Poison God's Heritage

Seems like the structure of this thing isn't purely biological," I muttered, eyes narrowing as they remained glued to the sample beneath the microscope's lens.

The Blue Sun, standing nearby with her usual composed demeanor, cocked her head slightly, unimpressed. "What does that even mean? You always use words only you understand." Her voice carried that hint of impatience I'd grown accustomed to.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"My apologies," I said, straightening my posture, the soft glow of the lab's overhead lighting casting elongated shadows across the sterile surface of the table. "The First Born's body, as you can see, isn't entirely natural." I motioned toward the digital display where a three-dimensional rendering of the First Born's cellular structure slowly rotated.

Tao Yang, who had been silently observing from across the lab, chimed in, her tone matter-of-fact. "Didn't I already tell you? It's born from the theft of the Heavenly Law. It's far from natural."

I raised a hand to forestall any further interruptions. "I understand that," I said, my voice calm but insistent. "But I'm talking about its parent—the queen. She gave birth to it, didn't she?"

Tao Yang hesitated, and in that pause, a flicker of uncertainty passed over her usually stoic face. "That's what we deduced," she finally said. "But we didn't witness it."

I let out a slow, exasperated sigh. "Well, regardless of whether it came from a natural birth or some other process, my poison won't work on it."

"None of them?" the Blue Sun asked, her eyebrows lifting slightly in surprise.

"Not a single one," I confirmed, extending my hand. A drop of concentrated poison formed at the tip of my finger, glistening with the deadly promise it usually held. I let it fall onto the skin sample we'd excised from the creature's hide. The drop disappeared into the surface without so much as a ripple, as if the skin had simply absorbed it, leaving no trace behind.

There was no reaction. No sizzling, no discoloration, no damage. The poison, potent enough to fell a Void Stage beast, had been neutralized as if it were nothing more than water.

The Blue Sun's eyes widened, disbelief etched into the lines of her usually calm face. "How is that even possible?" she whispered, taking a step closer. "A drop like that would give even me trouble purging it."

I shook my head, returning my gaze to the inert sample. "Qi is bound to everything we touch, breathe, and consume. It's the spiritual force that weaves through all life, a binding agent of sorts. But this entity," I pointed to the sample, "it breaks that bond the moment it comes into contact with Qi. It's as if it unravels the structure before the poison can even take effect."

My explanation hung in the air like a lead weight, the implications of what I was saying sinking in for both of them.

The Blue Sun folded her arms, her face a mask of contemplative seriousness. "So, how do we kill it?" Tao Yang's question cut through the growing tension like a blade.

"We can't," I replied flatly, my voice devoid of the hope they were likely expecting.

The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating. The Blue Sun opened her mouth, probably to object, but no words came. Even she, for all her bravado, seemed at a loss.

"We're facing something that denies the laws of our world," I continued, my tone grim. "Everything we know about life, about death, about the very nature of existence—it all breaks down in the face of this creature. Its biology, if you can call it that, is an aberration."

The Blue Sun, ever the optimist, tried to lighten the mood. "Maybe I'll just ask the Wisest Sun to open a portal to the Vast Expanse and drop it into a star," she quipped, though her attempt at humor rang hollow.

"Don't even think about it," I warned. "The suns in the Vast Expanse are composed of pure Qi. It would only trap the creature for a few days, at best. Then, it'll consume the star from the inside out and come back stronger."

"So, what's the plan then?" Tao Yang pressed, her voice steady, though the tension around her eyes betrayed her concern.

"There is a way…" I began, my words trailing off as I hesitated.

The Blue Sun's eyes narrowed. "Something tells me this 'way' isn't going to be easy."

"Correct," I admitted, leaning back against the lab counter. "It's not. In fact, it's risky—possibly even suicidal. We'll have to go to Tao Yang's home planet."

Tao Yang stiffened, her eyes widening slightly. "Is that even possible? And what purpose would that serve?"

I took a deep breath, steadying my thoughts. "The Rakshasa didn't just appear out of nowhere. If we trace their origin, we might find something. And as for the purpose—it's because of something called the Progenitor Reversion Theory."

The Blue Sun groaned audibly, rolling her eyes. "Another one of your fancy terms. Care to explain it in words normal people understand?"

I couldn't help but smile at her exasperation. "In biological terms, it's similar to how we study viruses. A virus replicates inside its host, often evolving into stronger forms, but also occasionally carrying dormant weaknesses from its progenitor. The same principle applies here."

"Over time, genetic degradation occurs," I continued. "Certain weaknesses or traits become recessive or masked in offspring. We can't uncover those weaknesses unless we have the original genetic material—the progenitor. The queen, the mother of the First Born, may hold the key. Her genetic code could reveal something vital—a flaw that the First Born inherited but masked."

"But even if we kill the mother," the Blue Sun interjected, "how does that help us with the spawn?"

"It won't kill it outright," I acknowledged. "But look at the sample." I gestured to the microscope. "The First Born is already a diluted form of its parent. It's not as 'pure.' If we have the mother's genetic source, we might discover a hidden vulnerability in its offspring. Something we can exploit."

Tao Yang rubbed her temples, clearly overwhelmed. "You lost me at 'genetic source.'"

I couldn't help but chuckle, after all she was right, things weren't looking too good.