The polished marble halls of the royal mansion echoed softly under the steps of Kyoren'sfather , the king with three great fox tails and crimson eyes that missed nothing. He walked with purpose toward the vast library of forbidden lore, his long robes trailing like silent warnings behind him. The hallway was lined with high-security chambers for special-grade guards and noble attendants, their doors enchanted with seals only a king or high commander could unlock.
As he approached the chamber newly assigned to Yurei, a low, breathy voice froze him mid-step.
"Tch... ah... y-you could... you could at least suck a bit slow... You're biting too hard... It hurts and... I'm going to dry out if you drink like that..."
Kuradome's ears twitched. His sharp hearing didn't miss the soft creak of the bed, rhythmic, suggestive. His eyes widened.
"Sucking? Biting too hard? Drying out?!"
He staggered back, his mind instantly racing to the filthiest possibilities. "An affair? In my palace?! Unholy acts under my roof?!"
His hands curled into trembling fists as a sharp whimper followed. That was it. He yanked the master key from his robes, slammed it into the lock, and burst in.
What he found stunned him.
Yurei sat upright on the bed, alone. His white robe was slightly disheveled, his body glistening with sweat, face flushed and panting faintly as if recovering from a fever dream. He looked like he'd been pulled out of a deep trance.
Upon seeing the elder king, Yurei's eyes widened in shock. He scrambled up and bowed.
"K-Kuradome-sama!"
Kuradome's eyes scanned the room. No sign of another presence. Still, his suspicion flared.
"You were with someone," he accused, voice low and sharp. "Weren't you? Doing unholy things with her? At my palace?! If you want a woman, marry her! Don't dirty these halls!"
Yurei turned scarlet. He stammered quickly, shaking his head, "N-no! My king, I wasn't doing anything!"
"Liar!" Kuradome roared. "Where did you hide her?! Gained new tails after promotion and now you're using them for this?! Open every door, now!"
Terrified, Yurei complied. He opened the closet, the bathroom, even the linen compartment. Nothing. Kuradome scanned each with growing disbelief.
From the corridor, Kyoren happened to pass by. His thoughts had been heavy, still dwelling on the fragments of the night before. But when he heard his father's angry tone, he quickened his pace and arrived just as Kuradome was stepping back from the search.
He saw Yurei flushed and trembling, the king towering over him.
"You--"
Kuradome turned, his anger not yet extinguished. But Kyoren stepped between them, his golden sleeves fluttering gently like a barrier of light.
"Father! What's going on?! Why are you yelling at him?!"
Kuradome bit the inside of his cheek. How could he even explain what he'd heard without evidence? He grunted in frustration, glaring between the two. He didn't like how close Kyoren and Yurei were becoming. It felt... personal. Wrong. Protective, like family. Or maybe more?
He turned sharply on his heel and stormed off.
Yurei let out a shaky breath. Kyoren turned to him.
"Are you alright? What happened?"
Yurei looked down, lips trembling slightly. "He thought I was with someone... because of what he overheard. But... he misunderstood."
Kyoren studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "I believe you. If you liked someone, you'd tell us. My father... he just loses his temper easily with anything that looks like an affair. Don't take it to heart."
Yurei gave a grateful nod. But his expression carried something else too: a flicker of guilt he didn't voice.
Far from the royal mansion of kuradome and kyoren's mantion in yokai kingdom , at human world..Master Suiren sat in meditation at the Silver-Blue /Yin Lan clan sanctuary. A deep worry darkened his brow. His disciples, Kairo and Utsushi, had not returned.
"Maybe I shouldn't have sent them," he murmured, eyes closed. "They're young. Just 21 and 23. But so determined... so gifted."
Both had trained hard in flute and guqin techniques...not just for melody, but for spiritual combat, for reading yokai energies, and calming tortured souls. Last night, they had heard something strange in the woods. A haunting tune. And against his better judgment, Suiren had allowed them to chase it.
In the fog-drenched forest, Kairo ran desperately, his arms trembling as he supported Utsushi over his shoulder. Utsushi was pale, shivering, bleeding faintly. His breath came in shallow gasps.
"Hang on, Utsushi! Just a bit more!" Kairo cried, his voice cracking.
But the forest stretched endlessly. No matter how far he ran, the mist refused to lift. The cries of owls and humans mixed unnaturally in the distance. His power, which should have let them fly or teleport, was useless...something pulled at them, dragging them down.
Kairo staggered, finally falling to his knees. He cushioned Utsushi with his body to avoid further injury. Smoke slithered around them, thin and dark, whispering laughter from unseen mouths.
Suddenly, the mist thickened.
And with one swift, terrifying motion...Utsushi was yanked from his grasp.
"Utsushi!!!" Kairo screamed, his voice tearing through the choking silence, echoing into the void.
The darkness laughed again.
Scene shifts to kirihito who at the same poor village , away from both Kyoren's kingdom and the black gold or even silver blue lan clans . He's looking around , it's quite dark now..the darkness hiding away the sun just as darkness hides the purity . He smirks lightly , sensing something...he's slowly heading to somewhere, his footsteps barely making sounds , his hood hiding his half face as always , he finds some plants dying too fast which humans planted .
" those insects will cry more for food and peace now , won't they ?~..I can feel the curse is getting more dangerous..no one can atop its anger by any if those poor retual which that old king arranged..he did one great thing..he didn't wasted his gold or silver on those weakabd lustful insects "
But then also pouts lightly .
" AH, I've to shift my place too if not even dragon fruit is left to eat..ahha ! " face lit up again "Why should I worry ?~ weak hearted kyoren~ sama's kingdom is there~ I'll leave that village for good and live there..problem solved...and now back to my insect mission "
He stands before a house , good looking and rich then others . He says with a smirk
" I'm coming for you insect family ~ "
[ end of Chapter 09 ]