Yomi smirked as she watched her new children. Jack, Kellie, and Mia had been reduced to 6 year old children now, their Kitsune features beginning to mask their humanity. Soft fur covered the children’s bodies while their mouths had extended into small muzzles. The children had even begun to grow tails of their own, which seemed to sway from side to side as they gazed at the flames Yomi had circling them. “Soon my children,” she purred. “Soon you shall see me as your mother. Then truely shall I be the most powerful creature in the realms.”
Yomi paused as she sensed a powerful magical presence appear behind her. Sighing in annoyance she turned to see her sister and the intruders standing behind her. “Traitor,” she murmured. “How could you bring them to my inner sanctum.”
“You have done this to yourself Yomi,” Hikari stated. “We do not take those that have not been abandoned. You have endangered us all with your recklessness and killed those you considered your children.”
Yomi scoffed at her elder sisters words as she gazed at Lilith and the others. “Reckless,” she spat. “Who is to say we can’t raise these children better than those who claim to care for them. Look at them Hikari, one of these children is the son of Lilith. Do you truely think I could be worse than the mother of demons?”
“I believe Ive given you enough time to speak,” Lilith said calmly. Raising her arm, along with Merlin and Katie, the three wizards unleashed a powerful burst of energy that knocked the Kitsune into an adjacent wall. Yomi winced as she brushed debris from her silky coat. Slowly the Kitsune rose to her feet, smiling wickedly at her attackers. Unfortunately for her Lilith was not impressed.
“Rexie,” she stated. “Bite her arm off.”
Yomi was unable to react quick enough as the imp appeared behind her. As she grasped the Kitsunes arm she grinned, exposing her needle like teeth as she sank them deep into the left arm of Yomi. Yomi screamed in pain as the imp began to tear the flesh from her arm. The Kitsune desperately tried to pull the imp away as Rexie tore through muscle and bone. With a final crunch Rexie finally gnawed her way through the kitsunes arm as it fell from her body, twitching as lay in a pool of blood.
“Animal,” Yomi screeched as she grasped the imp by its wings. Rexie attempted to wiggle free from the kitsunes grasp as it now snapped the imps wings. Yomi bared her teeth as she flung the prone body of Rexie through a nearby wall. Turning from the unconscious body of the imp the injured Kitsune glared at her attackers.
“You shall all pay for this atrocity,” she roared. “I shall tear the meat from your URK!”
Yomi was unable to finish her sentence as Lilith narrowed her eyes. The demon witch had made a small motion with her hand, ripping the tongue of the Kitsune free from her mouth. Blood poured from the muzzle of Yomi as she stared at her tongue, which hung in the air in front of her. In a fluid, supernatural motion Lilith now rushed the injured Kitsune, grasping her by the throat. “I have grown tired of your sharp tongue abomination,” she hissed. “So I have taken it from you. Now if you wish for your suffering to end I would suggest you return these children to their proper forms.”
Although Yomi could no longer speak, the look on her face told Lilith that with her dying breath she would not help restore Jack, Kellie, or Mia to human form. “Regrettable,” Lilith sighed, as she tightened her grip around Yomi throat. “Merlin, Katherine,” she said slowly. “Can you reverse this abominations spell?”
“We are not abominations Lilith,” Hikari slat. “We are as much a part of the magical world as any of you.”
“And the only reason I have not broken you yet is because of my child’s safety,”Lilith retorted, narrowing her eyes. “Now unless you wish for me to wipe your race from this world, help my son.”
Hikari glared angrily between Lilith and Yomi. As angry as she was at her sister for bringing Liliths wrath upon them, she still cared for her sister. That Lilith thought so little of her kind made the Kitsune consider for a moment of not helping the demon. Perhaps letting this fiend lose her child would be justified, even if it meant her race would be destroyed in the process.
“PleAse.”
Hikari paused as she looked down at her arm, Merlin and Katie had taken hold of the Kitsunes arm, a pleading look on their faces. “Please,” Katie whispered. “Jack, Kellie, their my parents. I’m now only beginning to get to know them again. My mother died when I was born and I never got to know my father. Please don’t let your anger with Lilith take them away from me.”
“Hikari,” Merlin pleaded. “Kellie, this girls mother. She....she is my daughter. Her careless with magic almost destroyed her. I saved her, I’ve cared for her. Please, let me have my little girl back.”
Hikari sighed as she gazed at Merlin and Katie. She could sense the good in them, they were unlike Lilith. As a mother, a daughter, she understood their desire. Yomi had taken their family, the parents of Katie and the daughter of Merlin. They had only formed this alliance to save them. “I will help in restoring the children to their proper forms,” she said.
“Excellent,” Lilith grinned. “Now, there is only one thing left to do.”
Still grasping the injured Yomi by the throat Lilith slowly approached the Kitsunes world mirror. Smiling down at Yomi she now slammed her into the mirror, mumbling a spell that would activate it. Slowly an image began to emerge. As it began to focus two Golden Kitsunes gazed at Lilith.
“Mother? Father?” Hikari gasped.
“Good my spell worked,” Lilith grinned. Turning towards the mirror she could see the looks of confusion and concern on their faces. “I have contacted you for only one reason and one reason only, to warn you.”
Lilith now slammed Yomi once more into the mirror, causing it to crack with the force she delivered. The two Kitsunes in the mirror gasped in shock before angrily glaring at Lilith, “This is your daughter Yomi,” she stated. “She has made the grave error of attacking my child. As a result her death is certain, you now shall watch this so you may inform the rest of your filthy kind that attacking my children is a death sentence.”
Grasping the skull of Yomi in both hands Lilith now began to squeeze the Kitsunes head, causing her to emit a guttural cry before it exploded like a ripe melon. Yomi’s mother shrieked, bursting into tears as her father sat stone face, his eyes glowing with murderous intent.
“This would of been the fate of the rest of your race if not for your daughter Hikari’s assistance,” she stated. “I am the mother of demons yet I am not without mercy. Your daughters actions have spared your race. Remember that when you reunite, and remember this. Standing against me or my son is the most certain way of ending your existence.” Without another word Lilith took the headless corpse of Yomi, useing it to smash the mirror into a thousand tiny shards.
“My apologies,” Lilith sighed as she tried to compose herself. “I have not felt anger such as this in nearly a millennium.”
Merlin, Katie, and Hikari said nothing as the demon witch used Yomi’s clothing to wipe her hands clean. “Now please,” she said softly restore my son and the others.”
“Of course,” Hikari grumbled as she approached the young children. As she passed Lilith the demon witch grasped her arm, squeezing it tightly. Hikari winced in pain as she angrily stared up into the demons eyes. “I hold you no I’ll will creature,” she spat. “You have earned your life for today, as long as you save my son. However, if you mention my first husbands name again, I shall have no second thoughts in striking you down.”
Hikari ripped herself away from Liliths grip as she narrowed her eyes at the demon. She would keep her word and save these children, however she would plan for the future and revenge. Liliths cruelty was too much for her to bare. As Merlin and Katie now assisted Hikari in returning the children to normal, they wondered if anything could stop Lilith, as well as what the future held for them all.