Chapter 195 195 - Winter

Chapter 195 195 - Winter



The matriarch of the Silvermoons led Ryan through the various corridors of the palace. Passing through dozens of rooms, she activated different magic circles along the way. In each room they passed, the matriarch made a different move, and each time, a strange sound of keys echoed through the corridors.

'A lock?' Ryan thought, as he followed Kyouko without saying a word.

<'A magic circle lock? This is starting to get interesting.

- I hope this ritual doesn't involve blood, that sight made me a bit -

<Uncomfortable?

- More like traumatized -

'I didn't mean to make you two look so bad around here, I apologize'

Before Ryan could give a better answer, the matriarch caught his attention with an order "Go through the door quickly, the portal won't be open for long" said Kyouko, in a firm voice he had never heard before.

Ryan followed the command, going through a golden gate and entering a small square room. Activating his Demon Sight, he realized that the place had a different mana flow from the rest, looking a bit like Kyouko's room. With the blink of an eye, Ryan felt as if he had been thrown away by a portal.

Taking a single step forward, Ryan realized that he was no longer in the same room. The walls went up, he was in a bigger room. The vastness of the place was immense, although the ceiling was a little too close to the floor. The place seemed miles away, yet only three meters high.

As Ryan walked through the place, he felt an energy calling him closer. All the mana in that place was concentrated in a single point, centralized in a single place.

"A portal," he said as he walked. Holding out his hand, Ryan was pulled through that dimensional rift.

The sensation of going through a portal was always the same, like going through several layers of water or jumping into a pool. But this time, it felt different, as if he had been pulled and pushed out. Still a little dazed, Ryan raised his head as he observed the new plane he was on.

"A... temple?" Ryan said confusedly, as he observed a gigantic red tower that seemed to be a few kilometers from where he had been thrown. Sighing, he let out a puff of hot smoke into the cold wind of the place. Walking through the forest, Ryan began to feel the snowflakes falling on his skin as he gazed at those white mountains.

There was no other word to describe the place than majestic. The place Ryan was in resembled a mountainous region in Asia, with a little snow on top of the bright green coniferous trees.

The feel of the place was different, and with a quick glance at his Demon Sight he could already conclude where he was.

'So that's another plan,' said Ryan. Kneeling down, he touched the frozen earth of that place, and paying attention to the mana he realized that it was neither the first nor the second world.

"That's interesting," he said, with a confident smile on his face. Getting up, he took up a defensive position when he heard footsteps running around him.

Turning his face from side to side, he tried to follow where the sounds were coming from, but the creature's speed was surprising.

"You're interesting," said a woman's voice, the sound of her voice echoing off the path the footsteps followed. That voice was sweet and icy at the same time. The sound was as friendly and hostile as the landscape where he was standing.

Following the footsteps, Ryan advanced through the forest until he found a cobblestone path. Several steps led up to the temple at the top of the hill. As he walked, the sensation of being watched became greater and greater; to Ryan's watchful eye, it was as if he knew that there were hundreds of creatures watching every step he took on that plane.

With every step he took, Ryan felt a strong energy in front of him, as if he were approaching yet another portal. But when he reached the end of those stairs, what he found was a red gate leading to a wide concrete floor. There was a gigantic Japanese temple and the red tower he had seen from afar.

* Ding * Ding * Ding *

The sound of bells broke the silence of the place, and in the center of the courtyard a woman with long white hair appeared in the blink of an eye. Next to her were two white foxes. The girl's eyes were as white as her skin and hair, and as she advanced, ice and snow fell to the earth. The white yukata she was wearing was almost falling off, being held up by the lady's crossed arms.

"Nyx?" Ryan said, looking at the woman from afar, but as he walked closer the answer came to him.

"It's inelegant to enter our domain and call us by other names. But your smell, so you're a Silvermoon..." That woman's voice was serious, with every word recited by her mouth, a cold wind came out, consuming Ryan's skin.

There was an aura of ice around her, and her pink lips seemed to be the only living part of her pale skin. The feeling Ryan was getting was as if she was the reason for all the snow in that area, as if that woman was a cold fire that emanated the very essence of winter.

"I imagine you've come to talk to my master," said the girl, who turned and held out her hands. Then the two gigantic cherry wood doors swung open in the cold wind.

"Come in," said the other woman's voice. Turning around, Ryan heard footsteps coming from the forest. Dozens of foxes jumped out of the trees, staring at him as he walked towards the temple.

As Ryan walked through the temple door, a surprising sight appeared in front of him. Walking from a vast corridor, a white fox with red markings under its eyes approached him. The creature was more than four meters long, and as it left the corridor, Ryan noticed that the fox had nine tails with red tips.

With every step the creature took, the sound of the bells on its neck echoed through the temple. "I didn't expect Kyouko to send someone to make a contract with me, at least not so soon," said the fox. n--O-/v/-e./1(-b--1).n

* Triiim * Triim * Triim*

With the sun three swings from her neck, the fox transformed into a beautiful woman with long white hair. With two fox ears identical to Kyouko's, her eyes were as red as the make-up and priestess outfit she was wearing. Crossing her arms, she raised her face as she looked Ryan up and down.

"You're more interesting up close, kid. What is that smell you possess?" said the fox woman, who slowly walked over to Ryan.

'That's it again...' Ryan thought, smiling at the situation.

"That's not the first time I've been told that," he replied, and turning his head, the fox girl looked at him in confusion.

"I'm not talking about the demonic and sacred energy you possess, kid. That's something anyone who's paying attention can see, I'm talking about the energy that's concentrated in your heart."

Ryan was startled by her words, and placing his hand on his chest, he looked at himself thoughtfully. "Do you know what that means? Do you know what this is that's happening to me?" He shouted.

"I'll be able to observe better when our pact is finalized, come to me Ryan Whitemane. I'll turn you into a Silvermoon," said the fox, holding out both arms as he called the young man into an embrace.

With every step Ryan took, his heart rate accelerated. But the kitsune's touch was far more reassuring than he could have imagined. The connection the two had was almost instantaneous, and like a child in his mother's arms, he began to sleep peacefully.

"Master, why did you let that human lie on your lap?" asked the ice girl. The Kitsune began to laugh, "That boy is not just a human, he manages to be more surprising than that last child"

"Is the pact finalized?" asked the girl. Shaking her head, the Kitsune denied, "I need him to finish accepting my contract," she replied, leaving Yuki-Onna confused.

"He accepts the contract? Wait! Master you can't do that!" Tears began to flow from Yuki-Onna's face, as she didn't seem to know how to react to the news.

"This boy has a much greater potential strength than mine. I want to see what his future will be, getting out of this plane will be a little good for this aging fox's mind," said the Kitsune, with a big smile on her face.

Yuki Onna remained worried, but looking at how excited her master was, she replied energetically "If you're going to make a pact with that human, so am I! I'm eternally faithful to you, master!"

The Kitsune was petting Ryan's head, and narrowing her eyes she said, "This boy is going to need our help."