The night was over and the sun was beginning to reclaim its place in this land. The clouds turn a deep orange color thanks to the light of dawn and the forest slowly begins to awaken.
With the chirping of birds and the breaking of small branches, from a deep area of the forest, two people emerge. The first was a young man with dark yukata, blond hair and a look full of mental fatigue. On the other hand, his companion, a lady with a calm expression, black hair and priestess outfit, seems to be in perfect condition.
...Christopher pov...
"With the stars now out of sight, how do you plan to know the direction?"
It was a fair question, obviously not why I'm tired from walking through the woods all night, as I'm not at all.
Speaking of which, I feel an immense amount of energy, almost like I've had a double coffee... Still, it's death walking at night.
"It's impossible until the... We're on our way there again."
Accepting my words and formulating an answer for my question, Kikyo stops mid-sentence, as if sensing something.
Walking through the forest for an hour or more, as the sun begins to rise with full power, we come to a beautiful clearing of crystal clear water in the middle of the forest and in its center rests an island with green undergrowth, on which a fruit tree grows.
"This is... strange. There's no noise nearby and the water seems too good to be true."
"Can't you notice it? Take a closer look."
Keeping my distance from the strange clearing, other than being guided by Kikyo's nonchalant comment, I undo my human transformation, attracting her attention for a few moments.
The idyllic image unravels as if by magic, while the clearing changes to brown vines full of thorns and pieces of bodies can still be seen on its surface.
The island remains, but the tree changes to a larger, leafier one, with red veins on its surface, at the same time its leaves have a deep violet color from which sweet-smelling pheromones ooze.
"A yokai tree, what a strange occurrence."
"Explanation for the uneducated here."
His gaze was rather pained, he seemed to be asking me why I didn't know something so simple, when I am a full-fledged demon.
"Unlike normal yokais, this type doesn't have complex thoughts or ability to move, making them easy to eliminate."
"The weird thing... Is it that he's alive?"
"Yes."
Speaking calmly, Kikyo points to a part of the bark, more exactly at the place where the veins spiral together and place from where a light pink contained light comes from.
"Another fragment, wait! Can you feel the pearl fragments?"
"Umm... Now that you manage to see it you can take care of it easily. I'll stay away, so as not to interfere with the fight."
I stared at Kikyo who was walking away and only a few thoughts were going around in my head, this made sense! The first time we met she tried to take the shard from my forehead, then she told that she was the guardian of the pearl, and now she brought us towards a shard directly, it was obvious, I almost want to hit my forehead.
"Now it's time to finish you off."
Tapping the ground with my feet, he advanced a distance of a few meters easily, reaching the tree in the blink of an eye and without hesitation withdrew Clouded Fang from its sheath, before launching a downward strike.
Unfazed by the suddenness of my attack, the vines resting in what was once the clearing rise up and lash out like a whip in my direction.
I didn't need to change the direction of my attack, much less when I have my tails out, which always act automatically to defend me.
Proving that my thoughts were correct, these move automatically, forcibly cutting and crushing any creeper that dares to approach, managing to avoid any possible damage.
"Diu... That's disgusting."
With the sound of something slimy being ripped apart, the flesh fruits hanging from the tree explode, letting out a shrill noise and a wave of sonic power, managing to make me lose my thoughts for a few seconds.
Without giving me any rest to recover, multiple vines congregate and surround me on all sides, creating a sphere that envelops me completely.
Noticing how my entire line of sight is covered by thorns, which begin to grow in disproportionate ways, wanting to finish me off. I grab Clouded Fang tighter, making strands of reddish energy start to emerge from its blade, at the same time I light my tails on fire.
*Booooom!*
In an explosion of flames and dry vines I finally manage to eliminate his technique, restoring my field of vision, and then swing Clouded Fang downwards, unloading an attack of reddish energy that cuts the tree in half cleanly.
With that finished, it landed fiercely on the ground, raising a cloud of dust which I then hit with my palm, causing all that dust to scatter, so I can perfectly analyze the surroundings.
Confirming that the tree is completely defeated, I walked to its dry trunk and, digging my hand into its bark, removed a soft pink fragment that began to glow in my palm.
"One more for the collection, now, oh."
Becoming briefly mesmerized by the sheer brilliance of the fragment, I am brought out of that state as I watch the tree begin to rapidly dry out. The leaves lose color and the vines snap in the wind, leaving the entire environment silent, until Kikyo comes in with soft footsteps.
"Grab!"
Spinning on my axis, I do a 360° turn and throw the shard at Kikyo, catching her completely off guard, though she still manages to catch it easily in her hand.
"Why are you giving it to me?"
Shifting emotions manage to admire in her eyes, but it wasn't because of the action of handing over the shard, but because of what it represents to her, it was a duty, a burden and a painful memory all at once.
Her voice only confirmed those visible emotions, even in spite of her attempt to maintain a monotone and unchanged tone of always.
"You're the one who found it, and even though I got it by force, without your help at first it would be a much more difficult situation."
We look at each other for a few seconds, though then she shakes her head to herself, before turning around at the same time as a shiny object slowly falls towards my direction.
"Next one 's mine."
Watching her walk slowly away, I open my palm where the pink glowing shard sits. After a few thoughts he placed that palm on my forehead, making me feel a prick, before a liquid ran down my forehead.
With that done, she hid my tails and ears while stowing Clouded Fang in her scabbard, then started walking behind her.