Hello my friends, here am I again.
Sorry for the long delay. First, my old PC died and I couldn't post anything, it took time for me to get a new one with the help of my family, but I did. Then it was a matter of getting my old writing programs running, but after some time trying my uncle was able to do it. then it was all a matter of writing the chapter, which I did and present to you now.
I need to point out something first though, this chapter, and future ones, will not be as big as the first two, especially not as big as the second chapter (Which was 20k long). You can see the first two as specials, chapters as long as they can appear in the future, but in general, my standard chapter is more modest in size.
Anyway, sorry for the long wait, hope you all like this one.
DISCLAIMER: I don't know if I should do this or not but whatever, I don't own anything here apart from my OC's.
May have grammar errors
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After walking through the Torii Gate and feeling the space around me rippling, I arrived in a different place. It looked like, no, it was a Shinto temple, amazingly decorated it was some good leagues ahead of the one in Yamanokawa (Not that it is a competition).
Glancing behind me I saw the statue of a celestial wolf, 'my' statue, glowing in a celestial light of a sapphire hue that was familiar to me already, that, and the connection I felt with the whole place, confirmed the expected, that this place was a temple dedicated to 'Makami'.
""Welcome Young Master Lucius and Lady Yasaka!""
Breaking me from my musing was the resounding greeting that came from the people waiting for us, Youkais of all shapes and sizes stood before us in two rows, with solemn expressions they looked at us with utmost reverence.
"..."
I stood there waiting for something more to happen, for them to say something, but that didn't happen. Looking to the side I saw Yasaka, the one I thought would be taking the lead here, just looking back at me with a smile.
Well, seems like I'm the one supposed to take the lead here. Hard to not figure that out when everyone is looking straight at you, so before the silence and their stares get unbearable I lightly cleared my throat and then addressed them.
"I thank everyone for the welcome! To see you all here waiting for me is touching, it really is"
No one booing or shouting? Seems like I'm saying the right thing, let's hopefully keep that stride.
"As you all might already know, I'm very new to this whole 'Youkai' and 'god' thing, so I'll be apologizing in advance for any hiccup I may commit. However, I swear on my name that I'll be doing my very best to be able to fulfill my role as the 'Okuchi-no-Makami'. You all will not be disappointed with me, I will be the best 'God of Wolves' you guys will ever see, be very sure of that!"
Finishing my little speech, I turned my attention to them again, seeing lips curled into a smile and eyes shining with happiness I knew that I hadn't blown this moment up. Glancing to the side, I saw Yasaka looking at me with an expression of approval clear on her face.
So far so good, really glad my first speech ever to my 'people' didn't end a disaster.
Yasaka then called one of the people in the crowd, he was the very first in one of the rows, standing so close to us I could imagine his position here to be of some big significance, a line of thought that was confirmed by what Yasaka said next.
"This is Sairo, the Chief Tengu"
Looking at him again Sairo's status as a Chief Tengu was not hard to guess, although looking like an old man Sairo appeared to be quite fit, his tall frame projected a certain imposing aura that was certainly stronger than that of Kurogami or Kurohashira. His hair and beard were white, and his face completely red, his robes of an ascetic monk completely unblemished.
"Young Master Lucius" said the Chief Tengu in a very respectful tone and a bow "It's a great honor to be in your presence, to finally meet you"
"The feeling is mutual" I returned his greeting, and looking at him I said "If you're the Chief Tengu then Kurogami and Hashira were under you, right?"
"That's correct Young Master" He gave me a firm nod, his expression turning serious he said "Their disappointing performance today will be on me, accept my most sincerest apologies and please don't allow what happened today to taint your view of we Tengu"
Seem like I needed to correct something here.
Looking at him with a raised eyebrow I asked "Why do you think I'm disappointed with their performance today?"
This seems to caught the old man by surprise.
"You are not?"
"Of course not" I shook my head to emphasize my point "As I said to those two earlier, sidetracking and delaying our schedule isn't something on them. In the end, a town was saved and some assholes had been defeated. I consider that- a win"
The man kept his expression of surprise for a few moments longer, then changing to one of relief he bowed to me again before saying "I appreciated your words, Young Master"
Going by his reaction, and the one Kurogami and Hashira had before, it seems like the Tengu put some big importance on doing their duties without any error. It could also be an aspect of only the Tengu working here, the weight of their duties bringing this side of them out.
"Don't mention it" I replied with a smile, speaking about my two helpers made me remember something "Say, could you please send some people to Yamanokawa? Kurogami and Hashira said they could restore the farms there by themselves, but I don't want to make them stay there for too long, they're most likely also tired and deserve a rest. I also want the good people there to get their lands back as soon as possible"
"Don't worry Young Master, consider that done!"
"I appreciate"
The divine beauty, Yasaka, watched my interaction with Sairo with a pleased expression. When I finished speaking with the man, she turned to me and said "Initially we had a couple of things planned for your arrival Young Master, like a tour, but seeing how the events today went I believe it'd be more prudent to show your room so you can rest"
"You're not wrong there" I nodded at her in agreement, stretching my arms a bit I allowed a yawn to escape my lips "After walking all day, after having my first fight against a bunch of Youkais, I am sure as hell in need of some rest"
"Let's not make you wait any longer then"
Nodding at me Yasaka along with a group of maids, all fox-eared and wearing those 'miko' robes, began leading me away. Leaving the Youkais standing in formation behind, still very impressed with them, we exited the temple and walked into a well-decorated hallway. It became clear to me the temple was connected to a palace, a big, beautiful palace of the likes I only saw in documentaries as national treasures of old countries.
The look of wonder on my face must've been a funny sight, the amused giggles of the maids, barely contained, went basically uninterrupted all the way as we walked. My wolf-ears twitching I even caught wind of Yasaka's giggles, graceful as everything else that seems to come from this woman.
Giving one last passing glance through a window at a serene garden, I ended my five-minute walk led by the group of fox Youkais when we arrived before a pair of big double doors in another wing of the palace.
Gazing up at them I whistled "Do you guys expected giants to come live here?" I playfully stated. Turning to the maids that went in position to open them I asked "Do you lovely ladies mind if am the one to open them? It looks like fun"
Pushing open the doors of a palace room looks like a scene straight out of a movie, I even had my own entourage following behind me, my inner child was giddy picturing the scene from multiple 'cinematic' angles.
"As you wish Young Master"
Said the maid on the left, a bespectacled black-haired beauty, while the one on the right, a beauty with long pink hair, only giggled in amusement as both of them stepped back.
I passed my new Totsuka sword to the person next to me, who ended up being Yasaka, and then rubbed my hands in preparation before going forward, putting a hand on each door I waited only a second and then pushed both doors open in one go.
"▂▂▂▂ !"
Pushing the door open I barely had time to glimpse at the room's interior before something jumped on me, taken completely by surprise I allowed myself to be pushed backward until my back touched the ground. A wet tongue began assaulting my face, controlling the laughs induced by this I pushed the furry being on top of me back enough so I could better assert the situation, looking back at my assailant and seeing the orange fur I instantly realized who this was.
"Orelha!"
My furry friend, the maned wolf Orelha, whom I hadn't seen since leaving Brasil, was now before me in the Youkai city of Urakyoto. Happy at seeing my friend I started rubbing his head and calling him a good boy, having done that I turned around and addressed Yasaka.
"You're behind this?" I asked her with a smile, happy that Orelha was here.
To my question, Yasaka answered:
"He arrived here earlier via one of Kurogami's spells, knowing he's a follower of yours we took good care of him. Putting him here in your room was my idea, I believe that having a familiar element around should help you acclimate to your new home"
Hearing her words I nodded in understanding.
She got a point there, despite my willingness to come and stay here, it didn't change the fact this place was totally new to me.
A foreign new place away from my home and anything I knew, feeling a certain discomfort and apprehension is more than expected, so Yasaka's move of making Orelha stay in my room is very appreciated, with him around this period of transition should be smoother.
I was going to ask her to put Orelha in my room later actually, the fact she already did that surprised me but also gave me a great sense of comfort.
"Thank you for that, really" The sincerity in my tone was clear to anyone.
"No need to thank me Young Master" She replied with a smile, she then put a hand on her cheek and did a coy expression "Hearing these words is not bad though, they're very much appreciated"
What a woman.
Giving Orelha another head rub I turned my attention back to the bedroom, finally giving the place a good scan all over it. It was a 'royal bedroom' in all the senses of the word, from the pristine crimson painting of the walls to the marvelous crafting of the furniture, everything gave off an 'it's expensive' air.
That wasn't what most caught my attention though, no, what really had me taken aback was how everything looked so… not Japanese.
Don't get me wrong, the place wasn't an outright European room, it was still in harmony with the rest of the location. Saying that though, it still lacked elements one, more so I, would expect from a Japanese bedroom inside a palace of old like this one.
Like the obvious exchange of a 'tatami dais' and the 'futon' that would go on top of it, for a bed of the likes I always knew and loved. A very big bed, after all this was still a 'royal room', but a bed like the ones I always knew nonetheless. Or the presence of a computer, my computer to be exact, and an honest to 'God' sofa at another end of the bedroom.
"The place feels… modern"
Yes, 'modern', that'd be the correct word to describe the feeling of this room; Where the rest of the palace felt like a piece of the past, a time when gods and monsters walked alongside man, this room despite still fitting the overall aesthetic looks like something you could find in today's time.
"That's another arrangement of mine" said Yasaka with a proud smile "In line with wishing to make your stay here as comfortable as possible, I saw that making the room more 'familiar' to you'd help. From what I've heard, going from sleeping in a bed to sleeping in a 'futon' can be somehow challenging to foreigners" she giggled "Is not like this type of room is new to us"
Once again I was moved by her gesture.
Sure, with the manpower and resources at her disposal, this all probably only took a snap of fingers to get it done. But the thought is what matters, that she thought about all these small things (Not that the room is small, is pretty fucking big) to make me feel better here, is really sweet and touching.
"Thank You"
My voice was clear and the sentiment in my tone was genuine, hearing my words a look of surprise briefly flashed in Yasaka's eyes. With a soft smile donning her lips, she said:
"It's a pleasure to be of help, Young Master"
"… what a beautiful smile indeed"
Like before in my realm a flustered expression came to her, being in the presence of others she quickly schooled her expression and regained her former look, the change in her expression went so quickly that only those paying very close attention could have caught on.
The maids around us weren't as trained however, they went 'ohhh!' and 'ahhh!' while giggling for a time due to what I just had so openly said, but after the more senior ones amongst them shushed them into silence they stopped.
"We will leave you be now so you can rest Young Master. We will not disturb, you but if you need anything just call out and someone will promptly come to you"
Having said her piece Yasaka laid my Totsuka sword on the bed, then with her entourage of maids, who had gone around the place doing some last tidying, elegantly walked away from the room and closed the door.
Thud!
Now finally alone I allowed a sight that I didn't even realize I was holding escape me, walking to the bed and sitting on its edge I began going over all that had happened that day; Getting displaced from the plane, meeting an old 'follower', touring around a town in the countryside, investigating a series of arsons, turning into my true form, fighting two angry Oni, using my powers for the first time, flying through the skies, going to another plane of reality and meeting real Shinto deities, being gifted a mythical sword, meeting a divine beauty, finding that I killed someone…
"What a day!"
What else could I say? Not even the others who planned my travel here expected me to get caught up in so many things on my first day in this land called Japan, they probably scratched their heads just as much as me with all that went down today.
But I have to say, despite its ups and downs this day... was one very enjoyable day.
Not only did I get to help some people in need and stretch my powers, but I also got the chance to tour around a new place in a totally new country, an opportunity I honestly never expected to be presented to me at this point in my life.
"-And I get to stay in such an amazing room too!"
" ▂▂▃ !"
"Yeah, you're right Orelha. Am indeed needing a bath right now"
" ▂▂▂▂▃ "
"So you know where the bathroom is, huh? Lead the way then"
Guided by my furry friend I found my way to the bathroom in the back of the room, a place more akin to a whole bathhouse with how big it is. A bit overkill in my opinion, but I digress.
After my warm bath, with water that most likely was of supernatural origin with how good it felt, I shook myself dry like a dog, Orelha doing it too as he bathed with me, then walked out of that amazing bathroom.
All my luggage had been brought over, efficient work indeed, so I got myself a clean change of clothes and promptly jumped on the bed. The bed, big enough for many people and soft like a cloud, was as comfortable as something straight out of paradise!
'Aahhh!'
I felt all my fatigue melting away. My worries and troubled thoughts regarding my new life got pushed aside thus giving way to calmness. The vibe of the room was one of serenity, a palace built ages past the aura that permeated everything, including my room, had reached an amazing level of refinement. It washed over me and helped make me give in to the oh-so-alluring embrace of the land of dreams.
Without troubles or worries, and with my trusted furry friend by my side, I closed my eyes and entered the land of dreams.
…
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…
The Next Day – Lucius's Bedroom, Urakyoto
" ▂▂▃▃ ▂▂▃ ! "
"Okay, okay, am already awake!"
With a wet tongue assaulting my face as alarm wishing or not I had to wake up, not that I had that much trouble waking up early, pushing Orelha off my face I patted his head and then stretched myself while yawning.
Looking around and seeing the room I was in made me realize everything that happened yesterday was true, muttering a 'It's all real' under my breath I made my way out of bed, my goal being obviously to get ready for the day and then go out and find Yasaka, Kurogami, or anyone else that could tell me what to do next.
Glint
I was stopped in my tracks however by a peculiar sight, an object made of copper so polished that it glinted under the light (magical light that had turned on its own when I woke up). A small but charming item that sat quietly on my bedside table, very simple looking but pleasing to look at nonetheless.
A small bell.
The bell that I only noticed now caught my attention for one specific reason, with me being now in a 'royal room' the sight of this item quickly made me think it was intended for me to call the maids or something. A thought that was rooted in nothing but my imagination, after all, there was no instruction with it, and yesterday no one told me anything about it.
"Should I… should I ring it?"
I asked out loud to my canine friend behind me, Orelha had nothing to say about it but I could feel that he was curious just like I was.
Cling! Cling!
Giving in to my curiosity I picked up the item made of copper and promptly shook it, a sound was made that rang clear across the room. For a solid moment after it, nothing happened and silence reigned, but then…
Thud!
""Good morning Young Master!""
The doors of my room got pushed open and the same entourage of maids in miko outfits from before came inside, moving with intention and purpose two of them went to the end of the room and opened the windows, allowing the natural sunlight to come in and make the magical light of the room turn off.
The others came in my direction, I, who had jumped off the bed due to the shock of seeing all these women coming in, stood there looking at these maids coming at me in complete bewilderment.
"Wh-what you all doing?" I asked in a stunned tone.
"Helping you get ready for the day of course!" "It's the duty Yasaka-sama gave us, we will complete it with perfection!"
Came their cheerful, but very much firm, answer. Without giving me any moment to voice my opinion about this arrangement, the bespectacled beauty from before and her pink-haired friend leading the others then surrounded me and went to work.
Somehow, someway, the plain yellow t-shirt I liked to wear to sleep got taken off me leaving me bare-chested, I could feel their hot gazes going up down my muscles at that moment. With muffled giggles, they, in the same mysterious way undressed me off my shirt, then dressed me in the same stylish clothes my mother gave to me and I had set as my new standard getup.
'When did they clean them?'
After what I did yesterday my clothes got pretty sweaty, but as the sweet scent of lavender washed over my nose I realized they all got washed as I slept; When exactly during the night did they come here and take my clothes I don't know, and honestly? I felt just a 'bit' afraid of asking.
"Your hair is very good Young Master, a beautiful white color"
Said one of the maids as she combed my hair, as tall as me the woman was very skilled in what she did. The comb she wielded felt very pleasant as it went through my hair.
"Your fur is very soft too!"
Said another maid that was behind me, with a comb in her hand she brushed my tail, her movements were gentle and very comfortable, even so, the feeling of someone so suddenly touching my tail made my embarrassment go beyond what I could handle.
"Hold there ladies!" Freeing myself from these maids' clutches I stepped away from them, noticing at that moment that somehow in the midst of all they had also changed me into my denim pants and black military-style combat boots (how do they do that?), before looking at them and saying "I appreciate the help. But can I at least get a say on this matter next time? I can change clothes myself!"
The bespectacled maid, I believe the leader among them, stepped forward and bowed to me, then with her serious voice said:
"I apologize Young Master, but we're just following Lady Yasaka-sama's orders. Serving you is an honor to us and our duty, please don't feel mad at us about this"
Her gesture and words emanated sincerity, looking at them again and feeling no malice in their eyes I then calmed down.
"I mean; not like am gonna complain about having a bunch of beautiful women touching me all over like that…" I mumbled in a quiet voice, however looking back at them and seeing the grins forming on their faces I realized I wasn't quiet enough (Fox Youkais, duh). Cleaning my throat, I hurriedly asked "Where's Yasaka now?"
"Lady Yasaka-sama is in the dining room waiting for you for breakfast"
I nodded at her, turning to my canine friend who had been watching all this time I saw him having a very amused look in his eyes "Very supporting you, huh?" I threw him a humorless glance before turning my focus away.
Walking to my bed I went and picked up [Frost Wolf], my Totsuka sword (Shortened name), and then tried to hoist it on my waist. After some failed attempts I was about to ask the maids to get me something to strap it to my waist, but then I felt a signal of understanding coming from my connection with it, opening my hand and letting go I watched in amazement the sword start hovering close to my waist.
I was surprised by this, and wanting to test this I 'told' the sword through our connection to go over behind my back at the height of my shoulder, which it did. after some more attempts that seemed to be the limit of what I could order it to do right now though. Still, a useful ability to have.
"Huh, what a good sword you are! Very handy indeed"
I sensed the sword feeling pleased at the compliment, almost like a dog. Didn't know it could do that, but then again, it's a divine magical sword so who to say what it cannot do?
My curiosity about this blade of mine increased once again, but I guess I'll shelve my questions for when meeting Yasaka. Willing the sword to hover to my waist I gave it a good shake, seeing it was firm there I turned to the leading maid and said "Lead the way"
"As you wish, Young Master"
…
Walking for a couple of minutes I was once again reminded how beautiful this place was, an honest-to-God Japanese palace, going through a pair of doors after doing a turn I was greeted by one big dining room with a great view to a serene garden with magical blossom trees.
"Amazing place you got here Yasaka"
"Well, I am glad you liked Young Master"
With a smile I greeted Yasaka who was standing in wait for me beside a long table, she looked gorgeous as always. Turning my head to the side I saw two familiar figures, Kurogami and Kurohashira, my two trusted Tengu helpers also present there in the room.
"Hey there!" With a happy smile, I walked towards them and greeted both with some fist-bumps "Happy to see you two here"
"The feeling is mutual Young Master" Said Kurogami with a smile., his fist-bump was not that natural though (Probably not used)
Hashira to the side also had a smile, after giving a much more natural fist-bumping to me he said "Heard you talked to Chief Sairo in our favor. Thanks for that"
"As if I'd do anything different" I smirked "How's Yamanokawa doing? Are the farms recovered?"
"As you left we went back and used some spells to revitalize the burned farms, after you talked with Chief Sairo he promptly sent some reinforcements that took that duty off our hands. With their numbers and skillset, the farms will be back to normal in a week's time. it could take even less but they want to be thorough with this, no one wants to fumble the first request the Young Master makes to us after all" explained Kurogami.
"That's nice of them, make sure to send me the name of each and everyone involved in this task so I can give my thanks to them personally later"
"As you wish Young Master!"
Having talked with the two I turned to the woman of the house, Yasaka, and started by going "Thanks for sending the ladies to help me, but next time tell them to be a little less… hands-on"
With a look that was not apologetic at all, Yasaka answered "Duly noted Young Master. But looking at your face I don't think you dislike it that much" Her voice was full of mirth as she teased me.
With a sigh, my voice gained a tinge of helplessness "Okay, you got me. You can have this point" Then I snapped my fingers and pointed at her while smirking "But I'll be settling this score later, be sure of that"
"As you wish, Young Master Lucius~~"
Trying to hide the red tint on my face I began scratching my ear, my wolf ear, having done that and calmed down I turned to her again and asked "So, what do you all have in store for me today?"
"I will explain that, but first, wouldn't it be better to have breakfast? You must be hungry"
She wasn't wrong to assume that, thinking back now am still going on those snacks I got with Natsuko-san yesterday. I had just ignored the hunger due to all that had happened, but now as the thought of eating something entered my mind the hunger made itself known again and demanded some food.
"I'd like that, yes"
The maids then showed me my place at the table, the seat of honor with Yasaka sitting to my right, Kurogami and Hashira would have stayed standing if I hadn't called them to sit too, which they did after some hesitation, they both sat to my left.
I also called the maids to sit down too, however, this time I was met with a refusal, seeing they wouldn't budge I accepted the 'no' and moved on. After that, the table was filled, and I said filled with plates with all sorts of food; Yakizakana (Grilled fish), Miso Shuri (Miso soup), Tamagoyaki, Dorayaki, and many other dishes I scarcely knew the names of.
The food was amazing, exotic, and delicious. I got to taste and enjoy many things that I only saw on TV or even didn't know at all! Mounds of food quickly disappeared down my mouth, a fact that startled me the first time I stopped to ponder about it.
But thinking more on that I saw that it makes sense, there's a tale of a wolf devouring a flock of sheep on its own, so as the 'God of Wolves' I having the ability to devour this amount of food probably shouldn't be that surprising.
…
"Thank you for the meal!"
After finishing the breakfast, I was feeling more than satisfied, looking around I saw the others also having pleased looks on their faces, they all enjoyed the meal, but no one ate as much as I did.
As the maids cleaned the table I turned my attention to the woman with golden hair and asked "Say Yasaka, what now?"
"One of the original ideas was touring you around Urakyoto, to show you our home and make you get acquainted with the many citizens that are more than eager to meet you. We would start by showing the rest of the palace now in the morning, and later in the afternoon show you some of the key places of the city"
"That sounds nice, real nice" Touring around doesn't seem like a bad idea, but as my mind drifted to all that happened I thought of another thing "Still…"
My look confused her, she asked "What do you have in mind, Young Master?"
"Yesterday made clear how unprepared I'm for this life, how little I know of this side of the world" Raising my right I made some 'Frostflames' cover it "I barely know how to use my powers, if not for my power overwhelming my enemies, yesterday's outcome would've been very different"
Killing the flames in my hand I gazed at her.
"I wish to do some training!"
Hearing my words, she nodded at me with a thoughtful expression "That can be arranged. Instructing you in the ways of 'our world', is one of the main goals we have here. The sooner you're able to learn how to navigate our world and use your powers, the sooner you will be able to properly assume your responsibilities as the 'Okuchi-no-Makami' "
"Nice!" I smirked "When can we start?"
"Well, right now if you want Young Master"
"Oh yeah? Let's go then!"
With a nod Yasaka stood up and began leading me away, both Kurogami and Hashira following right behind, as we walked out to the blossom trees garden and towards a training field there Yasaka already began explaining to me a few things about this world.
"There were different tiers to strength in the world, knowing and understanding them is important. Our Youkai race has the ranks of Low and Mid- class Youkais, they are the 'normal' Youkai that you will see most, the common folk essentially"
"-The Oni you fought yesterday were Mid-Class" pointed out Hashira "Though they could show some power of the next rank when together, it was only barely. They're Mid-class through and through"
Looking back at it he did mention that "They still proved hard to defeat. In that case, I should consider myself lucky for not running into someone stronger"
Yasaka nodded and continued "Above them there are 'Jouyoukai', the elite warriors. In general, those in this rank have honed their skills to a very high level and are not to be underestimated. In terms of raw power, you stand here Young Master as a big powerhouse, however…"
"-However I suck at controlling my powers and can't make proper use of them, having struggled even against some Mid-class foes, isn't that right?" I completed her phrase with a resigned tone.
"…Yes" she gave me an awkward nod.
I gained my power too quickly, going from nothing to hero in an instant I was given no chance to adapt to this change and learn how to use my power. Maybe if I were a Mary Sue character of a poorly written story I'd have mastered my powers the instant I gained them, but I'm not that, as such I need to put in some work.
"Above 'Jouyoukai' there are 'Daiyoukai', the leaders and strongest members of our race. Where a 'Jouyoukai' could for example destroy a mountain, a 'Daiyoukai' could potentially destroy Japan in its entirety on their own. So much was clearly shown when some… certain individuals tried to do it so in the past" explained Yasaka.
Holy-!
Destroy Japan, a whole ass country, on their lonesome? Yeah, yeah, the power of a Daiyoukai is not to joke around indeed! I was already stunned when she said that a 'Jouyoukai' could destroy a mountain, when she said that 'Daiyoukai' could destroy a country like Japan on their own I could feel nothing but awe.
Kurogami heard what Yasaka said and, ignoring my shock, decided to add something "Lady Yasaka-sama is one of our esteemed 'Daiyoukai', in fact even amongst them her power and status are remarkable. That's why she has such high standing in our race and is the leader of our faction"
My eyes widened at that, gazing at Yasaka the light in which I saw her now changed in the face of this new knowledge. Though I always felt like she was incredibly powerful, way more than what she shows, having the context of where she stands on the powerscale makes me see things from a whole new perspective.
"Incredibly beautiful and incredibly powerful, you're truly a woman of a kind Yasaka"
I said to her in a genuinely surprised tone, I could see her fox ears twitching for a moment at my compliment "You flatter me Young Master Lucius~~" The smile on her face as she said that showed she liked my words "Speaking of which your esteemed Ancestor, before going through apotheosis, was a 'Daiyoukai' himself. One of the most powerful I might add"
"Go Gramps!" Impressed I whistled, thinking about my great-great-grandfather a question came to mind "Where do 'gods' stand in relation to our 'Daiyoukais'?"
"True 'god-class' beings stand above 'Daiyoukai', although there are weak and strong gods in general their power is above what your normal 'Daiyoukai' can face. Apart from special cases, only another god-class can face a god-class" explained Yasaka with a rare seriousness to her voice "That's why you're so special Young Master, due to who you are reaching True god-class level of power is only a matter of time, when that happens you will stand above all the leaders of our race and have immense sway over our future!"
"Talk about no pressure…" I muttered under my breath.
The weight of the responsibility I carried felt even heavier now, to have a clearer outline of the height I needed to reach made me more aware of the responsibility on my shoulders. Still, my parents raised no quitter, the pressure is heavy but I'm firm on my desire to carry it.
From the corner of my eyes, I could see the others glancing at me and nodding in approval.
"Let me make one thing clear to you Young Master, although these power levels are useful, hence why we use them, they are not absolute. Do not immediately assume that low and Mid-class are weaker than you, though that's the case in most situations they may have an unusual ability or a strong skill that will make them incredibly hard, if not impossible, to defeat. The difference in power between individuals in the same 'rank' can be broad, especially in later ranks"
As she explained that we arrived in the training field, turning around she pointed at Kurogami before continuing her explanation.
"Take Kurogami for example, he is a 'Jouyoukai', an elite Tengu. Technically both you and him are in the same rank of power, however, in terms of raw power, he can't hold a candle to the power you have in your hands, Young Master. Saying that, if both of you were to fight 10 of 10 times he would come out on top, that's just how wide the difference in skill and experience between you two are"
I would have winced if I hadn't seen this fact coming, it's honestly simple to understand.
I'm like someone that just got started playing the game and got given a high-level character, whereas Kurogami is like someone that had been playing the game for a long time and dutifully earned his strength, if we both were to face one another I'd be just noobing around while Kurogami would combo me into kingdom come.
There's more to fighting than just having raw power, that's something that even I know. Raw power is good and all, but that will do you only so good if you don't know how to properly take advantage of it.
"There's also the nature of your powers to take into account" Yasaka continued her explanation "Show him Kurogami, please"
"Yes, Yasaka-sama"
Hearing her request, the Tengu nodded and promptly acted, with a flip of his hand a Tengu fan appeared on his hand. With a light flick of it black wind got conjured around it, focusing my attention on him I could vaguely sense a type of energy flowing deep from in his body into the fan, and then out in the form of black wind.
"The power of we Youkais comes from our 'youki', a type of energy derived from our life force" Explained Kurogami as the skillfully manipulated the wind "It's accessible to all youkai and it's what fuels our many abilities and spells, like my 'Blackwind' from my set of elemental youjutsu spells"
Turning to the side he gave his friend a signal, and with a nod Hashira walked a couple of meters away from us. He cocked his fist back and flexed his muscles, for a brief moment, his arm glowed in a supernatural light before Hashira then slammed his fist into the ground. The whole area shook with the power of his fist, almost as if a localized earthquake had gone out.
"-We can also focus our youki to strengthen our bodies and deliver strong attacks just like that" Explained a smiling Hashira.
After that the buff tengu walked back to his spot, I threw an impressed thumbs up to him before turning my attention again to Yasaka.
"Different Youkais have different sets of spells and abilities that they can do with their youki" said Yasaka, she then pointed at herself "Kitsunes for instance can use youki to create 'Fox Fire', an innate unique ability of our species, while also being very talented with all manners of illusion spells"
Just as she finished saying that another Yasaka, completely identical to the first one, walked from behind me. Under my startled gaze, the second Yasaka threw me a teasing look before going and standing beside the first one, now both side to side how identical the two looked became even more apparent.
"Now tell me, Young Master Lucius…." said the second Yasaka, with the first one continuing right after her without missing a beat "…Can you point out the real one?"
Oh boy…
That was a very tricky question, no matter how I looked at them I couldn't detect a single difference between the two. Be it the way their hair moved in the wind, how their skin glowed under the morning light, the rhythm in which their chest would go up and down due to their breathing, or their smell… everything that one had was identical to the other.
Also, when did she create this illusion?!
'Seems like I need to use "that" tactic…'
Taking a deep breath and calming myself, I slowly gave up control of my body to my instincts, just like how I did yesterday to follow the arsonist's scent. I'm not exactly an expert on this, in fact, you can call me an amateur in this, but even still I was able to lean on my instincts just enough to get a response.
"The real Yasaka… is there!"
"?!"
I shouted while pointing at an empty spot to my left, everyone looked at me confused. Yeah, I totally get it, not the answer most you expect, but it's where my hunch tells she is, so that's what I'm going with.
"…"
For a moment nothing happened, but an alluring laugh began to come from the spot I had pointed at. Out of thin air, another Yasaka appeared, the other two as if smoke began dissipating in the wind.
Giggling the real Yasaka gazed at me with an impressed look "Fufufu~ Here I thought I'd be able to trick you Young Master, but I guess the instincts of a wolf deity aren't so easily fooled"
"Just a random guess" I sheepishly said while scratching my wolf ear "Not like you had been really trying anyway, if you did indeed try I wouldn't be able to guess it even after a thousand tries"
And I mean it, there's a difference between using my senses consciously and using them unconsciously by relying on my instincts. Yasaka is a 'Daiyoukai', a Kyuubi, no way the current me could see through her illusion if she truly tried.
"No matter, the fact you did anyway is a glimpse of how powerful you can be" Said Yasaka with an impressed tone. After that she went back to her explanation "But as you have seen each youkai and youkai species have their particular strengths with youki, youjutsu is extremely versatile and its applications are endless. Somethings even more apparent when one evolves their 'youjutsu' into 'senjutsu' "
The word 'senjutsu' made me perk up, images of a certain blond ninja training among toads flashed in my mind. Excited I asked "So is senjutsu real then?!"
"It is" she nodded, a little surprised at my excitement "You could say it's an advanced form of 'youjutsu', it makes more direct use of the lifeforce, the 'Ki', of oneself and nature. It's much stronger than youjutsu, but also more dangerous to learn. That's why I'll be holding your lessons on it for the time being"
"Oh…"
Though I was a little disappointed with that, I keenly understood that I wasn't ready for any advanced form of magic or whatever at that moment.
"You shouldn't feel down Young Master, you already have access to a type of power even greater!" Explained Yasaka, bringing the focus to the main point of this training "Divine energy isn't something anyone can have access to, even less so being able to use it to fuel divine abilities like your 'Frostflames', the manifestation of a god's domain and authority, something exclusive to gods"
When hearing her talk about my divine ability I right on cue raised my hand and lit it with 'Frostflames', the sapphire divine glow of it mesmerizing everyone as always.
"While learning how to wield your youki and use 'youjutsu' is important, learning how to wield your divine energy is even more so." Continued Yasaka as she took her eyes off my flames "That's your trump card Young Master, what sets you apart from everyone else. The sooner you learn to wield this, the better!"
My situation is easy enough to understand, is like having access to two systems of power. I have two bars of MP, one is 'youki' to fuel my 'youjutsu' that comes from me being a youkai, and the other is 'divine energy' which fuels my godly abilities like my 'Frostflames' and any other I might unlock in the future, it came from me being a 'true god'.
"Well…" Closing my fist and extinguishing that flame I looked at the three of them "Let's start this then"
Yasaka nodded "Yes, but first let us see what you can do"
Gauging my level, seeing what I can naturally do with it huh? Makes sense.
"Okay, let's do that" Flexing my muscles a bit I looked around the training field "How exactly do you want me to do that?"
Without saying anything Yasaka turned to the side and, by weaving her right hand, performed a spell that made some training dummies made of earth rise from the ground twenty meters down the training field.
She then called Kurogami and pointed at one of the dummies, nodding he pointed his hand at said dummy and shot a small sphere of energy, a magical bullet, made of youki at it, hitting it square on and blasting part of its head away.
"Trying doing something similar Young Master" instructed Yasaka "A simple energy blast using your flames should do the trick"
"Okay"
I nodded, walking forward I assumed position with both my hands pointing forward. Calling forth my flames I tried to 'will' them to assume a small sphere form, just like the ones Kurogami did, but only ended up getting a sphere the size of a basketball. Gritting my teeth I tried to force it to get smaller, I failed in that though, even after sweat began dripping down my face the size of the sphere didn't change.
If it did change, the change was so minute that I wasn't able to perceive it!
"I C-can't hold it any longer…!"
Booom!
Feeling like I couldn't hold it any longer I shot the sphere forward, the ball of Frostflames sailed across the air and then landed in one of the dummies. Exploding into a giant conflagration of blue flames the blast engulfed not only the dummy that was my target but also every single one of them that Yasaka had made.
The blast only didn't spill out to the rest of the field because barriers rose, probably made by Yasaka alongside the dummies or even a safety feature of the field itself, and stopped the flames from going anywhere else.
When everything subsided all that was left where the dummies once stood was a construct of crystal ice in the shape of the blast.
"Well…" I awkwardly turned around to look at the three youkais "That's about all that I can do with my flames"
Both Tengu looked at the display with impressed expressions, Yasaka only gave a passive look while nodding in understanding.
"Your manipulation of the flames isn't all that bad, you did manage to shape them into a sphere, it's just the output that isn't right. You had put too much energy into them, beyond what you could properly control"
"Yeah…" I began scratching my wolf ear, something that was becoming a habit of mine when I get nervous "It's like trying to hold the stream of a river, try you might successfully pulling it off is essentially a dream"
"it seems like making you control better your output of divine energy is the focus right now…" said Yasaka with a thoughtful expression "Come, I have an idea for that"
With that, she began leading us deeper into the garden. After two minutes of walking, we arrived at the edge of a big lake. It was beautiful, the lake's water was clear and the many blossom trees reflecting on it gave the place a mesmerizing look.
It looks like a paradise.
"Do you allow me, Young Master?"
"Yes? But allow what exaclt-!"
Barely explaining herself after hearing my 'yes' Yasaka gently grabbed me by the shoulder, then with the grace of a leaf in the wind floated over the waters with me. She brought me to the middle of the lake, and with a wave of her hand a cherry blossom leaf floated out and landed on the water, it glowed for a bit before then turning into a platform big enough for two people to stand on it.
Having done that she gently landed us both down on said platform, looking back I saw that the two Tengu had followed us, with their wings out they hovered some distance away in the sky.
"The view here is amazing..." I said while looking around at the lake in wonder before turning to her "But you didn't bring me here to just admire the view, right?"
"So observant you are Young Master" said Yasaka with a good-natured laugh. She then gently pushed me down into a sitting position "Try to meditate here, expand your divine aura forward, and freeze the surface of the lake. Do it too much and you freeze the lake on its entire it, do it too little and you get nothing"
"Sure"
Freezing the surface of a lake? Seems doable enough. I mean, could I put 'too much energy' into a task such as this? If anything I could end up putting too little instead!
Well, spoiler, I was wrong.
Sitting on the platform with my legs crossed, I closed my eyes and doing what I knew reached inside me towards my Frostflames. Imagining them coming out as a pulse that could cover the entire lake, I tried to command it to only freeze the surface.
I felt the energy pulsing out from me and into the lake, opening my eyes what greeted me was the view of the entire lake frozen solid. Leaning over the platform's edge I looked at the frozen waters, only a knock on the ice was needed to tell me that the lake was frozen on its entire it, all the way to the floor.
Mission failed.
"Uhhh…" I awkwardly turned to Yasaka "I think I overdid again"
"Don't worry about that Young Master, failure is part of the learning experience"
Saying that she began weaving symbols into the air with her energy, the symbols flew into the air and glowed with a mystical light, said light rained down like glowing motes that, when touching the frozen lake, melted the ice and returned it to its original state.
Impressive display.
"Let's try this again Young Master. Here, let me show you a trick. Close your eyes first…"
Yasaka would then spend the next ten minutes or so explaining to me how to enter a meditative state, which, let me tell you, was easier said than done. You would watch shows and read books and think this was an easy thing to do, but only once you tried to do it did you realize how tricky it was to do it.
Still, Yasaka was a good teacher and knew actual feasible methods of how to meditate, so after a time hearing her explaining, and another time trying, I was able to enter a meditative state.
It was… a novel experience.
I could still feel and hear everything that was happening around me, just like normal, but now it all became more… distant, my focus wasn't on the outside world anymore so it all felt and sounded somehow muffled. A master in this probably could detach themselves from the outside world totally, but as a beginner, this was the best I could do.
Still, the feeling was surreal. It's like I had shut off all that wasn't my focus, all that would distract me, so I can focus all my attention on myself. It was like my consciousness had detached itself from its usual place inside my head, and was now diving deep into my core under my command.
Doing what I knew I reached out to my divine energy, Frostflames, however now in this meditative state everything felt more… intense. In my mind's eye I had suddenly submerged myself in a sea of sapphire flames, a vastness so endless that felt like it could go on forever.
'The true essence of Frost…'
Immersed in there I began seeing this divine power of mine under another light, the power of frost began to bare its many secrets to me. A facet of reality, a truth of the world that no mortal could hope to see, was now visible and within reach of me, all that I needed was just to understand it and wield it.
'Let's try grabbing just a handful of this…'
…
On the outside world Yasaka and the two Tengu looked at the figure of Lucius in a meditative state with some wonder, they watched as some of his divine energy began covering his entire body in its otherworldly sapphire glow.
"It's like… like an endless expense of Frost and ice…"
"It's amazing…"
The two Tengu, Kurogami and Kurohashira, exclaimed in wonder as they peered into the divine glow and gained a glimpse of its transcended secrets, a small view of the mysteries that lay hidden within.
Yasaka, the Nine-tailed Fox and leader of the Kyoto faction of Youkais had a more subdued reaction to the display. She was here when the first Makami still wandered the world, she already had the chance to gaze at this manifestation of divine power, still, even she couldn't help but feel some awe in the face of such an otherworldly visage.
Burn
A ripple of energy was sent out from Lucius's body, majestic blue flames began covering the lake and, in a display of supernatural power, began freezing the water with unnatural speed. It was as if someone had sped up time, the freezing of a lake that otherwise should have taken natural causes weeks, if not even months to achieve, was done before their eyes in a matter of seconds.
"Such power is truly amazing…"
Muttered Yasaka as she beheld the divine display, shortly after the symbols she had previously drawn into the air came to life once again, drawing energy from nature itself the symbols glowed and began melting the ice, returning the lake to its original self once again.
…
Well, seems like I failed once again.
From what I could still feel from the outside world the freezing of the lake went wrong once again. But that's okay, I didn't expect to succeed so easily.
Then began the long process of trying to wield just enough divine energy to only freeze the surface of the lake, immersed in that sea of Frost energy I tried my best to get a hand of it all.
'So vast frozen fields…'
The deeper I allowed my consciousness to dive into this divine energy, the more of its mysteries I got to glimpse. At some point, I felt transported to a different place, an oh-so-vast frozen field that went on into infinity.
Incredibly natural constructs of ice crystal rose all over me, majestic in all and every way looking at them was like looking at the works of the divine, works of wonder that no mortal hand could hope to achieve.
'It's a lake…'
After a time, I arrived before a lake of great proportions, it was mirror-like and stunning to look at. Suddenly, snowflakes began to fall from above, true works of art with no equal each one of them unique. They would gently drift in the wind, almost like in a dance, from the heavens above and down into the lake.
Touching the water's surface, the snowflakes would melt and slowly transfer their energy into the lake, each snowflake's energy was minuscule, negligible even, but as thousands upon thousands of snowflakes began falling, the energy of frost began piling up.
The buildup energy of frost would gently ripple across the lake's surface, a ripple that was in perfect harmony with the lake itself. Before my eyes, I could see a rhythm and pattern in the ripples, a deeply mystical one that despite seeing with my very own eyes, I wasn't able to to truly understand.
Time lost meaning to me; The clouds in the distance moved, the sun rose and set, days passed, and the snowflakes kept falling. Nature did not conform to the time of man, it did all at its own pace, on its own rules.
But then, surely as the stars in the sky, the last snowflake fell and the lake, finally, became frozen.
Only its surface was frozen though, the water, the lake floor, and everything that lived and existed there did not get affected at all by the power of the frost.
'The pattern… I feel like I grasped it, but only barely. It's all so mysterious, so… fleeting…'
I become lost in the mysteries shown to me…
...
...
...
"Guess it is it for now…"
After a long time in that frozen land trying to understand the mysteries revealed to me, I decided it was enough. Following the trick Yasaka taught I began the process of exiting that meditative state.
Pulling back my consciousness I slowly but surely began feeling like that outside world wasn't muffled anymore, the sounds became clear and the sensation of wind against my skin more apparent, and soon enough I was back to reality.
"The pattern shown before seems like the key to freezing only the lake's surface. If only I was able to grasp more of it…"
Still musing about what I experienced in my meditative state, I rose from my sitting position without even looking. When I finally broke off my musing and turned to look around I felt my jaw dropping to the ground "What-? HOW IT'S ALREADY NIGHT?!"
The sky had darkened, the moon had risen, and the stars had already come out to light the dark expanse of the cosmos. The day that was still morning before, was now deep into the night!
"But how…" Confused I started looking around, Yasaka was nowhere to be found, however, the two Tengu, Kurogami and Kurohashira, were still there hovering in the air not far from me "Can you two explain what happened?"
"Welcome back Young Master Lucius" said Kurogami in his usual respectful tone "You had entered a deep meditative state while trying to understand how to control your powers, Lady Yasaka stayed for a time, but it then became clear that you wouldn't be coming back from this state so soon"
"So she left" continued Hashira with his arms crossed "She had many things to oversee so she left to deal with those, she instructed us to stay here and make sure nobody would disturb your meditation. She came to see you at noon, but since you hadn't awoken she left again"
"Damn, guess I went deeper than expected…" Since this was my first time doing anything like this I wasn't expecting to get lost so deep in this meditation, but I guess that when it comes to me everything becomes an anomaly, at least it seems that way lately "Wait a minute… what about the lake?"
Recalling the motive of all of this I moved, leaning over the platform's edge I looked at the lake and sure enough, it was all frozen up like before, nothing changed.
"Wait…" crouching down and touching the frozen lake with my hand I felt something different about it "I think… think there's some centimeters of unfrozen water in the very bottom!"
It wasn't much, that's for sure, but for my first day of training, I think it is good enough. Any progress is better than no progress after all, I can't complain. It also validates my efforts, it shows that my vision during the mediation wasn't in vain, the mysteries I glimpsed did in fact work, it's all a matter of me grasping more of them.
"Well, it's a start…" feeling better after seeing my progress I stretched myself up a bit before then turning to my feathery buddies in the air. Around me, the ice already began melting under the effect of the spell left by Yasaka "Care to take me back? I am starving!"
""As you wish Young Master Lucius!""
-And that was my first day in Urakyoto.
…
…
…
…
Well, that was the chapter.
In here Lucius finally arrives in Urakyoto, his new home for the foreseeable future. One of the ideas was to make him explore the city in this chapter, but I felt more like making him train. As said in the chapter Lucius doesn't lack power, he lacks training, and that will be what he will try to remedy in the following week. Next Chapter he will continue his training, now with his sword, and also get to meet more of the place and the people living here.
Hope you guys liked it, it actually should have come out months ago, but then again, better later than never. I wonder what you guys can say about this one, what you can guess about his future. I always look forward to those.
Thanks everyone for the constant support, you all are awesome.
Constructive critics are always welcomed.
Fiquem Bem!