119 Fire, Ice, Fur

Vy was in the desert in the dreamscape. But now that she was here a second time, it did not feel like it was the right place for her. In her Titan wolf form, Vy covered more ground. Passing through different landscapes and atmospheres, she finally came to one that felt right.

The freezing temperatures did not bother her. The soft fresh snow muffled the sound of her steps. Her fur coat kept her warm as she admired the unique landscape. Tall cedar trees surrounded her, towering above her despite her Titan wolf form.

She sniffed the air, the smoky fragrance of burning wood filled her nostrils. Picking up the pace, she follows it until she arrives at the source. There were two torches that lit up the entrance of the pyramid structure made entirely out of ice and snow. The entrance led straight to a gigantic statue of a nine tail fox carved out of solid ice.

Its eyes glowed bright red, made out of two sphere-shaped rubies, while the pedestal for the offerings was made of wood. As soon as she stepped into the pyramid, the pathway before her was lit with blue flames.

The heat and light from the flames lit up the entire space. This time, there was no hesitation. Vy stood her ground and closed her eyes. Fiery flames surrounded her body, forming a circle around her.

The red hot flames licked and danced, circling her as she stood very still. Over time, the flames of the fire grew hotter, they started to turn light blue. Vy was no longer in her Titan wolf form, she was in her human form.

Putting her open palms before her, the flames that encircled her formed a smaller blue flame in her hands. Slow and steady, Vy walked up to the pedestal and placed the blue flame into the offering bowl on the pedestal.

As soon as the flame was on the pedestal, the entire pedestal was covered in bright blue flames. Vy was covered in flames too! But there was no pain, no agony. She could hear the fire crackle and splinter, she could see the flames surrounding her body.

Vy allowed the flames to consume her.

With the pedestal consumed, the blue flame surrounded the statue of the nine tail fox. Its ruby eyes started to glow bright red. The statue came to life in an instant and moved it's beautiful tail as it got up from its seated position.

The creature took a few steps down, crushing the pedestal beneath it. The nine tail fox lowered its head and Vy reached out her hands to touch it. As soon as they made contact, the flames engulfed them both.

What started out as a burning hot flame, soon cooled below freezing temperatures. Cold enough, to freeze anything it touched instantly. Cold enough, to freeze any enemies to death within a matter of seconds.

Opening her eyes to see the real world around her, Vy realised that she had not taken the form of the nine-tailed fox just yet. She could feel its power coursing through her body, bringing her senses and abilities to new heights. But she was very aware of the dangers of losing control.

-Dotty, bring up the book 'Mythics and it's citizens'-

Dotty, who had already fallen asleep next to Vy woke up as soon as she called for her. She flew up and saluted to Vy with a smile before doing as requested. The book immediately appeared before Vy and she looked through its content page to look for what she needed.

In the section of 'Land Mythical Creatures', she found the image of the nine-tailed fox.

-A Kyu?-

Vy read up on all the information the book had about this mythical creature. It had multiple forms, each for a different element and its range of powers.

"The Eye of the Fox is an ability that allows the Kyu to see through illusions and to see without their eyes," Vy read out one of the lines from the book.

That would prove to be incredibly useful, she thought to herself.

\u003cIt seems like the form you have gained primarily draws its powers from ice and fire, an interesting combination indeed!\u003e

As she read further down, there was another section that intrigued her. It was titled 'The Phases of a Kyu.'

The Phases of a Kyu

Some Kyus powers wax and wane with the cycle of the moon phases. While their powers are not to be messed around with at any time, there are times in which their abilities are at its peak.

Under a Full Moon, the element of fire for a Kyu is at its peak. A small flame about the size of an orange has enough explosive power to destroy an entire village. Some say the emotions of a Kyus also affects the intensity or temperature of the flames.

The book also included illustrations of different variations of Kitsunes with its signature features explained.

"It seems like there aren't any in this Kingdom, at least I've not seen any," Vy said to herself.

\u003cThere aren't that many to begin with, not here at least. They are from a different continent after all. Creatures like these rarely leave their home continent.\u003e

-Oh, I see.-

It seems like the abilities of shapeshifters like her also vary on how much one could endure. Most shapeshifters of this continent she was in, seemed to only be able to shapeshift into various animals.

Even to do so, took them years of training and honing of skills. Was there something about her body that she did not know about? Each time she mastered a form, while it got increasingly more time consuming with each form, it did not feel difficult.

As she continued to ponder over these questions, Vy did not realise that a bird had flown onto her shoulder. Dotty was trying extremely hard to stifle her laughter in fear that Vy would see her. The bird had dark grey feathers, round black eyes and a small sharp long beak. Its face was oval and flat.