As Aldred trekked through the forest towards the cave where the demonic beast was sealed, he kept thinking about all the occurrences that had happened in the past few years. The breakthroughs in cultivation that he had experienced had helped clear and sharpen his mind. He thought about the children who left for the city once they turned 12 years old. Judging from the reactions of the children he knew personally, they all promised to be back after five years of training...so...how come he hasn't seen anyone who left five years ago come back to visit? Now that he thought about it...why do the children leave when they turned 12? Why 12? Shouldn't it be more reasonable for the children to leave once they turned 15, since that was the age when people can be officially referred to as adults in this world?

If Aldred was to assume Big Sis Caroline and Uncle Ralph to be evil, why did they need 12 years old children? Where do they take them? To slavery? No, that can't be. Why would Big Sis Caroline spend massive amounts of money to buy children from slavery just to sell them later? There had to be another purpose...what could it be? Nevertheless, everything will be answered once he entered the cave. Aldred looked up from his thoughts and found himself at the front entrance of the cave. The place had been tidied most likely by Uncle Ralph. Aldred took a deep breath, readied himself, and stepped in.

Using a makeshift torch, he wandered deep into the cave. If Tristan's body was discovered near the entrance of the cave, then the demonic beast must have attacked him near the entrance...however, there was no signs of struggle...or anything for that matter. In fact, how can the demonic beast attack if it was sealed? Using his sensitivity to Qi and energy, he began to feel his way around the darkness for anything he could have missed with his eyes. However, the only thing he felt was a small and feeble energy pulsating further into the cave. That must be the demonic beast. Such a weak pulse...yet why was it kept alive? For what purpose?

As he continued deeper into the cave, he saw a light in the far distance. There must be an opening! Aldred hurried his steps and rushed towards the opening...to step into a wide clearing. There...in the center of the clearing...was a huge light yellow crystal-like structure. At the center of the crystal-like structure, Aldred was able to make out what looks to be a blurred figure. Could this be the sealed demonic beast? Aldred descended the sloped path towards the crystal structure to get a closer look. D-did it just move? It...seemed to be twitching...nah, it's just snoring. Aldred knocked on the structure waking the demonic beast.

"Hnngh! Hmm? Back already? Didn't you get your last dose of my poison last year?" The demonic beast sneered.

"Poison?" Aldred asked, a little surprised that the demonic beast could talk but given how beasts in his old world could speak the human language and transform into human form once they were strong or old enough, then it seemed not as surprising here.

"Oh-ho! You...you're not that bitch. Although your image is blurry...but you're significantly shorter than that bitch."

"You mean Saintess Caroline?"

"Ha! Saintess? More like Demoness."

"D-demoness?"

"You don't know? Want to know why she had me locked up in here instead of killing me?"

"Why?"

"Because of my poison. My poison can paralyze any living creature and preserve them but not potent enough to kill."

"So...that's why you mentioned about the poison earlier. What did Caroline need your poison for?"

"Who knows." The demonic beast shrugged. "But one thing I can say is that whatever she's using my poison for, it's making her appear younger than her actual age."

"What? How can you tell? The structure between us blurs our appearances and-!"

"She sounded younger."

"Ah...how old is she?"

"I'm not sure but when she sealed me, she was in her late twenties. Now...it's been roughly 30 years."

*GASP!* Aldred gasped in shock.

"So, I'm guessing from your reaction, she hasn't aged a bit?"

"Eternal youth...there were many theories on making eternal youth possible. However...the only one that required 12 year old children...is the...is the bathing and consumption of the blood of pre-teen children! The closer the children were to become teens, the better the efficacy!"

"Ho! Eternal youth eh? Then, why need my poison?"

"I'm guessing to paralyze and preserve the children." Aldred muttered as he gritted his teeth and seethed in anger. "That bitch killed my friends...my family. I will have my revenge!"

"Haha! Kid, you got courage. I like it. How about a deal?"

"A deal? I thought demonic beasts were stubborn and prideful by birth and doesn't make deals?"

"Well, I'm bored. Plus...we have a common enemy. That bitch had been extracting my poison as well as my life for thirty years now. I need compensation for this matter."

"Makes sense. Go on, what is the deal? I'm listening."

"Free me. Free me from this seal, and I'll help you fight off that bitch and her lackey."

"What makes you believe I would trust you? What if you decided to run off once you were freed?"

"How dare you! I, Skaal, am not a coward."

"Hmph! Then, what if you attack me once I had my back turned?"

"Are you stupid? Didn't I say that I am not a coward?"

"Ah...yeah you did...haha."

"So, deal or no deal?"

"I still don't know if I can trust you. I heard that you demonic beasts are cunning and devious creatures."

"Then, what do you want to do?"

"Hmm, let's sign a blood contract. If either one of us opposes the agreement, then he will be crippled for life."

"Harsh...but for my revenge...I agree." The demonic beast sighed, "Wait...from what I can sense of you, you don't have an affinity."

"Yes, I am a No-Affinity. Would this affect the blood contract?"

"Yes, we need to use magic while declaring the contract. If you're a No-Affinity, then I'm afraid we can't do it."

"What about if we declared the contract using the Language of the Beasts?"

"What?! You can speak in the tongue of the Beasts?"

"Yes. Not as fluent but if you tell me the contents of the contract in the language, I can repeat it."

"Amazing...never have I ever heard of a human speak our language. You are indeed an interesting one. The contents are as follows...."

After the demonic beast finished speaking the contents of the contract in the Language of the Beasts, he spat out a few drops of blood. The blood seeped out of the crystal structure and flowed towards Aldred. Aldred too spat out a mouthful of blood. The blood of the demonic beast and the blood of Aldred merged together and glowed.

"I, Skaal, will uphold this blood contract...." Skaal began the contract.

"I, Aldred, will uphold this blood contract...." Aldred began as well.

"...and if I violate the conditions of the contract, let the Heavens strike me and cripple me for life." The two finished.

Once the contract was complete, the ball of mixed blood glowed brighter before condensing and shrinking until it became a drop. The condensed drop split in two and separated - one went into the middle of Aldred's forehead and the other went towards the demonic beast.

"Now that the contract is settled, hurry and free me." The demonic beast urged.

"Fine, fine...so...how do I do it?"

"See those words at the top of this crystal structure?"

"Hmm...oh I see it." Aldred replied after looking around at the top of the crystal structure. The words were roughly scribbled and looked to be an Earth-type sealing formation. Aldred had read something similar in the library back at the house. "I read about this type of formation. It extracts the vitality of whatever it seals and uses the extracted life essence to replenish and repair the words from smudging and wear."

"So you know...then, you also know what to do."

"Yes. Hang on a minute." Aldred replied as he scrambled up a slope to a higher level. Looking around, he walked towards the path closest to the crystal structure. With a leap, he landed on the structure. Since he had strengthened his arms and grip with daily mountain climbing, he was able to scale the structure with ease. He scrambled up towards the place where the words were and dug out a chunk of the words, thus disrupting the sealing formation and dispersed the formation. As the formation dissipated, Aldred expertly landed on the ground without a sound.

"That's done, now let's move out." Aldred as he looked up. "Hmm?"

The demonic beast...looked like...a scorpion! A giant 20 meters long scorpion from claws to tail. The scorpion beast was of a dark brown color with light, pale green spots. Its tail had a sharp, blade-like end. This scorpion...he knew what type of beast it was. It was of the Giant Scorpion family...of the Earth Scorpion genus...of the Razortail species. Since the demonic beast had poison as one of its skill set, then the demonic beast must be a mutant version...Toxic Razortail.

"What are you looking at?" Skaal snapped.

"Toxic Razortail?" Aldred inquired.

"Yea...and? What about it?"

"But your poison isn't toxic...."

"Hmph! I've been weakened so naturally my poison decreased in potency as well."

"Oh."

"Well, enough of that. Let's go. I want to taste that sweet revenge."