Koi inhaled deeply, steadying herself. Losing control of her emotions wasn't something she did—not even when she was furious. And right now, she was absolutely furious. But she had always been someone who prided herself on maintaining her composure. This would be no different.
Hearing Ao's words, she let out a slow exhale and bent down, placing a soft kiss on his forehead. Her expression melted into something warm, her fingers gently brushing through his hair.
"You're right, baby," she murmured. "It's not Kuro's fault. He's a sweet soul… I wouldn't expect him to want to hurt you on purpose."
Ao relaxed slightly under her touch, his tense shoulders loosening just a bit.
Then, Koi straightened to her full height, her warm smile still present—but it was the kind of smile that made Ao's neck hairs stand on end. The kind of smile that sent a chill down his spine.
"Make sure you both stay in here," she said, smoothing her tunic. "It's still winter, and your father…" Her eyes narrowed just slightly. "…is going to need to make up for his.. mishap."
Before either of them could respond, she turned on her heel and exited the room, closing the door softly behind her.
For a long moment, Ao and Kuro sat in absolute silence.
Then, Kuro exhaled a shaky breath, his entire body relaxing as if an enormous weight had been lifted off his back. He sagged onto the floor, his large tails uncurling slightly. "Oh, thank Gaia…" he muttered, his ears flicking as he rubbed his face with one paw. "I thought I was dead for a second."
Ao, still a bit unsettled by his mother's expression before she left, turned toward Kuro and crossed his arms. His gaze hardened.
"So, what is it you're here for?" he asked.
Kuro perked his ears slightly, lifting his head from where it had been resting on the ground. His body was still a bit tense, but at least now he didn't look like he was going to shrink into the floor.
"I'll be staying here with you," he explained, his deep voice carrying a calmer tone now that the threat of death had passed. "Your father figured it would be a good idea for me to stay close and try to get along with you." He hesitated before adding, "I know I hurt you pretty badly… and I've been meaning to apologize for that."
Ao's expression didn't change. His sharp blue eyes narrowed slightly.
He's staying here. Why? The thought gnawed at him. He's a spirit beast, not some pet.
Suspicion coiled in his chest, but at the same time, something about Kuro's words seemed… sincere.
"Alright," Ao said slowly, tilting his head. "And why are you staying with me?"
Kuro straightened slightly, his tails flicking behind him in what could only be described as cautious excitement. Finally, finally, he was talking to Ao without the boy looking like he was ready to bolt or attack him. It was progress, however small. "I was tasked with teaching you how to properly use spiritual energy now that you've awakened your element."
Ao blinked.
"You?"
Kuro huffed, his red eyes gleaming with amusement. "Yes, me. You might not like me, but you saw how our fight went, didn't you?" His expression turned smug. "You need a teacher."
Ao's lips pressed into a thin line. His arms remained crossed, but his mind was already replaying their fight.
He's right…
The memory of Kuro effortlessly dispelling his attacks flashed in his mind. The way Kuro compressed spiritual energy was similar to how Ao did it, but the sheer speed and impact behind them were on a completely different level. And those deadly blasts Kuro had launched at him—Ao had tried to mimic them, but his own attacks had been weaker, slower.
The difference was obvious, it was like trying to compare a coughing baby to a nuke.
Then, something else came to mind. Kuro had repeatedly mentioned something during their fight—something Ao hadn't given much thought to at the time.
"My element," Ao murmured. His tail swayed sharply in thought, one of the ticks he had when deep in thought. "You said I awakened it… but how?" He looked at Kuro, his expression more serious now. "Could I have done it a different way? And how do I even call upon it?"
Kuro's ears perked. Finally, a question worth answering.
"I'll get to that," Kuro started, his voice steady. "Firstly, I'm just curious." His sharp gaze flickered over Ao's small frame. "It's not every day that someone as young as you is able to use spiritual energy at all, let alone the way you do."
Ao furrowed his brows, absorbing the words carefully.
"As for your element," Kuro continued, "you awakened it by drawing upon spiritual energy outside of your body and using it in its purest form. That's the key difference."
Ao's tail flicked, his ears perking forward slightly.
"You don't need to be in a life-or-death situation to use it," Kuro explained, his tone matter of fact. "But for most people, their body doesn't even attempt to draw energy from the environment unless they have to. Usually, it happens when they're running low on their own reserves and are desperate to keep fighting. That's why life-or-death situations trigger it."
He tapped a claw against the wooden floor. "But if you knew how to properly use your element from the start—if you knew how to pull from the environment instead of always relying on your own reserves—you wouldn't have needed to go through all that."
Ao blinked, taking in Kuro's words carefully. He thought back to the battle again.
I didn't pull spiritual energy into my body because I couldn't afford to in such a small window of time…
His brows furrowed. His tail curled slightly behind him.
"So… I've been doing it wrong this whole time?" he murmured, more to himself than to Kuro.
Kuro let out a low chuckle, shaking his head. "Not wrong, necessarily," he corrected, rolling his shoulders. "Just… inefficient."
He raised a paw, drawing in the air as if illustrating his point. "Think of spiritual energy like water. You were drinking from the river—taking it into yourself, filtering it, and then trying to shape it." He stayed quiet for a second, letting the information sink in before continuing. "When, really, you could have just redirected the river itself. Bend its flow instead of consuming it first, that is what makes your element take shape."
"Of course, that's just for your element—not spiritual energy itself," Kuro clarified, his sharp gaze still fixed on Ao.
Despite everything, he remained impressed by the boy's capabilities. Ao was barely a year old, yet he spoke, walked, and thought far beyond what any normal child his age should be able to. But Kuro didn't question it. Cubs of spirit beasts matured quickly, after all, so to him, it looked completely normal. As for Shiro and Koi, they had long since stopped being surprised by Ao's rapid development. By the time he was just a few months old, he had already been learning to speak.
Still, that level of intelligence at such a young age was rare—even among spirit beasts.
Kuro's tail flicked as he tilted his head. "How did you learn to use spiritual energy? Did your father teach you, manling?"
Ao shook his head, his head was beginning to throb, though he suspected it was more from hunger than the flood of information being dumped on him.
"I taught myself," he admitted, rubbing his temple. "Everything I know came from reading what I could, though… there wasn't much available."
Kuro's ears perked. His eyes widened slightly.
He taught himself?
A flicker of surprise crossed his face. He had assumed Shiro must have given Ao at least some guidance, but if the boy had learned everything on his own…
"Really?" Kuro muttered under his breath, unable to hide his intrigue. This manling has even more potential than his father let on… Now I'm really curious where this could lead.
He exhaled and straightened up. "Well, starting from here on, I'll teach you the proper ways of using spiritual energy—"
Before he could finish, a loud BANG echoed through the house, followed by the unmistakable sound of Shiro's frantic voice.
"KOI, WAIT! JUST—JUST RELAX! GIVE ME A BREAK, DAMMIT—" a voice that sounded like Shiro said.
A growl that barely sounded like Koi's response—low, dangerous, absolutely feral.
Another loud CRASH.
Then… the distinct sound of something (or someone) slamming against a wall.
Followed by a sharp, rhythmic plapping noise.
Kuro's fur bristled. His ears twitched at the sound, and he cautiously turned toward Ao, eyes slightly narrowed.
"…Is that—?"
Ao, completely unfazed, merely blinked up at him. His expression remained neutral, his tail swaying idly behind him.
"So," he said, smoothly changing the subject, "how long will you be teaching me?"
Kuro's ear twitched as yet another crash resounded from the other room before he could even respond. He was fairly certain he could hear Shiro's muffled groaning beneath it all—though whether it was in pain or something else entirely, Kuro had no idea. Frankly, he wasn't sure he wanted to know.
Ao, still seated comfortably on the bed, let out a small sigh, glancing toward the door.
"Actually… it's best if we stay in here for a few minutes." He paused, tilting his head slightly as the sounds from the other room continued. A particularly loud thud made his ear flick.
"…Actually, a few hours," he corrected, settling further into his seat.
Kuro's fur bristled slightly as the commotion carried on. He had no idea what was happening in that living room, but from the sound of it, Shiro was being absolutely slaughtered. And if that was the case, Kuro wanted no part in it. He hesitantly turned his gaze back to Ao.
"Will… Will Shiro be okay?" he asked carefully.
Ao waved a dismissive hand, his expression entirely unfazed. "He'll be fine," he said casually, before offering what was probably supposed to be a reassuring smile. "It's winter, and Mom's been having mood swings. Plus, she just found out about the whole training thing today. He's gonna be extremely drained, but I'm sure he'll live."
Another crash echoed throughout the house.
"…Probably," Ao amended with a small nod.
Kuro squinted at him, his tails all swaying. That smile was not reassuring. Not even a little.
"…And here I thought your dad was undefeatable in terms of combat," Kuro muttered, still staring at the door as another muffled thump echoed through the house.
Ao shrugged, completely unbothered. "I don't think they're fighting," he said simply. "They never fight."
Kuro gave him a skeptical glance. "…Then what—"
"Anyways," Ao swiftly interrupted, shifting gears without a second thought, "you said you'd be teaching me, right? When do we start?"
Kuro exhaled, shifting his focus back to Ao and away from the questionable noises still coming from outside the room. Hescratched behind his ear with one of his back legs, similar to a dog while forcing himself to ignore the situation entirely.
"We can begin once you've eaten," he stated. "Your spiritual reserves may have returned, but not fully, and your body is clearly famished."
Ao blinked, then hesitated, pressing a hand against his stomach. Now that Kuro mentioned it, he was feeling a bit lightheaded—and the dull ache in his gut made it clear that he hadn't eaten in some time. That, stacked on the fact that the continuous utilization of Respira had already made him practically starving, was a big enough indicator that the beast was right, though that didn't stop Ao'scurioustiy.
Kuro seemed to pick up on this, his expression unreadable. "That said, while we wait, we can start by answering your questions about spiritual energy," he offered. "If you desire, of course."
Ao's ears perked up slightly, a glimmer of excitement flashing in his eyes. This was exactly what he wanted—an opportunity to finally get answers.
For too long, his understanding of spiritual energy had been built upon scraps of information he'd managed to find on his own. He had been experimenting, pushing himself, trying to make sense of things in a way that felt right—but now, for the first time, he had a proper guide.
And not just any guide, Ao thought, his tail starting to subconsciously wag in excitement.. A spirit beast.
Spirit beasts had an inherently deeper connection to spiritual energy, using techniques and methods far beyond what most humans could comprehend. If he could learn from Kuro—truly learn—then perhaps he could finally overcome the hurdles that had been holding him back.
With a small, determined smile, he met Kuro's gaze.
"Alright, I have several," he said.