CONTENT WARNING: Note, this chapter is rated mature due to blood/gore.

Zheng Zixin

Give him time. Kitsune don’t mate for life, my dragon reassured me. He was correct—kitsune were known for their promiscuous ways. But why was his acceptance something I craved more than victory in my battles?

I tore my gaze from his, only to find that there was a cave situated several feet in front of us, but upon close speculation, there was no one posted outside its entrance. It was the direction in which the fish swam that was most concerning. Instead of going towards the cave, they swam around it, as if there was some sort of barrier preventing them from going any further.

Hammerhead sharks were swimming alongside the fish, ignoring the fact that their food was so close to them. There was something magical about the cave’s exterior. I just couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

Because my father was a fire dragon and my mother was a Celestial dragon, I could only hold water dragon energy in my essence, the root of my power. I could hold Celestial energy for limited periods of time, but to be more successful, I would need to strengthen my body through cultivation to accept the energy. I would have to rely on my physical strength and the kitsune for their assistance.

“Sun Fang! Come out of there at once!” I yelled for the water dragon, poking my head into the carriage’s entrance.

“Y-yes, Taizi,” he stuttered in response as he climbed out of the rickshaw. If I didn’t know better, he was turning green.

‘A water dragon is seasick? What a strange thought,’ I thought. “Be on guard. You’re the only one I can rely on,” I said in a low voice. “Can you generate your blue fire?”

“All water wyrmlings are required to cultivate it at a young age, my Lord.”

“Is it strong enough to repel enemies?”

“Yes, but—”

“That is all I needed to know. Be on guard, Sun Fang.” His spiritual energy was weak. He had to only have about twenty years of cultivation. It wasn’t ideal, but I needed to work with what was provided.

And to make matters even more complicated, Jin couldn’t fight this battle. He needed to concentrate on the oxygen barrier so we wouldn’t drown. Which meant all of my hopes rested on my resolve to properly release Celestial fire without killing myself in the process. Although we had the Inari Defensive Forces, I hated feeling vulnerable enough to need someone else’s help. In Wuzhen, dragons fended for themselves. If I couldn’t accomplish anything on my own, they would deem me a failure. I could almost hear my father’s judgmental nagging.

“Is this the right place?” Tui asked.

“If it isn’t, I’ll kill you for wasting my time,” I muttered.

“This one’s on you, Asari,” Aimi said. “Water’s your domain.”

Asari’s spear glowed a fierce blue before she responded, “Seiryū is never wrong. Belphegor’s powers are fueled by gluttony. The tether must be tied to a creature whose hunger is greater than anything else in the three oceans.”

“Great, it’s not like we have anything but ocean here,” Yami quipped with an eye roll. 

“It’ll be here soon.”

“What will?” I asked, glancing around suspiciously.

“Killer whales. They’re the apex predators of the ocean and eat pretty much anything. It makes sense, considering it’s similar to Belphegor’s nature. Both of them don’t know when to stop eating. It’s no wonder there are barely any demons in the Bay of Avaritia. He probably devoured them all to increase his power.”

“How are we going to find one?”

“We don’t. It’ll come to us.” She pointed to the cave and said, “We’ll take shelter in there.”

Getting into the cave presented little difficulty. It was what waited for us on the inside that was especially tricky. A tall forest of algae - green, amber, red, blue, and yellow - surrounded us until we could no longer determine which direction the exit was the exit. They poked through the barrier like it was nothing, slowly filling our protective bubble up with water.

Turning to Jin, I pointed at the small holes in a slight panic. “Strengthen your barrier before we drown!”

“I didn’t think dragons were terrified of water,” he replied calmly.

I grabbed him by the collar and ordered in a firm tone, “Fix the barrier now!”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried that? These plants were forged with dark magic. They can’t be easily warded off.”

“How are we supposed to get out of this, then?”

“Leave it to me,” Sosuke chided in. His eyes closed in concentration and the only sounds that could be heard were the trickling waters and his deep breathing. I didn’t want it to seem like I was being unsupportive of my mate, but would it kill him to work faster if he had a plan?

Cassiel, I heard the voice in his mind whisper. It was the first time he’d opened it to me or even allowed the barrier between us to fall for a moment. Whatever he did forced him to exert so much energy as he lost control of his mental shroud.

The angel manifested before my eyes, taking on a more tangible form, but the others still couldn’t see him. He used his magic to patch the holes in the bubble, keeping us moving through the ocean steadily.

I caught a brief glimpse into an image of what had to be the past, as Sosuke was in his half-shifted form, staring off into the distance. Even though I’d never seen this form before, there was something within me telling me this was my mate. His broad shoulders carried a heavy weight of confidence and strength, something that made my dragon surge with pride. The intoxicating scent of ylang ylang grew stronger with the realization that such a powerful man was our mate.

His back was to me, only allowing me to see his white fox ears and nine tails, signifying centuries of wisdom. My dragon whined, urging for the man in the mental image to turn around, to allow us to see our mate completely. But the image faded just as quickly as it appeared, as if Sosuke discovered I was in his mind. The walls came back down rather abruptly, causing me to physically recoil.

He cocked his head to the side, almost appearing like he was gazing at me. Any emotions I felt for the brief period we were connected were gone, trapped behind the impenetrable shield he had erected around his mind and his heart.

I turned my head away and muttered, “I didn’t see anything. Even if I wanted to, I’d ask Meihui to erase it from my memory.” He flinched ever so slightly before giving me a curt nod in response. Did my words hurt him?

‘They should. It doesn’t matter if Meihui has selected us for one another, being together defies the Laws of Wuzhen. All that matters is breaking this curse and returning that damned moth to where she belongs,’ I thought. My dragon let out a deathly growl, disapproving of my cold and harsh treatment towards our mate. He retreated to the dark corners of my mind like he usually did whenever I did something to anger him.

The scent of nightshade invaded my senses when I noticed there was another individual standing with us. It was a man with dark hair dressed in a black, his demonic wings exuding a dark energy. It felt like miasma—looking for any opportunity to snuff out the light. No one seemed to notice him as he tilted his head, staring blankly at me.

Behind him stood a female Fallen dressed in a gown similar to Sathanas—except fashioned with pastel orange. She had orange, wavy voluminous hair that moved with her. Aside from the telltale scent of nightshade, the scent of rotting flesh and metallic blood lingered in the air. I was all too familiar with the stench of death, but never had I met anyone alive who emanated death itself. If there was ever a picture of a grim reaper, the image would depict her. However, it didn’t make me want to abandon everything I’d pursue.

She had a crazed look in her eyes, appearing unbothered by our discomfort when we noticed the bloody stump of someone else’s arm in her hand. She continued to gnaw on like it was a piece of chicken. The sound of her crunching on bone made even me flinch. Crushed fairy dust lingered around the corners of her mouth, leading me to believe her recent victim was a naïve fairy who mistakenly crossed her path.

Somehow, they escaped the notice of my unsuspecting comrades as they argued about the best way to find the killer whale. Soon after, a large feast laid in front of us, everyone trapped in the illusion. It had been a while since everyone had eaten, so it took little to get them to think with their stomachs.

Sosuke noticed my hesitation and in a flash, the angel he had summoned, Cassiel, threw his sword at the Fallen’s male comrade, momentarily forcing him back into the shadows in the ground.

“Cassiel,” the female said with a strange fondness. She raised her hands, then immediately dropped them, forcing the water levels to recede completely. “It’s been a long time.”

“Too long it seems, Belphegor,” Cassiel replied.