I was born in Devil Cult. More precisely, outside, right after a loving couple wanted to escape the Devil Cult and flee from that heretical sect.
My mother was nine months pregnant at the time. My father, who was an unimportant subordinate, a disposable soldier because he had no talent whatsoever, loved his female companion who was also raised within the cult.
As far as I know, from the information I found when I grew up in the Devil Cult, my mother was the daughter from one of many head branch in Devil Cult, which was called the blood church branch.
Both of my mother's parents worshipped the goddess Lilith, an evil goddess who enjoyed free sex with anything, even corpses, animals, or monsters.
The same goes for her followers, according to that heretical teaching, whoever has intimate relations with several creatures, the child born will have the power of a demon incarnation or even a demon itself born. Therefore, they always sacrificed the lives of human babies and virgin girls to the goddess Lilith, hoping that they would give birth to children with demonic power.
Even though my mother grew up in such a heretical sect, and ever since she could get pregnant at nine years old, she had been abused by her own parents, her heart was still innocent and pure. She dreamed of a peaceful and purely loving life compared to her very dirty life.
She told her dream to an innocent man who slept with her that night. An ordinary man in the Devil Cult who would fall in love with her at first sight and was determined to fulfill all her wishes with all his might.
My mother was indeed a branch head's daughter, but that did not save her from the depraved life of the blood church followers. Every night she had to sleep with any man who asked her as a daily ritual of that heretical sect. Since meeting the innocent man who loved her, my mother became more withdrawn and dared to refuse other men, although in the end she was still forced by them.
Until one day she became pregnant.
Seeing the woman he loved pregnant, the innocent man, who was probably my father, was more attentive to her. He spent more time accompanying her than doing the tasks given by his superiors in the cult.
So the day came, the day they both planned to escape from the Devil Cult.
For nine months, the innocent man, who was probably my father, planned to take my mother out of the cult and live a normal life like a couple out there.
On the day his plan was ready and he desperately took my mother, who was nine months pregnant. That night, he sneaked out of the Devil Cult.
Running non-stop, even though my mother was bleeding in her stomach because she felt the baby in her womb would be born that very night. An unfortunate twist of fate.
Because the blood flowing from her legs dripped onto the ground. Someone realized my mother and father were trying to escape from the cult.
They were both chased. They were not too far from where the Devil Cult was located. In a dense pine forest, they kept running.
Until finally, my mother could no longer endure. She sat down, she was in pain, and she felt her child was about to be born.
My father had no choice but to block any of their pursuers and intended to kill them.
But unfortunately. The group of people chasing them was none other than my mother's own father. With martial arts techniques superior to the innocent man who was probably my father, he immediately beheaded him right in front of his own daughter.
My mother screamed when she saw her lover's head fall to the ground and blood gushed from his severed neck.
Disappointed that his daughter had run away with the ordinary man she loved from the cult. Her father beheaded his daughter with his own sword and hand.
Whether what happened after my mother's head was severed was due to a miracle or a curse, I was born. Right after my mother's head rolled on the ground.
Although I was a baby at the time, I was born without a cry. And I was born with clear memories. My mother's face lying on the ground covered with fallen pine leaves. Her expression screaming in hysterical anger.
I remember it. And I remember the hands that held my tiny body at that time were none other than my grandfather's.
I knew all of this because my grandfather himself told me just before I entered the bloody valley when I was seven years old.
The rest, I learned when my grandfather's heart was pierced by my sword when I was fifteen years old.
***
"That's a tragic story." Shun Jin was chewing deer meat in her mouth while commenting on my story. I told her my past story during dinner because I was bored and because she asked me.
"Yeah, the Devil Cult is a cult filled with bunch of crazy people who have no common sense and we are going there. To their training ground. Although I hate to admit it, their method of training me was quite effective. In eleven years I managed to reach the Spirit Ascension cultivation level which most normal humans would need at least fifty years to achieve."
Biting into the roasted deer rib in large bites. Although I don't need to eat, I like the taste of meat. Even though I don't taste anything in my mouth because my sense of taste has been gone since I became a demon.
"If you grew up in devil cult, don't you have acquaintances or friends there?" Shun Jin asked a random question. She ravenously chewed the deer meat in her mouth. Until her cheeks were like a squirrel's and her mouth was smeared with roasted deer fat.
This is our third week walking towards the bloody valley. According to my estimate, it will take about two more weeks to walk to that cursed place.
We are in a fairly lush mountain forest with various types of trees and owls that always hoot every night trying to overpower the howls of wolves or other animals. Ah, sometimes we also encounter spirit beasts, but I easily decapitate them and take their cores for Shun Jin to eat later.
"Almost all of my acquaintances in that cult since I left there have been killed by my own hands. Ah, except one. That woman seems to still be alive."
Hearing the word woman, Shun Jin suddenly pouted for no reason.
"Woman?" She stopped chewing the meat in her mouth to give me a pouting look.
I nodded, "Yes, she was the first woman who liked me, before I stabbed her with a sword."
Shun Jin still looked at me pouting after swallowing the meat in her mouth. I glanced at her and gave her a questioning look but she didn't answer and instead pouted even more.
"What do you mean by stabbing that woman with a sword?" She inexplicably looked at me with an angry face and round cheeks.
I shrugged. "Stabbing her heart with a sword. What else?"
Then Shun Jin smiled widely without opening her mouth upon hearing it. She let out a sigh of relief after that.
I threw the rib bone to the ground. In front of me, a full adult deer was roasting over a large bonfire. Picking up another rib bone that was already cooked and still hot but I didn't feel any pain from the heat.
The bonfire crackled, fulfilling its duty of smoking the deer meat into fragrant roasted meat. Surely this would attract some uninvited creatures, but don't worry because I don't care.
"But you said that woman is still alive? How can someone still be alive even after their heart is pierced?"
Shun Jin asked curiously. I became curious too.
"Why do you think?" I asked back, Shun Jin shook her head slightly and shrugged.
"I don't know."
"I'm not sure. But I think that arrogant king got help from her to poison your father."
"Really?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. I hope she's not a woman I know."
We both then continued to finish the deer in silence. Shun Jin's stomach was bloated from eating deer meat after a few days ago she was forced to eat a monster meat because I told her to. Monster meat have good properties for body growth. Especially their core.
She slept soundly on the monster skin mat that we skinned days ago and I made as a sleeping mat. Besides that, the rest could also be made into a blanket.
I pulled the blanket to cover Shun Jin's entire body. Tonight the wind was blowing a little strong. After that I prepared to sleep sitting in front of the campfire with my eyes open.
"Crazy man... I also want to be stabbed by your sword..." Shun Jin mumbled in her sleep while smiling strangely, drool flowing from the corner of her mouth. I don't know what she's dreaming about. It seems the longer she's with me, she's catching my crazy disease. I grinned faintly at her.
Staring at the moon in the sky. Tonight the moon was shyly hiding behind the clouds. But some stars were clearly visible up there.
"Ye Jing... I never believed in fate because fate always betrayed me. But, right now I feel like fate is being kind to me. Even though demons have a bad fate."
***