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|| PROLOGUE II | His Name and His Clan ||
"This is the tale of a man who led a clan of foxes.
"Not just his own clan, but the other clans as well. Tigers, dragons, tortoises, phoenixes, and possibly every wandering spirit in a certain land.
"He's a man that most deemed to be a "perfect human being" by others around him.
"The ones he battled in the past, the ones he saved, the ones he encountered, the ones he grew up with and the ones he took care of–– they all respected him.
"Well then, shall we move onto the tale, little one? The story of his name and his clan awaits us."
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Sunday, 3rd of May, Lunar Year of 3020
"Master... Where in Gaia's name are you...?"
A silverish round moon was shining brightly with its rays reflecting between the leaves of a large cherry blossom tree.
It swayed from time to time in a centre of a large garden due to the somewhat strong wind.
A pair of white wings was seen flapping throughout the starry night sky. A young-looking man was also spotted with waist-length, snowy-white hair that flailed wildly behind him due to the pace he's moving in.
Some of his snow-white hair was braided by the sides of his face, framing the tengu's beautiful traits. They were tied back by black ribbons with clear, pointed quartz at each end. Two light-onyx orbs scanned the ground for a certain person.
The tengu then sighed audibly.
"Master, why can't you just stay in one place where I can't report easily? It really bothers me to have to fly around Aeorece to just look for you," the winged youkai spoke to himself in a hushed voice, frowning.
The male's pale skin was glowing under the moonlight as he descended slowly onto the ground of the garden with that tall pinkish-white tree that many could see from miles away.
He slowly approached the individual sitting under the tree.
'There you are, Master.'
A human male sat there, reading a small brown-leathered book. There was a wooden lantern dangling on a tree branch beside him to brighten his surroundings while reading.
He was a tall and well-built male when he stood up, having neck-length, slightly messy dark-brown hair along with a pair of beautiful golden orbs.
The xanthous pair scanned his book slowly. His skin's also fair, but slightly tanner than the winged spirit.
The brunet wore a simple, long-sleeved white shirt that had a black-crossed pocket on his left chest. The pocket was the same size, maybe a bit bigger than the book that he's holding.
And with that, his long dark-grey pants reached his ankle and he was wearing a pair of black leather shoes. A beige-coloured cardigan was dangling from his shoulders to complete his cosy look.
The white-winged tengu knelt immediately in front of his master after landing. His long, snowy-white hair slowly went down along with his wings.
"Have you found them yet, Hakufuu?" the dark-headed man questioned while still keeping his gold eyes bored onto the book.
"Yes, I have, Master. Those bandits were camping not that deep inside the woods near Assyre River. There are presumably around twenty closed cages with them. They also have a Hell Hound that seems to be guarding the cages.
"Shall we proceed with the main plan, Master?" Hakufuu suggested.
"No, let me handle it this time," the dark-haired man stated calmly whilst closing his book, storing it into the left pocket on his shirt.
Hakufuu looked shocked for a second and was lost for words for a few seconds. "... But, Master, you can't simply face them alone."
"Who said that I'll be alone?" the brunet spoke as he stood up, dusting off some dirt from his backside.
Standing up in realization, the winged man asked once more, "Are you sure about this, Master? I can assist you if you ask me to."
"No, it's quite all right. I can handle this easily. Go home and tell the rest of the Head Clans about it, Hakufuu. And tell them NOT to interfere, or there will be consequences," the brunet firmly told the snowy-white-haired male.
"... Yes, Master."
The male tengu nodded and flew up to the sky at high speed, leaving strong winds behind.
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"Now... where should we start?" the tengu's master wondered alone, eyeing the darkened sky with an unreadable look.
"Assyre River is quite far from here, so it might take me a few days to get there on foot. I can't just waltz in with a caravan–– it would be hard to get one in the middle of the night.
"It looks like we'll have to go by air then," the lone human spoke to himself.
He silently mused and hummed with the taps of his feet while walking towards the garden's gate.
The moment the human male stepped his foot outside of the gate, he began floating up slowly up into the night sky.
He then started flying towards the north at high speed, where the Northburst Point shone the brightest than the others.
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Flutters of various sizes filled the dark, night sky. The silver rays of the moon reached into a forest near a big river.
The water reflected by the nearby stream gleamed clear silver and sparkled under the shine of the Phoebe. A forest with towering lushes trees surrounded it on one side. A vast plain was on the other half.
Some of them had white blooms hanging from the tips of their branches. Not that deep inside the forest, a violaceous light was seen illuminating the trees surrounding it. The light seemed to come from a big bonfire.
Surrounding the fire, was a camp filled with Spirit Bandits.
Aside from the camp, there were cages underneath a dusty white cloth closing them. Sounds of cage-rattling and cheers filled the night.
The cages underneath the cloth moved a bit every now and then. But the rattling of the cages was drowned by the sound of cheers from the men in the camp.
Right beside the cage, lied a gargantuan beast. It's almost as big as a two-stories building when standing.
Its fur was black and had long claws on each of its paws. Meanwhile, its sharp fangs were visible. Its eyes were bi-coloured, with one of his eyes being a soft grey and the other crimson-red.
One of the Hell Hound's ears looked like it had been bitten off before.
All the men seemed to be middle-aged ones, some even had wrinkles on them. Most of them wore tattered clothes. Some were bare-footed, while others only a sock or two. A few of them had eye patches.
The older ones were also seen to have lost a limb or two. But their flaws did not stop them from throwing a huge feast, with varieties of unfamiliar foods and delicacies.
"We finally have 'em, boys! Let us celebrate this huge feat of ours!" said one who looked the oldest of them all.
"YEAH!!!" all of the men cheered while holding up steins of beer in their hands.
"And they think they could get away this time, hah!!" one of the guys snorted loudly. "They would have to die to even escape us–– oh, wait, they are DEAD! Hahahahahah!"
The rest of them also laughed along in return without any care in the world.
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Little did they know, something undesirable was about to happen to them in a few minutes.
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Not far from where they were, a man with dark-brown strands of hair was seen soaring fast through the sky. Out of nowhere, another male with a pair of fox ears and tail appeared, flying beside him.
His long straight hair was as dark as the night sky, along with his ears and tail. The kitsune's eyes were as red as blood and his skin was as pale as a dead man–– if one would make a comparison.
He wore the same formal-made, male kimono as Hakufuu, the white tengu from before.
"Why in Gaia's name did you summon me in the middle of the night? You literally just interrupted my beauty sleep!" protested the black-coated fox while crossing his arms in front of him and glaring at the man beside him.
"Why not? You're the only one I can think of, and call me 'master.' Don't be rude, Rokkaku."
The said male had a scowl on his face while facing forward, following his master. He then asked again, "So, why am I here again, Master?"
Rokkaku emphasized the last word of the inquiry particularly.
Even with his eyes twitching filled with annoyance and disincline, Rokkaku waited for his master's reply patiently.
"We're capturing some bandits. Isn't that quite obvious?" his master answered bluntly, not looking in the fox's direction. His blunt words didn't seem to faze the kitsune.
Rokkaku then retorted back, keeping a permanent scowl on his face, "Why do you even need my help capturing some random bandits? You're literally the Head of the Ichijou Clan! Ain't no Heads need a mere fox spirit's help for trivial matters."
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They went on a while without anyone speaking or even making a voice. After a while, his master finally answered.
"They may be mere Spirit Bandits, Rokkaku. I am, indeed, able to defeat them easily alone. However, they have around twenty cages full of spirits. We don't want the risk of one of them taken hostages now, do we?" the human raised an eyebrow.
"Plus, there's a Hell Hound there, you might be able to vent your stress on to it," he reasoned with a stoic face.
Rokkaku's pale face lit up at once, hearing about what he can do to the Hell Hound. Then, a smirk appeared on his pale face.
"Why didn't you say that earlier, Master? I'm starting to doubt you for a minute there ya' know? Gahahahahah!"
The fox laughed merrily at the thought of beating a Hell Hound to vent his stress. The dark-brown-haired human kept a straight face the whole time, but one might wonder what's going up in his mind.
"Forming a contract with you was the right thing to do, after all! I regret none!"
The human voiced no response to the statement that his fox companion had said. They landed on one of the trees of the woods near Assyre River.
They then jumped from tree to tree, finally reaching the camp of the spirit bandits they had been talking about.
"Rokkaku, you handle the Hell Hound while I free the spirits. Then I'll go deal with the rest of the bandits, do you understand?"
The said fox nodded with excitement in his veins. He's already jumping up and down on the tree branch he was standing on.
"Oh, this is gonna be great! Splendid, I tell ya'!" Rokkaku whisper-shouted, speaking to no one in particular.
While the brunet was walking casually without making any sound behind the big dog, Rokkaku woke the hound up immediately and they fought with thunderous and ear-splitting roars. The fox's master sighed quietly at Rokkaku's eagerness, going back to what he was doing.
There were sparks of blue and black fire everywhere around the camp; the results of the hound's cerulean fire and the kitsune's midnight-stained flames.
They didn't seem to burn the forest around somehow.
The bandits who heard the noises panicked and ran to the cages, checking to see if their so-called 'merchandises' were fine.
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Though, it looks like they're too late.
When they pulled down the cloth that was covering the cages, what they found were only burnt bars and deformed metal plates that were supposed to be the bottoms and tops of the cages.
Their mouths were hung open, while some of them were scared to death seeing that they're this close to the battle between the Hell Hound and the black-coated spirit.
There were splatters of blood flying everywhere, but they're not ordinary blood. The blood was pitch black, belonging to the Hell Hound.
–– seeing that it's full of scars and cuts from the black-furred kitsune's continuous attacks.
"Noooooo!!! My hound...! He can't lose like this!! That damned creature is going to pay for it!!!" cursed the oldest-looking of them all.
A man with red, flaming hair and a long, tangled beard. His hands were starting to emit red sparks of flames.
"Yeah, Captain!!! Show that creature what 'cha really got!"
"I bet 'cha my life that that's a fox spirit. A rare one, I'd say. It will make us a GREAT fortune!"
When their captain was about to shout his agreement, the ground shook violently, leaving most of them grabbing onto the ground, fearing their lives.
A silhouette of a man was seen walking out of the dark forest.
None could make out his features.
The only thing they could see standing out most was his cold, glowing gold orbs. Their cold-toned colours were stabbing into their souls, seeing through the cores of their very beings.
The individual walked out of the shadow, revealing himself that was none other than the fox's master. His dark-brown locks framed his handsome, young-looking face and his eyes glowed brighter in the moonlight.
The seemingly young man then said to them with sarcasm, "Well, what will I do with you gentlemen? You know those spirits are protected by the five big families, don't you? Such a shame that all of you will die tonight when you're finally making a fortune for yourselves."
The ginger-haired captain's face was red from holding his laughter.
"You're... the one who releases them...? Pfft–– BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Even if you are one of those five big families, what're you going to do on yer' own? You amuse me, lad."
The captain laughed mockingly at the 'young' brunet, clutching his aching stomach from all the laughing. His men cackled along with him, their laughter echoing through the cold night air.
"They're caged with the best lock enhancement there is. How come a young boy like you is able to open them? Unless you're using illusions, then it may be possible, BAHAHAHAHA!"
The man's laughs filled their ears.
"Leave, lad, before me and my men skewer you to death. Don't wanna make it violent now do we? And also, take down that illusion of yours."
The dark-brown-haired male was still keeping a straight face until suddenly he smirks, then a small rare peal of laughter followed behind.
"You? Beat me in a death match? Never will I lose to such ignorant humans. Well then, my companion should be finished right now with your hound."
"Huh? What do you mean by that––"
The said captain was stopped by a loud thud behind him.
The ginger turned around and his face turned into one in horror. The rest of his men were the same. The gigantic Hell Hound that was supposed to be strong and powerful––
–– it lay dead on the body of soil, motionless and covered in blood.
It was battered to death by the black fox from earlier. No one knew how he managed to beat that ginormous dog.
"Wha––?!?! How on earth...?!"
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He was lost for words.
"You really thought that your Hell Hound wouldn't be beaten by a mere fox?"
Rokkaku appeared from behind the limp body and sat on it, smirking triumphantly.
"Well, looks like you were wrong, human. He wasn't that much of a challenge when he's that young," the kitsune admitted truthfully, shrugging and ignoring the ludicrous looks the bandits were throwing at him.
"... An older one would be much bigger than that."
Rokkaku grinned widely, showing his sharp canine teeth and jumped down. He walked slowly towards the men and his master with his hands braced behind his head.
The men were all stuck frozen, probably regretting their lives decisions, maybe even thinking about their fates right now. The silence was broken by the apparition's master.
"Well then, men, shall we get started? Fret not, I'll finish this quickly for you to ascend to Celestia... Though I doubt you'll be sent there, after your... deeds."
"They'll most likely end up in the depths of the underworld," Rokkaku commented blatantly, scoffing.
Striking azure flashes of lightning were starting to form around the "young" human's body. The air around them shifted as all the bandits were lifted into the air.
The caster somewhat smirked at the sight before him. His skin looked darker than usual due to the shadows created by his bright lightning.
Some of them screamed, some still stuck for words.
Others dazed, and most were begging for his mercy.
However, the brunet didn't listen to their pleads and wails. He lifted his arm with his palm wide open, pointed at them. Before he did anything, he said something to them, which seemed to be his last message...
"Remember the name of the clan that punished you to death for your wrongdoings, the protector and defender of all spirits; under the Law, big or small–– the Ichijou Clan."
The sky rumbled and the clouds gathered above. Even from the darkest of nights, the flashing bolts of lightning within the clouds showed them the presence of a sky's fury.
"... I am the Head Clan of one of the five big families.
"... Be honoured that I, myself, has come to put you out of your misery..."
The whimpers and wails of the bandits were reduced into silence as words wouldn't come out of their mouths. Their eyes were bulging and pupils dilated. Their face turned paler every second, not wanting to hear what comes next.
Dread and fear were in those eyes.
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The caster's message was drowned by the sound of the wind blasting furiously towards the bandits. One would never know or even hear what he had said to his victims.
But THEY could hear him ever so clearly.
That name of his that they wouldn't forget.
–– not that they live anymore–– as they would live on their lives as dead, vengeful corpses. The souls of the greedy and the lives of the sinful were no longer living.
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"I, Ichijou Eito, the current head of the Ichijou Clan, now will put you to peace.
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"May you repent for your sins and be at peace in your next life.
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"I pray that those above will have mercy on you."
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And with that, the two individuals left the scene. The kitsune and his master left one big lump of earth and a few flowers planted in rows.
–– indicating the burials of their victims.
|| PROLOGUE II | His Name and His Clan - End ||
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