Demon Beast (Path of the Thunderbird Book 3) by eden Hudson

Author:eden Hudson [Hudson, eden]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: coming of age sword sorcery dungeon core demon, supernatural fantasy magic occult legends thriller, action dark epic metaphysical vengeful myth asian, men&#8217, Chinese manga wuxia xianxia martial arts kung fu, s adventure video game adaptations young adult, MMO litRPG role playing steampunk quest gamelit
Publisher: Shadow Alley Press
Published: 2019-12-09T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-five

LAND OF IMMORTALS

Raijin swam down to the bottom of the cave pool and felt with his hands and guai-ray senses until he found a channel worn into the side. Water poured out of it, the current pushing against him as he pulled himself into the tunnel.

Another memory flashed across the upper reaches of his mind. He was on his knees before the pool of the Grandfather Spirit, face pressed to wet stone while the enormous immortal guardian considered his request.

“I can send you after Ha-Koi,” the Grandfather Spirit finally said, “but the Dragon has locked the mortal realms in an endless cycle from which it’s not possible to Ascend naturally. Unless you can stop her, you will never be able to return.”

Ha-Koi’s name felt like a spear through his gut. The pain of her treachery burned in his mind as brightly as the day she had betrayed him, and yet he still loved her. It would have been so much simpler if he could just hate her.

“I will stop her,” he said. “Any price you ask in return for sending me after her, I will give it.”

The enormous spirit winced. “The Whisperer’s corruption is gaining purchase in my heartcenter, Thunderer. My immortal energy is turning dark. Purify it for me, and I will do this for you.”

The memory faded like the last glimpse of darkness in an eclipse, leaving Raijin swimming out of the channel into open water once more.

Immediately, the moderate push of the current changed, jerking him downward like an enormous hand insistent on dragging him to the bottom.

Except there was no bottom. Raijin could feel that this pool went down forever. This was the true Passage to Eternity, endless depths from which there was no escape.

The guai-ray was fascinated by that infinite deep. It called to him, promising enemies of impossible size and unknowable strength. Battles that would rage on into eternity. If he just stopped swimming, the abyss would pull him down, and he could explore a world of endless combat, perpetual rage and glory. If he just let go, he could fight forever. No more restraint, no more self-control, no more trying to live up to the prophecies he had been born into. Just freedom and blood and rapturous brutality.

With a start, Raijin realized he had stopped swimming. The current was pulling him down to those bottomless depths, and he wasn’t trying to stop it. In fact, most of him was eager to go. What would it be like to exist without responsibility? Free to indulge every whim and desire without consideration for whom he might hurt or even simply not help?

A pair of hands grabbed his right ankle. The instinct to attack reared up inside him, but Raijin sensed the twins’ wildly fluctuating signatures and stopped himself. One white fox had hold of his leg, and the other clung to the leg of the first.

They needed his help. They couldn’t breathe underwater like the guai-ray could, and they weren’t strong enough swimmers to make it through this whirlpool on their own.

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