Demon Progenitor

The North, Sea Dragon Point Peninsula, House Flint Castle, the Dream World.

"Awooo..."

With a shrill cry, an enormous, revolting Demonspawn appeared in this twisted dream space. This monster was considerably smaller than the Demonspawn in Demon B'lack's memories.

Yet after Eddard's modifications, this monster was considerably more powerful than the Demonspawn of Brenham World, because it had a more complete range of functions and could continually devour twisted souls to produce all kinds of demons. Eddard could not guarantee whether these demons could adapt to the environment of the real world, however.

"White Holy Tree, based on the information you currently have, can you work out any creatures that could enter the real world? Or a relatively mature method?"

"Honored master, at present, I have two different proposals for your consideration. The first is to use a form of parasitism similar to Skinchanging. After infestation, it would allow the greatest possible modification of the host, gradually transforming it into a magical creature. This would better accomplish your plan to revive magic.

"Of course, you could also use a method of stacking numbers, sending those newly created creatures into the real world. However, the expenditure would be enormous, and your perception probably would not hold out for long. Certain creatures also have various restrictions. The specific conditions will have to be determined through actual testing."

The most important gain from Eddard's visit to the Dream World this time was the White Holy Tree he had modified. This computer-like being had truly helped him a great deal. Moreover, through the White Holy Tree's calculations, Eddard had gained a concrete understanding of the abilities he possessed.

To calculate the upper limits of his abilities, Eddard had specifically instructed the White Holy Tree to establish detailed descriptions and ranges, using certain settings from computer games on Blue Star as reference data. Eddard had also asked the White Holy Tree to mark out the range it could control, giving him a general understanding.

According to the White Holy Tree's retrospective analysis and calculations, Eddard's ability to enter this Dream World was entirely due to the influence of his soul, bloodline, the castle's Heart Tree, and the Glass Candle. Under the influence of some special power, Eddard's soul had undergone some special reaction with those three forces.

Although the White Holy Tree already possessed a great deal of knowledge and memories, it still could not explain what had caused this phenomenon. Influenced by the memories of Blue Star, the White Holy Tree believed it might be a variant of Skinchanging.

Because the Heart Tree, or White Holy Tree, belonged to House Flint, of which Eddard was a member, Eddard's perception could move freely throughout all of House Flint's lands. However, as the distance increased, his power and influence would grow weaker.

The Dream World and Skinchanging were two different concepts. The Dream World Eddard occupied had emerged from his abilities. Now that it had the White Holy Tree and the Demonspawn transformed from Demon B'lack, the Dream World had also begun gradually expanding outward. Eventually, it would merge with the White Holy Tree's sphere of influence and could become even stronger in the future.

Skinchanging, meanwhile, was the ability Eddard had used during this operation at the mine. Since Eddard's ability differed from known Skinchanging abilities, the White Holy Tree had named it "Perception Skinchanging."

This ability required no Skinchanging subject at all and allowed Eddard to roam freely along the boundary between the real world and the Dream World. It could be called a powerful ability that surpassed that of the Children of the Forest's Greenseers.

The White Holy Tree believed that if Eddard explored beyond House Flint's lands, this ability would gradually weaken, and he might even need the help of a Skinchanging subject. Without actual data to reference, these deductions remained theoretical and had not yet been tested.

Moreover, the White Holy Tree had also analyzed Eddard's perceptual ability. It believed his perception existed in a state somewhere between a physical entity and a soul,

distinct from mental power and soul power. Mental power was a force with tangible existence, so it could affect the material world. In the Dream World, however, it had no particularly obvious effect, and its range of influence was relatively small. In certain specific environments, it had no effect at all.

Soul power was the opposite of mental power. Its effect in the real world was also very small, but in the Dream World, it was like divine power. This was also why Blood Magic could not always be successfully cast in this world.

Eddard's perception, however, was entirely different. It could be said to have absorbed the strengths of both soul power and mental power. Although it was not as powerful as either, Eddard saw infinite possibilities in his perception.

Eddard had a vague feeling that this entirely new power would become his strongest trump card, and might even become the key to reviving magic. For now, Eddard's modifications to the White Holy Tree and Demon B'lack had already laid the foundation for this power's growth. All that remained was to see how Eddard would build his own palace of magic upon that foundation.

So far, Eddard had never experienced exhaustion or mental depletion while using his perceptual ability. To explain this, the White Holy Tree had drawn upon ideas from certain fantasy novels on Blue Star.

The White Holy Tree believed that, to a certain extent, the Dream World was Eddard's divine realm. In this world he had built, he could not suffer depletion. Even if he did, the Dream World would replenish him at any time.

That was why Eddard had felt no fatigue while operating in the mine. If that mass of golden light energy had not attacked him, he probably would not have suddenly returned to his body unless he voluntarily ended his perceptual state.

Under Eddard's control, the Demonspawn that Demon B'lack had become began its work. Stimulated by some power, the enormous Demonspawn's tentacles began expanding without limit. Then they swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

After a series of bursting sounds, the Demonspawn's tentacles transformed directly into enveloping, webbed tentacles like those of a vampire squid. The disgusting, slime-covered tentacles instantly captured several howling twisted souls.

Like enormous fishing nets, six gigantic tentacles trapped the surrounding twisted souls that had been watching within their webbed feelers. Even some of the surrounding warped, dim space seemed to have been seized along with them.

Then, amid strange bouts of twisting and swelling in the Demonspawn's body, some unknown liquid began flowing toward the places where the twisted souls were held. After churning as though mixing cocktails, the tentacles began reaching toward the Demonspawn's barbed maw.

"Squish... gulp..."

Amid scalp-prickling sounds of suction and swallowing, the Demonspawn swallowed the mixed liquid in its tentacle sacs. Through some of Demon B'lack's memories, Eddard had learned that demons generally evolved through absorption and devouring. High-ranking demons like B'lack carried the bloodlines of demons of many different ranks within their bodies.

That special liquid was the bodily fluid of a particular Elemental Demon among demonkind. This demon possessed a special fluid that could absorb energy and rapidly convert it into flesh and blood. Precisely because of this unique property, the White Holy Tree had selected it as a medium for the transformation.

Moreover, this Demonspawn's body could undergo further modifications. For now, however, the White Holy Tree's control was not strong enough. As time passed and Eddard gained control of more Heart Trees, both the White Holy Tree and Demon B'lack would be strengthened to varying degrees.

Soon, those unknown fluids began transforming within the Demonspawn's enormous body. As the transformation continued, its fat, swollen body writhed repeatedly, like a crawling caterpillar. Before long, a huge bulge appeared at the chrysanthemum-like rear end of its body.

"Master, what kind of Primordial Bodies would you like to create? Based on the memories you bestowed upon me, I will designate the first Primordial Body to emerge as the primary control unit. That way, you can control the Primordial Bodies that emerge afterward by controlling it."

Hearing the White Holy Tree's words, Eddard fell into thought. Based on their earlier research, he and the White Holy Tree could deduce that this world could still accommodate high-level magical creatures. The dragons of the former ruling House Targaryen demonstrated this, as did the more distant era of the Valyrian Freehold. It was said that in that age, the Dragonlords of Valyria had possessed nearly three hundred dragons.

Although creatures of higher levels would be more helpful to Eddard, he still wanted to test the specific restrictions and requirements little by little. According to the White Holy Tree's calculations, the Primordial Bodies it and the Demonspawn produced would also vary in bodily quality. By this world's reckoning of time, they could produce one high-grade Primordial Body a day, followed by two medium-grade and three low-grade ones.

Since Demon B'lack carried many demonic bloodlines in his body, the Primordial Bodies the Demonspawn could create also varied. The White Holy Tree was different. Since most of the souls in the Dream World were twisted souls of the Children of the Forest, it could still only create the kind of twisted souls the Others had and the kind of docile souls the Children of the Forest had.

After thinking it over and over, Eddard truly could not make a choice. In the end, he could only hand the question back to the White Holy Tree. In truth, his purpose in creating it had been to help himself, and this was precisely the time for its powerful amalgamation of souls to do its part.

"Then what would you suggest?"

After Eddard posed his question, the White Holy Tree immediately condensed energy into a series of illusory images before him. After receiving Eddard's empowerment, the White Holy Tree had grown increasingly proficient in using its retrospective ability.

These images, extrapolated from fragments of the past, clearly depicted the forms of these demonic Primordial Bodies, giving Eddard a very direct understanding. Moreover, the White Holy Tree had thoughtfully added annotations alongside them, like a selection screen in a game.

Lesser Demons were beings as insignificant as ants in Brenham World. Their powerful reproductive and adaptive abilities made them the most important cannon fodder and food among demonkind.

Demon Children were hybrid demons with both demonic and sprite bloodlines. They were extremely sensitive to mental power and possessed the special ability to devour it. Thus, after accumulating a certain amount of mental power, these little monsters could even cast simple magic in certain specific environments.

Parasite Demons were very unusual demons, resembling oversized centipedes. They would attach their sharp claws to a host creature, then release a special venom that corroded its nervous system. Afterward, the Parasite Demon would gradually replace that organ system and become the master of the host's body.

With vertebrates, for instance, a Parasite Demon would gradually replace the animal's spinal column, controlling its central nervous system until it finally gained complete control of its brain. These Parasite Demons were very good at concealing themselves. At first, they were only palm-sized, but by the end, these terrifying creatures could even fully absorb the host's strengths and become an entirely new creature.

The White Holy Tree's meaning was simple: all three kinds of Primordial Bodies were very useful to Eddard. It believed Lesser Demons, Demon Children, and Parasite Demons would all play very important roles in many of Eddard's future endeavors.

Lesser Demons were highly malleable. They were not only unintelligent, but also worked tirelessly without complaint. Aside from being unsuitable for humans to eat, they possessed virtually every advantage of a slave creature. Moreover, the White Holy Tree proposed using the Dragonglass Skinchanging Method to modify these Lesser Demons, allowing them to gain the strengths of the Others and the Children of the Forest.

In the White Holy Tree's view, Demon Children were excellent creatures for introducing magic. Whether through devouring mental power or using simple spells, they were good material from which potential wizards might be cultivated in the future. Demon Children could also be called the foundation of magic's rise.

Parasite Demons, meanwhile, could be used to tame and modify animals. In the White Holy Tree's projections, these Primordial Bodies could be considered the most cost-effective demons. It believed Eddard should spend more effort and resources on bringing Parasite Demons into the real world. Once there were enough of them, they could better aid Eddard's endeavors.

In the end, the White Holy Tree summed everything up with a very simple suggestion: test every method and every progenitor. It also told Eddard that he could first try controlling the twisted souls of the Others and the souls of the Children of the Forest, since both were beings native to this world.

The White Holy Tree also believed that, drawing on the experience of summoning the Children of the Forest and the Others' twisted souls later on, Eddard could better accomplish the summoning of demon progenitors and steadily carry out his magical research and the development of his lands.

"All right. Since everything is ready, let's begin!"

Looking at the demon progenitor about to be born, Eddard gave the White Holy Tree his order. Soon, a blood-red, sticky sphere appeared at the Demonspawn's chrysanthemum-like rear end.