James and Luna reached the elevator in the late morning. The cultivators were loading the car with supplies and stacking crates when they noticed the casual approach.

"I need to go up," James stated as he stepped up to the guards.

"No one goes up," a man grumbled before gesturing back the way they came. "Leave now, civilian."

Smiling, James casually released some of his soul, flooding the small area with a suffocating power. The man before him gasped, struggling to pull in a breath as he sank to his knees.

"I do apologize," James said, "but I really do need to go up." Snapping his fingers, he pulled in his soul, freeing the men and women.

Glancing at the women behind the controls, James kept eye contact while stepping onto the elevator. With rapid nods, the girl threw the lever and he rose into the air with Luna.

"That went well," Luna said softly. "You could have killed them you know."

"Why bother?" he grunted. "It just isn't worth it."

"True."

Pulling Luna into his arms, James listened to her hum as they rode the elevator up the mountain. The climb was long and the elevator slow. Low hanging clouds nearly reached them by the time they stopped. A light mist seemed to fill the air, limiting vision to a few hundred feet.

"Shall we?" James asked.

Luna took his hand and brushed her tail against his side. "After you, dear husband."

Stepping off the elevator, James wasn't surprised to find dozens of cultivators of all strengths rushing toward them. Stopping just on the landing, he waited patiently as they flooded the area.

"Please get out of the way," he said while shooing them away with his hand. "I need to speak to your elders."

James listened vaguely as the cultivators refused his request. Instead, he spread out his soul and found the strongest marks in the core sect, in some kind of meeting.

"Found them," James said with a grunt. "They are all together."

Luna beamed. "That makes this easy!"

Turning his attention back to the cultivators, he frowned. "Why are you all still in the way?"

"We aren't moving!"

"Go back down the mountain!"

Letting out an exasperated sigh, James struck with his soul. The two men that yelled at him simply exploded, coating the area in blood and gore. Cultivators screamed and backed away, fleeing the area as quickly as they could.

"Shall we?" Luna asked with a giggle.

James glanced at her and noticed a few drops of blood on her face. "Sorry. I'll clean you when we are done."

"We'll be doing more than cleaning," she teased.

Chuckling, he took the lead as they stepped around the bloody mess. Several of the dumber cultivators tried to get into their way, but with a wave of his hand, he splattered them across the buildings, not slowing as they entered the inner court.

By that time, the elders were scrambling to understand what was happening and James happily suppressed them with a little manipulation of his soul energy. The sheer ease at which he could wield his soul was startling. Others' souls simply obeyed him as he held people in place or blew them up.

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"I got blood on my boot," he mumbled.

Rolling her eyes, Luna held up her tail. "I have it in my fur. I'm going to need an extra wash tonight."

"First or last?" he asked. "You know the other girls will want in on bath time too."

Humming, Luna thought it over. "First and last. But you can only spend half the amount of time on each of the others."

"That's just mean." Matching her laugh, they entered the core sect.

Pointing out a building, James led the way to a grand looking stone structure. Square in design, with pillars rising from each corner, nearly hidden by the mist. The simple design was weathered from the moisture and lichen clung to its sides.

Pushing open the doors, James held them for Luna, who thanked him, but not before brushing her tail across him. Pinching the end of her tail, he earned a squeal and laugh before he followed.

"Do you think they are panicking?" she asked.

James nodded. "They are. I froze them in place."

Clasping her hands together, Luna grew almost giddy. "We are finally here!"

Pushing open the next set of double doors, James stepped into a conference room. The large space had plenty of cushions and cultivators guarding the elders. Snacks, drinks, and whole meals were laid out, partially touched. Everyone was frozen in place, fear radiating from their souls.

"Hello everyone," James said in greeting. Motioning with his hand, he made everyone sit. "I've come because one of your elders tried to kill me nearly a year ago."

Scanning the elders, he found all eight of them sweating heavily. Three of them were women and he relaxed his hold on them.

"You three." Pointing them out, he asked, "which elder was it? Which elder pretended to be my friend while I was at this sect?"

A blonde shakily pointed to a man with snow white hair and beard. Vague memories of the man surfaced and James nodded.

"Now I remember." Stepping up to the low table, James pointed a finger at the man and made him stand. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"I should have killed you," the man hissed.

"Yes, you should have," James agreed. "Instead, you sent The Pact after me and caused the death of my wife and several others."

The man's face paled as he shot a glance at Luna.

"She didn't stay dead," James grunted. "I brought her back, but that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive you. Were you the one that killed my adopted parents?"

"No!"

His soul said something else.

Cocking his brow, James made the man sit. "I don't like knowing that you are lying to me. Sadly, I can't simply kill you. It would spark fear in the others, but it doesn't send the right message."

"You're going to let him leave?" one of the women asked, her voice shaking.

"No," James said with a laugh. "I'm just going to peel slivers off his soul until he dies. You all will be forced to listen to his screams and pleas for help. Then, I expect some changes around here since I set up shop a few miles away. I believe it's time to bring demi-humans into the mix. Some of them can be very powerful."

Without waiting for an answer, I started in on the elder that had betrayed me. His first scream would haunt those present till then end of their lives.

***

Dusting off his hands, James let out a joyful sigh as the man lay dead by his feet. Three of the elders had thrown up, while most of the cultivators passed out or wet themselves.

"That was fun," Luna chirped.

"You're a monster," the blonde wheezed.

"Yes," James agreed. "Just remember that when I destroy the rent in the next couple of days and fix the world."

"Are the rumors true?" she asked.

Smiling, James turned away. "Every other rent is fixed. Do what you will with that knowledge."

Taking Luna's hand, they left the building and returned to the elevator. The few cultivators they came across fled into nearby buildings, avoiding his gaze. Everyone could hear the screams and the power that James released.

In fact, the entire city likely felt his anger and annoyance. As they road down the elevator, it became clear that the residents had. The usual busy streets were quiet. Children cried in the distance as mothers and fathers tried to soothe them.

"Do you think the others are already back home?" Luna asked.

"Most likely." Putting the sect behind him, they picked up their pace until they were leaving the city. Once they were in the wilds, they kicked into a run that returned them to the temple within seconds.

Amber was waiting outside, her arms crossed and wide smile in place.

"Yes?" He questioned.

"I have a question."

Luna stepped forward. "I already told him he could wash your tail."

Pumping her fist, Amber cheered before running into the temple. "Get the baths ready!"

Zenaria cheered in the distance and James started laughing. With the whole family back together, he was going to take at least a couple of days to relax before heading to the rent. There was no real rush, and he still wanted to fill the others with power. They would all be violet soon and more than ready to tackle The Pact. The question was, if the dragons were going to be able to get in on the fighting or not, or would Grace poison the entire field and kill everyone?

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