Chapter 196 196 - Master

Chapter 196 196 - Master

When Ryan opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was the warm sensation under his head. It was a pleasant sensation that was no longer rare for him, feminine warmth. Raising his head, Ryan put one of his hands to his face as he watched the Kitsune.

"You've had enough sleep, boy," said the fox woman, and now that the two of them were closer, he was able to pay more attention to the details of the woman's body. The girl's lips were reddish and seemed to be soft. Her two red eyes were as bright as Nyx's. The make-up she wore was light, only emphasizing her natural beauty.

"I don't understand what happened, my body just shut down?" he said, confused.

With a light, gentle laugh, the kitsune stood up. "You're tired from the journey to this plane, it's imaginable that this would happen. Follow me, my apprentice has already finished the preparations."

Ryan nodded, following the fox down the corridor. As they walked, they passed several paper doors, until they finally arrived at a lake. The place looked like a hidden garden, with several stone lamps illuminating the place. The cold of that mountainous region was even more intense at night, but for some unknown reason, Ryan's body was warm.

Placing her foot in the water, the Kitsune moved forward across the lake. One step after another, she floated lightly, like a lotus flower. Ryan was left behind, his bare feet on the grass as he watched that beautiful woman dance across the water.

"Haha what a fool I am," said the Kitsune, who, holding out both hands, raised an ice walkway for Ryan. Slowly, he approached the center of the lake.

The moon was shining brightly in the sky, creating a pale shadow under the water that was only a few meters away from the two of them. Now that they were both in that lake together, the ritual process began with the howling of hundreds of foxes.

"I've looked after these creatures for hundreds of years, now it's my turn to help someone else in need," said the Kitsune, who looked at Ryan with a smile.

"So you're coming with me?" he asked, confused.

Nodding her head, Kitsune's ears lowered as she knelt down to touch the lake. As soon as her hand touched the water, the projected shadow of the moon moved until it touched them both.

The whole lake began to glow, and hundreds of sparks of fire began to be thrown upwards by the lamps that illuminated the place. The howls remained intense, in a chant that had a beauty and rhythm expected of music.

The Yuki-Onna then appeared in front of the lake, walking between the trees in the garden. Holding out both hands, she opened two gigantic scrolls of paper. Ryan squinted as he looked at the writing.

'A spell in runes...'

The two pieces of paper began to catch fire, burning from the inside out. The reflection of the moon in the water grew brighter and brighter, to the point where it looked as if there was a copy of the moon itself under the water. Then Ryan knelt down and put his hand in the lake.

In a single instant he felt a shiver, creating the connection he needed with those two women. Flashes of their lives appeared in front of Ryan's eyes, just as they observed much of what he had experienced. The hikes through the mountains, the bear hunts with bows and arrows, or even the battles against dozens of human soldiers. In one of the moments, Ryan observed when the Youkais were taken to this new plane, and when Rin's ancestors found this place.

"So, this place... You were taken here. And the Silvermoons freed you?" Ryan's eyes widened as he realized what that meant. That place, that plane wasn't created, it was a world apart that the Silvermoon family had managed to access. That place was proof that dimensional magic had existed for a long, long time.

Closing his eyes, Ryan's body fell into the lake. He sank to the exact position where the moon was, all the air in his lungs rushing out. The lake began to glow with even greater intensity, until the three of them disappeared.

* * *

"Welcome back, Ryan Whitemane, patriarch of the Silvermoons," said one of the maids as she opened the door.

Kyouko widened both eyes in fright "You! How did you get here?" she said, incredulous at what she was seeing.

"It's a bit boring staying at the moon shrine... Apart from the fact that I can help a lot more here," said the Kitsune.

The former matriarch of the Silvermoons knelt down at the same moment, bowing to the fox girl.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Master Ayumi"

Ryan woke up a few minutes later to the smell of tea wafting through the room. The three girls were sitting around talking. Kyouko, the Kitsune and Yuki-Onna were relatively similar in appearance, which confused Ryan somewhat.

Apart from Kyouko's silver hair, Kitsune's red locks and the extremely white color of Yuki-onna's hair, they looked alike. Getting up, Ryan joined the girls who seemed to be in animated conversation.

"So you two already know each other?" Kyouko said, alternating her gaze between Ryan and Kitsune.

Shaking his head, he denied, "I would have loved to have talked to you more before making a pact, but I'm used to it."

"Don't be so silly Ryan, I know you saw inside me and Yuki"

'So this Yuki-Onna's name is simply Yuki... How convenient'

>'Isn't it a bit wrong to talk about others in front of them?< said the Kitsune.

'You, shit one more'

>Another one?

<Hahahah! We've only just woken up and you've already come up with a new pact.

- Are you trying to collect followers? Or do you just like constant attention on your mind? -

>Hoo... I saw you in Ryan's memories, you're quite proficient in bed Nyx<

Ryan knocked on the tea table, drawing Kitsune's attention.

"I don't even know what to call you, yet you can read my mind" he said, looking at the fox.

The kitsune then bowed her head "I beg your pardon, Master Ryan. My name is Ayumi, I don't have a surname. This is Yuki, a Yuki-Onna I've been looking after for the last three hundred years. We both have a contract with the Silvermoons, and now, we are their servants."

Flashes of memories appeared in front of Ryan's eyes, they were like a movie playing in front of his eyes. He could see their arrival on the astral plane, as well as the moment when the ancestors of the Silvermoons arrived there and signed the pact that gave them the power of the nine-tailed foxes.

Looking at his hands, Ryan could feel the two new energies that were flowing through his body. With one of his hands, he created a small amount of ice with surprising ease. It was a natural task and didn't even require the conversion of mana.

With his other hand, he created a crimson energy that was unlike any kind of magic he had ever tested.

"I see, so your powers are shared with me," he commented.

"Wait! What kind of contract did you make?" Kyouko said, confused.

The white-haired girl said seriously, "We're Ryan's servants now. That was my master's decision."

Startled, Kyouko looked at the three of them with wide eyes. She couldn't believe what she had heard. Her family's protective spirit was now, after so many years, completely obeying the future patriarch.

Several thoughts raced through her mind, and as Ryan observed the situation he could understand what was happening. Now that the nine-tailed fox Ayumi was in the foreground, a gigantic power imbalance was going to happen between the Silvermoons.

"I imagine my presence here must create some problems between you, right?" Ayumi said, after taking a sip of that sweet tea. Sighing, the fox continued, "I've offered blessings to a good part of the three families of the Silvermoons, it's imaginable that the five hundred year debt you have will make things a little easier..." n--O-/v/-e./1(-b--1).n

<My head doesn't understand what's going on> said Nyx, who had appeared just above the four of them, floating on top of the tea table.

Kyouko tried to explain her line of thought, "The elders will probably oppose this decision, it was unimaginable that you would..."

But Ayumi cut her off mid-speech, "They didn't imagine that someone would be able to have control over me. I know that, your family is only able to stay so relevant because of the advantage of blessings. But don't worry, that won't change... Well, it will if my master wants it to, right?" She said, looking at Ryan.

'Master...'

All the Silvermoon clans were shocked by the news, the elders the first to speak out against the decision. Most, worried about the deregulation of power, begged for the contract to be broken. But once the process was done, there was no other way.