There's Many Things Under The Deep Dark Blue Sky
Flames spouted out of the butt of the cauldron at last, not towards the cauldron. But they were at least flames and a sort of how finally began for the incredibly amazed eyes of the crowd. As they watched the beginning of this sort of show, the flames coming from the butt of the cauldron began increasing and...even...beginning to form tongues that 'walked' their way out of the in-between of the floor and the cauldron's butt!
As those tongues of flames poured out, only 2 of them made it out of the cauldron, their length growing to a full meter before the crowd even realized it. By then, however, Radarf extended both his arms, not fully out, to his sides and with his elbows facing the floor.
Crackle crackle, ssssii!
His hands took a pincer-like gesture as his index and middle fingers were on top of his thumb, his other 2 fingers leaning in rest on both his middle fingers. But as he did as such, the tongues of flames that came out of the cauldron’s butt directly sent themselves to the index and middle fingers on top of his thumbs!
Everyone could see that, the moment those tongues of flames moved ‘on their own’ to Radarf’s hands, the other flames at the butt of the cauldron attempted to form tongues of the same and come out from the butt of the cauldron further into the outside world as if having gained life.
Naturally, such a thing was just a misconception. Ciemnosc had bored eyes as he watched this funny performance which was otherwise incredible for the rest of the people watching such ‘high leveled’ alchemy for the first time in their lives. Everyone that was in the alchemy vocation was already wondering how they would do it themselves when they grew old.
It was humiliating to think of such, ‘grow old’ in a phrase as a cultivator but, for those around at these moments, they could only think of these and not think for any reason whatsoever towards anything at the moment.
And so, the moment that Radarf ‘grabbed’ both tongues of flames, those other attempts at forming began feeding the already existing tongues of flames, which in turn made steam come off the cauldron more and more as time passed and Radarf seemed to have his Power Energy flow in a certain way.
“...” Only now did Ciemnosc begin to pay attention, slightly somewhat, to the happenings between the tongues of flames extending out of the cauldron’s butt and the cauldron itself. And before long, the cauldron began to be moved by the flaming tongues that Radarf began ‘dancing’ around with his hands forming all kinds of trajectories - but always circular and making them tongues of flames look like ribbons used for artistic dances.
The cauldron that began to be covered all over and intermittently by the ‘dancing’ tongues of ordinary flames began to ooze off more and more liquid from the top until the sound of gurgling water began to lower and become less and less consistent.
Once there was barely any liquid coming out of the cauldron, the lid was closed by a mechanism within it, not needing to move a finger to place a lid on top of it. Then, with the tongues of flames having become thinner and about half a meter long by now, Radarf held them in front of the cauldron, sending his Power Energy directly back into the cauldron and making the latter have its lower heat up insanely so that it made everyone else step back fearing to die in an explosion along Radarf and Ciemnosc.
And since it had the Odorless Venomous Pure Lips in its formula, there were late stages of the Conflagrate realm and all kinds of Obsidiafying realm cultivators present backing away a couple of steps as well. Were it not for the eyes around them, they would have fled long ago…
But now, as Radarf seemed more and more focused, and sweated more and more, he let go of the tongues of flames that then receded back into the butt of the cauldron. Then, the cauldron began heating all over from the inside, becoming a dull but bright, warm red hotness inside. Making one’s nerves— if weak minded —to be prickled nonstop and horrendously!
“Guhaaash~!” With a long, drawn-out shout, Radarf made gestures and moved his fat ass all around the cauldron, giving his back to each part of the crowd while his face showed them all how concentrated, fearful, and sweaty he really was.
With this ‘extra’ show, Radarf made the scene much more intense, giving clear hints that the pill concocting was about to be done! Everyone knew the difficulty of concocting pills. Who wouldn’t try when they have been cultivating for long? Besides, knowledge of pills and pill concocting could save many lives…there were far too many stories, short tales, and novels about it.
To fail a pill concoction session wasn’t rare, even for the best, what’s more for the top alchemist in the entire world? Only those lunatic delusional ones who wanted to be protagonists would vow to practice alchemy until the end of their little lives.
Even right now, everyone knew that these ‘ceremonies’ and ‘final preparations’ were all just for the sake of making the pill concoction bear fruit to at least one pill, let alone a whole batch of many that can be done for the most experienced alchemists. Of course, the latter’s cases were only for the most basic and ‘meh’ pills that are out there, and are really barely helpful, even for a Spiritual Ligament realm cultivator…
“...What do you think of this art? Is it incredible?” Sect master Yolin commented, watching Ciemnosc’s interested eyes look at the procedures without latching away for even a microsecond, besides feeling jealous as she was never looked like this by him, by those very same eyes; she did so in order to remind the little boy that he had to evaluate things to his very best in order to live…
“Trash.” Ciemnosc absentmindedly said, though he didn’t even want to hear out whoever tried to speak with him right now, he ended up instinctively answering her recognizing her beautiful, not so cold anymore and even alluring now - voice.
“...” Startled, sect master Yolin actually jerked her head backwards, upwards as well as she bent over a little to hush her words into Ciemnosc’s right ear. She looked at the scene of Radarf still going at it, returned her gaze to Ciemnosc’s face, pretty and charming, making her lost in such for a good while…before realizing that his eyes were really…not even moving!
“?” Moved her eyes to trace the trajectory of his eyes onto the cauldron and the old man moving around it while the pill concocting continued inside, not caring about his own hands possibly burning for real or something. She realized…that it wasn’t the scene that the child was interested in, but the cauldron itself… What was it about the cauldron? Or was it even the cauldron that garnered his interest?
‘... Well, this is bullshit.’ Ciemnosc thought as he could swear seeing the remains of ‘awareness’ within the cauldron…giggling. ‘Is it out of pity, shame, and as a ‘thank you hey’ for the laugh before becoming a pill that the herbs and plants…actually let these idiots think that this is how it works?’
Ciemnosc tilted his head to the right, slightly sandwiching it between a pair of slightly pale mounds of softest flesh. Sect master Yolin looked down at this head but, to the mouths agape of the crowd and threatening, murderous eyes of the sect master of the Self-Mutilating Honores Sect; she went back to looking at the cauldron…her pretty eyes flashing…tiny realizations.
“Guhaaww!” The old man suddenly shouted, at this moment, and directly took the lid and forced it up! The right hand of Radarf was now in the airway above his head and right above the cauldron’s mouth when a black pill suddenly came out of the cauldron and at such speed that not Ciemnosc nor even a Conflagrate realm cultivator could respond to with their minds.
Tuko! Swish- pa.
The pill was blocked from soaring into the heavens and becoming a butterfly or something, it was ricocheted back down and bounced in Radarf’s left palm before the old man could finally catch it and closed his fist before a second bounce occurred on it despite it naturally being a…problematic pill.
“Here it is! Take it! You have 49 seconds left already, kid.” Turning around in a hurry, the old man Radarf faced Ciemnosc and quickly stepped towards the little boy, but sect master Yolin stood before Ciemnosc and protected him with her left arm forming a one-arm blockade, enough to deter a mere another Obsidiafying realm 10th stage cultivator, let alone a Conflagrate realm one.
“It’s okay,” Ciemnosc lightly said, his left hand extending under sect master Yolin’s left armpit and catching that pill without any hurry, which disappointed Radarf, who was glad his hurried actions had bought him another 10 seconds or so from someone else’s intervention.
Even if that someone was already with her eyes wanting to murder him but not daring to, not here surrounded by way too many enemies waiting to get just a single reason.
“Hmm,” Ciemnosc stood with his back straight as he slowly took out a small cauldron barely about 10 inches tall, of a dull green color and more designed for decoration than for efficiency. Rotating the black pill with the five fingers of his left hand, his right one began to place a tiny piece of an ignitable rock beneath the small cauldron where a flame sparkled cutely and tiny.
“How is it, my Ciemnosc?” Sect master Yolin asked, her face furrowing, this time her sweat not being able to be receded nor hidden, especially with her face coming so close to his. So much that she even managed to get a scent of the black pill, dizzying her right away, she thought; ‘Just how powerful is the venom inside of it?!’.
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“It’s almost ready, oh, aaah~, so pretty.” Ciemnosc lifted his head from studying the black pill, his face coming just at another nose’s length from booping each other’s tip of their noses. He couldn’t help but sound his words from the bottom of his heart as she could see his irises and pupils shrinking to take in more of her image before his irises then dilated instead.
“Hmf, am I pretty?” Like a little girl, making everyone shocked to hear her words, and even sect master Holoriu looked as if he would really just kill Ciemnosc off right now only to be barely and in time stopped by grand ancestor Xing Kei, she added with her long eyelashes going down and remaining halfway up once. “If you think I am. Then don’t die…kid.”
Ciemnosc: (゜ ロ゜)
‘Couldn’t she have just skipped the ‘kid’ part? Where’s my honor? Mommy, I’m being bullied, I think…’ Ciemnosc thought, but his lips said in return to the seductive goddess-ly monster. “Illusions and enticing don’t work with me, sect master Yolin. But if you’d like, after playing around here for a while, you could…comfort me?”
Sect master Yolin: ( ‘◇’)
Pfssssssssssssssiiiieeeeeee~~.
“Oh, there it is.” To his rescue came the teapot-like sound of the small cauldron, indicating to his also heating up right hand, but that was still all too cold and fresh to anyone who touched him or grabbed him by the right hand with; that the pill he had been concocting all around without barely anyone’s notice was finished being concocted! Indeed!
“Ah???” Sect master Yolin indicated everyone’s thought process and exclamation with her little mouth going slightly more agape and her eyes shaking in slight shock and some discomfort even, a sense of foreboding seemingly getting to slip into her being only now…
“There, I’m about to put my antidote to the test, are you ready? Don’t miss it.” Ciemnosc suddenly stood up. Sect master Yolin followed up without much thinking and facing her body, all close up to his, in his direction without her knowing. Looking like a little girl trying to show her devotion towards him to her daddy and mommy so that they also like him like they like her…
“What?!” But Radarf, no longer having enough balls nor eyes to look at the beauty beside Ciemnosc, shouted out loud just when he was leaning over his hard-working cauldron. His eyes were almost bulging as he pointed with his right hand at Ciemnosc’s cute little face and couldn’t help but stammer in his words. “Ho- how could y-yu- you manage that? It has n-not even be- bee- been a full minute! No- a full 50 seconds!”
“I’m taking it in,” Ciemnosc said, looking at Radarf with eyes that simply just did not give a fuck about the old man, the one that he was about to get killed, and placed the black pill inside his mouth. Not bothering himself to taste it as it had too much mixing of herbs and it just wasn’t the same as the white tulip on its own, he gulped it down his throat to his tummy inside…
“Ciemnosc!!” Sect master Yolin directly wanted to grab his right hand and rip it off! How could he just take it without any preparation?! His Power Energy was even flowing slowly, and she could feel it by grabbing onto his wrist that it was even slowing down on purpose, and even purposely already slowed down!!
‘Just what are you trying to do? Why are you doing this?!’ Was all that sect master Yolin could think in her mind, looking at him with a breathtaking frown on her forehead that was to die for, though Ciemnosc already seemed to be up to the task as he began smoking murky brown mist from his ears and nostrils.
Ciemnosc looked down at the floor, sensing his body begin to churn and fight off the black pill’s instantly melted contents inside his body, his All-Devouring Force Chronicles weren’t being easily overpowered, but his organs, flesh, and even blood were beginning to be dried up, followed by the brutal burning of the same and even becoming nonexistent as it disappeared within his body.
He could feel it all, it was painful and slow yet quick at the same time - but… With his All-Devouring Force Chronicles, Ciemnosc was…regenerating the little pieces of churned organ tissue, bones, flesh, blood, veins, and water inside his body that was being consumed by its potent venom.
Though it was a plant, being called ‘venomous’ and even having a name containing ‘pure lips’ within it, it was naturally not a thing that could be used to understand or comprehend even just the basics with an ordinary person’s mindset.
In any case, within Ciemnosc’s body… He felt that his All-Devouring Force Chronicles that have been seemingly slumbering for the past few months… advanced by leaps and bounds without equal! Simply unmatched!!
“This is what you get kid, do not offend the grandmasters of cultivation in your next life, if you even have a soul after my creation destroys you!!” Venomously said the old man expert and renowned to be the top alchemist of the whole world to a little kid not even 11 years old.
“Hehe,” Ciemnosc suddenly giggled, however, despite the mist of murky brown making his image become that of a walking zombie or corpse. Yet, as he lightly seemed to be suffering from the inside with his skin slightly pale, he slowly took the murky red colored pill he just concocted and put it in his mouth. As it dissolved in his mouth a little bit, a stench of blood that made only the sect master of the Preferential Light Justice Sect be the one to not frown within the whole silent grand hall; he smiled and said towards the old man, but somehow still not really talking to him.
“You see, old man…I don’t like being screamed out.” With his smile growing fully, he closed his lips. And the blood that was at the corner of his lips was cleaned off by his bloody tongue, showing his expertise at cleaning blood on his skin despite already having blood on his tongue…
“...!” The old man, suddenly watching Ciemnosc do this, with his cute and sweet face, began feeling his sternum devoid of any nice feelings and even began to feel like throwing up. Like getting sick…as if… as if… he was an ordinary person!
“DIE!” Radarf suddenly shouted, but only took half a step forwards before ice cold became his legs, tied to the floor, and a long pike with a tiny blade at the other end of the shaft slowly growing and growing towards Radarf’s heart… Sect master Farno had a conflicted expression, his eyes darting around and seemingly weighing his options; sect master Holoriu instead had a face of being at ease despite the murder in his eyes. All ‘things’ seemed to have been met after all.
On the other hand, pastor Erquiles seemed to just enjoy the happenings, not even giving the already understood as ‘left for dead’ Ciemnosc another glance.
“...It’s okay, I don’t want you to kill someone for me. I like to kill my own prey.”
“!!?” From behind herself, sect master Yolin heard a quiet, soft, and calm tone, even somewhat ‘weakened’ and appearing to be dragged out. Looking back by turning her upper torso to the left, her pike was still moving forth towards Radarf’s heart. While Ciemnosc’s completely fine appearance appeared within her quickly, or slowly, dilating retinas.
“AHH! Help, HELP! Sect master Holoriu, please help me master! I’ll give all of my teachings and-”
“I said, let me kill him, okay?” Ciemnosc lifted his right hand and, fearlessly, moved sect master Yolin’s right arm holding the pike’s shaft entwined around her right arm further to the right and lower, avoiding hitting anybody but the icy pike with a palest light blue shaft and cold, powerful blue tiny blade at its other extreme in comparison to the whole shaft - extended to farther than 7 meters in the end before she recuperated her cool.
Her tiny blade was a pair of adjoined less wide crescent moons, one with its belly facing wherever the extreme of the pike was aimed and the other always to the ground, side, or sky.
“...” She still managed to say anything though it was only when she returned her head to face the old man that she noticed Ciemnosc holding her pike’s shaft, which she hurriedly took away from it with yet another nagging session. “Don’t touch it! This is dangerous for anyone who isn’t me! How could yo-...??”
She stopped when she saw that Ciemnosc’s right hand, other than seemingly being affected and turned slightly pale, was completely fine… Yet, as she was once more in a daze due to him, yet still fully aware of her surroundings, Ciemnosc walked past her and arrived next to the limbs-frozen old man.
“Here, this is my pill, since it is my turn and you seem helpless at the moment… I’ll give it to you myself.”
Standing in front of the silent Radarf, under sect master Farno’s ‘approving’ eyes, Ciemnosc spat out a blackish substance from within his body. It was slowly moving, even slower than magma but looked like simply black-colored water. As it came out of his mouth and fell, it stopped in midair with Ciemnosc quickly taking out his Steel Array Snakes and encompassing it in midair.
With the small cauldron appearing once more, also hovering in midair as the strange set of tube-like thingies of a tool he brought out without anyone understanding what it was or how it worked - Ciemnosc began concocting a pill inside the cauldron was only full of his blackish spit; right before closing the lid, Ciemnosc added a simple rose flower into it without a hint of an emotion in his eyes, face or demeanor.
Wong.
With a thumping sound, Ciemnosc covered the small cauldron with his arms. At once, the Steel Array Snakes created a vortex-like image of a black substance…but while everyone thought that this was an array to aid in one’s alchemy…they were in fact…not an array, but Ciemnosc’s ‘whip’.
“!!!”
“Could you cover his mouth? I don’t want him killing himself before I do it myself.” Ciemnosc asked, and with her right open hand aiming at the old man’s mouth, a bout of icy waves went over and slapped the shit out of Radarf before he could spill out what he felt since he was way too close to Ciemnosc and Ciemnosc himself wasn’t that much of a monstrous expert in hiding or stealth. Besides, Radarf’s cultivation was almost 2 whole realms above his own. There was nothing he could really hide from him from so up close.
It didn’t need much time for the pill to be concocted, merely 3 minutes later, about a tenth— much lesser in fact —than what Radarf took. And so, the black vortex disappeared and revealed a completely crushed cauldron.
Within it, as its pieces crumbled and slowly began to finally fall down, a pure, pitch-black smallish pill half the size of Ciemnosc’s pinky hovered in midair, moving up and down ever so slightly.
Taking it with his left-handed index and middle fingers, and without feeling an ounce of disgust, Ciemnosc inserted it into Radarf’s mouth, breaking apart the ice around his lips with the mere devouring that the smallish pitch black pill simply grazed forwards through the ice.
“!?!” Suddenly, the eyes of the old man went all black. And his nose expelled copious black matter, which to Ciemnosc and battle-hardened individuals, it smelled of organs, putrid and devoured organs where only its wastes were all that was left.
“Grrrrrhgghhh- GREUWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRLLL!!!!...”
Throwing his head backwards and facing the ceiling, the old man whose skin quickly dried up as if he was trying to breakthrough once again into the Conflagrate realm and the hair disappearing all over his body, he roared with the most intensity ever possibly imaginable - before falling short in a sudden cut of all noise… And movement.
…
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This is the end of Volume 1 — For You, Mommy.
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