The Void Emperor

Peculiar aura emanated from an array which had a gloomy blue glow, being in contrast with surrounding plants and making it impossible not to notice its magnificence.

In each array"s corner, there is a glowing gem of a different color.

There are 10 different gems illuminating whole array and its surroundings into the ten-colored. That scene resembles a rainbow, being its mini version and refracting halos instead of stripes in a circular manner.

When Ryuu saw those gems, he thought "Is this coincidence or perhaps ..." he wondered but quickly let the matter go.

"It doesn"t matter anyway so let"s get this over with." he said to himself.

"What should we do?" Ryuu asked his mother-in-law.

Akashiro right now is of human appearance like the one he first saw when he came here.

"Stand in the middle of it and relax your mind." she said pointing at the center of the array.

In that center, there is something akin to a Yin-Yang symbol.

In one side of it stood little white fox merging entirely with surroundings while at other was Ryuu staring at his partner with light grin pinned to his pet.i.te white face.

Akashiro asked once again "Are you both ready?".

Double "Yes" resounded as she began dancing and making strange movements with her hands.

Array bellow them starting to glow according to Akashiro"s moves as if responding to her dance. It pulsated according to her rhythm and movements as if they were of one mind.

Precisely at that moment both her daughter and son-in-law felt great attracting force from beneath them having their consciousness wriggling out of their bodies in the form of two colorful ten colored threads entwining each other and dissipating in the ten-colored world.

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"Where are we?" Ryuu said as he regained his senses.

" ! " his body jerked as he stared at front noticing only humanoid form around his size staring at him.

What escaped his sight however is ten tails of different colors and pointy ears atop one"s head on form in front of himself.

Not much time pa.s.sed as one familiar feeling begun spreading through his body.

".. Roar !! " faint dragon roar could be heard coming from his blood.

Yes, his blood was letting out faint roaring sound as he stared at the front form with one indescribable feeling of closeness spreading.

"Ryuu!" light female voice pulled him back to his senses "It"s me." form said pointing at ears and tails.

"Little fox?!" he was stunned, or rather his soul was screaming and trembling with excitement as a strong surge of mixed emotions swirled in his heart.

At that moment red form appeared not far away from them.

"Mother-in-law, what"s this?" Ryuu asked hurriedly calming his emotions.

"This is a lesser world inside of an array. It won"t be stable for long but it should last about a day or two so no worries." Akashiro said looking at her daughter in front of Ryuu.

What was previously little fox, now seemed like enchanting and beautiful girl.

She stared at Ryuu with a rich look in her sparkling golden eyes and her breathing began speeding up as if she was unable to restrain herself in front of her lover. One terrific storm of mixed emotions rampaged in her heart. Why is that you ask? Well, how can she be calm when she finally saw hope to fulfill their common wish?

Love is one strange thing they say; It hurts but it"s warm they say. At this moment, both Ryuu and his lover began shivering not of cold air around them but of warmth that filled their hearts up to the brim.

Since three of them entered this lesser world, Ryuu and his lover could feel everything about each other - their heartbeat, their emotions, love and joy, and most of all happiness for the fact that their common wish finally became possible at this moment.

Although they had to wait four more years in order to become genuine lovers, fate smiled to them - their appearance now was of a grown-up man and woman seemingly in the early twenties.

Both of them had peculiar characteristics differing from humans.

Ryuu had two golden green dragon horns stretching out from his skull and a pair of vicious wings emanating unreal aura that was pressuring heavens and earth with soul-stirring feeling. It seemed like those wings could tear apart time and s.p.a.ce and his thick ten colored dragon claws could shred and annihilate anything they touched.

His body was very masculine wrapped in nine colored scales while tenth, green-black color manifesting as little sparkling spots on his whole body resembling glowing stars in a vast sky.

He was floating like unmovable existence standing up to heaven and earth as if threatening to tear them apart as his scales gave off unreal feeling resembling ten-colored singularity, in half-human half-dragon shape, bending surrounding s.p.a.ce and then like a greedy dragon absorbing all the energy of this plane.

In this lesser world, he was simply a G.o.d.

High up in the sky there was nine-colored sun and nine-colored moon connected by one green black line, forming Yin Yang symbol slowly rotating and gleaming over the world beneath.

Both of dragonified Ryuu"s ten-colored eyes were reflecting the inverted image of a beautiful girl in front of him.

She floated opposite of him with their look glued to each other as they slowly approached each other making their emotions surge outside like a tide.

Her long hair had ten colors same as ten tails behind her, depicting an image of a female deity declaring that only she could be together with her most beloved person.

Truth be told, she didn"t even know why she had such a strong emotion toward Ryuu as they appeared naturally the first time she saw him.

Ever since then, she couldn"t stop thinking about him and each time her heart would get tight like invisible hand was tightly clasping it taking her breath away.

On her pure white skin, ten-colored veins flowed through making extreme contradiction like sun and moon high in the air but that made her happy because that way she was closer to Ryuu. Her fluffy ears and tails had silky smooth hair reflecting surrounding colors seeming like myriad of mirrors integrated each hair separately.

As Akashiro observed two mature forms floating to each other she uttered in a low voice "A name." attracting their attention and temporarily stopping them in place.

"Now?" Ryuu inquired remembering what he should do now.

"Yes, now"s the time" Akashiro said.

Ryuu turned his appearance toward his lover and gently hugging her he said:

"Tenko, I love you."

Female floating form lit up with flames of ten different colors forming each letter of her name in the air above her;

"T, E, N, K, O" five letters flew toward Ryuu and as they neared his grandiose form, they dissipated leaving behind only ten colored wisps coiling around his right hand and imprinting cute little ten-tailed fox with crescent shaped moon behind it while on his left hand appeared mark of a slender girl with pointy ears and ten tails.

Similar situation occurred again as ten-colored pin sized orbs escaped Ryuu"s dantian and coiled around the slender white hand of a girl in his opposite, forming winged dragon mark with long dragon coiling around it and bright sun in the background on her left hand and half human half dragon figure on her right hand with wings and horns stretching out.

As four markings integrated backs of their palms, Ryuu released his lover from his hold and pasted his lips on her cherry lips.

Tenko hugged Ryuu tightly wrapping her arms around his neck while enjoying his warm and soft lips carving that moment deep in her soul.

Just as everything seemed to have come to an end, strong ten colored light burst from both of them at the same time flaring up all four marks on their hands that previously disappeared as Ryuu"s and Tenko"s form merged together enveloping them in a strong ten-colored sphere.

As Akashiro saw that scene she was left stunned in place and instantly hit the ground, head lying low.

If Ryuu and Tenko saw this they would certainly be surprised because Akashiro prostrated herself in worship before them.

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While previous events took place, in front of the blue house on vast meadow two forms stood together staring to the distance.

"Dear ..." one voice resounded.

" ... " but other was completely silent.

Of course, there"s a reason why it is like this;

In front of them, a pair of giant ten-colored dragon claws emerged out of thin air ripping s.p.a.ce apart and form flew out from inside followed by a fox approximately double of its size.

That small form was a ten-colored dragon and although small but it emanated vicious soul-stirring feeling, making the blood of two human forms before it stagnate.

Aito and Haruhi released their power all-out trying to resist the impact and suppression but to no avail as if that oppression transcended s.p.a.ce and time penetrating directly into their souls.

"Haruhi quickly get behind me!!!" Aito roared giving all his efforts to release more power trying to protect his wife but something unexpected happened.

The little dragon fell in front of them and melodious divine voice resounded in its surroundings;

"Dad mom, it"s me."

....

While Aito stood there in shock unable to move his body even a bit, Haruhi behind him roared panic-stricken: "RYUU?!".

When Aito heard what his wife said his ability to move and think returned but extreme oppression was still there.

Just as he was about to say something ten-colored halo dissipated and dragon form separated into two - his son Ryuu and white fox nearly his size.

"Dad, mom, I came back!" little guy rushed to their direction.

Ryuu, Tenko and Akashiro all knew that he had to act like a two-year-old boy even though he far surpa.s.sed his physical age.

"Ryuu, are you okay?" Haruhi asked while worriedly hugging her son.

"I"m okay mom but I got my clothes dirty again." little guy in front of Haruhi said.

"Silly child I missed you so much." she said.

"Ryuu ..." his father interrupted.

"Yes dad?" little Ryuu asked

"Did your martial spirit awaken?" said Aito.

"Yes." Ryuu said innocently.

"Come here let me see." Aito said glancing at two foxes nearby with an uneasy look in his eyes.

Ryuu came in front of his father staring at him with a confused expression.

"Give me your hand." Aito said.

As Ryuu extended his little hand observing father"s actions Haruhi asked "Ryuu, who are those two?"

But before Ryuu could answer Aito"s loud voice shouted "WHAT! TH - THIS! This is~ ...." and he quickly took back his arm staring at little Ryuu in disbelief.

"Ryuu, what is the name of your soul spirit?" he calmed a bit and asked obviously shocked.

"Oh, it"s a rare kind of a Dr ... thump" dull thump resounded as Ryuu"s limp body fell on the ground like a puppet with its supporting strings cut off.

"RYUU!", "Ryuu are you okay?", "Ryuu ..ake up", "....yuu" summoning of his father and mother gradually died out as intense exhaust overtook his whole body seeming like every cell was drained of its energy .... "Leave it to me" Akashiro"s voice resounded in his mind as his consciousness blanked out seeing Tenko in similar state.

As his parents were shaking him trying to wake him up, young female figure around their years emerged from bright red light not far away from them.

"Don"t worry Ryuu is fine." she said lowering herself to take her daughter"s unconscious body in her arms and went to the place where little Ryuu lay asleep.

"Who are you?" Haruhi asked.

"I"m the keeper of this forest and this is my daughter, the rest I can"t tell without Ryuu"s consent but I can show you something." Akashiro said as she spread mental power outwards in the direction of Haruhi and Aito.

"Don"t resist it I want to show you his martial spirit awakening process." she said.

Aito reduced his mental power that blocked Akashiro"s as he heard what she said. Although he was still distrusting he wanted to know what his son went through. As he was still thinking about it, in his and Haruhi"s mind scene flashed.

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"BAAAAAAANNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGG!" x 10.

"ROARRRRRRRRRR!" x 10;

Ten bright lightning bolts fell on little body floating in front of two foxes, one big one small, each carrying ruthless energy and merciless aura and striking at pet.i.te body which resisted as hard as it could, permeated with thick ten colored scales as ten dragons re-emerged from his body letting out deafening dragon roars while devouring energy of those lightning bolts in greedy madness.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH IT HURTS!" Little voice screamed in agony as wild energy entered his body rampaging and crushing his internal organs.

That form resisting ten lightning bolts is Ryuu whose skin right now was completely covered by a layer of thick scales.

The first transformation appeared on his head as two little golden green dragon horns, barely visible, penetrated and prolonged.

As he was on the brink of losing consciousness again, his body lost all feeling in it and soon the feeling returned but this time only ruthless and vicious energy surged through his veins and organs transforming them rapidly as ten colorful dragons integrated his body again each taking its own place to merge with inside his body.

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"Then those ten lightning bolts from earlier ... " Haruhi"s voice said visibly shocked and trembling.

"That was caused by his soul spirit." the beautiful girl said.

"Those dragons, what are they?" Haruhi muttered.

"I don"t know." the girl said shaking her head in denial.

Haruhi turned to her husband like asking for an answer but she was greeted with completely blank expression seemingly in delay.

After a while, his sound resounded "If that was me, I"d be already dead.".

As he said that, both he and Haruhi looked at little Ryuu sleeping soundly on the ground.

While they were in delay, Akashiro approached them and placed her daughter near Ryuu making them sleep together.

"Why did Ryuu lose consciousness?"

"He is only tired out, do not worry"

"Tired out?"

"He and my daughter have spirit fusion ability that I believe you already know what is." Akashiro said.

"But it takes all of their spiritual power for that fusion so they are both tired and therefore lost consciousness so you have no need to worry." she added.

"Do you ..." Haruhi asked but interrupted her own words.

"Ask freely don"t be afraid."

"Do you know why he awakened his spirit at this age?" she asked.

"I"m not sure, but one thing I"m definitely sure of and that"s the fact that his spirit is something extraordinary therefore he awakened it much earlier than other kids. But you will need to find a way to hide it from others or else you will only bring unnecessary trouble upon yourselves." Akashiro said.

"You are a spirit beast, why did you help a human?" Aito asked.

.... Akashiro remained silent for some time before continuing: "They will answer you when they wake up" she said pointing to two pet.i.te sleeping figures near them.