82 - The Freed S*aves Became Obsessed

**Chapter 82: The Obsession of the Freed Slaves** "Where are you taking the master?" A voice so chilling it seemed to freeze the space around it. Lyn gazed down upon the ground, seemingly suspended in the air by some divine magic. Those of the Hoyos, who had been singing in search of freedom, collectively halted in their movements. "Hwago?! H-how did you get here?" The elder frantically checked the barrier, finding it still in perfect order. The talismans stuck to the trees for confusion were also intact. The elder couldn't even begin to guess how Lyn had found their location through sorcery. Reading the bewilderment in his expression, Lyn spoke as if stating the obvious. "I am the master's slave. Did you really think I wouldn't know where he is?" To someone who can handle a certain level of magic or sorcery, tracing the shackles to locate Karami is a trivial task. Above all, the shackles of the soul, once cast, were a skill even Mirabel couldn't undo. It was out of the question that low-grade sorcery from an old three-tailed fox could block it. "Hand over the master." Since almost being killed by the Blood Wolf, Lyn's obsession with Karami had soared vertically. The Hoyos, who already disliked Karami, had kidnapped him. It was bound to end unpleasantly. Knowing this better than anyone, one Hoyos placed sharp claws against Karami's neck. "D-don't move! If you try anything funny, I'll pierce this human's neck!" "......" "Get lost, Hwago!" The Hoyos, wary of Lyn, slowly retreated. The arm threatening Karami was suddenly seized by something. As he quickly checked what it was, he found the arm wrapped in a tree branch. It was the dried tree demon, Gomu-gwi (Tree Demon). Extending its branch, Gomu-gwi captured the Hoyos. Before he could shake it off, Gomu-gwi twisted and broke the arm. Crack. "Aaaaaah!" The fox-human screamed in agony and collapsed. The panic-stricken Hoyos were left speechless. The yokai of White Cloud Valley had surrounded them. Yet, they posed no threats to Lyn. The scene painted a picture of the yokai submitting to her. The survival of the fittest. Strength bows to greater strength. Yokai are simple creatures. They submit to those more powerful. While once they submitted to the most powerful Wungui in White Cloud Valley, they now submitted to Lyn, who had overpowered him—a clear testament to the nature of yokai. "W-wait a minute?" The Hoyos realized their predicament. There was no leniency. The merciless ravaging began. Will-o'-the-wisps incinerated the Hoyos, and Gomu-gwi twisted their bones like a paper craft. A massive bird yokai crashed down from above, snatching two Hoyos in its talons and flying away with them. It was pure pandemonium. "Please, spare us! You said you were the master! Tell them to stop!" A sharp Hoyos pleaded with Karami for his life. Karami gently extricated himself from the one clinging to him, smiling courteously. "Lyn, you should spare the elder. Only he knows the location of the shrine." "Yes. I'll spare him." The implication was simple, and blood drained from the faces of the Hoyos who heard their conversation. That day, a new chorus of ghostly wails was added to White Cloud Valley. *** Back to the Fox Den. Three returned. One was Lyn. Though her hair and clothes were a bit disheveled, she wasn't much different from when she had left the Fox Den. Another was Karami. He, too, was unharmed, save for the mark on his wrist where vines had bound him. The last was the Fox Elder. His gait was awkward, mainly because his three tails had been reduced to one. The others had been pulled out and burnt away. Being a born three-tailed fox, he might regrow his tails if he absorbed enough energy, but what he truly needed to concern himself with was his life. Aside from the elder, the rest of the Hoyos had all become food for the yokai. Now, he was the sole Hoyos from the Fox Den. Though, even his days seemed numbered. Lyn and Karami escorted the limping elder, pushing him to the front. They traversed the empty village and stopped at a corner. Chanting a spell, the elder revealed a hidden underground staircase as the floor rippled. In the pitch-black darkness below, the air was musty from years of neglect, dust accumulated as the musty scent thickened. Lyn ignited a foxfire for light as they proceeded. Though the path was labyrinthine, numerous enchantments hung at each turn. Without dispelling the illusions, one could wander endlessly underground. Only the elder knew the key to undo the spells. It was a fact that justified his continued existence. After roughly 30 minutes of walking through the corridors, Karami hummed a tune to himself, hands clasped behind his back, while Lyn's pupils subtly trembled as they ventured deeper. She sensed something within drawing her like a magnet. Finally, they reached their destination. Upon inserting foxfire into the lanterns placed at intervals, the flames flared up, pushing back the darkness. Revealing a small shrine, precisely as it was. A stone altar. A fox-shaped statue. Behind the altar, a mural depicted a massive fox with nine tails, majestically bridging heaven and earth. But what truly captivated Lyn's gaze was the golden fox orb resting upon the altar. In the dust-laden shrine, it radiated like a dazzling sun. The elder spoke. "This is the sacred site of our fox tribe. A shrine built by ancestors confined within White Cloud Valley." It harkened back to a time when the nine-tailed fox was revered as a deity by the tribes, not just another yokai. The Hoyos of that era erected this shrine to honor their god. The orange-hued fox orb was a repository of the nine-tailed fox's sealed power. It was also the reason why yokai, fearing this power, dared not intrude on the Fox Den. Although, as time erased the history of the nine-tailed fox, the shrine itself was also buried in the past. Curious, Karami reached out to touch the fox orb. Fwoosh! "Ouch." The fox orb erupted in flames. Karami hastily withdrew his hand in alarm. "It's wise not to touch it recklessly. Only a nine-tailed fox will be permitted near." "Then how did it get this far?" "Well..." "It doesn't remain in any records. Did they all just blow it with their breaths? Or perhaps they used some contraption to move it?" The elder fox, pondering seriously for a moment, snapped out of it with a "Bah!" "That’s not important now. As soon as the nine-tailed fox takes possession of this, measures will be taken to suppress her.” "Lyn, you heard that? We just need to take that." "Yes, I heard it clearly." "When did I ever say it that way! You won't be safe either! You’d be better off content and hidden..." "That's not what I want. As the master, I wish for my slave to be fully freed." To achieve that, they must obtain the fox orb and inherit the power of the nine-tailed fox. "It's not something you can just take. If you don't pass the trials of the nine-tailed fox, you will be devoured." "If I planned to retreat, I wouldn't have come here in the first place. Lyn?" "Yes." Lyn approached the fox orb slowly, taking a deep breath. Feeling as if fate was calling, she gently placed her hand on the orb. At that moment. Whoosh! A fierce flame erupted, enveloping Lyn. While her body remained in the shrine, her mind flowed elsewhere, as if carried along a stream. Her consciousness, carried along the waterway, arrived at a pitch-black darkness. Lyn looked down to check her body. Touching it with her hands, she could feel the texture, a vague sensation teetering on the border between reality and illusion. 'What am I supposed to do here?' There was nothing but darkness. What kind of trial would appear? As soon as she tilted her head in confusion, colors began to fill the darkness. What unfolded was the all-too-familiar fox den, but alive with Hoyos she had distinctly killed, wandering about. Lyn, her expression quickly souring, conjured foxfire and launched it at them, but it vanished without effect, as though it was all unreal. Could this be a trap? The crooked fox had deceived her? But the power of the fox orb seemed genuine... Upon closer examination, the fox den bore subtle differences from her memories. The layout of the buildings, their shape, even the Hoyos wandering through it. A sense of déjà vu lingered, though she couldn't recall precisely. Unsettled by the unresolved questions, Lyn furrowed her brow as a commotion reached her ears. "Kids, didn't I tell you not to play with Hwago?" A mother fox was gathering her kits, pulling them away from something. That 'something' was Lyn herself. However, it was not the current Lyn. This Lyn was clothed in rags, with no shoes, her body covered in scars, and only one tail. This was Lyn from when she was a child. No. Though Lyn's growth was just a matter of months, this was not recent history; it was a scene from long ago. Understanding this, the awkward déjà vu that pricked her brain like a needle made sense. This was the fox den of the distant past. Lyn had a rough idea of the trial's nature. Freedom from the past. That was the trial given by the nine-tailed fox.