Chapter 3: The Morning That Changed Everything

Joine wakes up to a strange silence, normally, Mina would rush in his room without knocking to wake him up, but instead there was nothing……………………

For a moment Joine though she finally stopped, but as he steps out of his room, he sees traces of struggle, a fallen chair, and the window slightly open. Mina is gone.

“W-wha…”

Joine in shock, loss of words, he stood there shaken.

“W-what”

What could have happened, Joine can’t think or talk properly. His sister wouldn’t just leave the house like this. Joine finally calm down for a bit look around and then, he notices something, a single fox tail charm lying on the floor, glowing faintly.

“I-I”

He rushes to her room broke the door down and saw blood trail, like she was drag out. Joine was angry and sad at the same time, he doesn’t know what to think. Joine try to contact Lumi through telepathic, but it didn’t work, Joine could only stand there as he thinks what to do but he was determined to find his sister at any means. But first since he couldn’t reach Lumi he prepared for the day and painfully head out for school. After he reaches school, he puts his bag in his locker and head off to math class, and he remember.

“O-oh shit… I have a test”

He had a test to take, but it was the least of his worries. Still, he gave it his best shot, expecting to fail but refusing to give up. After finishing his test, Joine planned to attempt contracting Lumi. But before he did, he got a random message.

“………………”

The symbols were unreadable, something he couldn’t understand, brushing it off for now. he waited until lunchtime. As soon as the break started, he rushed out of the school, heading to a secluded spot where no one could see him.

“HEY!! LUMI WHERE ARE YOU AT”

And then a door appears in front of Joine, the same door that Lumi uses to travel. The moment it fully formed, the door creaked open, releasing a gust of energy. And as Lumi steps out Joine notice Lumi was in his human form. Lumi shaken fall in Joine arms.

Joine didn’t know what happened and what to think, and without any hesitation he rushes to the house with lumi in his arms, skipping class without a second thought. By the time he reached home, his heart was pounding. He kicks the door open and rushed inside, placing Lumi gently on the bed. Lumi’s breathing was unsteady.

"Lumi… what's wrong with you?"

Joine muttered his voice barely above a whisper. But there was no response.

Panic started creeping in. Lumi was always full of energy, and annoyingly confident. But now, he looked… drained. Like something had stolen the life from him.

Joine stayed there, and then saw Lumi finally woke up.

“J-Joine”

“Yea I’m here”

“I’m sorry”

“It’s not your fault; I saw the fox tail charm”

“Y-yea but I’m sorry I couldn’t do anything”

“What happen tho”

Lumi trying to speak but he couldn’t, so he decided to show Joine his memory.

12 Hour ago

As Joine slept peacefully, a dark gate appeared in front of Joine’s house and something like shadows broke in the front door. Since Joine was protected with the fox’s divine protection, the shadow like things couldn’t hurt him whiles he’s asleep, but his sister wasn’t, so they head to his sister rooms. Mina was sleeping at the time and

BAM!!

The door was kicked down, while Mina was still lost in slumber.

Lumi, sensing the disturbance, and rushes straight towards Joine’s house, the sight of the broken entrance sent a wave of dread through him, and he transformed mid step dashing inside, he saw Joine room safe, because of the fox’s divine protection.

But then he gazes his eyes to Joine sister room, and saw the door was kicked down.

"I should’ve placed the protection over the entire house… they’re after her too!"

“AHHHH!!!” Mina screams in terror.

“Joine sister!” Lumi’s heart pounded

Lumi rushes to Mina’s room and saw some cloaked shadows. They stood Over Mina, their faces obscured, their eerie presence made even more ominous by the fox tail charms dangling from their cloaks.

“W-what...?”

Before he could have said another word they charged at him, he dodges the first strike, but the other one appears behind, swinging a sword that’s discharging dark energy.

Lumi reacted just in time, barely managed to block, the impact sending him hurtling against the wall, Mina, still shaking, crawled toward him

“M-mister, are you okay”

“…“

Before he could respond

THUD!

Her scream pierced the night.

“NOOOO!!”

Something inside Lumi snapped.

His eyes burned crimson. His energy spiked, raw and untamed, in an instant, his form shifted—his ears sharpened, a tail sprouted, and his claws extended. The transformation was swift, both terrifying and… strangely beautiful. Looks cute but terrifying, Lumi without a second thought dash to one of them

SLAAASH!

Lumi manages to hit one of them, and one strike he vanished, PUFF! Disappeared like nothing. But the other one holding Mina had already disappeared.

He tries to get info what they are and what’s their plan. Lumi turned sharply to the last one standing

“Where did they took her, and why!”

The shadow simply smirked before conjuring a magic circle.

FWOOOSH!

A blast of dark magic erupted toward him. Lumi twisted his body, dodging it with ease before lunging forward.

FSHHH!

Lumi claws struck through the shadow cloak, dealing a fatal blow, BAM! Crashes to the floor, without hesitation, it got up and turned to flee, its movements slowed. Quickly uses the fox tail charm, open a dark gate and drops the charm.

Lumi chased after it, but something on the ground caught his eyes, a fox tail charm.

"Wait… how did they use this? Only Fu Ju foxes can"

Before he could finish his thought, the gate slowly started to close.

He had to go now be for it closes. When he got to the other side, he saw his homeland was nearly destroyed. The once proud village of the Fu Ju foxes lay in ruin, the air thick with smoke and sorrow.

But the worst part, His people and the tribe.

As he stood there, he was spaced out not knowing what to do. And saw his people walking like puppets, as they have been controlled, with a big metal chain around their necks and their eyes soul less.

Lumi slowly took a step forward, shaking, and then

WHAM!

A colossal, shadowed hand pinned him into the ground.

“OWW! W-what… was that?”

A figure emerged from the darkness, their presence suffocating. They clutched a wooden staff, its top adorned with a pulsating dark orb, ancient symbols swirling around it.

“What do we have here, I sense a powerful magic from you, and mmm yes you are one of those high Fu Ju fox, one that can transform, impressive”

Lumi breath was shaky. His body ached but he still tried to move, but before he could attack back

SHHK!!

The staff pierced through his chest, dark magic surging through his body. His vision blurred, his strength fading fast.

The last thing he thought was

“I’m sorry, Joine”

The cloaked shadows and their leader head off, and Lumi lay there for 11 hours and has he heard a voice, it was Joine. Lumi still injured, forced himself to reach Joine. And he finally had the little energy to stand up, create a gateway and went through and fainted in Joine’s arm.

12 hours later, back to present.

Joine had seen enough, tears welled up in his eyes as he hugged Lumi, and he saw the stab wound lumi chest.

“Oh no I forgot about that!”

“I-it’s gonna be ok, it will heal itself”

But Joine wasn’t convinced. He refused to just stand by, while he still has the strength to help. Determined he focused his energy and began to cast a healing spell. A glowing magic circle around Lumi as he muttered the incantation, slowly the wound started to close.

“Y-yeah I did it!”

Lumi touches his chest and was shocked.

“Joine… you really did it, you’re getting stronger by the second”

Joine used too much mana, his body drained, and he collapsed.

“Oh no! Joine not again”

Lumi panicked, catching him before he hit the ground.

Lumi carry Joine to his bedroom and laid him onto the bed slowly

“Thank you Joine and we will get back your sister” Lumi whispered

Lumi still exhausted from everything that had happened, slowly Lumi crawled onto the bed and fell asleep beside Joine.