When everything was finally decided, the trio was just about to leave when Yasaka suddenly spoke up. "Yako, wait a moment." She looked at the fox sage, a heavy hint of solemnity replacing her previous amusement.
Understanding the unspoken message in her friend's golden eyes, Yako turned and instructed, "Konyo, why don't you take Ren-chan out for a tour of the palace for a little while?"
Kon nodded without a single ounce of hesitation, eager to leave both of these terrifying, troublesome women far behind him. "Let's go, Ren-chan!" he declared, a sudden, relieved pep in his voice.
"Oh." Ren nodded obediently, following the fox out the door without any complaints.
Once the heavy wooden doors clicked shut behind them, Yako looked back at Yasaka and questioned her teasingly, "What does dear Yasaka-chan need with this lowly Yako~?"
Yasaka completely ignored the playful address. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before asking softly, "The boy... is he related to any god?"
Hearing this, the teasing glint in Yako's eyes vanished in an instant, all traces of her usual playfulness completely wiped away. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice dropping to a sharp, serious whisper.
Seeing that Yako genuinely had no knowledge of this anomaly, Yasaka elaborated. "When I sensed his spiritual power just now... I felt a distinct trace of divine blood hidden deep within him."
"Impossible!" Yako shot back, genuine shock colouring her tone. "Ren-chan descends from two pure human lineages. Where could divine blood possibly come from?!"
"I am not mistaken," Yasaka stated firmly. Behind her, her nine golden tails swayed with a slow, majestic weight, emphasizing her absolute certainty. "I felt an aura within his blood, one similar to Amaterasu-sama's in sheer majesty."
Since Yako had never personally encountered a truly divine aura before, she could only trust Yasaka's judgment on the matter.
"This… could it be a Sacred Gear?" Yako asked hesitantly, her brows knitting together in rare confusion. "But... I haven't felt anything resembling a Sacred Gear's signature inside him."
"Hm… I had also pondered if a Sacred Gear was the cause," Yasaka reasoned, her expression thoughtful. "But since even you couldn't sense one, we can safely rule that out."
As a Yokai Sage, Yako possessed spiritual senses far more refined than those of ordinary supernatural beings. Sacred Gears carried a very distinct resonance within a host's soul—an energy signature that someone of Yako's calibre would have easily detected the moment she met the boy.
"Hm…" Yako tapped her chin, quietly pondering the mystery for a long moment before letting out a soft sigh. "Since we can't figure out the reason, we will just have to put it on hold for now."
"Mm, that is all we can do," Yasaka agreed with a slow nod. "I will try to commune with Amaterasu-sama later. Perhaps she can offer us some guidance on the matter."
**********
Meanwhile, outside the office, Kon was leading Ren on a tour of the sprawling palace grounds.
They eventually wandered into a secluded courtyard garden, where smooth stone paths wound their way through moss-softened ground. A massive, ancient cherry tree leaned over the walkway, its branches trailing pale petals that drifted down like unhurried snow. To the left, a pristine pond mirrored the sky like a sheet of glass, its reflection broken only by the lazy ripples of koi gliding beneath the surface.
Ren was just about to follow Kon further into the garden to admire the view when he noticed a tall woman standing silently beneath the cherry tree. Her back was to them as she gazed out over the tranquil pond.
Even from behind, Ren could see her long, midnight-black hair shimmering with fine threads of gold that seemed to move and sway even when the wind was completely still. Her elegant robes flowed in rich layers of pristine white and vivid vermilion, patterned with subtle motifs of cranes taking flight toward the dawn.
"You're here," the woman spoke softly. Her voice was incredibly melodious and soothing, carrying the gentle warmth of a mother waking her sleeping child.
Hearing this, Ren blinked and questioned her. "Um… Are you talking to me, onee-san?"
On his shoulder, Kon stared at the mysterious woman, a distinct glint of wariness entering his eyes. 'A new hire? I've never seen her around the castle before.'
"Hehe. Yes, I am talking to you, Ritsuzen Ren," the woman giggled slightly, amused by his polite address as she confirmed his doubts.
Slowly, she turned to face him. Her eyes were a warm, radiant amber, holding the calm, majestic brilliance of a rising sun. Her face was so devastatingly beautiful it was almost blinding to look at directly.
"Uh… um… How do you…" Ren stuttered, his young mind completely stunned by her ethereal presence.
"…know your name?" the woman finished for him, her lips curving into a gentle smile.
Ren vigorously nodded his head up and down like a little chick pecking at grains.
"Hehe. As a son of Yamato, of course I would know your name," the woman explained, though her cryptic answer only served to make both Ren and Kon even more thoroughly confused.
Not waiting for Ren's reply, the woman spoke cryptically. "I have always wanted to see what you looked like when you were young."
"Huh?" Ren tilted his head cutely, imaginary question marks practically popping up above his head.
"Hehe, pay me no mind," the woman giggled softly. "The cycle is about to begin. Grow stronger, Ritsuzen Ren."
Then—swoosh! A sudden, heavy gust of wind swept through the courtyard, kicking up a blinding flurry of pink cherry petals that completely obscured Ren and Kon's view. When the wind finally settled a moment later, the space beneath the tree was completely empty. The mysterious woman was already gone.
"AH!" Ren and Kon both screamed out in horror at her sudden, unnatural disappearance. "A GHOST!"
Without a second thought, the terrified duo spun on their heels and sprinted out of the garden as fast as their legs could carry them, completely terrified out of their minds by the incident.
"Hehe…" A soft, melodious laugh seemed to echo on the wind long after they had fled.
**********
Back at the door to Yasaka's quarters, Ren and Kon burst into the room without a single word of warning.
BANG!
"Who is it?!" Yasaka snapped, her head snapping toward the entrance with fierce vigilance.
"Ara?" Yako asked smoothly. She had already sensed their panicked auras rushing through the halls long before they even reached the door. "What has gotten into you two?"
Seeing that it was only the boy and the fox, Yasaka quickly dropped her guard.
"Huff... huff... A-a-a GHOST!" Ren screamed in absolute terror, bending over and panting heavily as he pointed wildly back out the door.
"A ghost?" Yasaka questioned, her expression instantly turning deadly serious. As the absolute ruler of this palace, she could not allow a malevolent spirit to infiltrate the very heart of the Yokai capital.
"I-it was this lady..." Kon stammered. Having been part of the supernatural world much longer than Ren, he managed to calm down just a fraction faster. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, the fox quickly recounted everything that had just happened out by the garden pond.
As she listened to the description of the golden-threaded black hair, the vermilion robes, and the sun-like amber eyes, Yasaka's expression shifted to profound recognition. But the exact moment Kon mentioned that Ren had politely called the mysterious entity Onee-san, the Faction Leader visibly wilted like a dying flower.
'Do I really look that old?!' Yasaka screamed internally, a dark cloud of depression settling over her head. 'Even an ancient being millennia older than me gets to be called Onee-san?!'
"Hehehehe," Yako giggled, thoroughly enjoying Yasaka's suffering. Although the Yokai Sage had never seen the woman in person, she could easily recognize her just from the Kon's vivid description.
Then, fully realizing who had just personally manifested to meet with the six-year-old boy, Yako and Yasaka locked eyes, absolute shock mirroring in their gazes.
'It seems Amaterasu-sama already knows all about Ren-chan's condition,' they realized simultaneously.
Knowing that the chief deity of the Shinto faction was already actively watching over him, both women felt as if a massive, crushing boulder had been lifted from their chests, leaving them with a sense of relief.
"It seems Amaterasu-sama already knows what is going to happen to Ren," Yasaka said thoughtfully, her golden eyes narrowing. "Which means we need to drastically increase his training intensity."
"AMATERASU-SAMA?!" both Ren and Kon screamed in shock as the 'ghost's' true identity was finally revealed. Yes, even Ren, despite his sheltered upbringing at the Ritsuzen estate, knew exactly who the supreme Chief Goddess of Shintoism was.
"Hehe." Seeing their comically pale, jaw-dropped faces, Yako laughed in pure amusement. "Yes~! Indeed, it seems Ren-chan's Sage Arts training will have to start right away," she agreed.
"Eh? Right now?" His previous shock instantly forgotten at the mention of learning new techniques, Ren looked up at Yako, his eyes shining with brilliant hope.
"Yes, right now! Yasaka-chan I will be borrowing your place for a bit!" Then, completely ignoring the Faction Leader's lack of permission, the Yokai Sage grabbed both the boy and the fox and cheerfully dragged them out of the room, making a beeline straight for the training fields.
"Sigh..." Yasaka rubbed her temples tiredly as she watched the chaotic woman's departing antics. Then, slowly turning her gaze back to the towering mountain of paperwork on her desk, the beautiful Faction Leader groaned in unfiltered despair. "Ugh..."
**********
Now standing in the dead centre of a vast, empty training field, the trio finally came to a halt. Ren stood rigidly at attention, his back straight as an arrow, with Kon perched dutifully on his shoulder. Both of them focused entirely on Yako.
"Listen carefully, Ren-chan," Yako began, her usual playful tone completely absent. "To become a Sage, the very first thing you need to learn is how to absorb natural energy."
Ren nodded his head earnestly. Thanks to Kon's explanation, he was already somewhat familiar with this fundamental concept.
Seeing his nod, Yako continued her serious explanation. "However, absorbing natural energy is not as easy as you might think. Drawing in a small amount just to unlock your Ki is fine but absorbing it in massive quantities to wield Sage Arts is an entirely different ballpark."
"Yako-sensei, what do you mean?" Ren raised his hand high like an eager school student, questioning her with a hint of impatience.
"Patience, Ren-chan. Walking the path of a Sage requires a tremendous amount of patience," Yako admonished softly. She then continued her explanation, her voice dropping lower. "The natural energy of the world is not as pure and neutral as you think. It is deeply tainted. It is filled with malice."
"Malice...?" Ren whispered softly, his eyes widening.
Hearing the quiet disruption, Yako's golden eyes narrowed into a sharp, terrifying glare. "Hmph! I said patience, Ren-chan! Especially when dealing with the malice of the world! If you do not even have the patience to listen to me finish a simple explanation, how will you ever have the patience to meticulously filter out that deadly malice?!"
She stepped closer, her spiritual pressure suddenly feeling incredibly heavy. "Listen carefully, Ren. If you absorb natural energy too recklessly, that malice will flood your mind. You will easily go completely insane, turning into a mindless beast that destroys absolutely everything in your path!"
Gulp.
Properly chided and genuinely terrified by the sheer weight of her stern warning, Ren swallowed hard. He quickly clamped his mouth shut and nodded his head in frantic submission.
Nodding her head at her student, Yako let out a forlorn sigh. "The world was not always like this. Five hundred years ago... things were very different. But after the Great War of the Three Factions broke out, with countless deaths and centuries of hatred accumulating in the earth, the natural energy of the world became more and more malicious."
Her golden eyes darkened with an ancient, heavy sorrow as she looked away. "If only the God of Christianity hadn't..."
She abruptly halted her speech, snapping her jaw shut. Pressing her lips into a thin line, she refused to say another word on the topic.
"Anyway, Ren-chan try to absorb the natural energy. I will be here to supervise you." Yako instructed.
Ren, though still deeply confused about what she meant regarding the God of Christianity, simply nodded his head obediently, wisely choosing not to push the topic any further.
Seeing his restraint, Yako gave a small, approving smile. 'It is good to be curious, Ren-chan, but a force as dangerous as natural energy must be approached with the utmost caution,' she thought to herself.