Liar, Liar, the Mage's Desire Vol. 3 (Return of the Oumeno)

Kokichi Meets Himiko's Mom (2)

     Upon entering the portal, they stood at the edge of a massive wall of fog. Kokichi groaned as he cautiously stepped back.

   "Once again...the fog problem," he grumbled.

   "Nyeh...don't worry," Himiko assured. "This time, it's magical fog. Watch!" She held Kokichi's hand, and with her other hand, she tapped her finger against the thick blanket of fog. Part of the fog disappeared, leaving a large, gaping hole. Kokichi's eyes and mouth widened in delight as Himiko led him inside. Behind the fog was the most vibrant forest Kokichi had ever seen with never-ending colors of red, orange, and yellow that brought the trees to life. Sounds of both normal and magical creatures, mixed with the rushing water of a nearby brook, made the forest feel alive and welcoming. Kokichi shivered, feeling the chills of excitement and from the crisp autumn air. Himiko led Kokichi through the forest until the trees became more sparse. Ahead of them, they could see a road that led out of the woods and into what looked like the edge of the world. Kokichi raised his eyebrow in confusion.

   "That road looks like it doesn't go anywhere," he said. Himiko smiled and led him to the edge of the woods. Kokichi gasped in amazement at what he saw. The reason why the road seemed to cut off was because it dipped down a hill straight into the village below. From their position, Kokichi was able to catch a glimpse of, not only the village itself, but the landscape beyond it. In the sunlight, the gold-tinted green hills looked like ocean waves peacefully gliding across the bright blue, cloudless horizon. Orange and yellow trees dotting the landscape swayed gently as their leaves floated gracefully with the breeze before landing softly onto the grass. A small lake outside the village shimmered and sparkled under the sunlight's glow. Kokichi could see dots of the Autumn Mages walking along the cobblestone streets of the village below. He saw some mages exiting their cottages and waving hi to their neighbors.

   "Nyeh...welcome to Harvest Moon!" Himiko said to Kokichi, gesturing to the quaint, little village below them. 

   "That's so cool!" Kokichi exclaimed. Then, he spied a mountain in the far distance with a giant, gaping hole near its summit. "Hey, HimiCocoa Bean? What mountain is that? Is that some sort of weird...magical...volcano...thingy?"

  "No. That's a dragon cave," Himiko explained as she and Kokichi walked down the hill towards the village. Kokichi's eyes widened. 

  "Dragons live here?!" he breathed. "This place just got even better!"

  "Nyeh...yeah, I forgot to mention, dragons live everywhere in the magical world," Himiko said. 

   "So, you mean to tell me that Terra Viridi had dragons?" Kokichi said, referring to the earth kingdom he and Himiko had visited before. Himiko nodded. "Wait, what about the water kingdom?"

  "Aquatica? Yeah, it has sea dragons," Himiko replied. 

  "That is so freakin' awesome!" Kokichi exclaimed happily, jumping into the air. 

  "Don't get too excited, though," Himiko warned. 

   "Huh? Why?" Kokichi asked.

   "Dragons are very temperamental," Himiko explained. "Especially during mating season."