TheRealSkolliecreators' thoughts
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Chapter 137
You know Kayda once said she couldn't lead someone when dancing, yeah? Well, that was an utter lie. She lied straight to my face with that smug smile of hers. The moment our feet touched the dancing floor, she took over like a storm blowing through a field of dry grass. She didn't just lead-she commanded. And I, poor little novice fox girl, got dragged along like some beginner student trying not to trip on her feet.
It wasn't graceful, not from my side anyway. Kayda was spinning me, dipping me, twirling me, and moving so confidently that I barely had a chance to breathe, much less think about what my feet were doing. The crowd cheered and clapped as if we were professionals, while I was silently praying I wouldn't collapse face-first onto the stage.
Even my stamina-usually more than enough for a fight or two-bottomed out by the end. That's how intense she was. Dragons don't just dance, apparently. They wage war on the dance floor. I swore my legs were jelly, and my lungs burned worse than when I trained with Lina. Fucking dragons. You can never trust them when they say something innocent like, "I can't lead a dance." Utter lies.
Anyways, that was three days ago. It has been three long, chaotic, headache-inducing, and strangely happy days since Kayda officially became my girlfriend. Even though that part came with complications.
She got mad-really mad-when I said we weren't technically lovers yet because, well, we hadn't slept together. She puffed up like a cat about to claw your face off, wings twitching and all. I thought she was going to breathe fire on me right then and there. She said I was being stubborn, that labels didn't matter, and that being together was enough. And maybe she's right. Maybe I'm too damn stubborn.
But deep down? I still think my feelings are being manipulated by this stupid soulmate bond we share. It's like a string tugging at my heart every time I look at her. Is it real? Or just magic forcing me? I haven't told her that, of course. If I did, I'd be slaughtered-not physically, sadly, but in a mental sense. Which, honestly, might be worse.
So, instead of poking that bear, I did the next best thing. I asked Kayda for a spar.
She accepted instantly, no hesitation. If anything, she looked too eager. Probably saw it as the perfect chance for payback after I denied her. However, I don't believe she hates me. She loves every excuse to fight me, even if it ends in both of us being sore and grouchy.
Ann and Katie overheard us whispering about where to spar and offered us the mansion's underground training ground. There was a catch though-they'd only let us use it if they could watch. Of course Kayda, ever the show-off, agreed before I even had a chance to ask important questions like, "Is it actually big enough?"
Turns out it was.
Big wasn't even the right word. Massive. The moment we stepped inside, I felt tiny. You could probably fit five Kaydas stacked in her dragon form on top of each other and still have space left over. The ceiling disappeared into darkness, and the walls were so distant that I couldn't even see them. A faint metallic smell permeated the air, likely due to the accumulation of mana over the years.
So here we were. Kayda and I stood across from each other, preparing to fight. Ann and Katie sat off to the side on a sturdy bench like the event was just some entertainment show. I asked them to sit further back-they refused. Ann claimed there was a barrier up and they'd be fine. I wasn't convinced, but fine.
"Man, it's been a while since we sparred, hasn't it?" I said, rolling my shoulders and stretching. I wore my usual training outfit: a sports bra and cargo pants, nothing fancy, nothing restricting. Looking up at Kayda floating in the air, wings spread and silver light armor shining, I couldn't help but smile.
"And whose fault is that?" she shot back, clicking her tongue.
"Aah~, do you feel neglected?" I teased, smirking.
"Hmph. Of course not. I don't care if you only concentrate on training even when you're literally riding on my back," Kayda said, arms crossed.
"Man, you could care a little more about how you word things," I said, rubbing my cheek.
"...Are you guys going to bicker the entire time or actually spar?" Ann's voice rang out, flat and annoyed.
"Hmm, that depends," I said, tilting my head at her mischievously.
"Kitsu, she already knows about your bloodline," Kayda reminded me with a sigh.
"Yeah, I know, but does Katie?" I asked, glancing at the girl.
Katie blinked, clearly lost.
"No, but she can keep secrets. Right, darling?" Ann asked, looking at her daughter.
"Uh-I won't tell anyone about what happens today," Katie said quickly, nodding like her life depended on it.
"If you say so," I muttered. With that, I dropped my illusion. My tails unfurled-three of them, fiery red fur shimmering in the light.
"Wha-!? She has three tails!?" Katie gasped, nearly falling off the bench.
"Shush, Katie."
"Right..." she whispered, still staring.
"So, Kayda, are we warming up first?" I asked, eyes on her again.
"Whatever," she said casually, conjuring a dozen scorching fireballs around herself.
"Hehe. Warm-up, it is," I said, grinning as two spears of ice materialized in my hands. Without hesitation, I hurled them at her.
Kayda only scoffed, flinging scorch balls to intercept.
Sizzle. The spears melted away.
Guess my ice still isn't cold enough. Gotta focus more on the mana itself. Come on, Kitsuna, you trained this.' I clenched my jaw, watching as two scorch balls broke through and came barreling toward me.
"Okay then," I muttered, forming a long ice sword. I waited until they were in reach and sliced both in half with a single sweep. The heat licked my skin before the flames fizzled out.
"I see you've finished the pole exercise I gave you," Kayda said with a smug nod.
"Yeah, thanks to my class. Well, not entirely, but it helps," I admitted with a shrug.
"I see. Well, Amari finished it before you-and she didn't even have a class," Kayda added smugly.
"Ugh, don't remind me how much better she is at magic than me," I grumbled.
"Haha, don't sweat the small stuff. You're both geniuses," Kayda said, waving me off.
"Hmm," I hummed, unimpressed. With a sigh, I created more weapons in the air-blades and spears-before sending them hurtling at her.
"Oh, you can conjure them like normal spells now?" Kayda asked, blocking them with her scorch balls.
"I could have done this from the start. It just wastes too much mana. "It still does," I said, annoyed, as I watched my creations dissolve.
"Oh." She tilted her head, mildly surprised.
"Tsk." As I clicked my tongue, I layered lightning and fire on top of my ice.
Bang!
Boom!
Sizzle!
The collisions shook the air, leaving trails of mist. Soon enough, a thick fog blanketed the space around Kayda. Her silhouette blurred in the haze.
'Perfect,' I thought, circling quietly.
But then her voice rang out sharp through the mist. "Do you really think I wouldn't know what's happening around me?"
She unleashed a volley of scorch balls blindly in the haze. Unfortunately for her, I wasn't in front-I was right behind, sword raised to strike.
"Pochi thought it'd work for a bit," I muttered, only to dodge sideways as the fireballs curved unnaturally toward me.
"-Oh fuck!" Kayda yelped when three blurry red figures emerged from the mist, charging straight at her.
"Da-damn surprise," I smirked, appearing at her flank with a warhammer raised.
The impact sent her flying, wings flaring as she tried to regain balance.
"Hehe, surprised!" I called, landing gracefully as my tails stretched behind me-massive, ten meters long each, glowing ominously with condensed mana.
Kayda's eyes widened. "What the fuck is that!?"
"My tails?" I asked innocently, tilting my head.
"That's unbelievable! How are you able to do that?" she shouted, pointing accusingly.
"Oh, they're manatees now. I can change the length," I explained cheerfully, swinging them experimentally, extending and shrinking them with ease.
Kayda's shock turned into curiosity. "What else can you do?"
"Huh? Why would I tell you?" I teased.
She sighed dramatically. "And why not?"
"Because that would make this spar pointless," I said, grinning as I blinked right in front of her.
BOOM!
[Kayda POV]
Before she could say another smug word, I launched a barrage of scorch balls, cloaking the area in another thick layer of smoke.
"Fair point," I muttered, expecting her to be hiding.
Instead, one of her figures stood there in the haze, only to crack and shatter into ice.
"I told you that won't work!" came her voice from my right.
"But we're the same person, dumbass!" came her voice again, this time from the left.
My head spun. 'What? Is she running circles around me? Then why is she arguing with herself?'
"Both of you shut up. You're being annoying," came another voice-directly in front.
'What the hell-there's more of her?'
"Says the one sending us in to die," another Kitsu snarked, tone sharp.
"Tsk, don't make it sound like we're different entities," one grumbled.
"But we need to keep up this banter until cutie notices us," one purred in a sultry voice that sent heat rushing to my face.
"Yeah, yeah. Shut it. The smoke's clearing," another sighed.
And just as she said, the haze began to thin.
The sight that met my eyes froze me on the spot.
"Oh hell no," was all I managed to choke out.
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Chapter 138
"Oh hell no, how are there three of you!" Kayda shouted, her tone sharp and carrying that edge of disbelief mixed with annoyance. Her eyes darted between us like she wasn't sure which one of me to attack first. Her brows knit together, wings twitching in irritation, and for once the magnificent red dragon didn't sound pleased.
I tilted my head slightly, more amused than concerned. "What's the problem?" I asked innocently, looking at all of us in turn, as if I too were trying to confirm what she was seeing. However, despite the presence of three bodies here, each of us had only one tail, including myself. Somehow that was reassuring. If all of us had sprouted extra tails, Kayda probably would have had a meltdown.
"Ah, we can actually be four," the clone to my left explained casually, almost smugly, shrugging like the loss wasn't anything worth making a fuss about. "But yeah, that one died right there in front of you, so you're only seeing three right now."
Kayda's eyes widened, her jaw tensing as she pointed a finger at me-or us. "F-four. You can make four of yourself?"
"Yeah, why?" I asked, blinking at her like she was the one being strange about this. "Is that a big deal or something?"
Her wings snapped tighter against her back, the leathery membrane rustling faintly. "Kitsuna, I will warn you right now..." She paused, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "If one of your clones does anything date-related-anything-I don't care what it is-you are dead. Do you hear me? Dead."
The weight of her words sent a shiver straight through me, my tail bristling without my permission. I wasn't sure if she was bluffing or not, but I wasn't about to test it. "Yes, yes, we understand," I said quickly. The other two of me chimed in at the exact same time, our voices overlapping in eerie harmony, making it sound like some weird choir.
Kayda squinted at us, but the way her cheeks flushed a faint pink gave her away. Still, she nodded firmly, satisfied with my obedience. "Good. Now we can continue."
"Ah, right," I muttered, trying not to sound too nervous. But at the same time, the itch to push her buttons was just too strong. With a sudden burst of energy, I lunged forward, my clones moving in step beside me.
"So what now?" One of the clones asked hesitantly, his tone lacking confidence.
"You guys can go," I said bluntly, swinging both my hands outward. Chains of glimmering frost and shadow coiled through the air, latching onto the clones.
"Ugh, fuck's sake, what a waste of mana," the first clone groaned, his body shifting before collapsing inward, reshaping into the jagged form of an ice axe.
"I must agree with that one," the second added dryly before changing as well, his figure warping into a heavy warhammer that clanged against the ground with a resounding weight.
"Shut it," I snapped at them both, tugging on the chained weapons as they rattled in my grip.
Kayda's sharp eyes followed every movement, her expression a mix of irritation and amusement. "I must agree with them, Kitsu. Making clones takes a lot of mana. That headache of yours isn't worth it."
"Yeah, yeah, I know that," I muttered, pulling the axe and warhammer closer to me with a sharp tug of the chains. My temples throbbed like someone was splitting my skull with a crowbar. "But I can't control them properly. This way's easier."
'It feels like my mind got split into four,' I thought grimly, wincing as the throbbing worsened. 'Scratch that-the mind does split into four.'
"Ah, I see," Kayda said coolly, her body suddenly moving in a blur. She jumped back effortlessly, dodging the whistling swing of the axe as it cut through the air, followed immediately by the hammer's brutal arc.
Bang!
The shockwave of her takeoff rattled the ground beneath me.
"I really hate it when you fight in the air," I grumbled, glaring upward as she flapped her wings and soared out of reach again.
"Haha, I won't be the last," she shot back, her voice carrying over the battlefield.
"No shit," I muttered. Crouching low, I launched myself after her with explosive force. Chains crackled, the axe spinning wildly toward her while I twirled the hammer above me, ready to strike.
"Oh damn," Kayda hissed, banking backward midair as the axe sliced past her.
"Hup!" I grunted, swinging the hammer. With perfect timing, I let it collide with the back of the axe's handle, sending it flying even faster toward her.
Her eyes widened as the axe's edge grazed her wing. "Damn, nice move," she admitted, but her smile faltered when she glanced at the weapon's blade and noticed that the tip was melting due to her heat.
"Tsk, you're using that now," I said through clenched teeth, annoyed as I yanked the weapons back to me and landed with a powerful thud on the ground.
"You didn't say I couldn't," Kayda replied with a maddening shrug.
"True. I did want you to use that," I admitted, letting the chains go slack. The weapons hit the ground with a dull clatter before dissolving back into mist. My hands shifted, energy coiling into a new shape.
