The Dark Mage

Chapter 1: The 9-Tailed Monastic

It was after the end of the Selenese Civil war when everything was returning to a peaceful way of life and Friar Victor Kitsune was continuing his mentorship as Titania's spiritual father. And while instructing her in wisdom and practical life, his immaculate white and cyan fur shimmered in the sunlight. His 9 tails sparked violet embers of life at the tips as they waved back and forth with joy at seeing his spiritual daughter grow in her whole person. And despite being more than 900 years old, he felt as he did in his youth as a young monk training Moshi the Blacktail in the ways of life so many centuries ago.

And even though he lost all his wealth when he denounced becoming Image of Inari, he gained so much more. He found joy and fulfillment like no other. And in seeing his spiritual daughter grow as a whole person, he could not help but feel the same joy.

But today something was different. His sister Inari spoke to him face to face through her Kitsune magic projecting her image before him, not with familial love but with fear. She then said to him, "I need you to return to the clan immediately along with all the other 9-tails. I don't have time to explain what has happened, but you're just going to have to trust me on this one. It is important that this is done in secret. It's that important."

Victor then went from joyous to concerned and asked, "Can you at least tell me what's going on?"

Inari then began to quiver as her 7 red and cream tails and 3 false tails began to fidget. "Something has been happening in the clan, something unusual. This is far worse than an occasional plague or economic recession. Something has gotten into the Kitsunes, and we can't trace its origin to anything physical or psychological illness yet it's spreading. A dark energy has descended upon the clan, and now we suspect it's magical in origin. But what kind of magic affects people in such a way besides Dark magic? I suspect there's a dark mage or wizard within the boundaries of the clan and I need the help of the 9-tailed members of the clan to snuff out this wizard and warlock, because not even the okami Inari is able to stop this dark energy."

"Huh. Well, that's a problem for you then and everyone that makes offerings to their Inari. Why not simply ask Vixie or Todd Reddington to do it for you? They have 9 tails too."

Inari then lowered her black fox ears in her rare moments of humility and pleading, "I'm asking you because you're the only person I actually trust and has experience taking on forces beyond my comprehension. The clan needs you again, and don't abandon us like you did last time the clan needed your help."

"I am not the leader of the clan, and I never was. Why do you seek my help specifically and not any 9-tails with Ethereal magic or anyone with clairvoyance?"

Inari then gritted her interlocking teeth with her ears angrily perked forward. "Because if I openly admit the okami Inari could not free our clan from this dark energy, it would be the end of me. The end of ME. Don't you care about your own sister?"

Victor then calmly folded his paw-hands and gently said, "I do care about you, but I'm not saving the idol Inari from public humiliation. You brought this upon yourself when you turned the clan against its roots through promoting greed and vanity. Now either you end the charade with Inari, or it will come to an end when most inconvenient. But regardless, I will not abandon my sister in need, and I will return to the clan and seek a solution to your problem."

Inari then secretly bowed to her brother out of sight of all the Kitsunes and answered, "Please come quickly. We need you. I need you. Now my magical energy is running low, so I can't talk for much longer face to face. So, I'll be awaiting your arrival."

Inari's projection then disappeared as Victor noticed Titania was distracted. He then interrupted her and said to both Titania and her guardians Buck Ringtail and Natalia Whitetail, "It has come to my attention that the Kitsune clan needs me, and I do not know when I will be returning to guiding Titania in the spiritual life. But if you need me, you can find me in my sister Inari's palace and know how to contact me. Just make sure to let me know ahead of time if you're coming by so I can get my sister under control."

Buck then said perking his Tanuki ears forward attentively, "If I may ask, why does your hedonistic sister want you back?"

Victor then almost took offense to Buck's question but calmly answered, "My sister may be one of the hedonistic and arrogant people I know, but if something has her spooked so much she's willing to ask for help, something really bad must have happened. I can't say I know all the details, but I hope what happened is not what I think it is."

"Then let's hope and pray, but in the meantime, Natalia and I will take Titania back home to Kansas. She's still got to finish school and maybe go off to college if she wants to do that."

"Then I'll got going back to my clan. I hope to see you and Titania soon."

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The Dark Mage

While in her dark tower in king Azrael's floating palace she gazed over her new creation made from her Dark magic and an ultimate class magical creature eradication android dressed in a jester's outfit. She then whispered, "my precious..." as she caressed it as the greatest of the Nightmare Monsters she created. Cerberus? Pffft. The Shadow Dragon? Please. The Jester was her new pride and joy. For it was the greatest of all Nightmare Monsters, created in Titania's own image from a strand of her golden hair. And it was the first Nightmare Monster that couldn't be destroyed just by banishing the Dark magic that empowered it.

But the Jester was not ready to be brought to life or fulfill its purpose, because it lacked one key component, the magical fusion core of Solara. And in contemplating how she might get her Neko claws on it, she thought, "I wonder if prince Darius has figured out what that dark magical artifact is yet? Is he too stupid to realize it's for waking Solara? I have no doubt that 9-tailed Kitsune failed prince would get in the way, so I made Gumiho Yako my instrument of taking him out of the picture. And if I'm lucky, maybe she will even eat his heart and liver. I've always hated monastics and I hope he suffers when Gumiho kills him. I doubt he will fight back which makes me wonder why I just didn't kill him sooner. Then again, my curses don't seem to work on him, and that's about the only way I can kill him without a trace."

The dark mage Isis then began to pace like a cat and contemplated, "But maybe he might be the secret to defeating Solara so I can get that magical fusion core? Regardless, I'm getting my paws on that magical fusion core whether it be by that worthless monk or Darius."

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Did you know this?

Gumiho/Kumiho: This is a creature from Korean folklore closely related to the Japanese Kitsune. Gumiho are known to also have 9 tails and gain tails with gains in power, but unlike the Kitsune which gains tails with age and wisdom, the Gumiho gains power through seducing men and killing them and eating their hearts and livers.