Demon of Dawn and Dusk

Zenia’s estate was located close to mine. It was also similar in size and layout, so I had no trouble navigating my way around. Not that I needed to, since Zenia led the way. She brought us to her sitting room, before summoning a pair of servants. Unlike mine, hers were outer disciples who were still in the Qi Condensation realm.

Zenia plopped herself down in one of the chairs and leaned back. I looked away, since it made her…vast tracts of land stand out even more. The rest of us sat down as well, except for Elliot and Ellen, who remained standing.

“Bring out the wine.” Zenia commanded, speaking to the servants. “A bottle for each of us. After that, make yourselves scarce. I don’t want anyone to disturb us.”

The servants bowed, before leaving to obey.

“Rank comes with privileges.” Zenia said. “Though I’m sure you already know that.”

I nodded. One of the reasons I made it as far as I had was because of my family and the position they held within the Dawn and Dusk Sect. I believed I would have made it this far anyway with my own power, but it would have been much more difficult and it would have taken me much longer. In the world of cultivation, one needed to use every advantage available.

“So, what did you want from me?” I asked.

Zenia held up her two right hands, her palms facing me.

“Later.” she said. “We can discuss business in a bit. For now, let’s talk about you.” She gestured towards me. “Everyone in Flame Fiend Hall is curious about you, Young Master Darian. No one knew about your existence until after you passed the entrance exam. I thought I’d take this opportunity to get ahead of everyone else.”

I blinked at her in surprise.

“Really?” I asked.

“Well, I’m sure the elders and those with connections to your family knew about you,” Zenia said. “However, to everyone else, you’re a complete unknown.”

I frowned at that.

“You’re making me out to be more than I am,” I said. “I’m nothing special.”

Eliana shook her head.

“That’s not true,” she said. “Each of Hall Master Nova’s children is exceptional in their own way.”

“Not only that, but you’re a divine demon.” Kayden said. “That alone makes you special.”

My frown deepened.

“Though, if you would rather we talked about something else, that’s fine as well,” Zenia said.

I nodded.

“I would appreciate that.” I said.

Zenia shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal, but Eliana and Kayden looked disappointed. I wasn’t sure why. My story wasn’t remarkable, all things considered. And I didn’t want to consider myself as anyone special. If it went to my head, I feared that I would become an arrogant and self important jerk like Zayne, the one who bullied me the most when I still lived on Mt. Wind Dance. That was the last thing I wanted.

Zenia’s servants returned with bottles of wine for everyone, including the snake twins. After they delivered the bottles, they left.

“Come,” Zenia said to the snake twins. “Join us. Wine tastes better with friends.”

The snake twins shook their heads.

“We must remain clear headed while protecting the Young Master.” Elliot said.

“And we’re not your friends.” Ellen said, narrowing her eyes at Zenia.

Zenia gave her a puzzled look, before her eyes flickered to me. She grinned at Ellen.

“If that’s your choice, I won’t force you.” she said. “That just means I’ll have Young Master Darian all to myself.”

I gave her a flat look.

“Please don’t say things that others can misconstrue,” I said.

Zenia grinned at me.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” she said.

I rolled my eyes before I opened the bottle of wine and took a pull from it. I might as well take advantage of Zenia’s generosity while I had the opportunity. Good wine. It tasted delicious and burned as it went down my throat. It also contained faint amounts of qi.

“This is good stuff.” I said, wiping my mouth.

Zenia and her juniors stared at me in surprise, before she started laughing.

“Aren’t you full of surprises, Young Master Darian?” she said. “I never expected you to be a drinker.”

I shrugged.

“I am my mother’s son.” I said.

Zenia smirked.

“Indeed.” she said, before taking a drink from her own bottle. “Now then, about that favor you owe me.”

I narrowed my eyes at her, before taking another drink from my bottle.

“Don’t look at me like that.” Zenia said. “I’m just asking for a small favor. I don’t want anything dangerous or difficult.”

I gestured for her to continue, but otherwise didn’t respond.

“I want to join the Guardians of Dawn and Dusk,” Zenia said. “And I’d appreciate it if you put in a good word for me with your sister, Elder Estelle. I already have my own master’s backing, but Elder Estelle is a Guardian herself. With her support, I’m guaranteed to get in.”

Estelle was an elder of the sect? I hadn’t known that. Then again, Astra had the cultivation level to become an elder but lacked the necessary contributions. I guessed Estelle hadn’t had this problem.

“Who are the Guardians of Dawn and Dusk?” I asked.

Zenia and her juniors blinked at me in surprise.

“You don’t know?” Kayden asked.

“How can you not know?” Eliana asked. “Your sister is one of them!”

Zenia narrowed her eyes at me and didn’t say anything.

“I just started cultivating last year.” I said. “While I learned the basics about the Dawn and Dusk Sect, I spent most of my time preparing for the entrance exam.”

Kayden and Eliana stared at me with wide eyes, while Zenia just raised an eyebrow.

“You reached mid Qi Condensation and the physical refinement equivalent of late Qi Condensation within the span of a single year?” Zenia asked.

“Yes.” I said.

She studied me for several seconds, before barking out a laugh.

“Ha!” she said. “I knew I made the right choice in approaching you.”

She took a drink from her bottle and I did the same.

“So, who are the Guardians of Dawn and Dusk?” I asked.

“They’re the Dawn and Dusk Sect’s protectors.” Zenia explained. “Every disciple is expected to defend the sect when necessary, but the Guardians dedicate themselves to this task. However, they don’t accept just anyone. They’re the elite warriors of our sect, and they only accept the best of the best.”

It was my turn to raise an eyebrow at her.

“In that case, what do you need my sister’s help for?” I asked. “Or are you not confident in your strength?”

Zenia’s expression hardened.

“What did you just say?” she asked in a cold voice.

I shrugged.

“If the Guardians of Dawn and Dusk only accept the best of the best, wouldn’t using connections to join them go against that?” I asked. “Doesn’t that just mean you aren’t strong enough?”

Zenia leaned forward and glared at me, a dangerous glint in her eyes. Despite this, I didn’t think I was in danger. She didn’t emanate any killing intent. More importantly, the snake twins hadn’t reacted yet. If she meant to hurt or kill me, they would have intervened already.

“Big talk coming from a boy who used his connections to join the sect.” Zenia said.

I snorted.

“I joined the sect using my own strength.” I said. “I will admit that I received a lot of support from my family before taking the entrance exam, but I passed the exam on my own merits. If I wanted to, I could have joined the sect without going through all that trouble.”

Zenia glared at me for several more seconds, before a grin stretched across her face.

“Young Master Darian,” she said. “How would you like to be my drinking buddy?”

I blinked at her in surprise. What?

“Senior Sister Zenia has this habit of testing people.” Kayden said in a resigned tone.

“Those who pass her test become part of her…clique, you might say.” Eliana said. “Those who don’t, well, don’t.” She gestured to herself and Kayden. “Except for you, Brother Kayden and I were the only ones who passed her test.”

I gave Zenia a questioning look.

“If someone can’t handle a little pressure, then they’re not worth my time.” she said, shrugging. “So, what do you say?”

I mulled it over for a bit, before nodding.

“It’s always nice to make friends.” I said. “Yes, I’ll be your drinking buddy.” I took a drink from my bottle. “You still haven’t answered my question. Why do you need my sister’s help?”

Zenia sighed.

“A few years ago, a core disciple of Celestial Warrior Hall insulted me.” she said. “So, I challenged him to a duel and won. However, in retaliation, his master used his influence to prevent me from joining the Guardians of Dawn and Dusk. I need the support of someone like Elder Estelle to overcome this particular obstacle.” She snorted. “I’m more than strong enough, and skilled enough, to join the Guardians. However, politics is another beast altogether.”

Ah, so that’s how it was.

“I’ll think about it.” I said. “While I am grateful for your help earlier, I need to do my due diligence. I can’t ask my sister for a favor without looking into the matter first. After all, you and I just met today.”

Zenia shrugged.

“Fair enough.” she said. “I’ve waited this long, I can wait a little longer.” She grinned at me. “In that case, let us drink and be merry.”

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. I had intended to read the manuals I received from Fenton. However, Zenia and her juniors were such interesting company that I couldn’t help but stay and drink with them. At first we just conversed while we drank, but as the day went on, we grew more raucous and rowdy. Our tongues became looser and we became more physical with each other. None of us crossed a line, but the wine lowered our inhibitions.

After we finished off our first bottles of wine, Zenia summoned the servants to bring us more. It was at that point that I tried to convince the snake twins to join us. I felt bad for them, since they just stood there while the rest of us were enjoying ourselves. Elliot remained steadfast and refused to participate. Ellen was the same, until a certain incident that occurred later on in the evening.

We were all halfway through our second bottles of wine, each of us thoroughly drunk; me more so than the others because of my lower cultivation realm. I danced arm in arm with Kayden and Eliana, while Zenia sang a vulgar tavern song. She was a veritable treasure trove of them. I was so drunk by that point that I felt no embarrassment.

After Zenia finished singing, she decided she wanted to dance as well. She pulled me away from her juniors and threw two of her arms over my shoulders as she continued to sing. However, due to our particular positions, I ended up pressing against one of her…mountainous peaks. I felt a hunger stirring in me at that, and I wanted to explore Zenia’s peaks. Before I could, with no regard to the consequences of my actions, Ellen pulled me away from her.

“Enough!” she hissed. “I won’t have a harlot like you seduce the Young Master.”

Everyone turned to stare at her, myself included. Ellen glared at Zenia, her pupils narrowed to thin slits.

“Oh, loosen up.” Zenia said, scoffing. “We’re just having a bit of harmless fun.”

“Ha! You expect me to believe that after shoving those mounds in his face?”

Zenia snorted and leaned forward to loom over Ellen. It wasn’t difficult, given the height difference between the two. Due to my inebriated state, it never occurred to me to intervene.

“In that case, why don’t you join us?” Zenia asked. “That way, you can have a bit of…harmless fun with Young Master Darian yourself.”

Ellen looked conflicted by this.

“Yeah!” I said, holding up a half empty bottle of wine. “Join us, Ellen!”

After a few more seconds, Ellen sighed with resignation. However, I knew she didn’t mean it. There was too much eagerness in her eyes.

“Very well,” she said. “If the Young Master commands it, I must obey.”

Zenia barked out a laugh.

“You should be more honest with yourself,” she said. “Otherwise, you will never get what you want.”

Ellen threw her a venomous look, before taking the bottle of wine from me and drinking out of it.

After that, my memory became a bit blurry. I still remembered what happened, but all of my memories had this fuzzy quality to them, as if they were wrapped up in cotton. I remembered that Zenia kept her distance from me. Either she didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings, or because Ellen stayed by my side the entire time.

At some point, I ended up holding her close to me as she leaned her head on my shoulder. It felt good to hold her slender body against me. Despite starting later than the rest of us, Ellen made up for it by drinking more within a shorter time frame. By the end, I think she was more drunk than I was.

As the evening drew to a close, Kayden and Eliana snuck off somewhere together. Zenia summoned her servants to clean up. Except for Elliot, she was the least drunk among us.

“Feel free to stay here for the night, Young Master Darian,” Zenia said. “I have plenty of room to spare.”

“No.” Ellen said, a pout in her voice. “The young master is spending the night in my bed.” She paused. “Or I’m spending the night in his.”

I liked the sound of that. In fact, I really liked the sound of that. The hunger I felt earlier returned, but this time it was for Ellen.

“There you go.” Zenia said with a chuckle. “That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” She looked over at Elliot. “In that case, it’s time for you to bring your sister and Young Master Darian home.”

Elliot nodded at her.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Cultivator Zenia.” he said. “I’m sure the Young Master appreciates what you’ve done for him.”

Zenia waved off his thanks.

“Fending off some idiots and losing a few bottles of wine is a small price to pay if it means befriending a future leader of our hall.”

With that, Elliot guided Ellen and I home. I think he would have preferred to carry us both. However, we refused to let go of one another, so we walked out on our own two feet. A short flight later, we found ourselves back at my estate.

Elliot tried to separate us at this point, but I held Ellen to me.

“Mine.” I said, my voice brooking no disagreement.

Elliot sighed.

“Sister, stop taking advantage of Young Master Darian’s current state to fulfill your own desires. Let go of him.”

Ellen buried her face in the nape of my neck and ignored him. Elliot tried a few more times to pull us apart. However, faced with our obstinance, he gave up in the end.

“Fine.” He said. “Don’t blame me if you two regret it later on.”

With that, he guided us to my bedroom before leaving us alone. Ellen and I stumbled onto my bed, embracing one another like lovers. Ellen buried her face in my chest and let out a contented sigh.

“Finally.” she whispered.

I responded by holding her tighter against me. My hunger for her grew stronger, but my head swam and my eyelids grew heavy. Soon, I closed my eyes and the soft sound of our breathing filled the room.

I woke up the next morning with a slight headache, but nothing more. After all that drinking, I expected a worse hangover. Either there was something special about the wine Zenia served us, or increasing my physical refinement reduced the negative effects of drinking alcohol. Regardless, a slight headache was nothing compared to some of my previous hangovers.

However, as the previous day’s events came back to me, guilt and shame wove their way around my heart. What had I done?

Ellen, who was still in my arms, stirred and distracted me from my thoughts.

“Good morning, Young Master.” she said, rubbing her cheek against my chest.

I pulled away from her, or tried to at least. Ellen tightened her hold on me and refused to let me go.

“Ellen,” I said in a quavering voice. “Let go of me.”

She loosened her grip, just enough to pull away and look up at me.

“What’s wrong, Young Master?” she asked.

My guilt and shame grew stronger as I looked into her blue eyes. I felt like the lowest of the low.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m so, so sorry about what happened last night. I was drunk, we both were, but that is no excuse for taking advantage of you. I’m sorry.”

I was babbling and I knew it, but I couldn’t stop the words coming out of my mouth. Ellen stared at me with wide eyes, before she pressed her face against my chest and started shaking. It didn’t take me long to realize that she was laughing.

“Oh, Young Master,” she said, pulling away from me again. There were tears in her eyes. “You have the heart of a young maiden, at least when it comes to relations between men and women. How precious.” She grinned at me. “It makes me want to eat you up even more.”

I stared down at her, unsure of how to reply.

“Let me clarify a few things, for your sake, Young Master.” Ellen said. “Other than falling asleep in each other’s arms, nothing happened between us last night.” She paused for a moment. “A bit disappointing, but the build up is fun in and of itself. However, even if something had happened…” She pushed me onto my back and pinned my hands above my head while straddling me. I was completely at her mercy. “…I would’ve been the one taking advantage of you, not the other way around.”

As I stared up at Ellen, entranced by her beauty, my heart skipped a beat. Her long black hair tickled my face as she leaned over me. Amusement danced in her eyes. A part of me noted that perhaps my tastes ran towards assertive women, given my (limited) experience with romance.

“I am taking advantage of you because I am your master,” I said. “And you are my servant. The relationship between us is inherently unequal.”

Ellen nodded, looking thoughtful.

“If viewed in just that light, you would have a point, Young Master,” she said. “However, I am older and stronger than you. If I forced the issue, there wouldn’t be much you could do to stop me.” She smiled, until her eyes resembled crescent moons. “In fact, I think a part of you would enjoy that. After all, you haven’t told me to get off of you yet.”

I looked away from her, my cheeks flushed red, unable to refute her words. Ellen pressed a finger against my chin and forced me to face her.

“If you keep acting like this,” she said. “I won’t be able to hold myself back. Seeing you squirm like this makes me want to tease and taunt you even more, just so I can see your reactions.” She tapped my chin with her finger. “So, no. You can never take advantage of me, no matter what you do, Young Master. In fact, as I said when we first met, I hope you do. I want you to. I want you.”

I pulled away from her finger and glared up at her.

“Why?” I asked, hating the tremble in my voice. “What’s so special about me? Is it because I’m Nova’s son? Is that it?”

Ellen looked thoughtful for a moment.

“I won’t deny that your lineage plays a part,” she said. “However, it would be more accurate to say that I fell in love with you at second sight.”

I blinked at her in surprise.

“Don’t you mean first sight?” I asked.

Ellen smiled.

“No,” she said. “Second sight. We first met some time ago, back when you were a child, though I didn’t know who you were at the time.”