Oi, kid. Didn’ye knows we all be at da brink o’ insanity. One crack from losing our damned marbles. No tellin’ what gonna set ye off. It be better ta drink ye worries away!

~Goibniu, The God of the Forge and Brew

Crow was pacing in his room, trying to settle down his messy thoughts. Seeing Munro after all these years brought back memories of Barnes. In Crow’s hands was the leather-bound, hand-written manual his old mentor left him. Crow slapped it lightly against his head, trying to shake his agitation.

It has been a long time since he felt this forlorn. Until recently, there were only a handful of people he felt close to, and Barnes was there during some of his most harrowing moments. A young boy trying to become a man and facing the doubts of having both his parents leave him behind. He didn’t know how much more he’d have suffered without Barnes, so losing him had hurt deeper than he wanted to admit.

*Crow… * Lily felt overwhelmed by Crow’s raw emotional state and was glad he couldn’t see the sparkling tears rolling down her cheeks. She knew it wasn’t a time for her to be soft on him. *Snap out of it. Barnes would kick your ass if he knew he was about to become a shadow on your heart. Death reminds us to cherish what we have and those that stand beside us. You’ve suffered more than most should, but it has never broken you. It is that courage that drew me to you. No matter how much you suffered, you didn’t stop.*

“Why were you sent to me?” Crow suddenly asked.

*We aren’t sent, at least not like you think. We are sensitive to Draoidh, especially those that resonate with nature. You stood out like a monolith unaffected by the storm raging around it. When we sense something like that, we can choose to bond to that Draoidh. Truthfully, dozens wanted to approach you, but you entered my realm of influence which gave me priority. So you know… I didn’t hesitate to approach you, not even slightly.* Lily chuckled evilly, and Crow realized that this little fae princess was more formidable than expected.

“You joined me without even knowing who I am?”

*Crow, you seem to misunderstand what we are. The bond we share is empathetic, and resonance isn’t one-way. If your nature wasn’t compatible, we’d never feel that resonance. The nature of all things comprises various Truths that aren’t immediately understood. Gaining insight and awareness of a Truth is about how you resonate with it and your mentality affects your understanding. A Draoidh that lacks… character will never gain our approval. No matter how much they resonate with nature, it won’t happen. Like that woman in the cafeteria, most cultivators may rise in power by being vicious. However, they must be wary of sacrificing more than they gain. A human losing their humanity… the thought is ridiculous, but it happens all the time. You still value life, friends, and love. Never lose that because it exemplifies the true ideals of a Draoidh.*

Crow chuckled.

“Silly, princess. I’ve not lost myself, nor is Barnes a shadow. I’m just sad that good men like him are rare. In my heart, I believe the Druid Order has lost the ideal because the true measure of a Druid should be their humanity. If that was true, then Barnes would’ve been interred as a Druid, a noble soul that reflected the virtues we should all exemplify. The pursuit of knowledge, power, and wealth should never come at the sacrifice of our compassion. Barnes…” Crow couldn’t stop the tears rolling down his face. “In my heart, that man was the highest order of Druid because he was—no, is the ideal. His heart was true to the Draoidh.”

*Then be better than he was. That is the best way to honor him.* Lily encouraged him. She knew it wasn’t enough to shake him out of his mood. Struggling internally, she knew how to settle his mind but felt guilty manipulating him. *I hesitated explaining this, but maybe I should help clarify some things. Draoidh isn’t about bloodline because your ancestors weren’t of one race, and their reach was everywhere. Like you said, it was about an ideal, a way of life, and was closer to a religion. Your ancestors sought knowledge and open discourse. They shared knowledge without constraint, which partly led to their downfall.*

“Is that true?” Crow asked, feeling somewhat enlightened. The Druid Order always had some contradictions in its doctrines. It niggled at Crow’s mind and questioned quite a few of their rules internally.

*It is true. You need to understand that most innate skills like Sage’s Mind can be passed down to your offspring and the chances increase the more you cultivate your Body. I mention heritage because your Draoidh ancestors paved the way for the current bloodline abilities you have.*

Crow thought about that for a while, and Lily let him. It was what he did best, and she noticed he’d stopped pacing, which meant her manipulation worked. She didn’t feel good about that, though.

“What you aren’t saying is that by cultivating my Body, I’m changing my physiology and am no longer the mortal child I was born as. Does that mean any innate ability I learn to a high level that becomes part of me has a chance to be inherited by my children?”

*Precisely. One of your ancestors created Sage’s Mind, which became a fundamental part of who they were. And you benefited. If outsiders figure out how to cultivate their minds to mimic that ability and reach a high enough cultivation level, they can pass it down to their children. Have you ever wondered why clans, sects, and various organizations guard their methods so tightly?*

“So, the Song sisters gave me a massive gift?”

*Very much so, and they’ll be hunted unto death if any of their people figure out they gave you that method. But, the first and second generations of a trait probably won’t manifest, but it will prime the Body of your offspring to learn them. Sometimes you call this aptitude.*

“So a child produced by Mara and me would have a high chance of gaining Sage’s Mind. However, that same child wouldn’t have the Song sisters’ physique. A child with Song Lin would most likely have an ice physique but less likely to learn Sage’s Mind?”

*Close. Sage’s Mind is so deeply ingrained in your bloodline that any offspring you have has a chance to gain it. Since Mara uses the same cultivation as you, the child between you two would definitely have a higher chance of getting it.*

Crow nodded, and it made sense to him. After all, if you could create the perfect model as a parent and keep producing offspring, that would be a little crazy. Mix in many random factors like his mate, only a chance to awaken the bloodline, and whatever else, the chances of the child inheriting any traits were already low. Overall, Crow found the topic interesting, but he also concluded that too much inherited ability was detrimental to growth. Like those young masters whose parents have given them everything, their mindsets are too weak.

It also made sense that big clans and sects didn’t like their people marrying outsiders. There were many considerations that he hadn’t given much thought to previously. Thinking about it, he had another burning question that he wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to. Yet, he knew he was going to ask anyway.

“Is this why cultivators have a harder time having children?”

*Yes. You’ve listened to Song Lin’s stories long enough, but did you ever consider why they force their children into marriages at such a young age?*

“Because the more powerful they get, the harder it is to have children?”

*That is why they make their children leave behind offspring before climbing the tower. It’s also why they have a higher population, but they have few geniuses in the younger generation than other nations. It’s a simple theory, you are cultivating your Body to become an immortal one, like a god, which would render a weaker seed or egg inert. There are cultivation methods to improve the chances of conception.*

“What about compatibility?” Crow asked, suddenly remembering one of his wives wasn’t even human.

*If you want to have a child with Nin, then the opposite is true. You both have to reach higher cultivation levels to overcome the limitations of cross-species offspring. The closer your Body reaches perfection, the less your race matters because you aim at the same goal—ascension.*

Most of this knowledge wasn’t all that important in the grander scheme. It wasn’t like he was going to use it as a way to defy the Heavens and create super children to annoy people. However, it did open his eyes to some of the hidden dangers that existed and explained why he had to be careful with any cultivation knowledge he gained.

In silence, an hour went by, and Crow realized that Lily had manipulated him. She used knowledge as a carrot to draw him away from his inner demons. Rather than being upset, he felt warm inside, thinking about how well she knew him. Knowledge was always able to calm his turbulent thoughts.

“Lily…?”

*Don’t hate me.*

“Tsk, am I that shallow? I love my little fae princess,” Crow chuckled, hearing her panic. “I only wanted to thank you.”

*We aren’t strangers, idiot. But you are welcome.*

“Last question about all this… why were you hesitant to explain this?”

*I… the information isn’t that big of a deal, but your mindset is. I hesitated because I feared you’d focus too much time on this and want to keep us happy. If one of us asked for a child, would you not feel guilty if you couldn’t produce one immediately? You hold those you care about too closely and put their needs above your own. Don’t deny it because you’ve repeatedly gone out of your way for us, and you never question why or how. I hesitated because I didn’t want us sisters to add to your burden as our leader, lover, and—*

“I understand, but since when have I been your lover?” Crow laughed, finally feeling the last of his burdens fading away.

*Can’t you say anything nice to me? Want me to burn your face off again?*

“Out of all my women, Lily, you are maybe the most important. You are my spiritual guide. I just want you to know that your importance to me is no less than the others.”

Crow could feel her warmth and embarrassment, and shortly after, she hid away from him. He didn’t mind because their bond shared a strong empathetic nature. Sometimes, it was hard for him to control his feelings toward her, and Crow lacked methods to shield those emotions. Crow was aware that Lily knew more about his nature than he did.