Chapter 9: The Succession

The very next day, Iskatl went to Katja for answers. Amani had mentioned a Goddess of Peace, Tiruiel, and that name was steeped in intrigue to him. He just had to know all about her. Today was his 18th birthday, and as was tradition, the day would end with something Katja and Skartha called "The Succession Ceremony," so he had only a limited amount of time to get his answers. There she was, carving an object made of wood with her sharp nails.

"Katja? I've got a question for you, if you don't mind." The Beastkin were limited when it came to written information, so all of the knowledge he possessed was from word of mouth, which always made gathering information quite difficult.

"Hmmm? Yes, Iskatl?" The blonde wolf looked to the crimson-haired young man with a tilt of her head; she hasn't aged at all since they met.

"Amani and I were talking, and--"

She interrupted, "I'm gonna stop you right there. I don't know what you said to her, but you need to make up with her before the day ends."

A soft sigh. Amani got to her first, it would seem. "Yes, Miss Katja. Of course I will. Now, my question. What can you tell me about Tiruiel?"

Katja raised an eyebrow as her ears stood up straight before she looked him in the eyes, folding her arms as she did so. "Well, Tiruiel is one of the Four Elder Gods, the Goddess of Peace; she is also the Patron God to all Elves, with High Elves being most known for worshipping her. Additionally, the Adventurer's Guild exists as a form of reverence to her. A lesser known domain of hers would be the Fertility Goddess; this domain is primarily known due to her being the Mother of Crithune, the Sun God, Scylla, the Moon Goddess, and the original Knowledge God whose name is lost to time." A deep sigh before she added one last bit to her explanation, "She also surrendered her physical body in order to seal Chaos."

Taking mental notes of everything Katja had said, he nodded softly as he asked another question. "You said four. Who are the other three? I can only assume one would be War."

Katja nodded at his statement. "Aurkaul, God of War. Valerica, Goddess of Death, and Seravesh, Goddess of Life. Aurkaul is the Patron of Orcs, Valerica not only the Patron of Demons but Dragons as well, technically, and Seravesh is ours, humanity's and feykind's Patron. Any more questions, boy? I've not all the time in the world; I have to prepare for your ceremony."

"One more. The Four Elder Gods seem to be directly oppositional to one another, so I can only imagine there being bad blood." There was surely bad blood between Valerica and Tiruiel, that's the only reason he can think of as to why dragons are able to tear apart so many elves without consequences. "Does Valerica dislike her... well, sister?"

Katja laughed at the question as she nodded rapidly, "Valerica despises anything that draws breath, but believe it or not, she loves Seravesh and despises Tiruiel."

"Why?"

"Well, it's an age-old story. As the embodiment of death, anything her hands touched would wither away and die. Tiruiel, loving her sister very much, constantly brought her flowers, only for them to wither away and die when she touched them. Tiruiel only wanted her sister happy, but from Valerica's twisted perspective, it was some cruel joke for Tiruiel to constantly bring her such pretty things, only for them to wither away into nothingness."

Sounds like a case of naivety, something Amani too was a victim of. "I see. Thank you, Katja. Quite informative, as always."

"Mhm, of course. Another bit of information; by extension, Larkan Velika shares this hatred for Tiruiel, and so the Land of Kurokume has outlawed the very existence of the Adventurer's Guild there."

A raise of his brow, "Kurokume?"

Katja sighed softly, setting down the object she had been carving, it looked almost like an idol. "I will answer this last question, and then you will leave me to my preparations. Got it?"

An approving nod from Iskatl as Katja walked over to a shelf, opening a box on it. Looking through it, she found a map before she set it down on the table. This was the first he had seen any maps in all of his second life. It was surprisingly large. A massive supercontinent, labeled Thulvane, immediately caught his eye. Afterwards, to the East of Thulvane, was what looked to be fog, labeled The Shrouded Lands; then there was Falrunn, with a small scribble that stated "you are here" beside it; and then, right to the northwest, southeast of Thulvane, there was a rather small island, Kurokume, which Katja had pointed at.

"Kurokume, also known as the Land of Dragons. Dragons place their family names first, as one's family is more important than oneself. The humans within Kurokume do the same to mimic the dragons they revere. Dragons do it to honor one's family, as dragons believe family is stronger than oneself, which is why dragons have a distinct adoration for the Grave Dragon, their mother by default."

Kurokume followed a similar naming scheme to Japan, it seemed, and the reasons were similar. Did this world come first, or was it Earth? Did the Goddess copy Japan to create this Kurokume? Becoming lost in thought, as he tended to do, caused an annoyed Katja to snap her fingers in his face, which got his attention.

"One thing you should know most about Kurokume is their culture. A drastic difference lies between theirs and our own. Here within our tribe, everyone is family; we all love and cherish one another. If another of us needs help, we receive it without too much question. Kurokume is a den of dragons, where might makes right. If you have the strength, your word is tantamount to law."

Katja shivered as she spoke, her serious tone sharpening as she closed her eyes.

"The Adventurer's Guild isn't permitted to exist within Kurokume because they worship the Grave Dragon as their god, who doesn't believe in the peace that the Guild preaches. Even worse, their latest Emperor was given the position after assassinating the former one." She took a deep breath as she continued. It was clear that talking about Kurokume had Katja on edge, as if all the people there were monsters.

"Don't even get me started on the Serpentyne... Please."

Iskatl placed a hand on Katja's shoulder and looked her in the eyes as he smiled, "Katja. You don't have to talk about it, okay?" He'd never seen her so on edge before; it seemed like the people of Kurokume terrified her. He wouldn't press further.

Katja nodded softly as tears streamed down her cheeks. "Thank you. Please, leave me to my work. Someone will collect you for your ceremony tonight."

He'd nod before he exited Katja's tent swiftly to let her continue with her work. Strangely enough, the moment he exited the tent, he saw that girl from before, the one with the crimson eyes and the blue hair, sitting outside as if she were waiting. Before he could open his mouth to speak, her voice rang out. Come to think of it, that was the first time he'd heard her voice, which sounded more like a howl than the voice of a normal humanoid entity. "Are you finished with my herbalist? Or do I have to wait longer, Son of Hellfang?"

He was taken aback by the girl outright claiming Katja as hers, before he opened his mouth to speak after deciding he wouldn't argue with her, "No, no. I'm finished. Getting lessons from her, I suppose?"

"Tch. Nothing of that sort, Hellfangsson. I don't care about stuff like that. I don't need stuff like that. Be on your way, I have business with my herbalist."

He'd sigh and wave her off before he went to find his grandfather. It was his birthday today, and everyone seemed on edge and was acting coldly toward him. He didn't really get why. His grandfather would never lie to him or act like that, so it was only natural he ran off to his grandfather Skartha.

There he found his grandfather, who was kneeling down and preparing a bag of sorts, strangely enough. He knocked on the wood outside of the tent to announce his entry as he entered, before his grandfather stood up, offering a toothy grin to his grandson. "Iskatl! There you are!"

"Grandfather. Does my 18th birthday have any significance? Also, what are you doing?"

Skartha nodded before he began, "You're gonna start your pilgrimage by the end of the night, and I'm preparing your supplies for it. I can't tell ya much else, pup. Just know I'm proud of you!"

He'd sigh softly and nod his head. Everything made sense now. Katja adored him and was trying to keep her distance so she wouldn't be as sad as she normally would be after he left. Amani was... Well, Amani and the girl. Well, he didn't know why she was angry with him; maybe it was just her natural attitude. "How long until we start, grandfather?"

"Not long now; you should have time to get some rest."

He'd nod before he sat down and began to meditate. Fire burned deep within him, his heart beating with fire and flames as he exhaled softly. "Yuichiro. What are you doing? Why are you like this? Always clinging to inaction, when you could be fighting to avenge me."

A tear escaped his eye and dropped onto the ground, and before Iskatl knew it, his grandfather woke him from his stupor. "Come, pup. We're to meet with the Chief, Katja, and everyone else on the edge of the forest."

Chief? As far as Iskatl knew, there was no Chief, just the elder. He wouldn't question it; maybe the Chief scarcely appeared. That had to be it. The trek through the forest was uneventful, but he'd hummed softly the whole way there before they came across a temple, one Iskatl had never seen before. He explored the forest plenty growing up, but he's never encountered this temple. Maybe the circumstances were special?

Within the temple, there was a pedestal with the carving Katja was creating on it, and not only Katja but the crimson-eyed girl from before. Wait, was she--?

Skartha led Iskatl to the Pedestal where he stood in front of it before the girl from before looked up to him; then Katja smirked, holding a moderately sized box in her hands before Skartha stood in front of the trio.

"Quiet down now! Today, we are all in attendance at our dear Iskatl's Succession ceremony! Typically, when granted Lord Alkutha's guidance, a wolf is sent on its way with no other assistance. However! Only great warriors gain Alkutha's genuine Blessing, and our Iskatl has proved more than worthy of such. Here, we've gathered with Katja, our Herbalist, and Kallen, our Chief. Alkutha's one and only child. She is to grant Alkutha's blessing, as our Alpha, and Katja is to officiate it. Then, the boy will give a speech before going on his journey to manhood!"

Iskatl felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard this. That girl was... their chief? Their leader? It couldn't be.

"Come, boy." Kallen stated calmly as she held a hand out to Katja to come over as well. The box opened, and inside there were various runic stones and what appeared to be face paint. "Kneel, Iskatl."

He did so as Kallen took one of the runes in her hand. She gathered some of the paint on her claws, staining her blue fur with translucent red paint. She then pressed a rune to his forehead as she dragged a paint-covered claw along his cheekbones and over the bridge of his nose, a stinging pain spreading across his face as the paint mixed with his blood, and the wound instantly coagulated as it formed, creating a wicked marking beyond even a tattoo before Katja spoke. "With this, your blood is of Alkutha, the Wolf Lord."

Kallen then activated the rune, which made Iskatl feel an intense presence almost invade his mind, crushing it before reforming it and making its home within. Katja spoke once again. "With this, your mind is of Alkutha, the wisest of all."

A second rune was placed against his bare chest as frost pervaded his beating heart. Pumping of his heart ceased for a moment as the rune activated, and he felt frost escape his heart, coursing through his veins. Katja spoke once again. "With this, your heart is of Alkutha, frozen yet unceasing. Blessed Warrior of the Wolf Lord, rise and state your pilgrimage. What is it you want to accomplish with your now-eternal life?"

Iskatl felt different, as if his body were surging with even more power than before. He exhaled deeply before he opened his eyes to look at everyone. Before, it was just his mission from the Goddess, but now things had turned personal.

"My personal goal is to end the Draco War, and alongside it, the life of the Twelfth Dragon Priest. What he's done to myself and those I care for is unacceptable; therefore, this war will end by my hands."

Kallen, the girl who was so cold before, actually giggled at this thought before placing a hand on his shoulder. "A Grand Pilgrimage, with goals even more vast than my own. I was worried you would have shortsighted goals, with no heart, but I see that my worries were unfounded. Skartha, to me."

And so Iskatl's grandfather came over, and Iskatl could feel metal clanking, as well as the obvious sound of the supplies he prepped being handed to the Chief, who would place the backpack on his back.

"Iskatl, please kneel. I have a personal gift for you. This Blessing, the gift of Katja. These supplies act as the gift of Skartha, and I have a personal gift for you from your father, my elder brother."

Iskatl's eyes widened as she said this. That explained why she seemed so familiar; so many of her features almost mirrored his grandfather's. Of course, this was his daughter. But wait, did that mean? Could Alkutha be a woman? WHAT. His grandfather must have had a strange thing with ladies. His son's mother was a demon, and his daughter's mother was Alkutha. He gave a shaky exhale as he nodded softly and kneeled.

Kallen circled around him and held out a long object furled in cloth. It was obvious this was a sword; his father was stated to be a great warrior, and the shape only supported his theory. Removing the cloth, within her hands was a large blade with a curved edge. It was in no sheath, though he felt the weight of his bag shift on one end, leading him to believe the sheath was there.

"My brother, love him as much as I do, was not very creative, Iskatl. This blade is the birth of his title. It is called the Fang of Hell. A blade which puts the dead to rest and keeps them that way. I give it to you, as my brother requested I give it to his son if anything were to happen to him. Be careful, though. This is a piece of the world I hold within my hands."

Something about this felt all too familiar, as Iskatl got goosebumps. His father giving him an ancient blade after his death? In his past life, something similar had happened to him in Japan; his late father, a Police Officer, like he was. He collected so many katanas, and after succumbing to illness, he left the most valuable one in his collection to Yuichiro. This felt bittersweet. He couldn't help but smile as he accepted the blade.

"Thank you... Auntie Kallen." He had a smug grin as he said this.

A swift punch to his face from the smaller wolf which caused him to yelp. Maybe he'll keep his jokes to himself.

"Anyways! Until your pilgrimage is completed, you are considered banished, Iskatl!"

"But Kallen, the fea--"

"Too bad, he called me old! He can go hungry!"

And so he was escorted out of the temple and out of the forest itself; Amani quickly caught up to him to bring up the rear!

"Hmm? I thought you were angry at me." He asked as he looked to Amani.

"I was but how can I be angry at you if I never see you again? So, I must follow you so I can continue to be, obviously." Amani exclaimed with the most confidence he'd heard from her in his life. This was going to be a rough journey, wasn't it? Despite that. Iskatl found his smile.