Another Family [Private | Kissos]

Out on the ocean surface, waves rushed to the shore in massive groups. Each hit the sand with might and power, despite how vulnerable that water can be. The people of Galuna Island found this as everyday life, but not many people had ever truly experienced the waves from up close. Such mainland folks contained Mura, the figure that approached the island as some Jesus-imitating essence. However, instead of walking on the water, he simply soared above the sapphire liquid, which could be seen as the waves that spread from his feet as he approached the island. “This island… why didn’t I spot it earlier,” he mumbled to himself. It wasn’t that far from the city of Magnolia, and it surely didn’t look too bad for him not to visit. In fact, when his feet finally contacted with the sandy floor, then his mind felt at more ease than a few seconds ago. It was as if the island brought safety to him in some way.


“I guess that this island… works fine for my second home,” he mumbled again, thinking back to when he got that letter from his dad. Apparently, back when Mura was a little brat and visited Fiore with his parents, they used to have a bought - yes, not loaned - cottage somewhere here. Now he just had to find it. “Kyuken, I guess that I need your eyes today as well,” the shaman spoke up, only to spot the spirit ball from the corner of his eye. “Was I even here? I don’t recall ever visiting Fiore before we met,” the samurai ghost replied. The two of them began looking around, each having the picture of a nice, little cottage on their minds. The cottage was frequently used by their family, so perhaps someone was expecting a visit. This close to Magnolia, too… perhaps a Midian guy like him wasn’t that unique around here, after all…

Ah Galuna Island, this was a place someone could get used to! The footsteps of a wanderer continued on and walked around, looking for a cottage that was somewhere on this island. She received a letter from her mother all the way back in Midi, strangely enough, telling her to come to Galuna Island. Alex tried to recall the details of the letter.


Alex recalled all of the details.

"Why does she pester me so much about that? If she didn't want me to live like those on Fiore, why marry someone from there? Either way... Uncle Kei's cottage, huh? I wonder who could be there... Aha!"

Alex finally saw the cottage. It was a nice place, small yet big enough to easily fit a family of four, and then some. Walking along the porch, Alex didn't enter yet. Instead, she knocked on the door, and waited for an answer. Perhaps this person wasn't here yet?

Eyes here, eyes there, he struggled a little to find the cottage. Apparently, Galuna Island appeared not so different from Magnolia when it came to infrastructure and population; people were in great numbers, but somehow, they appeared to be just the right amount to live on this island without troubles like overpopulation. Strange, but it was also one of the island’s mysteries - that there was always good space. Mura could agree as his feet met many places and stores, all while having a thought on his mind… what if someone was at the cottage? Now, Mura was a very loyal man to his clan, and that didn’t exclude away his love for his last name. Having been grown up among such a large family for what felt like ages surely drew a thick line between him and many people on this earth. He hoped so much, from the bottom of his heart, that someone would be present…


Although, as he finally stepped in front of the area where a certain cottage was located, question marks soared around his head; someone was knocking on the door. “Mura…” Kyuken whispered to the shaman, “I guess that you… got mail.” As Kyuken whispered the last two words, Mura was about to trip and fall down by the surprise. Mail… as if it could be anything else, huh? However, after inspecting the lady from behind, as well as noticing her hair color, his eyes dazed… only to reveal a single tear from the left eyeball. It had been over a year since he saw such a familiar face from his birth country; in fact, this specific lady was last seen by him... how many years ago..? Quickly, he hurried and wiped off the tear before approaching her, lowering the headphones to his neck and taking a deep breath. “Alex…” he greeted with a quick break, “… I-Is that… really you?” As soon as his words filled with feelings came to life, Kyuken shockingly appeared as that blue spirit ball to look at Mura’s face. “Wait, you know the mailer?! Wait, wait, wait, so she’s not just the mailman… I must’ve mistaken her…” Mura was having trouble replying at the moment, because the surprise of meeting his dear cousin here was overwhelming, despite the fact that he looked forward to it and had a feeling that this would happen beforehand. How she had changed; now that he thought about it, perhaps he had changed a lot in her eyes as well? Except the headphones that practically belonged to his old man…

After a short period of time containing the rapping of the door, footsteps could be heard behind her, and so she turned around. Her drowsing was quickly interrupted when she heard a voice, most definitely not a memorable one, speak her name. It must have been someone that she has known before, and obviously someone younger than her, but Alex couldn't put her finger on it... So Alex tried to perform a little experiment. After leaving her dreamland, Alex opened her eyes and winced at the impact of senses, however the feeling was soon nullified once Alex saw who the person in front of her was. Alex didn't feel the normal fear she'd feel while awoke, and completely ignored the sensory overload, as she walked over to the figure in front of her.

"MURA!!!"

Within an instant, the younger boy would be encased in a bearhug tighter than a bear's grip itself, and shaken violently. It had been so long since she last seen the kid, she couldn't even remember the amount of years it had been. It was when she was in Midi, of course, and that was so long ago. It all made sense! Alex's mother had said to go to Uncle Kei's cottage, where she'd meet a family member who she hasn't seen in quite a while. Why would it be one of her father's side relatives, she could see them at any time considering she now lived in Fiore, why not someone from Midi? The mage, after a short while set the boy - if she could even call him that - down and released him from her monstrous grip, and went straight into conversation.

"You-you're a mage! And a powerful one at that!" Alex said, feeling Mura's many times more powerful than she's aura of magic. "I thought Uncle Kei forbade you from being a mage, that's why you always practiced swordplay? I mean, the only reason I started to practice magic is because my father wanted me to, but he's not even a Kensho! Oh, and that reminds me, how good has my beloved cousin gotten in the way of the blade? I never picked it up myself recreationally, but I still remember a thing or two from our sparring days."

Alex was surprised of her own memories from Midi, but she was relieved at the same time! This was her only Midian relative here in Fiore, so she had to make up for lost time. She has taken up so much of Fiore's lifestyle, but her memory served her right.

It took a few moments of watching at her, in which he could fathom that she was, just like in old times, daydreaming. Ah, his dear cousin hadn’t done anything with that weird phenomenon, and the shaman could never really find any explanations to that situation. It was as if she was asleep most of the time, but yet not. She used to be like that back in Midi as well, but they were kids and practically didn’t care much about where they were or when they were awake or asleep. Quite careless, now that he thought about it… it was a splendid memory.

“Nee-san-“ he suddenly greeted, before being overwhelmed by her strength of ten bears formed as a hug. He could feel his back bending and the outer world fade away as he was shaken right and left. “She must’ve missed you… Otouto~”, the samurai ghost commented while having no idea of whether she could see him or not. Apparently, it wasn’t the case; as far as now, only his guild members could see Kyuken with their very eyes. Other than that, there had been rare circumstances to clash with the latter statement, but they all went utterly forgotten.

Immediately after the bear hug did she jump into a conversation. Mura couldn’t but smile in gratitude over her noticing his magical prowess, because it was truly outstanding in many ways in the family. “R-Really? Woah… wait, you know too? I wonder when chichi (dad) told you,” he replied in slight curiosity. He had been at Midi about a year ago, and the most of the family were aware of the revolutionary step that Mura had taken. However, what about those who lived out of borders? “Well… you have to know what happened, so then you’ll understand why he gave me permission…”

“Our house and family… someone had cursed it with vengeful spirits,” he spoke with a sudden, lower tone. It was such a scary state in his life when he felt the cold air rush across his shoulders and knees, almost paralyzing the young child back then. “I don’t know how, but they didn’t want us to leave the household. I’m glad that you weren’t there… it was terrifying.” He turned his gaze down to the sandy floor, before continuing to explain the past to his beloved cousin, “I kind of ran away, despite the latter. That was when I realized that I possessed some magical prowess… and it turned out to save my family from the ghastly siege.”

Since then, his dad had reconsidered letting Mura become a mage, and when the day came, then his father gave thumbs-up for it; having such a powerful person in the family such as a mage would power the tolerance of the Kensho’s after having been ‘no way’ when it came to magic for centuries. However, Mura could never forget his life and lineage, so he held onto Harusame and promised never to let go. He was a swordsman at heart, still. “My dad accepted my wishes, so I also took this with me… can you recognize it?” he asked with a small grin on his face while pulling out the katana shaft with an unsheathed Harusame, “It’s been hanging on the wall for ages, so I guessed that I could bring it to much better use. I haven’t slacked off in any way.”

“Ohh, this is amazing..!” he suddenly let burst out from his mouth while putting both index and middle finger between his nostrils and lips, “I never had an idea that another Kensho - heck, another Midian to be here! And it’s been so long- I have so much to tell, so many events and adventures..!”

Alexis, once she set the boy down, felt a little bad. Not because of giving the hug, but instead because of her unnatural urge to put a lot of force behind the hug. As if that will show more love? She felt bad immediately, having pained Mura with the back breaking hug, but on the second hand, she did show the love she wanted to show. She hadn't seen her cousin in years! He deserved all the bearhug she could give. Once Mura recovered from the devil grip, he began speaking of Alex's knowledge over his practicing magic.

Oh no, Uncle Kei didn't tell me. I just have a knack for good guesses. Think about it, you live in Fiore, the land of guilds and mages, and your magic aura is... Well beyond expectation. I mean jeez! I bet you've gone on quite a bit of tough jobs, Mura."

Afterward, Mura began to tell the story of his entrance to magic. Alex listened closely with a serious face while Mura spoke. It was clear that this memory strained him mentally. It wasn't hard to recall, but definitely wasn't one he wanted to. Her motherly attitude instinctively kicked in, and she felt the same pain as he.

"Mura... You did what you needed to. You ended up saving your family, didn't you? Even in a moment of fear, you were strong. That's the Bushido Code, is it not? You must retain courage? Courage is just fear taking a new name."

She continued to listen to his story, and then looked down at the sword.

"Kei let you have that? No questions asked? Good for you, kid. Your father obviously saw the greatness you're destined for, definitely more so than I. I'm just a vagabond beginner mage."

Alex smiled brightly, and gestured towards the door. Alex hadn't actually tried opening the door, assuming it to be locked, but now she opened it with ease. The cabin was obviously undisturbed, as there are towns and cities on the island that were quite bustling. Everyone probably had a place to stay, or at least didn't have the need to raid the houses or cabins. So, the doors were left untouched. How nice of Uncle Kei. Putting her hands in the pockets of her long coat, Alex waited for Mura to enter the cabin, and then followed close behind. Afterwards, she looked around and sparked another comversation.

"So, have you joined a guild? Made any good friends? Tell your big cousin everything~"

Mura began smiling by her compliments. It wasn’t as if he’d gone to any major jobs or so… well, he did have quite the experience with them in the long run. “Well, I guess that I’ve been on quite some backbreaking adventures… figuratively speaking,” he exclaimed, “but there have been too many to count now…” He began scratching the back of his head, while deciding to tell her, “My very first job was at Oshibana. You know, the famous locomotive town with their very own train system that connects Fiore; a bunch of madmen sieged it, and as far as I remember, I chased them away.” His first mission… and quite the successive one. Not only did he clear the town from those mad mages, but he also gained a close connection with the mayor that loaned him a card to go on the trains with. Memories…

Something felt odd; was she having compassion for him? She really did care about him that much, acting all motherly like that… it was lovely. “You… don’t have to feel bad or anything,” he assured her, “Nobody was hurt, and the spirits never returned… I did slay them all.” It was dryly spoken, as if he didn’t mind such thing at all. However, whoever spirits that he was talking about were, one thing would be clear; they wouldn’t return at all and go on some vendetta, would they..? “The Bushido Code… I knew that there was some meaning with it, but I never remembered until now!” he spoke up in awe of having sought for a meaning of that experience for years, only to have another one connect it to something so obvious, “No wonder! Kyuken, you should’ve told me a while back, you legendary bastard!” “Oi, what’s with the complimenting..-“ the samurai ghost replied, “Also, I’m highly doubting that she can see me. When do you want to surprise her, exactly..?”

Mura’s feet made it into the cozy room of the cottage, while his head looked around. He closed his eyes and recalled what Alex just said, feeling quite happy to have been trusted with Harusame. Of course, it was some trip that he had taken across the few kilometers between the mainland of Magnolia and the island, so the next thing done was him settling on a couch with his entire body, feeling power turning off… only to let his eyes open up again. Alex’ eyes appeared so curious about his magical life, so he didn’t want to disappoint her with only what he just told her. Instead, he stood up again (despite missing the great feeling of laying on a couch) and unsheathed Harusame, letting its metallic ray shine across the room. “Hehe… I did join a guild. A quite famous one, in fact,” he trailered, “Although… if you heard, a lot of weird things happened… well, in the beginning, it was quite the guild of all. You know, Fairy Tail.”

“I was about 12 or less when I arrived there… I instantly met nice people, and the previous Guildmaster was a blast. Not even a day passed before we were preparing for a road trip to Midi; I know, it was quite coincidental yet funny to return to Midi right after, but the Mizukage had trouble. That must’ve been my funniest mission ever… I mean, there was a lot of trouble and all, vampires and stuff, but I also gained something from there.” He leaned back down to the couch once again, “After we took care of the vampires, I returned to the guild. I did make a lot of friends, and very close ones too..! Like Takumi, Sorano, Rose, Julius, Heero…” He began naming them each on a long line of breath, “Hikari, Yazuki, Heero’s daughter Hera, Gamon, Corliss and way many more..!” A little pause while breathing, “I did plenty of jobs with them… I’ve saved a little girl from a tower that worshipped the sun, I’ve been a brute for about two hours in Spooky Forest, I’ve subdued a crazy, little lady with a sinister magic doll… I’ve also been on a job with Hana.” He began remembering the marvelous forests around Phoenix Mountains where he met up with her; he did go to a job earlier with her, but the reward of that job pained him to this very day. “We took out undeads… you’ve missed a lot, but I’m sure that you’ll experience just as much-“ He exchanged a peaceful smile to his older cousin, before leaning his head back a little further. The amount of words coming out of his mouth with 2 seconds’ break between each sentence did a thing to him.

Mura's reaction caught Alex off guard. Did he not want her to have affection or the like for him? No, that wasn't the case. He didn't want to worry her with his past troubles, but it was too late for that. She was a naturally compassionate person, one who cared to listen to the troubles of others and provide insight on solutions. It was like, to her family and close friends, Alex could be considered a vent of sorts. She accepted with no judgement, and returned with kindness. That was her moral code.

In return to her question, Mura had told her that he did in fact join a guild. The famous guild Fairy Tail, the guild that anyone could be accepted in. Alex had heard a while ago that the guild turned dark, but had never paid much attention to it, and had never cared to investigate. However, a living and breathing, not to mention credible firsthand account was here to prove that it had, in fact, went to the dark side. That didn't mean that the guild was evil, no! Far from it. Just... Illegal.

"I have heard of some things with your guild. Don't worry, though. Flagged as illegal doesn't make you any less of a good person than you once were, kid. Than you still are."

Alex's piqued curiosity had been satisfied once Mura started explaining, in detail, about his guild and his adventures. The purple haired maiden fell asleep, not being rude but instead out of impulse of her body being awake for so long. So, she flopped on the couch and listened with her eyes closed. He got there when he was 12... So that was when Alex was about 18, having already left Midi and started her life in Fiore. Alex, at that time, was living with her other grandparents, the ones from Fiore.

"Leaving right after getting here. Heh, sounds like a weird circumstance. Welp, at least you got to return home, a luxury I've never really... Been able to experience."

It was true, while she acted like she didn't care about going home, and that it was an "If I do or don't I don't care" kind of thing, she really did. She never acted like she didn't want to go home, but instead she acted indifferent. Alex wanted to go home to Midi, to see her other family and get the Midian side of her back. But she didn't dwell on this thought long as Mura continued to talk. He told his tale of monsters and missions and members of the guild, which once again piqued the interest of the weak mage. Every name, every detail would be stored in her memory vault, just so she could remember it. Alex didn't even mind Mura talking so much, as she normally would. If Alex encountered anyone else who spoke this much, she'd have left the realm into dreamland ages ago. But this was a special case, someone she wanted to listen to, to hear all of their successes.

Then, Mura started to speak of the last part. He sounded like he was offering her to join his guild. Quickly, Alex cut him off before he could say more.

"I plan on joining the guild Golden Phoenix... It is a treasure hunting guild, and I need the funds. I apologize, Mura, I won't be able to join you at your guild. However, that doesn't mean I won't be able to offer an ear to listen to all of your tales of monsters and magic. I wouldn't be able to join you, as I'd probably die! We can't have that, can we? I mean, what company will you have in this cozy place? You own it, ya know. Uncle Kei doesn't have any use for it."

It was a sweet feeling that his cousin was compassionate with him, even after all the hetz that his guild had been through the last months. She truly believed in his kindness, despite several of his earlier neighbors backbiting his own house when he was forced to live in Tetsukazu… he should tell her that. “Thanks… but not everyone thought the same way. It was as if us being branded dark meant that we literally turned evil and hostile…” he replied to give more light to the topic, “We wanted to safeguard a girl of ours. Our own guildmate, who had been accused of murders that she couldn’t control herself…” Once again, his fist clenched; despite his attempt to help her in any way that he was capable of, Ren wasn’t to be stopped so easily. God knew where she was striving now…

“… Eh, Alex-nee?” he suddenly asked in a mumbling tone, only to realize that she still listened to him even when appearing like a sleeping person. He thought for a second that she fell asleep again, just like she used to daze off out of nowhere when he was younger. Oh well, her comment did poke his curiosity; she hadn’t returned or ever visited Midi after her departure? “… I’m sure that chichi expects your visit every day,” he spoke to her, “Just like he waited for me.” His father, Miki, was a very patient man. It was, especially, shown after Mura’s mother passed away, an event that happened when he was yet to become 10 years old. An event that had scarred him just as it scarred every member of the Kensho family, doubling on his father’s soul… the samurai had lost his one and only love and life, and a lot of pain had to be endured for the rest of his own life.

“Golden… Phoenix?” he asked out. That was, strangely, a very new guild to his ears; the only guilds that he had been able to recall was; Sabertooth, his own, Blue Pegasus, Black Rose, Infinity Hydra, Savage Skull, Black Sails and Basilisk Fang. Golden Phoenix, on the other hand, was a very new one for him. He listened to her reason of joining the treasure hunter guild, the title containing a lot of experiences and adventures for his cousin, in which he worried not of where she would take her path in. “I guess that you have a fair point… can’t have you drop dead already,” he laughed. Every Kensho had their own, special path, it seemed. “Oh… you’re right! This cottage looks pretty neat and enjoyable to live in, that’s for sure. Don’t you think so too, Kyuken?” With a swing, he grabbed onto the blue spirit ball and lit its structure up for Alex’ eyes to see the passed ghost of the one and only swordsman, the Heaven And Earth Swordsman, the ancestor to the Kensho’s previous rival clan that turned into a close ally, and the legend that had been told for decades. 600 years old. Harusame’s true owner- wait, Mura used the name ‘Kyuken’, which wasn’t the legend’s real name. His real name was Musashi, in which Alex could get an idea of his identity, but circumstances between Mura and Kyuken prevented him from mentioning the ghost’s real name. Instead, a bluish samurai ghost ball was shown in front of her, looking around. “Couldn’t agree more, Mura-dono!” he replied with a prideful voice, “Two houses are always better than- wait, can she see me now?! Where are my manners… ahem, I’m Kyuken, a samurai and Mura’s companion ghost. It’s more than an honor to meet his cousin, dear Alex…”

Alex, once she heard the comment about Mura not wanting her to drop dead already, smiled and gave a quick chuckle, signifying that she found it funny, when some people could have actually found it offensive. Saying such a comment could mean "I want you dead, just not yet," however Alex had the thought that Mura wouldn't think such things. He was a loving family member just like all of her others, as little as she may see on a regular basis.

Alex gave a raised eyebrow in response to Mura speaking to this so-called Kyuken, and then suddenly afterward she heard another voice in the room. However, she couldn't exactly "see" the source of the voice. Of course, she couldn't see anything. Her eyes were closed. Normally, however, Alex is able to see a rough figure, something of a body type. She saw nothing. That was what was tipping her off, until of course she heard the next comment from the ghost.

He was a ghost!? Alex quickly jumped at the thought of it, and stammered for a bit before getting her bearings.

"Er... Uhm... Glad to meet you too! Well, not exactly meet... I can't see you. Wait, if I assume correctly, you're tied to Mura, no? That means I can perform an experiment... Hey Mura, can I show you one of the effects of my newfound magic?"

Before getting a response, assuming Mura's to be a yes, Alex lightly grabbed Mura's arm, and put her opposite hand to her head. Suddenly, a magic circle would appear below Mura, and he'd be instantly be induced to sleep. Alex set Mura on the couch, and then sat down next to his body. Going deeper into thought, she entered the door to her dreamland.

The two of them would fall from the sky, and then land in a puff of clouds. No pain would be felt, and it would actually appear that their momentum slowed once they connected with the ground. Around them, random things could be seen, animals, weird plants, etc. It was entirely random. Also, a desk that looked like a hotel check-in sat behind them, with a bigger-than-average-sized hawk perched near it.

"Ah, Mistress Alex. Welcome back! Wh-Who is this?"

"Hello Dilon, ever the pleasure. This is my dear cousin Mura, Mura, this is Dilon. My spirit animal. Er, Dilon, give Mura access to every room, okay? Just uh... not my love room and my nightmares. Mura, this is my dreamland. Here you can do anything you want, however whatever you do will be run once through my head. This means, I have to give the 'okay' on whatever you do. Unless you're doing or searching through something vile, it'll most likely be accepted. Now then, where is that 'Kyuken,' ghost? I expected him to travel with us... that was the whole purpose of the experiment."

While Alex was speaking to Mura, Dilon the hawk came over with several keys in his hand. Instead of handing it to Mura, he instead just flung them at him. The keys wouldn't do anything to Mura, and instead just fused with his body. These keys would give access to the various doors that were all around the dreamland, save for two. A giant, black and red door with chains on it, and a white pristine door with two cupids standing guard. Neither of these doors would be allowed for anyone but Alex to enter. Never, at any point in time could she allow someone to do that.

Alex-nee’s response sounded rushed, rather surprised and a little shocked as well by the statement of Kyuken’s presence. Was she, by any chance, afraid of him? Mura wouldn’t be able to imagine a single rational being to be afraid of Kyuken; in fact, if she ever would express a hard feeling on him, it might be rage over some other peek or pervy attempt to unwind. By the thought of that, Mura’s face turned dark and his eyes glared at the blue spirit ball for now. “Kyuken… no hanky-panky, okay?” his deepened voice warned to the spirit, whose ball-like form shook in fear. “Hai---“ the samurai ghost replied, before noticing Alex-nee’s reply, “I guess that we are tied… once in a while, that is.” “That’s just a part of my- wait, you awakened a new magic?” the shaman asked out in wonder, “Of course, you can show me. Let me see what you’re capable of..!”

His arm was suddenly grabbed, in which he took a close notice. Being his cousin, he expected not any kind of attempt to assault him when he was lowering his guard, but submitted his trust to her. A magic circle was summoned beneath his feet afterwards, in which he felt the effects take over him instantly. “W-Woah, I feel… dizzy…” he mumbled, before slumber had the upper hand. Everything went as black as if you closed your eyes for a nap, in which Mura began dreaming thoughts of his situation: Wait, is this her magic? I still can’t pinpoint its purpose, though… or maybe it’s some kind of Sleep Magic. That makes a lot of sense, given the amount of hours that Alex-nee sleeps. She’s always been sleepy… hehe…

He scratched his nose in humor by the memories where he would find her in the fields, either sleeping or attempting to sleep. He always tried to wake her up and play with her, or simply pull her into a safer place. A lot of weird things happened due to that habit, but it wasn’t harming at all, and while he barely found himself falling from the skies, he mumbled: “I should try and sleep as much as possible… studies say that it’s quite healthy-“ His feet suddenly impacted with the fluffy surface of a cloud, in which he bounced off and onto another piece of the same cloud. He finally took a glance at the surroundings where he noticed several fantasies reveal themselves; from angels to flying animals and talking plants. Heck, there was even a desk at the front, behind which a large raptor awaited. “H-Hawk? Wait, what’s with this place… am I still sleeping?” he questioned out, moving his head and finding Alex-nee beside him.

“Oh, ‘sup you huge raptor… ehm, wait, that wasn’t meant to be an insult-“ He began scratching his head in worry; its size just surprised him, that was all, “-Wait, rooms?” Alex-nee’s next words explained that this plane was some kind of dreamland, ergo in her own mind. He had entered her brain, somehow… that must’ve been because of her newfound magic from earlier. He was, perhaps out of trust, promised the keys to every room in here, except two. “…” He suddenly sneaked up on his dear cousin, never having tried this act before... but given by experience, it was quite the right time and place to do so, “Ho? You actually have a love room? Do you really love someone, nee-san?~” Obviously, he was having fun with the ‘confession’, but he couldn’t really allow himself to tease her… he, too, had his rooms.

The hawk literally threw the keys towards him like shurikens, in which Mura’s eyes widened in shock. Although, as the keys made no harm and phased into his body, he exhaled in relief. “Those keys could’ve hurt a lot…” he hummed in leftovers from his fright earlier, “But ehh… Kyuken should show up anytime, now.” He began looking around for any trace of the samurai ghost - the fact was that they weren’t exactly tied up together. Yes, they’ve been living together for ages now, but that wouldn’t just simply be the catalyst of such a phenomenon. Tied together… as if-

And just as his thinking ended, the horizon revealed something… as if a large golem with the size of the earth looked through the atmosphere, Kyuken’s original torso looked down at them, almost covering the entire sky. “K-K-Kyuken..!” the shaman let out in surprise, “You look even huger now! What’s gotten into you..?” “I have no clue, Mura-dono, but I feel like a king of legends!!!” The samurai ghost replied, showing off his blinding smile. Although, Mura found it quite troublesome, and even flailed his hands and all, a rather cute face on his head. “B-But we were going to show her our magic, afterwards..! Come on, Kyuken, turn back to normal..!-“ He would pop up all places in front of the horizon, begging the samurai to turn back into a spirit ball again, so that he could repay the showcase...

Raptor? That was something Dilon wasn't used to hearing. No one had ever called him a dinosaur before... Then again, the only people who talk to him are those created by Alex, and Alex never once called him a dinosaur. Regardless, it was a new thing to him. Dilon wanted to get angry, because Mura had to immediately state it wasn't an insult. If it wasn't an insult, why say it wasn't? Dilon would have never been mad, but now he wanted to be. The thing was, Alex made it physically impossible. Dilon couldn't get mad at Mura regardless of what he did or said, unless Alex were to permit it. So the hawk said nothing in response to being called a raptor, and just gave Mura the keys.

Suddenly, Alex's left eye twitched. She turned around and looked at Mura, the shade envoking her eyes and face, and darkness spread around her. It looked like a demonic transformation, to be honest, but she wasn't mad at the kid, instead just performing a little scare tactic.

"None of your business, Mura."

With that, the darkness vanished and she retained her kind and motherly look, and pat Mura on the head. Once she heard Mura mention this Kyuken person, she once again turned around to-

"WHATTHEHECKORSHOULDISAYWHOTHEHECKISTHAT???"

The words flew out instantaneously, looking up at the massive samurai that stood above them all, stretching half the horizon. Did he truly look like that all the time? Or... look like that in a ghostly forme? Or... well judging by how Mura was acting, there was no way this man could be this massive every point and time, so Alex wondered: Why was he like this? Alex didn't even notice his presence in the dream realm until now. Did he... just gain control instantaneously? Of course, he could have made himself massive, but that would have ran through Alex's mind. So what happened?

Ignoring the baffling thought, Alex quickly bowed her head and began to greet the man.

"I uh... I'm sorry for what I said, Mr.... Kyuken, is it? Glad to meet you, or should I say glad to "see" you. So, you're a ghost, how are you tied to Mura? Does it have to do with his magic?"

(OOC: Sorry for short post, have to do a lot of crap X-X)

A dark atmosphere was felt behind Mura. As he tried to call for Kyuken, what felt like Alex-nee’s response to the earlier question about her ‘interest’ was thrown at him in form of a- “.     .     .” His mouth was shut by the sudden change on Alex-nee’s face, imaginable horns manifesting above her head. His eyes were completely round, a small tear enveloping on the left one. His mouth was wide-opened and gawking, while Kyuken’s shocked expression cooled the troposphere above them. “I-I-I-I-I-“ he stammered, just before she turned back to her previous self, “… *sniff*”.

His gaze returned to the large spirit, only to hear Alex-nee’s outraging expression. He slowly turned his face towards her with a funny smile, answering: “That's him. Kyuken…” The large bastard had entered the dream realm through the medium of Mura’s body, thus interacting with them at the very moment, “So Kyuken! What’s going on with the size?” The samurai ghost laughed out and looked at the two dots on the cloud. “It’s like the embodiment of a damn god! I’m so huuuuuuge!” he yelled in pride. Mura couldn’t really explain the phenomenon, but such a large and loud-mouthed Kyuken was a no-go. Uplifting his opened hand, the spirit found himself dissolving into an auric substance that collected on top of Mura’s grasp. Slowly, the aura turned into a blue spirit ball with a rather displeased face. “… I really enjoyed that,” the spirit quietly mumbled.

Alex-nee had greeted the samurai ghost before he even noticed, so Kyuken quickly forgot about the siege that he planned and presented: “Tied to Mura… I don’t think that it’s like that. It’s just that he’s able to see me.” The young, living samurai began swinging the blue spirit ball around like a basketball, commenting: “It’s a part of my magic, yes. I’m a shaman, after all…” The shaman rested the blue spirit ball on his index finger, letting Kyuken spin around for a while, “By fusing spirits with my own magic power, I’m able to do a lot of things.” The samurai ghost found himself still, quite dizzy from the spinning. “M-Mura… I’m not a t-toy,” he tiredly commented. A small sweat dropped off his face by the sheer guilt that enveloped Mura for that. “… Well! Ehm, nonetheless can I utilize their auras by the help of a medium. I’ll show you… I just need something solid, that’s all. A sword suits me the best…"

OOC: Short posts are when two characters interact too much with each other. For example, when pvping and stuff... :p idk, weird logic

After Kyuken shrunk in size, Alex gave an audible sigh of relief. She gave a quick wave to the small blue orb, and giggled a bit when he complained about his size being reduced. However, the ghost soon replied to her by saying he wasn't tied to Mura, which was odd. How was he able to enter her mind if he wasn't tied to Mura? Alex had only performed her ability on Mura, and if they were two separate entire entities with no real connection, save for the magic that the two share, Kyuken shouldn't have been able to come inside her Dreamland. She would have to perform the spell on Kyuken separately, but even then she highly doubted she'd be able to even do that, since she couldn't see him, much less touch him. It was difficult for the strategist to wrap her mind around, but it did deal with ghosts, and the afterlife wasn't something she specifically studied on a regular basis.

Then Mura made it a bit more clear to her, so Alex tried to make it clearer.

"So, you sort of combine the spirits with your own magic... That means, for a short time, are you and Kyuken the same person? Your magic belongs to you, and if you fuse something with it, doesn't that essentially combine then with your essence?"

Alex said, and, anticipating a demonstration, she showed her all-around control over her dreamland. She pointed behind Mura, and suddenly there was a wall, lined with every sword imaginable... Literally. There was every form of sword known to man, and even some that don't exactly exist, but the idea of them do. Such an example would be the ninjaken, or the "straight katana."

"Swords galore, cousin. Take your pick."

It appeared that Alex-nee had finally begun to understand how Mura’s magic would work, but a visual demonstration was yet needed in his eyes. “Well, we do become one person when fused together… I can wrap my own magic power and bind him, so I guess that when we’re fused, then it’s like half me half him,” Mura explained. He never really noticed the great difference in him when he used his magic on himself, but he knew the basics; he could use magic power to bind spirits and trap their souls inside his body, so that both his and their spirit had to share the same body. That would result in various of personality shifts as well as many traits from the spirit that he bound within himself.

“I do feel a little like Mura when we fight together… which is annoying,” the samurai ghost complained, “As if a legend like me would ever accept a lowly offspring like him as a partner~” His voice revealed that he was merely teasing the now frowned shaman. Before Mura could show his attitude towards Kyuken, Alex-nee pointed towards the point behind them, showing a wall with every sword that Mura had seen throughout his life, plus many other swords that he never got to meet physically. “W-Woah..!” It took him with a surprise to see his cousin’s armory, “Are those all yours? Or are they just an illusion with this dreamland of yours?” While asking, he nailed his eyes into every sword along with Kyuken, until spotting the ‘straight katana’. That was the same sword that his other cousin, Naka, wielded along with a dagger, a combination known as daisho. He decided to take the one, long, straight katana and use that as an example of a medium.

“Now that I have a physical medium and a ghost, watch…” he informed. Swiftly, he let the spirit ball of Kyuken launch into the metallic blade, causing to light up the place around them. Kyuken’s spirit deformed into a long contour of auric mana around the ninjaken, while red plates from Kyuken’s armor manifested as small kinds of shields. “You see, spirits have magical powers,” Mura continued, while swinging the spirit katana up in the air, “Even though it’s like transparent mana for our eyes, if you can fuse a little mana to them, then their own potential will burst out as a reaction to that. Furthermore, you can versatilely utilize that potential with this magic of mine.” He lowered his head a little, smiling towards his dear cousin, before a long, auric blade was shown crossing the path between him and her. The blade was mere inches from touching her nose, but he wasn’t planning on an attack intentionally. “This is Kyuken’s spirit. I can reform its shape as I wish with my magic power, and Kyuken’s strength… he wasn’t a weak samurai, you know.”

Alex smiled at the younger teen's interest in all of the swords that lined the wall. He's always been interested in swordplay, as a kid and she could assume he still was now. Mura asked if all of these were hers, or if they were an illusion, to which Alex giggled a bit at.

"I guess you can say... Both? The swords, as they are now, are apart of the dream realm. Since they're apart of the dream realm they are technically mine. And as an illusion... yes and no? I can materialize them into the real plane of existance, if that serves any purpose. They'd be just as sharp and cut just as much as normal swords, however they'd each have limited duration. That's my magic. I manifest my dreams into reality. Dream-Make magic."

Once Mura had made his choice of blade, Alex made the rest of the wall of swords vanish. He chose the ninjaken sword, the "straight katana." Such a sword was fictional, and any sword that actually existed like that were either failed attempts at making a curved katana, or just a personal creation for one individual or a select few. Considering Mura decided to choose that sword in particular, he must have had some contact with someone who used a ninjaken before, but who was a strange and difficult question for Alex to answer.

The next part happened rather quickly, as Mura explained, and then demonstrated, his magic to Alex. Her cousin caused a spirit sword wave or something to slash at her, one that wouldn't touch her by mere inches. This didn't scare Alex in the slightest because of a few reasons. One, this was her dream realm and she couldn't actually be harmed inside of it. Two, she had much faith in her cousin and wouldn't expect him to attempt to do such a thing. And finally, Alex's dream realm has a sort of "security system," one that would warn Alex of anything that could possibly mean trouble. Mura had no hostility, nothing that set off any warnings to her, once they both enterred the dream realm. Kyuken didn't set off any major alarms, but something about him was just... different. Like he held some sort of significance that Alex couldn't put her finger on. That, and he literally set off the pervert alarm... so there was that. Either way, the magic and demonstration intrigued Alex a lot.

"Apparently so, Mura. If you've gotten as strong as you are now you must have had someone of power teaching you along the way. Speaking of... Kyuken is a spirit, therefore he must have been alive at some point. Who was he, in his life that is? I feel as though I should know him..."

OOC: I deserve hell -w-

Her explanation kind of showed a picture of her magic; the ability to manifest objects from one’s world of dreams… what kind of sick, overpowered magic did she have? Mura was practically shocked by then, feeling kind of exceeded just because of her magic’s function. Holding the spirit sword on his hand, he began to shake a little. “D-Dream… Make…” he mumbled loud, trying to shake the thoughts of such potential off his head, “So… uhm…” He decided to give Alex-nee the word as she found his magic impressive as well, which helped a lot to forget the thoughts from earlier and focus on that. However, when she asked about Kyuken, he turned a little surprised. “Oh, you know him very well,” he mentioned with a soft smile, whilst he swung the spirit sword back and shrank its size, “Our family are only one of the countless clans back at Midi, and the Musashi clan… our so-called rival all descend from this guy.” He held up Kyuken as a spirit ball, showing the ghost’s magnificence and glory in such a small form. “… He doesn’t like being called Musashi, though-“ the shaman continued, which obviously caused the ghost samurai to interrupt: “Damn straight!” Moving his head back in surprise, Mura decided to continue explaining: “S-So he’s just Kyuken. I haven’t called him anything else since we met each other.”