Veena walks into the Crow Hall, located high within one of the academy castle towers.
The moment she steps inside, she slows.
Crows are everywhere.
Black wings cut through the air as they fly in and out of open windows every few minutes, their movements orderly rather than chaotic. Some land on carved wooden perches, others descend directly onto desks.
Men and women sit behind long rows of tables, pens moving without pause.
A crow lands.
It caws—or speaks in clear human language.
The worker listens intently and writes every word.
When the crow finishes, it takes off immediately, replaced by another.
Runners collect the written sheets, carry them to a second group of workers who read, verify, cross-check, and then file them into thick folders marked by region, faction, threat level, and urgency.
Information flows like blood through veins.
Veena has seen many intelligence halls before.
None like this.
She is still observing when a woman steps toward her, her aura clearly at the Bronze-rank Official Wizard level.
"Lord Veena," the woman says respectfully, bowing slightly, "thank you for coming."
Veena turns her attention to her.
"What do you need me for?" she asks.
The woman hesitates for half a breath, then answers honestly.
"We have received important information," she says.
"We need you to decide what to do with it."
Veena frowns.
"Why are you asking me," she says, "and not Kaelan?"
She already knows the truth behind the Crow Hall.
She knows Kaelan's identity as a Crow Demon.
She knows this entire intelligence network is an extension of him.
More than that—
She is now his partner in spreading the Wizard Way.
Among all the people under him, only she is treated as an equal.
The woman bows her head slightly.
"Before the day ended, Lord Kaelan ordered that no one disturb him," she says.
"He also said that in his absence, you are in charge."
Veena exhales slowly.
Of course.
The first chance he gets, he throws his work on me, she thinks.
She sighs.
"Fine," she says.
"What is it?"
The woman shakes her head.
"Lord Veena," she says, "it would be better if you heard it from the source."
Veena studies her for a moment, then nods.
"Lead the way."
The woman turns and walks out.
Instead of taking the corridor, she steps onto a wide window ledge—and launches herself into the air.
Veena follows, mana lifting her effortlessly.
They cross a short distance between towers and enter another spire through an upper opening.
Inside, the air is quieter.
Heavier.
They descend a spiral staircase carved directly into stone, going deeper and deeper until even the sound of wings fades away.
At the bottom, the woman stops before a reinforced door.
She knocks in a specific rhythm.
Then it opens.
She steps inside.
Veena follows.
The chamber beyond is dimly lit, illuminated only by faint rune lamps embedded in the walls.
And in the centre—
A massive crow.
Its feathers are dull rather than glossy, several stained dark with dried blood. One wing hangs unnaturally low, bones clearly damaged. Its breathing is slow and controlled.
Despite its condition, the aura it emits is unmistakable.
Bronze-rank Official Wizard.
The crow is meditating.
Spiritual energy circulates in tight, disciplined cycles, suppressing pain and preventing further deterioration.
Veena's eyes narrow slightly.
The crow opens its eyes.
An irritated female voice echoes through the dim chamber, sharp and edged with pain.
"Meiyu, why did you come to disturb me?"
"I already said what happened."
Veena registers the name automatically.
Meiyu.
The Bronze-rank official wizard inclines her head slightly and answers calmly.
"Sora," Meiyu says, "please reiterate what caused your injury to Lord Veena."
The crow stiffens.
There is a brief pause.
Then Sora's voice rises, sharp with surprise.
"When did we get another lord?"
Meiyu's expression does not change.
"That is not your concern," she says evenly.
"Reiterate what caused your injury to Lord Veena."
Sora clicks her beak irritably, feathers ruffling despite the effort it costs her.
"I was injured by a damn monkey," she snaps.
"I only wanted to talk to him, but that bastard attacked me."
Veena's gaze sharpens.
"A monkey?" she asks.
"Why did you want to talk to it?"
Before Sora can answer, Meiyu steps in.
"Sora was assigned to follow and protect academy students during missions," Meiyu explains.
"Specifically from dangers beyond their mission scope or cultivation level."
Sora nods stiffly.
"The kids were fighting a pack of wolves," she continues, irritation still clear in her tone.
"I noticed a monkey watching them from the forest edge."
Veena remains silent, listening.
"When the kids left the clearing," Sora says, "the monkey tried to follow them."
Her wings twitch slightly.
"So I blocked its path."
She pauses, then continues more slowly.
"When it saw me, it retreated deeper into the forest. I chased it. And that's where the conflict broke out."
Veena frowns.
A demon beast observing human apprentices is not unheard of.
Curiosity alone does not justify her presence here.
She crosses her arms lightly.
"I don't see why this concerns me," Veena says calmly.
"A demon beast showing interest in humans is not rare."
Sora's eyes flick toward her.
For a brief moment, the chamber is quiet except for the slow circulation of spiritual energy.
Then Sora and Meiyu exchange a glance.
Sora lets out a sharp, humourless caw and speaks, irritation edged with something colder.
"Do you think," she says, "that in the same realm, any average demon beast can defeat me?"
The question lands harder than Veena expects.
She pauses.
For the first time since entering the chamber, she truly re-evaluates the situation.
All crows that have reached the Official Wizard stage and follow Kaelan are not ordinary demon beasts.
They are dependents.
Kaelan's dependents do not merely gain protection—they gain access.
Access to spell models.
Access to refined cultivation methods.
Access to the knowledge accumulated inside the Wizard Academy.
Their talent is forcibly elevated.
Their foundations are optimised.
Sora, in particular, is a flying-type demon with high perception, speed, and survival instincts.
For something in the same realm to seriously injure her—
Veena's expression tightens.
Sora continues, voice lower now, stripped of irritation.
"And I hate to say this," she says, "but if I weren't a flying bird…"
She shifts her body slightly.
"…I would have been killed by that monkey."
She spreads one wing with visible effort.
Two wounds are revealed along her flank and shoulder.
They are not large, but they are wrong.
The flesh around them is darkened, stiff, as if something is suppressing the natural regeneration that should have already healed a Bronze-rank Official Wizard-level body.
Veena's eyes narrow sharply.
"That's strange," she murmurs.
She steps closer.
"Can I check?"
Sora hesitates for half a breath, then nods curtly.
Veena places her hand a short distance from the wound, careful not to touch directly.
Her mana flows outward, precise and restrained.
She probes.
Immediately, she feels it.
A residual aura.
Thin.
Persistent.
Hostile.
It coils around the damaged flesh like invisible barbs, actively blocking self-healing and mana circulation.
Veena's brows knit together.
"This isn't ordinary injury residue," she says quietly.
She shifts her mana frequency.
With a sharp, clean motion, she peels the residual aura away.
The effect is immediate.
Sora's body shudders.
Fresh vitality surges into the wound, flesh knitting rapidly, feathers regrowing, bone reinforcing itself.
Sora exhales slowly, tension leaving her body.
Veena does not look at her.
She is staring at the fragment of aura now suspended between her fingers, bound in a thin mana cage.
Her expression changes.
Confusion first.
Then recognition.
Her breath stills.
"I've felt this before," Veena murmurs.
She closes her eyes briefly, searching her memory.
Her eyes snap open.
Her voice is calm, but something dangerous slips into it.
"Blood Asura Monkey."
The words hang in the air.
Sora's feathers bristle.
Meiyu's face tightens.
Veena lowers her hand slowly.
"That explains everything," she says.
Blood Asura Monkeys are not common demon beasts.
They are ancient combat-species demons, born with bloodline techniques that specialise in suppression, corrosion, and anti-regeneration.
Their attacks are designed to linger.
To weaken stronger opponents over time.
They are intelligent.
Highly territorial.
Extremely rare.
So rare that their numbers can be counted on one hand.
And every one of them is a registered member of the *Demon Palace*.
Veena's expression hardens as that final truth settles fully into place.
"A member of the Demon Palace entering our territory," she says slowly, "can only be because of the Wizard Way."
Meiyu nods, her face serious.
"It is very likely related to the Wizard Way," she agrees.
"But we still need confirmation."
Veena frowns slightly.
She understands the danger now, but she does not yet see her role.
"But I don't see how I can help," she says honestly.
"Except by capturing the monkey."
The words sound ridiculous even as she says them.
A Blood Asura Monkey is only a second-stage demon.
There are many forces capable of capturing it.
Using her for that task would be excessive—like using a siege weapon to crush an insect.
Meiyu shakes her head.
"The monkey cannot be captured right now," she says.
"It has already entered the Demon Market near the capital."
Veena nods slowly.
That makes sense.
The Demon Market is neutral ground—protected by ancient agreements, layered restrictions, and powers that neither humans nor demons casually challenge.
Meiyu continues, her tone lowering slightly.
"Lord Veena, we want you to enter the Demon Market and contact *Lord Soraya*."
Veena's eyes flicker.
Soraya.
A demon noble.
A long-standing intermediary.
One of the few beings who moves freely between factions without immediate hostility.
"And ask her," Meiyu continues, "if she knows anything about recent movements within the Demon Palace."
Veena exhales softly.
Now she understands.
This is not about combat.
This is diplomacy.
Information.
Positioning.
"Alright," Veena says.
"I'll go now."
Meiyu bows deeply.
"Thank you, Lord Veena."
From the corner of the chamber, Sora lets out a low, annoyed caw.
"If you meet that stinky monkey," she says, irritation returning to her voice, "tell it I want a rematch."
Veena glances back at her.
"You'll have to wait," she says calmly.
"That thing isn't prey."
Sora clicks her beak but says nothing more.
Veena turns and walks out of the chamber.
She ascends the spiral staircase, step by step, the air growing lighter with each level. When she reaches the upper floors, she does not take the corridor.
Instead, she steps directly toward a massive open window.
Mana gathers around her feet.
She launches herself outward.
The night air rushes past as she ascends rapidly, her figure cutting cleanly through the sky.
Below, the Wizard Academy shrinks into orderly geometry.
She gains altitude, then turns toward the capital.
She flies over the city walls, over tiled rooftops and lantern-lit streets, over towers and markets and silent courtyards.
The capital sleeps unaware.
Veena does not slow.
She passes beyond the city proper and descends toward the southern outskirts.
There, a small bamboo forest grows densely, its stalks swaying softly even without wind.
She lands silently among the bamboo.
No guards.
No lights.
No signs.
To ordinary eyes, this place is nothing more than an abandoned grove.
Veena walks forward.
At the centre of the forest, she finds it—a section of ground where the bamboo grows unnaturally evenly.
She places her hand against the earth.
Mana pulses.
The ground trembles.
A concealed stone door slides aside, revealing a downward tunnel lined with faintly glowing runes.
Veena steps inside.
The entrance seals behind her.
She descends.
The tunnel slopes gently downward, its walls smooth and ancient. The air changes as she walks—warmer, thicker, carrying mixed scents of blood, incense, metal, and unfamiliar energies.
Voices drift upward.
Not human voices alone.
Demonic tones.
Beastly growls.
Languages layered atop one another.
Light blooms ahead.
The tunnel opens.
Veena steps into the *Demon Market*.
The space is vast—far larger than the surface city could ever suggest. Stalls line stone streets carved directly into the underground cavern. Crystals embedded in the ceiling cast a shifting, multicoloured glow.
Demons of all forms move openly.
Horned figures are bargaining loudly.
Scaled merchants displaying bottled bloodlines.
Shadow-wrapped beings trading information for memories.
Beasts restrained by chains of runes watch silently as Veena steps onto the entryway of the Demon Market.
She stops.
Then she releases her aura.
It is not violent.
It is not sharp.
It is simply vast.
The aura of a Divine Mind cultivator spreads outward like an invisible tide, rolling through the underground market with calm inevitability. The pressure does not target anyone directly, yet every demon nearby feels it sink into their bones.
Fear erupts instantly.
Demons closest to the entrance stumble, legs weakening, some collapsing outright as their instincts scream danger. Others turn and flee without hesitation, abandoning stalls, goods, and even bound servants.
Shouts echo.
Chains rattle.
Within minutes, the entire entry zone is empty.
Only shadows remain.
From distant alleys and upper ledges, demons peek out cautiously, hiding behind pillars and stalls, watching her with a mix of terror and disbelief.
Silence settles.
Then—
A golden flash erupts from the centre of the Demon Market.
The light cuts through the cavern like a blade, condensing into a streak that crosses the distance in a heartbeat. The air ripples as it descends, landing directly in front of Veena.
The golden light fades.
A woman is revealed.
She wears flowing robes woven with demonic sigils, her long hair falling like molten gold down her back. Her presence is refined, controlled, and heavy with authority.
She inclines her head slightly.
"Senior Veena," the woman says politely, her voice smooth and respectful.
"What can I do for you?"
Veena studies her carefully.
From the woman's aura alone, Veena can tell—late-stage, perhaps peak Demon Core Formation Realm.
Strong.
Far stronger than most demon nobles stationed here.
She must be Soraya, Veena thinks.
"You must be Soraya," Veena says aloud.
"And there is no need to call me senior."
She pauses, then adds calmly, "Your cultivation is higher than mine now."
It is a simple statement of fact.
Veena destroyed her cultivation core when she converted fully to the Wizard Way. In terms of conventional demon or cultivator metrics, she is no longer at the same level.
Soraya smiles faintly.
"Senior Veena," she says again, not correcting her form of address, "you were once a Divine Mind–stage cultivator."
She gestures lightly.
"For those at that stage, the core is no longer the source of true power."
Veena understands what she means.
At the Divine Mind Stage, cultivators no longer rely on their core to generate strength. They forge the soul itself, condensing spirit until it becomes tangible, capable of exerting pressure on reality and invoking the Laws of the world directly.
The core provides stamina.
Not authority.
Now, Veena's mana fulfils that role.
Abandoning the core did not weaken her foundation—it merely changed the fuel source.
Veena nods once.
Soraya's gaze sharpens slightly.
"Lord Veena," Soraya says, changing her address subtly, "did you come on behalf of the Wizard Academy?"
Veena does not deny it.
She nods.
"The Wizard Academy has questions for you," she says.
Soraya's smile widens, this time genuine.
"Then it would be my pleasure to answer them," she replies.
"But not here."
She gestures toward the vast underground city.
"Shall we continue this discussion at my mansion?"
Veena considers for a brief moment.
Then nods.
Soraya lifts into the air effortlessly, demonic energy supporting her ascent. Veena follows, mana forming beneath her feet as they soar above the Demon Market.
Below them, the market slowly resumes motion.
Demons cautiously return to their stalls.
Whispers spread.
Eyes follow them upward.
Two powerful figures fly toward the heart of the underground city, toward the towering structures reserved only for demon nobility.
Toward answers that may decide how demons and wizards coexist—or collide.
They disappear into the golden-lit depths at the market's centre.
And the Demon Market exhales, knowing something significant has begun.