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Thankfully the basement was also the location of the facility’s waste incinerator, a device they hadn’t used for years, but one that now became a necessity. No way was I lugging two hundred corpses up to the surface, especially at night and thankfully they had some diesel to fuel the thing too.

The process took about three hours and by the time we were done, most people had emptied the contents of their stomachs several times. While these were demons, their resemblance to humans was uncanny. No different than when I transformed using [Mark of the Demon], I guessed. Larger, redder skin, claws and horns, but essentially human at the core.

Seeing them up close like this, and especially gauging their strength without the effects of the Bloodmoon, it only solidified my hypothesis that these were indeed what most of the population of Earth had become after the invasion.

Transformed into demons.

My parents and sister likely among them.

Unless they were eaten first.

The thought sent a quiver of discomfort through my soul. I didn’t know which fate was worse. The pain of their loss still caused an ache in my heart, but my grief was short lived, quickly replaced by anger. It was easy to forget the sins of your oppressors when you had to conform to live amongst them. But this mess, these humans turned demons, this was all the Yee’s fault.

I guess it was still possible the Bloodmoon was somehow a natural phenomenon that they supposedly saved us from. Or saved some of us from anyway. But who knew what the real truth was? I’d find out one day, I promised myself.

But for now, blaming them suited me just fine.

It served a greater purpose.

It was enough to generate me some Frenzy.

With the generator back online, the bunker community was transformed. Halls were lit, water was running and after the chaos of the battle I was treated to a cold shower that felt like heaven. The other soldiers in the locker room gave me a wide berth, but their stares were palpable. I guess I couldn’t blame them. My body was full of fresh scars and not to mention I was probably a good half foot taller than anyone they’d ever seen.

They didn’t speak to me though.

A cautious nod was the most I received, their hearts still filled with a mixture of fear and awe. After getting cleaned up, Susan found me something to wear while my robes were washed and dried and then I joined her, Kelsey, and the colonel for a meeting in what I presumed was Jim’s office.

A couple of his men were there with him. A dark-haired woman with braids who looked to be an officer as well and an older guy with a thick beard. They were in their fifties, it looked like—seasoned soldiers from even before the war.

“All right,” Jim said. “All three of you stand before me on charges of treason and consorting with the enemy.”

Susan opened her mouth to say something, but Jim quickly spoke to cut her off.

“Now that’s the official stance,” he said. “Under the circumstances this may seem extraneous, but believe you me, the preservation of law and order is paramount within our society. Once we lose that we lose who we are. We lose humanity itself. End of story.”

I kind of had to agree with him there. Even the empire served the same purpose in keeping law and order in what could easily become a Wild West warzone of tyrannical cultivators if not for the rules that governed it. And according to Hong Feng, there were some places outside the empire that still operated like that.

I could only imagine how brutal such worlds might be.

“So what happens now?” Susan asked.

“Now all of you have a chance to tell me your side of the story,” Jim said. “What happened?”

“I’ll speak,” Kelsey said. “My mom only knows half the story anyway.”

“Kelsey!” Susan started, but Kelsey was already speaking ahead of her.

She relayed what happened from when I had first arrived, my initial conflict with Richards and her eventual freeing me to recover Threja’s sword. Susan then backed her up on the facts and went on to explain how I had placed her in charge until Jim got back. Kelsey then filled in what happened recently with Richards getting rid of the sword and imprisoning the both of them.

“And you claim this sword or whatever it is can protect us from the demons?”

“Not just the demons,” I said. “From the effects of the Bloodmoon itself.”

I used that as an opportunity to segue into the true purpose of the golden pagodas and the protection they provided the cities. I left out that it was likely the demons we just killed were what was left of humanity as a result. I went further to describe our current situation as a people within Yee society and how we had recently carved out a new existence as a Terran Sect.

“It’s fragile,” I said. “Under attack constantly by rival sects. Which is why I can’t afford to spend much time here with you. I’ll need to get back there eventually. I’ll leave in about three days from now.”

“Three days?” Kelsey said. “That’s all?”

I shrugged. “It’s kind of hard to explain, but yeah. It’ll have to be like that. For a while anyway.”

Her reaction only reinforced the fact that I would need to do what Jian Yi had advised to spend more time out here—rank in the Gold Bracket. My reputation would have to do what my physical presence could not. And right now, my physical presence seemed to be needed here more than in the city.

Jim’s expression didn’t change the entire time that we were speaking––contemplative with a slight furrow on his brow. He looked to his two subordinates. “Captain Flores, Lieutenant Harris, what do you make of all this?”

“Sounds crazy as hell, sir,” the woman, Captain Flores, said. “But after what we’ve been through, I believe every word of it.”

“I’d like to know how you became one of them,” said Harris, the man with the beard. “Were you in their military? Did they train you to fight like that?”

“Not exactly,” I said. “It’s a bit more complicated than that. But in essence, everything you saw me do stems from something called cultivation.”

“Cultivation?” Jim’s mustache twitched.

“Yes, Max wrote an entire book about it,” Kelsey said, and reaching behind her back she pulled out the manual she had transcribed, although now smeared with black demon blood. “Max translated it into English for us. All from memory too.”

“From memory?” Jim raised a brow as he took it from her. “An entire book?”

“Yeah, he’s a super genius too along with being a war god,” Kelsey said, embarrassing me a little with her praise.

The free lemonade was nice though.

“In this new world, it’s actually not so unique,” I said. “That’s what cultivation does. It unlocks the full potential of the human mind, spirit, and body.”

“Is that right?” Jim said as he leafed through the manual. “And that’s what this book is about? Their…what did you call ‘em? Yee philosophy?”

“It’s instructions on how to cultivate,” I explained. “Only 10% of Terrans are capable of doing it. But if you could produce a few cultivators, you could turn this wilderness into a paradise under the protection of the sword. I even brought some crops to help start that, but I’m pretty sure they got wrecked by the demons on the way in.”

Jim’s mustache twitched as he paged through the manual some more.

“Terrans, huh?” By the way he said it I could tell he took exception to the name. “I’m not sure I’m liking the idea of embracing the enemy’s philosophy in this manner.”

“But Jim,” Susan said. “You saw what he did.”

“Yeah,” Kelsey added. “Imagine if all of us could do what—”

“I can’t deny it may have merit,” Jim said, cutting her off. “But I’ll need to consider the long-term implications of adopting something like this first.” He then winked at Kelsey. “You mind if I hold on to this for a while, to study it?”

Kelsey looked to me for some kind of assent.

I realized then that this was a test for control.

Jim wasn’t an idiot like Richards, but he was still military and the one officially in command.

I could flex my own will and strip it from him easily, but that wouldn’t help achieve my goal. It was still his show and I would have to acquiesce to his wishes for now if I wanted to win both his trust and that of the people permanently. I had to let this progress happen naturally, not force it. Cultivation was an alien concept and even I had rejected it at first. And perhaps it was the sign of a wise leader on his part to be cautious.

“He’s your leader, Kelsey,” I said. “I’m sure with time the benefits of cultivation will become self-evident. That book is a gift to this community, Jim. Worth more than you can perhaps understand right now, but I hope you give it a chance.”

“Oh, I will,” he said, opening a drawer in his desk and tossing it inside. “But we have other issues to deal with first. Like the possibility of those demons coming back. You pulled down one heck of a big chunk of concrete, but from what I’ve seen of them, I’m not sure that will buy us more than a few days. And now that they know we exist, I don’t think they’ll stop.”

“No problem,” Kelsey said with a smile. “Max will just go kill ‘em all again, right, Max?”

I gave her a chuckle, and for a moment I couldn’t help but see her as just a kid. A kid who had seen and endured so much, that it was hard not to view her as an adult.

“There’ll be no end to them no matter how many we kill,” Jim said. “They opened some kind of gate or portal back there. We were lucky to make it back at all, much less with supplies.”

“A gate?” I said.

Harris chuckled mirthlessly. “More like a pit to hell. A couple of my men glanced inside that thing and lost their damn minds. Started screaming about infinity and the moon and all kinds of crazy shit. They went and killed themselves right afterwards, jumping straight into the damn demons to get slaughtered.”

“Harris!” Susan said in a hushed whisper with dismay on her face, placing her arms protectively around Kelsey. I guess there was one person who would always view Kelsey as a kid.

“Sorry,” Harris said, seeming to come to himself. “Just never seen anything like it before. But I agree with Jim. Now that those things know we exist, I don’t think they’ll stop until they exterminate us.”

His words conjured dark images in my mind. Infinity? The Moon?

Was it that thing?

I’xol’ukz or whatever it was called? The King of the Moon?

“I lost five men back there,” Jim said, staring into nothing. “Still not sure we got much to show for it either. A couple hundred pounds of food and six barrels of fuel. If those things keep breaking through below, we’ll burn up all we have just fighting them. Are you certain this sword of yours can hold them back?”

Snapping out of my own thoughts about the demon god creature, I contemplated it a moment. I honestly didn’t know. Threja’s sword produced a barrier on the surface, but could the shield penetrate the ground and protect lower levels below?

“It can,” Kelsey answered for me. “I’ve seen it for myself. The demons couldn’t get through it at night.”

“We’ll just have to see,” I said, tempering their expectations a little. “It’ll allow you to live freely on the surface that’s for certain. About a half mile-wide diameter. You can grow crops. Raise livestock. Build houses.” I then paused, my mind still stuck on that gate and what was possibly behind it. “But as for what’s at the other end of that tunnel. That might take a solution of a different kind.”

Everyone in the room looked at me strangely.

All except Kelsey.

She looked at me too, but with conviction and determination in her eyes.

And a Flame burning in her soul.

The demons, I thought, remembering what she had told me when I triggered her [Sorrow and Pain].

Fighting them was the spiritual root of her Dao.

And I would need to provide her the opportunity to cultivate it.

When she was ready.

“What are you talking about?” Jim said, still looking at me for an explanation.

I thought about Threja’s sword and the boon it would provide for me as well as them. Not mere protection from the Bloodmoon, but Shuras of the Path of the Frenzied Flame. New cultivation techniques I needed to grow stronger. To succeed in the Gold Bracket, to protect my people and possibly even create a defense to the soul-striking powers of both that woman, Hin Wu, and the demon monster god.

Recovering Threja’s sword was not just important.

It was paramount.

“Nothing,” I said with a hint of [Struggler’s Resolve]. “We just really need to get that sword.”

“Well, that’s the plan,” Jim said, easing back in his chair. “Hopefully that Richards didn’t take it too far. He’ll lead us along with a small contingent tomorrow.”

“I want to come too,” Kelsey said but Susan quickly shook her head.

“Jim is back in charge now, sweetie. This is military business.”

Kelsey opened her mouth to protest, but the look from her mother caused her to shut it immediately with a scowl. Deep inside I could sense her Flame stirring. Anger, resentment, and a need to prove herself maybe. If I had truly unlocked her Flame, then she no longer feared for her own safety.

The candle of her Flame shone brightly, spewing Frenzy in the air.

I considered my own Flame in comparison, still choked and burning a deep red, barely able to produce anything. From Kelsey I could not only sense the Frenzy of her Flame, but I could syphon it directly too. It seemed different than the Frenzy I produced, but I could make use of it in a diminished capacity it seemed. Like a mini battery of sorts.

“She needs to come with us,” I said, and Susan’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

“She will not!” Susan said. “Kelsey is just a chi—”

“I’m not a child!” Kelsey shouted. “I want to go!”

“It’s not up for debate,” Jim said in an authoritative tone and then looked at me. “That girl is a civilian. Regardless of what decisions you made in my absence, I’m now responsible for every soul in this facility. The girl stays here with her mother where it’s safe.”

“This is bullshit,” Kelsey muttered.

I released a sigh.

“This is going to be hard for all of you to understand,” I said. “But aside from me, Kelsey is now the most powerful person in this place. And in the condition I’m in right now, I might need her help to face whatever we may encounter. Believe it or not, there are things worse than those demons out there in the wild, even during the day. I was poisoned by exposure to the Bloodmoon and without her help, I might not be strong enough to fight what’s out there.”

I said the words with [Struggler’s Resolve] and I could see it caused them all to pause. It wasn’t bullshit either. I was weak as hell right now and encountering a B or A-class monster along the way, although unlikely, would be disastrous.

Still, more than that, it would provide me with the opportunity for something else.

Something more important.

A chance to introduce Kelsey to the Flame.

“I’ve made my decision,” Jim said, nonplussed. “Let’s remember who’s in charge here.”

There it was. A flex of authority.

It caused my Flame to stir.

Or maybe it was Kelsey’s Flame invoking sympathy from my own.

I could press the issue, but I sensed that now just wasn’t the time.

Too soon, I thought. I’m still a stranger and what I said probably doesn’t make any logical sense to them.

I gave Kelsey an apologetic frown. “All right then. We’ll do it your way, Jim.”

I then used a dose of Frenzy to lay on [Fear the Flame], just to let him know that there were things at play here far outside of his experience or control.

“Let’s just pray we don’t encounter anything. I can’t guarantee bringing back the sword if we do.”

I sensed a flare of irritation within him, despite his expression remaining the same.

“We’re not as defenseless as you may think,” Jim said. “Tomorrow you’ll see just how we’ve managed to survive ten years in this hell hole while remaining completely human.”

The dig wasn’t lost on me. My reward for poking the bear, I supposed.

“And who knows,” he then added with a smile. “You just might learn something about your own kind.”

As may you, I wanted to add, but I kept that part to myself to maintain the peace.

These are allies not enemies, I reminded myself. Although right now my Flame was having a hard time telling the difference.

“Till tomorrow then,” I said and gave him a bow before I even realized what I was doing.

The result was another set of cross-eyed stares—a confirmation that they still saw me as an alien outsider, contrary to their ways. And perhaps I was to an extent. Accepting my help was one thing, but perhaps getting them to accept me for what I was, would be a totally different battle I would have to fight.