The Wailing Grove was nothing like Raien imagined.
The trees weren't dead. They were tall, silver-barked things with leaves that shimmered between green and gold, glowing faintly under the moonlight. A soft wind moved between them, and with it… voices.
Not spoken. Echoed. As if the trees remembered what you'd said. What you'd felt.
Kaien stood beside Raien at the grove's edge, holding two crystal stones glowing with pale light.
"This place is ancient," Kaien said softly. "Here, memories are loud. Truth is louder."
Raien swallowed hard. "So this is where I… face him?"
"No," Kaien said, handing him a stone. "This is where you face yourself."
The Preparation
Kaien drew a circle in the dirt with powdered silver and fox fur. At its center, he placed the stones.
"We'll meditate. Our foxes will rise. When the energy is strong enough, you'll enter a mind realm—your soul's landscape. Kuyubako will be waiting."
Raien nodded. "And you?"
"I'll enter your realm too, but only as a guide. Koyume will stabilize the duality. If Kuyubako loses control, she'll anchor us."
Raien sat cross-legged. "What happens if I can't control it?"
Kaien looked him in the eye. "Then your spirit will collapse… and Kuyubako will consume you."
Raien let out a shaky breath. "Okay. No pressure."
They both touched the stones.
Light swallowed the world.
The Mindscape
It was… nothing at first.
Then flames. Fire that burned in the shape of memories.
The day the villagers threw stones at him.The night he cried alone in the woods.The moment the shrine cracked and the cultists screamed in terror—His own scream…
The flames grew wild. A forest of red fire, roaring.
"You think you can contain me?" a deep voice growled.
Kuyubako stood before him, larger than ever. Nine tails like fire whips. His eyes were bleeding red. No longer a voice in Raien's head—now a towering beast of pure rage.
"You denied me. You locked me away. And for what?"
Raien stepped forward. "Because you hurt people."
"No! I hurt the ones who hurt you! I gave you strength! I am the only reason they fear you!"
"And the reason they never trusted me!"
Face-to-Face
The two glared at each other.
Behind Raien, Kaien and Koyume appeared—glowing white against the flame.
Kaien raised his hands and murmured ancient words.
A silver barrier enclosed the space. A psychic arena.
"Speak," Koyume said. "And be honest. Or be consumed."
Raien's breathing was shaky. "I'm not afraid of you anymore, Kuyubako."
"Liar."
"I'm afraid of becoming you."
"We're already the same."
Raien's fists clenched. "No, we're not! You think strength is destruction. But I've seen Kaien—he has power without rage."
"Because his fox is weak!"
*"Because his fox is loved."
Silence.
Kuyubako's ears twitched. His gaze faltered.
A Forgotten Memory
Suddenly, a ripple shook the realm.
Raien stumbled—and saw a vision.
His parents, standing over him as a child. Blood everywhere. The sealing ritual underway.
"He'll grow up alone," his mother whispered.
"But alive," his father answered.
"Promise me we sealed the better half of the fox."
"We sealed the only half left… the one with rage."
Raien gasped.
Kuyubako growled low. "They didn't choose me. I was left behind. Koyume was stolen, and I was the fragment nobody wanted."
Raien looked at him—truly looked at him.
A fox born not evil.But abandoned.Left with only hatred to survive.
The Breaking Point
Raien stepped forward.
"I'm sorry."
Kuyubako recoiled. "What?"
"I'm sorry for how I treated you. You were trying to protect me in the only way you knew how. But I was afraid, and I buried you. That wasn't fair."
"You hated me."
"No," Raien said. "I hated me. For being weak. And you… you were my shield."
Kuyubako trembled.
Kaien whispered, "Now, offer him choice."
Raien held out his hand.
"Let's start again. Not as weapon and master. But as partners."
Kuyubako stared at the hand.
The realm trembled.
Then… the great fox lowered his head and nudged Raien's palm.
The Union
Light burst from Kuyubako's chest, swirling with crimson and silver.
Koyume stepped forward, and the twin foxes touched foreheads.
"I missed you, brother."
"You were the best part of me."
They vanished into their vessels—Raien and Kaien gasping as the light flowed into them.
Raien's eyes snapped open—his chakra blazing like never before. A perfect blend of fire and starlight.
"Whoa," Raien whispered. "I can… feel him. He's calmer."
Kaien smiled. "You've earned his trust. And maybe… his forgiveness."
The Aftermath
Back in the real world, dawn had arrived.
Raien stood taller. His aura no longer cracked with rage—it pulsed with focused power.
He turned to Kaien. "Thank you. For everything."
Kaien chuckled. "Don't thank me yet. I heard rumors. That cult? It's regrouping. And now they've got a leader called the Masked Flame."
Raien's eyes narrowed. "Then we train. Harder. Because next time... I won't just protect the village."
He looked up, the wind lifting his hair.
"I'll protect the world."
TO BE CONTINUED.