Stella sat on the bench with her back straight. Her gaze was deadset ahead on the demonic tree offspring in the courtyard center in a vain attempt to ignore the perpetual mystical fog hanging at the edges of her consciousness due to her open telepathic connection with Tree.
Her new pill may provide a decent amount of mental protection, but half-formed horrors still lurked beyond the fog begging for a single look so they may inflict nightmares.
Diana was behind her, leaning against Ash while she wrestled with her hair to try and get it into a ponytail. Apparently, her wild hairstyle wasn't noble enough for tonight's feast, and Diana seemed determined to style it for her.
"I still don't think this is a very good idea," Diana muttered in her ear, and despite the Mind Fortress pill soothing her mental state, Stella still had a knot in her stomach.
She agreed with Diana that attending such an event was questionable as she had grown up alone since childhood and had never participated in noble parties nor been taught the correct etiquette.
Still, the Grand Elder had requested her presence not only for his own protection but also to bolster the presence of the Redclaw Family. It would be an embarrassment if the Redclaws were to turn up with a single Star Core cultivator when a family like the Silverspires used them as bodyguards.
And she felt this was a rare opportunity to jump into the deep end and face her fears. Whether I like it or not, the Ashfallen Sect will continue to expand. If I can't even stand in the corner at an event, how can I be helpful to Tree? I have spoken numerous times with the Redclaw family in the past, and more recently, I held conversations with the twins without too much issue, so I should be able to pose as a wallflower and hide in the corner.
That was her grand plan. Turn up, locate the quietest corner, and silently convey her presence so the other families wouldn't think to look down on the Redclaws and the tournament.
"Stella, are you sure you will be alright?" Ashlock asked. His voice somehow calmed her soul despite its power and chaotic form.
"Will you be watching over me?" Stella replied, "I have plenty of pills to maintain our telepathic connect all night."
"Won't the horrors of my technique throw you off?"
Stella shook her head, earning an annoyed huff from Diana as she moved her hair. "No, your presence brings me a strange peace rather than fear."
"Well, I am always watching over you... I just sometimes get distracted... or fall asleep,"Ashlock chuckled, "But if you want my focus, I will always give it. Not like I would miss my daughter's first social event for anything."
"Then I have nothing to worry about with your support," Stella sighed with relief, but the knot in her stomach remained. However, she didn't want her indecisiveness to be known as she wanted to reassure Diana that she would handle herself properly tonight at the Immortal Gourmet Pavilion.
"Yes, you do have things to worry about," Diana lightly yanked her head back and placed a hairclip to keep it all in place, "Even with your hair done, you still need to change out of those comfortable trousers you are wearing into a dress."
"I don't really like dresses, though." Stella pouted, "They feel so formal, and I can't run around in them as easily."
"Tough luck, you're wearing one." Diana paused, "Wait, do you have a suitable dress."
"No..."
Diana groaned, drummed the bench's backrest in annoyance for a moment, and then seemed to have an idea, "Patriarch, can you portal me over to the White Stone Palace?"
There was a noticeable movement of spatial Qi through the ground and up through the Qi gathering formation, and a moment later, an almost perfect portal formed.
Diana dashed through, and the portal closed behind her.
With nothing else to do, Stella sat there and watched the evening sun while thinking up scenarios for tonight in her head. What should she do if one of the scions approaches her and tries to strike up a conversation? Should she develop a new identity, or would she forget it during a crucial moment and blow her cover?
"Be honest with me, Stella. Are you doing this for yourself or in an effort to please those around you?"
"Both," Stella replied without hesitation, "I understand I had an odd start in life, and I don't want to be that weird girl that feels uncomfortable around people forever."
A breeze rustled Ashlock's leaves overhead, and Stella could hear distant birds chirping as the mountain peak was bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. Stella could feel the winds of change in the air and knew tonight would be a memorable one, that's for sure.
"It makes me sad you feel that way. Are you suggesting my parenting wasn't good enough," Ashlock grumbled, "Kids these days have no appreciation of how hard it is to raise an unruly child when I had no mouth or arms."
Stella touched the red maple leaf earrings she had worn since childhood and laughed, "Tree, don't be sad. You did the best you could. It's not like it was your responsibility in the first place. If not for the Patriarch pressuring my father, he would have still been around to raise me."
Her eyes narrowed, "It seemed like an impossible dream, but with every passing day, I feel closer to the day I may be able to create a pill from the Patriarch's cold corpse."
"He will die." The surrounding mystical fog flashed crimson, and the power behind Ashlock's voice made Stella's Star Core tremble, "He cannot escape me. My roots will spread across the land and then throughout the nine realms. Not even heaven would save him from me."
"I trust you, Tree," Stella leaned back and rested her head against his bark, "You wouldn't lie to me."
There was a sudden surge in spatial Qi, and a rift manifested.
Diana stepped through with a grin and said flatly, "Miss me?"
"No."
"Well, now I am even more glad with my dress choice, knowing you can't hate me any more than you already do!" Diana walked over—her ring flashed with power, and a very sleek black dress appeared in her arms.
"There's no way I would wear something like that," Stella said, glaring at the dress.
Diana shrugged, "Then you can't come."
"But the Redclaw Grand Elder said he needed me to save face." Stella protested, but Diana wasn't budging.
"There are two Star Cores from other families there," Diana said, "And we have the Redclaw Grand Elder and Sebastian attending from our side, so that's two on two."
"Why does he need me then? I didn't know the Silverspires were going when I agreed to attend."
"Because cowering in the Silverspires shadow is a bad look, and Theron Skyrend would also need two Star Cores to hold him down if something were to go wrong."
Stella gulped, "Fine, I will wear the dress... wait, why are you going to the party then?"
Diana handed over the dress, "It's noble etiquette to host a gathering before an event as it gives a rare chance for the families to mingle. I'm going there alongside the Silverspires to talk to the merchants about a potential trade deal."
"Oh, I see," Stella's ring flashed, and a small bottle of pills manifested, "You should take these then. They will help in the negotiations."
"Thank you." Diana took the pills and then frowned when she saw Stella's apprehensive look at the dress, "These pills change nothing. You still have to wear that."
"How did you even get this?" Stella asked while standing up and holding the dress before her to get a better look.
"I asked Amber for it," Diana replied, "You two have a similar body type."
Stella pouted, "We do not..."
"Yes, you do. Now put on the darn dress, the sun is setting, and we still have things to do."
"Fine." Stella sighed—her ring flashed with golden light, and her current clothes vanished—the dress in her hands briefly entered the ring and then materialized on her body.
Why is it so tight? Stupid parties and their impractical dresses. Maybe I should just stay home and tell the Grand Elder good luck...
"You look great," Diana said with her usual utter lack of enthusiasm, which made Stella somewhat doubtful that she was telling the truth.
Stella shivered as the cool breeze tickled her bare back. "Can I wear a jacket or something? This feels far too exposing."
"No, that would ruin the look," Diana said resolutely, "Absolutely not."
She then summoned a black mask that was different from the others. It was made of a soft cloth material that would only cover her mouth and not her eyes.
"I know you want to hide your face, but a wooden mask is too obnoxious to go unnoticed, so you will have to do with this instead."
"Is it really fine that I wear a disguise? Won't people look at me weirdly?"
Diana shrugged, "They will anyway. To them, you are an unknown. You don't have the features of a Redclaw or a Silverspire, yet you will be introduced as working for both. Your looks are eye-catching, and your high cultivation realm at such a young age is very impressive."
"So they are going to stare at me?" Stella looked at the mask in her hands, the knot in her stomach only worsening.
"Yeah, which is why I suggest you don't go."
Stella took in her words and stared at the floor, her mind racing with thoughts.
I understand her concerns, but nobody ever achieved anything by being comfortable. I have always learned the most by putting myself in new and frightening situations, and I feel I have gotten too comfortable under Tree's canopy lately.
Stella put on the mask—the soft material obscuring her lips reignited her confidence, but the dress was still far too much. Most of her back was exposed, and so were her arms and shoulders. It was simply too much skin for her.
Diana stood there, tapping her chin while looking at her. "Your disguise is good, but I feel we could go a step further somehow."
"Why? Will people recognize me?"
"Gods, no, very few know of your existence. But what if you make a fool of yourself? It would be best to obscure your true self as much as possible as insurance."
Stella's mood soured. She really didn't appreciate Diana treating her like some mischievous child that would spoil the party.
"What is it, Kaida?" Diana looked down to her side to see the snake hissing happily about something. She reached down to pat the snake on the head, but Kaida dodged and then pointed at Diana's hand with his tail glistening with ink.
Diana crouched and held out her hand, "Why do you want my hand?"
Kaida placed his tail's tip against Diana's palm and drew a small X which made her pull back her hand with a slight hiss of pain.
Diana tried to wipe the ink off, but it stayed under her skin, "A tattoo?"
Her eyes widened, "Can you take the ink back?"
With a swish of his tail against her palm, Kaida reclaimed most of the ink Qi, but he did leave around a third behind, which seemed infused in Diana's skin. She inspected the faint X still on her palm—a quick burst of demonic Qi and the ink Qi evaporated away, leaving no mark behind.
"Fascinating," Diana stood up and grinned, "Kaida, would you be able to give Stella some tattoo's? Especially one on her back?"
Kaida let off a low hiss as he slithered closer to Stella and joined her on the bench.
The two locked eyes for a while, neither saying anything.
What does he want me to do? Stella wondered.
"Haha, why didn't I think of this? Kaida becoming a tattoo artist makes so much sense!" Ashlock's voice boomed in Stella's mind, "Anyway, Stella, Kaida is asking what type of tattoo you want."
"A demonic tree!" Stella said without pause as she looked straight ahead at Ashlock's offspring.
"No. That's too risky." Ashlock shot down her dreams and felt herself deflate on the bench, "Why not."
"The whole point of all this is to give you an identity you can throw away if needed. Branding yourself with a tattoo you might want to keep in the future is a waste. Pick something similar if you want... how about my black thorned vines?"
Stella didn't feel like arguing with people anymore. The social event hadn't even begun yet, and she already wanted to retreat into the cavern and do alchemy alone.
"Fine, I will settle for that," Stella straightened and turned her back to Kaida, "Just cover my back and arms in them—ow!"
Stella felt a pinprick of pain wherever Kaida moved his tail. It likely would have been much worse, but the Mind Fortress pill helped protect her mind from the pain.
"Is it usually this painful?" Stella questioned while trying to look over her shoulder at the half-drawn design.
"Considering Kaida has to forcefully inject his ink Qi into your skin, I'm surprised your body isn't reacting more violently."
***
An hour later, dusk had arrived, signaling the start of the gathering.
"Aren't we going to be late?" Stella worried as she stood on the mountain peak while inspecting her new tattoos. She liked how the black vines covered in menacing thorns curled up her arms and bloomed on her back. It gave her a weird sense of confidence, and she looked forward to when she could get a demonic tree one.
"No, the host always arrives last to these kinds of events," Diana chuckled as she looked to the sky, "But we should probably get going. Patriarch, can you portal us over to the Redclaws?"
A moment later, a portal manifested, and Stella went to walk through but stumbled, "Stupid heels, who invented these abominations."
"Language Stella, they were discovered in the rifts, and just like the dress, they were designed to make our lives as difficult as possible."
Stella scrutinized Diana, who was wearing a similar black dress and high heels to her and had copied the black vine tattoos. A black cloth mask also obscured her features, leaving her eyes partially hidden behind her short hair.
"Less staring and more walking," Diana strode through the portal, and with some difficulty, Stella soon followed.
With a pop, they arrived in the courtyard of the White Stone Palace. Already waiting was the Redclaw Grand Elder alongside Elder Margret and Brent. Standing off to the side were Sebastian and Ryker.
"Big sister!" Ryker perked up and dashed over, "You look so pretty!"
Stella was baffled and tried to stumble back from the kid, "Is he really coming with us?"
The Grand Elder chuckled, "Who are we to tell a scion of House Silverspire what to do and where to go? If anything, bringing him with us will give us more face."
Ryker balled his fists, "The adults are scared of my might!"
"Ahem, anyway..." The Grand Elder drew everyone's attention, "Tonight is a big night for us all. To our surprise, two Star Core scions have decided to attend our little tournament, and some merchants from Slymere are also present. Our goal is simple... show that we, the Redclaw family shadowed by the Ashfallen Sect, rule over Darklight City with an iron fist and that it cannot be seized from us. We already know that nefarious plots are afoot, with more lurking in the darkness. So keep your wits about you and don't show a hint of weakness."
Everyone nodded, and Stella felt anticipation rise within her. It felt like she was going to war rather than a feast between supposedly friendly families of the same sect.
The Grand Elder stepped toward the gate, his silky crimson robes fluttering in the breeze. "When we arrive, the Silverspires alongside Diana, and I will confront the merchants present at the venue. The rest of you may get a head start on socializing with the other families."
Stella whispered in her mind, "Tree... can you portal us over? I can't walk very well in heels."
"You want a grand entrance?" Ashlock laughed, "Then I can give you one."
The air in the courtyard trembled as spatial Qi gathered and formed a truly enormous portal so clear it was like starting through a lilac-tinted window to the other side.
"So that's the Immortal Gourmet Pavilion," Stella muttered as she scrutinized the majestic establishment through the portal. While she was busy staring, the others had already begun to walk through, and before she knew it, she was one of the last ones.
You can do this, Stella. Just walk through, find a corner, and stay quiet.
You are nothing but a pretty wallflower, here to observe and threaten with your presence.
Stepping through, she was greeted by a wide, serpentine path lined with ancient, flowering green-leafed trees. 'Inferior plants' was all Stella could think as she clumsily followed the others down a trail illuminated by lanterns adorned with intricate carvings of mythical beasts that cast a warm, inviting glow over the polished jade pavement. Up ahead was the entrance, a colossal gate of vermilion and gold, upon which the name of the pavilion is elegantly etched in glowing calligraphy.
[Immortal Gourmet Pavilion]
Stella gulped as she carefully walked up the jade steps through the colossal gate and into the entrance area.
A man wearing a suit off the side puffed up his chest and shouted, "Now entering, the tournament's host House Redclaw alongside the tournament's main sponsor, House Silverspire!"
Stella felt numb as a wave of applause shook the building. She stood alongside the others on a raised balcony overlooking everyone. Two grand staircases led to the restaurant below, and a terrible realization hit her as her eyes darted around the dimly lit space.
There were no corners to hide in. There were tables everywhere, even in the corners, and at least one person was sitting at each one. Before she knew it, the others descended and went off to the side to meet with a group of masked individuals that were likely the merchants.
"Shall we go and greet the guests?" Elder Margret offered her a reassuring smile and took her hand. Everything felt like a blur as Stella was led through the tables, receiving various glances.
Eventually, they came upon a mostly empty table, apart from two giant people that loomed over the table and looked like they had been chiseled from marble.
"Those two are from the Skyrend family." Ashlock's voice rumbled in her mind, "Be careful of them, especially Theron Skyrend. He is a stage higher than the Grand Elder in the Star Core Realm."
Stella felt her mind blank as Theron looked her up and down with his glowing eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips, "I don't think we have ever met before, young miss. Which family are you from?"
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