"Wow, your-" She didn't finish. Her head snapped up as a whip lashed toward her. She barely slipped aside before her eyes widened again, a scythe's gleaming edge grazing the air above her neck. She ducked, only to stumble back as jagged ice spikes erupted from the ground, slow but sharp, forcing her to scorch them away with a wave of heat.
She landed lightly several paces back, glaring. "Are you trying to kill me?"
I didn't answer, my expression remaining cold and detached. That only made her sigh before she resumed her barrage.
My lungs burned. Mana was running low. 'I don't really have a lot left. Flash Step and running ate most of it.' My arms felt heavier, my breathing sharper. I conjured a halberd in one hand, leaving just enough mana in reserve.
Her next volley came fast. I spun the halberd, its blade catching the heat, slicing one ball cleanly in half while the other whistled past my ear. I lunged, thrusting.
"You sliced it?" she muttered, eyes flicking in brief surprise as she twisted aside. Her palm flared, a searing line of heat shattering the halberd's tip in an instant.
I gave no reaction, flipping the broken shaft and spinning it into a strike aimed at her side.
She danced back, smirking faintly. "You really remind me of someone I know."
"Is that so?" I pressed forward, bringing the staff down hard.
"Yeah." She caught the shaft mid-swing and yanked, dragging me toward her.
I dispelled it instantly, the sudden loss of resistance pulling me forward. Two daggers appeared in my hands, the rest of my mana sputtering away in the creation. Momentum carried me into a slash, the left dagger arcing upward.
She stepped back, the blade grazing the edge of her robe. She prepared a spell, but I followed with the right dagger, forcing her another step away. From outside it might have looked like she toyed with me. But each dodge was tight and precise-she wasn't playing.
"Geez, you're quite a prodigy for your age," Kayda said between breaths, her grin sharp. "No-more like a monster prodigy."
"Pfft, and what does that have to do with anything?" I growled, not letting up.
"You really are-" Her words cut as danger prickled the air. Both of us froze, eyes snapping up.
A dozen swords whistled down from above. Instinct took over-we dove in opposite directions, blades and heat slicing the ground where we'd just stood.
"She's outraged this time," I muttered, pulling a sword from my thigh sheath. Kayda stood beside me, tense.
"Can you transfer mana?" I asked quickly.
Her eyes narrowed. "Yes, I can. Why?"
"Well, I don't have any left, and I really don't want to die today." I extended my hand without hesitation.
She blinked at me, then smirked faintly before grasping it. Energy flowed in, warm and steady, seeping into my veins.
'Mana transfer-only possible with precise control. Something I lack.' The realization stung.
"Thank you," I murmured. My eyes lifted just as a shadow descended. Mom-Stacy-landed from the aircraft, her presence heavy, oppressive. One look at her expression and I groaned inwardly. Pain. Lots of pain incoming.
"Do you know what you two just interrupted!?" Mom snapped, her tone sharp enough to slice.
I swallowed, lifting my hands slightly. "If I think about it, I have an idea... but I don't want to say it."
"Ohh, you do?" She tilted her head, eyes narrowing in mock curiosity.
"You do?" Kayda asked, clearly lost, glancing between us.
I leaned toward her, whispering quickly. "You know she was away for three years, right?"
She nodded slowly.
"Well... she was away from Dean as well."
Her eyes widened, realization hitting like lightning. "Ooh... ohhh." Her smirk returned as she looked at Mom. "You were busy 'stress-relieving' with Dean, weren't you?"
"Haha, Kayda, you really looking to die today." Mom's voice dripped menace.
"Can you not make it worse?" I hissed, glaring at Kayda.
"Oh, come on, we both know you won't kill your best friend," she shrugged.
Mom's hand twitched, a sword pulling itself from the earth. I reacted fast, shoving Kayda away just as the blade cut the air where she'd been. "Can you not taunt her right now!"
Mom's voice came from behind me, cold. "Did I not teach you not to take your eyes off your opponent?"
Her kick slammed into my ribs, launching me through a building wall. Dust choked my throat as I groaned against the rubble.
"Wow, Stacy, isn't that a bit too much?" Kayda called, running toward me.
"Where do you think you're going?" Mom flicked daggers at her back.
Kayda twisted away with a click of her tongue. "Calm down! You might've killed her just now!"
Mom laughed, sharp and merciless. "Do you really think a daughter of mine would die that easily?"
"Daughter!?" Kayda yelped.
"For fuck's sake, Mom!? Can you not send me into a building?" I shouted back, dragging myself out. My reply was punctuated by two spinning crosswheels flying at her.
"Ohh, are we taking this seriously now?" she said, batting them aside.
"Shut up," I muttered, stepping into the open, a war hammer slung across my shoulder, and a one-meter rock balanced in the other hand. I tossed it up, gripped the hammer with both hands, and smashed the rock midair, sending it careening toward her like a cannonball.
The hammer dropped from my grip as I flashed beside Kayda. "Attack her from a distance. Don't worry about me being in your way." I sprinted ahead, an ice katana forming in my hand.
"Okay?" Kayda's voice was hesitant and confused.
Mom's smirk deepened. "Oi, don't think your plans will work that easily." Her katana met mine with a clang, sparks flying. If she'd fortified it, my blade would've shattered.
I ducked, slashing low at her legs, forcing her into a hop just as Kayda's spells rained down.
"Kayda, you know these won't work on me," Mom said, slicing them cleanly.
"The only way out of this is to hit her at least once!" I shouted, swinging upward.
"That's right!" Mom's boot slammed into my stomach, knocking the breath from me.
Pain blurred the edges of my vision, but I gritted my teeth and stood again. Ten minutes bled away into a haze of steel, fire, and exhaustion.
Finally, I collapsed, face-first into my own blood. Kayda knelt in seiza beside me, chest heaving, her body trembling.
"In the end, you couldn't hit me," Mom said, her voice calm, almost smug, as she stood above us.
"You demoness," Kayda wheezed. "Of course we didn't. I was too scared to go all out, and she's..."
"Weak," I mumbled, forcing my head up, blood dripping down my chin. I glanced at Kayda, asking silently for mana. She shook her head. Empty. I turned to Mom-her expression said it all. Denied.
'Weak, huh? If she's weak, then I'm nothing but a booger, Zagan thought grimly from the sidelines.
"Sis is really strong," Amari whispered, her fists clenched tight, awe flickering in her eyes.
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Chapter 45: 3, No, 4
(Stacy POV)
Kitsuna had changed since her evolution. It was not just her power, which was evident in every sharp movement and every flare of mana that bent the air around her; it was also her presence. Her eyes had grown wilder, sharper, like they cut through everything they landed on. And yet, despite all of it, she still carried herself like a child who hadn't learned how to fit her own skin. She barely touched her chakrams. Her magic was raw, unpolished, like a blade pulled from the forge before the tempering. She needed a teacher who could shape that chaos.
And Kayda... Kayda might be the one to bring that out of her.
I turned to look at her-and immediately noticed something was off.
Her hands kept drifting behind her, fingers digging lightly into her back. Not scratching idly. It was deliberate. Almost frantic. The same way she does when she's hiding something.
I frowned. Without a word, I stepped closer and tugged her collar down before she could protest.
"Y-yelp! Stacy!" She squeaked, jerking forward.
But I'd already seen it. Her skin was cracked, jagged lines peeling in uneven patches, as if the outer layer was ready to fall away. Ecdysis.
My breath caught. "Kayda... why is your back like this?" My voice lowered, not in anger but in worry.
She didn't answer. Not directly. Her eyes were locked instead on Kitsuna, unconscious on the ground, streaked in blood. The look in Kayda's eyes wasn't simple worry. It was heavier. Tortured.
"Do you want to talk in private?" I asked carefully.
Her throat bobbed. "...Yes. Please."
I didn't give her the chance to hesitate again.
"Take Kitsuna to the aircraft," I ordered curtly over my shoulder. My voice left no room for questions. Then, before Kayda could second-guess herself, I gripped her shoulder and vanished us from the battlefield.
When we reappeared, the world was nothing but sky and stone. A forgotten watchtower rose out of the cliffs a kilometer away, high above the world. Wind howled around us, sharp and cold, tugging at our clothes and hair.
Kayda's tears had already started.
I faced her fully, searching her face. "Why are you crying?"
Her lip trembled. Her voice cracked. "Because I'm a failure, Stacy."
The words hit me like a slap. "Failure?" I echoed. My jaw tightened. "Kayda, we've talked about this. You are not a failure. You're different, yes. But not broken. Not worthless. You're a special dragon. Your father was wrong to cast you aside."
Her eyes squeezed shut, tears spilling fresh. "No... I was meant to fail from the start."
I blinked, the chill in my chest deepening. "...From the start? What do you mean?"
Her gaze rose, wet and pained, and for the first time she didn't hide it. "My soulmate is a fox. Do you know what that means? I'll be a joke, Stacy. To dragons, to demi-humans, even to humans. They'll all laugh at me. That a dragon sage, daughter of Vermillion, bound herself to... that."
It took a second for the words to hit me. Then they did. My blood ran cold.
"...Kitsuna?" I whispered.
She nodded.
My heart lurched. I stumbled back a step, the stone biting my heel. The world tilted. Should I be happy? Angry? Afraid? My mind clawed for footing and found nothing. Amari's bond with Zagan was messy enough, but this... a soulmate? A dragon's soulmate? That was forever. Absolutely.
Kayda-my best friend-is bound to my daughter.
My daughter-in-law?
"What the fuck..." The words tore out of me, raw, before I could stop them.
But then I saw her expression-not joy, not awe-shame.
"Wait," I snapped, finding my balance, my voice sharper now. "Aren't you glad to have found her?"
"Yes. And no." Kayda's voice broke on the words. "A part of me is... happy. But the other part, the part that sees she's a fox, refuses it. It feels... wrong."
Something inside me snapped. I lunged, fisting her collar and hauling her up so our faces were inches apart.
"You listen to me." My voice was low, venomous, and trembling with the weight of my fury. "Kitsuna is my daughter. Not by blood, but by bond. If you dare dismiss her-if you ever reduce her to just a fox-I will not forgive you. Not even you, Kayda."
Her lips parted, trembling. "...Lives? What do you mean?"
The question cut deeper than I expected. My grip slackened. For a heartbeat, the memories I had buried surged up like a tide.
I exhaled harshly, my voice a rasp. "She's carried more than one life, Kayda. You don't understand. She's seen worlds collapse. Watched them rot, watched herself rot with them. Every scar she wears isn't just from here."
I shut my eyes, pressing a palm to my face as if I could shove the words back inside. "Five years. Ten. More. Pain that doesn't end, it just piles higher. You see her smile, but you don't see how cursed she is to keep surviving."
Kayda sat frozen on the stone floor. The wind whipped her hair across her face, drying the tears into pale streaks, but her eyes stayed locked on me-horrified, stricken.
I steadied myself, but my voice stayed sharp. "You think she's just a fox. But you haven't even begun to see what she's endured."
I forced myself to continue, slower, each word dragging. "Three years ago... Duke Vermillion's experiments. She was the last child left standing. Except she didn't stand. She died. He filled her with primordial blood, and it killed her. But she came back. Not clean. Not free. Twisted. Her very race rewritten. Her curse chained her with regeneration that makes death nearly impossible. Strip her mana, cut off her head-maybe. Otherwise? She always comes back."
Kayda's breath hitched, her hands clenching against her knees.
"And that's not even the worst of it." My voice went hollow. "She's Wrath. A Sin Holder. The second strongest of them all. The hardest to leash."
I crouched in front of her now, forcing her to meet my eyes. "She's thirteen, Kayda. But she's immortal. Every choice she makes will outlast us all. So I'll ask you once. Are you going to help her carry it, or are you going to make it heavier?"
Kayda's eyes widened. Her body sagged, and she bowed low, forehead pressing against cold stone. "I... I'm sorry. I was selfish. Foolish. Please forgive me."
Her contrition cut through the air like the only honest thing left.
"I'll take that for now," I said, finally easing down to sit cross-legged across from her. "But don't think it's over. If you want her to accept you... you'll have to earn it."
She raised her head, confused. "Earn it? How?"
"You'll teach Amari. Full elemental training. Sage-level, before the academy begins."
She blinked. "...Amari? Not Kitsune?"
"You'll help her when you can. But Kitsuna's my disciple. Her weapon training stays with me. If you want her to see you as more than a fate-bound dragon, you'll need to prove yourself on your own merits."
Kayda hesitated, then a faint smile tugged her lips. "If she ever reached your level in weapons... that would be terrifying. And incredible."
"Three years," I said. "That's how long it took me to make her call me 'Mom.' You'll need at least that much."
A soft flush crept across Kayda's cheeks. She looked away, muttering, "Tch..."
I chuckled humorlessly. "Warnings, though. Kitsuna has... modes." I held up fingers one by one. "You've seen two."
Kayda tilted her head.
"First is her playful side-mischievous, light. Second is her serious mask. Cold, detached, the one she fights with. That one's dangerous because she forgets herself. Treats her life like nothing." My jaw clenched. "Once, during training, I cut her in half."
Kayda's eyes bulged. "You WHAT?!"
"She healed her lower body back in five seconds. With her curse amplifying pain tenfold. She didn't even flinch." I laughed bitterly. "Fifteen years of torment will numb anyone. Doesn't make it right."
