When the girls returned, in their borrowed Kimonos, they left the boys and Kyubi stunned.
The only one feeling a little left out was Grenda, since she was the only single in the group, but that didn’t necessarily stop her getting her fair share of attention. The vibrant pink material of hers seed to bleed into her pale skin and made her complexion imdiately healthier.
"I need to get to work on kimonos when we get ho." Kyubi said as she eyed the usually casually dressed Klaire now carrying herself as nobly as any royal.
The mont they were back, everyone stood and began bringing in tables with almost chanical precision, leaving their guests too scared to help since they would just get in the way.
When the tables were placed before them at the front, the elder stood to speak. "Lady Kyubi, we have served as your caretakers faithfully for eight hundred years and have sat inadequate to heal your heart.
As much as it is defiant of your wishes to do so, we must thank those who succeeded.
Thank you Carl, Klaire. it is clear that you have done in re months which we were simply not able to in centuries."
"It is our pleasure, she has been a blessing to us, our children, our ho and our faction. We thank you for being the ones that kept her going long enough to be a part of our lives..." Carl looked around and it seed like they were expecting a longer speech, so against his better instincts, he continued. "...Like when soone opens a jar after it’s been loosened."
As his companions winced at the painful analogy and he was elbowed by both Kyubi and Klaire, there were a few snickers, but what cut Carl the deepest was when the elder replied.
"Apologies, I see why Lady Kyubi didn’t want us to make a fuss. We shouldn’t have embarrassed you."
Carl didn’t need to speak, everyone could read his thoughts on his expression. ’I wasn’t embarrassed until you said I was.’
It wasn’t long before the embarrassnt was forgotten though, they weren’t exactly lacking in good food, but what had been prepared for them was incredible. The only thing they all noticed was that Kyubi wasn’t eating, sothing which was sacrilege in the eyes of those sat beside her.
"Why aren’t you eating. this food is incredible Kyubi."
"Honestly, just a little bit hypnotised. I never thought I’d sit here with family again, I’m savoring the feeling before we leave this place abandoned. Don’t get wrong, I’m not hesitating, I’m just thanking the earth and land for being my ho for so long."
"I would try to take it with us, but I think Gaia might hate us for it."
Kyubi giggled. "You’re right about that, even Rhea wouldn’t save you. One thing we are taking though is the fish and rice seedlings, they can tell you how to adjust Archyon accordingly."
"You an we get food like this forever, what even is it?"
"The fish are actually native to earth, the fish these people farm are practically the last living creatures from before the great incursion into earth."
The dinner went down well and Gillian and the others decided to talk to them about the faction contracts and other points and matters, freeing up Kyubi, Klaire and Carl to go to where it all began for her.
They walked the sa narrow walkway, flanked by the tranquil waters only disturbed by the cherry blossom petals that fell into it.
As they approached the small opening into the inner sanctum Carl closed his eyes and nearly fell down the steps.
"What’s wrong?"
"Oh nothing, just thought I’d close my eyes, a flasher is waiting at the bottom." He earned a playful slap from Kyubi and an amused chuckle from Klaire and as they marched through the darkness it opened into the bright room Carl barely rembered.
Everything had happened so quickly, he hadn’t really bothered to register the details.
It looked like a natural cave if you observed it with just your eyes, but Carl could see it was just an illusion, similar to the one that concealed the door to the variants’ inner sanctum on Pluto.
"Carl, I need to say goodbye to this place, but I can’t seem to bring myself to break the illusion..."
"I’m an idiot rember, do you want to hug you, or break it myself?"
"...Is both an option?"
They both moved to and embraced her, then Carl began unweaving the illusion, not wanting to simply shatter it.
As it began to fade, they found themselves in the true sanctuary of the fox-spirits, known as the twilight castle.
Tantani mats floored the entirety of the space which seed practically infinite, whilst sliding paper doors blocked the threshold to countless rooms and the ceiling was a stretch of night sky between wooden boundaries, forming a cosmic canal that was as infinite as the castle itself.
Unfortunately, it was far from unspoiled, the floors, the walls, the doors, they all bore the brownish stains of dried blood and the air tainted by the sll of death.
"I only survived because I was with Lord Tsukuyomi, a witness to his duel with his sister..." Kyubi knelt as the people of Kon’s family had done, then raised to be sitting on her heels. "...I’m sorry everyone, I should have taken better care of our sanctuary, grieving for you was no excuse to leave it in such a state..."
Carl and Klaire knelt, remaining silent. They could have spoken to them and offered them promises and vengeance, but they were no more than intruders, trespassing on their grave.
"...Our kind isn’t lost though, we are changed, but it was about ti we did. My fiancé Carl is an incredible creator and gave us the first of the next generation, a little girl called Kitsunoko. Klaire is a wonderful mother to her as well, with her help, our kind will actually have a modicum of discipline.
I also know who did this now, I intend to make her suffer as much as she has made others suffer..."
"Kyubi, sorry to interrupt, but do you mind if I get started with sothing?" Carl earned a slap from Klaire, but what he had in mind would take a while and he didn’t want to make everyone wait.
"What is it?"
"I want to go and gather as many samples as I can, that way you can tell them that their lines continue later."
Kyubi started sobbing and nodded her head and Carl got to work. "...See, I told you, wonderful..."
Carl dashed between the dried stains, saying as many Rest in peaces as he could.
The more he sampled, the angrier he got though, he felt his other-self raging inside him. It made him feel a little ill with how bloodthirsty he was getting.
The speed with which he moved aside, it made him furious how many samples he had collected in such a short ti.
Two-hundred
Three-hundred
Four-hundred
The samples he had were for every step of their evolutionary path; transford foxes, multi-tailed foxes, Kitsune and Celestial foxes.
Carl’s heart was a hamr in his chest, his ears ringing, his skin flushing all over and his muscles rippling with tension as his head began to throb and his stomach twisted and his throat clamped shut.
’Am I actually having a panic attack?’ His vision began to fade, darkness closing in from the outer edges, his breath caught in his throat and he dropped to his knees as he almost put his hand through one of the paper doors trying to catch himself.
Then it went completely black, then like a light switch had turned on, white.
"Hello. I don’t know if you have heard my voice yet, I’ve done a lot of these and they will activate under specific circumstances.
I’m getting pretty impatient you know...
I can’t wait to et you so you better co and et already, at least your sister can be interacted with.
I wish things were better and that I could tell you all my hopes and wishes for you two, unfortunately I can’t.
You aren’t feeling yourself, are you?
Walls feel like they’re closing in?
I get it, that’s how I felt when I found the ss my brother made of our family.
I hope you haven’t walked in on dead family, but family or not, walking in on a massacre is a good reason to get angry.
What isn’t good, is sinking to their level. The want I want you to know is this.
I want you to change the world, the others are blind and ignorant, humans are stupid and self-destructive and also the deepest well of potential in existence.
If you decide to get vengeance, take it, but make sure you do it for justice and not rage.
I love you, I hope you never see this one, but I want you to know that if you do.
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