"We are being followed," Stella said to Diana as they briskly walked through the gate at the mountain's base. Since the defensive formation was far less suppressive down here, Stella could use Qi to mask her voice.
"How many do you count?" Diana replied, "I can detect five tailing us."
"You can feel five? I only noticed four."
"My demonic Qi is more resistant to the suppression of the defensive formation. The fifth person is hanging quite far back up the mountain, but they only move forward when we do."
"Oh, I see," Stella said and briefly nodded to the guard that had let them through earlier. After being waved out, they proceeded past the lines and crowds of mortals still trying to get into the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion's grounds despite the late hour. "Let's quicken the pace."
"Where are we going, though?" Diana asked, following Stella a step behind as she weaved through the mortals. We don't know the way to the Duskwalker residence."
"That's a good point. Should we deal with our stalkers first?" Stella spread out her spiritual sense, and it felt so freeing not to be suffocated by a defensive formation. Sure enough, five masked and cloaked people were following them into the city. They didn't even try to obscure themselves so Stella could see the purple mist swirling around them. They were all Mystic Qi cultivators.
"Did you notice?"
"That these bastards are Mystic affinity cultivators?" Diana grumbled as they dashed around a corner and jumped over a mortal's cart that had overturned and blocked the street. "What do these crazy people even want? They aren't even trying to hide from our spiritual senses."
They should know Diana is at least in the Star Core Realm, so why chase her so openly? Either they are suicidal or all in the Star Core Realm, which I find hard to believe.
"Should we try talking to them?" Stella asked.
"Absolutely not." Diana shuddered, "We do not want to be associated with them. If they are anything like Elysia, they are all insane, and their power is a farce. Elysia thinks she is controlling the Worldwalker, but it's just bored and learned that listening to Elysia's orders earned it more snacks."
Why does that sound like Maple?
"Mhm, so that's a no to talking then." Stella summoned a dagger to her hand and hid it in the folds of her cloak with a reverse grip. "Killing in the pavilion isn't allowed, but there's no risk of exile if we kill out here. Let's wait and dispose of them. We can't make our way to the Duskwalker residence with them tailing us—"
"I'm Glad to see you two are alive," Ashlock's voice echoed in her mind. "Did something bad happen? Why are there people chasing you?"
"We might have attracted too much attention," Stella sighed as she looked up at the darkening sky. "A little help? These people are lunatics."
"Head to the restaurant from before. I will make a portal leading to the Duskwalker residence from there."
Stella nodded to Diana, and they rushed through the streets. She didn't remember the city's layout, but she could sense Ashlock's presence in a certain direction, so she just followed that. A few twists and turns later, they ended up in the filthy area behind the restaurant from before.
"They are gaining on us," Diana clicked her tongue. "Maybe chopping off Elysia's arm was a bad idea."
"You think?" Stella laughed as a rift tore itself into existence. They both dashed through, and a second later, it snapped closed behind them, leaving Nightshade City and the stalkers behind. They were now halfway up a mountain and could see what looked like the Duskwalker's residence looming overhead.
"This is annoying," Diana said, running her hand through her long black hair and combing it behind her ear with her claw-like nails. "I was worried you would be the one to attract too much attention. To think I would be the one to steal the spotlight."
Stella nodded, "Seth seemed very interested in your background as well."
"Really?" Diana's hand paused and then fell to her side with a sigh, "None of this is my fault. I even made an effort to hide my demon form and abilities from everyone, but that stupid Worldwalker wanted to make a show out of it and wouldn't leave until the dust had settled."
Stella smirked behind her mask. "I must say you did look very imposing telling a Worldwalker to surrender, and it actually obeyed."
"It better have," Diana hissed in anger. "After I endured ten minutes of the torment and pain and wasted far too much Qi, if it had gone against its promise, I would have demanded Maple come here and eat it—"
Another rift suddenly appeared, drawing Stella and Diana's attention.
Larry crawled through in all his silvery ashen glory with Maple riding on his head. The fluffy white squirrel leapt through the air and effortlessly landed on Stella's shoulder.
"Hey, little guy, what's up." Stella patted his head and stroked behind his ear. "Where have you been all this time?"
After enjoying the head pats for a moment, Maple used his paw to slowly push Stella's hand off and then leaped down to the ground. Suddenly, he exploded upwards in a mass of wiggling black tentacles, which morphed into a naked, androgynous humanoid body with no defining features other than long white hair that reached his legs, fluffy ears, and a white tail that curled around his entire form. Maple had taken on his 'human' form, loosely based on Stella.
"I was exploring the area and found a good shadowy snack nearby alongside some weaker guards."
Shadowy snack? Did he eat some poor shadow cultivator as a snack? Oh who cares, he is too adorable. Stella thought as Maple looked up at her with his golden eyes. He looks like the little brother I never had.
"Why don't you take this form more often! You are so cute," Stella pulled Maple up into a hug, much to the former squirrel's annoyance.
"Talking in this form uses a lot of Qi; every word I utter feels like drowning underwater." Maple replied in a completely neutral tone, "But it's easier to speak to you two as a humanoid because telepathy has gotten trickier. You two have built up a considerable resistance to mental manipulation due to Ashlock's questionable way of speaking."
That's true. I no longer feel the need to eat the Mind Fortress fruits when Ash speaks to me.
Stella pouted, "How do you not have enough Qi to spare to stay in this form? Don't you go off for days at a time to feast?"
"Why would I waste precious Qi to take on this unsightly form?" Maple turned his head and looked at Diana with a frown. "Let's get to the point. You met my younger sibling, didn't you?"
"News travels fast in the void, it seems."
Maple shook his head, "I felt the tear in the void from afar."
"You should have come and saved me," Diana crossed her arms, "But yes, I met that monster while fighting a Mystic Qi cultivator. They were pretending to be her summon. What about it?"
"If you can, stay away from them in the future. Every Worldwalker goes through this phase, and it's dangerous to get involved in. Half of all Worldwalkers are said to perish to Heaven's wrath during this thrill-seeking period of their life. You got lucky this time because they thought I would go out of my way to punish them for harming you."
Diana's shoulders sagged. "I can see why you dislike that sibling of yours. They treated everything like a game to satisfy their selfish boredom. If I had to fight them again, and they were going for the kill, I would lose."
"What's this?" Ashlock's voice entered everyone's mind. "I feel like I missed something."
Diana sighed, "I will explain what happened."
What followed was a quick summary of the fight, what the Worldwalker had said about Maple, and Diana's deal to get the Worldwalker to surrender.
"To think we would encounter another Worldwalker capable of appearing on this realm," Ashlock said. "Does your sibling have a name?"
Maple shook his head, "Not one you would understand. Feel free to give them one."
"Diana, did it have a noticeable color?"
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"A color?" Diana looked to the ground in thought, "Ah, it did have a green eye. Other than that, it was nothingness."
"Green... let's see. If I am to keep up the naming scheme, I need a green planet. There's only one with a green tint, and that's Uranus, but that seems too unsightly of a name for a Worldwalker..."
Stella frowned, "Maple, do you know what Ash is mumbling about?"
"Other worlds or dimensions by the sound of it," Maple replied.
"Any you recognize?"
"No. If these places are real, they exist beyond the void, a place the Worldwalkers could never go." Maple's golden eyes narrowed. "Perhaps that dimension is where he draws his impossible powers from—a higher plane of existence that is unreachable to us."
"Somewhere even a Worldwalker couldn't go? Mhm..." Stella closed her eyes as she continued listening in to Ashlock's murmuring. One day, when I am strong enough to rule over the entire heavens, I will let you share your secret with me, Ash. But until then, until we are safe from anything that could tear us apart from one another, I ask that you keep your secrets for our safety. Just wait for me.
Stella's eyes opened, and she looked to the darkened sky. "Ash, you're talking aloud, you know? Have you forgotten our promise?"
"Huh? Oh... my apologies. I got carried away and lost in thought."
Diana and Maple looked at Stella with questioning looks, but she ignored them. "Have you decided on a name?"
"Since he is Maple's annoying little brother, I feel the name Pluto fits. What do you think, Maple?"
"I do not know the deeper meaning behind the name. But I am surprised you even thought so deeply about them, considering how lazy you are."
Stella then felt Maple wiggle out of her grasp, and she decided to look away to spare herself the grotesque scene of Maple switching forms. He then hopped up on her shoulder.
"Don't look at me like that. I am not petting you."
"Alright, since everyone is here, should we begin?" Diana asked as she replaced her white wooden mask with a black one.
Stella nodded, "Do you remember the plan?"
"Of course I do," Diana chuckled as she walked up the mountain, "If they dare to resist..."
***
Evelyn Duskwalker stared at the servant in disbelief.
"What do you mean my Mother is gone?"
"She went out for a stroll, Mistress, but is yet to return. The guards sent by the residence to tail her have also vanished without a trace." The servant's voice trembled, "Do you think the Lunarshade family is finally making its move? Are we all going to die?"
Evelyn ignored the servants' rambling and began pacing the room. We have absorbed most of the smaller families in Nightshade City under our banner, so we have multiple Star Core Elders to defend ourselves with, but that won't be enough if he decides to make a move. We have nothing capable of stopping a Nascent Soul Realm threat. Only the Celestial Warden can fight him, but convincing that cunning man to move from his mountain is unlikely.
"Mistress, would it be possible for you to beg your husband to spare us?"
Evelyn paused, glared at the servant, and barely held back her wrath from pulverizing him. "You want me to go beg like a dog and spread my legs for the Lunarshade scion every time we feel threatened?"
The servant didn't dare meet her gaze but uttered under his breath, "Well..."
"Get out."
"As you wish, Mistress." The servant gave a small bow and took his leave. Closing the door quietly on his way out. He was a skilled servant, so killing him over voicing legitimate concerns and solutions would be a shame.
Evelyn collapsed on a nearby chair and stared up at the ceiling. "I would go and beg that bastard if I could, but he doesn't have eyes for me anymore, no matter what I do. Since news of Nox reappearing at the Eternal Pursuit Pavilion reached his ears, he has looked at me with even more contempt than usual." Evelyn closed her eyes and listened to the wind rattling the windows as a sense of melancholy overcame her.
What am I even fighting so hard for anymore? Father is dead, Mother is missing, and the cousin I had the most faith in reviving the family disappeared chasing after Nox, who has abandoned me. All I have gained in my long life is command over a dying household on the brink of collapse and forced into a marriage with someone who disdains me.
The door suddenly slammed open, "Mistress Evelyn!"
"What now?" Evelyn snapped as that same darn servant came back in.
"There are two powerful cultivators at the door. They wish to meet with you."
"How powerful are we talking?" Evelyn's eyes widened.
"One of them had a Crimson Tracker pendant, and they both look like bounty hunters," The servant explained.
"Tell them we are busy and to come tomorrow," Evelyn stood up, "With my Mother missing, I can't say for certain that I could win against them. We need to buy time—"
"They claim to know Nox," The servant added.
Evelyn clicked her tongue, "More debt collectors? I already paid off that Lightbringer bastard after he threatened to place bounties at the pavilion for only being compensated 200 Yinxi Coins for healing Nox's hand."
The servant shook his head. " The blonde-haired one showed a ring made of shadow Qi and claimed it was from Nox. They are more likely to be acquaintances of the Mistress's sister."
Evelyn massaged her temples and let out a long sigh, "I really don't need this right now. Without my Mother around, the other families we have taken under our wing may grow greedy. Time is not on my side here. Can you really not tell them to leave—"
Spatial Qi suddenly crackled through the air, and despite the defensive formations built into the residence, reality was torn apart as a rift formed. The air shuddered in protest, and the walls of the room glowed with power as the defensive formation attempted to crush the portal.
What in the nine realms is going on? The amount of Qi needed to forcefully open a portal like that is unfathomable.
A gong began to echo through the residence, alerting everyone to the situation. I just need to hold on until the other Grand Elders get here.
Evelyn's Star Core pulsed in her chest as shadow Qi wreathed her body and condensed into armor. She also summoned a sword to her hand and got ready to summon fiends.
From the distorted portal, two silhouettes emerged. Both wore the typical attire of bounty hunters, such as thick black cloaks with many folds and big hoods to hide their features. They also wore masks, but they differed. The blonde-haired woman wore a jade mask, while the black-haired woman wore a simpler black wooden mask.
"Pardon the intrusion," The blonde-haired one spoke, her voice distorted by the mask as she looked around the room. The portal snapped closed behind her, sending a wave of wind that rustled the intruder's hair and cloaks. The woman then focused on her, "Are you Evelyn?"
Evelyn gulped, "Depends on who's asking."
The two intruders exchanged a quick glance.
"We are acquaintances of Nox Duskwalker," the blonde-haired woman showed her finger with a ring of shadow Qi. "We came to make a deal."
"Oh? Would you mind if I verified that ring?" Evelyn stepped closer with a smile and lowered her sword. "It's been so long since I heard from my dear sister. It would sadden me if people pretending to be her acquaintances used her name to take advantage of us."
"Sure," the woman offered her hand.
One more step... she is the dangerous one. I will get rid of her first.
Evelyn didn't show her inner thoughts on her face as she leaned over and pretended to care about the ring. "Well, that's a surprise. You really do have a ring made from our shadow Qi—" Evelyn swung her sword up with all her strength and speed before finishing her statement.
First, I will cut off this outstretched hand of yours and then finish with your head—huh?
There was a loud clang and shower of sparks as a dagger hidden in the woman's palm flipped out, met Evelyn's surprise attack, and redirected the momentum overhead. Evelyn felt her balance thrown off as her sword tip pointed to the ceiling, leaving her defenseless with both arms raised.
How did she know? Evelyn's eyes widened. That reaction speed... she saw through my ruse somehow.
"What a cheap trick, I know you hate your sister." The woman's distorted voice answered her thoughts and was followed by a powerful punch to her gut, sending her flying backward. "I wanted to give you a chance, but it seems a show of force is the only way to make you listen. Just like your sister..."
"Ugh," Evelyn pushed herself up from the pile of destroyed furniture she had crashed through and gritted her teeth. "If you know how much I despise my sister, you shouldn't have come here."
"We have more in common than you would think," the blonde-haired woman replied as she twirled the dagger between her fingers. "After all, the Nox you knew is dead."
"Impossible," Evelyn replied before her brain could catch up. Scrunching up her face in disgust, she said, "I hate to admit it, but Nox is far too adept at life as a Merchant. Over the years, many bounty hunters have been sent after her, yet she evaded capture every time. Unless someone on the level of the Celestial Warden put his all into hunting her down, she wouldn't fall to the likes of you."
"Oh, but she did," the woman laughed, "She stole from the wrong people and paid the price with her soul."
Evelyn narrowed her eyes.
It was true they had forced their way in here with ease, and she couldn't find any falsehoods in their words. This woman's confidence exuded absolute authority, so maybe she really was telling the truth.
If that's the case, these people have someone on the level of a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator.
"Elder Evelyn! What's happening?" The doors flung open again, and three Grand Elders ran inside.
The one who had shouted her name was the Grand Elder of the Frostveil family. Close behind was the Grand Elder from the Blightbane family with hair as dark as rotting wood and eyes like fading embers. He looked as gloomy as the rest of his family, who cultivated death affinity. The third and final Grand Elder was from the Mystshroud family, which consisted of a bunch of lunatics who occupied the basement of the Duskwalker family residence alongside their cult.
Despite the arrival of the three powerhouses and being outnumbered, the two intruders seemed unfazed.
Evelyn raised her hand to silence the Frostveil Grand Elder. She then glared at the blonde woman and said, "Tell me who you people are and what you want with me and my family."
"We are agents of Ashfallen," the woman glanced at everyone in the room. "We come with an offer of collaboration. The Duskwalker family will swear itself to Ashfallen and act as our proxy. In return, we will share our profits from the pavilion and lend you our strength—the strength that allowed us to slaughter Nox for her transgressions against us."
Grand Elder Frostveil stepped forward, "What nonsense are you sprouting? That's absurd! I have never heard of Ashfallen before—" The woman suddenly appeared before him and pressed a dagger against his neck.
"I wasn't asking," the woman said, "Either you join us by your own decision, or we take this place over by force."
"Force? What a lot of hot air." The Frostveil Grand Elder smirked. "Do you really think you can beat four families by yourselves?"
The woman snapped her fingers, and the ground trembled.
Evelyn stepped back as an ethereal black root emerged from the floorboards alongside a sudden pressure. Once again, the air shuddered as it was ripped apart, and a portal formed. However, this time, the silhouette that emerged was that of a monster.
A spider made of shifting, slivery ash crawled through the portal like a mythical creature. The halo of ash orbiting its crown of horns began to rotate, and Evelyn felt her body scream in pain as she was pressed to the floor by a pressure she had never felt before. The other Grand Elders followed a similar fate as they were all forced to kneel before the mythical creature.
Its gaze swept the room, and Evelyn could only look at the floor and tremble.
"No need to be so scared. After all, we are going to be working together soon," the blonde-haired woman said with a distorted voice as she crouched before Evelyn and pushed a parchment written in ink along the floor. "Just drop your blood on this. Don't make this harder than it has to be."
Evelyn strained her neck to look up and saw her pathetic reflection in the woman's polished jade mask. "Are you even human? A contract made in blood? This is something a demon would do." Evelyn hissed out.
The woman tilted her head and laughed, "Who knows? Maybe I am less human than I thought. Now sign."
