Chapter 40: Demonic Energy Affinity

A few hours later, Bane woke up with Lysia snuggled into his side. The cute little elf made him smile, and he gently shook her awake. Lysia's eyes shot open, and she rolled to the opposite side of the tent, and jumped up with a dangerous look.

"Calm down, woman! It's just me!" Bane said quickly, putting his hands up in fear of being blown out of the tent.

Lysia's eyes widened for a second, but then she let out a long sigh. "Sorry, I am not used to sleeping with anyone else. I guess I was just a little shocked."

Bane snorted. "At least it wasn't me getting shocked this time. I will just leave you be cute to wake up on your own next time."

Lysia rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her lips. "Noted. Let's just focus on getting ready. We still have two more portals to deal with."

As they emerged from the tent, Wei Nam Lee and Mizuage were already up, preparing lunch. The aroma of sizzling meat filled the air, and Bane's stomach growled in response. The two men exchanged knowing glances, but no one commented on the situation.

"We need to make sure we have enough supplies before heading to the next portal," Wei Nam Lee said, handing out portions of food.

Lysia shook her head. "We can hunt for food at the last portal. None of us will be very hungry after reaching the next portal."

"Hmm? Why is that?" Bane asked as he ate the stew with bread he had been given.

"Demonic energy. The next gate pulsates with it, and it will make you feel sick with a constant feeling of impending doom and dread," Lysia explained, and Mizuage choked on his food so bad that Wei Nam Lee had to pat his back.

When he could finally speak, Mizuage shot Lysia an incredulous look. "You can't be serious? You are going to take these two to a place polluted with Demon energy?! Then you expect even me to go into a portal that will lead us to what will most likely be a Demon's Den? Are you trying to get us and your new boy toy killed?!"

Bane just shook his head as Mizuage's body was flattened to the ground and Lysia walked to start kicking him. Wei Nam Lee put up a hand like he was going to try and stop this, but Bane shot him a look and shook his head. As someone who was no stranger to Lysia's outburst, Bane knew that Wei Nam Lee would only be joining Mizuage if he tried to speak up in his defense.

After about two minutes, Lysia stopped, and then turned and marched over to where Bane was just finishing packing up their tent into a storage ring Lysia had lent him. "Feel better?" Bane asked, and Lysia nodded with a firm look.

"Yes, I do feel much better after bullying that stupid dragon. Does he think that I don't know what we are going to be doing? Stupid dragon is one of the few people that looks like an adult, but he whines like a child!" Lysia growled, and Bane patted her head, but stopped when she glared at him. Don't Patronize me!"

Bane made a goofy face as he reeled. "Calm down, you firecracker! Jesus! What crawled up your butt this morning? Was waking up cuddled next to me really that bad?"

"Do you think teasing me will extend your lifespan or shorten it?" Lysia warned as she raised a hand with her palm facing Bane.

"Hey! Put that damn hand of yours down! You do not always have to choose violence for your solution to everything! Just ignore that damn dragon and tell me about the next gate and why it has Mizuage's panties so far up his ass," Bane groaned, while also still fully prepared to try and dodge whatever Lysia tried to throw at him.

Lysia huffed but lowered her hand, clearly still irked but willing to focus on the task at hand. "Fine. The next gate is located in a deep cave. It's tainted with demonic energy, but through the portal will be much worse. The landscape will be a remnant of an ancient battle between the Celestials and Demons. The energy there is suffocating, and it can have various harmful effects on those not accustomed to it."

Bane frowned, processing her words. "So, it's going to be dangerous just to be there, let alone trying to open and close the portal."

"Exactly," Lysia replied. "The energy will mess with your mind and body, making it difficult to function. We'll need to be prepared and stay focused. If you feel anything strange, let me know immediately."

"Great," Bane muttered, his expression grim. "And what about the demon den Mizuage mentioned? Is that a real possibility?"

Lysia hesitated before nodding. "It's very likely. Demons are drawn to places of power, especially those with concentrated energy like this. it is very likely that once we cross, the power source for the portal will be in such a place."

"I guess that makes sense," Bane said, scratching the back of his head. "What are these demons like?"

"The place that we are going will have Lesser and Minor demons, but there is likely a Great Demon with a name," Lysia explained, making Bane frown.

"Does a name really make that much of a difference?" Bane asked, and Lysia nodded.

"Lesser and Minor Demons are really no better than savage animals. Great or higher demons become smarter, but nothing like a human's level of intelligence. Named demons, on the other hand, are just as smart as you or I, and they are much stronger," Lysia explained as the tree's around them started to thin out, and Bane started to feel strange.

Looking around more, Bane started to notice that the trees weren't just thinning out, they were decaying and dying. The strange feeling was uncomfortable at first, but soon, Bane felt a calming sensation wash over him along with the strange feeling rushing into him.

"Bane?" Lysia asked as she noticed that he was walking with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

Bane opened his eyes, but they were just two black orbs now. Lysia frowned at this. "Are you okay?"

"I think so?" Bane said questioningly, looking down at his hand, opening and closing it. "I started to get a strange feeling a moment ago, but then it turned into a calming sensation. I didn't even realize that I had closed my eyes, I was just following the source of this strange calming feeling."

"Really? That can only mean that you have an affinity for demonic energy, which is extremely rare. Having an affinity for divine energy would be considered very rare, but you would find over one hundred people like that for every one person with an affinity to demonic energy," Lysia explained, making Bane frown since she said it with a neutral expression.

"So, is this a good or bad thing?" Bane asked, but Lysia just shrugged.

"It's neither. While not bad in the way that it will hurt you, Divine Beings will want to kill you. Non-Demons shouldn't possess an affinity for demonic energy, but this works for us," Lysia said, but Bane didn't like the sound of any of it.

"Sounds pretty bad if one of these beings gets a hold of me, and what do you mean works for us?" Bane asked with narrowed eyes.

"Having an affinity for demonic energy means you'll be less affected by it, maybe even able to harness it to some extent," Lysia explained. "This gives us a significant advantage in the demonic realm. But it also means you'll be targeted by divine beings if they ever discover you. For now, we can use it to our benefit."

Bane's eyes returned to their normal color as he processed this information. "So, I have to be careful, but it could help us."

Lysia nodded. "Exactly. Let's focus on the task at hand and get through this portal. We'll deal with the other consequences later."

As they continued their journey, the landscape grew more desolate, the trees giving way to barren, rocky terrain. The oppressive atmosphere weighed heavily on them, but Bane seemed to be the least affected, his affinity for the demonic energy providing a strange sense of comfort in the otherwise hostile environment.

"We're close," Lysia said, her voice tense. "I can feel the portal's energy."

They arrived at the entrance to a vast cavern, the air thick with the stench of decay and malevolence. The ground trembled slightly, and an eerie glow emanated from within.

"This is it," Wei Nam Lee said, his face pale. "The portal lies within."

Mizuage looked at the entrance with a mixture of dread and determination. "Let's get this over with. The sooner we close this portal, the better."

They entered the cavern, the darkness swallowing them. The walls were covered in ancient runes, pulsating with a sickly green light. The air was colder, each breath visible as mist. Bane felt a strange connection to the place, as if the demonic energy recognized him.

In the heart of the cavern, they found a massive empty chamber, but the walls were covered in red runes much different from the last portal sight. The symbols looked much more brutal and violently written than the smooth and elegant runes that had surrounded the spiritual energy portal.

"Well this place looks quite eerie," Bane said as he walked over to run his hand over a few of the symbols on the walls. "These are quite a bit different from the last place, right?"

Lysia nodded, her eyes scanning the runes with a mixture of concern and fascination. "Yes, these runes are much more aggressive. They reflect the nature of demonic energy—chaotic and violent. We'll need to be careful; they might have traps or curses embedded in them."

Wei Nam Lee examined the runes closely, his fingers tracing their jagged edges. "These symbols are ancient, possibly predating even the oldest records we have. It's a good thing Bane is less affected by the demonic energy; it might help us decipher these runes without triggering any defenses."

Mizuage, still nursing his earlier grievances, kept a wary eye on the chamber's entrance. "Let's just get this over with. The longer we stay here, the higher the chances of getting Miasma Sickness."

Bane nodded and focused on the task at hand. "Alright, how do we open this portal?"

Lysia produced a small, ornate dagger from her satchel, its blade glinting with an otherworldly light. "We need to carve specific counter-runes over certain symbols. It will disrupt the flow of demonic energy and collapse the portal."

"And we know which certain runes need to be countered?" Bane asked, glancing around the entire cave that was covered in glowing red runes.

"I mean I do, but why don't you ask the voice in your head?" Lysia replied without looking at Bane, making him roll his eyes.

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear from you?" Bane teased, and Lysia turned to glare at him, raising her hand.

Bane tossed his hands up. "Fine! I will ask Eve if you are going to be like this!"

'She has some serious issues with her feelings for you. I almost feel bad since you are now stuck with her for eternity,' Eve said, and Bane resisted rolling his eyes.

'Don't even start with me. Just help me figure this out before she tries a new spell on me!' Bane retorted in his head, making Eve laugh, but then Bane paused. 'We weren't a thing before, right? You came from the future, but I never really thought about it until now.'

'No, you never had anyone then, but I did know you. In the future, I will introduce you to some people that were very important to both of us. Well, they were more important to me, but they were still your friends,' Even explained, and Bane mentally nodded.

"Alright, Eve, what do we need to do?" Bane asked, his thoughts focused on the task at hand.

'Look for the runes that have a double stroke at the top. Those are the key ones you need to counter. Use the dagger Lysia has to carve the counter-runes directly over them. Be careful not to disturb any other runes, as it could trigger traps,' Eve instructed.

Bane relayed the information to Lysia, who growled, but then started to use her dagger to carve over the runes. Bane could only shake his head at this, silently wishing that he could somehow soften this little elf up. At the same time, he almost preferred her like this. It was who Lysia was.