Chapter 45
The estate was destroyed.
The rifts disfigured the earth, as if invisible claws had cut it to shreds. The fire was still smoldering in the ruins, devouring the beams and remnants of the walls. There was a smell of burning and blood in the air, ashes settled on the ground, lay on the charred stones and slowly swirled in the air like gray snow.
In the midst of this chaos, amidst the rubble and ashes, stood a man in his mid-twenties or early thirties.
His name was Solomon.
He didn't move. His gaze was blank, his face devoid of emotion. He seemed petrified, becoming a part of this ruined world.
A few minutes ago, Azrael was raging here. His aura, his rage, his anger destroyed half of the manor. And now... silence.
Azrael left.
He started walking towards the west, whispering something under his breath.
Solomon could see his lips, but he couldn't hear the words. "A connection...?" he thought then, but did not dare to ask.
—Fuuuh...— Solomon finally exhaled. His voice was trembling. "It's good... it's good that he's gone. The main thing is, he didn't kill us.…
He ran a hand over his face, flicking off the ashes.
A thought pierced his heart:
It's good that my daughter Quinn went to the store. If she were here... she could be killed.
A feeling pricked my chest—fear. And relief.
But this relief was temporary. Because he knew that this day had changed everything.
---
Meanwhile.
There was another man standing high in the mountains.
Against the background of the sunset, crimson and fiery, his silhouette seemed gloomy. Down in the valley, the manor was burning down. Black clouds of smoke stretched into the sky, like the lamentations of the dead.
The man was young, about twenty-five years old. His black hair was fluttering in the wind, and his brown eyes stared coldly down at the ruins. There was no regret or surprise in his face. Just calmness.
There was a girl standing next to him.
She looked younger, about seventeen years old. Her black hair fell to her shoulders, and her brown eyes reflected the firelight. But unlike the man, her gaze was blank. She didn't seem to care that the manor below had turned to ashes.
But it was just a mask.
Other feelings were raging inside her.
She came here for one person.
Azrael.
"Where is he?".. — The girl whispered softly. Her voice was almost lost in the wind. — Why don't I feel connected?..
Her heart sank painfully.
There was always a thin thread between them, invisible but tangible. But now... she wasn't there. It was as if someone had cut it.
She frowned, closed her eyes, listening.
The ringing.
Her heart skipped a beat.
She felt the call. Subtle, but distinct.
"The West..." her lips twitched. "There's something there."
She looked at where the sun was sinking below the horizon.
There was an Academy there. Their family estate stood there. Their mother lived there.
—Did... did my brother go home?".. The girl's eyes lit up with a strange light. "If he's there... I have to catch up with him." I want to see him... and hug him.
Her voice trembled, but there was determination in it.
—Brother... brother…
Her eyes shone as if a new flame had ignited inside them.
The man next to her looked at her calmly.
He saw her emotions, saw how her shoulders were shaking, how her eyes were burning with hope and fear. But he didn't say anything.
I just thought:
Adolescence… It will probably pass. Although…
He squinted into the distance.
I hope it's just a teenage weakness. If not... then we'll have to step in.
They both stared at the west in silence.
Where Azrael went.
***
Yuki's POV
I was just a kitsune... or at least that's what I thought.
See you later with your brother.
Azrael.
He saved me when I was injured, and from that moment on, I followed him.
Of course, he sometimes scolded me, asking why I was always following him. But I just wanted to be there. I wanted to follow him, even if he was angry.
The truth is, I don't remember anything.
When I first opened my eyes, there was a field all around.
The snow was falling, the wind was hitting my face, and it was so scary. I didn't know who I was, I didn't know where I came from. Emptiness in the head and emptiness in the heart. Only fear.
And then he appeared.
Brother.
He held out his hand to me and said simple words.: "You're not alone."
And from that day on, it made sense to me.
---
Time has passed.
We lived in the Crimson Manor.
A maid took me in, looked after me, dressed me, and taught me, but I still held onto my brother more often. I did what I wanted. Sometimes I was moody, sometimes stupid, but I felt safe around him.
I thought it would always be like this.
But that day everything changed.
I was walking through the garden with one of the maids. It was an ordinary day. The snow glistened on the branches, the air was fresh. We were laughing, discussing small things... and suddenly the space in front of us began to tremble.
A portal appeared.
Out of it came... them.
The kitsune.
I knew right away.
They didn't hide their tails or ears—on the contrary, they proudly displayed them. Their aura was both native and foreign at the same time. When I saw them... my heart trembled.
- why?.. I whispered, not knowing what I was feeling.
And the next moment, everything changed.
The world tore apart, and I found myself in another place.
---
Forest.
Beautiful, green, full of life.
The trees stretched skyward, the sun's rays breaking through the foliage. The air was clean and fresh. It smelled of flowers and grass.
And then… I saw them.
The kitsune.
Men and women strolled along the paths, children laughed and ran, their tails gently swaying in the air. Their laughter sounded so sincere, so warm.… That I stopped and couldn't look away.
The eyes widened. My heart was beating faster and faster.
I didn't understand why this place seemed so familiar.
And then they appeared.
Couple. A man and a woman.
They came up to me. Their gazes were soft and warm. There was no animosity between them. Only tenderness and longing.
I didn't know them. I've never seen them.
But when their eyes met mine... something shuddered deep inside.
Their lips formed one word at once.
— My daughter.
I froze.
It was as if the ground had disappeared from under my feet.
The word hit my heart, and I didn't know whether to be happy or afraid.
My daughter?.. Are they... my parents? ..