Bitter dread filled Jihe’s heart as he soared down the escarpment and into the expansive valley below. The gathering winds drew smoke from the massive fire in the East towards the storm that was breaking in the West. The tempest had assumed the form of a localized hurricane, which drew all the air in the surrounding area towards the eye of the storm like a whirlpool. Jihe’s intuition told him that he would find his Master there; at the center.

  The area where they had entered the forest was already consumed by the fire. His owl scouts had reported visual confirmation that the portal tree was burning.

  There would be no salvaging that particular Oak Node now.

  They would have to craft a new portal from scratch—a delicate endeavor that required time and resources Jihe did not have. He hoped Master Shen carried the necessary supplies, but considering the haste with which he had departed, Jihe doubted his Master had packed thoroughly for this inauspicious excursion.

  Wind as it was, the rain did little to slow the conflagrations spread. There was not enough time for the water to saturate the drought stricken land before the flames enveloped it. The rain that fell on the fire mostly evaporated before it reached the Earth. This created a fog that flowed down into the valley like dry ice, further reducing visibility on the ground. The glow of the flames colored the clouds from below, illuminating the sky with an eerie orange light.

  The opposing natural disasters were fortunate, in a way. With the vanguard of the Malva tribe in North America carrying out a brazen attempt at deicide, there would be no way to cleanly cover up this fiasco. The “Swamp Gas” excuse was not going to cut it. Heaven and the Human Cultivators would find out about this, if they have not already. Jihe clenched his talons as he thought about all the precious time he wasted arguing with owls and forcing the Spirit Beasts to swear oaths of secrecy in an attempt to keep this quiet.

  It is good that Raella is safe in the Puma’s cave. Malva Tribe crows would be the least of our worries if the real vultures and hyenas of the Earth descended upon the scent of Divine blood.

  Jihe could sense Chi gathering–far more than was ever normal on the surface of Middle World. It did not require an owlish intellect to guess that the powers behind these natural disasters were not entirely natural at all. Initially, Jihe flew for the center of the hurricane, but then reports started to come in from his new disciples. There were sightings of other groups of men and animals converging on the eye of the storm as well.

  As he suspected, there were more Malva strike teams. With a tilt of his tail feathers, Jihe adjusted his trajectory into a wide spiral pattern. He would slaughter these other groups of assassin's on his way.

  That small group of Jaguar Men would never be enough to challenge Master Shen, even if he were weakened by an {Apocalypse} tier poison.

  And Jihe knew that was exactly what the crystal vial in his storage ring was.

  {Apocalypse} tier

  Jihe felt as if he carried an unstable nuclear bomb in his pocket. If Heaven discovered this vial in his possession, nothing but oblivion awaited him (possibly worse). Jihe considered himself one of the upper Lower World’s most diligent scholars, with a particular focus in the science of Demonology and the construction of containment Wards. Richard had even consulted him in the design of the complex formations that protected his den, which was a great honor for Jihe.

  Even so, the warding script on the crystal vial in his ring was completely incomprehensible to him. Jihe could decipher one word, however.

  "Kalakuta"

  The poison resembled a dark purple fire that glowed with a faint, ultraviolet light. It was difficult to tell from the outside if the cursed substance was a liquid or gas.

  Richard held Doctoral degrees in Ancient Earth History, Western and Indian Classical Music, as well as Chinese Medicine. When he wasn’t doing healing work, Richard’s hobby was archeology. During the years he and Jihe worked together fortifying Richard’s most recent den, the great bear told the owl many fascinating legends of the prehistoric world.

  One such story was the desolation of the Continent of Lemuria, a place that humans called “Antarctica” today.

  Through their reckless innovations in alchemy, the Ancient Lemurians produced a primordial poison called Halahala in a failed attempt to create Amrita (The Elixir of Immortality). In a way, the Lemurian alchemists achieved their ambitions; for once they were infected by the poison, the Lemurians transformed into unstoppable, immortal Asuras. The worst part was; every being tainted by their blood became an immortal Demon as well.

  Earth would have become a Hell World within weeks, if something had not changed the very axis of the planet, which entombed the doomed Continent under miles of everlasting ice.

  Upon his return, Master Shen seemed annoyed that the [Supreme Guardian] had shared that story with Jihe, but he just sighed, and proceeded to expand on Richard's tale. His Master told Jihe that a similar Gu had actually appeared as recently as the last century. It was called "Kalakuta." This poison guaranteed Demonization, (like Halahala) but thankfully it did not spread between living beings like a contagion.

  Kalakuta mysteriously showed up in two clandestine Cultivator auctions only once during the early 1930’s, and was never seen again. Master Shen said this information had only a single, unreliable source. At the second auction it appeared, the Human Cultivators demanded proof that the cursed poison was authentic.

  The informant described the substance as a luminous liquid akin to purple fire, which became invisible and undetectable once applied to a blade. They reported that the Kalakuta was callously injected into an orphan girl, as a test. The Cultivators imagined the resulting Demon would be weak, like she was. They were wrong.

  The poison worked, and most of the inner disciples sent to bid for their Elders at the auction were slaughtered before they could escape. All the other treasures brought for sale disappeared in the chaos. The Demon was cunning, and its reign of terror continued quietly for several months before it was eventually suppressed by Jetsun Ngawang Lobzang Thupten Gyatso Jikdrel Wangchuk Chokle Namgyel Pelzangpo—the Thirteenth Dalai Lama.

  Thubten Gyatso was not present at the auction, of course, but it was the Lama himself who confirmed to trustworthy friends of Master Shen that the Demon (and the Kalakuta that created it) was indeed real. Last his Master heard, the resultant Demon was still alive somewhere beneath a mountain in Tibet, where thousands of monks pray day and night to prevent its escape. The Lama was greatly weakened, however, and passed away shortly after the spiritual battle, reincarnating again in 1935.

  Kalakuta or Halahala; no Demon born from these vilest of substances was ever confirmed slain by an Earthling, merely contained. Each Demon created was like a barrel of spiritual, nuclear waste—a dangerous problem for future generations to solve.

  Demonic Spirits were a constant threat in the deepest layers of the Lower World. Elves killed them every day. None of these could compare to the Asuras born from those poisons. Demonic Spirits always wanted a physical body. With Kalakuta, the physical body became a Demon itself, and the Soul was its prisoner. This made it immune to the usual Middle World solutions, such as Exorcism followed by Banishment.

  Nobody knew for sure where the Kalakuta came from, or how it was made. Master Shen believed it was reverse engineered by the Human Cultivators that oversaw the black projects in Antarctica. In the fog of war that soon covered the Earth, any further intelligence on where the poison was or who fell victim to it became lost beneath the sands of time.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  The appearance of Kalakuta was a big clue the Human Sects were attempting to alchemize Amrita, and Richard feared that history would repeat itself again.

  This is not a fake “Richard problem” anymore, this was a real one. He must be woken up. I pray that Master Shen will be the one to do it.

  In a way, it made a lot of sense those psychopaths would attempt something so dangerous–for as long as Heaven remained sealed, the pursuit of immortality through Cultivation was a dead end.

  Jihe was closing in on the nearest group of warriors pointed out by his scouts. They were Malva tribesmen riding monstrous rust-coated Coyotes, armed with blowguns.

  One of them caught sight of the owl when the moon broke through the clouds, spotlighting him. About thirty darts launched at Jihe like birdshot, all at once. The wind wrecked their aim, and Jihe dodged them easily. They did not have the time to fire a second volley before his talons found their throats.

  Jihe discovered another, smaller vial of Kalakuta among the leaders possessions.

  Shit… I should have caught the darts. If those needles are cursed by this Gu, I have to collect every single one of them.

  He ordered his owls to scour the area the shots would have fallen in, and locate the darts without touching them. Jihe said they were “witches teeth” and the owls would die if they even brushed so much as a feather on them.

  “AAAAAH I FOUND ONE!!

  …and I’ve seen something like this before you arrived. Near the magic Oak Tree!” said Yarok over the Telepathic Link.

  “WHAT? You mean the Oak Node?! You mean tonight?” asked Jihe.

  “Yes, Great One. I noticed there were several of these scattered near the ‘Oak Node.’ I thought the witches teeth were unimportant human things and ignored them. Hikers often leave thier trash and gear behind.” Replied Yarok.

  If Kalakuta transformed a mortal orphan child into something Thubten Gyatso could barely contain… what would happen if it corrupted Master Shen? Someone would not even need Halahala to destroy the world. A single Kalakuta Demon would be enough.

  A nova of Chi flattened the forest below Jihe as he unleashed his full power and assumed his Human form.

  “I’M SORRY MASTER DON’T KILL ME!” sputtered Yarok.

  “Shut up and follow me.” said the man named Jihe.

  Enormous Owl wings sprouted from his back as he aimed himself towards the eye of the storm once again.

  “Ummmm, Great and Powerful Ancestor?” said Pinep.

  “We have a bit of a problem.” said Vigil.

  “What is it? Tell Shri Raella that it is bad out here. Actually, it could not be worse. She needs to stay in the cave.” said Jihe.

  “You see, that’s the thing…’ said Koti.

  “The Young Mistress and the [Realm Guardian] were whispering something, then the Puma started acting weird, and then her eyes started glowing…” said Vigil.

  “Then the Puma started saying some stuff that sounded like Owlish, but I couldn’t understand. Then there was this flash of light that blinded us, and…and” said Koti with dread.

  “AND THEY’RE GONE! WE’RE SEARCHING FOR THEM IN THE FOREST RIGHT NOW MASTER DON’T KILL US PLEASE!” cried Pinep.

  A massive burst of lightning issued from the eye of the storm, sending thunder echoing across the valley. The blast was so loud Jihe felt it in his stomach. It was the first note in a continuing symphony of electrical might that filled the sky as far as he could see.

  Definitely a ‘Shen Thing.’ considered Jihe. Well, at least he seems to be holding on for now…

  Jihe clenched his teeth in fear and frustration. How could he be expected to weigh the importance of his Master’s life against the life of the Young Mistress in a situation like this? He would punish Raella dearly for putting him in this position.

  If what Yarok said about the blowdarts near the portal tree were true, then Master Shen may have been hit the second he emerged from the portal. That would mean that Shri Kaekatouzen Shenlahaafsah was already “dead,” the poison just hadn’t claimed him yet.

  And if that were true… Jihe wasn’t rushing to his masters side to defend him. He would be forced to kill him before the transformation took place.

  Master Shen would demand that he did so.

  I wish I had asked Richard if the informant said anything about how long it took the orphan to change…

  He realized he was clenching his two Silver Dagger’s in his hands so forcefully, that the full-tang handle’s might actually break.

  What if he attacks me?

  Jihe’s mind returned to the body of Noren’Yan Ninra’Suul inside his storage ring.

  What if he murdered Noren? What if Master Shen was already a Demon? Why had he come here in the first place? Why hide things from us?

  In this moment—Jihe learned something new about himself. He was a scholar that did not want the answer to those questions. They terrified him. Even with the entire world at stake, Jihe did not know if he had the strength to slay his own Master. He could feel a heart demon forming in his chest as the self loathing at his own weakness settled in. He tasted blood and bile in his mouth. Jihe spat.

  But if I lost Master Shen, AND the Young Mistress. Touzen’s ghost would torment me for the rest of my days. How could I face my Master right now and say “Raella and I are both here, against your wishes. Also, I do not know where she is.”

  Jihe knew the right thing to do was go to Master Shen. He had to prevent another Kalakuta Demon from being born at all costs. Like an alcoholic that knew he should not drink, Jihe knew that ultimately—he was too weak to resist. Jihe would do the wrong thing with full knowledge that it was not the wisest choice. It went against every instinct he had as an owl.

  Jihe would lie to himself and say he was abandoning his Master to “rescue the Young Mistress.”

  But he knew in his heart that he was just running away. Running away from the truth. Running away from his duty to his Master, and the Earth. If Master Shen became a Demon tonight, he would have the blood of the entire planet on his hands.

  Jihe turned around, and threw himself like a javelin back to the edge of the valley—back towards the cave. His pride as a warrior and self respect as a Daoist stayed behind.

  “Raella!!! WHERE ARE YOU!?” he screamed over Telepathic Link.

  There was no answer.