I wake up with a smile on my face. I think I had a good dream. It’s been too long since I had one of those.

Shia slithers over my arm, making her presence known in the bed.

I sit up, allowing her to curl around my torso and climb up my chest to rest her head on my shoulder.

“What’ve you been up to, Shia?” I ask, gently trailing my finger down the line of new golden scales flowing down her back from the center of her head.

“I’ve been listening and watching. I’m afraid I have some unfortunate news.” Shia says, her voice not revealing anything.

My hand freezes. “You do?”

“The aura of the other man in the Dao Shaping Realm has disappeared. I believe he was devoured by the demon.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?” I ask, sitting up straighter as my good mood starts to slip away.

“Your master said it herself. A demon uses killing to leach abilities and cultivation off of others. It just stole the cultivation of a man in the Dao Shaping realm. Who knows how much it has gained?”

“We should tell the Elders.” I say, throwing the covers of the bed off and quickly changing into a new pair of clean robes set out for me.

“They know. They know that the demon approaches too. It has had the taste of one cultivator in the Dao Shaping Realm, no doubt it is on its way for the other. Already, they send the disciples back through the portal.”

I pause in putting my sword on, unsure what I should do.

“I wish to witness the coming battle, little one.” Shia says, her body constricting around mine as she slowly moves herself through my robe. “But I cannot stay in this realm without you.”

I know what she is asking, and I immediately answer by grabbing the last of my possessions and activating the technique Movements Of The Silent Monster so that those looking to evacuate me won't be able to find me.

“Good.” Qi moves through the snake as her line of golden scales give off a soft glow beneath my robes. I get a small glimpse at her aura then and I’m not sure what to make of it. It is weak in quantity of qi, but it is also backed by an ancient force older than I can imagine. It feels impossible to place her realm.

Shia’s qi moves like lightning, and the world flips around me as I find myself staring down at the camp from the sky, my feet resting on nothing but air.

“No matter what happens, you must not act. You have witnessed death before, and again you will have to be only a witness to it. Do you understand?” Qi works its way into her words, and I recognize that my agreement means more than just my word.

“I understand.” My qi mixes with hers in agreement.

“Good.” To my surprise, Shia completely falls asleep after that word, the last of her qi disappearing.

I sit down, looking down at the camp worriedly. Nothing seems to be supporting my body and the fall is quite far.

With a deep breath, I calm my nerves and close my eyes. Meditation finds me quickly as I await the coming of a demon.

It’s hours later that I feel its presence. It’s spirit of hunger and death permeates the air, making me shiver with an innate fear.

Shia wakes moments later, her body tensing as the demon walks down the road towards the camp. I squint, bringing my qi into my eyes in a crude effort to enhance my vision.

It works, but I still have to wait for the demon to get closer before I’m able to make it out. It looks like a normal man with darker skin similar to Matu. Its eyes are brown, and its hair is a close cut black.

Ten of the twelve Elders and the Matriarch all fly into the air out of the camp, their auras expanding to show their power. Tai Qiu looks at the monster with hatred.

I’m surprised to see it speak, its voice somehow carrying itself all the way to where I watch in the sky, filled with a powerful qi that makes my body shake.

“I’m here to negotiate with you for you to return to your lands.” The demon says politely, even bowing his head slightly.

The Matriarch looks over at Tai Qiu, who nods her head.

“We know what you are, Demon. Do not try to fool us with pleasantries.” The Matriarch speaks calmly, her voice carrying just as far.

“Is there nothing I can do to convince you? I only wish to talk, I believe there has been a grave misunderstanding.” The demon continues.

The Matriarch hesitates for a moment, before shaking her head. “I’m afraid not.”

“How unfortunate.” The demon says.

I shift slightly, whispering to Shia, “Could there be a misunderstanding?”

“DO NOT BE FOOLED, LITTLE ONE. Like all great evils, demons are fluent in the ways of manipulation. Do not forget that your master witnessed this demon devour your fellow disciples. Do not forget that it appears alone, having devoured the men who summoned it. It is a demon, and you can only become a demon by devouring others voraciously.”

I pause, a thought coming to me. “I thought you only knew stories about demons.”

Shia may have responded, but I am distracted by the demon letting loose its full aura. It is in the Dao Refining Realm, a level above the Matriarch.

Things happen in an instant. The demon’s appearance changes, its eyes turning black and its body shifting into a larger form.

Water erupts from the earth around the demon, while the Elders each send their own attacks to it. Blades of qi, air, water, light and earth along with other aspects I can’t identify all aim for the demon.

Tai Qiu gathers a storm of qi and spirit around her as bloodied pages form from the cyclone as she works to fulfill her oath.

The demon merely lifts a hand.

Shadows extend from the demon, blocking the oncoming attacks and countering with their own.

The very land around the demon starts to decay, as more shadows are summoned to fight for it.

The base explodes in color as the forces clash, the power of the sect vying for supremacy over the power of the demon.

I can’t tell who’s winning. But I see wounds appear on Elders, and Elder Yu is knocked from the sky and another Elder, a bear of a man I don’t recognize, follows soon after.

My hands tighten, as I know I can only watch. Interfering would just mean my own death.

Blood drips from my hand into my robe from where my fingernail pierces my skin.

Judgement.

Final.

The flow of battle changes with those two words as the demon physically staggers. All of its attention focuses on Tai Qiu as it attempts to prevent her from finishing the technique.

The matriarch flies in front of Tai Qiu, placing herself in the way as a veritable river of water surrounds the pair, destroying the shadows and attacking the demon.

The other elders focus all their efforts on distracting and attacking the demon, their techniques going all out.

Dea

A shadow breaks through the Matriarch’s defence, hitting her and causing her to fall to the ground.

th

The demon staggers backwards, its shadows failing. The remaining Elders move as one, circling Tai QIu as she dashes forward with her blood-red sword. They block hits meant for her and she reaches the demon, stabbing it through.

The world seems to slow, before the demon lets out a scream that forces me to cover my ears. Unfortunately, even covering my ears doesn’t stop the sound from hitting me and I do my best to hold back the pain.

The demon’s body is seemingly absorbed into the sword, turning it an even darker red.

Then it is over.

Shia hisses as the body of the demon disappears.

“Shia. Why did you want to see this fight?” I ask, something about the situation striking me as odd.

“I wished to consume the body of the demon.” Shia says, her eyes watching me carefully.

I look at her, wondering at what she is hiding from me. “I let you keep your secrets, Shia. I will not push you for answers.” I look back down at the destruction below us. “Return me.” I finish, my voice brokering no argument.

She does as I request and I return to where the now destroyed tent lies in the mud. I hurry to one of the Elders that had fallen, only to discover them dead.

Elder Yu, the man that had accepted me as an Inner Disciple is dead.

I’m sorry.

I hurry to the next one, who is thankfully alive. I know the basics of healing thanks to the sect. It does little to help as I direct my minuscule amount of qi to do what little I can.

It doesn’t take long for more help to arrive.

In the end, two elders were killed. All of the Elders who fought and the Matriarch suffered some level of injury. The only uninjured Elders are Quon Li, who was tasked with guarding the disciples should the others fail and Elder Ai Yang, whose specialties lay more in healing than fighting.

I spend the next few days assisting in any way possible as we return to the grounds of our sect.

The atmosphere stays bad as rumors run rampant as to the extent of the injuries to the sect Elders.

I don’t see much of Jing Xia and Ming Lai as both are busy with their own tasks.

On the evening of the fourth day, I walk into the private rooms of my Master, Elder Tai Qiu. Her injuries were severe, but I’ve been told that she will recover.

Until then, as her sole disciple I care for her and her responsibilities to the best of my ability.

***

I walk into Tai Qiu’s room after announcing my presence with a nock. She smiles at me from where she sits upright in her bed.

I bow to her, following the proper etiquette.

“I hope I’ve given you enough time to rest.” Tai Qiu starts, her gaze looking over me carefully. Her voice is calm, not showing any signs of the pain she had been in before today.

“You have. I’ve been doing well” I say, smiling in response.

“Good. I have a gift, or gifts that I’ve been meaning to give to you.”

I watch in curiosity as she pulls out some manuals, handing them to me.

The Twelve Notes of Fire

The Twelve Melodies of Wind,

The Twelve Songs of Water,

The Twelve Beats of Earth,

The Twelve Ballads of Darkness

I stare wide eyed at the manuals as I read their titles.

“These seem to be meant for you, so naturally, as the Elder of the Library, I am gifting them to you.”

“Thank you. These gifts are too much for me.”

“You will have use for them soon.” Tai Qiu says, her gaze turning serious. “Another sect reported seeing a demon in a village in the Fan-Lang province. Thankfully, it hadn’t gained too much power and we were able to kill it quickly.” Tai Qiu lets out a sigh. “But it means there are more.” She pulls out a golden amulet, turning it over in her hands. “As the Elder with the highest knowledge of demons, I have decided to create another pavilion. The Demon Hunter pavilion.” She tosses me the golden amulet, which I catch.

On the amulet is written “Demon Hunter, 1st”

“Congratulations, Jia Lin, Core Disciple of the Demon Hunter Pavilion.”