Kill him… Kill him…
'What had happened to me?'
Damon thought to himself as he recalled the sound that was akin to a devil's whisper. Whenever he looked at John, a strange sense of irritation… anger… a mixture of negative feelings began to rise in Damon's heart, with a devil's whisper ringing in his ears, tempting him to kill the boy.
It was the first time Damon had met John, yet this strange feeling of enmity… Damon couldn't understand where this feeling came from.
'Or rather, I do know the reason.'
***
Destined Enemies: Everyone possessing the Heir title is destined to be enemies who can't coexist together.
***
The effect of the title Heir granted him with. The effect applicable to all heirs that is meant to bloom the feeling of enmity amongst the heirs and encourage the bloodbath.
Damon frowned as he looked at the effect's description… there was no other possible explanation for this sensation to be felt by Damon if not for this effect.
'I hate this…'
This feeling of playing along others' fingers… being a puppet… being influenced by external factors like fate and heaven… it's a feeling Damon hated.
His rebellious mind hated this sense that made him feel like nothing more than a tool… an insignificant piece in the hands of fate…
'It's annoying,' Damon's hands clenched tightly as he thought about this, as the anger surged within him… 'but I can't do anything about it as I am now…'
The feeling of helplessness—of not even being able to dictate his feelings—is something Damon resented with all of his heart.
"…yeah I was surprised he lifted it with one hand."
"Really! It was amazing!… Hey Daniel! Tell me, are you a cultivator?"
"Hmm?..."
Damon unclenched his hands, which were wrapped in loose bandages—the aftereffects of his impotent rage—startled as he heard himself being called out.
"Daniel, are you a cultivator?"
Sofia, with literal stars in her eyes, asked Damon, along with John, whose eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"Yeah… I am a cultivator. A rogue, in the Body Forging Realm." Scratching his chin that had a bit of beard, Damon said lightly as he looked at the sibling duo.
"A real-life cultivator! John, did you hear?!"
Sofia and John were really excited to learn about his cultivator identity. The world is vast, there are billions of cultivators, but mortals surpass them in population. For ordinary mortals, a cultivator is nothing less than a superhero. Though some fear their powers, the majority are just in awe of the wonders they are.
Mortals, no matter how close their territories lie with the cultivators, don't have much interaction with them unless it's something important. So it's no wonder the kids here are shocked to meet a cultivator randomly.
'He doesn't get the same feeling as I do, does he?' Looking at John, who was clearly one of the Heirs according to his trait, Damon frowned, looking confused. Both are Heirs, and if both have the same titles and standing, they both should be feeling the same sense of disgust toward one another… But here, the emotions and expressions John displayed all seemed to be natural.
'Is it my trait in play?' The Hunter's Stealth has the ability to hide Damon's presence from other Heirs, meaning others can't know about Damon's status as a Heir unless he reveals it himself to them…
'Does that mean… it also masks the effects of the title against me?' This was just a theory, but looking at the boy asking questions about cultivators, he couldn't help but feel this theory was right.
"So you are at Body Forging Realm! How exactly are the realms of cultivation divided?"
"As far as I know, there are five major realms in cultivation… the Body Refining Realm, Qi Sensing Realm, the Flowing Qi Realm, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul."
Facing the questions of John, Damon didn't shy away and instead adjusted his seat. Leaning backward on the rock, he answered.
"The Clear Sky Sect, that you plan on visiting, is considered one of the strongest sects in this region."
Grabbing the sack of water that John had handed to him previously, Damon took a big gulp as he continued to explain.
"Every servant over there is at least at the Body Refining stage, the minimum requirement to become a servant member. The outer sect is full of Qi Sensing Realm members, while elders and inner sect members are at Core Formation and Flowing Qi Realm."
"The highest cultivation there belongs to the patriarch of the Clear Sky Sect, being a strong man of the Nascent Soul Realm."
Damon answered lightly as he made himself comfortable. He looked at the entrance of the cavern packed with humans now, all waiting for the rain to stop—which didn't seem to be in the mood to stop anytime soon.
Unsheathing his blade—the only thing along with the money he possessed, which he had decided to carry when leaving the sect—he watched the radiance with which it glowed in the dark cavern.
Wiping off the dirt, Damon cleaned the blade, looking at his reflection. His deep black eyes, large unkempt black hair, an unmaintained beard that diminished his charm—Damon looked at himself.
'Expulsion from sect… now this emotional control…' His grip tightened on the blade as Damon recalled all things that had happened from the start of his day. 'I really hate this feeling of powerlessness.'
Power…
He rubbed the cloth over the blade as he thought to himself… the thing he desired the most… the thing he lacked the most… both were the same thing…
"Power…"
"Brother Daniel, did you say anything?" John, who had faintly heard Damon's whisper, asked with a puzzled look, causing Damon to look up at him. Stopping his hands, he gave a gentle smile as he said, "Nothing," before looking down without a change in his expression, watching the reflection of John and his eyes that reflected ominously.