Good Child

And in response to the actions of Vivian and Lucia, the ‘heart’ before them seemed to stir!

More tentacles sprouted from the darkness!

“No!

Demon Lord!

It’s too strong!

I can’t hold out for long!”

Lucia shouted anxiously.

Her mana was depleting at a rapid rate.

“Got it!”

Vivian replied.

Then, she gazed at the dark heart struggling and throbbing in its frenzy.

A flicker of resolve flashed in her twin pupils.

After that, Vivian channeled her entire body’s mana.

It erupted in a sudden surge.

She dodged and weaved through the attacks with agile twists and turns.

Then, she arrived right before the massive heart.

And directly extended her hand.

Making contact with it!

“Listen!

I know you can hear me!”

Vivian bellowed at the colossal entity before her.

Her voice infused with potent mental power—and the inherent [authority] of a Demon Lord.

“I’m not here to destroy you—

Chaos isn’t your destiny!

I can help you!

Help you master your power, help you… live on!

Become even stronger!”

Her voice carried a peculiar soothing quality.

This was the innate affinity of the Demon Lord of Evernight for creations of darkness—

And it was precisely why Vivian dared to approach!

“Believe me!

I can… help you!”

As Vivian’s words reached it, the ‘heart’—which had been throbbing madly—seemed to pause ever so subtly.

The violently charging tentacles, their movements, all showed a brief hesitation.

Seeing the situation before her, Vivian couldn’t help but rejoice inwardly—

It was working!

Since she herself wielded the power of darkness, it was only natural that she could guide and soothe it!

“It’s okay, it’s okay—calm down.”

Though progress had been made, Vivian didn’t dare slacken in the slightest.

Her entire body’s mana continued to flow ceaselessly into the heart through the point of contact at her palm.

This was pure, potent guidance.

Infused with her will as a Demon Lord.

“Calm…”

Look at me, feel my power…

She began to gradually resonate on a mental level with the vein core before her.

Her murmuring whispers were like a lullaby.

Constantly soothing the restless, violent core.

And in this process, her mana emanated a faint purple glow.

“Calm down, cool off, don’t be afraid—

Chaos, fear, and greed will only devour you, ultimately reducing you to nothingness—

But order can let you truly exist, make you strong, let you survive.”

Her words, accompanied by the infusion of mana, were like injecting a cool yet gentle spring into a torrent of raging molten lava.

Gradually cooling it down.

And as Vivian’s soothing continued, the massive dark heart’s throbbing visibly diminished in amplitude.

Its frequency also slowed steadily.

“Boom—hummm…”

The vibrations in the space began to weaken.

From the violent tremors that could tear through the depths, they gradually turned into a low hum—

Those tentacles sprouting wildly from the darkness—like a storm of frenzied whips lashing at Vivian and Lucia—grew slower and weaker in their movements.

Some tentacles even recoiled upon touching the soft black light formed by the mana overflowing from Vivian’s body.

Or they swayed in place, dazed and aimless.

“Good child… take it slow.”

Vivian continued to focus entirely on soothing the vein core before her—

She could sense the vast, chaotic, yet incredibly young and primal consciousness within this dark heart.

It was like a giant beast cub born in boundless darkness.

Instinctively absorbing the dark essence contained in the vein.

Yet utterly clueless on how to harness this terrifying power.

Tormented to agony by its own swelling energies.

Only able to release and destroy on instinct.

In pain?

Vivian’s voice carried even more mental resonance—

As the Demon Lord of Evernight, what she had gained wasn’t just power.

But also the heavy laws borne from that vast dark origin.

Thus, she tried making her mana even gentler.

Like the deepest night.

Gradually enveloping the newborn before her completely.

Like a swaddling cloth.

“Follow my power.

I will guide you.

I will sort this violent torrent for you—

Then, learn how to master the power.”

She began to guide it with utmost care.

Like an experienced mother.

Leading the [newborn]’s internal violent dark mana—which staggered like a toddler’s first steps—into a slow circulation along a more stable pattern.

Her mana was like a comb.

Sorting through the chaotic energies.

Incorporating them into a cycle that was no longer disordered.

Time passed in this tense soothing and delicate guidance—

The mine pit space’s vibrations had completely subsided.

Only the heart’s own steady, powerful throbs remained.

Along with the faint hum of mana flowing.

Most of the violent tentacles had retracted into the shadows around the heart.

The remaining few hung limply to the ground.

Like sleeping vines.

Occasionally twitching faintly.

No longer aggressive.

The heart’s surface throbs finally stabilized into a powerful, rhythmic beat.

That heart-palpitating, balloon-like swelling—as if it might burst at any moment—had vanished.

Replaced by an introspective depth.

Like a slumbering ancient behemoth.

Vivian quietly, soundlessly, let out a breath—

After this prolonged guidance, even as a Demon Lord, fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

Her complexion had paled slightly from the immense mental expenditure.

But her crimson twin pupils shone with startling brilliance.

Success.

Bai An gazed at the now-calm [heart] before her.

She could scarcely conceal her wild joy.

She slowly withdrew her palm—

And at the point of contact with the heart’s surface, a faint dark-purple mana rune imprint lingered.

Slowly dissipating.

Symbolizing the establishment of an initial link and control.

Success!

That massive dark heart now floated quietly in the mine pit’s center.

Like a soothed infant.

Or a giant beast cub steadily pulsing in the darkness.

It was no longer a source of destruction.

But had become the core of dark power for this vein—and perhaps a broader region.

A core… that Bai An could control.

“Lucia, it’s done.”

Bai An turned around.

Her voice carried a trace of fatigue.

“Thud—”

Almost the instant Bai An’s words fell, the sound of someone collapsing rang out.

With Bai An’s words, Lucia’s taut nerves finally relaxed completely.

The willpower that had sustained her slackened.

And with her mana nearly depleted, she could no longer hold on.

Her legs gave out.

She slumped directly onto the cold ground.

Gasping for breath in great heaves.

“Mom…

I really thought we were done for here…”

Huff huff.

Lucia panted out the words.

And Bai An looked at the exhausted Frost Banshee.

Then glanced back at the massive heart, now emanating stable waves of power.

The corners of her mouth curved into a satisfied smile.