The Ashen Mountains on Tartarus

“Now remember this, little Knighty,” Raiden Amaterasu, leader of the Kitsune says, her sweet voice contradicting the sight Black sees of her calmly looking at him with a kind smile on her face as her tails move in a blur tearing apart the void creatures around them. “When you’re pulling a prank on someone, always remember to keep in mind everything about the person in question. Their likes, their dislikes, what they do on the regular, and how they do it. You need to keep everything in mind when planning or the prank may end up going poorly.”

Black repeatedly nods his head, finding himself enthralled in the beautiful kitsune’s words as the woman’s hair flows gracefully in the wind around her. He’s come here to both aid in the treaty between Earth and Tartarus, giving aide to the demon nation as the representing Knight of Humanity, and for his own purposes.

Specifically meeting the beautiful kitsune known by the humans as the Playful Duchess.

A woman he looked up to for her sheer talent in pulling pranks even when they were at war. Ever since he met her during his time on Tartarus all those years ago. Back when Blue had his emotions ripped from him.

Unlike the other demons and their Clan Leaders who tried to kill the Knights, Amaterasu merely toyed with Black. Treating him as a plaything she was messing around with as he journeyed across the Ashen Mountains. Not even bothering with trying to capture him.

Even though she could’ve easily captured and killed Black if she wanted.

Another reason he looks up to her.

Black watches as the woman’s tails then move about, picking up void creatures instead of killing them. Then she starts to tie them all together before tossing them at more void creatures, killing the lot of them. All while she keeps her eyes locked onto Black with a kind and playful smile on her face and one arm folded under her chest with the other reaching up to tap her lips. Her fox ears twitching a couple times in the process.

“But if your plan is to play a prank on the Wolf of the Blood Moon, Her Highness, you will need to know a lot more about her and how to pull pranks in general,” she continues without pausing in her slaughter of the void creatures. And neither does Black as he uses his shadows to slaughter them around him as well, without taking his eyes off of her. “Because if you don’t know her well enough, and you’re not skilled enough at pranks, then Her Highness may very well take it as an insult or plain assault.” The kitsune’s eyes narrow a little. “And if she so much as believes you attacked her, then I will lock you away in the dungeon of my castle personally.”Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

Black repeatedly nods his head, his gaze still locked on the woman in front of him. And when Amaterasu sees the look in his eyes, she smiles a little and says, “It looks like you do understand. Good.”

A mixture of flames and electricity in the form of foxfire suddenly pop up around her, burning void creatures to a crisp alongside the Black Knights own shadows that drain them of all the energy they have while suffocating them.

“You wish to prank her in an attempt to lift her spirits a little, am I correct little Knighty?” Amaterasu asks, tilting her head a little while ignoring her daughter, Raiden Akuma, who is several dozen kilometers away fighting off her own void creatures. Albeit with a lot more focus, with the woman having apparently lost a lot of her playfulness ever since her father died. And when the Knight nods his head in response, Amaterasu continues, “Then make absolutely sure that you listen to everything I have to say.”

“I will,” Black declares, a look of determination filling his gaze as he narrows his eyes, still slaughtering the void creatures around him.

The leader of the Kitsune Clan looks Black in the eye for several seconds before her smile grows even wider and she leans forwards, toward the man and reaches for a lock of his hair as she whispers, “I like the look in your eyes, little Knighty.”

Black feels himself blushing a little due to the proximity of the beautiful lady he’s been thinking of for so long now. Both himself and his other personality.

But the woman backs away again a second later while chuckling.

“You’re so adorable, I can’t help but mess with you,” she says while partially covering her mouth.

Black’s personality immediately switches to his psychopathic side and the blush on his face vanishes, making Amaterasu raise a brow. But other than that she doesn’t give any physical reaction to his change.

“Swapped, have we?” she says, but she doesn’t say anything else on the matter. Instead she asks, “Does this side of you also wish for lessons?”

Black nods again without saying a word, proving to be a lot quieter than his other personality.

Amaterasu stares at Black for several seconds as the void creatures let out screeches all around them while being slaughtered by both the Knight and demon Clan Leader. Then she covers her mouth again and begins to laugh.

A beautiful, melodic sound that covers the screeches of pain from the void creatures.

“You’re a strange one, little Knighty,” she eventually says before uncovering her mouth again to reveal a smile. “Let’s begin the lessons in earnest, then. And how about we play a little game while we’re at it?” When Black nods his head, she continues, “Whoever kills more void creatures during our lesson wins. And the winner gets to ask for one thing from the loser.”

“Deal,” Black says with a nod of his head, making Amaterasu’s smile grow a little.

And for the first time that the psychotic side of Black can remember, a smile stretches across his face as they begin their game.