I found minute traces of poison throughout her entire body, infused into her being. While it was mostly concentrated in her blood, it also was infused into her flesh, her internal organs, her very bones. It was the same poison that almost killed Corie when we fought the Black Wolf Gang on the road to Rosewood City. I thought I had gotten rid of all of it back then, when I used the Purge the Unclean technique. It looked like I hadn’t.
The traces were weak enough that they wouldn’t kill Corie. In fact, the poison seemed benign. It didn’t hurt her at all. However, according to Corie, her blood killed those two plants. That meant that while the poison didn’t harm her, that same couldn’t be said for other living beings. While the traces weren’t powerful enough to kill a human being, even a mortal, they were enough to kill plants.
This was…strange. I had never seen anything quite like this before, though I had seen similar phenomena. Back on Spirit Earth I encountered spirit beasts with poisonous blood running through their veins. I also encountered cultivators who specialized in poison, and could even turn their body fluids into poison using special techniques.
Corie’s situation was different because she hadn’t been born like this, and the poison wasn’t the result of a technique she used. Her body integrated the poison into itself after she almost died from it. Was this a one-time thing, or was it the result of some kind special constitution of hers? If it was the latter, had she inherited it somehow, or was she unique in that regard?
How come I hadn’t noticed this before? I thought back on it. The only reason I noticed it now was because I took a closer look at Corie’s body. And the only reason why I did that was because some of her blood dripped onto a plant. If that hadn’t happened, it might have taken even longer to notice the poison infused into Corie’s being.
“What’s wrong?” Corie asked, interrupting my thoughts. She wore a worried expression on her face.
“Nothing’s wrong, per se,” I said, speaking the words with care. “You have poison in your body.”
Corie blinked at me.
“What do you mean I have poison in my body?” she asked.
“I meant what I said. You have poison in your body. I don’t know much clearer about that I can get.”
She looked at me for several long moments.
“Didn’t you just say nothing was wrong?” she exclaimed. “I’m poisoned! That’s the very definition of something’s wrong!”
Corie jumped to her feet and looked around in a panic.
“Do you have an antidote in here? The sooner we get rid of this poison, the better.”
I remained sitting on the floor.
“Corie.”
She ignored me and rummaged through my potions cabinet.
“Corie.”
“Where are the antidotes?” She looked back at me. “You have antidotes, right?”
“Corie!” I pointed to the floor in front of me. “Sit down. I told you, nothing is wrong. If you will let me finish, I’ll tell you why that is.”
Corie looked at me, her eyes wide with fear.
“How can nothing be wrong? You just told me I was poisoned!”
“Sit down and I’ll explain. Trust me.”
She hesitated for several more seconds, before she listened and sat back down in front of me.
“The reason why nothing is wrong, at least as far as I can tell, is that the poison seems benign. It’s there, but it isn’t harming you in any way.” I frowned. “It’s the poison that almost killed you when we fought the Black Wolf Gang on the road to Rosewood City. It must have been lingering inside you this entire time. Frankly, I’m surprised we hadn’t noticed it until now.” I paused. “Well, not quite. You noticed it, or at least you noticed something was different, but you didn’t know what exactly.”
Corie swallowed, still looking nervous.
“So, what’s going to happen to me?” she asked. “Am I going to die?”
I shook my head.
“No. As I said, the poison isn’t harming you in any way.” I shrugged. “If anything, you might even consider something like this a boon.”
Corie gave me an incredulous look.
“How is something like this a boon? I have poison in my body!”
“Exactly. You have poison in your body. With the right techniques, you can use that poison for your own ends.”
Not that I knew too many techniques that involved poison. I knew a few, but most of them involved curing or purging any poisons within one’s body. Using poison was outside of my wheelhouse.
However, now that I thought about it, Corie’s situation reminded me of a special body cultivation technique that I read about back on Spirit Earth. I read the manual for this technique and memorized it out of curiosity, but I never considered practicing it. The technique was dangerous and risky, with a high chance of killing its practitioners.
This technique also had a poor reputation back on Spirit Earth. Its practitioners tended to be, well, evil. Righteous cultivators preferred to not use poison as a weapon. While this technique wasn’t demonic, it was certainly unorthodox.
“I don’t know if I want to use poison,” Corie muttered. “I mean, how would I even use it? I’m an archer. Isn’t poison the weapon of cowards and assassins?”
“You could dip the tips of your arrows in poison,” I pointed out. “You might even be able to integrate this poison into the Spirit Arrow technique, once you master it of course.”
What would that be called? Poison Arrow? Poison Spirit Arrow? Spirit Poison Arrow?
“Huh,” Corie said, looking thoughtful. “I hadn’t thought of it like that.” She frowned. “But how did this happen? Why?”
“I’m not too sure,” I said. “This isn’t something I encountered before. It could be a one-time phenomena that occurred as a result of those particular circumstances. Or you might have some sort of special constitution that allows you to integrate poisons into your body.”
Corie stared at me.
“Something like that is possible?” she asked.
“Oh yes,” I said with a smirk. “The world is a strange place. It's filled with all kinds of quirks and mysteries that don’t fit into the neat little boxes we like to put everything into. There are just some things that defy categorization.”
I paused before I continued. A part of me wanted to keep the special body cultivation a secret. It was dangerous to practice after all, and I cared about Corie’s wellbeing. Not only was she my disciple, but she was my friend. She could get herself killed if she practiced this technique.
On the other hand, keeping it a secret from her might also hobble her and keep her from reaching her true potential. It was dangerous, but powerful. While it wasn’t necessary to achieve immortality by practicing both spiritual cultivation and body cultivation, those who practiced both had a distinct advantage over those who didn’t.
In the end, I decided to tell Corie about the special body cultivation technique. I would leave it up to her whether or not to practice it. However, I would make sure that she made an informed decision.
“If you do have a special constitution that allows you to integrate poisons into your being,” I said. “Then you might be uniquely suited to a special body cultivation technique that I know about.”
Corie gave me a wary look.
“For some reason, I have a bad feeling about this.”
“It’s called the Body of Poison technique,” I continued, ignoring her. “Those who practice this technique turn their bodies into poison. Their flesh, their bones, their tears. Everything.” My expression hardened. “However, this technique is powerful but dangerous to practice because its practitioners need to ingest or apply poisons to themselves on a regular basis in order to get stronger. The Body of Poison technique is different from other body cultivation techniques in this regard, because this is the only way to progress.”
That was what made this particular technique special. Unlike other body cultivation techniques, which relied on mana or celestial bodies or divine energy, the Body of Poison technique relied exclusively on external aids. A special constitution or bloodline helped, but at the end of the day, practitioners of this technique needed to poison themselves in order to get stronger. Most died before they made it past the First Rank.
Corie stared at me, a horrified look on her face.
“That’s terrible!” she exclaimed. “Why would anyone do that to themselves?”
“Power,” I stated. “The Body of Poison technique works like other body cultivation techniques in that its practitioners become physically stronger as they progress. However, their bodies also become a potent poison that they can weaponize. Not only that, but they become resistant to other kinds of poisons. After reaching a certain level, they become immune. It is a long and painful journey to get to that point, however. Few ever make it. The rest die along the way, often in agony.”
Corie looked a bit sick when I finished speaking.
“And you think I should practice this technique, Master?” she asked after a moment.
I shook my head.
“It’s up to you whether or not you practice this technique,” I said. “That said, I don’t recommend it. It’s dangerous, and you could end up dying by poisoning yourself. Also, if anyone ever found out that you practiced this technique, you could be shunned and ostracized. You might even be hunted down as a Dark wizard. However, it is an option for you, assuming that you have a special constitution that is. I would be remiss in my duties as your Master if I didn’t at least mention it to you.”
Corie looked down at her hands, which she kept clenching and unclenching.
“Would I be able to touch another person again if I practiced this technique?” she asked. “Or would I kill them?”
“As long as you maintain control, it should be fine,” I answered. “However, if you lose control you might end up killing someone by accident.”
Corie didn’t respond. She kept looking at her hands.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said in a gentle voice. “While you might be suited for the Body of Poison technique, that doesn’t mean you have to practice it. There are other body cultivation techniques available. Hell, you don’t have to practice a body cultivation technique at all.”
“But I would become more powerful if I did, right?” Corie asked, looking back up at me. A fire burned in her eyes. “Practicing this technique would make me stronger and better able to protect the people I care about, right?”
I nodded.
“Yes, however the risk to yourself is high. More than that, you could also harm those around you. If you lost control, even for a moment, you could cause considerable damage.”
“I…”
Corie’s expression faltered and she trailed off, unable or unwilling to voice her thoughts.
“Why don’t you take some time to think about it?” I asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. “This is a big decision after all.”
After a moment, Corie nodded.
“Besides,” I continued. “We don’t even know if you have a special constitution or not. If you don’t, then practicing the Body of Poison technique would be even more dangerous for you.”
“Then shouldn’t we find out before I make my decision?” Corie asked. “There isn’t any point in thinking about it until we know for sure.”
I raised an eyebrow at her.
“The only way to do that is for you to drink another poison and see if the same thing happens,” I said. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Corie nodded.
“Some people say ignorance is bliss,” she said. “In this case, I’d rather know that not. That way, I can avoid hurting someone by accident.”
I nodded. Good. I approved of her attitude.
I stood up and walked to my potions cabinet. Corie stood up as well, watching me. After rummaging around for a bit, I picked up a vial containing a bottle filled with a purple liquid so dark in color it looked black. It was the mild poison I created on accident during my failed experiments in combining Spirit Earth alchemy with Luminan alchemy.
I also pulled a bottle filled with low-grade antidote designed to counteract a variety of weak poisons. The antidote looked mint green.
“Here,” I said, handing both bottles to Corie. “The purple liquid is a poison I created. It won’t kill you, but you’ll be in agony for hours. The mint green liquid is an antidote. If the pain becomes too much, you can drink it to neutralize the poison.” I stared Corie right in the eyes. “I’m giving these to you on one condition: you will let me know when you’re ready to go through with this. I want to watch over you when you do, just in case something happens. Don’t do this on your own. Do you understand?”
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“Yes, Master,” Corie said. “What about this evening, after dinner?”
It was mid afternoon now. That gave me a few more hours to continue with my alchemy experiments.
“Very well. I will meet you at your room. You’ll want to lie down somewhere comfortable for this.”
Corie nodded and headed towards the door.
“Oh, Corie,” I said, just before she left the lab. “There’s something I want you to think about.” She paused and listened without facing me. “The difference between medicine and poison is a matter of intent and dosage. Those who survived practicing the Body of Poison technique were healing sages and alchemists as well as martial artists. By studying medicine and poison, you’ll be able to more effectively counteract the latter. Take that into consideration while you make your decision.”
Corie nodded, still facing away from me.
“I will, Master,” she said, before leaving the room.
After she left, I turned back to my alchemy equipment. Talking with Corie, and examining her body, gave me an idea. The poison inside her was already a lethal substance before the Wood wizard we fought injected it into Corie. However, it then went through an alchemical process within her body and became something new.
Just because something had been through the alchemical process once before, didn’t mean it couldn’t go through it again. I had been so focused on breaking down ingredients into essences and then putting those essences into a pill furnace, that I hadn’t considered doing it the other way around. The biases from my previous life had bit me in the ass.
I let out a self-deprecating smile at my narrow-minded thinking.
What if I used Luminan Alchemy to break down and refine a pill created through Spirit Earth alchemy?
It was worth a shot at least.
I went to my potions cabinet, took out the bottle of healing pills I created, and went to work.
----------------------------------------
When evening fell, I left my alchemy lab with a pep in my step. I had been so focused on my experiments that I decided to skip dinner rather than stop. Mother would scold me for this, since dinner was one of the few times the two of us could sit down and spend time together without worrying about House or Clan business, but it was worth it.
Using Luminan alchemy to refine pills created through Spirit Earth alchemy had worked. It took me several tries to figure it out, and the process was still incomplete since doing it this way resulted in elixirs rather than pills, but it was still a step in the right direction.
Refining pills using a pill furnace was a cruder process when compared to Luminan alchemy, though the pills created this way were more potent than their elixir counterparts. Most of this potency was then preserved when I used Luminan alchemy to extract and purify the necessary essences from the pills, and then refined those essence further into an elixir.
The results were good, though not great. The elixirs created this way were less potent than pills created through Spirit Earth alchemy, and required more ingredients than elixirs created through pure Luminan alchemy. I was a step away from getting the best of both worlds. Until I took that step, I was stuck with the downsides of both. Still, the elixirs created this way were still pretty good, even if they took longer to make.
Figuring all this out had left me feeling euphoric.
I would have kept going well into the night, and maybe into the morning as well, except that I had an appointment to keep with Corie. If I skipped our appointment, I feared that Corie would go ahead with drinking the poison by herself. While it wasn’t lethal, I was still worried. It was better to keep an eye on her, just in case, rather than assume everything would be all right.
Hell, helping Corie cut into the time I allocated towards repairing my Second Circle. This wasn’t that big of a deal to me, since it would just delay things by a day, but still.
When I neared Corie’s room, I saw her standing in front of her door with her arms crossed and a grumpy look on her face. She wasn’t alone. Lorelei stood next to her, also with her arms crossed, wearing a scowl.
Corie’s expression lightened when she saw me, while Lorelei’s darkened.
Okay, that was different. It was usually the other way around.
Lorelei stomped over to me and jabbed a finger into my chest. Corie looked horrified by her actions.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Lorelei demanded. “Are you insane?”
While I loved Lorelei as a friend, and adored her as my disciple, there was no way in hell I would let this level of disrespect stand. Still, I would give her a chance to rectify her mistake.
“Is that anyway to speak to your Master?” I asked her in a quiet voice.
“It’s the way I speak to the idiot who convinced my best friend to swallow poison,” Lorelei said. “What is wrong with you?”
“Lorie!” Corie hissed, walking up to her. “Stop! I told you. This was my choice.”
Ah, so that’s what it was. I figured it was something like that. Lorelei was easy going most of the time, but hurting Corie was the fastest way to piss her off. It was her reverse scale, and woe be to the fool who touched it.
However, I wasn’t just any fool.
Lorelei ignored Corie and continued to glare at me.
“Lorelei,” I said in a gentle voice. “I understand that you’re upset, but if you don’t remove your finger from my chest, I will discipline you.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but I cut her off.
“You’re already in trouble,” I said. “Anything but compliance will just make it worse.”
Her punishment wouldn’t be too onerous. Just some extra drills when we trained tomorrow. However, if she didn’t listen to me, it would only get worse from there.
Lorelei must have realized this, because she removed her finger from my chest.
“Good,” I said. “Now then. If you wish to discuss this further, let us take it inside. This hallway isn’t an ideal place to hold a conversation like this.”
While the hallway was empty for the moment, it wouldn’t stay that way. Corie and Lorelei lived in the area of Sturm Hill Hall reserved for retainers. They used to share a room, but Corie moved into her own room when the majority of the House Sturm retainers left to help House Icefall pacify the region. Someone could enter the hall at any moment. More importantly, several of the outer disciples were currently in their rooms. It wouldn’t be difficult for them to eavesdrop on our conversation.
I nodded at Corie, who opened the door to her room. After a moment’s hesitation, Lorelei entered Corie’s room and I followed right behind her. Corie entered last, closing the door shut behind her. I used my divine sense to keep an eye out, just in case someone came snooping. So far, no one did.
Corie’s place was a simple space with a bed with a wooden chest at the foot of it, as well as a wooden drawer. A window overlooked Sturm Hill Hall’s front yard. A small vase with an array of flowers stood on top of the drawer. The flowers looked fresh, as if they had just been plucked, but it was possible that they had been like that for a while now. One of Corie’s affinities was Wood after all. A small potted plant sat atop the window sill.
“Now then,” I said. “What’s the problem?”
“What’s the problem?” Lorelei asked, sounding like she wanted to yell but kept her voice down anyway. “You told Corie to drink poison! That’s the problem!”
Corie put a hand on Lorelei’s arm.
“Lorie,” she said in a soft voice. “I chose to do this. Master Celestial Thunder gave me the poison, but he didn’t force me to drink it. I could have refused him. I didn’t.”
“So?” Lorelei said, facing Corie. “That doesn’t excuse anything. He still gave you poison and told you to drink it. Don’t you see how wrong that is?”
I thought about saying something, but decided to keep quiet. It was best to let them work this out between themselves.
“Lorie,” Corie said, her expression hard. “I’m not a child. Don’t treat me like one. This is my choice. Getting upset and yelling at Master won’t change that.”
Lorelei’s face went through a gamut of emotions. Anger, sorrow, fear, worry.
“But why?” she asked. “Why are you doing this?”
“You know why,” Corie said. “I explained it to you earlier. There is something strange going on with my body, and I need to figure out what it is. Otherwise, I may end up hurting you and everyone else around me. I won’t let that happen. Drinking this poison is the fastest way to confirm Master’s theory.”
Lorelei slumped at this, a resigned expression on her face.
“Is that really necessary?” she asked. “Isn’t there a better way to do this?”
“Why are you so against it? The poison Master gave me isn’t lethal, and he also provided me with an antidote just in case.”
Lorelei didn’t answer her right away.
“You’re my best friend,” she said. “You’re like a sister to me, and I don’t want to see you get hurt. That’s why.”
Corie’s expression softened when she heard this.
“I know, and I love you like a sister too. I appreciate your concern. However, I’m still drinking the poison. You can either stay here and support me, or you can leave. I won’t have you disrupting things. This is too important for me.”
Lorelei looked hurt by Corie’s words, but nodded in the end.
“Fine,” she said. “I’ll stay. It’s the least I can do.” She looked at me. “If something goes wrong, I’m holding you responsible.”
“Of course I’d be responsible,” I said. “I’m her Master, and it was my idea in the first place.”
Lorelei studied my face, no doubt searching for signs of sarcasm or deception. When she nodded when she found none.
“Now then,” I said. “Are you sure about this, Corie? If you go through with this, the next few hours are going to be agonizing for you.”
Corie nodded without hesitation.
“Yes, Master,” she said. “I’m ready.”
Without another word, she took the bottle of poison out and opened it. She drank the contents of the bottle in a single gulp, grimacing as the poison touched her tongue. No one said poison had to taste sweet. Like medicine, this one tasted bitter.
As soon as she finished drinking, Corie laid down on her bed. I took one of her hands, while Lorelei took the other. A few minutes later, the poison took effect. Corie let out a groan as pain racked her entire body. While I hadn’t drunk the poison myself, I knew a bit about its effects since I studied it with my divine sense and it had been created with the medicinal herbs that were used to create low-grade healing potions.
In their raw form, the medicinal herbs were somewhat poisonous, and I figured that this poison was a more potent version of that. When ingested, this poison caused a burning sensation all throughout the body, akin to a fever but more painful.
Corie’s skin was hot to the touch, and her hand was clammy. Sweat coated her entire body, and her face was twisted into a grimace. I also kept an eye on her with my divine sense. The poison was like a malignant intruder that had invaded every inch of her body. It was mostly concentrated in her stomach. Since it caused a burning sensation, Corie must feel like she had just swallowed a live coal. She was a cultivator, but even cultivators had their limits.
Hours passed as Corie’s body burned up, she writhed in her bed, as if to try and relieve the burning in her body. Her face was pale and twisted with pain; her breathing was shallow. Yet, despite all that, she never let out more than the occasional groan.
Beside her, Lorelei looked drawn. She clamped onto Corie’s hand, holding it tight. More than once, she looked at me with a pleading look in her eyes. She wanted me to give Corie the antidote. However, I shook my head each time. It was Corie’s decision to take the antidote or not, unless things took a turn for the worse.
Lorelei’s expression fell each time, but she didn’t condemn me. Instead, she tightened her grip on Corie’s hand.
By the end, both of them looked haggard; Corie from the poison, Lorelei from the stress and tension. Corie was also soaked in sweat. Yet, as the hours passed, nothing unexpected happened. The burning faded away as the poison lost its potency, until it disappeared altogether.
“Well,” Corie said, once the last of the burning faded away. “Did it work?”
I nodded.
“Yes. Your body assimilated the poison into itself.”
As the hours passed, and Corie’s body burned up, I watched with my divine sense as the poison seeped into her being. It was almost as if Corie was a sponge absorbing water.
That said, the poison had lost most of its potency. Only traces of it remained, most of which were concentrated in her blood. If a regular mortal were to drink some of Corie’s blood, they would feel overheated for a bit, but would otherwise be fine.
Of course, that only took into account the mild poison. There was also the first poison she absorbed, which was far more powerful.
“Congratulations, Corie,” I said. “You have the ability to absorb and metabolize any poisonous substances that enter your body. If you wish, I can teach you a few techniques so you can utilize the poisons running through your veins. I don’t specialize in this sort of thing, but I know a trick or two.”
“Is that really necessary?” Lorelei asked Corie, still holding her hand. “Learning these techniques will just encourage you to drink poison. What if you go too far and end up-…?”
She choked up at the possibility of Corie killing herself, unable to finish her sentence.
Corie sat up, though it took most of her strength. Drinking the poison had taken a lot out of her.
“I’ll be careful, Lorie,” she said in a gentle voice. She pulled her hand out of Lorelei’s grip and gave her friend a hug. “I won’t be a reckless fool about this. I’ll study medicine and alchemy, so I will know exactly what I’m getting into.”
“So,” Lorelei said after they pulled apart. “You’re really going to do this. You’re going to drink poisons so you can absorb them and use them as a weapon.”
Corie nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why not just use poisons in the first place instead of drinking them and using them that way?”
Corie looked down for a moment.
“I don’t know why I have this gift, this ability,” she said. “Maybe I inherited it, maybe I’m the first in my family to be born like this, or maybe something happened to me to make me like this. Regardless of the reason, it would be a sin not to use this gift to its full potential.” She looked back up at Lorelei. “Not when I can use it to protect the people I care about.”
“But-…”
Corie shook her head.
“There is another reason why I need to drink poisons.” She turned to me. “I would like to learn the Body of Poison technique.”
I nodded. I had expected as much, even though I wished she wouldn’t.
“Again, I recommend otherwise,” I said. “The Body of Poison technique is just as dangerous to its practitioners as it is to their enemies, maybe even more so. Take more time to think about it.”
Corie shook her head.
“I thought about it plenty enough. You said that the ones who survived practicing this technique were healing sages and alchemists, right? I just need to study up on medicine and alchemy.”
I shook my head.
“That will just increase your chances. It won’t guarantee your survival.”
“Please listen to Master, Corie,” Lorelei pleaded.
Corie gave her a sad smile, before looking back at me.
“You also said that the difference between medicine and poison was intent and dosage,” she said. “Does that mean that if I practice the Body of Poison technique, I’ll be able to produce medicine?”
I took a moment before answering that.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I only read the manual for this technique, I didn’t practice it. And the people I met who did practice this technique were my enemies. We were too busy trying to kill each other to talk about it.” I paused. “That said, I suppose it's possible. The poisons you produce could be turned into medicines with the right knowledge. If nothing else, learning about medicine and alchemy will allow you to create antidotes and cures.”
Corie nodded.
“There you go,” she said. “Poison is an insidious weapon. Not only will I use it to keep you guys safe, I will also protect you from anyone who tries to use it against you.”
This…wasn’t the worst outcome. While I knew how to create healing pills, and low-grade healing potions, I wasn’t a healer by any stretch of the imagination. Having someone who could use both medicine and poison would be a great boon for us.
Corie could use poisons at a distance, thanks to her skills with a bow. And if she used poisons in conjunction with her Air magic, she could create poisonous gasses. That was pretty terrifying, now that I thought about it. Plus, her Wood affinity meant that she would be able to grow all sorts of herbs and plants necessary for medicines and poisons.
“Oh, Corie,” Lorelei said, pulling her into another hug. “You don’t have to do all this for our sake. We’ll be fine.”
“I want to,” Corie said. “We look after each other. That’s what we do. This is me protecting you in my own way.”
The two shared a look. Right then, it was time for me to leave.
“I’ll leave you two to talk amongst yourselves,” I said. “I’ll give you the manual for the Body of Poison technique later, Corie. I’ll also include some bottles of the same mild poison to help you get started.”
Corie nodded as I walked towards the door, while Lorelei looked torn. However, I stopped just before I left Corie’s room.
“Oh, before I forget,” I said. “I’m also going to send you some primers on both Spirit Earth alchemy and Luminan alchemy, as well as some books on medicine. Starting tomorrow, you’re going to be my lab assistant.”
Corie’s eyes widened at that.
“Does that mean I won’t have to transcribe books anymore?” she asked, her voice full of hope.
“Yes,” I said with a smile. “I’ll find someone else to take your place.”
Corie returned my smile.
I left Corie’s room, and ran into Leroy, who had been standing right outside. I noticed him earlier, but didn’t say anything since he didn’t interrupt us. Instead, he just lurked outside and listened in.
“Master, what do you thi-…” he started to say in a heated voice, but I held up a hand to interrupt him.
“Corie’s choices are her own,” I said in a tone that brooked no disagreement. “She has her own path to walk, just as you do. You have no say in what she does. Lorelei does, because she is like a sister to her. You are Corie’s fellow disciple, but that’s it.” I leaned closer. “If you want that to change, then do something about it. You aren’t blind, Celestial Sword.”
I walked off before he could respond, his eyes following me the entire time.