King Nikiforov stood alone in the grassy field, garbed in the most comfortable set of clothing he'd had with him; a pair of brown leather breeches, black leather knee-high boots and belted pale blue cotton tunic. His sword was clipped in at his left hip, but he was otherwise bereft of any armor or weapons. He stared out at the vast rustling grasslands before him, listening as each blade murmured secret whispers to him in the gentle breeze. He thought wryly of how at odds the tranquil scene was with the imminent carnage of the looming Demon War. He closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh scent of nature, reflecting on how much life had been completely turned upside-down in just a matter of days.

He had gone from trying to find the ever-troublesome missing Squire Plisetsky and stopping a civil war from breaking out, to a historic first meeting with the leader of the Phoenix Magic Clan, forging an equally historic alliance with him, to the unified take-down of a Demon Lieutenant. Mila had nearly been taken from him and Michele Crispino had been saved from a catastrophic demonic possession on the brink of death. He'd managed to avoid a civil war, but was now preparing for an all-out assault on Demonkind. And, as if things weren't complicated enough, he had his growing attraction and feelings for the ruler of Orientalis to contend with. Life was a bit of a mess at the moment and all he could do was focus on one thing at a time.

"A ruble for your thoughts, King Nikiforov."

The King opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice, not surprised at all to find the Emperor standing there. The man was a true ninja and had stealth down to an art form. He hadn't heard a single indication of his approach.

"Hmmm, I'd have a rather rapidly growing pile of coins here if that were case, Yuuri."

"I understand that quite a lot has happened in a very short period. I too wish we had the time to properly contemplate things."

The King nodded in understanding.

"But time is not a luxury we have at the moment. Contemplation is going to have to wait until after humanity is safe."

"Agreed. Let us make haste then, King Nikiforov. You have a lot to learn in a short time."

The King stepped toward the Emperor, only coming to a stop once he was standing toe-to-toe with the slightly shorter monarch.

"We had previously agreed to drop the honorifics while in private company, Yuuri. I believe that I shall begin to feel quite insulted if you cannot honor your part of the bargain."

A small hint of surprise flashed in the shorter man's eyes, followed by a nearly-imperceptible nod of acknowledgment.

"You are right, Viktor. Please forgive me for my callousness. I did not intend any disrespect."

Satisfied that he had made his point, Viktor stepped back and bowed gracefully toward the ruler of Orientalis.

"Thank you, Yuuri. It means a lot to me that you are using my first name once more. Shall we get started, then?"

They sat across from each other on the warm grass, cross-legged and with their hands resting palm down on their knees. Yuuri guided him through some breathing exercises and after a few minutes, he finally began to relax. The tension seemed to leave his body and his mind was finally stilled and emptied of its turbulent thoughts.

"That's great, Viktor. You're doing very well. Keep up the breathing rhythm and don't open your eyes. Now, look deep inside yourself and try to find the source of your power."

Viktor scrunched his eyes more tightly closed as he tried to figure out what to do. He knew what Yuuri was asking of him, the instructions were simple enough, but didn't have the first clue about how to go about achieving it.

"Yuuri, I…don't know how."

"Worry not Viktor, just focus on my voice. When you use your magic, where does the feeling come from? Trace the source of that feeling."

The ruler of Occidentis' brow furrowed as he concentrated on finding that elusive point of origin. He tried imagining himself performing magic, really honing in on the sensation. It was then that he felt it, a fluttery tingle from deep within him. As he fixated on it, he realized that the feeling seemed to be coming from the pit of his stomach. He reached out toward it, envisioning himself grasping it physically in his hands. After a few seconds, he felt it tangibly enclosed within his grip.

"Yuuri…I've got it! I don't know if this makes any sense…but I'm holding it, right now."

"That makes perfect sense, Viktor. I'm glad that you found it. Now we're going to practice adjusting its intensity. You'll need to master this skill before you're able to channel more powerful magic."

"I'm ready, Yuuri. Tell me what to do."

"First, imagine your magical energy as a sphere. You can make this sphere enlarge or shrink according to the amount of magic needed. A reduction in the sphere size corresponds with lower magic output. This is also true for the inverse."

Viktor looked down at the shapeless matrix of white energy in his hands and imagined himself molding it. He watched in awe as it readily obeyed him and crystallized into a radiantly translucent blue sphere. He gasped, unable to contain his amazement.

"What is it Viktor? Talk to me. What do you see?"

When the King spoke, his voice was raw with barely-contained emotion. The sight before him was utterly astounding, and he was shocked that something like it had been inside him all along.

"Yuuri…it's…beautiful! It's like…a glowing shell of interconnected ice crystals with a luminous azure core. This is the form that my magic was meant to take? I…never knew."

The ruler of Orientalis smiled at the wonder and awe in Viktor's voice. He recalled his own first experience with finding and shaping the magic within him.

"When I was guided through this same exercise by my sensei; or teacher, I remember having a reaction quite similar to what you're currently experiencing. Magic seems like such an ethereal and elusive concept at first. It just 'happens' whenever you need it to, and you don't really think about where it comes from. It's quite humbling to see it 'alive' within you, is it not?"

Viktor nodded his head vigorously in agreement. It was as if the man had read his mind, for that's exactly how he was feeling at the very moment.

"What does your magic look like, Yuuri?"

Yuuri's face colored slightly at the man's question. He felt inexplicably flattered that Viktor had taken an interest in the form his magic took. He subtly cleared his throat and shifted his weight slightly before answering.

"My magic is like a hot, brilliant ball of fire-light. Living flames lick along its surface and thin beams of burning light are emitted from within."

Viktor sighed dreamily as the imagery formed and filled his mind.

"That sounds exactly like you, Yuuri. On one hand it's fiery, fierce, and intense. On the other, it's elegant, alluring and dazzling."

The Emperor's face reddened vehemently at Viktor's flattery, and he was never more glad for the fact that the silver-haired man had his eyes closed at the moment and couldn't see it. Countless thoughts and emotions coursed through his body as he stared, wide-eyed, at the man before him. He'd been praised by people before, but their accolades had never evoked such a reaction from him. He cursed the fates for what was likely the umpteenth time since meeting the charismatic foreign ruler. Why did the gods take such delight in tormenting him with such circumstances? Had he not already suffered enough, sacrificed enough for the gods...for humanity? He'd managed to close his heart off for so long, and yet every single one of his defenses had crumbled powerlessly in the presence of the foreign King. The more he fought against it, the more entangled he seemed to become.

"Yuuri? What do I need to do next?"

The Emperor's mind was snapped back into focus by the King's voice, and he cussed under his breath for allowing himself to get distracted.

"First, let's work on shrinking the sphere until it is the size of a pearl. Focus all your attention on the sphere's current size and use your mind's eye to decrease its size. Let me know if you need help."

"Yes, Yuuri."

Viktor looked down at the sphere of magic he currently held in his hands. He imagined it getting smaller, and after a few pulses of light, it finally seemed to obey him and began to reduce in size. He kept pushing against it with his mind, not stopping until it had finally become the size of an average pearl.

"I did it! Yuuri, I shrank it right down!"

"That's marvelous, Viktor! Now use your magic to perform a minor spell. If your spell requires more magic than your current sphere size can hold, it will let you know."

Viktor tried to think of something simple, but that would still impress Yuuri somehow. He imagined a garden of blooming ice roses, but the sphere pulsed and buzzed at him. He recalled what Yuuri had said and took that to mean that the desired spell required more magic than the currently available output. So he imagined a fluttering of ice butterflies instead. Yuuri's gasp of delight confirmed that the spell had been a success.

"Viktor, they're stunning! They're so detailed and lifelike! One has landed on my hand and it's not even melting!"

Viktor smiled, a wave of pride bubbling up inside him. He had always paid great attention to detail whenever it came to creation magic, something he'd done since his early childhood years. He wished that he could see the look on Yuuri's face right now, but knew that he had to focus on the task at hand.

"Thank you, Yuuri. I'm glad that you like them. Shall I try increasing the sphere size now?"

The ruler of Orientalis seemed to hesitate before answering.

"Hmmm, you really shouldn't push yourself too hard on the first session. Normally shrinking and enlarging are done on separate days. It's a rather exhausting process and not recommended for extended periods."

"Yuuri, I'm fine. Please, let's continue. Given any other circumstances, I would agree with you. But we're running a bit short on time and need to get as much done within the time we do have."

The Emperor sighed, not really pleased with himself for being willing to give in so easily, but the man had a point...they were woefully short on time.

"I concede your point. I shall allow you to continue, but only if you promise to let me know the instant you feel any discomfort."

"You have my word."

Satisfied with Viktor's assurances, he allowed his body to relax once more, and got ready to continue guiding him.

"Excellent. Now let's practice increasing your magic and expanding the sphere. First, bring it back up to the size it was before."

Viktor did as he was instructed and easily returned the sphere to its starting size. He found that there was much less resistance in increasing the size than decreasing it. Yuuri had him hold it at that size for a few minutes before finally advising him to begin increasing it very slowly. He did as Yuuri instructed at first, but after a little while he started feeling as if he had a good grip on the situation and decided to push things a little further by going a bit faster. That turned out to be a big mistake. All the magic that had been bottled up inside him for decades seemed to want to burst forth at once, and he was struggling to stem its flow.

"Yuuri...my magic...it's too..."

The Emperor had immediately picked up on the rapidly rising magic levels from the man across from him, and was on high alert.

"Viktor, slow down! Focus on the shape and bend it to your will. You must contain it! An uncontrolled pulse will be fatal to any living creature nearby!"

The King grunted and panted as he struggled to curb the rampant levels of magic expanding speedily from his core. Sweat formed on his brow as the effort began to take a toll on his body. The more he struggled, however, the clearer it became that he wasn't going to be able to stop it.

"Help me, Yuuri! Please! I...can't...stop...it!"

Not knowing what else to do, the Emperor reached out and took the King's hands into his own. The moment they were connected, magic began to flow between them. Both men entered a trance-like state as a dome of white light formed around them.

*Start Viktor's vision sequence*

Viktor floated around aimlessly in a space flooded by blindingly white light. He had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there, but knew that there was someone that was supposed to be there with him. A face instantly came to mind and he called out for Yuuri. Immediately, the white light faded away and he found himself in a foreign room with two people in it; an adult and a young boy. The man was standing, tall and rigid, while the young boy was sitting on his knees before him with his head bowed low.

He stepped forward to take a closer look and instantly recognized the clothing as that worn by the people of Orientalis. As he got to the point where he could get a better look at their faces, he saw that the child looked strangely familiar, but he couldn't quite figure out why. He was in the middle of wracking his brain trying to gauge who the two mystery people were, when the man spoke. Strangely, although Viktor was certain that they were speaking in Iaponica, he was able to clearly understand every single word that was spoken.

"Father may have been a tyrant, but at least he got things done and did not hesitate to take up arms for the sake of the kingdom. My older brother, your useless pacifist father, only served to tarnish the Katsuki name and bring shame to the Phoenix Magic Clan."

The young child remained silent, but Viktor noticed that his fists seemed to clench a little tighter.

"I should have become Emperor. I was always much better-suited for ruling than your spineless father. I would have served the kingdom and the Gods magnificently. My son should be the one training to inherit the Goddess Fang."

The man leaned down and grabbed the boy's chin with his hand and roughly jerked his head up.

"Instead, I am tasked with mentoring the weak and snot-nosed spawn of a coward."

When the boy's face became visible, Viktor recognized it immediately as belonging to a younger version of Yuuri. He knew that he was likely witnessing a memory of some sort and wouldn't be able to interact with any part of it, but still wished for nothing more than to slap that man's hand away and give him a piece of his mind. He was absolutely incensed that someone was treating Yuuri like that. Especially since that someone was claiming to be family. And even though he was seething inside, he had no choice but to stand back and watch everything play out. In the very next moment, a young but strong voice broke the silence.

"I'm not weak."

The adult man snorted in disgust as he released Yuuri's chin.

"Even if you are, you won't be once I'm through with you. I've been assigned as your combat training coach, and I refuse to have any other failures tarnish this family's name. You will become the best warrior in the land, or you will die trying."

Young Yuuri tilted his chin up defiantly and straightened his spine as he fixed a steely gaze upon his uncle's face.

"I won't disappoint you."

The man's sinister sneer was the last thing Viktor saw before the scene changed.

The next thing Viktor witnessed was a series of memories that seemed to begin around the time of the first one and up to the point where Yuuri had reached adulthood and inherited the Goddess Fang. Each memory was more horrific than the one before it, and by the end of it all, his heart was aching painfully in his chest and the tears were just pouring out from him.

He had watched a resolutely stubborn Yuuri receive more physical punishment than necessary during his training sessions with his uncle. The man simply seemed to take particularly cruel delight in inflicting pain on his nephew. Yuuri always bore it in silence and never complained. It was clear that everything the man had done had been in an effort to break Yuuri's spirit, but child-Yuuri had never once given him the satisfaction. Only at night, when the Shinobi woman would come in to treat his wounds and massage his aching muscles would he allow himself to show the pain that certainly threatened to overwhelm him. Viktor was utterly appalled by the number of cuts and bruises on Yuuri's young body, and realized with bitter clarity the true source of all the scars on his back. He had reached out to Yuuri once the woman had left, wishing desperately that he could touch, soothe and comfort the young man. He crouched down next to the bed and spoke to the memory before him.

"You'll be great someday, Yuuri. The greatest. You will be loved. Please wait for me."

He saw much more of Yuuri's life play out before him after that, each scene flowing seamlessly in front of him as though he were living it himself.

Yuuri had not been allowed to see his father during all those years. The elders had feared that his 'cowardly ways' would influence the future Emperor somehow and did not want to risk another 'weakling' on the throne. Contact with his mother had been limited as well, lest she coddle and emasculate him. Not wanting to risk a military coup, his parents had reluctantly agreed to the terms. Yuuri had been forcefully alienated from his parents for most of his life. Viktor learned that there was also a younger sister in the family, but she was nearly never seen.

Toshiya Katsuki was a kind man who treated everyone with the respect he felt they deserved. He was not a war-monger, preferring to settle disputes through negotiation and compromise. His own father, Yuuri's grandfather, had ruled with a ruthless iron fist and had relied more heavily on the fear of his subjects rather than their respect. Toshiya had vowed to be a completely different ruler and had indeed been the polar opposite of his father. All these traits had always been seen as 'weakness' by his generals though, and especially so by his envious brother Tanaka. Tanaka Katsuki had won the favor of Toshiya's generals early on, as most of them saw the younger brother as more suitable for leadership than the younger one. They had pledged their allegiance to him should he ever challenge his brother to the throne.

Yuuri was the last hope, in a way. The generals knew that it was treasonous to attempt to overthrow the Emperor as long as there was a viable male heir that could still be molded and shaped into the 'ideal ruler'. So Tanaka Katsuki had set out to prove that Yuuri was as 'gutless' and undeserving of the throne as his father. His plan would have worked out, too...had Yuuri not ended up being the most stubbornly unbreakable brat he'd ever taught. Every single one of his efforts had failed, and in the end, Yuuri had inherited the Goddess Fang, ascended to the throne, and been hailed as the strongest Emperor in the entire history of the clan.

Viktor had nearly burst with pride when he'd seen Yuuri exact the perfect revenge on his conniving uncle. As soon as he'd taken the throne, he'd assigned his uncle and his family to a far-flung and desolate outpost in the furthest corner of their kingdom. He had dismissed each one of the generals who had sided with his uncle, reassigning them to dull and bureaucratic jobs instead. Yuuri had forged new alliances with three other kingdoms in Orientalis and their first-born sons served as his generals. He had brought hanyou Kitsune into the alliance as well, a first in the history of the clan. Yuuri had managed to balance military might, and strength with respect for his subjects and excellent diplomacy skills. He had truly become a remarkable man, one Viktor now realized he was hopelessly in love with.