Simon was busier after the conference, but he was good at finding people to handle menial tasks, so after a week he had enough free time for his family.

The family was in the Nightshade Castle ritual room at the moment as Aaric prepared for the next ritual they would be performing.

Aaric was using the bloodline fruit he had obtained thanks to the Sect Master, along with the Dementor crystals and cloaks, to form a complex ritual.

This time, he had brought Nyxthar from the Sanctum to assist with the manipulation of the dark energy involved.

Nyxthar moved around the room alongside Aaric as he used the special ink he had prepared to draw the ritual circle.

“I would have helped you, my Lord, but my anatomy does not allow it,” Nyxthar said, making Aaric chuckle.

“No need, your company is enough,” he replied with a small smile. “I’ve wanted to ask you for a long time—what is hell like?” he asked as he continued his work.

Nyxthar shook her head. “I have never been there, so I cannot say.” She then sat down beside Aaric.

“Half-demons are not demons with physical bodies or beings formed from the… union of demons with mortals,” she said softly.

“When a demon possesses a body, they mold it into a half-spiritual form suited to their needs.” Aaric listened intently to her as he worked.

“They take years to mold the body with their dark energies while the original soul of the body remains asleep.”

“So, when they leave the body, half-demons are formed?” Aaric asked when Nyxthar paused.

Nyxthar gave a low hum. “Demons never leave without the soul,” she said with a short chuckle. “If they did, there would be far more half-demons in the world—except me.”

She glanced around at the vast Nightshade Castle. “The demon that possessed me was a particularly powerful one. It was summoned by a dark wizard who foolishly thought he could have a demon as his servant. He summoned the demon directly into my body.” She scoffed softly.

“After killing the wizard, the demon sealed itself in a secluded area with all of the dark artifacts the wizard had gathered. It then spent the next nine years performing rituals and using its magic to mold my body into its perfect vessel.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes were sharp as she looked at the ceiling before letting out a quiet, chuckle.

“As soon as my body was molded to its satisfaction, it went out to rampage—but there she was, standing with a smile on her face.” Nyxthar turned her gaze to Aaric.

“Aeloria Nightshade?” Aaric guessed.

Nyxthar nodded. “She fought the demon for three days and three nights, while Thimrill, a tribe of centaurs, and a tribe of wizards used all their strength to contain the damage from their battle.”

Holy shit, Aaric thought, imagining the scale of the fight that must have taken place.

“‘Leave the soul behind in the body as you crawl back to hell,’ she had told the demon as it lay there, defeated,” Nyxthar recited quietly.

She let out a slow breath. “For me, it was like waking up from a long nap. I could… think. I gained intelligence and power, and I vowed to use it to serve her.”

Nyxthar then approached Aaric and gently nuzzled against him.

“And you,” she added softly.

Aaric smiled and hugged her neck briefly. “And I will always be grateful,” he said sincerely.

Aaric stood once the ritual circle was completed, and Nyxthar went to call his parents.

“This one seems more…” Simon trailed off, trying to find the right word, but Aaric interrupted.

“It is. This ritual will give us a great boon, and I don’t know what they will be… mostly,” Aaric said, his tone carefree.

Simon inclined his head and stepped forward. “Well…?”

Aaric pointed at the center of the circle. “Sit there, wear this cloak, and we will begin.”

Simon took the Dementor’s cloak and put it on, the dark fabric making him look like an edgelord.

He sat in the middle of the circle while Elder Huo refined the bloodline fruit into a liquid and placed it carefully into a ceremonial bowl.

Meanwhile, Aaric placed three black crystals around the ritual circle, their surfaces pulsing faintly with dark energy.

A/n: I have been releasing short chapter for now because i have less time to write.

Power stones and reviews please.

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