Deviant’s Path

  ?“So that's your story?”

  ?Blade asked as Aru finished. He had stayed silent.

  ?“Simply put, yes. That is my past.”

  ?Responded steadily despite the rage brewing in him from having to recount the story.

  ?“How old are you now, then?”

  ?“Well, let's see. I spent around three hundred years under Kuro, then added another 100 for the years before and after. I guess I'm around 400 years old right now.”

  ?“Okay, well then, am I right in assuming this is why you are so hostile against Yuki?”

  To Blade it was the most logical explanation for why.

  ?“That is part of it, though there is a bigger reason.”

  ?“Which is?”

  ?“I find them too similar. Yuki and that fox. If it weren't for their colors and number of tails, I might just have struggled to tell them apart.”

  ?“Are they that similar?”

  Curiosity driving Blade’s question. Aru responded by saying.

  ?“Yes, they are. Of course, I would never forget who she was, even among a hundred clones, but for someone with less rage, might they have been mother and daughter.”

  ?Blade looked at him, noting what he could only believe was passion in his eyes.

  ?“I observed your proximity to that fox. I won’t judge your relationships or tell you what to do, but I will tell you this. I suggest you stay away from that fox.”

  ?“Any reason why, other than your lack of trust?”

  ?“Though it plays a heavy part in it, it's not the main reason,”

  ?Aru says with a small chuckle before continuing.

  ?“I have reason to believe there is a traitor among us.”

  ?“Any proof?”

  ?Blade asks calmly.

  ?“No, only my belief,”

  ?Aru answers. He himself knows it is an outlandish claim, with no ground or reasoning.

  ?“Are you not worried I might be a traitor?”

  ?“No. What we are up against is a corrupted god. Meaning, what would worship it is most likely only demons and evil. Both demons and evil would do better at manipulating others to hide themselves.”

  ?Blade understood what Aru hinted at. Unlike demons, who are creatures who either derive pleasure from hurting others in some form or are emotionless manipulators, Blade does not fit any of those molds. Thus, Aru could safely assume Blade is a human and not a traitor.

  ?“So you believe Yuki is the traitor?”

  ?Blade says, turning to look at him.

  ?“She is a suspect, yes. If one were to betray us, I would suspect they would act overly nice or something akin to that to get close to us. Do you get what I mean?”

  ?Blade thought about it for a moment, looking Aru in the eyes before nodding, as he says.

  ?“I'm not sure I understand.”

  ?“Well, I expected as much,”

  ?Aru says and sighs, though he is satisfied with Blade’s response. Suddenly, he remembers something as he says.

  ?“Oh, and before I forget, I want to show you something.”

  ?“What is it?”

  ?Blade asks, Aru’s excitement makes him curious.

  ?“I found this book while exploring the forest. I first sensed it at a distance away when we were setting up camp.”

  ?Opening the book, he reveals it's all written in a language unknown to both Blade and him.

  ?“Unfortunately, it is in whatever language this is.”

  ?Blade examined the words, though he understood none of them.

  ?“What do you think it is?”

  ?He finally asks.

  ?“Not sure. It is nothing we can comprehend, yet I do think it's an inscription of some kind.”

  ?Blade nods at the notion.

  ?“Well, I guess that's it from me. I do wish you a good night, and I hope you take my words into account. Feel free to do your own research, though.”

  ?Aru says, waving back as he leaves and heads back to his tent.

  ?Blade stays there for a moment longer, looking over the view and taking in the sight, before retiring to his tent.

  ?As the morning comes through, they share the food they had prepared, with Yuki and Blade talking about a lot of things, Aru keeping his silence, and Rio doing his best to keep the mood overall high. By the time all of them had finished, they packed, unsure if they would use it again, and left all their non-essentials.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  ?When they first stepped in, what they saw was nothing but half-ruined pillars, and what looked similar to an entrance with three doors.

  ?On one side of the door lay marble ornaments and what remained of a finely made wall. On the other side lay what looks like a wall with intricate symbols and words on it. One side of the wall had unknown symbols, while on the other side were a bunch of words and letters that they could understand, but made no sense.

  ?Deciding to ignore it, they focused on the three doors. Aru volunteered to go alone, and chose the right door. Blade did the same, saying he could go alone as he chose the left door. Yuki decided to follow Blade, feeling the most comfortable in his presence, and so Rio took the middle path alone.

  ?Taking their respective paths, they exchanged the communications items Aru had bought. Splitting up from the rest, Blade and Yuki began their journey along the path, with Yuki hooking her arm around Blade’s, and him not thinking much of it.

  ?While walking, Yuki was the one who broke the silence as she asked.

  ?“Did you mind going with me? I realized I never really asked what you thought of it.”

  ?“I don't really mind.”

  ?“How courageous.”

  ?Continuing to walk, they met some demonic creatures and dead remnants, but they were disposed of by the two of them, with Yuki freezing them, and Blade shattering the ice.

  ?“I find it strange there have been no other monsters, and even for the ones we do meet, they are far too weak. They aren't even sentient.”

  Nodding at the notion, ?Blade found himself in full agreement. They had been weak, especially if they supposedly served a corrupt god. If this was his army, it just would not make sense.

  ?As they kept walking, they met no stronger monsters, at best meeting the occasional lich or golem. Still, after a while, they decided to take a break in one of the rooms they had stumbled across while exploring.

  ?“What is the plan?”

  ?Blade asked as they rested.

  ?“There isn't much we can do but continue, I suppose.”

  ?Blade stayed silent for a moment before asking.

  ?“Could you tell me about yourself?”

  ?At his words, Yuki smiles, getting amused by his question as she crosses her legs and asks.

  ?“Now what do you wish to know?”

  ?“Your past, I guess. Could you tell me about it.”

  ?“Fine then, I'll tell you about my past.”

  ?She says, patting his head with a lover's touch, before retracting her hand, with a glimmer of sadness.

  ?“You might have noticed I have been a bit clingy and touchy with you, right?”

  ?“I guess, yes.”

  ?“Well, it's because of my lineage. I am only a quarter kitsune, a fourth of my blood is succubus blood, and the remaining half is… elf.”

  ?This made Blade's eyes widen, the information surprising him. Elves weren't known to often have children with other races, due to their lifespan, but it was even more unheard of for one to have a child together with one of the demonic races.

  ?“I can tell you're surprised, though I must say you're taking this better than I expected. Due to my lineage, I have been ostracized by those who found out. If it weren't for my kitsune blood being the dominant one, I might have lived differently.”

  ?Blade stayed silent, not really sure about what he should say, or if he should speak at all.

  ?“Don't worry, though. I am not sad about my blood. Despite where it came from, I am proud of who I am, yet… as a succubus, I crave the sexual energy of live creatures, but because of my other blood, that desire has been mostly suppressed, and I can get by being in physical contact with another.”

  ?“Is that all that is necessary?”

  ?“... yes, yes it is.”

  ?“I will let you hold me if you need.”

  ?“... I wish I could… maybe when this all is over..."

  ?Yuki says, tracing his cheek. He could hear a tone of sadness in her voice, almost melancholic. It was gone, though, as she linked their arms, leaning on his shoulder.

  ?“I am not the kind of person to assault a child. Maybe when you grow older, we can…”

  ?Leaving the words hanging and the implications burning, Yuki rested back on his shoulder.

  ?“Well, since you asked. My mother was a part of the demon lord’s army. A kitsune best known for her hair as black as the night. I never knew who my mother was, other than the few times she came to visit me, but I learned a lot from the villagers I lived with. From them, I learned she was one of the demon lord’s top generals, and someone who would toy around with a lot of men, having a harem of slaves she had taken.”

  ?Though she had a calm face, her voice betrayed the sadness that could be found there.

  ?“I would often stay awake at night, forced to listen to whatever affair she would have next with her slave. At first, she wanted me to join them. Can you believe that? Imagine my face, when my own mother suggested I, a child, join her in her sexual damnation?”

  ?Her voice rose as she continued, and she had to breathe slowly to calm back down. As her voice calmed down, she continued.

  ?“After a while of my repeated refusals, she gave up, but always made sure I could hear and see them, as if taunting me, trying to make me come of my own will. And at times, I thought about it. Due to my succubus nature, I found myself entranced by the sounds that came, having to continuously hurt myself to bear with it.”

  ?“What do you mean you hurt yourself?”

  ?Blade interrupted, wanting to know what she did to keep the instincts at bay. She looked at him for a moment, considering her choices, before getting up, riding down her kimono to show the scars that ran across her back, before hiking up her dress a bit to show the scars running across her legs and arms. After a few moments, she put everything back in place, and went back to Blade’s side, who stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

  ?“This was my way of keeping the instincts at bay, and my wish of not becoming like my mother. I wanted true love, not fleeting pleasure. A childish dream, yes, but still one that kept me sane.”

  ?“Is that why you got so offended by Aru?”

  ?“... yes, though I knew of our less than friendly reputation, especially among elves, hearing it said to my face was seemingly too much for me. I am glad you saved me, though.”

  ?“Saved you? How?”

  ?“If it wasn't for you stopping my attack on that elf, I might not have lived to talk to you now.”

  ?“So you believe you would have lost?”

  ?“My attack on him came from momentary anger. I'm sure he could have killed me had we both fought seriously.”

  ?Thinking back, her attack had been weaker than what he felt from Aru, so he accepted it as the truth.

  ?“... what about your father, then? Why wouldn't you go for him to help?”

  ?“I never knew my father. From what I was told, he was one of my mother's many slaves.”

  ?“I see… wait, if your mother had black hair, how is yours silver white?”

  ?“It's a trait I supposedly got from my father. I am not a natural snow kitsune. My silver white fur comes from the genes from my father, and my succubus nature and kitsune traits from my mother.”

  ?“And your ice magic?”

  ?“I am more attuned to nature than most. Therefore, my mana carries a natural affinity for the elements of nature. When I ran away from my home, I ended up in a blizzard, and in my desperation, I managed to connect with the cold and form ice magic. I would later be taken in by the tribe that lived in the area and learn to deepen my connection with the snow and ice.”

  ?“I thought only elves had such high natural affinity.”

  ?“Yes, because my father was an elf. Ironic is it not? The one who hates me the most on this team is from the same race as my father who I never met. I heard that the slave my mother toyed with most fit the description of my father, but I know nothing more. When the heroes raided my mother's home and saved the remaining slaves, I could not find my father among them.”

  ?Blade let her finish, waiting a bit before asking what he could probably guess the answer to.

  ?“Did you check often?”

  ?“Every day. Unfortunately, they were not allowed visitors until after three months of mental and physical evaluations. And by that time, some were allowed to leave.”

  ?“Do you think your father left early then?”

  ?“I don't know. Maybe he did, or maybe he just died under mother. Either way, I hold no feeling for a man who would never show up for me.”

  ?“Do you hold any regrets?”

  ?She gave a light smile.

  ?“No. Surprising, I know, but I hold no regrets about my life. I managed to claw my way up, and look where I am. "I am satisfied.”