292 RTYY 291 - A Deadly Dance

It was getting colder, FeiWan thought when a breath of wind touched the exposed skin of his neck making him shiver. Not that he would ever feel truly cold. As a secondary effect of the numerous fire daitai imprinted on his back, his body temperature was always abnormally high, which meant that the air temperature would have to drop considerably before he actually felt cold. Either that or he had to be gravely ill. Still, he couldn't help shivering, feeling slightly chilled. Probably because he had completely depleted his energy only a few days ago, he considered. Although he felt and looked a lot better, FeiWan knew he had yet to fully recover.

The one in front of him, however, seemed to be doing just fine, he grunted inwardly, following CalRimRan's graceful movements. It was actually quite annoying!, him, the savior, still having trouble getting back on his feet, while the one who had practically been on his deathbed looked to be all energetic, happily jumping around back and forth! Not to mention that CalRimRan had clearly and openly disregarded his command to stay still and get some rest! But no! He was feeling completely recovered, he had said. And although he was at risk of suddenly depleting his inner energy at any time again, that apparently held no weight whatsoever inside that stubborn, white-haired head of his! Now he felt fine, he had argued. And he would not stop himself from living the present on account of fearing the future! Another of those idiotic Demon Clan's rules of conduct, FeiWan knew. So he would do as he pleased, no matter the consequences he might have to face the following day! Could anyone be more ungrateful?, FeiWan grunted even though he couldn't help feeling amazed at how fast he moved. Wasn't this the same as blatantly throwing away his hard work and good intentions? Sure, FeiWan had clearly declared that he was not going to allow him to die just like that, and that he would share his energy with him no matter how many times were needed in order to keep him alive. But wasn't he ungratefully leaning on his offer way too much? What? Did he expect him to give him energy every other day? FeiWan really wanted to cross the distance between them, grab him by one arm, and drag his stubborn ass back inside! Maybe tie him up to one of the main hall's white columns? Maybe then he'd finally sit still!!

Another breath of wind caressed his skin, this one produced by CalRimRan's swift movements, the meticulous precision with which he moved inevitably amazing him.

Even though FeiWan felt royally pissed at CalRimRan's open lack of consideration for the honor of having someone like him share his inner energy with him, he still couldn't help following his every movement with increasing fascination.

It had been a while, since he had last seen a member of his Clan practice their fast and silent fighting technique. And sure, it had been ten years since he'd left their village, but, somehow, from what he could recall, CalRimRan was probably one of the best fighters he had ever seen. He was definitely putting to shame what FeiWan now recognized to have been a ridiculous show of lack of skills, when he had tried to fight him using his own fighting style. It also made him annoyingly aware of just how much CalRimRan had held back, on account of his poor ability to replicate their fighting style. Still, even though he clearly hadn't used even half of his strength, FeiWan's arms still held the bruises that testified not only to his inability, but to how violent and ruthless that apparently swift and delicate dance could be.

One thing was undeniable, FeiWan concluded, his mind focusing on more technical aspects. Though it might almost look as if he were elegantly dancing, sometimes even flying across the floor, CalRimRan had absolute control over every aspect of his own body. Feet, legs, arms, hands, even his fingers, everything in his body moved exactly as it should, with amazing and, at the same time, scary precision. There wasn't a single unnecessary movement, no matter how small. And, even though the sequence of movements might look as some complex choreography worthy of performing on any Imperial stage, once broken apart by the experienced eye, it was clear that every single gesture would inflict heavy damage if applied against a living opponent. From the speed and strength he was inputting in his own movements, FeiWan was even sure that some would most certainly be deadly blows.

Of course, unlike most of the idiots of the Imperial court, he had always known CalRimRan was actually very strong. Most people had taken a look at him and at the other members of his Clan and had obviously underestimated them and relaxed quite a bit.

The Demon Clan had always held a very infamous reputation. They were, after all, the descendants of the offspring of an ancient demon that had walked the earth a long time ago. Or so the common folk said. The Jundai of the Temple, however, swore that they had been created by the Heavens, to watch over the people of the three Empires and report their misconduct back to the Gods, so that divine punishment could then be issued accordingly. No matter the truth, however, they were undeniably dangerous and had apparently unlimited powers that, unlike those originated by the daitai, followed no rules or restraints. As such, they had always been widely feared, almost as if they were some mystical monsters.

And yet, the people that had crossed the Palace gates a few days back looked nothing like monsters. Sure, they were creepily similar to one another, and they all had white hair, a hair color that didn't occur anywhere else, not even amongst the noble Clans. But they all looked to be very elegant, moving slowly, speaking in soft, gentle voices. They were clearly well educated, easily fitting in amongst the nobles, quickly learning and adapting to all the boring Palace's etiquettes. And they all gave out the feeling that they were actually very frail and delicate, the type of frailty that one would expect to encounter in a fair lady from a good family. And so everyone had inevitably more or less started to think that the rumors and legends about the Demon Clan were just that. Ah! Could they be more wrong?

FeiWan had been trained in a lot of different fighting styles, so he could easily recognize and defend against most of them, in order to safeguard his own life in case someone might try to kill him. He had also practiced fighting with many different weapons. He may not be an expert on any of them, but he was definitely experienced. Not to mention that this wasn't his first contact with the Demon Clan's fighting style. His eyes would never be so easily deceived. The one in front of him, beautifully and swiftly dancing back and forth, was actually a very dangerous killing machine. No matter how many hours FeiWan put into practicing all sorts of fighting styles, he knew he would never have a chance, should CalRimRan decide to kill him. Not even if he were surrounded by his best guards. And he was simply practicing his fighting skills. Just exercising his body a bit, like he himself had put it. He hadn't even tapped into his inner energy like many did, in order to increase their speed or strength while fighting, not to mention combine a physical attack with an energetic one. It was a scary thought, he had to admit. But, at the same time, it was kind of exciting as well. FeiWan had always enjoyed a good challenge. And seeing CalRimRan practicing his fighting skills made his blood hot. Made him want to challenge him to a duel even though he knew all too well that his defeat was certain.

It also made him feel somehow … special. At the risk of sounding a lot like his older brother, FeiWan couldn't help feeling as if he were the proud owner of some rare, amazing treasure. He knew CalRimRan would never allow others to see him practice like that. That was a privilege only he had, since he had seen his people fight before, and had even managed to learn a few moves. He really liked that feeling. And, at the same time, it made him want to demand that CalRimRan would never show his fighting skills in front of anyone else!

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Hmmm, is he a maso or what? 🤔🤭