Chapter 3: The Devil Child Beyond the City
The tavern incident had passed, leaving ripples through the market district. Kael Draven's arrogance and brutality were now a cautionary tale whispered from street corner to street corner. I did not linger on it. Justice was served, but my work was never done.
The city sprawled beneath me as I walked along the northern road, my mind alive with observation. The streets pulsed with energy — merchants haggling, children darting between stalls, guards patrolling, and beggars trying to avoid the harsh eyes of those who wielded power. Every qi signature told a story: fear, ambition, greed, loyalty, even despair. All of it flowed like water, and I could read it with ease.
My parents' expectations were never heavy in the way they burdened ordinary children. Instead, they were a compass: temper strength with wisdom, temper anger with foresight, protect the innocent while crushing the corrupt. Every action I took in the city, every observation, every calculation, was a step toward fulfilling that destiny. I had been granted lands, attendants, and authority, yet I carried it lightly. These were tools, not trophies.
My attendants trailed behind me, silent and alert, trained to anticipate danger without interfering unless necessary. I had spent hours each day refining my cultivation: controlling qi to flow through my body like molten steel, sensing the currents around me, and studying the cores of monsters I had captured or observed in the wilds. Every beast held energy that could enhance my cultivation — some volatile, some refined, some dangerous — and I learned which could be absorbed without risk.
As I passed the outer walls of Eryndor, my senses flared. A spike of wild, untamed qi rippled through the nearby forest, far stronger than anything in the city. It pulsed with life, rage, and hunger — a monster, young but formidable, clearly aware of my presence. My pulse quickened. This was not merely a threat; it was an opportunity. A chance to test my limits, to refine my control, and to gain strength that even my parents would recognize with quiet pride.
I stepped into the forest, cloak brushing the undergrowth, senses scanning. The monster moved ahead, unaware that its energy was being traced and analyzed. Its form was jagged, fur mottled with unnatural colors, claws like curved daggers. It hissed, sensing intrusion, but did not flee. Its core pulsed erratically, unstable yet powerful.
I crouched behind a tree, calculating. Every muscle, every angle of attack, every potential counter from the creature. My cultivation was not brute force; it was precision, strategy, and foresight. I had absorbed cores before, but the raw power of this young beast promised refinement beyond ordinary training.
It charged, and I flowed into motion. My body moved faster than its perception, qi radiating like a faint glow along my limbs. I redirected its momentum with subtle pressure, avoiding direct harm at first. Claws tore the earth, and I pivoted, guiding the attack away from myself, letting it expend energy.
The first strike I delivered was a calculated strike to its flank, infused with qi. The beast faltered, but its core resisted destabilization. I smiled faintly. This was not simply combat; it was calculation, observation, and refinement. Each blow, each redirection, strengthened my control over my own energy.
Minutes passed, though it could have been hours. Every movement, every flash of thought, measured. The monster adapted, but so did I. I anticipated, predicted, and countered. Its aggression became predictable, and my strikes began to hit with precision, sending it staggering without destroying its essence.
Finally, the beast collapsed, exhausted. I crouched over it, sensing its core pulsate like a storm contained within a fragile shell. Carefully, I extended my qi, connecting with the energy without harming it. The core's essence flowed into me like a river filling a reservoir. I refined, absorbed, and stabilized it. My strength surged, the flow of qi in my body aligning in new patterns, senses sharpening, reflexes faster, control over energy tighter.
I stood, brushing dust from my robes, and observed the forest around me. Every tree, every stone, every living being vibrated slightly differently, attuned now to my presence. My pulse was steady, my qi precise, my mind calculating possibilities for the kingdom, for the people, for my own future.
Even at seven years old, I plotted. How to protect the innocent, how to punish the cruel, how to expand influence without chaos. How to build alliances, how to manage lands, how to train others in the art of discipline and strategy. Every lesson learned in the city and every strike in the forest added to a foundation that no ordinary child could comprehend.
I thought of the tavern, Kael Draven, the fear in the shopkeeper's eyes, and the whispers of the people. Justice was not simply action; it was influence, a lesson that would ripple through Eryndor for years to come. And now, stronger, more refined, I could extend that influence further.
The forest quieted, the monster watching me with wary respect. I released a fraction of qi back to it, leaving the core stabilized, its energy intact but under my observation. A nod was unnecessary — the connection was enough. Power was not simply to crush; it was to understand, to refine, to master.
As I walked back toward the city, my cloak trailing behind me, I imagined the northern lands awaiting my oversight, my attendants observing my every movement, my strategies forming like intricate threads across the map of Eryndor. One day, every corrupt official, every arrogant merchant, every dangerous monster would understand the reach of Mykel Cassian Voss.
The Emperor and Empress had placed their expectations upon me not as a burden, but as a promise. I would honor it, not with idle pride, but with mastery over myself, the kingdom, and the natural order of power.
I allowed a faint smile. The world was vast, filled with opportunity and danger. But with every calculation, every refinement, every battle, I grew closer to the pinnacle. I was not a child playing with toys of men; I was a master in the making, a mind and body sharpened like the finest blade. And the Devil Child favored by the heavens would carve a path none could deny.
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The forest gave way to the city walls, and I paused atop a small rise, surveying the streets below. Each light, each shadow, each flicker of qi was a note in the grand symphony of power. I adjusted my cloak, feeling the pulse of energy within me, sensing potential in every corner of Eryndor.
I could feel it all. Every injustice waiting to be corrected. Every threat waiting to be neutralized. Every ally waiting to be guided. And I, Mykel Cassian Voss, would be the instrument of all.
The world was mine to observe, mine to calculate, mine to master. And even as a child, I felt the surge of destiny beneath my feet, the currents of qi flowing through me, the thrill of power tempered with wisdom.
One day, the name Mykel Cassian Voss would not merely be whispered in fear or respect. It would resonate across the kingdom, across the lands, across history itself.