Demon Race (1)

Ku Jian stepped out of the great dip before it could close. She had changed from her torn dress to another. Being amongst the last to leave she stepped out and looked back at the water swallowing everything. She turned and looked to where Ed and Nti Anem perched on a tree and made to move closer.

"You should seal your being to your body for good measure," Nti Anem's voice sounded in her head causing her to pause. While she stood in place muttering a spell, Ku Nam and his companions stared at her form.

"She is alone," Lady Mai commented.

"The rest that entered with her did not come out. Something must have happened in there," Ikan De said as he looked to Ku Nam.

"Good thing we did not follow her," he said and Ku Nam nodded. By the side, they heard people looking for their clansmen and fellow disciples. Even some heaven seekers had vanished. From their words, one could hear that this just doesn't happen. Even though the great dip is hard to enter and leave except for certain times, the tunnels and caves inside were not dangerous enough to kill a spirit-merging master. Ku Nam and the rest bowed their head and turned to leave, but were stopped.

"No one leaves without identifying yourself. We, the lotus valley need to find our sect protector. All you need do is state your identity and have someone vouch for your presence at that time," a Heaven seeker from the lotus valley said.

"And who cares if your protector is missing?" the person who spoke was a soul-realized being, a rogue cultivator. He looked at her with scorn. She herself was a soul realization expert and knew she could not keep everyone. She was hoping that the name of her clan will cause someone to speak out.

Ku Jian ignored the commotion behind her and moved towards Ed with great speed. After sealing her being in her body, she appeared before Ed hurriedly.

"Brother Ed!" she called and he instinctively nodded. Nti Anem glanced at her and back at Ed. Seeing as he still remained blank, he frowned slightly. He remembered what Ku Jian had asked him in the great dip; how was he experiencing the mist? What an odd question. Of course, he too walked the mist so he should not be bound by the effects those passersby feel. He had not considered what people who walked beside him felt because he barely stayed with anyone that long, maybe that is why he had not considered that those who walk the mist may also feel those odd effects just like those who brush by them.

Why hadn't this crossed his mind? For the longest time, he had always felt that the effects of the mist were to rip apart one's body till nothing is left. As long as one makes a slip, the mist takes from you till there is nothing left to you. That is all he had ever considered about the effects of the mist on himself and Ed. When it came to others, it affected their existence themselves, their perception of space to their interaction with time. Why had he never considered those effects for himself and Ed? All he has felt all these years is the mist's strong tug, but none of that. How is he experiencing the mist that he never considered?

"Nti Anem" Ed's voice seemed to call to his very core, causing him to shiver as he came out of his thoughts.

"You should call me less, your highness. The feeling is unsettling," he said and looked up at Ed.

"Where are we going now?" Ku Jian asked Nti Anem and he sighed.

"Somewhere with little people," He stood up from the branch to full height.

"We should leave," he said and Ed turned and looked to the right of them.

"Demon race," Ed said and Nti Anem shook his head.

"Ignore them," he said and then paused and looked back at Ed.

"You know the demon race?" he asked and Ed nodded.

"I have met them before," he answered.

"On the light realm plate?" he asked solemnly.

"Long before that, on a hill," he said and Nti Anem looked away abruptly and down at the demon race moving around. He had felt as though Ed was an old tree on a hill for some time now since he woke up. Is it possible that one of his incarnations was a tree? But, where did he meet such to even gain realization of this past life? Then he remembered the Hell tree. Impossible! He had always felt the hell tree was like the tomb when he discovered that Ed had lived many lives; a place where he lived died or even broke through in another life. He had never considered that he would have been the tree itself. If he had been reincarnated as a tree, then this must have been one of his first incarnations. They still insisted to kill him even as a tree and a tree that could reach such heights in awareness. Ku Jian raised a brow at their conversation.

"Demon race?" she asked and looked around but could see nothing, "Where?"

"Look again, you will see them. Anyone that looks again will," he said and Ku Jian trained her eyes and saw them. They looked nothing human. They looked beastly, some covered in fur, others in scales, but they walked upright like human beings.

"Oh," Before the words from her mouth could land, she heard shouts from around, "Demon race!"

"Impossible! In the light realm?"

"They have guts,"

Nti Anem looked back at Ed and sighed, "You should speak less,"

"What? How dare you talk to Brother Ed like that?"

"You too, you should not ask him too much. Let us leave. We will talk about it later," he said as shouts and charges rang out; cultivators attacking those of the demon race. The Lotus clan did not see this development. But this was good. They took charge quickly and riled people up. After all, in a fight, one could truly see who a person was.

"For them to be here when the gates are closed, they must have entered so many times. Fellow cultivators join hands and kill the vermin," their leader called to others and many attacked. All those around had to attack. Not doing so was not showing loyalty to the human race. Even if you were not interested in a fight, you had to fight now. Because of this, Ed and the rest stood out light a sore thumb walking away from the battle.

"Where are you running to? I did not know Patriarch Nse's disciple was such a coward. Or are you not interested in defending the race?" the person who spoke was Di Wong. He had been waiting for a moment to fight this disciple that had taken away their former patriarch, only for him to become a legend after taking the tomb. Till now, he is still itching for a match.

"Yes, we are not," Ku Jian answered as they continued to leave. Their actions were frowned upon by other cultivators. Defending the race was work of great merit. Whatever clan you are in, you would be greatly rewarded, yet they just walk away?

"Lady Jian needs not speak fast, after all, those hooded figures you followed into the dip never came out. You are on your own," he meant to remind her that even though she was of some great clan, right now, she had no defence, but she only smiled slightly and continued away.

"Stop!" the lotus clan soul realized being blocked their way quickly.

"You were one of the hooded? What happened to my clan's protector?" she asked.