Good & Bad.

Breathing in, I decided to ask what had been bothering me. "That stuff back there… what was it?" I questioned, fearful of his answer. 

"Hmmm," he made strange sounds, placing a finger on his chin. Is it that hard to answer?

"You see… that was my test, my master used it on me back then," he said, moving further into the unknown location.

I was asking about the voice, not if his master used it on him or not. Guess I should just follow him… I have no choice anyway.

With the only sound being that of our footsteps, we walked deeper into the tunnel. 

"You can call it a demon heart, every cultivator faces it at least once in their life," he added, looking ahead.

I've read a lot about heart demons… it won't hurt to confirm his meaning. "What are heart demons?" I asked curiously.

"Hmmm, you don't know that?" He questioned, stopping to look at me. Is it strange that I have no idea?

"I've… not heard the term before," I said in a rushed manner, trying to find a way out.

"Okay," he said, acting normal. I thought my question was weird. "Demon heart… as the name implies, it's your bad side," he said, mimicking a ghost.

When reading novels, those demon heart stuff got me wondering; as a human, I know that bad thoughts pop into my head, even when I'm thinking of good things. I found that very irritating, so this is the right time to verify my thoughts.

"If I'm a good boy… Why do I have a demon heart?" I asked curiously, my eyes transforming to that of a cat. I plan on using the cute cat scheme.

"Hmmm… I think you can easily refer to it as your current thought," he said, bearing the smile I hated. That smile seemed to be saying; you are nothing.

"Yeah… but I still don't understand," I said, returning to my normal character. My laws of favor won't work on this guy.

Reaching a huge door, which seemed to be made out of gold; I couldn't help but gasp out loud.

Touching the door gently. "I believe no one is bad or good… it's just the people around you who create that sense of bad and good," he said calmly, seeming to be lost in his world.

"There's a tribe in the Southern continent that believes in sacrificing their firstborn, tell me… do you think it's bad?" he said, still acting dreamy.

The answer was quite easy… but when I looked at him, I could tell there was more to his question than I could see.

"Yes," I replied, not wanting to hide my true thoughts.

"You know… when I ask that question to my friends… they say it's bad, not because they think it's bad… but because they pity me," he said, taking a small glance at me. "So thank your God… since you said your mind, I won't be harsh on you," he said cheerfully.

My answer and his friends are the same, at least I escaped the problem.

"You see… they are not wrong… there's no wrong," he said, pushing the door. "Kid, no matter what happens… always believe you're right… if you do that, then I can assure you… you'll be unstoppable," he said confidently, finally opening the door.

Wait! Did he open the right door; surveying the surroundings to be sure I'm still in the same place? To my dissatisfaction, my location had not changed. 

"Hey kid, why the long face?" He asked, somewhat surprised by my facial expression.

"Nothing… just wondering… what's this place?" I asked in exasperation. Looking into the room, I could see books littered all over the floor, the dust that even filthy creatures dreaded, and the smell that made my nose bleed; females making me nosebleed… fine, but a disgusting smell… no.

"This is my library… where I store my magical books, which hold the power to wisdom," he said proudly. "But due to some situation… you'll have to work on it," he said sheepishly.

No! No way I'm doing that; taking short steps back, I planned to escape from this slave trader, but I had nowhere to run.

"Thanks for the helping hand kid, my master said 'working out before training… is profitable," he said, with that smile, I dreaded on his face.

"Now kid… work out well," he said, with a mocking smile. As if I had a magnet on, I could see myself moving toward the room.

"No!"

*Bam*

__________

After Liam was thrown into the shady room.

"You were asked to train him, not make him your servant," said a feminine voice.

"Come on, do you think the story about my master was fake?" He said, glaring at her.

Not caring for his talks. "I don't care, just do your job… remember…"

Cutting her off. "I know… how is Big Mom?" He asked, in a somewhat worried tone.

"She's doing fine for now… you know he's no small fry… we've to play our cards well," replied the female, turning to leave.

"I'll do my best in training him… stay safe," he said, turning his back to her.

With both parties going their way, the environment became serene…

_______

Unknown location.

"I believe it's time," said a muscular male, dressed in royalty attire.

"Yes my lord," replied a small figure, with his/her head bowed down.

"Now Big Mom is busy defending the east passage of our empire, her little pup must be left all alone, hehehehe," said the male, clenching his fist. "Now she would regret refusing me… and you, my dear can take over her legacy!" He said in a loud tone.

"Your wish is my command!" Said the small figure, getting up to leave.

Similar situations could be seen all over the empire… Due to Big Mom's absence, they wanted to take revenge for their past grievances.

_______

Imperial court.

"Big Mom is currently on the war front… defending our east gateway from those barbarians, I believe we should protect her possession from those cowards, my lord!" Yelled a skinny male, trying to convince the man seated on the throne.

"We can't do that, your highness! She has made too many enemies, defending her possession would provoke their ire… causing a civil war!" Yelled another, undermining the other thinking.

"If Big Mom…"

"Enough!" Said the Emperor, cutting them off. "Big Mom is a great asset to our Empire… but supporting her would bring more harm than good… so as the Emperor… I release my decree, that we shall not protect Big Mom's possession!" Said the emperor, using a seal to end his words.

Magically his voice spread throughout the Empire, and golden letters were suspended in space. For individuals who couldn't see and hear, it was transmitted directly into their heads.

With their mouth agape due to shock, especially those from the Red Light District. 

Dropping the seal, he looked toward his ministers and other individuals present in the court. "We shall work on preventing this information from reaching Big Mom," he said, getting up from his.

"Yes your highness," they all answered in a chorus, bowing their heads to him.

{I got a new book *Romantic Sin* do check it out. }