A Waste of Time-Chapter 12: Shifting Horizons

The scene was breathtaking — flames, crackling Lightning, a girl wrapped in raw power. Yet Daemon barely blinked. His memories held greater spectacles: a clash between an Earth-Dragon and a Hydra near that lonely hut — the place where he’d received the drop of blood that birthed Ippo. Compared to that, Fire and Lightning were just sparks. Still, sweat clung to his skin — the heat was getting out of hand. He needed another bath.
“Done?” he asked as Jia’s eyes fluttered open, wide and disbelieving. She stared at her hands like they were someone else’s.
A dazed smile broke across her face — wonder replacing her fierce focus. It was oddly adorable.
“Mhm.” She nodded, turning to Daemon as Ru stepped up beside her. Pride radiated from the Swordsman’s calm smile.
He handed her the last five stalks of Moon-Leaf Grass. “The final step. Your Fire Element suits extracting the essence far better than mine. You’re already a step away from the Third-Stage, but you’re not like me. Don’t hold back — be explosive like Fire, bold like Lightning.”
His steady voice trembled just enough to betray his excitement.
Daemon grinned, pinched her cheek — couldn’t resist. Then he gave her a thumbs-up before strolling off with Ru, the human AC unit in this suffocating heat.
Jia’s smile hardened to resolve. The stalks vanished between her lips — and the clearing turned into an oven once more.
Ru struggled to contain the spreading flame. Yet his grin only grew wider when his sister blasted through the Fourth-Stage of Qi-Gathering, catching up to him in moments. When she surpassed him, he nearly wept — half from pride, half from exhaustion as he fought to keep the inferno from devouring the forest.
As she edged toward the Sixth-Stage, her momentum faltered. Failure loomed — but Jia clenched her teeth, remembering her brother’s words:
Explosive like Fire, bold like Lightning.
She roared through the barrier. Her Fire Qi erupted, Lightning Qi surged like wild stallions around her Spirit Roots.
A wave of raw power made her shiver. She stretched her arms skyward, moaning softly like a lazy cat caught mid-yawn.
“Big brother! Big brother Ru! I’m at the Sixth-Stage! Can you believe it?” She jumped, wrapping him in a tight hug. Her joy burned brighter than any flame.
“Congratulations, little Jia. Protect your big brother from now on, alright? I’ll be in your care.” Ru ruffled her hair, half-laughing, half-squinting away tears.
“Humph!” She crossed her arms, nose in the air. “Just let them try me! I’ll light their butts on Fire and fry them with Lightning.”
Ru’s eyelid twitched.
Still so extreme,
he thought. Then he shot Daemon a sly side-glance —
At least I’m not the one stuck holding her back.
But Jia misunderstood. She turned serious, stepped up to Daemon, and bowed deeply. “Young Master Daemon. Thank you for your generosity. This servant is yours to command.”
Her voice trembled with honest devotion.
Daemon cupped her cheek, brushed his thumb across her skin, then kissed the other cheek softly. “Serving me will be easier than you think. The rest of your time is yours — live as you wish.” He lifted her chin so she stood tall. “Now... I believe it’s my turn to try these Spirit Resources.”
A shadow flickered across Ru’s and Jia’s faces. The triumph of Jia’s breakthrough dimmed — she’d used the only Lightning Spirit Stone, so the second Yellow-Scale Fruit wouldn’t reach its peak potential.
Daemon ignored it. He handed Ru the leftover Evil-Eye Flower petal, two Earth Spirit Stones, the Wind Spirit Stone, and the unused Yellow-Scale Fruit. Then he raised the second Yellow-Scale Fruit and a Fire Spirit Stone in his hand.
“What do I do now?” he asked, squeezing Jia’s fingers gently.
She bit her lip, guilt flickering in her eyes — then she squeezed back, eyes resolute. She led him to the scorched patch where she’d advanced.
“Sit in the lotus position. Breathe. Calm your emotions. Clear your mind of distractions,” she instructed.
Daemon obeyed. Ippo fell silent, helping him slip deeper into focus.
Ru watched, a flicker of surprise in his eyes — this boy slipped into meditation faster than either sibling could.
Jia nodded, lips pressed tight. She traced a perfect circle around him with her finger — Fire Qi seared a visible path in the soil like molten metal. Lines, triangles, and symbols bloomed outward until a Spirit Formation took shape: a double-ringed, five-pointed star brimming with hidden power.
She placed the Fire Spirit Stone at one outer symbol, the Earth Spirit Stone at another closer in. Daemon sat within the glowing web, bathed in red and yellow light.
“Eat the Yellow-Scale Fruit, Young Master,” Jia whispered, kneeling behind him. Her hands pressed lightly against his back.
Daemon obeyed. The finger-sized fruit hit his tongue — an explosion of heavy sweetness, thick as honey. He struggled to swallow, each gulp layering more sweetness in his throat, clinging to his mouth like sap.
He gasped for breath — molten warmth flooded his lungs, carrying the grit of mineral-rich earth. Energy crashed through him like a tide, but Jia’s steady warmth guided it, spreading it evenly before it could crush him.
His bloodstream surged — organs, bones, tendons, skin — all soaked in the brew. His skeleton thickened, muscles swelled, tendons stretched and strengthened. His skin crackled as impurities seeped out: foul sweat, clotted dark blood oozed from countless pores.
The heat seared his rags away, burned off his tangled hair. Vitality from the Yellow-Scale Fruit rebuilt everything stronger, denser, healthier.
Above him, Ru and Jia watched. Shimmering scales, ghostly and iridescent, shimmered on his skin — yellow, red, purple — an echo of the Yellow-Scale Fruit’s legacy.
They exchanged a glance — pride mingled with quiet relief. This was their chance to repay even a sliver of what they owed him.
Daemon’s new skin gleamed bronze. Muscles coiled tight across a frame no longer frail. His bones carried weight they’d never borne before.
Jia’s Qi flickered — her reserves drained. She sagged behind him just as the Spirit Formation dimmed, the last threads of energy spent.
Crack. Crack.
Daemon’s eyes fluttered open — awake at the exact moment the Formation gave out, reborn in a stronger shell.
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