Fang Yuan's eyes, darkened by the acidic rot he had integrated into his system, remained unreadable. He tightened his indigo threads around Xarax, who was still struggling against the obsidian wall. The Demon Stalker's yellow eyes were wide with a mix of fury and pure, primal terror.
"A temporary alignment, then," Fang Yuan said, his voice a low, chilling resonance that echoed through the telepathic link. "But understand this, Eron: I do not weave for the past. I weave for the throne. If your 'Star-Core' is a lie, I will turn your soul into the first thread of my new world."
Eron gave a ghastly, stardust-filled smile. "A Weaver's greed is more reliable than a saint's promise. I accept your terms, Pilgrim."
Fang Yuan turned his gaze to Xarax. The demon was a Rank 2 Space-Time Stalker; he was too dangerous to be left alive, but his sudden death would trigger an immediate investigation from the Abyssal Spire.
"As for you, Stalker," Fang Yuan hissed.
Instead of killing him, Fang Yuan used his Rank 2: Space-Time Weaving to perform a forbidden technique: "Soul-Stasis Stitching." He didn't just pierce Xarax's heart; he wove a microscopic indigo needle directly into the demon's consciousness.
"You will return to the Spire," Fang Yuan commanded, his voice vibrating with the power of the Void. "You will report that Sector C-12 is secured and that we are continuing the 'cleansing' in the deeper veins. If you speak a word of Eron, or if you even think about betraying me, the needle in your mind will unravel your reality from the inside out."
Xarax gasped as the indigo thread settled into his brain, turning his yellow eyes a dull, subservient grey. "I... I obey... Master."
"Lia," Fang Yuan spoke aloud, turning to his assistant. "Stay at the entrance of the rift. Maintain the 'Demonic Frequency' mask. If anyone from the Spire approaches, alert me through the link."
With the "Watcher" now under his thumb and Lia guarding the rear, Fang Yuan turned back to the hunched figure of Eron. He signaled to Kaelen and Zane, his Void-Sentinels, who stood ready like hounds of the apocalypse.
"Lead the way, Old Man," Fang Yuan said, his robe fluttering in a wind that shouldn't exist. "Let us see this 'Heart of the Abyss'."