The soft wind moved gently through the tall brown grasses, bending them slightly across the wide plains that stretched around the palace. Red and Brown walked together at an easy pace.
Brown had his hands resting casually on his head, while Red, her face set with focus, held a book so large it seemed almost too big for her small frame. The palace stood in the distance, a few miles away, showing they had not strayed too far from its walls.
"Ugh! That Onee-sama and her strict rules!" Red said, her voice sharp as she frowned. "She just marched in and wrecked my sect the other day, chasing off all the Specter Wolves who worshipped me!"
"Yeah, that was kinda annoying," Brown replied, sounding irritated but still relaxed. "And she brought Haha-ue along with her too."
"That maybe ended up saving us," Red said, her crimson eyes glancing at Brown beside her. "Haha-ue probably begged her to go easy on us. But still…"
They both stopped walking, turning to look at the far-off palace. The breeze played with their fox ears, tails, and clothes, making them flutter softly.
Red then shifted her gaze away, looking a bit uneasy.
"B-But Onee-sama can be kinda nice sometimes," she said, her lips puckering. "She let me keep my pocket world, after all."
"I hear ya," Brown sighed. "One minute she's swinging that broom of doom at us, the next she's all supportive, petting our heads."
Brown's eyes stayed on Red for a moment too long, and she noticed. "What? Something on my face?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.
Brown grinned wide. "Nah, nothing much. Just that you're so dang cute when you pout like that."
"Eh?!" Red's cheeks turned pink, and she hid her face behind her huge book. "What're you saying all of a sudden, Brown?" Her voice shook, half-embarrassed, half-annoyed.
"No, for real!" Brown went on, a sly smirk on his face. "Your short hair makes your face look super cute. Your eyes are adorable, your small mouth's the same, and your kimono… Hm! Totally the cutest of us all. You're like cuteness in fox form."
"Ahhh!" Red hopped in place, maybe excited, maybe infuriated—it was hard to tell. "Geez, Brown, Onee-sama said no 'incest'! We can't marry, face it already! Though… I don't mind if you keep throwing compliments my way or anything."
Brown laughed at her love for praise, piling on more kind words until she finally lowered the book and started giggling too.
Red and Brown acted more like two brothers than merely brother and sister. This came from Red's tendency for rougher activities, like fistfights, sneaking into the Specters' domain to stir up trouble, rolling in the dirt, and playing sports with no limits.
The other girls in their family leaned toward softer things, like putting on makeup to look pretty, wearing charming dresses, and frolicking with dolls.
Because of this, Red sometimes felt she was not as cute as her sisters. But Brown, every now and then, made sure to tell her she was more adorable than any of them in the Kitsune Domain—even when she was rougher than he was.
Shortly, they continued walking, moving farther from the palace. "Hey," Red said, flipping through the pages of her big book, "why don't you hang out with Silver?"
"Eh? That old sage?" Brown's face scrunched up. "I'd rather mess around with a boring rock than him. Besides, Blue took me out once just for standing too close to him. Death hurts, you know?"
"What?!" Red turned fast to face him, eyes wide. "Is Blue okay? I thought she only went after enemies!"
"Guess anyone who gets between her and Silver is worse than an enemy," Brown said, shaking his head. "But what about you, Red?"
"What about me?"
"Why not chill with Gold or Green?"
"Pfft, I know I'm a bit tomboyish—" Red started.
"Just a bit?" Brown cut in, raising a brow.
"—but Green always drags me into some wild trouble," she said, ignoring him. "And when I ask how we're gonna avoid Onee-sama's punishment, she's gone. Always leaves me hanging!"
"Well…" Brown lifted a finger, then let it drop. "Yeah, you're right. Green's kind of a psychopath... But what about Gold? She's rough on me, but how do you two get along?"
"Hmph," Red scoffed. "Gold's actually the worst. She gets in my head and makes me do bad stuff for her. If Onee-sama wasn't so good at noticing things, she'd never know some of what I do is because of Gold's mind powers. And Shiro… well, Shiro's just... Shiro."
"Yeah." Brown made a wry smile.
Red let out a heavy sigh, her expression softening as she gazed warmly at Brown, her features relaxing into a gentle smile.
"That's why I love you the most, Brown. You're not like the others, always trying to use me, and you give me so much attention."
"I love you too, Red," Brown said with a nod, his tone warm but playful. "Every other member of our family tries to pull something over on me... But, you know, Haha-ue's still the real cutest." He flashed a mischievous grin.
"Jeez! No need to point out the obvious!" Red whined, her voice rising in feigned frustration. "I'll outshine her cuteness one day, just you wait and see!"
"Hai, hai!" Brown said, waving a hand dismissively, his grin widening. "But, Red, why are we wandering so far out to the threshold of our domain again?"
"Oh!" Red stopped grouching, her eyes lighting up with sudden realization. "That's right, I haven't filled you in yet."
She halted her steps, and the massive book she carried floated up into the air, hovering between them for both to see clearly.
"Gold gave me this 'Devil Summoning' spell book," she explained, her voice tinged with excitement. "She forced me to return it to the Primordial Knowledge Library since she's already memorized every page. But honestly, I'm really curious about it."
The book's pages revealed a wide array of devil-related knowledge, including detailed anatomy, summoning rituals, and spells. It showcased various classes and ranks of devils, the pages flipping on their own as if eager to share their secrets.
"Awesome!" Brown exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "These devils are some kind of spirit, right? I heard they're supposed to be totally badass."
Red nodded eagerly. "Yup. Haha-ue once said she and the other Domain Lords fought a high-ranking, royal-class devil together in the outside world. But apparently, it was just a small fry in the grand scheme of things."
"Huh, so devils are weaklings then?" Brown asked, tilting his head.
"Hmm, I don't think it's that simple—they must be really sturdy," Red said, placing a finger on her lips thoughtfully. "Haha-ue also mentioned it took her and all the Domain Lords fighting together to bring that devil down, and only the Supreme Lord's attack actually finished it off. So, no way that's weak. More like dangerous for us…"
"Hm, got it," Brown said, his eyes fixed intently on the book. "So, we're summoning one now?"
"Exactly," Red confirmed with a nod.
"But there's this thing called the devil hierarchy," she added as the book flipped to a specific page. "The one Haha-ue fought was close to the top of a devil's existence, a marquis, a high-ranking Principality-class of being. That's way too much for us right now, so we'll summon something slightly less powerful."
"Like a mid-class one?" Brown asked, leaning closer.
"Yeah, a mid-class one," Red said, scanning the book until she found the right detail. "Here it is. A mid-class Principality devil, a non-royalty rank."
She turned to Brown, a small dribble of drool escaping her lips as she grinned. "I hear those devils are super tasty, you know!"
Brown's brow furrowed. "And where in the world did you hear that rumor? Ugh, Red, you love food way too much."
"Meat's the best! It'll make you grow stronger!" she shot back, undeterred.
Brown glanced around the wide expanse of the plains and asked, "So, where are we gonna summon this Great Devil?"
"Somewhere Onee-sama won't easily notice," Red replied, still flipping through the book's pages. "The edge of our domain should work just fine."
She stopped at a page displaying a detailed summoning circle and smiled brightly. "Now, let's find out what a powerful devil's meat tastes like!"
Raising a finger, she traced the air, and the ground before them began to carve itself into a dark, intricate circle about eight feet in radius.
Soon, wisps of dark smoke started rising from the design. Then Red began the spell at once, her voice steady and clear:
"Uhm… Ex visceribus tenebrarum te invoco, domine umbrarum, ut petitionem meam exaudias.
Inimici mei me circumdant, offero tibi pactum pro mea salute.
Paro tibi donum gratitudinis et sanguinis, nunc veni propter causam meam, Panaz'taroth!"
The air grew heavy and dark, tainted with the pulse of dark magic. From the dense blackness that erupted within the circle's radius, a figure emerged:
It had two straight horns, each five feet long, and its lower half resembled a hoofed creature, distinct from the humanoid upper half with long flowing black hair.
Standing fifteen feet tall, its eyes gleamed like polished black diamonds, and sharp fangs protruded from its mouth. As its presence filled the space, the grasses within the circle blackened, withered, and died.
What had the two kitsunes unknowingly summoned into the Shadow Realm? A strange, unfamiliar force radiating pure malice and wickedness.
Its eyes scanned the surroundings: the wide brown plains bathed in the glow of sunset, a distant palace, and two young fox-featured children standing before it.
"Where is this place?" Its voice, croaky yet deep with authority, echoed through the air. "This is neither Pison nor Gihon. Is this a material realm at all?"
Then it fixed its gaze on the frozen children standing below and in front of it. "Did you, young ones, summon me, Panaz'taroth the Illustrious?"