I was still unable to move due to my injuries, so I looked around with my spirit sense. My mother appeared the same as when I last saw her: a mature matron with a lean and toned build, brown skin, and dark curly hair. She wore a set of loose robes, which gave her a slovenly and indolent air. Despite this, violence seemed to simmer beneath the surface of her skin, ready to explode out at any moment. She looked down at me with her golden eyes, an amused smile stretched across her face.

  “You don’t have to hold back anymore, Sidra.” Nova called out, glancing over at my eldest sister. “I have Darian.”

  I followed her gaze with my spirit sense and what I saw shocked me. If I could move, my jaw would have dropped. The beautiful garden from before no longer existed. A fiery hellscape had taken its place. Black flames raged throughout the entire courtyard. The colorful spirit herbs were nothing more than ash now. The pond had dried out and the fish spirit beasts inside were charred corpses. Thick smoke filled the air, obscuring everything. Without my spirit sense, I wouldn’t have been able to perceive anything.

  In fact, now that I thought about it, I found it strange that I couldn’t smell the smoke. I was laying on the ground, where the air was clearer, but I still would’ve breathed some of it in. Also, I should’ve felt the heat from the black flames burning all around us. After a few moments, I realized that, other than my spirit sense, none of my senses were working. I couldn’t see, smell, taste, hear, or feel anything.

  Well, that last one wasn’t quite true. I felt the pain from my injuries, but that was it. I couldn’t feel anything else. Panic filled me. If none of my five senses worked, then I was even more injured than I first thought.

  ‘Calm down, Little Demon.’ My mother said, her voice in my mind. ‘I’m the one who blocked all of your senses except your spirit sense.’

  Her words filled me with relief, and concern. Had she read my mind?

  ‘No,’ my mother said in an amused voice, ‘I just guessed what you were thinking.’

  Her words did little to ease my concern. I decided to trust my mother and ignore my condition for now, and instead I focused on my eldest sister. She remained where I last saw her, fighting with the Devouring Demon inside the pavilion that stood in the middle of the garde-… courtyard. At this point, it couldn’t be called a garden anymore.

  Big Sis Sidra and the Devouring Demon moved so fast as they fought that I couldn’t even perceive their actions. At best, I caught blurry glimpses of their forms. However, I witnessed the damage they caused. The shock waves from the fight cracked the walls and ground of the courtyard, though the latter remained standing. I didn’t know what material my eldest sister used to build her palace, but it must have been a tough one to endure all this. More and more black fire filled the courtyard as Big Sis Sidra used her mystic arts.

  I wondered why none of this affected me or my mother, until I noticed the small barrier of golden light that surrounded both of us. It looked so thin and delicate that, based on its appearance alone, it should’ve been torn apart already. However, it held strong despite the fight between my eldest sister and the Devouring Demon.

  ‘Watch and learn, Little Demon.’ My mother said through telepathy. ‘Witness Sidra’s mastery of the mystic arts.’

  I followed my mother’s commands to the best of my ability. I didn’t see much, since I could barely perceive Big Sis Sidra. However, what I could see left me breathless, or maybe I had actually stopped breathing. It was difficult to tell in my current condition.

  My eldest sister’s mystic arts were elegant and graceful, but also vicious and savage at the same time. Her demonic flames looked hot enough to burn the entire world, and yet they only burned what she willed them to burn. They appeared wild, but she had total control over them. Compared to hers, my flames were mere child’s play.

  Her mastery of the mystic arts filled me with awe and longing. I wanted to be like that, to be like her. One day, I would become a master as well and stand at the apex. However, that was a long way away. So, for now, I watched and learned from my sister’s example.

  It was difficult to tell who was winning the fight. Big Sis Sidra and the Devouring Demon appeared to be even in strength. However, with our mother here, I doubted Big Sis Sidra would lose. At the very least, she would survive.

  Even as I thought that, my eldest sister let out a blood-curdling scream. She and the Devouring Demon stopped moving, letting me see them properly for the first time since their fight began. What I saw filled me with shock and dread.

  The Devouring Demon was wrapped all around Big Sis Sidra’s body, though it left her three heads bare. From the way it moved and the gnawing sound it let out, it was clear that it was eating her alive. My eldest sister screamed from all three of her mouths.

  ‘Help her!’ I yelled at our mother using telepathy.

  Despite my panic, Nova remained calm and composed. In fact, she still wore an amused smile on her face.

  ‘Don’t underestimate your sister, Little Demon.’ My mother said.

  If I could, I would’ve blinked at her in surprise. However, before I could say anything, movement from Big Sis Sidra’s direction caught my attention. I looked over with my spirit sense. My eldest sister wasn’t screaming anymore. Instead, she wore a savage smile on her face.

  “You’re mine now.” She said.

  The Devouring Demon, sensing that something was wrong, detached itself from Big Sis Sidra’s body and tried to flee. However, it was already too late. The world shifted as I felt the arrays in my eldest sister’s palace activate. Countless magic circles made of black light, each one comprised of geometric shapes and arcane runes, sprang into existence around the Devouring Demon. They surrounded it and formed a cage.

  The Devouring Demon tried to break free, and even destroyed several of the magic circles, but to no avail. There were too many. It was trapped. The cage grew smaller and smaller, forcing the Devouring Demon to shrink. It roared, its voice filled with anger and desperation. Soon, the cage shrank until it was the size of a human head.

  ‘Remember, Little Demon,’ my mother said to me through telepathy, ‘Never fight an array master inside their own home. The moment you do, you’ve already lost.’

  I realized then that my sister had never been in any danger in the first place. She had the situation under control the entire time. Even so, she looked like she was in poor condition. Her robes were ripped in several places, revealing her bloody wounds. As it ate her, the Devouring Demon had ripped the flesh from her body. It was a gruesome sight, one that sickened me. Despite this, my eldest sister was in good spirits.

  Nova stood up and hefted me onto her shoulders, before walking towards Big Sis Sidra. The barrier of golden light moved with us, protecting us from the black flames that rampaged throughout the courtyard.

  “You know,” our mother called out, “You could’ve won sooner if you hadn’t insisted on capturing it alive.”

  Big Sis Sidra snorted, before grabbing the caged Devouring Demon with her main pair of hands.

  “And risk destroying such a valuable treasure?” She asked. “Never.”

  As Big Sis Sidra spoke with one mouth, she sucked in the black flames and smoke with her other two. It was an odd sight. Soon, the black flames and smoke were all gone, devoured by my eldest sister. However, the courtyard was still a mess; cracked, scorched, and covered in ash. It would take some time to repair it all. The spirit herbs were a complete loss. My heart ached at the thought. All of the lanterns were gone, leaving the courtyard in darkness. However, to cultivators like us, that wasn’t much of an obstacle.

  My mother reached the pavilion in the center. By some miracle, it remained standing. It was a little scorched, but it looked fine otherwise. Just what kind of wood was it made out of?

  “How are you feeling?” Nova asked Big Sis Sidra.

  My eldest sister grinned at her with all three mouths.

  “Jubilant.” She said, before holding up the caged Devouring Demon. “Capturing the soul fragment of a Demigod is a fortuitous encounter unlike any other.” Her eyes, all six of them, fell on me and her expression morphed into panic. “Little Demon!”

  She rushed over and fussed over me with two pairs of arms, like the last one held the caged Devouring Demon.

  “Don’t worry,” Nova said, patting my back, “He’s alive and he’ll make a full recovery.”

  Big Sis Sidra still looked worried.

  “What about the…?” She started to ask, but then stopped.

  “Oh, right,” our mother said. “I should get rid of that.”

  Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.

  Before I could ask them what they meant, scorching heat filled my body. It didn’t hurt, but it felt uncomfortable. Moments later, something foreign started squirming inside me; from within my internal injury to be exact. It felt as if there was a parasite burrowing into my soul. The sensation filled me with disgust.

  The scorching heat burned the squirming thing inside me and flushed it towards my stomach. My insides heaved. I opened my mouth and vomited out a thick black sludge. In that moment, I was glad that I couldn’t taste anything. That black sludge looked disgusting. Big Sis Sidra jumped back to avoid getting splashed by it. Somehow, none of it got onto my mother’s robes. In the middle of black sludge, wriggling around like a worm, was a piece of the Devouring Demon. It tried to escape, but my mother reached down and grabbed it with her free hand.

  “Gotcha,” she said.

  Chains of golden lightning emerged from my mother’s hand and formed a cage, trapping the piece of the Devouring Demon.

  ‘That thing was inside me?’ I shouted through telepathy, my voice filled with horror and disgust.

  “Yes.” My mother said, sneering at the piece of the Devouring Demon. “It must have taken advantage of your moment of weakness to implant a piece of itself inside you. I assume that it wanted to mold you into a suitable vessel, before eating you from the inside out and taking over your body. That’s how these things usually go.”

  A part of me wanted to ask if that was what she did with Big Sis Sidra’s body, without the devouring part of course, but I held back. There were some things one just didn’t ask.

  The rest of me was still sickened by the idea that the Devouring Demon had infected me with a piece of itself, like some kind of parasite. My insides heaved again, though I didn’t throw up. Maybe my body was too damaged for that.

  “Let us bring Little Demon to Martial Idiot Clinic.” Big Sis Sidra said. She gave me an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry about what happened. I tried to hold back as much as I could, but you still ended up getting hurt.”

  I wanted to shake my head, but I was still unable to move my body. The only reason why I was conscious at all and able to converse was because of our mother. Without her help, I would have fallen unconscious already.

  ‘I don’t blame you.’ I said through telepathy. ‘I blame that thing for infecting me and then attacking you.’

  Nova patted my back.

  “Let’s hold off on bringing Little Demon to Marital Idiot Clinic,” she said. “This is an opportunity for him. We’ll let Flame Fiend Peak’s aura soak into his wounds a bit more first.” She looked around and wrinkled nose. “In the meantime, let us find someplace more comfortable to talk. I want to hear about how you came across that vermin.”

  Big Sis Sidra looked around as well, a sorrowful expression on her face.

  “I liked this garden.” She muttered, despondent.

  Our mother snorted.

  “Palaces can be rebuilt and gardens can be replanted.” She said. “What matters is that you and your little brother are still alive.” She nodded to the caged Devouring Demon in my eldest sister’s hands. “Besides, in the end, you gained something far more valuable than a mere garden.”

  Big Sis Sidra gave the caged Devouring Demon a gleeful smile. It shivered and tried to shrink away from her. However, there wasn’t any place for it to go. My eldest sister pulled a stoppered green gourd out from her storage ring. It was some kind of magic treasure. She unstoppered the gourd and a vortex formed as it sucked in everything within the immediate vicinity of its mouth.

  My eldest sister pointed the gourd at the caged Devouring Demon. It shrank as the vortex sucked it into the gourd. The Devouring Demon shrieked and struggled to break free from its cage, to no avail. Soon, it was into the gourd and disappeared from sight. Big Sis Sidra then aimed the gourd at the small piece of the Devouring Demon that my mother held in her hands.

  “No.” She said. “This piece is for Little Demon. It’s only fair that he benefits from this situation as well. Don’t be too greedy.”

  My eldest sister made a face, before she sighed and stoppered the gourd once more. The suction force disappeared.

  With that, the three of us left the courtyard.

  Half an hour later, the three of us were inside a drawing room somewhere within Big Sis Sidra’s palace. Like the rest of the palace, it had a red, gold, and black color scheme. However, it was smaller and cozier than the rest of the palace. There were several chairs and couches in the drawing room, each one covered in comfortable looking cushions.

  Paintings and other pieces of art decorated the room. However, unlike the ones I saw earlier, none of them were mystical in nature. They were all mundane. Like the rest of the palace, glass lanterns floated in the air near the ceiling. All of them were filled with warm and soothing light, enhancing the cozy atmosphere of the room.

  I was laying on my back on one of the couches, with my head on my mother’s lap. She hummed as she stroked my hair with one hand and gazed down at me with a loving expression on her face. I would have found this heartwarming, except I was a bloody mess and half an inch away from death. My mother also carried the small piece of the Devouring Demon in her other hand. Despite this, I somehow maintained my composure and remained calm. Suffice it to say, I found this situation… Odd.

  Big Sis Sidra, no longer using Three Head, Six Arms, sat across from us. She had taken this time to clean herself up and put on a new set of robes. Her wounds had healed, on the surface at least. However, I knew that she still retained some damage from her fight with the Devouring Demon.

  Nova listened as Big Sis Sidra and I took turns to explain to her what happened. I started with how I procured the ring in the first place, and ended with what happened in the Violet Desert hidden realm. Big Sis Sidra then explained what happened before Nova arrived, more for my sake than anything else.

  It turned out that she was the one who called our mother for help. That was why Nova appeared when she had. While Big Sis Sidra could’ve defeated the Devouring Demon on her own, she held back out of fear for my safety. Once Nova arrived, she no longer had to worry about me.

  Afterwards, Nova examined my mind and soul using her spirit sense, searching for any lingering traces that the Devouring Demon might have left in me. It was an uncomfortable sensation, but it was better to be safe than sorry. To my relief, she said that I was fine. Afterwards, she examined the copper ring, which I somehow managed to keep hold of despite everything.

  “I see,” Nova said when she finished, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I was right. That ring was a trap.” She sneered at the piece of the Devouring Demon in her hands. “The technique that this thing implanted into your mind is powerful. However, using it would have twisted you into a ravening beast, making you a more suitable vessel for this thing. Eventually, it would have taken over your body and devoured your soul. It’s a good thing that you told your sister about it before it was too late.” She smirked. “Most demonic cultivators, and many righteous ones, would have kept it a secret out of paranoia and selfishness.”

  Big Sis Sidra chuckled.

  “It seems that your honesty and earnestness saved you from a terrible fate, Little Demon.” She said.

  ‘What is that thing?’ I asked using telepathy. Due to my current condition, I could only perceive and interact with the world using my spirit sense. ‘You said it was a soul fragment of a Demigod?’

  Nova nodded, her expression turning serious.

  “Yes.” She said. “One on the verge of achieving immortality, by the looks of it.”

  Her answer shocked me. Demigods were at the peak of the mortal realm, and half a step into immortality. My eldest sister managed to defeat something like that? I know it was just a fragment of a Demigod, but still.

  ‘Why was there a Demigod’s soul fragment in that ring?’ I asked.

  “In order to become an immortal, or a devil in the case of demonic cultivators,” my mother explained, “One must face a tribulation sent by the heavens. Many Demigods create contingencies in case they fail their tribulations, so at least a part of them survives.” She nodded to the piece of the Devouring Demon she held. “That copper ring of yours was one such contingency. It must be millions of years old, given how degraded the soul fragment is.” She looked at my eldest sister. “It lost any semblance of intelligence a long time ago and was acting on instinct alone. That is the only reason why you managed to defeat it, Sidra. If it had been at its peak condition, you wouldn’t have won.”

  My eldest sister grimaced when she heard this.

  “Still, it’s impressive that you defeated such a foe at all,” Nova said, “Even one in a weakened state. If you give me that gourd, I’ll refine the soul fragment into a pill that will help you during your breakthrough into the Domain Creation realm.”

  Big Sis Sidra gave her a grateful look and stood up.

  “Thank you, Mother,” she said, giving our mother a martial salute.

  “Thank Little Demon.” Our mother said. “While you did all the work, the copper ring belongs to him. You wouldn’t have gained this opportunity without it. Be sure to compensate him.”

  Big Sis Sidra smiled at me.

  “I will.” She said.

  “As for you, Little Demon.” Nova said, looking down at me. “As a reward for finding that copper ring in the first place, I’ll refine this little piece of the Devouring Demon into a pill that will help you when you form your Golden Core. The Devouring Demon’s nature is similar to our own, so it will prove beneficial for you.”

  I couldn’t move, so I sent feelings of gratitude towards my mother using telepathy.

  ‘Thank you, Master.’ I said.

  Nova narrowed her eyes at me, before flicking my forehead. For some reason, I felt that even though I couldn’t feel much of anything else.

  “Mom.” She said. “Right now, I’m not acting as your master but as your mother.”

  I hesitated before responding.

  ‘Yes… Mom.’

  “I’ll also fix that Devouring Demon technique.” My mother said. “That way you can use it without becoming a mindless monster, though this will take me some time.”

  I felt conflicted at this. Even if it hadn’t had side effects, the Devouring Demon technique disturbed me. However, I also liked the idea of using my hunger to help me increase my cultivation and become more powerful. In the end, I decided to accept my mother’s offer. I would decide whether or not to actually use the Devouring Demon technique at a later date.

  “Will you go back into seclusion afterwards?” Big Sis Sidra asked. “Or will you stick around a little longer?”

  Our mother looked thoughtful for a moment.

  “The former.” She said. “However, I won’t refine the pills until after the Rising Heroes Tournament. So, I’ll be around for a little while.” She pinched my cheek. Again, I felt this even though I didn’t feel much else. “I might as well act as a proper teacher for my youngest.”

  Big Sis Sidra looked happy about this. I, on the other hand, felt a sense of foreboding. My mind conjured up the stories my older sisters told me, the ones about how our mother raised them and taught them. My intuition warned me that I was in for a rough time for the foreseeable future.

  “Very well, Mother,” my eldest sister said, “I'll inform the others.”

  Nova nodded, before looking down at me.

  “Now then.” She said. “It’s time for you to sleep, Little Demon. After you recover, we’ll begin your training.”

  Before I could react, she pressed a finger against my forehead and I fell into darkness.

  I have a up and running, if you want to say hi.

  For those who want to show a little extra support, I also have a. Patrons can read up to eighteen chapters ahead of everyone else, and get access to exclusive artwork. As a teaser, free members get access to character sketches drawn by the talented Ms. Tsuu, as well as songs by Lucas Quinn Creations.

  I’ve also posted a DDD short story on Patreon. It’s free for Patrons. However, those who don’t wish to sign up as a Patron can purchase the short story directly instead.

  This chapter was edited by Radriel7