Inside her quiet office, Yasaka sat at her desk and rubbed her temples.
She had a terrible headache.
Even though Elias had shown his terrifying power in the street yesterday, some of the older Yokai were incredibly stubborn.
They were blinded by their own greed.
Instead of backing down, the elders were holding secret meetings.
They were using Elias as a new excuse to attack Yasaka's leadership.
They whispered that Yasaka was bringing a dangerous, unstable monster into their sacred home.
They wanted to use the fear of Elias's power to push her off the throne.
Yasaka let out a long, heavy sigh.
"They just don't understand,"
Yasaka whispered to herself.
She stood up and decided she needed a break from politics.
She walked out of her office and headed toward the beautiful inner gardens.
When she slid the wooden doors open, her tired eyes softened.
Sitting on the edge of the wooden porch were Elias, Dee, and little Kunou.
They were enjoying the warm afternoon sun.
Kunou was sitting happily on Elias's lap, showing him a small flower crown she had just made.
"Look!"
Kunou smiled brightly, holding up the yellow flowers.
"I made this one for you!"
Elias chuckled warmly. He lowered his head so the little fox girl could place the flower crown on his dark hair.
"Thank you, Kunou,"
Elias said, his voice incredibly gentle.
"It is beautiful. You did a great job."
Kunou beamed with pure pride. She hugged his neck tightly and nuzzled her cheek against his.
"You're welcome, papa!"
Kunou cheered happily.
The garden instantly went completely silent.
Kunou quickly covered her mouth with her hands.
Her golden fox ears flattened in shock.
She realized exactly what she had just said. She had slipped up.
Yasaka froze by the doorway. Her heart ached painfully in her chest.
She didn't know what to do. She knew perfectly well why Kunou had said it.
Her daughter's real father had passed away a very long time ago.
Kunou was lonely, and her little heart was deeply yearning for a strong, caring father figure.
But Elias was a powerful guest, not her father.
"Kunou!"
Yasaka stepped forward quickly, her face filled with panic and deep embarrassment.
"You must not say things like that! Please, come here."
Yasaka bowed deeply to Elias, keeping her head down.
"Lord Elias, I am so incredibly sorry,"
Yasaka apologized, her voice shaking with sadness.
"Please forgive my daughter. Her father has been gone for a very long time. She is just confused and lonely. She didn't mean to disrespect you."
Elias didn't look angry at all. Instead, he just smiled warmly.
He gently patted Kunou's back to show her that she wasn't in trouble.
"Please raise your head, Lady Yasaka,"
Elias said calmly.
"There is nothing to apologize for. I don't mind it at all. It is just a word born from a sweet, lonely heart. She is not bothering me."
Yasaka slowly looked up. She was completely shocked by his deep kindness.
Most powerful men would be highly offended or uncomfortable.
But Elias was just holding her daughter with pure, gentle care.
"See? It is completely fine,"
Dee chimed in from the side.
Dee was leaning against the wooden railing, holding a cup of tea.
She looked at Yasaka and smiled her sweet, endless smile.
"We really love having her around,"
Dee told the Yokai leader.
Then, Dee playfully tilted her head and **winked** directly at Yasaka.
"Besides,"
Dee giggled softly, a teasing spark in her dark eyes.
"He is very protective and incredibly strong. He makes a pretty great papa, don't you think?"
Yasaka's cheeks instantly turned bright red.
She looked at Elias, who was now sighing and playfully shaking his head at his girlfriend's teasing.
Kunou let out a big sigh of relief.
She was so happy that Elias didn't mind.
Her big golden smile returned, and she hugged him even tighter.
She spent the rest of the afternoon playing games with Elias, feeling completely safe and loved.
But happy times always seem to pass by too quickly.
Before they knew it, almost a whole week had passed.
It was their final afternoon in Kyoto.
Tomorrow morning, Elias and Dee had to pack their bags and take the train back to Kuoh town.
Kunou sat on the tatami mat in the living room.
She wasn't smiling anymore. She looked down at her hands, looking incredibly sad.
"Do you really have to go tomorrow?"
Kunou asked quietly. Her fox ears drooped flat against her blonde hair.
"I don't want you to leave. It is going to be so quiet and lonely here again."
Yasaka watched her daughter from across the room.
Her heart broke for her little girl. She felt terrible, but there was nothing she could do.
"I am sorry, my sweet Kunou,"
Yasaka said gently.
"Elias and Dee have their own lives and their own family waiting for them. We cannot force them to stay here forever."
Kunou sniffled and rubbed her eyes, trying very hard not to cry.
Elias looked at the sad little fox. He didn't want to leave her crying either.
Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.
"Kunou,"
Elias said smoothly, leaning forward.
"You haven't started going to school yet, right?"
Kunou blinked and looked up at him.
"School? No. Mother says it is too hard to hide my ears and tail around normal humans every day."
Elias smiled warmly.
"What if you came to Kuoh Academy?"
Elias suggested.
"Our town is very special. We have magic barriers, and the school is run by Devils who keep all the supernatural secrets safe. You wouldn't have to hide who you are. You could live with us at the mansion, make new friends, and go to school."
Yasaka's eyes widened in surprise.
She sat completely still, thinking very deeply about his offer.
At first, sending her only daughter far away sounded scary.
But then, Yasaka looked at Elias.
He was incredibly powerful. No one could hurt Kunou if Elias was protecting her.
Plus, he knew how to use high-level teleportation magic.
Kuoh town was just a quick magic circle away.
She could easily visit her daughter anytime she wanted.
"Lord Elias,"
Yasaka said softly, her face filling with hope.
"That is an incredibly kind offer. I trust you completely to take care of her. I think..."
Yasaka opened her mouth to officially say yes.
But before the words could come out, a sharp sound echoed through the quiet room.
*Snap.*
Dee had suddenly snapped her pale fingers.
In the blink of an eye, the entire room vanished.
The wooden walls, the tatami mats, and the bright afternoon sun were completely gone.
Yasaka gasped in shock.
The entire grand shrine was suddenly covered in a massive, endless midnight field.
Millions of bright, glowing stars floated in the dark sky above them.
It was a perfectly beautiful, but terrifyingly powerful domain.
"What... what is this magic?"
Yasaka asked, looking around in pure confusion.
Dee stood up from her chair. Her sweet, playful smile was completely gone.
Her endless dark eyes were cold and serious.
"Sorry to interrupt the happy moment,"
Dee said calmly, looking out toward the edge of her starry field.
"But I had to put up a strong shield. We have uninvited guests outside."
Elias stood up slowly, stepping in front of Kunou to protect her.
"Who is it, Dee?"
Elias asked.
"They must be the Hero Faction Kuroka mentioned before,"
Dee answered, her voice dripping with annoyance.
"They are part of the Khaos Brigade. A bunch of arrogant humans using powerful weapons. They are working with Ophis... that idiot dragon who let herself be completely deceived and used by them."
Outside the beautiful, starry shield, a group of humans stood in the dark bamboo forest.
The leader of this group was a young man holding a glowing, holy spear.
He had a very arrogant look on his face.
His name was Cao Cao, the leader of the Hero Faction.
Right now, Cao Cao looked highly confused and very annoyed.
He stared at the massive, dark dome of stars blocking his path to the shrine.
"This makes no sense,"
Cao Cao muttered, narrowing his eyes.
"This was not part of the plan."
"Did the old Yokai elders trick us, boss?"
A large man standing behind him asked. His name was Heracles.
"No,"
Cao Cao shook his head. A dark, confident smirk appeared on his face.
"Those greedy elders are too weak and desperate to trick us. They gave us the perfect opening. They unlocked the outer gates for us because they want Yasaka completely off the throne. All we had to do was walk in and kidnap her little daughter."
Cao Cao tapped his holy spear against the ground.
"If we capture the little girl, Yasaka will instantly surrender to us to save her,"
Cao Cao explained his evil plan smoothly.
"The elders get the Yokai throne, and we get Yasaka's power for our faction. It was supposed to be a flawless plan."
He frowned and glared at the starry wall again.
"But those stupid elders never said anything about a magical shield like this,"
Cao Cao sighed.
"They said the shrine would be completely open."
"What should we do?"
Another faction member asked nervously. His name was George.
"We break it, of course,"
Cao Cao laughed out loud. He spun his glowing spear in his hands, looking incredibly proud.
"This is the True Longinus. It is the ultimate holy spear. It can cut through dimensions and pierce through absolutely any magic in the world. This little starry wall is nothing to me."
Cao Cao took a deep breath.
He gathered a massive amount of bright, holy light into the tip of his spear.
He stepped forward and thrust the weapon directly at the starry shield with all of his incredible strength.
*CLANG!*
An incredibly loud, ringing sound echoed through the forest.
Cao Cao waited with a cocky smile for the barrier to shatter like broken glass.
But instead, a heavy shockwave bounced right back at him.
Cao Cao was pushed backward violently.
He stumbled on his feet, his eyes flying wide open in absolute shock.
He quickly looked at the barrier.
There was no hole. There wasn't even a tiny scratch.
The beautiful stars just kept floating peacefully in the dark sky, completely unbothered by his attack.
"What?!"
Cao Cao gasped, his jaw dropping open.
He stared at his glowing spear, and then looked back at the shield in pure disbelief.
"That is impossible! My spear pierces through everything! Why didn't it even leave a mark?!"
Inside the barrier, Dee watched him panic. She crossed her arms and let out a soft, mocking laugh.
"He really thinks a shiny human stick can break my domain?"
Dee smiled coldly, her dark eyes looking right at Cao Cao.
"He is also an idiot."
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