Yasaka once again thanked her advisors. A couple of years ago, they had suggested creating a network of teleportation gates between all the settlements of the yokai who recognised her authority. It had cost a great deal of effort, resources and time. But when the warriors managed to repel the attack of the renegade demons thanks to their timely arrival, it paid off instantly. And now another particularly dangerous event had occurred, to which they reacted almost instantly. Yasaka could have sent warriors to deal with the problem, but the magical echoes of this incident were too... disturbing.
A dozen, not including Kyoto Fox herself, stopped in front of... ice.
"I've never seen anything like this..." whispered one of the soldiers, grabbing his katana. Yasaka agreed with him when she looked at the tree. It was frozen through and through. So deep that she couldn't feel any echoes. It was as if time had stopped for this tree and hundreds of others in the area. The frost was so perfect that it didn't harm any living things. Even the grass and plants with bushes were frozen solid.
Steam escaped from her mouth as they stepped over the clearly defined border. The straight line separating the living from the frozen was crossed without any problems. Yasaka felt no barriers, nor did her warriors. Apart from the unpleasant cold in the air, there was nothing else here. One of the soldiers looked in surprise at a bird that was about to take flight but couldn't get its feet off the branch. The bird remained standing like a realistic statue. And so it was all the way to the epicentre of this disaster.
The further they went, the more uneasy Yasaka felt. The fox couldn't understand who or what could have caused such an event. It was too... unusual. Uncharacteristic. Yukiona? No, they weren't capable of such precision. The woman couldn't think of anything specific. Even among the demons with their Chudishas, there was no one who could have done such a thing. She immediately ruled out the Fallen because of their icy sculptures.
Yasaka approached the fallen demon, whose wings were closed and whose face was frozen in incredible surprise. His friend tried to fly away, but couldn't get his feet off the ground. So... Neatly frozen. The fox sniffed. There was a distinct smell of magic. Moreover, it was unfamiliar to her. None of her warriors had ever smelled anything like it before. Could it be the testing of some new spell?
When the woman reached the epicentre, she expected anything and anyone. But not a three-tailed fox cautiously eyeing an icy cocoon.
"Is this the reason?" Yasaka said aloud as the soldiers surrounded the unknown object. The cocoon consisted of many separate plates of dark blue ice that did not let light into this... egg.
"Lady Yasaka!" The young fox tried to bow to her, but the woman stopped her, gently taking the girl's hand in hers. The woman did not like her subjects bowing to her. Excessive power could intoxicate as badly as strong sake.
"It's all right, dear," Yasaka said in a soft voice. "Tell me what happened here?"
***
Castor opened his eyes but did not rush to leave his icy refuge. Now the world around him was quickly filling with various dangers and disturbances that Brinel had no intention of experiencing. The commotion of demons, fallen angels, and other mythological creatures did not bother him in the least. Ahead lay the prospect of being absorbed into a completely different world that had not experienced the end of the world in its time. A full-blown end of the world that would wipe all life from the face of the planet.
"Partner, I'm sorry to distract you from your fantasies. I certainly don't condemn your fetishism for culture, but..."
The mage closed his eyes. Now the rough voice of a creature echoed in his head, a creature that would leave only alchemical ingredients for alchemists and mages in Kaerne, as well as scales for bronzes. The presence of various mages and powerful warriors would not allow such a dangerous creature to live in peace.
"The owners of Longinus are always hunted intensively," the dragon finished. Castor looked neutrally ahead, trying to concentrate on the current situation.
"Ddraig, if one of the heavenly dragons recognises the personal strength of a person who has no mechanisms, then the others will also recognise this fact.
Brineclicked his fingers, causing the icy protection to crumble into fine crumbs. The Rune under his feet disappeared so as not to harm those who had arrived here and were surely waiting for the moment when his small fortress would be revealed. A modified version of the blade barrier, which uses ice instead of ghostly knives to protect the caster from a hostile environment. And, unlike the barrier, it is possible to maintain this "cocoon" until the end of time and the disappearance of the world into infinite beauty.
"Good... — Castor glanced at the position of the local luminary, then looked again at those he had not seen before entering his inner world — day. I presume you are representatives of the local mythology, which is closely associated with such entities as yokai?"
"You've got some nerve..." the dragon growled.
The representatives of the local mythological fauna, in the form of various half-human, half-beast creatures, looked shocked at the young man, who was silently waiting for a response to his greeting and question. Among the dozen warriors dressed in what appeared to be traditional clothing and armour for the region, one woman stood out. At least by the presence of nine tails, demonstrating her power as a magical creature, as well as a pair of fox ears. Her mane of wheat-coloured hair and exotic features caught the attention of Brinel, who had never seen such predatory beauty before. Yes, the three-tailed one is also unique, but she is weak in magic. Unlike this faction leader.
"I'll die from your thoughts, partner..."
"Hello, human mage," the blonde finally said, greeting him with a small smile. There was still anxiety in her eyes, but at least she didn't decide to act aggressively towards him. The lack of contempt in her voice was a plus. Often, the Ethereals addressed him with exactly the same words, but with an incredible amount of contempt, mockery, and ridicule."My name is Yasaka, and I am the guardian of this land, as well as the head of the Kyoto faction of the yokai," the woman nodded respectfully. Her gaze hardened. "I must ask you the reason for this..." She hesitated, looking around as her warriors nervously gripped their weapons. "Incident."
"Your desire is understandable, Lady Yasaka," Castor bowed respectfully, placing his hand on his heart. The gesture surprised the woman as much as her guards. "As the guardian of this territory, you are obliged to watch for any deviations from the normal state of affairs. I am glad that you take your duties so seriously," Brinel closed his eyes as an unpleasant memory of the governor flashed through his mind, whose negligence had led to catastrophic human casualties in his region.
"Ahem... Thank you for your kind words," the mage opened his eyes and noticed that such a banal compliment had momentarily embarrassed the woman. It was a very strange reaction to the simplest of compliments.
"I'll explain later, partner. But let's just say that's one of the reasons why there are always so many different personalities around dragons."
Castor didn't like this answer at all, so he made a mental note to use some torture techniques if the dragon didn't cooperate.
"Let me explain," Brinel said, leaving his left hand behind his back and gesturing animatedly with his right. "A group of representatives of the fallen faction started the confrontation by trying to kill me with a light spear aimed at my temple. The reason is unknown," the mage paused briefly to allow those present to process the information.
"And in order not to prolong the battle for long minutes and chase flying creatures all over the forest, I used a spell that would reduce the time spent to a minimum.
"Partner... Have you tried speaking more simply?" The dragon's voice betrayed his fatigue and resignation. Castor shrugged in his mind. The more detailed his explanation, the easier it would be for intelligent beings to comprehend the situation, understand it, and ask fewer questions. Because unnecessary questions are a headache.
"Thank you for such a... clear answer," Yasaki's face showed a slight smile, but Brinel noticed her confusion. Perhaps his manner of speech was rather difficult for the woman. Unfortunately, the magician had spent the last years of his life in Kaerne buried in books and diaries, rather than in social conversation with people.
"Now I understand the reasons for the incident," the woman nodded. "But what brought you here, sir?" Her gaze became sharp and hard, like magical ice. Referring to a secret mission or lying was not the best option, especially under the gaze of a fox-like woman. According to Ddraig, they could read lies on some kind of energy level. It should be added that Castor had no intention of lying. His otherworldly origins could not be used against him, even in theory. If the Ethereals found out where he was, they would not even show up in the neighbouring worlds. The Chthonites would simply kill everyone in their path. And the rest of his possible enemies were dead for good: he had personally checked.
"My name is Castor Brinel," the mage bowed gracefully. His aristocratic instincts had not disappeared even after years of isolation in one of the branches of the Guild of Arcanum. "The last archmage of the Guild of Arcanum, the last Charol, the last keeper of the knowledge of the Luminaries, the last holder of the artefacts of the Inquisition, and also the last representative of his own kind," the young man made his smile warmer to show that it did not bother him.
"Ah, forgive me, I forgot to add: I do not belong to your world. My homeland is the planet Kairn, the Erulan Empire, the city of Malmut.
Yasaka, the three-tailed kitsune, and the nine-tailed guardian looked at him with obvious surprise in their eyes, and some even showed signs of mockery. Castor could easily imagine them calling him crazy, psychotic, and inadequate. Brinel would not have been offended by these remarks. These creatures standing in a semicircle had not seen everything he had seen during his years of fighting the invaders. They had not seen the wonders of the cosmos that he had been able to behold. They had not felt the breath of the chthonic beings that had lived longer than some galaxies...
"Partner..." The dragon clearly found it difficult to comprehend his vivid thoughts, but the mage did not blame Ddraig, whose existence was linked to destruction, sex, more sex, and destruction.
"I'm not that barbaric!"
"You can believe me or not, you can think I'm crazy. Your thoughts and words won't change reality. Only the gods, and only the most powerful of them, can change the world with their words.
"Your words raise doubts, but I will keep mine to myself," Yasaka coughed tactfully, but her gaze shifted curiously to Castor.
"For now..." whispered the woman. Only his keen hearing allowed him to catch the quiet word. The mage merely shrugged: he did not mind answering questions if they could be of use to him and his interlocutor. Speaking of usefulness...
"Lady Yasaka, I must ask for your help.
"What kind of help, Mr. Brinel?" The woman's eyes filled with even greater interest. "Fox-like, if I may say so." Her subordinates remained silent, not daring to interrupt the conversation between their leader and the stranger.
"Quite trivial. But my explanation will take quite a lot of time and effort, so I would like to suggest we move to a more suitable place," the mage asked politely, bowing gracefully again.
"Oh," her mouth rounded. "Of course. But first we need to deal with the mess you've made.
"Don't worry about it. And I want to reassess your responsibility in your position," Yasaka smiled slightly, and Castor snapped his fingers. The ice that had encased nature disappeared as if it had never existed. Sounds instantly filled the revived forest to everyone's surprise. The yokai looked around, clearly not understanding what had happened and why it had been so easy to clear the area.
"You harbour intriguing secrets, Mr. Brinel," Yasaka said, a sly smile appearing on her face for a moment.
"If only you knew how dangerous these secrets are to the unprepared mind..."
***
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