A rudimentary tunnel runs deep into the bowels of the mountain, it was wide enough for three people to move side by side without encountering any problems, almost so dark that you couldn't see more than about 2 meters without encountering the choking miasma that covers the whole place and the path was most uneven.
In the middle of this deep tunnel is a group of about four people in a 1,1,4 formation. In front of the group is Kikyo the priestess, in the middle Asahiko the self-proclaimed Onmyōji with his ever present fan and at the end a schoolgirl named Kagome, a fox yokai named Shippo, a lady wearing a kimono with the name Sango, who is holding a small two-tailed cat.
"May I ask why you guys are here or do you even know what's going on, stop stabbing me with your glares already! Which is a fair doubt, look how I pay, I'll tell you that we got here by following the fragments!"
Asahiko speaks with his ever-present humor, as if they were not surrounded by deadly miasma that is only stopped by their tails. This lowers the tension of the people in the back of the group a bit.
"Kagome wants to get information out of us, maybe even our fragments!"
Perhaps noticing the slight tremble in Asahiko's tails or having a highly developed sense of danger. After finishing his words, Shippo jumps onto one of Kagome's legs to hide, though Kagome pauses briefly and gathers him in her arms protectively before speaking her opinion.
"I don't think that's it, Shippo. Myoga had already told us about him and how we were likely to meet him in a friendlier way."
"So Kagome. Cof. is he an enemy or not and who is she?"
Opening her mouth for the first time since they entered the tunnel, young Sango, who is dressed in a yukata that has over her bottom a long green colored skirt and straw sandals, asks Kagome about what attitude to take.
"It's complicated...let's go from the beginning."
Kagome blurts out a few words as Shippo confirms that this topic is complex, though he then makes up his mind and starts telling the whole story of how they met Asahiko, but never mentions Kikyo.
"Kikyo, Kikyo. Do you know what's going on here?"
Getting fed up with hearing a story she already knew, Asahiko shifts her gaze to Kikyo before calling out to her, which she doesn't respond to until she touches her shoulder with one of her tails. With this sudden action, Asahiko finally gets her attention and asks her the question that has been unanswered since the beginning.
"It appears to be power transfer sorcery. This would manage to confirm the reaction of my souls despite the blatant threat you are making to them. Though I need more information to arrive at a clear answer."
Gently tapping his chin with the closed fan for a few seconds before opening it again, Asahiko glances towards clouded fang, who lets out an almost imperceptible reddish aura and closes his eyes before nodding to not speak again for the rest of the trip.
Some time later...
Christopher/Asahiko pov.
After walking in complete silence between Kikyo and I, because Kagome is still telling Sango the whole story and even parts I wasn't aware of like her talk with Myoga. We finally reach what seems to be the end of this whole walk and I must admit it was quite a surprise what lies beyond.
"¡Miroku!"
"Miss Kagome, Sango and the others, what are you doing here?"
Watching as Kagome rushes past me and Kikyo before talking to the monk named Miroku from last time, who is leaning on the ground to get a better look down. Kikyo and I continue forward, even as the monk stands up to look in our direction until we reach the end of the path. In front of us is what could be called a volcanic hall, except instead of lava, inside is a pool of putrid violet liquid.
"How can you forget about us, Miroku, don't Kirara and I have names?"
"I'm sorry, little Shippo. No, that can wait. Kagome, you must stop Inuyasha. This is a dark spell of poisonous insects. If Inuyasha defeats that demon, it will combine with him!"
Perhaps my attention was largely focused on what the monk was commenting on, but the instant I noticed the glow surrounding Kikyo's body and the subsequent escape of souls in rapid succession. I quickly wrapped one of my tails around her before pulling her closer to my body and withdrew a few inches of Clouded Fang from its sheath, causing a thicker layer of reddish energy to cover us.
"Damn you let go of Kikyo!"
Realizing our arrival thanks to the sound of voices from the rest of their group. Inuyasha stops his fight against a titanic yokai before turning this way, though upon observing Kikyo's situation he lets out a scream as he leaps towards this direction with his sword held high.
"Stop Inuyasha!"
"Behind you dumb dog!"
"Inuyasha behind you!"
*Boom*
Although the screams of Kagome and her group came fast, Inuyasha seemed completely focused on getting to me, making me unable to notice a green tail emerging from the violet liquid and sending him flying into a wall....
"YOU AND THAT THING ARE PART OF THIS FIGHT, YOU'LL BE PART OF ME TOO!"
Emerging from the violet colored waters filled with the remains of other yokai, poison and other unknown things. A titanic yokai with two heads, one on its natural area and one on its abdomen, rough green skin, three eyes on the forehead of the main head and a kind of rocky fin on its back, extends its arm towards my direction.
"Moon shape:Full moon."
Gazing down at this yokai and opening my trusty fan gently, he uttered the name I bestowed upon the ability to return to my solid flames after all the training these past few days. It was quite a simple technique. According to the phase of the moon pronounced, the energy slices would take shape and confirming my thoughts, multiple flaming circles shot out from my fan.
"Don't assassinate him, we can't let this ritual run its course."
"Calm down monk, although it may seem otherwise I have only attacked unimportant areas of his body."
After speaking I began to admire my work on that yokai. His entire body, with the exception of the two heads and where his heart seemed to beat, now has circular marks going through it almost like cheese, although in a few moments violet smoke comes out from the pool filling his body with new flesh.