I stood in front of the mirror, staring at my reflection, which was slightly distorted by the flickering candlelight in the room. My left hand worked to adjust the collar of my tunic, but it felt clumsy and unfamiliar. What was left of my right arm was tucked against my side, wrapped in fresh bandages.

It still throbbed, though less now.

“And that phoenix girl? She did nothing?” Behind me, Lilian worked swiftly, her fingers brushing against my shoulders as she helped fasten the dark overcoat. She spoke little since I’d come out of the shower, rather making me do all the talking, explaining the situation I'd encountered in the forest.

“It'd have been suicide for her to try and help. She left the fighting to me, as it was wise.” I said, watching her jaws clench.

“She could have taken some hits for you. She heals. You don't.”

“I raised my hand to stop her the few times she did try to enter the fight. It's not her fault.”

“....” The werewolf’s usually cheerful demeanor was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a heavy frown etched deeply into her face as she did her work.

I caught her eye in the mirror. A silence stretched between us, and at one point I couldn't help but ask, “Alright, Lilian. What’s wrong with you?”

She shook her head, her lips pressed into a thin line. “Nothing.”

I sighed internally. I didn’t push further. Lilian wasn’t one to admit her feelings so easily, especially when it came to worrying about me. She had shown some rare concern at the doorstep earlier, and that was a surprise. But the way her hands moved, the extra care she was putting into every little adjustment of my clothes, it was obvious she was troubled. I couldn’t blame her, not after what had happened. Losing an arm wasn’t something people just brushed off.

But we didn’t have time to dwell on that now.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” I muttered under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear. I saw her pause slightly but didn’t respond. She busied herself with the last button on my coat, avoiding my gaze.

A few moments passed in silence before she opened her mouth. But her words were cut off by the sound of knocks that broke the stillness. Lilian glanced toward the door, then back at me. I gave a small nod, and she quickly moved to open it. “Coming.”

When the door swung open, Riasmin, my older sister, rushed into the room. Her eyes immediately fell on me—on the stump where my arm used to be—and her face paled. She frowned and grumbled, and without a word, she crossed the room and wrapped me in a fierce hug, careful not to touch my injured side but still squeezing tightly enough that I felt her worry.

I stiffened, caught off guard by the intensity of her embrace. “Riasmin, I—”

“Shut up,” she whispered harshly, her voice trembling slightly as she buried her face in my shoulder. “Don’t say anything.”

I could feel her shaking, could hear the slight hitch in her breathing. She was trying to hold it together, but seeing me like this was breaking her. I let her hold on for a moment longer before gently pulling back. Her golden eyes were red, but she blinked rapidly, forcing the tears away as she stepped back to look me over.

“You… you should’ve been more careful,” she muttered, her voice strained. “This shouldn’t have happened! What am I going to say to Mom and Dad?”

“I don’t know,” I said softly, letting out a sigh. “I didn’t expect it either. It just happened in the heat of the moment.”

“I’ll contact Grandfather,” she said. “If it’s him, he can arrange the Saintess to come and-”

“She won’t,” I interrupted her. “She has a lot more crucial patients to see than some rich noble who lost his hand during battle,” I said, watching her scowl. She couldn’t argue. How could she? My words were the truth, the Saintess was a busy person, and she was not even in the Empire right now.

Although, in truth, the reason why I was pushing the suggestion away wasn’t because I was a nobleman too kind for his own good—it was because the Saintess would notice the traces of holy energy in the stump of my hand. Heck, she might just see right through my Demonic Qi even without that. It was simply not a good decision.

I did not plan to stay a cripple, but it’d take a while to regain this hand of mine. I’d have to endure till then.

Riasmin’s hands clenched into fists at her sides, and she took a deep breath before speaking again, her voice growing firmer. “...Fine. I’m going to find those demons, Iskandaar. The ones that did this to you. I’ll make them pay.”

I could see the fire in her eyes—my sister wasn’t just saying this out of obligation or familial duty. She meant every word. For a moment, I wondered how she’d feel if she knew I… wasn’t Iskandaar Romani, her brother who she grew up with, but I shoved those thoughts to the side. That was pointless.

To her eyes, I was her baby brother who had been a cripple until not long ago, someone she had protected since young, and now she was prepared to hunt down whatever creature she believed had hurt me.

The problem was, it wasn’t demons who had done this. It was Sir Likard, the dead Holy Knight who now existed only as a memory in my Soul Storage.

“I’m serious,” she continued, her voice rising slightly. “I’ve already joined the search party. We’re going out tomorrow, many of us—students, instructors, even some of the city guards. We’ll find whatever demon is out there, and we’ll put an end to this.”

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything just yet. She had no idea what had really happened, and that was for the best. As far as the academy was concerned, there was a demon on the loose. Not that it was false. If the world followed my game knowledge, those two should still be in the city.

“I hope you do,” I said finally, meeting her gaze. “Be careful, though. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Her expression softened slightly, and she laughed. “Me? I’ll be fine,” she assured me. “And as I said, I’m not going alone. Don’t worry about me and just rest, alright?”

I nodded again, falling silent. Something had been nagging at the back of my mind, and I couldn’t help but voice it out. “By the way… where’s Iaskin? I thought he’d come with you.”

Her face clouded over at the mention of our middle brother, and for a moment, I thought she wouldn’t answer. But after a brief hesitation, she sighed. “He’s on a mission,” she said quietly. “Went out with some of his friends a few days ago. It’s nothing major, although I am unaware of the details, but he’s been busy with it.”

I held back a frown. Iaskin was always quick to visit when something happened. The fact that he hadn’t even shown up… How far have his allegations with that group proceeded? This is not good. I didn’t get a chance to focus on him due to all the stuff around me, but at this rate, things will be too late. I need to meet him when he returns.

“He’ll come to see you as soon as he’s back,” Riasmin added quickly, perhaps taking my silence for sadness that he couldn’t make time to see me. “You know how he is. He probably doesn’t even know what’s happened yet.”

I forced a small smile. “Yeah… I guess so.”

There was a brief silence, an invisible hanging between us. Finally, I reached out and squeezed Riasmin’s arm gently. “Thanks for coming. I appreciate it.”

She looked away, muttering, “What’s the point in coming when it’s too late…” She sighed and then looked back, her eyes softening. “Get some rest. You need to recover.”

“I will,” I lied.

She lingered for a moment longer before giving a small nod and turning toward the door. The door closed behind her, and as soon as she was gone, Lilian stepped back into the room, looking at me.

“You wanna rest?” she asked. “I thought we were going somewhere.”

“We are,” I said, turning to her. “Grab me two dark robes. We need to be sneaky.”

****

The night in Waybound was thick and heavy with the kind of silence that made the air feel colder than it was. We moved quickly, our dark robes flowing as Lilian walked beside me, her steps light but cautious. Her eyes scanned the streets, though we both knew there wasn’t much to see at this hour. The city was alive with its usual hum of magic, but the shadows were deeper tonight, thicker.

The lanterns cast long, flickering shadows across the cobblestones, their light unable to pierce the gloom that seemed to hang over the place.

We passed the towering buildings, their intricate designs glowing faintly with arcane sigils, magic woven into every stone. The city itself pulsed with life, a hum of energy beneath everything, like a constant reminder that we were never truly alone here.

“And the dogs kept running away,” I shrugged, keeping my tone casual. “It was weird. We kept chasing them again and again, but they kept fleeing.”

Lilian glanced at me, her expression placid and hard to read. “It's because of the [Mark] of my grandmother… She’s the peak of all canine creatures; most dogs will rather jump off a cliff than fight you.”

“Oh,” I blinked. That sounded… easy to believe. Why did I not figure that out? I should have been able to figure that out by myself.

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“I am not curious about that stuff,” Lilian said, her brow furrowed. “Tell me the rest of the stuff that happened during the fight.”

I sighed, not wanting to dive into it now. “I already told you. Most of it, anyway. I don’t think we should talk about that in public. Even if we’re hiding our face, it’s the magical city of Waybound, we can’t even trust the walls here.”

She shot me a look, skeptical. “Most of it isn’t enough. I wanna know everything. I wanna know why those two didn’t step in and just watched. But… fine. We’ll talk about this later.”

I didn’t answer. She was being stubborn. I could understand why she was mad that those girls didn’t jump in to help, but it was because I told them not to. They were not as strong as Lilian, they couldn’t have made a difference. I hope she won't cause a fuss out of this.

I held back a sigh of worry. Deciding to distract myself, I decided to re-check the Ascension Quest that I had received upon touching Level 39. I wouldn’t be able to advance to Level 40 without completing it. I pulled up the message again, and it showed me a name that made my stomach tighten just thinking about it.

[Ascension Quest: Survive the encounter with the Trollkin, Vrakrith.]

Vrakrith Bloodroot. One of the Savage Seven, the group right under the Four Heavenly Generals in terms of importance in the Demon King’s army. His name stirred a sense of dread in me, though not fear. He was stupidly strong, but the ‘stupid’ part is a bit more literal. He wasn’t smart at all.

Winning might be hard, but I could survive him if I played cautiously. The problem was, he wasn’t alone here. His smart-ass dark-elf partner was with him, and together they could be trouble.

Trollkins were powerful, but Vrakrith was something more. His regeneration made him nearly impossible to kill, and his incredible strength made him even more dangerous. Coming out into the city made the chance of encountering him more. I’d have rather stayed back at the dorm if possible.

But unfortunately, such a quest showing up meant I’d end up meeting him no matter how much I tried to avoid him, it was inevitable. Reality will actively try to make this happen. I might encounter him any time now, but hopefully, I'll be ready when the time comes.

Lilian’s voice broke through my thoughts. “By the way, where are we going?”

“Solara’s house,” I replied, keeping my tone steady despite the weight in my chest.

Lilian looked back at me in surprise. “She owns a house in the capital city? I thought the Fenixia family was done for.”

“They’ve lost a lot, but they’re still technically a duchy,” I said. “On paper, at least. The house we’re going to is basically abandoned. I was thinking of renting a mansion for today, but thankfully Solara had this place free to use.”

“Lucky,” After that, she didn’t say anything; she just kept walking beside me, her steps falling in line with mine. We moved in silence for a while, passing by more towering buildings, each one with glowing runes etched into its walls, their faint light casting strange patterns on the ground.

The magic in the air was almost tangible, like a soft hum beneath everything. Waybound was always alive with power, but tonight, it felt different. It felt darker. I knew it was all in my head, though. Because I felt a little nervous about the stuff I was going to do tonight.

We reached the noble district soon enough.

Solara’s mansion stood at the edge, hidden behind high gates and overgrown hedges. It was large and imposing and yet, somehow, forgotten. It was the kind of house that still held on to its old glory, even as the world moved on without it.

There was no one guarding it, there was nobody awake in the near vicinity. It was almost like a haunted neighborhood, and I only knew that someone was inside because of the lights coming from inside. The gate creaked open as I pushed it, and we walked through the yard in silence.

The grass was wild and unchecked, a mirror of the neglect that had crept into the Fenixia family. I promised her to revive her family so that one day, this place would flourish again. The house itself loomed before us, its dark windows reflecting the faint light of the moon.

“I’ll knock,” Lilian said and stepped forward. But before she could knock, the door swung open. Solara stood on the other side, her face pale, her wings hidden beneath a cloak. Sweat beaded her forehead, and her usual calm demeanor had been replaced by something far more anxious.

“Come in,” she said quietly, stepping aside.

We entered the mansion, the door closing softly behind us. The inside was dimly lit, shadows pooling in the corners of the grand hall. It felt old, forgotten. The smell of dust clung to the air, mixed with something darker. Something… wrong. I knew what it was.

“Nobody followed you, right?” Solara asked as she led us deeper into the house, her pace quick, urgent. She moved with purpose, her footsteps echoing off the stone floors as she guided us through a hidden passageway behind a dusty bookshelf.

“Nobody did,” I said confidently. My Demonic Sphere made sure of that. “Did you draw the runes as I instructed you to? Otherwise, the energy will leak outside.”

“I did. You can make sure of it soon,” she said as we approached a narrow staircase that descended into the depths of the mansion. We followed her down without a word. The further we went, the thicker the air became, heavy with the scent of blood.

Lilian wrinkled her nose, her voice low. “What is that smell?”

“Just keep moving,” I muttered, not bothering to reassure her. If she couldn’t tell, despite her sensitive nose, the runic array was working. Although it must still smell ‘weird’ for her to react that way. Hopefully not enough to attract too much interest from outside.

Soon, we approached a door that was letting out a red light from within. From the hallway, I could see letters written outside the door, on the door, and on the walls.

The protection array that hid Demonic Qi from being sensed from outside was active, the red sigils luminous. I had figured these letters out over the last months of errors and tried. I had a blurry image from the game in my head. It was a really hard task.

“Those letters,” Lilian muttered from beside me, “isn’t it from that weird thing you were drawing before? What is it doing here?”

“Treat it as a protection rune,” I replied. Runes and Arrays were quite similar.

As much as I loved Chronicles of the Heavenly Demon God, I hadn’t memorized the old Chinese letters that made the arrays in the game. It was just a game, after all. But I did know Mandarin due to having been to China before for a few fights, and so I recalled some of the words from the array. It was lucky, really. I had to figure out the rest of the words over trials during the last few months.

We stepped through the door into a wide chamber, the walls lined with more array sigils, lighting up the room in an ominous red glow. There were shelves filled with ancient tomes and artifacts that lined the walls, catching our attention. It must have been a hard task to draw the array with all those obstacles, but these two girls had managed to do it. Given I had provided them with a paper with the entire array drawn, and they just had to copy it, it was still impressive.

The centerpiece of the room, the thing that drew our attention, was not the array, though. It was the massive metallic green bowl in the center. There was a fire below it, and blood boiled within it, thick and dark, swirling with a life of its own. The bodies of monsters lay dried around the room, their blood drained and added to the bowl.

image [https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXes7-FSYKwNKgretPKXdLJRfzW8MAQ3pzEeAXkUsKiqMZ8dF-3z0DuHlMU6JWBfyVVmnz36X21aOEXxqR4bOjJvgM5FSh9DpjZkQzE57cXM100d4Fw-sxpKaKr2JPmxyTX8sZ0iMuw4Q2mkgab5c8JjJfPe?key=smRpgRCVFoe3zHUn_oyZcA]

Nebula stood by the bowl, her white hair plastered to her forehead with sweat. Her hands were outstretched, blood swirling in the air as she directed it into the container. Her eyes flicked up when we entered, exhaustion clear in her gaze.

“They’re here,” Solara said to Nebula, who was too focused to look at us.

“Yeah…” she said, her voice strained.

The reason Nebula and Solara weren’t by my side when I exited the infirmary wasn’t because they couldn’t be bothered to, but because they were busy with this task I had given them. She was curious about my secret, and even Solara was curious about what exactly I was. I was going to answer them both today, and I was glad they had made it easy for me to show them.

“Everything looks good,” I nodded at Nebula, stepping forward. “Thanks for doing this. I know I haven’t explained everything yet, but you still decided to help. You’ll receive your answers, although I’ll be showing you instead of talking.”

She looked at me, blue eyes locking on mine. She looked pretty with her face sweaty, eyes filled with doubt and curiosity, as she slowly nodded. I then reached into my Soul Storage, pulling out the body of Sir Likard. The large body appeared on the ground with a dull thud, the lifeless weight of it filling the room with a new heaviness.

“The Holy Knight…” Lilian looked at it, a dark look crossing her eyes.

Nebula stared at it for a moment before looking up at me. I nodded, and she sighed. She wordlessly raised her hand, and a trickle of blood rose from the cut on Sir Likard’s neck. Her magic pulled the blood from his body as she had done with the monsters. It swirled through the air and joined the boiling mass in the bowl. It was filled to the brim as we watched.

By the time she finished, all that remained of the Holy Knight was a hollow skeleton wrapped in his golden armor. It was a sad sight, indeed. I felt a sour taste in my mouth, however I didn’t let it bother me. He tried to kill me. If he had succeeded, my dead body would have faced a worse fate than his. I didn’t plan to do this the first time I saw the knight, for mixing holy blood on a demonic concussion sounded stupid, but I had corrupted his body.

Although another Holy Knight might be able to tell the truth, he was a demonic human as far as the ritual was concerned. Now, I had to figure out a way to deal with his body. I couldn’t just leave it here. What if the Church tracked it somehow? I had to think of something.

After the process was done, Nebula’s face twisted with discomfort as she wiped the sweat from her brow. “I don’t like this…” she looked at me and said.

I could understand why. Even I felt weird. I opened my mouth to console her, but before I could respond, Lilian’s voice cut through the air, sharp and angry. “You don’t like this?! You’re the reason he lost his arm! This is your fault! As much as it is the fault of this gold bastard. And you say you don’t like this?!”

The pressure in the room bubbled up harshly. Lilian glared at Nebula, and an invisible tension crackled between them, the air growing thick with accusations. Nebula looked down, scratching her arm, unable to defend herself. “I didn’t mean it like that…”

“You…” Lilian grumbled. She couldn’t bring herself to attack the poor girl again when she didn’t even have the spirit to argue.

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Lilian, enough,” I said firmly, cutting through the growing hostility. This wasn’t the time. Lilian huffed and looked away, and Nebula stayed silent.

Solara glanced between us, her expression on the edge of panic. Just like me, she didn’t want a fight to break out. Before things could escalate again, she urged me. “Let’s not waste any time, Iskandaar. It’s better to be done with this fast.”

I nodded, stepping forward and beginning to remove my robe. It wasn’t easy, I found it difficult. The movements were clumsy without my right arm. Nebula looked up and moved to help, but before she could reach me, Lilian stepped in front of her, her voice cold. “I’m his maid,” she snapped, taking over.

Solara sighed while Nebula remained silent. I closed my eyes and held back a comment, letting her undress me in quick, efficient movements. I didn’t like it. The tension between them was too much, but I had no energy to deal with it right now.

Once stripped down to my pants, I climbed into the bowl. I put a leg inside first and immediately hissed. I clenched my teeth. The blood sizzled against my skin, the heat unbearable. I forced myself to stay calm as the pain radiated through me.

“Are you alright?” Solara asked, her voice tight with worry. “It’s quite hot, and you know it’s going to grow even hotter. Iskandaar…” she hesitated. “For the last time, are you sure you want to do this?”

I looked at her. “I have no choice,” I said, tapping into my skill [Inner Focus]. I spread Demonic Qi over my entire body and put my other leg into the boiling blood. Slowly, I sat down in the bowl. My mind remained focused, enduring the pain and spreading demonic energy throughout my body.

All this for the Heavenly Demon Body.

Slowly, I let the blood envelop me, submerging deeper into the boiling liquid as I looked at the ceiling, feeling my body boil. “Start,” I said to Solara, whose flames engulfed me a moment later.