An amorphous identity is all that is left if you hide behind the faces of others.
~Manannan, God of the Sea & Weather
Appearing inside the temple-like room, Crow sensed his people upstairs moving around in pairs. Except for Otto, who was standing near the gate of the front courtyard. Glancing at the pillar with the Fireheart Oak, he felt his consciousness drawn into it. It was such a smooth and seamless transition that it left him stunned. The building and surrounding area were under his control, and it felt like he was a god of this domain. The feeling was eerily similar to his Soulscape, which only confused the situation even more.
“What is this?” Crow muttered. The intruders, the people here with sinister intent, were like red glowing beacons, and his allies were sparks of bright light.
A warning triggered in his mind when Mara and Song Lin entered a room, which brought his consciousness closer to the scene. The entire room, even hidden compartments, was exposed to his sight. The girls didn’t realize there was a false wall with two men waiting behind it to ambush them.
“Behind the bookshelf,” Crow said and felt his voice carried across the wooden structure until all that was left was a whisper that they could hear. They responded quickly. Song Lin held up a vial of caustic-looking poison, and Mara’s Void Penetrating Needles dipped into it before disappearing. Screams came from the other side of the fake wall, and the two guards pushed their way out, but their faces had already turned black before they fell dead before the two women.
The entire sequence of events was smooth as if they’d practiced for years. Really, it was a foundation built on trust and understanding each other’s abilities. It was a tacit understanding that brought their cooperation to another level. Even Crow felt slightly envious of their actions.
“Crow? Where are you?” Mara asked.
“Downstairs. The building has some kind of security formation that I’ve activated. Two more guards down the hall and to the left. They heard the screams and are coming your way.”
“Song Lin…” Crow wanted to console her but didn’t know if this was a time for tough love or a softer hand.
“I love you, Crow. But you must know that I am not as soft as you think,” Song Lin replied. “I cherish life but will not show mercy to those that don’t. These men had a thick murderous aura and deserved their deaths. I just wish we could have ended them sooner and saved more lives.”
“I’ve never thought of you as weak. Out of all of us, I believe you are the bravest. You’ve been tormented by a life of pain, and you still choose to fight for the good of others.”
“He’s right,” Mara said. “We don’t shield you because we think you need it. Sometimes you flat out scare the shit out of me. We protect you because no matter how bad things get, you are our light in the darkness. If we lost you to the darkness, what hope do we all have?”
“Do we have to do this now?” Song Lin felt her eyes burning with almost two decades of unshed tears. Mara rubbed her shoulder, and her hand flicked out. She didn’t need to confront the two approaching guards to deal with them. Their screams faded following two solid thunks as their bodies fell to the ground.
“I Got it. Check on the others,” Mara said.
Drifting around the surrounding areas, he guided the others, but none of them walked into any danger like those two did. Faelan was impressive, and Crow couldn’t help but follow her around for a few minutes. He had started teaching both the Song sisters his Ghosting ability because of their affinity toward Cold Qi. Surprisingly, Song Lin took to it much easier than Song Xue did. It didn’t take him long to realize it was because she was an Alchemist, so her Spirit was more robust than Song Xue. Either way, watching Faelan ghosting through walls to take down enemies was frightening. He briefly wondered if he created a monster.
“Your ghosting skills are a damn cheat,” Mara grumbled when Faelan killed a guard right in front of her.
Faelan laughed. “You can warp anywhere within a kilometer of here, and you think phasing is a cheat?”
Mara gave her a sheepish look and laughed it off, but she did have a point. While they were discussing it, a guard came strolling around the corner toward them, but then he stopped and stared. He just stood there, not moving for several long seconds until Mara and Faelan looked at each other in confusion.
“Is he… okay?” Mara asked, feeling stupid asking it.
“I…” Faelan had no reply. Both women were stumped.
Only Crow, who was observing, knew what happened and started chuckling. The man’s body fell over and broke into frozen chunks. Behind him was Song Lin with Mosquito, a weapon she asked Crow to help her find or make. In the end, he paid a lot to have it created. It was a knife with a hollow chamber in the blade, and she could put three vials in the hilt. Using formations, she could choose which vial to activate, and it’d inject the contents into whatever she stabbed.
Curious, he asked why she wanted the thing. Song Lin explained how imbibing a potion or poison was slower than directly injecting it into the bloodstream. She wanted a weapon that would act as an accelerant. At the time, he thought he was indulging her and being a good husband, but seeing the effects now, he suddenly felt a chill down his spine.
Mara and Faelan looked at each other and then back at Song Lin. Their conflicting expressions made Crow laugh even harder. By this time, they could all hear him.
“Is that bastard spying on us?” Faelan asked.
“He is,” Mara nodded but pointed at Song Lin. “But are we going to talk about the elephant in the room?”
“It is probably best we don’t anger her,” Faelan said, and both women sagely noded. “However, big sister, that is really gross. Even his organs popped out of his stomach like ice cubes. That’s just not right.”
Song Lin smiled and pretended like it had nothing to do with her.
“Was she always this shameless?” Mara whispered to Faelan.
“Are you joking? Do you not remember what happened at the Subterranean Shores? Crow and her… argh, still makes me mad!”
Mara’s mouth fell open, and then she burst out laughing. “I just realized sister Lin’er is way more interesting than I thought.”
“They are all dead. Meet me in the library. The biggest room in the middle,” Crow’s voice was heard by everyone. A few minutes later, they were all gathered. When he was linked to the building, this place had a mysterious vibe to it, and now that he was here, it was even more interesting.
The bookshelves didn’t exist as far as his Mana Sense was concerned. However, he could clearly see hundreds of books scattered on the illusory shelves throughout the room. He felt the books only when he used the hand with the wooden ring. His other hand passed right through as if they were made of mist.
Grabbing hold of one, he was about to pull it out of the shimmering barrier, but Nin grabbed his arm and stopped him. Crow didn’t resist her because he knew she wouldn’t act unless it was necessary.
“Wait. Look at the other books and the shelves. They all faded when you grabbed that book.”
Crow frowned and tried to use his Mana Sense again to see if there was a formation but couldn’t detect anything. It meant that whatever was happening was beyond his level to see.
“It has the tower’s scent. I’d guess it’s a reward array arranged by the tower. Is that the book you want because I’m pretty sure you won’t get to choose another.”
Since he couldn’t use his abilities to see the formation underneath, he would have to test the old fashion way. Putting the book down, the shelves and books brightened, but it was so minor that it was easy to miss. Grabbing another book, he saw everything diminish. Even manipulating the book so he could see the spine or the contents was not allowed.
Stolen novel; please report.
“I got nothing. Any idea how to choose?” Crow asked everyone.
“Any idea how to choose?”
Nin walked around the room, scanning the books, and finally stopped at a tome.
“This one.”
“Are you just spouting nonsense?” Mara asked. The relationship among the women had grown much stronger over the last year. Their way of communicating had become highly informal, and they attempted to embarrass Crow at every turn. Outsiders wouldn’t understand and might even find their banter rude and demeaning. Crow knew better. It was because they were close.
They were no longer shy with each other, and it opened up a lot of awkward conversations that Crow had to sit through. They even analyzed each other’s bodies—either way, he was glad they had accepted each other. Their family was odd and weird, but it somehow worked. They even treated Otto like their big brother and Acco like the loser little brother they could pick on—they were merciless, and Crow almost pitied the guy.
“Not nonsense. I’m a dragon, and we have an innate ability to sense treasure. That book is definitely a treasure.”
Crow grabbed the book and pulled it out. He believed her and chose to be decisive and take it. The shelves dimmed, and the library essentially deactivated when the tome exited the formation.
Pain shot up his hand, and he hissed while turning it over to look at the back of it. Dark brown lines were twining their way up his arm. It looked like thin thorny vines were sliding under his skin, but he knew the markings were only surface deep. After the initial surge, the pace it grew had slowed down. Crow thought about it and did some rough estimates based on the growth rate—he had three days before it reached his Shield. Based on Kitten’s testimony and memories, it appeared the three-day deadline was legit.
“What is that?” Song Lin asked.
“Guess it’s time to talk about everything…” Crow said.
“Oh, yeah, that too,” Song Lin said, her guilty eyes locked on the book in his hand.
“Pfft,” Mara tried not to laugh, but she saw the book’s title. Nin joined her, and before long, all the girls were laughing. Crow felt the corners of his lips twitch in annoyance. How the fuck was this a reward?
“What book?” Otto asked.
“Spiritual Tailor and Embroiderer,” Mara gasped. Her laughter kept infecting the others, and at this point, they weren’t laughing at the book but because Mara was like a plague of laughter. Even Otto was chuckling.
“Tower joke,” Otto said, making Mara laugh even harder. “Make clothes. Not naked!”
“Fine, laugh it up,” Crow said, unable to stop smiling at her goofy laugh. After reading the intro, though, his irritation switched to shock. “Woah, this really is a treasure!”
The girls finally noticed Crow’s strange mood crowded around him.
“What does that symbol mean?” Song Lin asked. The others didn’t fully understand what they were reading, but Song Lin was like him when it came to studying and learning. She understood most of it and felt that Crow wasn’t wrong.
“Using those mana-processed threads, the clothes will self-repair if you embroider those runes. If I’m reading this right, it’s possible to create metallic threads, weave them together, and create composite armor. This is genius,” Crow explained absently.
“Memorize it,” Song Lin said. “I want this. But do it after explaining what is going on with your hand.”
Crow told them what was happening and the things he discovered. Once he said everything that needed to be said, he looked at all of them.
“I’m on this path, and I can’t diverge. I need you all to continue climbing. Keep strengthening your foundations and getting stronger. Listen to Song Lin on this, and you won’t go astray. Otto, Nin, and Lily—”
Lily shook her head and tapped him on the nose to ensure he was paying attention. She tapped on his chest a moment later and indicated that she wouldn’t leave him. After a few more gestures, he understood what she wanted to say.
“I didn’t follow all that,” Mara said what the others were thinking.
“She is saying that she wouldn’t be as useful to all of you. And I agree with her,” Nin said. “She intends on staying with Crow. Even if she can’t leave the Soulscape, she can be moral support. They should still be able to communicate. I understand why you want to send me away, but you know how much that will hurt me, right? Our yearning isn’t something a dragon submits to willingly.”
“It isn’t fair to you, I know that,” Crow said. “But with you and Otto protecting everyone, it’ll give me peace of mind to finish this trial and get back to you. You know I’d do anything for you, but I’m begging you to keep them safe.”
“Anything?”
Crow suddenly felt afraid. “Yes…?”
Nin gave him a toothy smile, and Crow stepped back.
“Remember what you promised.”
“Now for the bad news,” he said, and everyone perked up. “The people targeting us are from the Unhulde Sect.”
“Never heard of them,” Mara said.
“If you had, I’d have been surprised,” Crow replied. “They are Hex practitioners. The man who tortured me was called Hubert.”
“Explains why he became a torturer,” Song Xue said. Which shocked everyone because she usually was more reserved.
“Oh, that’s not the worst part,” Crow grinned at her. “His nickname was Starfish—”
“Your face isn’t good,” Song Lin interrupted. “Are you sure we should hear this?”
“Even if it isn’t, he can’t stop now. No way. I want to know why he was called Starfish!” Mara shook her head adamantly, not letting this slide. Song Lin sighed because she roughly knew what it meant.
“Well…” Crow looked at Song Lin and hesitated, but she just nodded at him to continue. “When he first joined the sect, there was a party with a lot of alcohol. He tried to bed a woman by telling her that his butt hole looked like a starfish. She nearly beat him to death. Ha!”
“Hehe,” Otto and Crow cackled, but the girls gave them dumbfounded looks. The longer they stared, the faster Crow’s smile withered. “Err, back to business.”
“Isn’t our situation the same as before? Avoid the Hex Vodun—I’m guessing they are after the Python’s Tongue?” Nin asked.
“No, sort of, and yes. Unhulde Sect has Hex practitioners, but the Vodun only make up part of them. There are also necromancers, witches, occultists, and more. Knowing what I do now, it’s best if we just collectively call any evil cultivator Hexen. Hex used to be what Witches called mana, but I don’t think that made them evil.” Crow explained and thought about his own mother. Some of them knew she was a Witch, but Crow could remember his mother calling her spells Hex magic a few times. It had confused him, but this information finally cleared some of that confusion. “A Witch Coven led by Habazussa founded Unholde. Based on what Starfish knew about her, I believe she might have been a Draoidh goddess called Cailleach, otherwise known as the Veiled Hag of Winter.”
“I’m lost. Was she evil or not? The Druid gods all fought to protect Tuatha De Danann, and she is prominent in many of our teachings,” Mara had done her research. Crow knew she appeared lazy and playful on the surface, but he remembered their time at the Triskelion Archives fondly. She worked just as hard, if not harder, than he did. Her ditz-like facade was just one of her methods to protect herself.
“Let’s not get sidetracked by the dividing line between good and evil. Morality is tricky because sometimes, people are forced to commit evil deeds for the greater good. It isn’t as black and white as we’d like to believe,” Song Lin said, her voice revealing her inner turmoil.
Crow knew she was thinking about choices she made when she fled everything she knew while carrying her newborn sister with her. Even though Nin was older, everyone considered Song Lin the eldest. She shouldered more responsibility and listened to their issues without complaint. Only recently, she opened up to Crow and let me know more of her struggle.
“She’s right,” Crow said, putting his hand on her shoulder. It was the only way he knew to comfort her. “But the current Unhulde Sect is very much evil. Whether that was its original intent isn’t something we are qualified to judge. Based on what Starfish knew, there are many clans from Litavis within their sect, including—not just the Vodun.”
(AN: Litavis is Crow’s home planet. I can’t remember if I mentioned before this. He is from the northern continent of Darach, which I know I’ve mentioned.)
“Even the Druids?” Mara asked.
“From what I understand, our cultivation is unique. Anyone that tries to subvert it for evil may do so, but the mana inside deviates. It is an inherent curse underlying our method, turning them into the Rootless. You could claim they are Hex, but they don’t seem themselves that way. Most Rootless believe they’re more like hybrid Daemons. But to answer your question, the Rootless cooperate with Unhulde.”
“So all Rootless were once Druids?” Song Lin asked, and internally, she was a little shocked. She always assumed they were a human hybrid until now. Their origins were not what she expected.
“Yes, and no. I’ve recently found out that the Rootless can breed. The original offenders were Druid, but the tribes that exist now… it is hard to say. Like you said, defining evil is complicated, and prejudice is the hardest of all things to overcome.”
“Let’s end this,” Faelan broke into the conversation. “Crow has limited time, and we can debate these things later. Let me know if I missed anything as I reiterate the main points. You are going to a trial of your ancestors—or so we hope. The Hex Vodun informed the Unhulde Sect that you have the Python’s Tongue. That means they are hunting us. You have the location of a treasure trove we need to claim. As for the blackmail, I say we skip that. Between the Unhulde and Crow’s limited time, it isn’t worth it.”
“Well said,” Mara nodded appreciatively. She knew Song Xue went through some hellish training when she was in the Sky Torn sect and felt a little guilty since she strolled around the tower with Crow during that time. Otto mentioned a few things, but Song Xue eventually told them about her master and the brutal training he put her through. “I vote we skip the blackmail. The treasure trove should be good enough. However, I worry that stealing from the Unhulde Sect might cause problems.”
“Nin,” Crow looked over at the little dragon girl. “Use your people to spread the rumor that I have the tongue and mention that a wooden ring attached itself to me, and I disappeared with it. Keep it vague. That should keep them focused on finding me. After you rob the trove, everyone uses their Keystone teleport, and Nin dragon fire the place until it’s slag. That should throw them off.”
“And the bank manager?”
“I’ll take care of that before I leave,” Crow smiled. He’d go in as Starfish and drain the place.
“Mana Crystals?” Faelan asked. Crow could tell from her eyes that she understood his intent.
“Exactly. These hidden realms are dangerous, and I’ll need to be prepared. I’m worried there won’t be enough mana to cultivate.”
“Save the gold for me!” Nin’s greedy eyes and toothy smile had them all chuckling. A dragon’s nature would never change.