Chapter 14: Cursed

In a cave, away from sunlight 

"..."

"...can I eat it?" 

"No, Wei Wei, you gotta stop asking that about everything we see! We're not fucking beasts to eat humans!" 

"...can I eat the butterfly?"

"...sure."

Waking up from her dream-like state, Cui Rong shot up, hyper-aware of the space around her. She immediately went to a defensive position as she felt the presence of three people, one in the Foundation Formation stage, one in the Core Formation stage, and one who was leagues above her in strength at the Core Exaltation stage. Thinking about the Core Exaltation stage made her think of her older sister, which made her remember what happened. 

Her aura lashed out subconsciously, making her surroundings drop a few degrees in temperature as she looked around- Her eyes were met with three different eyes of different colors and sizes, with different pupils as well. "Where am I…" She whispered for a second as her eyes focused on the three individuals before her, and she immediately knew who and what they were.

Cursedkin. 

The Cursed Ones, or Cursed Kin - also written Cursedkin - are an offshoot of the human race. Remember the Great Curse cast by the immortal that changed the world and how it worked? He also cursed several other cultivators as well, because without the natural reserves for them to cultivate, they had to resort to using other means. And one of such means is using the Cores made by Demonic Beasts, these cores contain a grand variety of Qi, both demonic and traditional Qi. 

A Lightning Hummingbird has a core with Demonic and Lightning Qi, while a Water Bear has both Water and Demonic Qi! 

A long time ago, these beings were called Spirit Beasts, but the curse placed upon the world also twisted these poor beings, turning them into demonic entities of deep hunger for power… But of course, as time passed, these things deluded into being normal! So normal, in fact, that the Demonic Beasts of today are less demonic in nature to the older ones. 

Of course they grow to be more demonic the stronger they get.

Back to the Cursedkin- Many cultivators, seeing the opportunity of this new method of cultivating, tried to make it so their rivals couldn't grow stronger by simply claiming ownership over every type of core they could find. But in an event known as the Great Core Fall, these cultivators were turned into simple and mindless beasts that raged and fought, killing everyone and everything they saw…

That is the side effect of using Demonic Core for cultivation… You risk becoming a beast. There are people out there that have no option but to use Demonic Beast's cores for cultivation, and those people embrace their beastial side while also trying to foolishly control it - or that is what she learned on the Ice Rose family (the thought of them brought a deep hatred inside her heart) - and harness their beastly capabilities. 

And before her, stood three people… Or rather, two.

The first one was a small little boy with a cute and long white fluffy tail. His eyes were wide and blue in coloration, while his pupils were a slit - Immediately she knew what beastly being he took the form of a Snow Tiger. The black stripes on his tail also told her he was indeed a tiger. He also had these cute little ears on top of his head, his human ears nowhere in sight. He looked at her curiously, but most importantly, looked at the butterfly in her hand.

Behind him stood a tall and lanky young man, his eyes wide and green in color, his pupil almost similar to a square but longer. His legs were covered in deep brown fur, curved, and hooves where his feet would be. He had these long curled black horns on his head that tilted backwards at the end, with a few things dangling from it as decoration - she could see a windpipe that moved when he took a step back in shock at seeing her wake up too quickly. He looked afraid of her, his arms reaching out to pull his (seemingly) younger brother away from her. 

He looked like a beast she had read about before, when she was forcefully taught by her older sister Yue Rong (Thinking about it hurt her heart, and filled it with rage) - The young man looked like a mixture between a human and a Charging Stonehead Goat. Or was it Wood Ram?

And the last "person" she saw was this large black beast that made her freeze in fear - Long and thick legs, covered in a deep brown fur with antlers that looked like logs sprouting out of the thing's head… It looked almost like long and thick arms that were broken and stretched until the fingers of the hand were crooked and cracked, growing in opposition to each other but all holdin out to the sky as if begging for something. The beast also had a thick and heavy-looking brass colored horn, with big brown eyes and circular pupils, it was the most menacing thing Cui Rong has ever seen in her life.

She also noticed that she was inside a cavern, completely away from the sunlight that burned her skin- Her… skin? Looking at her hands, she noticed that one of them was completely blackened, rugged and tugged, completely burned. She didn't feel it, but she could still move it if she channeled her Qi through her body, like she just did as she felt threatened. In fact, she didn't feel half of her body… She looked down in fear as she noticed her leg, also the same way the hand was, her face also felt like it, and now that she noticed it all… She only had one eye. 

The only reason she did not scream is because she was afraid the Cursedkin before her would attack her as a reaction. 

"Uhm, lady?" The young man spoke: "You okay?" It was informal, and Cui Rong was not used to speaking to others informally, as it was drilled inside her head every day and night to speak to others formally, because she might die if she offends someone stronger than her. "I… am?" It ended more as a question than a firm answer, before she even understood what was happening, she was falling as she stopped channeling Qi into her leg, making her lose balance and fall face first forward. "Oh crap-" The young half-goat man moved towards her quickly, catching her before she fell forward. "-dad, what do I do here!?" …dad? Cui Rong felt herself almost passing out when a voice spoke directly into her mind - booming with pride and protection in mind: "...talk to her, ask her why we found her in the forest, burning alive at the touch of sunlight."

This was a technique, Qi Speech.

Qi Speech is a technique that requires a lot of Qi Control, being able to use it is something only those of the Core Formation and above can use freely, for the amount of Qi it uses is almost too much for a Formation Foundation and a Qi Gathering stage cultivator to freely use. Sure, if taught the technique, they could use it and get (very) tired after. 

"...my name…" she whispered before raising her head, only now she noticed that half of her hair was there too. Half of her entire body was burned by the sun's light, which made her feel ashamed of her own appearance. "My name is Cui Rong." The moment she said her name, she expected at least a reaction, but nothing happened. 

"Are we… like, supposed to fucking care?" The little boy sarcastically commented. 

"Wei Wei!" 

"Wei Wei." 

Both the boy's brother and father reprimanded him at the same time, making the boy - who didn't look older than 9 - wince. "Sorry…" he whispered. 

"I am- I was part of the Ice Rose family." This time there was a reaction, and one she expected- Disbelief and Pity. Disbelief came from the younger boys, while pity came from the large beast. "Oh, poor little one… Born to the Ice Demons, your fate must be cruel." Said the large horned beast, while the other boys simply did not believe her words at all. 

"Ice Demons…?" She asked, voice weak from her struggles to keep her dignity, which wasted away her Qi as she tried to get up. But her cultivation, steadily at the 3rd stage of the Foundation Formation realm, she simply had not enough Qi to sustain herself with. She was, however, confused… But Ice Demons, huh? The name's fitting.

"Oh, she doesn't know?" Asked Wei Wei, even his voice with pity. "Can we tell her that?" He asked this time, a little apprehensive. 

"Look at her eyes." The horned beast said: "She has more hatred for her family than we do." 

And indeed she had- But she was also curious, why was her family known as the Ice Demons? 

"Years ago-" The young man looked here with a cold, hard look that she has been acquainted with for longer than she has known herself to be alive: "-the Ice Rose family destroyed, slayed, and enslaved many of our people. The ones you call… Cursed." The poison on his lips damaged even her, making her feel ashamed of being born an Ice Rose for a split moment. "They decimated my home, our home, and sent us all scattering… Many of us died that day, so many…" The young man looked like he wanted to cry for a moment, but his own pride didn't allow him to.

"I'm sorry…" She apologized, even though it was not her fault, but her family's fault. 

"It's not your fault, young one." 

"But it is my family's fault." She insisted: "So, I apologize nevertheless." 

"Wow, she speaks weird." Wei Wei chuckled, making who seemingly was his older brother, sigh in frustration. 

"Wei Wei, she has something you don't."

"What…?"

"Manners."

Cui Rong couldn't help herself, she laughed at the goofy brothers, who looked at her in stunned surprise- Not because of her beauty (See Point 1: Half of her face was burnt to a crisp!), but because she sounded like a snorting and squealing pig. 

"Damn."

"Wei Wei!"

"Wei Wei!" 

Beneath the Ground, Amidst the Trees

The sound of banging iron against iron echoed inside the dark cavern, only the warm orange glow of a forge Illuminated the darkness around.

This place has changed a lot in the year his pops spent sleeping! There was an anvil here now! As well as a forge, and actual ores like iron, copper, and gold! He actually got these things by feeling their Qi from beneath the earth- Everything seems to have Qi within them, even mortals have Qi, but they can't cultivate it. 

"...maybe a bit more of Iron Qi with Gold Qi?" Gold and Iron Qi were like two opposing forces, because while Gold Qi was soft, Iron Qi is hard, and they seem to not work together well. But Ahteus is anything but a quitter! His hammer also went through an upgrade that he worked on, using a stone he found to be full of and overwhelming with Earth Qi! He used the stone within his [Hammer of Great Creation and Destruction], that made the use of his techniques through the hammer way easier. With his [Earthly Creation] ability, as his father called it, he could shape the metals with his hammer by using his Earth Qi alone.

Then, why the flames? 

They actually helped get rid of the excess Earth Qi from within, making the metals have a richer Qi of their respective metals. He was so happy when he discovered these types of Qi that he told every single one of his siblings, and they all were happy for him, asking him to try and make use of these Qis in ways to improve their family's power. 

The very first thing he made was a thin sword, for Leaf to try. He worked tirelessly for four days on that sword, and the result was… incredible.

It led to the discovery of another type of Qi- Weapon Qi.

Or more specifically, Sword Qi! 

He still remembers the shock on Leaf's usually serious face, and that was what he wanted- to shock, to surprise, to delight his family. This fueled his creation, giving them power through his intent and Qi! He made Lily a hand fan, and soon Zylph wanted one too, so together they worked on their own techniques with their weapon.

As long as it can be used as a weapon, it can produce Weapon Qi!