Kuro carried Ao outside, the smaller boy still hanging between his teeth like a misbehaving pup.
The wooden steps creaked slightly under Kuro's paws as he descended onto the soft green grass of the yard. The morning sun cast a golden glow over the landscape, glistening against the lingering dew. The air was crisp, carrying the scent of fresh earth and distant pine from the bordering forest.
To the right, to the right of the main yard lay a modest but flourishing garden, surrounded by a simple wooden fence that covered both the garden and the front yard. While not massive, it was sizable—about the width of a house—and filled with neat rows of vibrant vegetables and fruit-bearing plants.
Just beyond the front yard, a well-trodden dirt road stretched to the left and right what looked to be endlessly, a thick strip of warm tan earth that created a clear separation between their home and the looming treeline of the dense forest. That road led straight to the village—a few miles down, past winding paths and scattered wildflowers.
Kuro glanced at the road briefly before setting Ao down onto the grass with a soft plop.
"There," Kuro said, sitting down and flicking his tails behind him. "That should clear your head a little."
Ao huffed, adjusting his slightly wrinkled shirt before crossing his arms. "You could've just asked me to come outside, you know."
Kuro smirked, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Yeah, and you would've ignored me and drooled over the stew for another hour."
Ao opened his mouth to argue but promptly shut it.
"…Okay, fair point."
Kuro let out a soft chuckle before stretching his limbs, his fur fluffing slightly in the cool morning air. He glanced down the dirt path before looking back at Ao. "Why haven't you visited the village yet?"
Ao blinked at Kuro's question, his ears twitching slightly. "The village?" he echoed, as if the thought had never even crossed his mind.
Kuro tilted his head. "Yeah. You live so close, but you've never been? Not even once?"
Ao shook his head. "No, I—" he paused, thinking back, "—I've never had a reason to."
Kuro huffed, ears flicking forward. "That's weird. But I suppose you're still only one, though you have the mentality of like a ten year old from what I've seen so far. Most kids your age, mentally speaking, would have run down there out of curiosity by now."
Ao scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. "I mean… I just never thought about it. I spend most of my time training, helping around the house, or reading." His expression soured slightly. "And Dad never really talked about the village much. He never told me not to go, but he never told me to go either."
Kuro watched him carefully, noting the uncertainty in his voice. "Huh," he muttered. "Guess it makes sense. You've been in your own little world this whole time."
Ao snorted. "That's not my fault." Thought it kinda was, he was only one, but if he wanted to go down to the village his parents most likely wouldn't have had an issue with it, of course with them most likely accompanying him.
Kuro chuckled, but his expression soon turned thoughtful. The village itself was small, a mere speck compared to the grand cities of the kingdom, but its value had always been far greater than its size. The land was rich in spiritual energy, had rare materials and was populated with spirit beasts, making it worth quite a bit to spirit hunters, and High grade bloodline royals even in Shar, Demi-humans had a hierarchy of nobles, this was a kingdom, predominantly demi-humans.
And if it weren't for Shiro, the village wouldn't even exist anymore.
Even though Kuro had never been deep into the village, he had listened. He had heard the whispers, the endless gossip about The White Flame. To the villagers, Shiro was something between a guardian and a god—a presence so powerful that just knowing he existed was enough to keep threats, both human and beast, at bay.
Before Shiro had come, the village was constantly under siege. Thugs raided for supplies, rogue knights came to intimidate the villagers, through physical or mental means to try and make them move out, that way they could get access to it since that would mean the Duke wasn't doing his job keeping it as a habitable location. Even ambitious noble families sought to claim the land through force or manipulation, the sheer amount of rare metals and materials, items and enslavement of spirit beasts and the rich spiritual energy in the environment would make that place the perfect breeding grounds for Spirit hunters, helping small noble families to become a Spiritual Bloodline.Thats not including the fact that The Valley Of Death was also near this village. Even the Duke, the one noble who had tried to protect them, could do little more than delay the inevitable.
Then Shiro arrived.
And everything changed.
The first noble who tried to claim the village as their own since he arrived learned the hard way what kind of man Shiro was. He didn't kill him. No, Shiro didn't need to go that far. He had simply cut off the noble's arms—severing them cleanly at the shoulders, leaving him alive but permanently broken. That message had spread far and wide, and soon, the village had become a place no noble dared to touch, not unless they had a death wish.That didn't mean that they didn't try, if they somehow made it pass the spirit beasts Shiro sent to guard the perimeter of the village, in the sky, both under and on top of the ground and in the water. Then they had to deal with Shiro himself, and no matter how many knights or spirit hunters or royals they had with them, they all died the same way, which gained Shiro some enemies. That doesn't matter since Shiro has some incredible connections to the point even the queen tells them to leave Shiro be and give him the okay to kill anyone he needed that harassed him.
All because of one man.
Ao then asked a question, which got Kuro out of his thoughts. "Why would I go to the village?" he asked, his tone laced with genuine confusion. Unless he was missing something, there was no real reason for him to leave the safety of his home and venture into the unfamiliar streets of the village.
Kuro tilted his head, considering Ao's response before answering. "Why not?" he countered. "It wouldn't hurt to learn about your kind's customs. The people in the village have seen us spirit beasts before—some of us even guard the place on Shiro's orders—so it's not like you'd be unwelcome. They have schools, trade routes, and their own way of surviving. They use the resources they gather to earn gold, which helps them grow and improve their village… and it's all because of your father."
Ao's ears twitched at that. He thought deeply about Kuro's offer, weighing his options. On one hand, it would be interesting to learn more about this world's people. Maybe someone in the village knew something about his strange consciousness, about why he could think the way he did despite his young age. But asking outright would be foolish. If he wanted answers, he would have to be patient—observe and learn without drawing too much attention to himself.
Even so… was it really worth leaving his home?
"I still don't see why," Ao finally said, crossing his arms as he looked at Kuro. "It's not that I don't find it interesting, but it's not worth the trouble of leaving this place."
Kuro chuckled, he could respect Ao's caution—there was a certain wisdom in his decision. "Fair enough," he said with a shrug. "We'll go when you're older then. I heard from some townspeople that a festival is coming up, so maybe—"
Kuro's words cut off abruptly.
"Well, if it isn't baby blue!"
A soft voice echoed from behind him.
Without thinking, Kuro spun around, his instincts screaming danger. His tails lashed out like whips, aiming to strike the unseen presence before they could make a move. If he couldn't sense their spiritual energy, they were either masking it very well or something far worse. He wasn't about to take any chances—not with Ao standing right beside him.
The attack sent up a cloud of dust and debris, shrouding the figure from view.
Then, from within the settling haze, a voice, calm and unshaken, spoke.
"Now, is that any way to treat a lady?"
As the dust faded, Ao's eyes widened.
There, standing amidst the remnants of Kuro's attack, was a woman—completely unscathed. Not only had she avoided injury, but she had caught and held all of Kuro's tails in a single hand, gripping them firmly yet without malice.
She was familiar.
Ao narrowed his eyes, trying to place where he had seen her before.
She was an older woman, though she didn't look frail in the slightest. Her dark brown hair was streaked with strands of silver, with two fluffy yet pointy fox ears on the top of her head which were also brown, though they had white fluffy fur on the inside, hinting at her age, though she appeared no older than her late thirties or early forties. Despite this, her movements had been too fast, too precise—far beyond what one would expect from a normal demi-human.
Her light brown eyes bore faint white slits in their centers, and a slight grayish tint suggested partial blindness, yet she moved with the ease of someone who saw everything clearly. A soft smile graced her lips, and just beneath it, a small fang peeked from the corner of her mouth. A single black dot adorned her cheek, subtle yet noticeable.
She stood at about 5'8", her posture relaxed, though there was a quiet strength in the way she held herself. A thick, dark oak walking stick rested in her other hand—new, well-crafted, and clearly not just for show. Her clothes were modest, the kind commonly worn by village women.
Kuro, now realizing who he had just attacked, instantly paled.
"M-Mrs. Kori!" he stammered.
He immediately yanked his tails back as she released them, lowering his head to the ground in a desperate display of apology. "N-no wonder I couldn't sense your spiritual energy… I—I am so sorry for attacking you! How dare I attack the midwife of the village… that was stupid of me…"
Ao, meanwhile, was still processing what had just happened.
This woman—Kori—had not only avoided Kuro's attack but had caught his tails mid-strike as if it were nothing. Even Kuro, the strongest spirit beasts Ao had met, well, the only spirit beast Ao had met, had been completely outmatched in an instant.
Just who was this woman?
Ao watched as Kuro practically groveled, pressing his forehead to the dirt in submission. His crimson eyes were wide with something between terror and deep respect. Whoever this woman was, she commanded fear from the proud spirit beast. Something only his dad and mom could pull off.
Mrs. Kori simply chuckled, the warmth of her voice oddly comforting despite her overwhelming presence. She tapped her cane against the ground, the sharp thunk making Ao's ears twitch.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, little pup," she mused. "I'd be disappointed if you didn't react like that. Means your instincts are sharp."
Ao, on the other hand, remained standing still, observing her. There was something off about her presence—something that made the fine hairs on his arms stand on end. He had seen her before. But where?
The woman turned to him, giving him a warm smile. "To believe it's only been almost two years, baby blue." She said with a warm smile that would have made any man's heart skip a beat, but it only made Ao even more confused, she knew Ao his whole life yet he doesn't remember her in the slightest, which only led him to the question once again.
Who is this woman?