Chapter 49: Heart Devils

Solaris panted while his vision started blurring. It felt like the clock turned back to his worst incident.

The time when Simon carved fear into his body.

"Stop…" Adam begged, only to be copied back:

"Stop~~" The demonic figure crashed his knee into his ribs. Caused bones to break; stab at the lungs. 

"Please… Please stop hitting me…!"

"Pwease stop hwitting me~ I'm such a little crybaby~~!" The creature continued to taunt.

Pain gave rise to fear, but those constant stream of insults gave rise to a madness deeper than spite.

All sounds started to fade away and blend together when he started to fight back against him in futility.

The more he degraded himself to fight on even terms with Simon, the more this futility eroded him.

Weakening his heart and soul…

Solaris was dropped into a world of pain.

*Boom!* Adam felt his entire arm break and reform under the violent assault. The pain was too much.

It was like white noise clouding his senses.

'It hurts…!' Tears streamed down his eyes while trying to run, but there was nowhere to escape.

He shifted between rage and fear, but there was nothing that seemed to change whenever he did.

Everything started feeling more worthless…

'Why am I fighting?' He thought to himself. Many waves rippled in the ocean that was in his heart:

'I wish I could stop thinking.'

'I wish someone would help.'

'Someone… help...'

'I want to live. I want to live.' 

'I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to live. I want to-'

His thoughts were suddenly cut off by a new sound echoing back in his subconscious with his voice.

Although it was clearly his own voice, Solaris felt disconnected from the words that it had spoken.

The 'echoes' started to trickle into his ear softly:

"He must've hated you." A dark mirror of himself appeared behind Simon upon saying those words.

The more his heart broke, the clearer the figure became. His ego was threatened, but the words the dark figure spoke was like the most tantalising bait. A reason to let his consciousness fade away.

'Yeah… He must hate me.'

"Wouldn't it be better to stop thinking and kill him while he's weak? Let out what you're feeling?"

'I have to stay sane.'

"What's the point of sanity? Aren't you in constant pain? You would feel so much better if you 'died'."

The words were like a sweet honey to Solaris.

Tempting words that Lumina couldn't stop him agreeing with, as she too was in her nightmare.

Fear started to overcome her heart in a different way than Solaris, because she had his 'Emptiness'.

That's why her Heart Devil coiled around another trauma Adam had hid on a deeper level of himself.

In her own mind, the pale ego saw nothing. 

No world. No life. No death. No sensations.

The emptiness engulfed her to the point she'd started thinking in a way that was unlike a human.

"Why am I alive?" In this state of nothingness, the female ego felt indifferent to living any further.

Like life itself was a meaningless struggle.

A feeling similar to futility, but brought forth by an innate understanding that the world was chaos.

Nothing went as expected, so why even care?

She masked this feeling of worthlessness with a face of difference. A thick mask of emptiness.

However, that only made this feeling prominent.

Nothing mattered to her. No one could even reflect in those hollow eyes, as she was disconnected.

She truly felt alone… felt the loneliness of living.

No one could understand her, and she couldn't comprehend others with her alien perspective.

Everything so close now seemed out of reach.

This lead to countless self-criticism of her past…

'If only I stopped giving trust.' Indifference lead to her eyes darting around in a fit of paranoid frenzy.

Paranoia lead to doubt.

Doubt lead to melancholy.

And that state of feeling unexplainable sadness eventually lead to being engulfed by despair.

'I want to be happy. So I have to trust, but why do people betray me so easily? Am I a pushover?' 

'Why does no one care about me back?' Lumina thought of how she'd tried to forgive Simon.

Even after all he did, she tried to give him another chance in her own way. To make him truly reflect.

However, he did the same thing as he did before.

He ignored her will…

"Your life is a tragedy. Weep. Let your heart out." A voice echoed from the deepest parts of her heart.

But it didn't even need to tell her that.

Despair had now formed a sea of tears. 

The tattered state of her heart was just one push away from falling into the existential feeling in her.

Swallowed by despair beyond words.

'I should let it out.' Lumina thought, but the doubts she had echoed back in the voice of the devil:

"But can you 'empty yourself' of this feeling? Even in your lowest moment, this despair takes root."

'I wish I had no heart to begin with.'

"Yeah… Then you wouldn't have known this pain."

'I wish someone would stay by my side.'

"Someone trustworthy doesn't exist. Wouldn't it be better to end it all here? Any more is meaningless."

'Worthless…' Her thoughts and the devil's voice started to meld together from that point forward.

The apathy that had taken root made her doubts amplify. To the point she started to think to herself:

'Should I just die?'

As this question simmered in her dark heart, Hyuk could see from the outside how they were faring.

And the result wasn't good.

It wasn't that their Dao Hearts were fragile. It was just that the Heart Devils was born from negativity.

Thoughts that would stagnate the flow of their Qi.

'Why are they so weak?' Hyuk thought Adam's two bodies would be able to handle the large backlash.

After all, the Landlord was an immortal.

Extremely different from those who could die from their Heart Devils. They should be able to cope.

'Is it because of him?' The Martial King thought back to the unsatisfied expression from earlier.

What exactly did that 'Simon' do to them?

He watched as a demonic influence was flowing from their Qi the longer this situation went on.

A horrid bruise-like colour started to dye their skin.

Hyuk didn't know what to do at this moment.

Breaking them out of their trance could cause a 'Qi Deviation' that would lead to a state of insanity.

So what could he do?

What SHOULD he do…?

He took the needles out of Solaris and checked his pulse. Yang Energy was moving in a strange way.

He couldn't identify the breathing method at all.

The same could be said for Lumina. 

Since they had made exclusive Breath Circulation techniques, he couldn't correct their cultivation.

Doing so may do more future harm than good…

The only thing he could do was bring the two figure close to him. Their naked bodies were embraced.

Like a father trying to cajole his kids to stop crying.

"Everything is fine now. I'm here. No one can hurt you… Live! Living a happy life as the best revenge."

His words abruptly changed neared the end when he felt the Heart Devils had started to take control.

The warmth of his own Dao Heart influenced them.

It was similar to 'limbic resonance', but was an act even a non-fighter could do. Just showing 'Love'.

This feeling of affection in Hyuk's heart was real.

He called himself everyone's friend, but that wasn't just a title meaning that he treated people equally.

Actually, it was the exact opposite of that.

The Martial King of Dual Cultivation was known for his whimsical and promiscuous nature by 'Xia'.

Warriors of the Martial World throughout Jainghu.

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However, the ones who knew him felt differently. 

To them, Hyuk was a deliberate man who never stopped trying to understand the people in his life.

He never stereotyped them into one role or face.

Believing that even someone who looked evil could have a reason for their actions and inner beauty.

The ugliness of the world not fazing him one bit.

It was why his feelings could reach deep into the Dao Hearts of others regardless of their states.

Both Solaris and Lumina couldn't hear his words personally, but his feelings had been laid bare.

They couldn't ignore the warmth of his affection.

Intimate unlike physical passion, but more like the care that could thaw the heart of even ice queens.

It effected Lumina and Solaris in a deep way…

Giving them the strength to face their despair and futility eye-to-eye, with Solaris having acted first.

From within the nightmare he was trapped in, the male counterpart let go of his negative feelings.

Whether it be an emotion of rage or fear, all that had dominated his mind turned to tranquility.

The demonic voice in his heart started to waver.

Perhaps only could say the damage was done. 

He'd likely never recover from the trauma Simon inflicted on him, but would never be 'swallowed'.

This and that were two different things.

The higher his psyche and ego operated, the more cracks seemed to occur in the nightmarish illusion.

"Stop this! You can forget me today, but you'll remember me tomorrow. Because 'we' are one!"

The Heart Devil snarled and fused with Simon to create a beastly creature that shot in his direction.

Only to find that Solaris wasn't 'dying' anymore.

There was something even someone who hadn't comprehended life could tap into as a combatant.

Adam knew he had two types of immortality.

The immortality of an Elf, and the immortality of a Vampire. Both of them were distinct in nature.

But where did this distinction start innately?

If one looked at the building blocks of life, 'Blood Essence' seemed to be a thread that connected between the 'Heart' and 'Flesh'. Perhaps it was indiscernible, but it definitely existed there.

Helping the vigorous 'Flesh' hold up the 'Mind'.

Which was why it was also called 'Lifeblood'.

Without it, a human would be drained of vitality from their Heart and Flesh… Mummifying them.

All until they were a husk of their former selves.

Well, that only applied to those without immortality.

And vampires were the fastest in existence to regenerate their 'Blood Essence', unlike others.

The moment he ignited his blood, his arm took on a red hue. Scarlet flames started to arise from it.

The next he limb he set aflame was his left arm.

Unlike 'Blood Essence', the pillar between the Mind and Flesh was made up of a particular Vital Energy.

Also known as 'True Breath'.

It was known as the vitality of breathing. The kind that many elf types found sacred in their culture.

Many would think merely 'breathing' was weak.

Unlike Lifeblood, losing this Vital Energy only fatigued the user until death. As it was 'stamina'.

That's why some considered Elves to be weak.

Oh how wrong they were…

Solaris displayed the true night of drawing out one's True Breath… His arm covered in dense air.

The liveliness of vitality became green energy.

A power that could've already shown that it could uproot an ancient tree in its current air-like form.

However, Adam wasn't satisfied with that.

The Yang Energy he'd obtained set the green air ablaze, creating an emerald flame unlike no other.

It was a technique he derived from signature technique of the Ming Cult's secret sub-faction.

Also known as the 'White Arm Demonic Art'.

Hyuk had passed this to Lumina unintentionally while trying to explain different insights he knew.

It was an Extreme Yin technique that cultivated Demonic Qi, which was more dangerous to use.

Thus, it being categorised as a 'Demonic Art'.

However, because there were things Adam could recklessly give up unlike mortal practitioners of that Demonic Art, he personalised a new type of breathing technique that made use of this style.

The original White Arm Demonic Art cultivated Extreme Yin, but it could also be used by men.

The downside being that it gradually tainted the body's True Breath until the user became ice itself.

Which was the downside of this Demonic Art.

'Tainting' his True Breath might be a problem, but what if he burnt away his vitality instead of that?

By using his Vital Energies as firewood, he'd be able to cultivate arms that could kill his opponent.

No, why stop at only each of his arms?

A scorched blackness started to spread all over his body. The ignited True Breath and Blood Essence unified into one flame. Yang Energy was amplified tremendously, while Yin Energy was hidden away.

An orb of Yin Energy was thrown upwards.

Rather than creating stars, it creates a sky that he would blaze under. His aura painted with serenity.

It was similar to the tactic Lumina used.

Except even she wasn't crazing enough to burn her body in order to go past her limits as a 'human'.

The beastly creature that charged at him couldn't even scream before being engulfed by the flames.

An explosive burst turned him into a sun-like entity.

With the ocean of Psion under him and the sky of Aura above, he became a light within the darkness.

The opposite of what happened within his female counterpart. As she merely stopped 'listening'.

Her closed eyes opened to see the slight radiance of stars above, unlike the shadows surrounding her.

Perhaps it was due to her deep connection with Solaris, but those stars seemed brighter now.

The avatar of her ego became much clearer…

When the duo simultaneous opened their eyes, the newly acquired might radiated out from them.

They had now truly been reborn of individuals.

Though the connection between them deep, the difference in their natures was way too prominent.

When Hyuk realised they had woken up, he felt a little embarrassed by the position they were in.

He was still holding their heads close his shoulders in an embrace, an act he'd done out of impulse.

But before he could let go of them, Solaris and Lumina reciprocated the feelings he'd shared.

They hugged him without shame…

"Thank you…" "…for being there for us." Lumina started speaking, and Solaris ended the sentence.

Hyuk couldn't help feeling their sincere hearts.

He scratched the bridge of his nose, trying to hide how happy he was they were opening up to him.

It was at that point he'd started teaching them many things. Trying his best to teach everything.

A few days passed while doing this…

The two counterparts of Adam figured out how to use their newly cultivated Qi using 'Internal Arts'.

Yin Techniques, Yang Techniques, Battle Arts, Step Methods, and the like… They all sank in easily.

Likely because of Adam's superhuman intellect.

Sexual Arts of Dual Cultivation that Hyuk was known for also passed down to the two of them.

Finally, they had fully completed their training.

The only thing left to do was go to their next destination. There was one thing that was left.

Hyuk made sure to warn the duo extensively:

"Don't ever use what I've taught you to coerce others into bed. Although I like you two, I'm hoping there won't come a time when there's no other choice but to erase your existence from the world."

His tone was unusually cold for an innately warm person at that moment. He spoke his bottom line.

Something they didn't even need to promise to avoid, because they had no option to break it.

For the first time since they met Hyuk, the two of them felt like there was a side to him they didn't know. It made them curious why they felt a power akin to a Heart Devil festering in those frigid eyes.

But just as soon as he revealed this face, Hyuk went back to his usual self without hesitation.

He saw them off with a smile…

Solaris and Lumina fused back together. There was one thing they wanted to do above all right now.

Which was to conquer the Beastkins of this land.

If Adam wanted any sort of true power, the first thing he needed to do was consolidate influence.

Which was by gaining control of Nyaura's people.

He knew this would cause conflict with both of them, but he wasn't interested in an 'alliance'.

They'd become his whether they liked it or not!

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