All good things must come to an end... a phrase coined by mortals to denote the fleeting nature of every aspect in their short existence. The taste of food ceased upon it being swallowed, intercourse ended upon reaching climax, youth faded with the passage of time, and sharp differences, petty interference or even death itself could end long-standing relationships. It seemed that there was only one constant in the short life of man - suffering. Whether physical or emotional, negligible or impactful, if one felt pain, it was the most assuring sign that they were alive. From the baby emerging out of the warmth of its mother's womb into the cold world outside, to the decrepit old man ailed with illness while his body rotted away on the inside. How utterly ironic that the same parallel could be drawn to youkai; immortal beings as they were, suffering was etched into their very being: from the struggle of surviving outside of Hell and maintaining their freedom, to the never-ending ambitions of their godly leaders who craved for more power from above. Perhaps the only way one could find true inner peace was in Heaven, a realm so far away from them. As a Christian nun, prayer and repentance were required for being accepted in the Lord's home; as a Buddhist nun, practicing the Dharma and detaching oneself from the material world were the key to achieving Nirvana; and lastly as a Shinto priestess, performing sacred rites to act as a medium for divinity and keeping one's soul clean may have offered hope of ascending to Takamagahara. But would any of these paths help a youkai - a descendant of fallen angels who were damned to an eternity in Hell?
Nekohana rubbed her eyes as she rose from her self-made bed of leaves. Morning's light was already protruding through the branches. There was no sign of life anywhere, that particular corner of the forest was all hers. Even with that assurance, she still jumped into the bushes and sneaked between the trees, blending in the vegetation. Several weeks had passed since the revolution's failure. The consequences that followed could not have been worse: her beloved had been captured by the mother who was the bane of his existence since his birth, and she had been forced into hiding as General Rufu's soldiers constantly patrolled the Twilight Kingdom in search of her. Although she could have always run back to Earth, a safe life without Shishima was out of the question. And yet, finding a needle in a haystack would have been easier than rescuing him at that point. With the secret of her survival exposed and nobody left to protect her, she was certain that it was only a matter of time until Rufu would have found her, then forced her to marry him and become part of his harem. At that point, suicide seemed like the most logical option. But with Sayo's soul having long since gone into the afterlife and the girl's body now belonging fully to Nekohana, the reincarnation cycle had been closed. Death would have meant her final end, her joining the Abyss. There would be no more chances to start anew and meet her beloved ever again. Perhaps she should have remained in Sagakin and attempted to reconcile with Hajime. Sure, their relationship would have been strained due to her secrets which had been exposed so abruptly, but she was sure that time may have healed their wounds and rekindled the love that had been sparked in the week they adventured together. And even if their love would have come to an end once he would have succumbed to old age in half a century, at least it would have been an experience she would always cherish in her heart, like with all the other men and women she had loved in her past lives for centuries. A part of her wished the reincarnation spell she had cast upon Shishima and herself would have had the power to turn them into actual humans and rid them of their accursed demonic powers and immortality.
Surviving in the southeastern woods was easier than she expected. Having plants as an ally granted her an incredible advantage. The single sound of rustling grass would warn her whenever pursuers were close by. Trees would point with their branches towards safe hideouts. Sometimes vines even captured small prey for her: flying imps, little devils or goblins, all three races too small to escape the tight grip of the plants and too chaotic and single-minded to formulate a plan. In a way they were akin to a fly struggling in a spiderweb, except their meat was saltier, and in some cases spicier, she reckoned. Although she did not find any prey caught in her traps, a single gray-capped mushroom stretched and poked her ankle, turning Nekohana's attention to a small cave dug in that ground, poorly covered by bushes. She cautiously approached it and peeked inside to find a small gang of green goblins with long sharp ears and noses resting among rocks, coins and empty alcohol bottles after a long night of debauchery. Before any of them could even raise an eyelid, Nekohana shoved her mouth into the cave and began her feast, munching on a couple of bodies at a time. Their screams only rang in her ears as she delved deeper to ensure there would be no survivor. Despite the terrible fate that befell the tiny creatures, she could hardly find it in herself to pity them. Any semblance of remorse she may have had was washed away by the appetizing taste of their flesh and blood. In a way it all felt nostalgic, she had almost forgotten the pleasure that hunting gave her alongside the taste of raw meat.
Once finished, she went to a nearby river and crouched down to wash the crimson stains off of her fangs with cold water which calmed her thirst. As she stood on her fours, she took better notice that her reflection was none too different from a regular lioness in the mortal world - primal, rabid, predatory. Everything had been for naught. Shishima was captured, the authorities were on a constant hunt for her, plants were her only allies and she was reverting to a monstrous state she had been striving to overcome for millennia. In the end she was just another predator hiding from the apex. A single bloody tear fell off her cheek into the moving water as the weight of her blame began to resurface in her thoughts. She should have talked Shishima out of his revenge ploy while the chance was still there, now all she had ahead was a future without him - a meaningless future.
All of a sudden, the all-too-familiar howl of canine youkai stirred her and she looked ahead to find two inugami on a cliff, having just spotted her. Those soldiers would soon call for backup from Rufu's forces, so she took no chances. With a single wave from her index finger, two tree branches immediately stretched and impaled both soldiers through their chests, their bodies dissolving before they could fall into the river. Had she been her younger self, she may have simply run away and end up being chased by them, but now after losing so much she could no longer care about the value of every life. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made, no matter how cruel, in order to ensure one's survival.
The grass beneath her feet rustled and announced the coming of more pursuers. Unable to waste any more time wallowing in self-pity, Nekohana rushed back into the depth of the woods. As she advanced, the familiar sights of dried pine and oak changed into those of bamboo, and soon she arrived at a fork in the road. By her right rested a lonely raccoon dog youkai, rich grayed brown fur covering his plump body, a large leaf on his head and a large bottle of sake by his side. Their race was known as the tanuki, masters of shapeshifting among the Twilight Kingdom's residents, able to disguise even their scent if necessary.
"Where are you headed, stranger?" the lazy tanuki asked casually.
"None of your business," Nekohana dismissively answered as she took a better look at the two roads ahead. Both were filled with small sharp rocks and the bamboo forest seemed to darken ahead, as if she were unwelcome in that area.
"I would choose my path wisely if I were you. Any hasty decision may cause you to tumble down into a world of pain."
"I don't need the advice of a prankster tanuki! No physical pain can be compared to the ache my heart has endured for over a millennia."
"That is quite the statement, lady. Very well, make your pick if you are in such a hurry."
Immediately she ran to the right side, and soon enough she felt the excruciating sensation of rocks stabbing her feet. Unable to endure, she collapsed ahead and collided against an invisible barrier which burnt the fur on her skin and threw her all the way back to the fork in the road. The tanuki had gotten up and was staring at her with a mocking expression on his silly face.
"You should think with a clearer mind if you wish to get ahead in life," he advised.
Angered by the trickery, Nekohana rolled on her fours and snarled at the raccoon dog. A bamboo popped out of the ground and landed into her outstretched hand which she used as a fighting stick as she lashed at the one who dared to deceive her. But the trickster was faster, he jumped in the air and shapeshifted into a giant boulder, immediately landing on her head and knocking her unconscious.
When she opened her eyes, Nekohana found herself in a small village comprised of a dozen huts made of wood, a large bamboo fence surrounding the entire location and shielding it from any unwanted predator. Around her was a large group of tanuki, curiosity oozing from the small glowing milky-white eyes. One of them calmly approached her and she immediately recognized him from the leaf he wore on his head.
"I see you are awake. My name is Kinta. Please accept my sincere apologies for the tricks I played on you back in the forest. I swear there was no ill intent, I just-" He was immediately interrupted by a growling Nekohana who immediately rose on her feet, only to realize she was way taller than the villagers, whose heads barely reached her waist. Squealing in fear, the raccoon dogs ran back into their homes or hid behind stones. "I beg you, do not harm us!" Kinta shouted while falling on his knees. "I brought you here because I saw you were in danger, I only wanted to provide you shelter!"
"You have a weird way of showing altruism, furball!" Nekohana spat back.
"In order to bring you here, I had to do it in a manner that would keep our village hidden-"
"No more lies from your mouth!" Nekohana raised her claws, ready to hack down the small creatures. "All tanuki are untrustworthy pranksters, I won't listen to you just like I won't listen to any other youkai!"
"I beg of you, spare us!" Kinta looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "We are the last surviving tanuki in Twilight Kingdom. As a weaker race, merely living to see the next day is an effort in and of itself!"
There was no point in listening to their sob stories. Her position had been compromised and she could end up betrayed in any moment. Just as she was about to lop Kinta's head off, she caught her rabid face's reflection again, this time in her claws. Would she really allow herself to succumb to her monstrous nature? Would becoming another evil youkai help her rescue Shishima? Did the prince fall in love with her for these traits, which were no different from the majority of demonkind? No, what differentiated Nekohana from the rest was her kind heart. And even if her kindness had been misplaced more than once, it was what made her a better person, and more 'human' beyond any physical traits she might have shared with mortals. Her claws lowered, she said:
"Very well, I will listen to what you have to say."
"Thank you for the understanding." Kinta nodded and cleared his throat. "Since the founding of the Twilight Kingdom around the beginning of time, we tanuki had thrived in the entire Southern parts of the Twilight Kingdom. But then the fox youkai known as kitsune led by a nine-tailed tyrant named Kyubi assaulted us. They burned down our bamboo forests and villages, conquered our lands and devoured most of our people. This happened not long Purgatory's fall, when Queen Koushishi enacted a new law permitting predatory youkai to oppress weaker youkai."
"Did you not have your representative senator complain to the queen's administration?"
Nekohana's question was met with bitter laughter from the villagers as a hunched elder tanuki walked up to her using a cane, who continued Kinta's relating, "Our political representation ended as soon as our people were drove into hiding. Koushishi no longer wishes to support any 'weak races' and has openly condoned that the strong devour the weak as a way of vetting the Twilight Kingdom's populace. As such, we are no different from the common imp that is hunted for its meat."
A different feeling of guilt filled Nekohana's heart. For all their poverty and burdening taxes, at least the oni still had a semblance of respect due to being capable fighters. The tanuki were rendered as nothing more than meat fodder. Their only way of survival was deceit and shapeshifting in lieu of actual brutal strength. Ashamed of her previous attitude, she searched into her mane and pulled out a Soul Star, a small flower with four sharp navy blue petals resembling a star which she then placed on the ground while carefully kneeling down.
"It is I who must apologize for misjudging you," she humbly confessed. "Please accept this gift as a sign of my gratitude. I must admit that as an outcast, I too sympathize with your plea. With that said, would you be willing to aid me in rescuing prince Shishima?"
"We have heard rumors of his apparent survival and return, as well as his ultimate defeat at the mercy of his mother's terrible might," the village elder mused.
"With all due respect, why would you need our help, miss? We are all too inferior and weak to actually make a difference," Kinta admitted with a defeated attitude and lowered head.
"Your hearts are in the right place. To me that is sufficient," Nekohana replied with a smile and bowed respectfully to the smaller villagers. "Thank you for rescuing me from General Rufu's forces. Like you, I also lived to see another day of freedom. You have my word that I will keep your village's location a secret."
To have their kindness be reciprocated by a stronger youkai was indeed a rare sight to see. Before any tanuki could say anything to their visitor, she walked to a small bonsai, crouched down to touch its trunk and then her hand glowed green, after which she vanished from their sight in the very next moment.
Nekohana traveled through the interconnected roots and fungi in the underground, going across half of the southeastern woods until she emerged once more in Jubokko's hideout. She turned around to be greeted by the tall and imposing tree with crimson leaves falling off of its branches, new youkai corpses caught in its roots that were protruding from the ground, slowly dried of their blood and life essence. With a higher-than-thou tone in its booming voice, the tree spoke:
"So, one way or another you've found your way back to your origins, no matter how much you tried to fight for your own path in life."
"I still stand by my decision completely," Nekohana defiantly replied.
"You were a fool for falling in love, which is a surefire sign of exploitable weakness in our world, child. But, worse still, you chose to follow the steps of a disgraced prince who does not even deserve the honor of standing among the daiyoukai, let alone call himself one."
"Neither Shishima nor I care anymore for the life that the Twilight Kingdom has to offer us! I came here to ask why the plant youkai never once dared oppose Koushishi's tyrannical rule. We've both seen how poorly she has treated our nature. Surely you cannot stand for such an affront."
"The Twilight Kingdom's entire plant life has both been nourished and exploited since its very inception. Yes, Koushishi has leaned more towards the exploitative side, but this has just been the status quo we have been accommodated with. As long as the queen doesn't overstep her boundaries and start outright destroying our forests, her political schemes are of no concern." Nekohana's ears fell flat upon hearing the tree's response. "I know very well what you are trying to do and it will not work - you won't be able to rally anyone against Koushishi to save Shishima. Nobody besides you truly cares about the former prince, whose fate has now been sealed."
"How did you...?"
"Your actions are more than obvious for the casual observer such as myself. I did warn you that these feelings of love you harbor are a weakness. Listen, I will not try to force you to rejoin your kin as a plant, but I still demand you stop this vicious cycle of running and hiding. You have two options: either return to tending to us as we are your true family, or at least find a more suitable mate and reproduce, as it is your life's duty to spread your seeds further."
Clenching her fist, she raised her voice at the tree,"You are just as selfish as I am! No matter how much you may use other plants' well-being as an excuse to chain my life to yours, I will not let you influence me any further!" She took out her deck which glowed with a dual purple and green aura. "Jubokko, here and now I will defeat you and attain the full power of the Fushigi Kingdom!"
With a giggle of expectancy, the tree shook the ground and out of it emerged two wooden dueling tables. On one there was a deck of cards which was shuffled by its branches while Nekohana walked to the other and set up her own cards, thus beginning their duel.
"I summon Gigantofushigidake." An anthropomorphic white mushroom holding a small staff appeared by Jubokko's side.
"I summon Dandy Nasuo." An anthropomorphic eggplant holding a wooden club appeared by Nekohana's side as she searched her deck and placed Brachiodrange into her mana zone, after which she tossed it into her graveyard.
"I summon Belladoane, Immortal Faerie." A pink-haired Snow Faerie wearing a dark green winter sweater and wielding a pair of ice flowers appeared by the mushroom's side as its owner checked the top two cards of its deck. "Fortune Wind goes to my graveyard and Mystery Hippo to my mana zone."
"I cast Beginning of the End." Nekohana put the top three cards of her deck into her graveyard, those being Dark Life, Rymer Druid and Darthshigikei, the latter of which she recovered.
"I summon Piodoro, Dragon Armored Car." A tank made of tomatoes, covered by a dragon's skull and with a giant green hammer emerging from its back appeared by Jubokko's side. "It has mach fighter, so I attack Dandy Nasuo!" The creature extended its hammer and crushed the eggplant into nothingness.
"I summon Darthshigikei for two mana and discard Gigandydanos." A bear plushie wearing a skull and wielding a hook and spear appeared in the battle zone. "Fushigiverse, I send Darthshigikei to my mana zone and revive Rymer Druid for the same cost." The plushie disappeared in a green light and was replaced by a green-skinned humanoid who was wearing an orange loincloth, a necklace with painted eyes, golden bracelets and earrings and a witch hat, and wielding a wooden staff with a skull on its top. "I check the top four cards of my deck, add Dark Life to my mana zone and send Trap Giant, Dakliedrange and Hayabusamaru to my graveyard."
"Mana Reburst 0, I summon Mystery Hippo from my mana zone for free and send Ganveedrange from my mana zone into the graveyard." A golden hippopotamus dressed in a multicolored kabuki theater outfit appeared. "Fushigiverse, I send Mystery Hippo back to my mana zone and revive Fortune Wind for one mana." The creature got enveloped in a similar green light and disappeared, being replaced by a raccoon dog holding two leeks as weapons. "Fortune Wind allows me to recover Belladoane, Immortal Faerie from my mana zone, and now I will summon her as well." A second pink-haired Snow Faerie appeared as the demonic tree checked the top two cards of its deck and said, "Underkane goes to my graveyard and Rymer Lancer to my mana zone."
"I cast Assault, Onifuda Kingdom! With its effect I revive Dakliedrange!" A bipedal crocodile whose green scales were covered in a purple poisonous goo and with a glowing halo above its head arose in the middle of the battle zone and gave a mighty roar.
"You dare taint the purity of the Fushigi Kingdom by mixing in Onifuda Kingdom cards?!" an angered Jubokko asked.
"I am not tainting anything! The Onifuda Kingdom cards were a gift from Shishima, a symbol of our love's rekindling, and I am proudly adapting them to my strategy!" Nekohana argued. "Dakliedrange has mach fighter, so I attack-"
"No, you will not! Piodoro's effect doesn't allow any of your creatures to attack on the turn they are put in the battle zone." The tomato tank rushed at the crocodile and collided against it, shoving the reptilian back at its owner's side. "Now that your shameful display has ended, it's my turn. I cast Dark Life, check the top two cards of my deck and add Jukushite Inai Zombiebanana to my mana zone and Jasmine to my graveyard. Fushigiverse, I send Fortune Wind to my mana zone and revive Underkane, Fearless Monster for 5 mana, who also revives Jasmine, Mist Faerie!" The raccoon dog got surrounded by a green light and vanished, being replaced by a sharp skull attached to a skeleton made of pure darkness appeared alongside a green-haired Snow Faerie in a brown dress. "I destroy Jasmine and send the top card of my deck into my mana zone." The little faerie exploded as soon as she appeared, causing Vyston, Earth's Death to land in its owner's mana zone.
"Fushigiverse, I send Dakliedrange to my mana zone and revive Gigandydanos, Big Tree King for 6 mana!" The crocodile vanished and its spot was taken immediately by a giant tree creature crawled out on its four legs, its head shaped like that of a moose, a small purple halo floating between its horns, a multitude of small birds flying around its branches, its wooden face shaped like a skull out of which it exhaled an eerie purple smoke. "Since Dakliedrange left the battle zone, I send Piodoro to your mana zone as well!" The crocodile's purple goo assaulted the tomato tank, withering it away. "How does it feel to have the head of the Fushigi Kingdom turned against you, Jubokko? Does it frustrate you to have his power mixed with that of other kingdoms and races?"
"Your blasphemous acts will soon be corrected, Nekohana. Fushigiverse, I send a Belladoane to my mana zone and revive Ganveedrange for 10 mana!" A winged bipedal dragon arose, its body made of earth and roots, a pair of moose horns on its head and countless trees emerging from its back. "When Ganveedrange is put into the battle zone, I self mill seven cards!" Rymer Lancer, Jukushite Inai Zombiebanana, Gigantofushigidake, Belladoane, Immortal Faerie, Dark Masters, Demon Dragon and two Rymer Druids landed in Jubokko's graveyard. "Rymer Lancer and the Rymer Druids all have Fushigiverse. Since three creatures with Fushigiverse were milled, you must choose three cards in your hand and put them into your mana zone, then destroy three of your creatures!"
Not having much choice, Nekohana placed the single Domanmodrange from her hand into her mana zone, then she destroyed her only two creatures - Rymer Druid and Gigandydanos, both vanishing in huge explosions. When her turn came, she drew a Trap Giant for which she did not have enough mana to summon, so she just placed it in her mana zone and ended there, unable to comprehend how that single creature could have turned the tides against her so easily when her main finisher was out.
"I summon Gigandydanos, Big Tree King!" The giant quadrupedal tree creature reappeared, this time by Jubokko's side. "Do you see now? If you use Fushigiverse with the cards designed for it, its power is way stronger. Your symbolic gesture in the name of something as fleeting as love will be your downfall!"
"I summon Obuza 08, Demon Dragon Armored with four mana!" A tall mechanical creature covered in spikes and chains appeared, a cannon sticking out of its mouth and a dragon's skull on its head. "Since I have five cards in my graveyard, Obuza 08 gives -5000 power to Belladoane." The creature fired a laser beam from its mouth and blasted away the small faerie. "Fushigiverse, I send Obuza 08 to my mana zone and revive Gigandydanos, Big Tree King again!" The leader of the Fushigi Kingdom arose by Nekohana's side as well, staring at his copy wielded by Jubokko.
"No matter how hard you may try, in the end the power of the Fushigi Kingdom favors those who truly nurture it - I summon Trap Giant and send Gigandydanos to your mana zone!" A horned giant with a small forest growing all over its mountainous body appeared, a mustached face carved on its head, and it used a dual-bladed sword to cut off the tree dragon, making it disappear into the mana zone. "Now my Gigandydanos, world break!" Jubokko ordered and the creature spat a purple toxic smoke upon all of Nekohana's shields, shattering them in an instant.
"Shield trigger, I summon Tsuruhashi Doji!" A small horned blue oni wielding a pickaxe appeared, causing Domanmodrange, Rymer Druid and Darthshigikei to land into its owner's graveyard. "I recover Hayabusamaru. Then shield trigger, I cast Assault, Onifuda Kingdom! Since Onitime is activated, I can use both of its effects, so I destroy Underkane and revive a second Tsuruhashi!" Another blue oni appeared, causing Dark Life, Trap Giant and Obuza 08, Demon Dragon Armored to land into its owner's graveyard, the latter being recovered as well.
"Ganveedrange, todomeda!"
"Tsuruhashi, block! Since he's a slayer, both our creatures die!" The small oni stood in front of the winged and horned dragon of earth and trees, stabbing it in the chest with his pickaxe, the larger creature wailing in agony and crashing on the ground upon the smaller one. "Now it's my turn, I summon Obuza 08 for three mana and give -6000 to Gigantofushigidake!"
"Since Gigantofushigidake was destroyed, it goes to my mana zone."
"Fushigiverse, I send Obuza 08 to my mana zone and revive Brachiodrange for 4 mana!" The mechanical dragon disappeared in a green light and was replaced by a slender bipedal dragon whose limbs and tail were leafed tree branches, its body decorated with precious sapphires. "Tsuruhashi, suicide with Gigandydanos!" The other blue oni rushed at the horned tree dragon and stabbed it in one of its tree legs, the creature roaring in pain and blow up alongside its assaulter.
Jubokko was surprised by the sudden turn of events. In one moment the tree was in full control of the match, but those Onifuda Kingdom shield triggers had turned the tide back in its opponent's favor. Now with Brachiodrange out, its creatures lost their enter the battle zone effects. Perhaps borrowing power from other kingdoms was an idea to be considered. Still, there were still five shields its opponent had to go through, so not all was lost. Using one of its branches to draw its next card, Jubokko said, "I summon Gigantofushigidake." The white mushroom wielding a staff reappeared. "Turn end."
"I cast Assault, Onifuda Kingdom! With its effect I destroy Gigantofushigidake and revive Domanmodrange!" A bipedal elephant made of purple stone and with two large cherry trees growing on its shoulders arose in the battle zone. "With Domanmodrange's effect, I can summon a creature from my mana zone during my turn, so I summon Obuza 08 for 3 mana."
"I summon Jasmine, Mist Faerie and end."
"I summon Gigandydanos, Big Tree King from my mana zone and end as well!"
With no enter the battle zone effects allowed by Brachiodrange and no attacks from weaker creatures allowed by Gigandydanos, Jubokko was in full lockdown. Its only hope remained in its shields. "I summon Dandy Nasuo and end."
"I summon Dakliedrange from my mana zone! Mach fighter, it attacks and destroys Jasmine! Then, Gigandydanos, break all of Jubokko's shields!"
The demonic tree welcomed the toxic smoke attack from the Fushigi Kingdom's leader and as soon as the five cards went into its branches, it immediately revealed two of them, saying, "Shield trigger, I cast Demon Hand and destroy Brachiodrange!" A pair of demonic purple hands grabbed the slender plant dragon and crushed it. "Now I can use my come into play effects again, so shield trigger - Spiner, Shock Doctor! Obuza 08 gets -9000 and is destroyed!" The caped mad doctor Mafi Gang appeared and shoved his electric rods into the mechanical dragon, zapping the creature until it disintegrated. "Then Super Shield Trigger, I can revive any number of creatures which cost 4 or less, so I shall revive Jasmine, Gigantofushigidake, two Belladoane and two Rymer Druids!" One by one, the small creatures all arose from the ground, rebuilding Jubokko's battle zone, much to Nekohana's chagrin.
"Domanmodrange, todomeda!"
"Gigantofushigidake blocks and goes to my mana zone due to being destroyed!" The small mushroom jumped in the way of the stone elephant and was crushed underfoot. "And now that your attacks are done, my turn begins. Rainbownus, since I have a multicolored creature in the battle zone, I summon Jukushite Inai Zombiebanana for 5 mana instead of 9. With Zombiebanana's effect, I destroy your Gigandydanos!" An anthropomorphic green banana wearing a golden necklace appeared and fired a purple beam from its body upon the giant tree dragon, blasting it to pieces. "Now my creatures are free to attack you again! Rymer Druid, todomeda!"
"Ninja Strike 4, I summon Hayabusamaru, Lightfang Ninja and block the attack!" A small white plane flew in the path of the green-skinned druid and got whacked away by his staff.
"My second Rymer Druid, finish this, todomeda!" Jubokko ordered and the other druid jumped at the flower lioness and hit her with his staff.
Nekohana crashed against a log, her deck's contents scattered on her body. Jubokko made the wooden dueling tables sink back into the ground and directly addressed her in a demeaning voice, "You've let your emotions overwhelm your better judgment, that is why you lost today. However, since you could resist my power and were this close to defeating me, I will spare you - you have earned your freedom. Now take your cards and leave this place, child! If you will not obey me, then you are doomed to forever wander the Twilight Kingdom without any real purpose!"
Her head lowered in shame and anger flowing through her veins, Nekohana tightened her grip on her gathered deck and grabbed a different tree's root, vanishing underground, unsure where she would go from then on.