[Job] Return to Equilibrium (Akeya/Leila Vergious)

Heart of the Forest, a maddening disease that turned anything it affected into indiscriminate destroyer and an abandoned city, overtaken by the nature itself. With all of these aspects put neatly together, it certainly sounded like an ancient tale preserved by the elders telling it to their children who would then tell it their own children after many years. Yet, it was no folklore this time, but the reality at hand. A request that found it’s way to Silver Wold and then was handed to Leila directly due to her affinity with nature and everything close to it. Suffice to say, it was a good choice to make.

In fact, the girl had arrived at the scene a considerable while before she was supposed to. While she was informed that she had to look after a certain, somewhat unstable, individual as well, she wanted to gather a bit of info beforehand. Sitting in a small clearing that was at the edge of the forest, she had surrounded herself by several runes that produced a magical barrier, completely trapping the silver-haired maiden’s magical energy inside so that her presence would not spook anyone. While sitting comfortably in the grass, she observed few of the local flowers before a distinct shadow arrived from deeper in the forest.

It was Melon, the girl’s canine companion. A wolf of a green and red coat, hence her name. The beast carried a tiny little rabbit, very carefully not to injure it in any way. Putting the critter down in front of Leila, it seemed to have calmed down almost instantly and then meekly start hopping around, unsure of what to do with itself. Just a small bit of insight for Leila who was creating a theory in her head as to what might be going on here. But the green wolf could not possibly scout the entire woods alone, no. He had a bit of help.

A translucent fog covered a good portion of the forest, bringing about a slightly unnatural chill. It quickly faded away as it’s source approached the runic barrier as well, a number of ethereal wolves, their forms slightly transparent and silver in colors with bright glowing blue eyes. They moved slowly and steadily, no gestures coming along with them. Rather, it was the magic itself they were producing that told the girl everything she had asked of them. With a bright smile, she had nodded to them as they quickly disappeared into magical portals, leaving behind not much more than frost on the grass.

This was the first time she had decided to ask the spirits of the mountain for help like this. Wolves that guarded the Phoenix Mountain, the place where guild hall of Silver Wolf resided. They were rather appropriate guardians, moving through the raging storm that protected the guild. They were guides, making sure those with no ill will would make it through the storm and arrive at the building, something that made them somewhat good scouts for this place as well. With a faint sigh, the girl had picked herself back up and stretch before looking around a little bit more.

These cases were always interesting for her, as there was most certainly something magical in nature going on. Though, of course, she would have to see the Kitsune spirit in person to be able to properly determine what was going on. Though one thing was rather clear, she knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish. Save these woods and all the creatures within it with minimal casualties. After all, she quite hated it when the nature around her suffered. In a way, she was an extension of it, she felt it’s pain, even if it was rather distant.

Then her attention quickly turned toward the abandoned city in the distance. Something resembling a flare was fired up into the sky, presumably calling for the girl. “Oh dear, did I lose a track of time..?” With those words, she snapped her fingers and dispersed the barrier around her completely, her magical energy now being free to be sensed by those around her. Giving her companion a quick glance and a nod, both of them headed toward the location of the individual they would be working with. Little did they know it was someone not new to them.

In fact, Leila did not want to make them wait any longer, quickly opening a warp gate in front of herself to speed herself up a fair amount. She even managed to faintly grasp the words that Akeya had spoken out, a smile creeping up her expression as she suddenly appeared behind the dragoness, the tips of her shoes gently pressing up against the pillar as well. There was not exactly much room for the both of them, but she managed to make it work by breaching her personal space a tiny bit.

“Apologies for being so slow, though I don’t think we are in a hurry here… oh?”

That was the moment of realization. Leila knew this person and now that she could sense her magical energy and take in her appearance, she remembered. Well… her magic appeared to have undergone some alternations, but it was definitely her! There was no way Leila of all people would forget about meeting a dragon person. Bending her knees ever so slightly, she had propelled herself away from the pillar and landed on the grass-covered pathway beneath them, looking up at her dragon companion while Melon caught up with her owner.

“Pardon me… Akeya, right? Do you… remember me?”

When they met, it was very freshly after the silver-haired maiden lost almost all of her memories. An issue that was long since resolved, thankfully. And she even kept every bit of memory made after the incident. Though if she recalled correctly, this girl was not exactly someone who would bond very frequently. So it was debatable to say if she remembered the Eden’s caretaker or not. Though Leila certainly hoped that she was remembered, as she had indeed also remembered her own love for dragons and definitely wanted to spend some quality time with an individual like this.

“I’m Leila Vergious. A wandering mage who helped you deal with poachers in one of the Wakusei gates…”

In hindsight, it really might not have been the best idea ever to teleport behind… well, anyone, like that. Especially since they were on a mission where enemies were clearly present, at least to some degree. The flare which clearly indicated that the girl’s company was saught after clouded her judgment for but a brief moment, yet that was enough to send her new, yet old partner into a high-alert mode. Thankfully the situation deescalated swiftly as well, Akeya clearly an expert warrior who was able to make the right call in a split of a second. No magical energy had to be wasted on unrequired spells.

Waving her hands around in an apologetic manner, Leila bowed her head ever so slightly. “Ahaha, my apologies. It’s been quite a while since I’ve been on a proper mission, I got far too used to peace being present all around me.” Her shiny blue optics watched how the dragoness gracefully descended back to the broken apart ground, expression visibly showing how impressed she was with the dual-element wielding. Last time they worked together, she had not seen anything of the sort from her companion, not to mention that such balance was always impressive to her due to personal reasons.

And somewhat amusingly, the dragoness had little regard for personal space despite her slightly unapproachable aura, that clawed hand pointing a bit too close at Leila’s forehead and making the poor silver-haired maiden go cross-eyed for a second as she tried to follow the tip of that very claw. “Err, right. A lot has changed, I suppose. And I suspect you mean these?” Taking a single step back, the maiden twirled in place as silvery magical energy surrounded her physical form, a pair of wolf-like ears and a tail formed. Though they were different from how they looked in their prior meeting.

Magical energy clearly surrounded them, hinting on the fact that despite the fluffy fur still present, these features were actually formed by solidified ethernano, particles of magic. In addition to these, one of the girl’s eyes turned golden in the process as well, emitting a visible glow and a trail of a lingering ethereal veil. “You might have noticed when we worked together before but I’m not quite human. More of a spirit if you want to get technical. So my appearance is subject to change whenever my magic shifts around.”

Not only that, but it also had many more perks as she suddenly showed her thumbs up to the dragoness. “So you don’t have to worry, I survived worse than a claw tearing my throat open or even decapitating me!” It was an odd thing to say with a bright smile strung across her face. “Of course I wouldn’t try to hurt you either. Definitely not someone as amazing as you!” Looking Akeya over again, Leila was basically sparkling with excitement and delight at the dragon features everpresent on the girl in front of her.

Yes, her love and adoration for dragons were as apparent as ever. But somehow, there was something that caught her attention even more. Something… surprisingly adorable, coming from the shadowy destroyer of a dragon. In a wonderful display of duality, her partner explained that her mental state was somewhat divided at the current, proceeding in almost comical fashion to showcase it by jumping from topic to topic as if a loving mother trying to act ruthless and cold in order to keep up appearance. Suffice to say, it made the silver-haired maiden chuckle just a tiny bit as she took a step closer.

“Yes, my mission was a success and I managed to recover both my magic and my memories. I also already know about the situation of this forest, as I’ve arrived a while back in order to look things over. And you… well, you have no need to worry about acting in any way you want. I’m an adventurer, heart and soul. I’ve worked with many people, humans, and non-humans. Each one of them was different and acted differently. So I don’t think you deserve to be called an idiot~”

Saying that it was Leila who once more breached the barriers of personal space this time, her hand extending and attempting to gently stroke Akeya’s dark hair. Whether it was her instincts of a life-creator or perhaps genuine attempt to help, magic followed the girl on every step as well. The calming nature of the Gardens of Eden seeped into the dragoness, doing it’s best to soothe her nerves and carry away her worries. On a more professional note, it was also good to feel relax when on a mission like this, for unnecessary stress allowed for woeful mistakes.

“There, there. Now then… Melon here, as well as few spirits I brought along have told me of what they saw in these ruins and the woods in general. The creatures here are enraged and scared. I don’t believe it would be in our best interest to simply slaughter them unless it is the last resort. There has to be magic at work here, so I say we try to dispell it, what do you say?” Sure enough, Leila had just demonstrated with her magic-infused head pats that she was able to soothe others.

Perhaps such means could be used on their enemy as well? It was an amusing thought, attempting to ruffle the hair of an enemy in combat. Though of course, that was not the only way Leila could do something of that nature. But one thing was clear - she desired to bring peace to this place, not destruction. Akeya, on the other hand, might have been different. She was at least part dragon, creatures who held great destructive powers and were often not afraid to use it. Because of this, the Eden’s caretaker did not want to fully proceed until they settled on how to do this.

Melon, the trusty green, and red wolf seemed to be of a similar mind as she slowly approached the dragoness and started sniffing around. Even attempting the nuzzle against her scales-covered legs in a show of affection and low barks. It was an interesting experiment to see if Akeya would be susceptible to the adorable nature of Leila’s wolf companion like most humans were.

The rather sudden revelation of Akeya’s preference toward Leila’s wolf features was quite surprising and had taken the girl aback greatly. Especially the fact that this specific bit of feedback was negative in the overall picture. Small tears appeared in the corner of the silver-haired girl’s eyes, this seemingly all-powerful mage suddenly sulking at the idea of it. “I… I see, so you don’t really like this now…” Tapping her fingers together as if she was nervous, she let the tail and ears dissolve back into particles of magic and sighed. She even took such great care to have them bit nearly identical to the ones she had before.

Not that she could do much about it now. This was her true self, after all. When she was first born into this world and when she came to Fiore for the very first time, there was no tail or ears. At that point, she even still thought of herself as completely human. A human with a very special magic. It was just far too convenient, far too nice. Shaking her head, the girl perished the thought and looked back up at Akeya. At the very least the soured mood was about to be fixed right quick.

Yes, the dragoness was rather adorable as she seemingly got flustered by the display of affection by Leila and her action afterwards only reinforced that cute side of her, albeit with a sprinkled addition of scary when the column collapsed. Frankly, the girl had to restrain herself considerably not to do it again, or even hug her companion this time. Something that would not end very well, most likely. But perhaps she could attempt something of that nature later on when they were out of the danger zone, as Akeya reminded her a little while ago.

“Lying and sugar-coating things…” Leila then also repeated after the dragoness, though only for herself. And at the end, she smiled without a reply. Of course, it was probably easy to perceive her words as such. And truly, no matter what she would say, it would not change anyone’s mind here. For actions often spoke much louder than words and if she wanted her companion to trust her fully, she would have to show that she meant everything that she had said when the chance presents itself. Whether that would be on this mission or at some point in the future, that was up in the air.

Pointing at the green and red wolf by her side, she also re-introduced the third wheel of this party. “This is Melon, my companion ever since I found her abandoned in a place far, far away from here.” A bark solidified that quick backstory as Leila took a few steps to the side and gazed at what would soon be their battlefield. “Then I’ll just have to assure that she will not be able to resist my attempts to calm her down.”

Taking a deep breath, she then turned toward Akeya again. “And that I’ll gently stop you if you do happen to lose control or make a mistake. Whether you believe me or not, I will be making sure that everyone makes it through this just fine!” Winking at the dragoness, the girl had to steel up her nerves. There was no way she would botch a chance at becoming friends with someone who was at least partly a dragon. Though that aside, Akeya actually did seem like an interesting person that she would like to get to know better, given the chance.

So what now? They definitely had to head into the ruins and start searching for the source of the problems here. With a confident stride, the Eden’s caretaker headed right toward the abandoned square that must have been the town’s center in the past. With Akeya hopefully right behind her, she focused on any foreign magic that she could sense in the air. There was not exactly a whole lot, aside from the naturally present magical energy of the forest that surrounded them. And yet there was something eerie and sinister indeed. Even closing her eyes, Leila stopped for a moment.

The town square was quite large with a dried up fountain in the very middle. Letting out a faint sigh, the girl shook her head once more and then turned around to face the dragoness. “I have a bit of an idea. Obviously, you’ve seen my powers before, but it would be little too inconvenient to run around so I can touch every single animal that has been driven mad by… whatever it is that is driving them mad. I should be able to use this fountain, do you think you could lure anything that gets too close to it?”

Even if Akeya herself would not be up for the task, Melon was ready to either help or take on the mission by herself. Leila in the meantime stepped into the basin and place her hand on the slope in the middle which used to spray water elegantly in the past. Her magical energy started spreading through it as vines and flowers started blooming all over the concrete and surrounding area, the water from the underground being quickly drawn and starting to fill the fountain once more. But not quite your average water, but one infused with Leila’s magical energy and glowing with a faint green hue. Now she just had to hope that everything would go at least somewhat smoothly.

It was always good to be at least a little bit cautious when you worked as a mage for hire. Leila had discovered just about anything could be hiding behind that corner you’re about to approach and it was worth it to be ready for it. So Leila could easily understand Akeya’s behavior. It was simply beneficial for her potential survival. Something that the girl herself could just kinda toss out the window as even if she were to be killed right here, she would simply come back a few days later. It was both a blessing and a curse that her existence was not bound by mortality.

And despite the somewhat displayed disappointment on her face when she learned that the Kitsune was probably of the male variant, she still wanted to go through this all properly. It was nice that the dragoness was willing to go with her plan without any real back talk or resisting, making the whole operation go much more smoothly. Along with her, Melon also departed to scour the area for any cursed creatures that could use cleansing. While that was going down, Leila made sure that the renewed fountain was working as intended. Not having to wait too long, Akeya had returned with a good amount of boars straight behind her, too.

Taking a step back into a jump on top of the pillar in the middle of the fountain, Leila smirked. A number of the flowers on the fountain were of a peculiar shape, closed buds glowing with an orange hue. It was these that suddenly opened up and released a fairly sweet scent. One that was considerably stronger to the animals naturally residing within this area and quickly forcing their attention toward the silver-haired girl. Though she didn’t have to move a single muscle with the boars willingly approaching angrily and getting into the enchanted water.

In the meantime, Melon has returned as well. Carrying a single flailing rabbit by a tuft of fur, there was a small army behind her as well. Some of them even looking mildly terrifying with their snow-white fur and crimson red eyes. But they too were dealt with fairly easily as Melon flung the one carried into the fountain and the rest followed to regroup. All of the animals that touched the water started glowing faintly before a dark cloud of magical energy would be lifted from their bodies and dissipated.

“Looks like it’s working pretty well. At least for these little ones, anyway. I’m not sure if it will have any effect on the Kitsune, seeing how that is a magical creature and probably has the curse rooted much deeper inside of itself than these guys.” Hopping down again, the girl made sure that the animals were okay up close since they were not aggressive anymore. What more, there was an additional unintended effect which could work out in the favor of the working trio. All of the dark magical energy lifted from the animals was starting to accumulate in the air.

“Oh… it’s already been purified by the Gardens of Eden, but it lingers for a little bit. If this keeps up accumulating then it will lure out the rest of the cursed animals out here as well, seeking the darkness. Maybe even the Kitsune. Might be a bit of a pain otherwise if we had to go find it, they’re masters of disguise…” Saying that Leila looked around to assess how the situation was like for them right now. So far everything seemed to be going quite smoothly, which was often a sign of things about to go wrong.

That aside, the skies were quickly growing dark as the Sun mostly disappeared behind the horizon. It was already pretty late when they arrived so this had to be expected. And Leila did indeed expect that this would be the optimal time for Akeya to shine with her dark attribute magic. Though given her state, maybe she should hope that the darkness doesn’t overtake her instead. Regardless, it seemed like a pretty harmless situation. At least for the first few minutes as animals continued gathering and lured by the scent of the flowers then got purified by the enchanted water.

“Not too many more and I think we’ll be about done. And then… um… do you hear that?” Akeya was not the only one with enhanced senses as even Leila was a bit more sensitive to her surroundings with those fluffy ears and tail of hers. Shrieks and moans suddenly echoed throughout the abandoned ruins, easily sending chills down anyone’s spine. “Don’t tell me that this place has lost souls bound to it as well…” Sure enough, translucent figures started suddenly appearing out of the walls and even the ground itself, forcing Leila to sigh out loud.

“This wasn’t even in the contract! I didn’t make any preparations for lost spirits, this is bad… physical attacks probably will pass right through them, same for the purifying water. And magical attacks will likely only enrage them. Agh, without proper magic we won’t be able to get rid of them..!” The girl complained mostly to herself, though also obviously loud enough for the dragoness to hear. It was kinda important information as far as the girl was concerned. Thankfully the magical energy in the air did not suggest these spirits were particularly strong or even bloodthirsty.

They were still an added obstacle, however. Their goal was to lure out the Kitsune and for that, more curse energy needed to accumulate still. Then a small idea wriggled its way into Leila’s head. “Akeya, your dark attribute… can you still use it?” While the silver-haired maiden wielded powers of both light and dark, they were completely manifested in a physical form unlike the magic of the dragoness. So she would be the star here, most likely. “If you can, try to expel large amounts of your dark magic around the ruins! The spirits will be lured to it, hopefully, long enough for us to finish our job here!”

Most supernatural beings were naturally drawn toward the darkness. The idea actually came from the very start of their mission here as Leila followed the flare Akeya created. So if something similar could be done around a number of points in the ruins, they could easily divide the ghostly forces and obtain the opportunity to go on unnoticed. But whether any of that could even happen now rested on the draconic companion Leila had been assigned, as she eyed Akeya with puppy eyes for a good moment now.

The fact that they were curing the animals was good, but it didn’t seem to be really lifting the curse off of this place. Which somewhat confirmed Leila’s worry about it being bound to the strongest source of the magic in this area - the Kitsune. And as if knowing what the silver-haired girl was thinking, Akeya came in with a comment that left her looking rather terrifying amused. While Leila just tried to not show too much worry for the sadistic side that was clearly hiding inside of the dragoness. It seemed that the curse of her the species did not miss her after all.

“I’m… sure there will be a more practical way of curing the beast. For now, let’s just focus on the enemies at hand.” They didn’t even know what kind of Kitsune they were dealing with here. So the appropriate strategy for the fight would have to choose rather swiftly after it actually appears. At the very least, Leila was pretty okay at working under pressure. That said, Akeya’s comments seemed to be consistently impressing her more and more. “You want to eat the residual energy of the… curse that we’re trying to lift…”

Well, she was a dark-eating dragon. So maybe her stomach and magic-circulating system were able to purify it just fine. But for now, it needed to remain indeed, which she thankfully understood as well. She wasn’t even against the idea of distracting the ghosts. Was this really a dragon Leila was currently working with. Or perhaps this was the mental instability she talked about before, actually throwing that prideful nature of dragons away for few moments and working together with what most dragons would see as a lesser being. Even though Leila was actually technically of much higher standing than most living creatures in existence.

That aside, she had quickly put her hands together and channeled her magic, numerous vines and roots rising up from the ground and coiling all around the fountain to reinforce it. If even more animals would come, it was important to keep the structure intact as it provided a very convenient medium for Leila’s plan. Letting it get destroyed would definitely not make things go out of control but it would set them back an annoying bit of effort. The process itself took only a few seconds so the silver-haired girl was then also able to watch the spectacular show of a Twilight dragon.

Despite the simple nature of what happened, it actually looked quite impressive. And what more, Akeya appeared to be a fair bit different when she had descended from the heavens after her distraction move. Clapping her hands together, Leila chuckled. “Seems that we now match!” It was a pretty amusing thought, comparing this new version of the dragoness with the Eden’s Caretaker, her hair also silver and skin on the more pale side. But alas, her eyes were still just that deep blue. Looking around, it at least seemed that the ghosts would not be a problem for at least a few following minutes.

However, what would soon be a problem was the beast that moved steadily closer to their location. Akeya was the first one to locate it, her words swiftly making sure that Leila was aware of its presence as well. And a quick focus on the magical sensor of her body revealed that this was probably the big game they were hunting today. Excessing everything else around here several times over, this had to be the Kitsune they were warned about. A guardian of this place and normally a peaceful creature, now driven mad.

“See if you can maybe flank it! Any restraining magic will do, or your brute force… just… try not to hurt it too much, if possible.” It did not sound like a command. Rather, Leila’s voice conveyed that she was greatly worried about their foe. She truly wanted to save the spirit without hurting it too badly. After all, none of this was actually its fault. It got roped into this undeservingly. But it seemed that this would be no easy task after all. Soon enough, the Kitsune burst through a nearby building and showed itself.

The structure had completely collapsed after an impact of force that great, the dust settling in only to reveal a giant pale white fox with multiple blue glowing symbols on its body. And behind it swayed seven whole tails. Meaning they were dealing with a pseudo-deity that has been alive for over seven whole centuries. Indeed, this would be a proper foe for a fight. And the very first thing the beast did was start gathering energy on the tips of its tails in order to fire them as a singular beam at the bigger threat present - Leila.

Naturally, she would be able to easily dodge it. There was only one problem… the fountain was directly behind her. And surely there were also still smaller animals in need of cleansing. Deciding that she would not let the fountain get destroyed, the girl braced as several trees suddenly burst through the stone ground on both of her sides, coiling like snakes all around her and forming a sturdy shield against the beam which collided head-on with it. The attack was actually powerful enough to send a decent shockwave for several hundreds of meters.

Once the energy dissipated, it revealed Leila in her broken down cocoon of wood. It seemed that the beam was actually stronger than the barrier, piercing through it partially. The outer layer of the girl’s clothing that consisted of a purple shirt and skirt were in tatters, falling to the ground completely in few following seconds. Leaving Leila in the skin-tight bodysuit beneath it, she had composed herself as the few small scratch wounds on her body healed immediately. “With each new tail, the Kitsune’s power grows greatly… how powerful must the curse’s source be to corrupt a being such as you…”

It didn’t react to the words. Instead, it seemed that the Kitsune was preparing for a dash forward as it would like to engage in close-quarters combat. Leila braced herself for that, but she actually had an attack of her own in mind. Now she just had to wait for a bit to see if Akeya would be able to restrain the beast while it was not focused on her, or perhaps do something else that would turn the fight over in their favor. Not that they were losing or anything… but that laser beam was pretty impressive.

Despite the girl being mostly uninjured with what small scratches did emerge on her body being healed rather swiftly, it seemed that Akeya took a lot of offense to the action that their enemy took. Though Leila did not hear much, she clearly recognized the dragoness’ voice and how angry it seemed when the dust around her settled and the ringing in her ears from the beam of magic faded away into the sounds of the night all around them. Along with some moaning of the ghosts in the distance, everything appeared to be in perfectly fine order until few more seconds passed and the shadows around the Kitsune started being manipulated.

A power that was only natural for someone with powers like Akeya’s, as well as something that the Eden’s caretaker has already seen at some point in the past, Leila observed the attacks from a safe distance. And although she cringed a bit whenever the attacks connected as she could almost feel the pain herself, she did not intervene. As far as she saw, these attacks were not ones that could properly harm their opponent, much less kill it. So while she wanted this to end as peacefully as possible, restraining the beast in some way was quite necessary for her to succeed at her own plan.

Soon enough, Akeya had returned to Leila’s side as the Kitsune was pushed back a little bit. Though this was not exactly the result the silver-haired maiden had hoped for. After few attacks exchanged, they were not exactly anywhere close to properly ending the fight. In fact, they seemed to have gone back a few steps, as both sides retreated, one of them involuntarily. Not to mention that the words the dragoness uttered were not exactly pleasing for Leila to hear either, forcing her head to turn toward her partner in a moment of disbelief before sighing.

“Yes, I do mind! Now get back in there and try to restrain it or weaken it as I asked before!” Speaking much more loudly and sharply than before, Leila figured she had to assert a bit of dominance here herself. After all, she was currently paired up with a dragon. And at the end of the day, she was also the more powerful of the two of them. Without any real warning, a root spring from the ground right below Akeya. In fact, it was so precisely aimed that it pushed her feet up in the air, working like a spring that tossed her quite high up.

Considering she had wings, Leila worried not for how she would handle that. But if she could get some support from the skies, then that would probably make her odds much better. It was also clear to her that she could not let Akeya alone handle this, else her unstable feelings could get someone killed rather easily. She knew this from the first moment it was mentioned, and as she said before, she was ready to deal with it. Getting in position, the girl broke into a sprint head-on against the Kitsune that was moving out of the rubble.

It’s roar signified that it was quite mad at them, but that did not scare the ex-guild master one bit. Grazing her hand on the ground for a moment, the fountain behind her suddenly started changing as roots and vines tore apart the ground and started forming a bit of a canal leading behind Leila, guiding the water from before along with it right toward the Kitsune. The opponent did not wait idly either, as it started charging it’s magical energy again.

Countless roots would pierce the stone ground, however, and wrap themselves around all four limbs of the fox. In a panic, balls of moon magic started forming all around it and flying off in random directions, quickly destroying the area all around them. Taking this opportunity to get up close and personal with the Kitsune, Leila was finally able to bring forth her full force of nature, giant trees growing from the ground and effortlessly coiling itself around the beast to capture it in one place. Not to mention that it could also serve as an emergency shield for the guy if Akeya went to go berserk.

Though Leila still counted on a bit of help, as it seemed that their enemy boasted a rather large amount of physical force in that feral body, further boosted by the curse magic flowing through it. It was almost tearing the wood apart. The silver-haired girl quickly focused on forming the canal behind her, having it suddenly raise up almost like a tiny water bridge, water traveling up it using the momentum it gained until now to basically form a shower for the fox. Though this would only truly work if the dragoness aided in some way to keep the enemy steady and in one place.

And while there was a fair bit of water infused with the calming magic, it would still not be enough. In fact, the entire ruins they were in were cursed to some degree. However, now that the medium the curse chose was weakened, she could probably completely purge the curse with her top-tier magic. And she planned to do exactly that. Taking a few steps back, she panted a bit as she could already feel her personal magical supply draining to near nothing. But finally, she was ready to cast the spell.

“Akeya… keep it steady as much as you can… we can’t allow the curse to bounce back and renew itself again… now… Gardens of Eden, come forth at my command and take this land as your own, along with what makes it rot!” Along with her words, a powerful wave of magic shook the entirety of the ruins. And despite it being night now, it seemed as if the ground itself started glowing in white and silver colors, a brilliant light that was warm and comforting to all. Just like Leila said, the Gardens of Eden were moving in to cleanse the curse.

Even though it was covered in stone, the ground would grow to be covered in azure-blue grass that swayed in the pleasant cool wind, numerous trees with ivory white bark and leaves of the same color as the grass appeared. Magical birds and critters would sing and move around as if no battle at all was occurring. And more importantly, the curse magic became completely visible as it started traveling from the environment to the place where Leila stood. For just a moment, the entire place was alive, a paradise of Eden. Leila’s worlds that she had created oh so long ago.

But in another instant, it was all gone. The Gardens retreated back to the proper dimension the moment the curse became bound to them, dragging it out of this world and into Leila’s where it could be easily purified in no time. The light faded and the world returned to normal, leaving the girl fairly exhausted but still able to hold it together. As to what happened with the fox, it had to be seen. And so Leila got up and started looking around for both what used to be their enemy and Akeya.

During her preparation to force open a gate large enough to let Gardens of Eden through, Leila didn’t exactly have the focus required to watch around for her partner. Thankfully she fully trusted Akeya, so there was really no need to keep a keen eye on the dragoness. Though it also resulted in the silver-haired girl missing the majestic transformation from a humanoid to complete dragon. Alas, their mission was much more important than observing a magical transformation that Leila herself was capable of to a certain degree.

Yes, the most important part was that the Gardens were able to manifest and take in the curse from the vixen before disappearing. This meant that the dark energy was now present inside of Leila’s world and being actively purified. And no dark energy of this caliber could ever spread or corrupt the Gardens. There was only one thing that was capable of such things and has destroyed parts of the Gardens before… well, no need to worry about that now. The noises of fighting and struggle started to die down and the girl was able to start focusing on her surroundings again.

And although the Gardens were no longer present within this realm, it appeared that Leila’s appearance was still somewhat changed as her hair went from the silver shade to nearly fully white and almost faintly glowing. Not only that, many ivory white flowers had blossomed all over her outfit, mostly appearing as lilacs and roses. Calmly looking up, she had finally spotted transformed Akeya and the Kitsune she had brought along, the poor thing being unconscious now. “Oh, yes…” Quickly putting her hands on the mythical beast, her magic activated once more.

A new tree sprouted behind the girl, it’s bark much more colorful than anything she had summoned before as if it was reflecting the colors of a rainbow. The leaves of the tree as well, dancing in the hues of blues, magentas, and reds. As if in combined seasons, many crystals started falling from the crown of this tree and falling upon the beast. Crystals that contained potent healing magic, swiftly sealing up its wounds and revitalizing the body. It didn’t take long at all before their enemy was all patched up, though not waking up still. Which was probably for the best anyway.

Once finished caring for the spirit, Leila’s eyes once more looked up at the dragon. Though it was clear that they were different from before. This was not exactly the same Leila that came to this job at the start. She was considerably more calm and collected, restrained. The influence of Eden as a place of peace and prosperity seemed to have caused this during that big spell, as it was Leila’s first time actually using it in Earthland. And naturally, using such powerful magic would often come with some unexpected side effects. And yet, this was perhaps for the best as she would not jump at Akeya right away thanks to it.

“So you really are a dragon. Fascinating… ah, and I didn’t really mean to restrict you as much as you ended up thinking. Naturally, with an enemy as powerful as this, there is no way to actually restrain it without unleashing some more powerful attacks. I figured you had a breath that could maybe force it to the ground or something. I  merely did not wish for you to seriously or even permanently injure an innocent being.”

At the end of the day, that much was accomplished. And the two of them were working together for the first time after a very long absence. So a slight miscommunication like that was to be expected. As long as they didn’t botch up the job, that was all that really mattered. And seeing as the area was cleared of darkness that plagued it, the curse, everything truly went to normal. The animals from before started sheeply roaming the area and the ghosts returned back into the ethereal world where they belonged, no longer drawn to anything here in the reality of the living.

“While the curse lies defeated, we have not learned its origins and how it spread so much in this area. Perhaps the fox deity will be able to tell us more once it wakes. But for now… is that form of yours forced? Can you change at will?”

The curious questions finally started. Though at least they were said in a perfectly fluent and calm tone rather than the girl completely freaking out over it. She didn’t even feel the need to approach the dragoness and start feeling her up all over. Though there was absolutely no denying that deep in her mind, she was very much interested in how those strange scales felt like.

“Oh, and… good job not losing control at all, despite your situation. You did well.”

“There is no need to give a reason. Most people will simply assume that the one they are interacting with is not a real dragon due to their rarity and usual hostility toward other races.” Or at least such hostility being present in the news whenever a dragon would actually show up. Even peaceful ones were often treated as a potential threat to all. All that aside, the fact that Akeya was a proper dragon was still quite fascinating. Albeit also not currently something Leila could exploit in any way.

But it certainly seemed like even she might have had some of that dragon pride inside of her when she started defending her abilities. Or perhaps that was just natural courage and value of self? Either way, it took just one simple look from Leila, her expression still awfully neutral and unchanged due to the side effects of pure magic affecting her. “And you also shouldn’t underestimate a defensive power of a creature like this. With this number of tales, it’s clear that it has only a few centuries before achieving divinity.”

Or so was the tale, that nine-tailed foxes could ascend above all else and achieve a divine status, essentially becoming what one would call a deity or a god. The logic of magic manipulation within one’s body rather than outside of it was sound, of course. But this was all more of a question regarding the difference of magical power. For even the most powerful attack of one’s arsenal would do nothing against the weakest barrier of another’s collection if the difference in magical energy was great enough. This seemed especially apparent with beings like this that often possessed bodies made out of magical and spiritual energies.

“You also call me a ‘powerful healer’, though my use of Gardens of Eden is primarily destructive. An unfortunate result of my line of work and some rather aggressive actions taken against the Gardens in the distant past.” Not exactly something Leila often talked about or even had a reason to think about. But since she was with Akeya who appeared to adore proper and logical explanations, it just sorta fell out of her all at once. The healing spells she used were indeed quite potent due to the spell’s ranking, but that was about it. Her powers were hardly focused on that sort of use.

Which in its own way was a bit unfortunate when she thought about it all. After all, the Gardens of Eden were supposed to be a peaceful paradise for just about anyone. In an ironic twist, Leila was using this power in the same way all those humans who wanted to steal from the Gardens wanted to. To destroy. It prompted the girl to sigh quietly as the healing process mostly finished on the Fox. “The curse has been completely purified by the Gardens now as well. Since this one shows no signs of waking, I shall take him into my custody and ask when he does wake.”

And with that, she opened up another portal directly below the spiritual being, transporting it effortlessly into the Gardens. That left her and Akeya alone in the ruins, their job well and truly finished now. Along with what appeared to be a pretty simple request. “The water from before just acted as a medium for my magic. It would be annoying to cleanse every animal individually, after all. If it’s just you, then there is no need for a medium, I can insert my magical energy into you directly.”

Saying that, she moved closer to the dragoness and placed her hand onto the bare scales. “That said, I’ve done that simply to purge the curse within the animals. It wasn’t necessarily like a calming spell. Doing that again would only add more holy energy to the mix inside of you. So instead I will equalize the amount of dark and holy magic inside of your physical frame, since I can manipulate both types myself. It should help much more than just trying to ‘purge’ something foreign inside of you.” As she said, she also did.

Magical sensing ability of a mage like Leila was quite precise and reliable, so it was hardly difficult to figure out exactly what she had to do in order to create an equal amount of different magics within Akeya. This balance should keep her stable until her physical body actually gets used to manipulating two different kinds of magic, at which point she should be able to remain the same even if the balance is tipped due to the casting of specific spells. The process of inserting more magic into the dragoness also seemed to affect Leila in some way.

The white flowers on her body seemed to finally wither away as well, the unnatural aura of calmness and holiness leaving her as she was before the grand spell. Which also seemed to prompt a realization reaction, quickly jumping away from Akeya and turning around before covering her face. “Oh my gosh, I actually touched a living, breathing dragon! The scales are so smooth, I want to touch them more, aaagh~” Seemingly having a bit of a fangirl fit, the dragoness could have enjoyed a state of balance for once. One that she would hopefully keep up.