"Urrgh…"
Groaning, I slowly opened my eyes to see an unfamiliar stone slab ceiling far above.
What the hell happened?
Luxurious was the only word I could use to describe my relatively normal bed. Clean white sheets, fluffy feather pillow, it was a level of comfort I imagined only nobles could afford. A far cry from anything in Tyrants Rest.
Behind my head, a monolithic glass window emanated cold white light from on high. Specs of falling frozen water drifted down from the heavens barely out of reach.
How long did I sleep?
Clearly, Harvest had gone by and now it was Winter, the last season of the year. By the weather alone, at least four weeks had passed. I couldn't help but wonder 'How?'.
An answer would come soon enough as my eyes drifted down to the numbing sensation on my legs.
Somehow, sleeping soundly while granting the pleasure of a 'dead-leg', was the Oni that tried to kill me.
"Uh?!"
Freezing ice slid down my spine as my eyes brushed over fair skinned arms, full of life, muscle. Somehow, they responded to my shock, flinging the Relic I'd clung to in my sleep over the temporary privacy walls.
The sound of something breaking quickly followed my surprise thanks to my unintentional throw. Slowly, the sleeping beauty unveiled her deep purple eyes that glisten like the night sky.
In this small space, I had some privacy thanks to three cloth walls forming a box. Old tapestry over metal frames, better than nothing. Yet, there Otoha was, the girl that desired my death.
Despite the apparent passing of time, she still wore a dirty white shirt and black black pants. Exactly what she had on during our duel.
The only thing that she seemingly changed was the bandage under the metal cup of her broken horn. Still, it too looked like it needed to be changed, as small seeps of bright red blood appeared to slowly bleed through.
"Otoha?"
"Awah… AH!"
As my body regained its functions, I began to feel fatigue across every fiber of muscle, almost as if I had awoken after harsh training.
"Geez Touji, didn't have to break my favorite cup, you know?"
Touji?
Arisu announced her presence and parted the fabric at the end of my bed to enter the temporary room, dangling half a gray mug by its handle. It'd split perfectly down the image of a miniature tree on a white background.
Her puffy white jumper with hood was stained with coffee, the kind that didn't smell like grinded dirt. Like her armor, it appeared oversized and hid any womanly charm she may have possessed.
Liquid rolled down her overly baggy top and began to stain her loose thick gray pants that could easily pass as pajamas.
"S-sorry…"
"Eh, don't worry about it. Besides, the only one that should be apologizing is her"
One hand on hip, Arisu pointed through her mug straight at the Oni. Immediately, the coral skinned girl stood up straight while knocking back a wooden stool in her haste.
"I'm- I'm really really sorry for trying to kill you!"
Otoha bowed down as far as she could without falling over, which was surprisingly low. Even for someone so obviously athletic.
"Otaaaa~"
"Right!"
Noticing my confusion, Arisu spoke through a smile to urge the Yokai to prostrate. As she began to kneel down, the Oni began to undo her shirt for some reason.
"Stop! Stop! Don't make it weird. I forgive you alright?"
"See? All ya had to do was show Touji your sincerity"
"Yeah, but-"
For some reason Otoha felt the need to strip bare and kneel while asking for forgiveness. An idea I wasn't exactly comfortable with.
"It-It's fine! Please! I grew up Orphanage and got used to it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do that!"
"Oh~? Is Touji embarrassed by seeing a little of Ota's skin?"
Immediately jumping on the opportunity and the side of my bed between the Oni and I, Arisu practically reappeared in my face, hand around my chin, eyes darting all over.
From the outside, it may appear she was teasing me, yet for some reason, I felt that her actions held deeper meaning as her intent became as clear as day the moment I felt her hand.
"You chose that name?"
Replying with as disappointed as I could, the Kitsune moved my head around, only satisfied after giving me an answer and observing how I took it.
"Mmm, more or less. Guess your mind's still in survival mode"
Survival mode? What does that even mean? I grew up in an Orphanage with plenty of kids younger than me, getting poked at all the time
With her warm hands from a drink now scattered and shattered across the floor just outside my little room. Although what she brought with her now began to stain the white sheets and I noticed immediately.
"That Relic almost killed you. Ota stayed by your side twenty eight dumb hours a day, seven days a week. She fed you so much, you've done more than recover from malnutrition"
"I don't get it. I've been in a coma, right? You don't fight anything when asleep"
"You fought the thing sapping your Energy away, the thing that you used to break my cup"
Arisu held up her mug in my face to allude towards the nature of all Relics, to be drawn to conflict.
"*Sigh* At least I'm not the only one who had that reaction to their body…"
What's that supposed to mean?
Strangely relieved by the revelation, the Kitsune bounced off my bed to grab some sheets from underneath.
"Do me a favor Touji, don't think too hard about how she's been keeping you alive, ok?"
"At the duel, after the bang, your throat-"
"To keep it simple- There it is~ -I can't use my trump card again. Eyebore is alright too"
"Her arm…"
"I lost it looking like a fool"
A voice rang out from the end of my bed, startling Otoha. Eyebore; Thirteenth copy of Enda, had hidden herself completely with a simple illusion applied to her cloak. She chose to stay hidden underneath the brown hood, somewhat embarrassed by the ordeal.
"I… I'm sorry"
"You're a good kid, but this is on me. That Relic has a nasty habit of killing users, taking everything from them. Without any proper training, we feared you'd die, unable to generate what that thing needed"
Well, that explains most of it
Exerting any mystical force, be it Mana, Chi, Faith or even Aura, takes a physical toll. It was common to build up a body using Energy as naturally as swinging a sword.
Cautiously, I grabbed my arms and felt what I had become. Someone with substance, that could venture out into the world, and have their name written down in history.
But before that, the Oni spoke up to offer her an apology once more in a mellow tone.
"I'm really, really sorry for losing my cool and trying to kill you. If Ari didn't step in- I'd be a murder. I… I can't go on like the way I am anymore, please…"
Honesty was something to be appreciated greatly, that was one of many lessons from my mentor stuck. When I first met Otoha I couldn't help but feel intimidated.
If I was to speak with my heart, I wasn't sure if I could forgive someone who tried to kill me instantly. Even if Arisu said she stayed by my side, unwilling to take eyes off me while I had been unconscious, the sharp tip of her dagger still pierced my skin.
And yet, if what Arisu said was true, then she fed me, washed, and who knows what else. I was alive because of her actions, sure, yet couldn't someone have taken care of me instead? Maybe, that was the point.
That it could have been anyone. But it was her. An Oni that refused to take a shower, wash her clothes or go home. Four weeks by my side, if not more.
"Ota, was it?"
"...Yeah"
"Thanks- for taking care of me"
In the end, I was unable to forgive her straight away. I needed time, and to learn who she really was.
However, she did earn my respect. For that, I'd give her a chance.
"See? No harm no fowl! I told you he'd be fine. Cheer up Ota"
Letting the pillows swallow my head, I leaned back as Arisu threw an arm around Ota, it seemed like this was something that weighed heavy on her mind.
"Can I ask something? Where are we?"
"This is my home, and it has many names. To some, it's 'The Clock Tower', to others it's 'The Relic Armory', to me it's the little shack that grew into a city. You're in Dragon's Mort Touji. The city build on the skull of a monster that once tried to destroy the world, welcome home"
The Phoenix Witch's boots echoed on the cold stone floor outside, as if waiting for me to ask the right question, all so she could come in and greet her new family member in person.
Her outfit, like Ota's, was the same as the day we met, all without a few extras for comfort. The corset was left behind along with her strange quiver pockets.
Sparks flew from her hand as she carried my Relic with her, entering from the right side of the loose sheets that acted like a door.
My Relic actively destroyed her arm with each spark of white lightning, stripping away her flesh, yet not faster than she could regenerate. Fighting the pain of holding on to a storm, she faced me with determination filling her right eye of crimson, and left eye of pure energy.
"I'm going to take you under my wing, and turn you into a man worthy of wielding this Relic"