<h4>Chapter 396: I’ve Been Awake Too Long to Name this Chapter…</h4>


    "Wait a second." Said Kat as her mind caught up. "How did you manage to say that if Kamiko can respond with saying you''ll tell the nurses?"


    Nira grinned widely and exined. "Well, when you stick around for a while, you start to pick up on the little things that let you… stretch the truth. The first, is that I can do a fun bit of mental gymnastics. Second, is that I consider my lips as belonging to my husband. Not really, but also somewhat?


    "I won''t spoil the why, but anyway, because of that, they aren''t ''my lips'' in the strictest definition, so I can say that things aren''t leaving MY lips because it''s true, they aren''t mine. As to the grave question, well I made a fake grave somewhere, and I can just visit it. Bam, I''ve taken my secrets to my grave.


    "It isn''t what you are lead you believe, even with the trantion activated. Have to be a trickier with it sometimes, but part of the trantion is what I want you to hear, not just what ispletely true, so you can use that as well. I can say something, in anguage you don''t understand and then impress an… adjacent meaning. I suppose.


    "It''s actually a skill that took me a while to learn. It''s really difficult to learn anothernguage once the trantion kicks in. Mostly pointless too but, as I just showed has some uses."


    Kamiko, showing the height of maturity, returned her mother''s exnation by sticking her tongue out of her mouth. Nira just shrugged and continued. "Kamiko here was never a fan of ying the social crowd and always means almost exactly what she says. Doesn''t have a deceptive bone in her body this one. I me my husband obviously."


    Kat smiled, starting to get used to Nira''s flow. It was a little strange, but you could see she adored Kamiko and was mostly enjoying the variety of reactions she could produce from her youngest daughter more than anything else. "Well, seeing as I have true sight, perhaps that''s why I find myself liking her" said Kat.


    Nira''s eyebrows did properly raise at that. "Impressive. Anything else odd about you? I ask as a medical professional obviously"


    Kat mentally rolled her eyes. *Thanks for making that one obvious Nira. You don''t want to know because you''re a medical professional, but you do ask AS one because you''re… what certified? I''m not really sure how that works in the Hub… maybe something to look into. Still, I don''t exactly mind telling her, and Kamiko probably will anyway.*


    "I''m not weak to heat or cold, in fact I have really good resistance to both. I have cold mes, and I have Subus Regeneration, up to regrowing limbs. Reattaching is fine." Said Kat.


    "Yup that''d do it" said Nira. "Never known a nondem, that''s someone who wasn''t born a demon in case you''re wondering and they never do things halfway. It''s always some strong bloodline with unique abilities all packed in there tightly thates back. Personally, I think it has to be that way.


    "Anything weaker would die out, but the strong ones can stay dormant for generations. You will probably find Kat, that it isn''t your parents that had the bloodline. Or well, they both almost certainly had it, but they weren''t demons and neither were their parents in all likelihood. It probably goes back… at least five I''d guess." Said Nira.


    "Um, that''s something I was wondering" said Kat. "How exactly does a bloodline die out or whatever. I mean, everyone here is a demon… but you said my parents probably weren''t? But someone earlier on in the tree was? Like… how does that work exactly?"


    Nira took in a big breath. "Right, so… that gets into some more in-depth healer knowledge. It''s not really relevant to you, especially not with the power you likely have. Still interested?"


    Kat nodded and Nira continued. Wrapping her coat tighter around herself as she spoke. "Right, so demons, most specifically Subi, a few others, but Subi mostly, can have children with just about anyone.


    "There are the more… standard ways" as Nira spoke she made a loop with one hand and poked a finger through it. "Then there are a bunch of magical ones that use some rare resource or another. Those are normally for people that aren''t anatomicallypatible for whatever reason, or the real prudes that can''t stomach the act. Personally, I''m not a fan of those pompous idiots.


    "A lot of the good shit for that is RARE and I''m always annoyed when two people can''t even…" Nira shook her head to clear the growing scowl off her face. "Sorry, that''s just one of my pet peeves. I know they might not enjoy it, heck I understand that but… if you want a kid surely doing the dirty is easier than paying for expensive and rare magical artifacts.


    "Anyway, we are way off track. The main thing you need to know, is that demonic blood is very adaptable. It likes to grab whatever traits it feels like from either parent and see how things turn out. It does stabilize asionally when it finds a setup it likes and a group of people who like being that way and with each other.


    "Like the Gorgons. You know them?" Kat nodded. "Oh, you do? That''s a surprise. Anyway, that''s a great example. They weren''t always around, but well… one n of Subi had a… thing for snakes. That''s how you got Lamia, and thenter Gorgons. Or so I''m told.


    "That''s another thing to note. Most demons, actually find simr demons attractive most of the time. Not always, and it''s not exactly rare to… be adventurous but people tend to settle down with physically simr demons. That''s how you get new stable races.


    "The blood treats it as a foundation, instead of just a new trait to grab. Does that make sense? Like, take my daughter hear." Nira gestured at Kamiko. "Her basic form, the horns, the wings, being a subus, that''s from both me and my husband.


    "However, the pink hair, that''s a trait grabbed from him, the attitude is his as well, but at least she has my eyes. And her sister''s somehow. I me my great grandmother for that I think, but ANYWAY.


    "Enough about how cute she is. See, the problem is, when a demon has kids with someone who isn''t a demon. Then it''s just as likely to grab traits from them as it is any other. Repeat that for a few generations…


    "And just about all the demon blood bleeds out of them. It gets worse in that they start bing allergic to demonic energy. It''s not a good time. It won''t drive them mad like it would if they weren''t a demon, but their body doesn''t produce any, and it tries topensate for what it feels like it''s missing.


    "So it tries to draw in demonic energy from nearby, either from demons or just an environment like the Hub. Sure it''s not likely to happen in the Hub, too much demonic energy in the air, but it can happen.


    "That''s the main way that bloodlines die out. Someone that''s allergic to demonic energy has practically no way of being romantically involved with a demon. Sure, they might find them sexually attractive but it would be painful, and then eventually fatal to pursue that interest if it was there."


    "Shit" said Kat. "I think I understand how it must have happened then. My world doesn''t have any higher energy. It suppresses all of it, even demonic. A couple generations and the demonic energy probably leaves the family, and because it''s suppressed they don''t notice being allergic and then… nothing."


    Nira nodded. "Yup. That''d do it. Probably pretty quick too. I might revise my estimate to three generations if it actually supresses demonic energy like you said. Our bloodlines like to grab traits and see what works, but they do try to optimise for environment if it''s serious enough. I''d say demonic energy suppression is pretty serious. It would also exin why the line went dormant for a bit.


    "Honestly it''s not too surprising. Demonic families that try to live off of hub worlds inevitably end up losing the ability for some reason. It''s a bit odd, because nondems like yourself pop up sometimes, but sooner orter the inbreeding has to start OR you go for someone local to that world.


    "Once you do that, then sometimes you get people attuned to mana or qi instead of demonic energy and well… they''re the allergic ones. Sadly they can never actually use mana or qi. Those guys inevitably end up weak, because they are in a sort of… transitional state.


    "Their kids however, or sometimes their grandkids are MONSTERS. All the best leftovers from demon ancestry now with some other higher energy to use. Oh sure, they''re not as strong as aparable demon but to most blood tests they''d read as fully… whatever the natives were, let''s just go with human like you were Kat.


    "I''d bet nobody could tell you were anything but till you started changing." Finished Nira.