The Heavenly Demon's Education (2)
The sun sank beneath the horizon, draping the vast domain of the Heavenly Demon Cult in deep shadow. Having concluded my cultivation for the day, I turned my steps toward my quarters.
“I shall attend to you starting early tomorrow morning, Young Master. As it is a momentous day, please retire early tonight and rise at dawn.”
Sama Hyeol outlined tomorrow’s schedule while following half a step behind me. Usually a person of exceedingly few words, speaking only when strictly necessary, Sama Hyeol had grown remarkably talkative today. That alone demonstrated just how critical tomorrow’s ceremony was.
At sunrise, I was to inherit the internal energy of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art directly from Mother, awakening as yet another Heavenly Demon.
It was the day I would finally stand tall before Mother as a son worthy of pride, and the day she would gain a true successor. Furthermore, the Heavenly Demon Cult—an entity that was virtually an extension of Mother herself—would welcome a new sovereign into its fold.
The thought that Cheon Suyeon would receive the exact same treatment as me tomorrow was rather grating, but… I pushed it aside for now.
“All right, thank you. I will see you tomorrow.”
Before I knew it, we had arrived outside my chambers. When I offered my parting words, Sama Hyeol gave a courteous bow and withdrew down the corridor.
“Phew…”
I lay down upon my bed, but sleep refused to come. This will not do…
I could not afford to ruin tomorrow’s affairs merely because I failed to rein in a passing bout of restlessness. Tomorrow demanded that I maintain peak condition and achieve the finest possible results.
I squeezed my eyes shut, willing my mind to empty itself and invite slumber.
Half a shichen drifted by.
“Ugh…”
A complete failure. Thoughts of tomorrow’s impending events continued to surge through my head in an endless, turbulent stream.
“…Should I just let my mind wander until it wears itself out?”
Changing tactics, I decided to summon every memory nestled in the corners of my mind. Perhaps by deliberately laying out every lingering thought, sleep would finally claim me.
“Let’s see… Did this training begin on my fifth birthday?”
Fifteen years ago, on the morning of my fifth birthday.
Sama Hyeol slid open the door to my room and bowed. Looking back, that was the very first time we ever exchanged words.
“Young Master Cheon Hwayeom, I offer you my humble greetings. I am Sama Hyeol, direct adjutant to the Heavenly Demon—your esteemed mother. Forgive the abruptness, but you must present yourself to your mother at once.”
“Huh? Who…?”
In retrospect, I was far too young then, entirely oblivious to the workings of the world around me. Thus, upon our very first encounter, I merely rubbed my eyes and mumbled with a drowsy voice.
“It seems you are not yet fully awake. Allow me to escort you to the Heavenly Demon myself.”
After studying my face intently for a moment, Sama Hyeol stepped forward and lifted me into two arms. Shortly thereafter, the young me was carried straight toward the cult’s grand main hall where Mother resided. Looking back on it now, it was terribly embarrassing.
“Are you well, Young Master? Is anything causing you discomfort?”
“No… thank you, Sister Hyeol…”
“…Please refrain from addressing me as such. I am a subordinate to your mother and to you. I ask that you call me Sama Hyeol.”
When we finally arrived at the grand hall, Mother was waiting.
Mother was always the same. She possessed raven-black hair like mine that cascaded all the way to her calves, accompanied by piercing crimson eyes. Her garments were ever a striking blend of black and red. She stood taller than any other woman in the Heavenly Demon Cult, yet carried an overall grace of fluid, supple strength across her limbs and frame.
However, seeing me carried in Sama Hyeol’s arms seemed to displease her greatly. Her gaze, which was perpetually sharp and discerning, narrowed with an even colder edge as it settled upon me.
“Sama Hyeol, what do you think you are doing? I ordered you to bring my third child, not to play the nursemaid.”
“The young master is still of tender years and had not yet shaken off his slumber, which is why I brought him in this manner. I beg your generous understanding.”
“Had you brought some random urchin from the market streets, I might have understood. But the child in your arms is my thirdborn. He is one who may very well stand at my side as another Heavenly Demon in the days to come. And yet, you indulge such petty coddling? Put him down this instant!”
“Eep… M-Mother…”
At Mother’s thunderous command to put me down, Sama Hyeol had no choice but to set me onto the floor. I managed to balance on my two feet, but shaken by Mother’s wrath, my knees quivered slightly. Mother looked down upon that sight with undisguised disdain.
“To cower at something so trivial! You carry my bloodline within you. Cast away every trace of such weak, pathetic temperament. Starting today, you shall begin the training to become a new Heavenly Demon. A feeble spirit will never survive what lies ahead!”
Without a moment’s delay, Mother marched me straight to the main gates of the cult complex to commence my training. I was terribly young at the time, but Mother knew no leniency. I suppose… it was simply her brand of strictness.
“Listen well. From this day forth until your twentieth birthday, you shall perform two tasks without fail every single day. First, you will run the outer perimeter of the Heavenly Demon Cult until you collapse from utter exhaustion. And second, you shall practice energy circulation and breathing meditation for no less than three shichen.”
She paused, glaring down at me.
“…If you understand, then begin running the perimeter at once. Run until your legs give out.”
Knowing nothing else, I simply ran as I was told.
It was my first time ever running, and my breath quickly caught in my chest, yet I pressed forward regardless. I ran, and ran, and kept running.
It was then that I noticed other figures running the outer perimeter just like me. That was the day I first met my older sisters… or rather, Wolha-noona and that wretched Cheon Suyeon.
Until then, I had only caught distant, vague glimpses of them undergoing their regimens. This was our very first face-to-face meeting. The moment Wolha-noona saw me, she broke into a radiant smile.
“Oh my, so your name was… Hwayeom, right? Cheon Hwayeom! Are you starting your training today as well? My name is Cheon Wolha. Go on, call me big sister.”
Wolha-noona bore a striking resemblance to Mother. She shared the same pitch-black hair and vivid crimson eyes, though hers was tied neatly back for training, and she wore the standard martial robes common among the cult’s disciples. Yet the greatest difference lay in her expression. While Mother’s gaze was constantly evaluating and judging, Wolha-noona greeted me with a warm, gentle smile, regarding everyone around her with kind eyes.
And then came Cheon Suyeon. Loath as I was to admit it, she also inherited Mother’s features, sharing the same dark hair and crimson eyes as Wolha-noona and myself. Unlike Wolha-noona, whose locks fell past her back, Suyeon wore hers cut short—but the far more glaring distinction was her foul disposition. As if eternally disgruntled with the entire world, she threw tantrums at the slightest provocation, her brow locked in a perpetual scowl.
“What’s this? Out of my way, runt.”
Yes, just like that.
From our very first encounter, Cheon Suyeon shoved me aside simply because I happened to be in her path. Looking back, while Wolha-noona had been kind from the very beginning, Cheon Suyeon had always been selfish and rotten to the core.
After half a shichen of running, my stamina gave out completely, and I collapsed onto the dirt. Sprawled flat against the earth, I could do nothing but gasp raggedly for air.
“Exhausted after a mere half-shichen? Pathetic.”
“He is a child who has never once circulated internal energy, possessing neither qi nor foundation in external conditioning. Half a shichen is already quite commendable for his first attempt.”
Mother and Sama Hyeol appeared at my side and escorted me to the martial grounds. Following a brief rest of half a shichen, it was time for the second task: at least three shichen of seated qi meditation.
“He ran for a miserable half-shichen, so I cannot permit him to meditate for a mere three. Begin your qi circulation immediately. You shall endure for five shichen without rest.”
“Young Master, as this is your first time, allow me to guide you. Qi circulation is the process of drawing forth internal energy from your dantian—the very wellspring of your qi—and guiding it through your meridians so that it permeates your entire body. It expands your reserves and widens your pathways, building the bedrock of a true martial artist.”
This proved comparatively approachable for a beginner. Leaning on Sama Hyeol’s careful guidance, I began my very first session of cultivation.
“Mmm… I feel something inside my belly… It’s round. And there are thin threads running through my arms and legs.”
To my surprise, the process was fascinating and enjoyable. Guided by a master of Sama Hyeol’s caliber, I managed to perceive my own dantian and the flow of meridians within the span of a single incense stick.
“Oh? Perceiving one’s dantian and meridians is the true threshold of meditation, marking the birth of a martial artist. Even with the aid of a grandmaster, an ordinary disciple would require half a month to grasp it, yet you have done so in a single incense time… It seems you possess genuine talent in this regard.”
Such was Mother’s evaluation upon witnessing my first cultivation. At the time, I did not fully comprehend the weight of her words, but seeing her look pleased brought a warmth to my chest.
Five shichen later, my first session concluded. When I opened my eyes and gathered my senses, I saw Wolha-noona and Cheon Suyeon cultivating alongside me.
“You did exceptionally well today, Young Master. Let us return to your quarters so you may rest. I shall accompany you.”
“Do not even think of being carried like a helpless babe. Walk on your own two feet. The path to becoming another Heavenly Demon is not so forgiving.”
Mother seemed wary that I might seek refuge in Sama Hyeol’s embrace once more, but my spirits were soaring that day. My body felt light, and even the dull ache throbbing in my legs felt like a pleasant, rewarding tingle.
I fell asleep that night believing the entire experience was my fifth birthday present.
Such was the memory of the very first day I embarked on the path to becoming a new Heavenly Demon.
“…Come to think of it, I’ve been doing the exact same routine without a single complaint for fifteen whole years. I’ve certainly come a long way.”
It had been an arduous journey.
Tomorrow was the day all my relentless labor would finally be rewarded by Mother. To receive her immense internal energy, I had diligently expanded my meridians and forged my physical body day after day.
I had devoted myself wholeheartedly to self-cultivation, and tomorrow, I would present the finest results to earn her approval.
“Yaaawn…”
Recalling the past had proven remarkably effective for inducing sleep. A deep yawn escaped my lips.
My body felt tranquil and at ease. I harbored not the slightest shred of dread for what tomorrow held. Firm in the conviction that tomorrow would be the greatest day of my life, I surrendered to slumber—
Wholly unable to fathom the nightmare waiting for me the following morning.