The night settles in, grasping at the land with its cold touch, as if wanting to erase the last bit of warmth given from its hateful counterpart. We walk, with the stars shining brightly above us, mocking us from their thrones of infinite height. Step by step, our destination draws closer, yet the pain does not recede. The boy seems to have found his calling and however foolish it appears to be, his determination is unfailing. For two days he has walked towards the north. His pain just as piercing as mine, yet he has withstood two long days, but it seems he's coming dangerously close to sanity's edge.

“Haha… hahaha. Hey! Demon! I know you’re there. Say something. You can feel them too, can’t you? The hounds… they’re here. They are hunting us, I know it! My sister escaped and now they think I’ll lead them to her, but I won’t, you hear! I WILL NOT! Hehe. I will grow, demon. I will become stronger and slaughter them when they try and kill her, you just see!”

Poor fool. Does he realise that a five year old girl cannot even dream to escape on her own?

No matter, this might be as good a time as any.

“You’re wrong demon. I sense them! I… I know… I…”

Silence.

How I have missed the pure bliss of it. Ever since I was stuck in this abomination, his thoughts and experiences flew through me in screeching winds and faint echoes, nibbling away at the edges of my mind. If it were not for my revenge, I would have caved in long ago. Finally, there is silence…

In the back of my mind, I know that I cannot trust it. The dreadful presence, the one who reduced me to this unseemly state, was the one to give it to me. This window to the outside , used as a tunnel for my knowledge and power, ever so slowly seeping into him. Merging my mind with the boys’. How could I trust it? I don’t know what he is planning… for now, I need to cultivate this vessel, however. Let’s hope the boy is more willing to learn, now that he knows just how pitiful he truly is.

………………………………………………………

I slowly open my eyes, feeling the damp cold of the forest. A pounding headache assaults my senses and a tingly feeling shoots across my entire body, as if ants are walking all across it. Disgusted and hurting from every muscle in my body I shoot up and regret it almost instantly.

“Argh, god… how long did I walk? Where are we?”

Trying to rub my temple I suddenly realise again, just how different everything is, as my left hand never reaches my face. Looking at the crudely bitten of stump, I cannot help but remember what happened. As everything becomes blurry, I quickly shake my head, hot liquid running down my face.

“Focus, Owen! You have a mission! You have a goal. Your sister still lives and she needs you. They think you’re dead, so she might have been given into an orphanage. All alone with no one to protect her… you need to be strong and find her as soon as you can protect her from these creatures. Come on, Owen!”

The demon has said something along the lines of me causing all this. I might not trust his motives, but I don’t think he has truly lied to me yet. If it’s the case that I bring danger, I need to be able the fend it off. Alone, she will just live in misery, so I need to be there for her!

“Right! You said I could use magic, right? Teach me then!”

Ignoring the pain, sadness and incredible thirst I make my way towards a big stone in the clearing and start to grasp for that fuzzy feeling I had before, while sitting cross-legged on top of the big rock.

Suddenly, thousands of thousands of lights surround me like bees swarming their nest. A purple swarm of lights that expands to everything and build the world around me. Even with my eyes closed I can see every little detail of the forest around me. Not only that, but at times there are even red lights, like a stream coming down from above, some hitting me and filling me with warmth. As the demons voice drones into my mind I can feel it more and more, when sudden irrational anger begins boiling inside me, as if these lights were taunting me by being this beautiful. I reach out at try to erase them, to blot them out, but whenever I try, they suddenly move, as if fearing the disturbance I caused.

Then, my hunger and thirst hit me. The stress of the past days come over me like an unending torrent of desire. Come to think of it, I haven’t drunk anything in two day… when was the last time I’ve eaten? So much blood lost… I should be dead and yet, those lights shine so brightly.

I reach out again, desperate this time. Angry at this world, angry at me and angry at this demon that resides within me. With a hunger I have never felt before I take these lights within me and consume them, leaving a darkness, a void where there was a bright light before. Quickly I can only see darkness surround me, shining light slowly piercing the edges of my reach, just to be consumed again.

Deep within my dantian, a fine red and purple mist forms. Nurtured by the elemental energies absorbed, it starts to grow denser at a rapid rate, beginning to calmly repel and attract each other. The mist is very slowly moving in a circle while attracting and repelling each other, as a gently glow is emitted in the very centre of my dantian. The light travels through the mist, causing a sudden vibration within the mist itself, piercing trough the flesh and muscle, tearing and healing it at the same time. As the body strengthens, the light travels further trough my organs, seemingly enveloping and hardening them, yet they still remain flexible enough to be functional. Unhindered it travels through the bones, that become sturdier almost immediately and finally leaves through my skin and merges with the darkness I caused.

My hunger recedes. Like hot coals being doused in water, I am suddenly filled with a dreadful sense of fullness. As if filling you stomach with rocks. As I open my eyes I a calm comes over me, that fills me with unease at the same time. Was this really me? What have I done?

The world had changed to my eyes. I had not expected such cruelty from the light. For in the embrace of the sun, I could find no comfort, only malice. The calming clearing in this beautiful forest, previously so full of light and life, now is devoid of anything that gave it this feeling of happiness and nature. Withered grass, the trees, leaf- and lifeless, are creaking under the pressure of shifting, because the dried earth can no longer hold their weight.

Standing up, I suddenly topple and fall of the rock. As I catch myself with a hand I thought I no longer possessed, I lie stunned on the ground.

“What have you done to me!? To grow back limbs, such a magic is of, at least, the ninth rank! Dad once told me that he saw a saint ranked magician that used his light magic to heal a high ranking general, because he took fancy to him. That should have been a once in a hundred years deal for our army! How could I have healed completely like this?”

I did this… I can’t believe it. I should be appalled. I should be angry, but somehow… I just feel like I could do anything. My power is surging within me, unlike anything I have ever felt. My body, showing no sign of injury what so ever, is more muscular than ever. Having grown a few centimetres, I’m now about 1,50m, my black hair dangling down in my face seems to have a sort of purple streak in it and I can just feel the packed power within me, rippling through my body. Standing up, regaining my balance, I clench my fists and start stretching, gaining a feel on my transformed body.

“Our clan? What did you mean by that?”

“I see… then, the next step would be to use this power and get used to it?”

I concentrate again, visualizing my dantian. I can feel the mist slowly spreading out as I grasp on that light emitted from my core. Soon a faint layer of purple surrounds my and acts as a shield as well as strengthening me at the same time.

So this is battle-qi! Now… for fire magic!

I grasp upon the red mist, sending it forth, willing it to manipulate the elemental energy. I start to deeply meditate and soon.

BOOM!

A small, fist sized fireball explodes right into before me, a wave of heat scorching my face.

“…so you say, after having me doing it without…”

“Very well… let us begin, then. Nothing shall stand in my way, now!”

………………………………………………………………………………………………

Every day, Owen would spend only six hours sleeping. All of his other time was spent in physical training, learning demonic arts, intellectual studies, magical instruction, and meditation.

In truth, entering the meditative state was extremely taxing, far more tiring than anything these measly humans would ever get to know in their daily lives. Every day, Owen entered a disturbed and nightmarish sleep, plagued by the death he has caused around him. His head pounding and his entire body hurting, he would scream and experience a tiny fraction more of the pain I had to endure.

I cannot help but smile, as this child reminds me of those days long gone, spend in the far reaches of the frozen wasteland of the 7th plane of the Nine Hells. My first kill, my first steps… how the times have passed. He will have to learn, as I had.

Whilst he studied the intricacies of using his battle-qi, his fire magic and our own, unique magic, a season passed and the forest took on a soothing, homely sense. It was quite relaxing to have a form of home and comfort after an eternity of pain of torment. I am almost loath to leave this lifeless and twisted place when the time draws near.

“Very well… let’s move on.”

Ha! He truly has changed, that brat. His aura and temperament have finally matured a little. That goofy happy face of his, now transformed into a serious and grim expression. Even his eyes have some semblance of our demon heritage.

………………………………………………

I use my battle-qi, which comes to me like breathing and set forth with a blinding speed I had thought impossible to achieve previously. Using the strange arts rooted deep into my memory I use my hands like claws, speeding up more and more, jumping 50 meters into the air and finally I can see it. Our first stop is in the far distance. The huge jungle spanning hundreds of kilometres, with huge parts unknown to anyone, the dark forest. Even saint level combatants have died in the deepest parts of this rotten place.

There, I will be able to finally test the power I have attained, by casting aside everything that I was. Everything that was once dear to me. With a trembling heart I draw ever closer, a faint, feral smile forming on my face.

----------------------------------------------------

This will mark the end of the beginning and the start of the first ark!

I decided to keep it a longer chapter, thanks for the feedback. Please feel free to let me know any mistakes you have spotted. Hope you’ll enjoy the next ark! Thanks for reading.

It might also be time to give away a bit of trivia! Those who have read “Coiling Dragon” aka Panlong, will be familiar with the magic/internal energy system I am going for:

Spoiler : In this setting you are born with certain affinities to the elemental magics. There is earth, fire, water, wind, lightning, light and darkness. There are also 3 known higher magics (Necromantic, Oracular and Life magic) that have even harsher criteria regarding purity of soul. Normally it's a one in a hundred thousand that someone can use any type of elemental magic. A dual element magician that can use multiple is even rarer. Someone that can use a unique magic, is someone with tremendous luck and power.

To be able to be considered a magician your soul energy needs to be at least 5 times higher than normal and you'll have to have an affinity or very high purity of soul.

Battle-qi is an internal energy. It’s something almost anyone can use, given the right techniques and proper cultivation passed down from their master/family/school. It’s a more common thing that any powerful warrior can use, without it, it would be almost impossible to train above anything over 6th rank. You need the money or connections to be able to learn these cultivation methods, though. A huge problem for any peasants. They try to do their best with physical cultivation, to be able to prove themselves in the army and get a chance to get their hands on some of these techniques.

There you go for trivia for today! :D