The Fallen Vampire

The lot of them were all nearly completely passed out in the dirt from extreme exercise.

Save for Big Country, who was already completely passed out in a mound of his own throw up.

"Try not to poke too much fun at them, outsider. They\'ve shown admirable spirit by choosing to learn the art of cultivation."

Aja looked up at the unknown muscular man with dark red dreadlocks and a mouthful of sharp teeth.

She was glad to see a member of the asanbosm race thriving after so long, but for some reason she didn\'t like this one very much.

"...You should address me as an honored guest instead of an outsider."

Vaal snorted. "Our cult has no horned ones aside from our Dai-Shi and the Ladies of the Cult. You are merely a guest brought in by their grace, but no more."

Aja hadn\'t felt this blatantly disrespected even when a group of men tried to poison her a few hours ago.

"How dare you insinuate that I am somehow an unimportant guest by any means. I happen to be the only best friend of one of your grandmasters, so pay me the proper respect."

The stick of bamboo that Vaal had been using to \'motivate\' the recruits suddenly snapped in his grip.

No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn\'t abide this!

First, he was passed over as Taira and Aveena\'s hand due to \'compatibility differences\'.

Now this random outsider was claiming that she held the position of his cousin\'s closest friend in the entire world?!

Preposterous! He would not accept this!!

"E-Even if there may be some validity in what you claim, Brother Taira and I are linked by blood! That alone trumps any superficial bond!" He reaffirmed.

One thing about Aja was that she didn\'t lose arguments even if she had to lie.

"Superficial? I\'ll have you know that I was invited to join his bed once."

Vaal gasped. "Truly?!"

"Indeed. I just so happened to decline his invite because I didn\'t want to-"

*Chop!*

"OWW!"

Aja doubled over while clutching the brand new knot on her head.

Looking behind her shoulder, she found Vermeil was the culprit- wearing a smile that clearly wasn\'t a smile.

"Go ahead and tell me the rest of that little story of yours. The back of my hand is anxious to hear the rest of it."

Though she was currently being threatened within an inch of her life, Aja couldn\'t help but observe the human woman more closely.

\'Such impressive strength… So that breakthrough I sensed a moment ago was hers. But then who else could have..?\'

Just behind Vermeil, Taira was standing by quietly with a small smirk on his face.

Just by looking at him, Aja was sure he\'d broken through, and perhaps even received some good inheritances too.

"So, now you are fond of causing trouble for others as well as myself it seems. What a nefarious habit you have picked up, my friend."

Aja couldn\'t explain why, but in the moment her body simply moved on it\'s own.

She rushed to hug Taira to mark the end of their separation.

And to great surprise, he actually hugged her back.

"1…2…3!" Vermeil counted on her fingers. "Break it up!"

She hurried to yank away Aja by her pierced ears.

Taira laughed significantly louder this time; enticing Vermeil and astouding Aja.

"My brother and Dai-Shi." Vaal suddenly bowed. "I am pleased to see your breakthrough has gone smoothly."

A knowing twinkle shone in Taira\'s eye. "Thank you, Vaal… But you seem to have something that you wish to say to me."

Vaal twitched imperceptibly.

It took him a moment to gather his courage, but eventually he looked up like a sad puppy.

"I-Is this woman a more significant friend to you than I am?? Have I not proven myself to be more than capable enough?!"

"Apparently not." Aja muttered.

"Quiet, rodent!"

"Please, you two, this isn\'t necessary..." Taira shook his head.

Honestly, he didn\'t really see the use in an argument like this.

Friendships, just like his relationships, didn\'t have a particular hierarchy to him.

If he valued you, he valued you. He could not place any one person above the other.

{Disciple.}

Taira\'s pleasant mood lifted like a fog when he heard the voice of his ancient master echo in his mind once again.

\'Do you need something?\'

{I have a suggestion. You would be wise to lose your hostility and heed it.}

It was true that Taira didn\'t trust the man, but he did pay rather close attention to any advice that he received from him.

Not anyone could just receive tutelage from an upper realm immortal after all…

\'What might this suggestion of yours be?\'

{I am aware of your reluctance to anoint the talkative one as your hand, but I believe it might serve you well.}

\'…Your reasoning had better be irrefutable.\'

{He seems to have a deep seated need for acknowledgment from you. And he is fairly competent as well. If you want my advice, then christen him now.}

Taira shook his head internally.

\'I will not have Shakti relinquish her position just days after giving it to her. She\'s done nothing to spark my ire so far, and she\'s very hardworking.\'

{You do not need to replace her. Just make him subservient to her.

His competitive nature will bring out the best in him, strengthening the cult as a whole.

And if the Shakti girl is not wholly useless, she will rise to meet his growing accomplishments.} Enjoy more content from mvl

\'...\'

Taira really hated it when he couldn\'t argue with the logic of people he disliked.

Pushing his master out of his mind, Taira suddenly placed a hand on Vaal\'s shoulder to prevent him from bickering with Aja any further.

"…I have reconsidered my decision not to name you as our family hand."

Vaal would have ripped his ears off from disbelief if his whole body wasn\'t paralyzed with excitement.

"T-Truly!? So you are going to choose me instead of Shakti?!"

"Absolutely not. She\'s been wonderful so far."

"Oh..."

"But I can no longer deny your effort and abilities. So I would like to implement a new system instead, where you two will share the same rank."

Vaal looked like his eyes were going to pop out of his head. "S-So I am also to be the wall that defends the cult\'s family??!"

"Provided you learn the very necessary art of speaking only when required."

"I will!" Vaal saluted.

"Then it is settled."

"Yes, Dai-Shi!" He cheered.

Discreetly, Vaal flipped off Aja and made sure she witnessed the entire from start to end.

Sensing the beginnings of a strange new obsession on his cousin, Taira could do nothing but shake his head.

\'What an odd man... Shakti will certainly have her work cut out for her in corralling him.\'

-

A whole slew of new avenues and opportunities were transferred to Taira when he became Velreth\'s successor.

But among them, possibly none were as important as the sanctum of the mind.

The icy structure that stood in the middle of the secret realm for an uncountable number of years was in truth a spiritual artifact. Now bound to Taira\'s very soul.

Similar to how the group can teleport home at any time they want, he can now visit this place too.

The only difference is, he can reappear in the exact same spot where he first entered from whenever he chooses to leave.

But what if he could somehow fuse the two spaces?

Currently, Taira was standing just outside of a very particular series of rooms.

Through a small window, he could see his beloved Aveena sitting in a lotus position while she was hard at work cultivating.

Many of the functions of the sanctum of the mind were inaccessible due to the lack of sufficient qi density in the atmosphere.

But among the few that were operational were the closed door cultivation chambers.

These rooms were very special, in that they provided astounding clarity of the mind by being completely sound proof and sound absorbent.

Even if you threw a metal pot against the wall, you wouldn\'t be able to hear so much as a single peep from the collision.

The rooms were set up in a hall with twelve doorways sitting in a row; meaning up to twelve could use them at once.

In addition to their aid in quieting the mind, they also place an astounding outside pressure on the body.

This can be used to temper one\'s physique even further, and improve their overall bloodflow, qi circulation, and durability.

The pressure on Aveena\'s body was at the lowest point possible.

This was done on purpose, since Velreth had assured Taira that she would pop like a balloon if she tried to press her luck.

Despite that, Aveena had sworn that she wouldn\'t be coming out of here until she was a Quasi-God like Taira and Vermeil.

Now that they both held the title of Dai-Shi, it was that much more important to her that they be equal in power.

She didn\'t want her husband to be their cult\'s last line of defense ever again.

And Taira respected her for her commitment immensely.

Which was why he popped by just to leer at her and cheer her on silently from outside.

But when she finally returned to him, hopefully he would have a whole lot of surprises waiting for her.

\'Are you sure that this is possible, specter? Do not get my hopes up.\' He asked again.

Velreth clicked his teeth in annoyance.

{Your over cautiousness may serve you well in the world, but I don\'t particularly like being second guessed… Yes I\'m sure. Now remember what you have promised me in return.}

Taira nearly rolled his eyes.

\'Yes, I remember. If you show me how to do this, then I will begin practicing those ice arts of yours.\'

{About time! Now, do exactly as I tell you to…}