The explosion of power set the earth to shaking as Rainy boy unleashed another Chi bullet, one which smashed into the Demonic Divinity’s defenses and drove it back a full three metres before finally fading out of existence. The resulting shockwave knocked many a soldier off their feet and even made Taduk reel back a bit as he felt the blowback wash over his Domain and shower him in sand and dust. None of it actually landed on his robes, thank the Heavens, for sand was notoriously difficult to get out of clothes, and he would rather not spend his last few moments alive being tormented by sandy grit pouring into every crevice of his skin.

Though his efforts ended in failure, it was good to see Rainy boy back in high spirits, spewing nonsense and giving no face as he was wont to do. A shame they would have to part here, but Taduk would sooner die a thousand times than let his sweet Lin-Lin and Rainy boy come to harm. “Leave now,” he said, moving to stand in front of them both. “I will hold the Demon here.”

“No need.” Stepping in front of him with an almost indifferent wave of his hand, Rainy boy approached the Demonic Divinity with casual disregard for his safety and the safety of everyone around him. “Don’t worry Taddy. I can tell he doesn’t really want to fight us here, because then he’ll lose his new toy. Isn’t that right, you decrepit, eight-hundred-year-old fuck? You’re so full of anger and regret, I can taste it on your fetid breath. Enough of your games now. Fight or fuck off, but know that I will be coming for you soon enough.”

“Why must you force this Sovereign’s hand?”

“Typical abuser’s mentality. ‘Why are you making me hurt you?’ ‘Stop struggling and this will be easier.’ Get the fuck out of here with that shit.” Sneering in outright contempt, Rainy boy advanced upon the Demonic Divinity and jabbed it with a finger, though he could only reach its belly given the vast disparity in height. “You think your fancy new puppet will hold all the answers you seek, but I already know you’ll fuck it up, just like you fucked everything else up. Know how I know? Because you’re worthless, and you know it. You’ve spent so much time studying and getting all your ducks in a row, but I barely even knew what I was doing and still ruined all your best laid plans. The only difference now is that I finally figured some things out, so enjoy your reprieve while it still lasts, because I’ll be coming for your head soon enough.”

“Good, good.” The naked anger set Taduk’s hairs to standing as Zhen Shi growled using the Demonic Divinity’s throat, a low, rumbling vibration reminiscent of a steel plate scraping against jagged stones. “You think yourself clever, little worm, that you hold all the answers and know how the future unfolds, but you are mistaken in more ways than one, and this Sovereign will magnanimously explain.” Leaning over once more so that the Demonic Divinity’s face was eye to eye with Rainy boy, Zhen Shi continued, “You see, this Sovereign already has the answers he needs, and has no need to study this Transcendent. Alas, little worm was correct in assuming it is also not easy to control, and this Sovereign has wasted too much strength on discourse and is wholly spent, so he must now abandon his efforts to bring it away.” The Demonic Divinity’s smile seemed to stretch without shifting even a single millimetre, as Zhen Shi’s voice oozed with smug satisfaction. “Do not say this Sovereign did not try warn you, little worm, but now you will reap that which you have sown.”

Silence hung like funerary drapes over all of Meng Sha as Zhen Shi withdrew from the Demonic Divinity, but as the aberration’s oppressive Aura burst out to shower them all in unmitigated rage and hatred, Taduk heard Rainy boy mutter, “Well... Shit.”

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3

Chapter Meme 4

Chapter Meme 5