The group's travels towards this land would be met with a harsh heat, a sign that they were getting close. Envy would look up at the sky to see the sun setting itself, meaning its rays weren't the reason. Tsukiya would take deep breaths as she'd break a Shikigami and summon a small Umibozu, letting its body act as a drinkable water source, splitting it so she can share the beast with the children if they need something to refresh themselves. As they trekked across the hot lands, with the descendants trying to keep their spirits high, they'd eventually find it. A kingdom exactly as what the man in the springs said.
Orochi.
A kingdom built entirely on the skeleton of a massive dragon, the ribcage and spine acting as the castle and buildings. The arms and legs serving as personal farms to grow crops, a green, lush color made as a result. The tail served as weapon, able to be operated and strike at the earth, allowing the people to create canals to travel water into the farms. The pelvis was even used as a personal set of docks for the waters, ships made on their sides in the same design as the dragon it once was. More importantly, the heads acted as its own coliseum, each one with an open maw and millions of seats for each skull, a contest for every single combatant one would wish for. A key detail to note with its residence is that, apart from them possessing the same eyes as a dragon, shimmered like a gem after being bathed in cold waters. Their scales shined across the entire area, nearly giving the Kingdom of Orochi the illusion of being the sun. The boys were amazed at how such a land was adapted, with Harvard being the first to run into it, followed by Zazel and Stolas, then Solomon. "Orochi....This is the place?" Tsukiya asked, her mind wandering with the decor made on the bones.
"Yep. It's also one of his personal lands, too." Envy replied, causing Tsukiya to blink a bit.
"Oh, your dad does that too?"
"Mhm. With each new land made in the Circle, it tends to be called dibs for whoever wishes to watch over it. Remind me how many kingdoms exists here that aren't our own homes?"
"Can't saaaaay.... My dad never let me go out as much whenever I tried to explore."
"No kidding?"
Tsukiya shook her head as she placed her hand on her heart. "Ever since I was a little kit, my dad made it a liiiiittle bit forbidden to step out the castle's gates. Part of why is... well you can take a guess, but the other part is because he's worried about me ending up like my mom."
Envy was a bit stunned, looking down a bit, trying to maintain his composure. "Your mom must've been one hell of a woman, huh?"
"Waow Waow! Yep! She was making a killing at taking kingdoms for herself!"
"Rhetorically?"
"Literally." Her cheery act was beginning to be unsettling once more, as Tsukiya was quick on making a small drawing down on the ground, depicting the fox-like entity, a one to one with her own self. "She was a bit power hungry the first time she became an empress. It was her life's mission to get everything under her hands. She ended up killing all sorts of people as a result, until the one day she visited and married my Dad. That was when she got exposed by an ancient caster. Once she was found out, she ran off into the forest, never to be seen again..."
"Abe no Seimei, I can guess?"
"...How did you-"
Envy was quick on plunging his blackened hand into the tar, taking out something he took from the kingdom: a Book regarding the Three Great Monsters; The Oni, The Tengu, and the Kitsune. "I'm not gonna sugarcoat it... My dad REALLY wanted you dead for a long time. He did a lot of research to try and learn as much as possible." He'd explain as he flipped through the pages until he found a segment that relates to Tsukiya. A picture of a woman with nine fox tails and a sharp set of teeth, partly covered by a golden fan. Small blotches to act as Kanji were left behind on the drawing and around the page, with Tsukiya's mind paying close attention on what was written. Small details such as the height and weight of her mother and even herself, to even biological factors such as their blood type, current illnesses, and personalized breathing patterns to match their current method of casting such magic. "He was..."
"A Stalker, huh? Waow.... To think your dad is such a big fan of me!"
"This is NOT the time to act innocent here!" Envy gritted his teeth once he saw the cheery laughs, a sign of concern for the Princess of the King of All.
"Hehe, if he wanted to know me so much, he should've just asked me! Like what you're doing! I wouldn't mind at least sharing some secrets if it means they can talk to me some more!" Such a response from Tsukiya would catch Envy off guard, a small blush made on his blackened body. He blinked as he'd notice her tease and was quick to look down, yet the Kitsune merely smiled as she pets his head, before hearing a commotion from within Orochi. "Ooh! The boys must've did something! C'mon, c'mon! We don't wanna leave our bodyguards behind, right?" She was quick on getting up and making her way to the Tavern resting within the Ribcage, Envy in tow.
"You really meant that, huh...?" Envy would ask as he'd follow in pursuit, trying to weave around as much people as possible, his mind still taken aback by what Tsukiya said. The Kitsune merely nodded as a response, making the living tar blush a bit further. "God, you're insufferable..." He'd mumble, unable to understand such an emotion he was feeling at this moment.