From now on I will call Ni Tang the polar demon for short, polar night demon sounds long and weird.

Apart from grammar and spelling, I just had to edit the dialogue in this chapter. It was so out of character and illogical that I could bearly read it. I couldn't change it as much as I would have liked because that would have required rewriting the entire fic, but hopefully it's a bit better now.

NI TANG

Chapter 3

"Dai Gui said he would teach me something today," Ni Tang said to Hsi Wu when they were walking side by side in the red Netherworld. Hsi Wu tilted his head a bit and shrugged his grey shoulders.

"Remember what I said about him. He has a very bad temper," he warned. Then he chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Ni asked in confusion, and His Wu's smile died.

"Nothing. I was just thinking how pathetic I have suddenly become. After I got a little brother, I've started to worry about you like you were a helpless infant. It does injustice to you and stains my honour."

Ni Tang was quiet for a moment. "Pride?" he then asked and Hsi Wu frowned.

Didn't Ni understand something as simple as that?

"Yes, I'm older than you and therefore more important than you. It's not right for me to care too much about you, and it's wrong if I make you used to something you don't deserve. As the youngest you have to respect us older demons more than yourself. Do you understand?" he explained.

"So I'm worthless compared to you?" Ni Tang asked.

"I wouldn't say that, but you should always think of us before yourself," Hsi Wu said with pride in his voice. It was great when you weren't the youngest anymore!


Dai Gui crossed his arms behind his back and walked in circles around his student. He didn't like this new demon; he was too much a human. Everybody could see that. Even Hsi Wu, who at least looked like a proper demon, made him want to puke, but this... creature -- he couldn't call him a demon -- made him almost explode with anger.

Maybe he would have accepted Ni Tang better if he had had wings, a tail, horns or something that would made a clear difference between him and the human he had once been. But no, only his grey skin and glowing red eyes stopped the earth demon from ripping that pathetic imitation into pieces.

"You know your name, don't you?"

Ni Tang nodded uncertainly, trying to remember what Hsi had told him about their brother. "Don't annoy him" had been the first piece of advice. Even though he understood it now when looking up at the earth demon, it felt weird. Somewhere in the back of his mind was an idea that brothers should care about each other.

"Well, do you know what you are, then?" the earth demon continued and Ni Tang nodded again. He regretted it immediately when Dai Gui rushed forward and grabbed him from the collar of his black cloth. "Talk to me! What are you?" the demon asked again and Ni Tang stared in the red eyes of his brother for a while before answering.

"A demon," he said and yelped when Dai Gui shook him violently.

"A demon? What kind of demon whispers like a girl who has wet herself? Learn to talk properly before saying anything to someone higher than you!" the earth demon snapped angrily. "Now, for the last time, what are you?" he shouted and Ni bit his lip.

How could he ever learn to scream like Dai Gui? For some reason he was quieter than his siblings and he didn't know how to please his older brother. He wanted, but it wasn't enough.

"You don't want to answer? Well, Dai Gui will tell you! You are useless, worthless and a despicable creature! It's a shame to call you one of us, the great demon sorcerers, and if I could have made the decision you would have never been freed!" Dai Gui snapped and let go of Ni Tang dropping him on his feet.

"Did you hear what I said? Repeat after me with a clear voice, I am useless, worthless and despicable creature!"

Ni Tang opened his mouth to answer, but then a new voice interrupted him.

"Ah, so you've finally admitted to yourself that, what we others have known for centuries, Dai Gui?" Xiao Fung said smiling.

Dai Gui frowned angrily and turned to face his younger brother. "What are you doing here? This lesson is mine to teach!" he snapped.

"I know that, I'm just wondering what you are trying to teach him," the wind demon remarked playfully, but Dai Gui didn't really understand his humour.

"Go away, you have nothing to do in here!" he commanded and took a threatening step closer.

Xiao Fung tilted his huge head and turned his glance in Ni Tang, who had stood up again.

"I just came to watch and get to know the newcomer. He's my brother, too, and I'm not going to let you have him all to yourself," he said and sat on a stone next to the two.

Dai Gui growled. "Tchang Zu chose me to teach this lesson. You are disturbing me. I demand you to leave!"

"I promise to be quiet. And you know, you remind me of a certain animal when you scream like that," Xiao implied, which just made the earth demon more angry.

"Very well, sit there and see how the real master works. Maybe you'll learn something too!" he snapped and turned to face Ni Tang again. "Well, say what you are!" he shouted and waved both of his hands to look scarier. Ni Tang licked his lips.

"I'm useless, worth - " he started but Dai Gui pressed his hands on his ears.

"Louder, you idiot, louder! How can you imagine yourself screaming in victory your enemies' still warm blood staining your skin when you can not make any more noise?" he asked angrily and hit the stone they stood with his leg making it shake. He grabbed Ni Tang again, this time more violently and raised him so that he could watch him in the eyes.

"Listen to me, you pathetic fool! You are nothing, completely nothing when compared to us others, even though Xiao Fung there is just a bit better than you, but still you have to learn how to scream! Either you scream now or I will make you to do it. And believe, I have my ways," Dai Gui warned hitting Ni Tang with his palm.

The polar demon yelped when he was hit on the cheek, sudden angler flaring inside him, and Dai Gui drew a deep breath. "Don't you hear what I say or don't you just want to understand? We will not take the next step before you've learned to scream so that it pleases me!" he said preparing for a new hit, but Xiao Fung jumped to stand on the same rock than them.

"Why, you insufferable --" Ni Tang started, not knowing where this new contempt was coming from, but Xiao Fung cut him off.

"You are hurting him, Tchang Zu didn't give you the permission to do that," the wind demon warned. Dai Gui turned to look at him angrily.

"Do not interfere in this! If you were a better teacher Tchang Zu would have given this job to you!" he snapped and Xiao Fung snorted.

"Anyone could teach him this. He chose you because you are the one who can't teach anything else," he said grinning and Dai Gui would have given anything if he just could take that annoying smile from his brother's wide face.

Snapping angrily he dropped Ni Tang on the ground and frowned at Xiao Fung. The polar demon picked himself up and glared daggers at the other demons. How dare they treat me like this, he wondered. I am -- But he couldn't finish the thought; something was blocking his mind from remembering.

"I warn you, I'll talk to Tchang Zu about this and make sure you are not allowed to teach Ni Tang anything!" Dai Gui warned and took a huge jump on the next stone.

"What an idiot," the wind demon muttered to himself and turned his back on Ni Tang starting to walk away. The polar demon stared after his two brothers for a while. What idiots.

"Ni Tang!" he heard Hsi Wu's familiar voice and raised his eyes above him where his brother greeted him with a wave of his hand.

Ni Tang answered with a nod.

"I saw Dai Gui. He was really mad. What did you say to him? Didn't you remember what I told you?" Hsi Wu asked, scolding.

"I tried, but he doesn't like me, nor do I like him. He's an oaf," Ni answered and Hsi Wu gave him a worried look.

"You shouldn't say that. He could crush you with ease if he wanted to," he warned.

Ni Tang said nothing to that. He knew it was true, but something in the situation didn't seem right to him.


Tso Lan slit his eyes in worry, watching the conversation of the youngest demons. He didn't like it. The two spent too much time together. Ni Tang was supposed to interact with the others and learn proper respect for them. Hsi Wu was too much like him; the sky demon might even help old memories resurface. It was also possible that the presence of someone like him could make Hsi Wu recall something from his own past. It would be a great loss; Tso Lan had grown to like the sky demon over the centuries.

"Jealous, my brother?" Xiao Fung asked, and the moon demon turned around when hearing the voice of his brother.

"What do you mean?" Tso Lan asked, glancing at the wind demon curiously.

Xiao Fung smiled and turned to look at Ni Tang and Hsi Wu who had no idea someone was watching them. "Hsi Wu and Ni Tang get along well. You used to be the one who Hsi Wu turned to, but now it seems you've been abandoned," he said in amusement.

Tso Lan frowned. "Why should I care? It only works in my advantage if His Wu has found someone else whose time he can waste," he said angrily and turned to look at the two again, his red robe in a whirl.

"It seems to me like you care about it a lot. If it didn't matter, you should be doing something else than sulking here," Xiao Fung continued, even if it was clear that Tso Lan was not in the mood for this conversation.

"It's difficult when all of my siblings are idiots whose company I wouldn't seek even if you were the last living creatures in the world," the moon demon remarked, and Xiao Fung laughed.

"Beware, my brother, you are slowly starting to sound like me. Is my company affecting you this much?" he wanted to know.

"Maybe, so it's better that you leave," Tso Lan said, and for the first time in a while Xiao heard some sarcasm in the voice of his brother.

"I don't think so, Tso Lan. It's time for you to leave the dusty world of your books and thoughts. Life is something much more than just knowledge," he commented and Tso Lan shook his head.

"And what do you know about it?" he said emphasising the word 'know'. "We've been here for so long that nothing is like it used to be," he continued with a sigh.

"Our new brother will give us a way out," the wind demon said, stepping to stand next to his brother.

"But can he do that? There is too much human in him, and Dai Gui wasn't happy with the results of the lesson," the moon demon said, not approving and Xiao Fung shook his head.

"That idiot wouldn't be pleased even if Ni Tang had screamed his lungs out. The real power is not how you do something but why you do it," he said and Tso Lan gave him a surprised glance.

"Have you read a book?" he asked and Xiao Fung smiled.

"No, I heard it from you," he said and continued when Tso Lan frowned. "You scolded me like that when I tried to teach Hsi Wu how to eat humans without killing them first."

Tso Lan chuckled.

"A completely useless skill," he commented.

"Maybe, but great fun nevertheless."

Then the wind demon's expression turned more serious. "We have to talk to Tchang Zu. We can not let Dai Gui continue Ni Tang's training anymore. He accomplishes nothing and being too brutal might crack the walls in his mind. We cannot let his memories and real personality come back," he said.

Tso Lan nodded. "We have to be careful with our new brother. He will be very useful to us or cause us a great harm," he said thoughtfully.


Dai Gui sat sulking on a stone and glared at Tso Lan and Xiao Fung, who answered him with a grin. Tso Lan didn't pay any attention to the hatred of his brother; he thought he was above that kind of barbaric behaviour. He didn't like Xiao Fung's childish humour either. He couldn't understand how the wind demon could act like a mere human child.

"Despite his good attempt we don't think Dai Gui should be allowed to continue Ni Tang's training anymore," Tso Lan said to Tchang Zu, who listened thoughtfully the words of his two brothers. He turned to face Dai Gui who stood up to show respect towards his older brother.

"What do you have to say in this?" the thunder demon asked, and Dai Gui slit his eyes.

"They don't know what they are talking about! Those two are weak fools who don't understand how a proper training has to be started. Dai Gui can not teach Ni Tang anything if he first strokes his head and then tells him how much he means to him. He would not respect me or learn anything; fear is the best teacher," the earth demon defended himself sharply, making Tchang Zu frown.

"Ni Tang is not an ordinary demon. We can not use the usual ways when teaching him. He is still partly human and if we want to drive that part out of him we have to be very careful. He can break from the slightest hit and then it's impossible for us to escape. And we can not forget how that would affect Hsi Wu," Tso Lan commented to make the oldest demon agree with them.

"We didn't create him to be Dai Gui's personal toy," Xiao Fung added just to annoy his brother.

"You are strangely interested in the well being of a younger brother," the thunder demon remarked in suspicion.

"Only because my own freedom depends on it," Tso Lan answered and then the thunder demon nodded.

"I agree with you. We can't endanger our ticket to freedom just because of Dai Gui's harsh ways. From now on sister Bai Tsa will teach Ni Tang his reason to live," he decided, and Tso and Xiao gave each other a pleased glance.

Dai Gui wasn't that happy. He thought he was going to explode with anger and he felt almost an unbearable desire to rip his two brothers apart. Only Tchang Zu's presence stopped him from doing it; he wasn't afraid of Tso Lan and Xiao Fung even though it would be a two against one match. Tso was older than him, but the moon demon had never been physically strong. His power was knowledge, and Xiao Funghad never been strong in anything.


Po Kong and Bai Tsa were the only females of the demonic family, and that was why they got along well. Bai Tsa loved singing, and she was also a talented painter. Unlike the other demons she wasn't that interested it senseless killing, she preferred the soul food. Of course that didn't make her weaker or nicer than her siblings, and when she felt like it she could win them all in cruelty.

After they all had been banished in the Netherworld she had not been able to paint (nor torture) anymore, but had taken the damage back by composing many beautiful songs. Po Kong listened to them gladly, and she had to admit that if she had not known better she would never believe they were composed by a cruel demon sorcerer.

The two of them were the only ones of the treacherous demons who were ready to sacrifice their own life for each other. Maybe it was because they had grown up together or because they were both females. Nobody knew why. But they were inseparable nevertheless.

"That Ni Tang failed miserably in what Dai Gui tried to teach him," Bai Tsa snorted in contempt, and Po Kong smiled at her.

"Maybe, but you need a small miracle to succeed in anything after that idiot has taught you," the mountain demon commented and was rewarded with an angry glance.

"Besides, he looks weird. So small and fragile. I'm eager to see what powers he has," the huge demon added.

Bai Tsa rolled her eyes. "If he has any. He is so much like a pathetic human. Everyone can see that and nothing good will come out of it," she said.

"You are too pessimistic, my sister," Po Kong scolded, and the water demon turned her back rebelliously.

Bai Tsa wasn't angry; this was an old habit from the time she had been a child. She had always enjoyed making the others believe she was heartbroken and angry. Then her siblings would offer her all kinds of presents to cheer her up.

Only when she was older had Po Kong learned how Bai Tsa tried to trick her, and she had joined the game. They gave each other the silent treatment competing in who had to give up first. They talked to other demons and despite their argument the sisters wanted to talk with each other. Because straight talking would mean defeat they had chosen Xiao Fung to be their ambassador who would transmit the messages from one sister to another.

He enjoyed this mission every time he had a chance to practise it; it was a refreshing difference from the boring life of the Netherworld. He had even asked Tso Lan to join him, but the moon demon despised that kind of childish activity. He preferred sitting alone and thinking.

So Po Kong, Bai Tsa and Xiao Fung were mostly left to be alone. No one else was interested in which one would give up first.

Po Kong smiled to herself when she stared at the back of her sister. The silent treatment could last who knows how long. They had the whole eternity for them, after all.

To be continued...