Chapter 12: Night Talk Part 1

A man with an average frame stood looking over the still bustling night streets of Kyoto. Lights of many different colors, shapes and sizes blinked endlessly below. The moon shone down on those inky locks that pooled behind the man like a dark river.

He wore a plain white tradition kimono, completing the look of some kind fallen immortal gracing the mortal below with his presence.

Shimmering blue eyes looked far into the distant, hiding many thoughts that whirled endlessly in his head.

Honestly, he just hoped he looked like a cultivator from those xianxia novels from over a lifetime ago.

"Come." He beckoned," You have something you wish to talk about."

"Muu.." A bewitching voice pouted," You're no fun Master!"

And out of the darkness, a blonde bombshell of a woman came strolling out wearing lose nightwear that emphasized her natural gifts. Every sway of her shapely hips sent a deliciously bounce to every part of her body.

Nine golden tails wagged happily behind the refined looking Yokai, completely ruining the noble appearance she tried to cultivate. Eyes glittered with both mischief and wisdom.

The 2 stood in comfortable silence as they stared down at the sprawling city below. The cold breeze licked ineffectually against their skins, perks of having their body's naturally reinforced with Ki over a long period of time.

"You taught Kunou-chan?"

She asked quietly after a time.

"I did." He nodded," I was surprised she was so ignorant...No, why everyone was so ignorant?"

"Oh." Yasaka the leader of the Yokai Faction, replied while kicked at the dirt in shame. Iori was never one to force anyone to speak, if she wanted to talk then she would. He had forever, a few seconds, minutes or hours meant nothing.

"A lot has changed." The kitsune decided to bite the bullet and just say it," Senjutsu as a whole has changed."

"I could tell."

"After you went into seclusion, the rest of my fellow disciples scattered to the wind." She winced, sending an apologetic look his way," I couldn't stop them, I'm sorry Master!"

"Raise your head," He chuckled softly," You're the leader of an entire faction, don't ever lower your head like that to anyone. You aren't you're own person anymore. You represent every Yokai down there."

Iori inwardly patted his own back at those carefully constructed words, he felt like he was one step closer to actually being like those lofty immortals.

"Plus besides," He continue, reaching a hand out to ruffle her golden curls," They're their own person. With their own goals. Aspirations, scores. I wouldn't expect them to stay cooped up in a singular spot like you did."

"Of course!" She puffed out her considerable chess in pride, tails wagging in excitement," I'm Master's First Disciple! How could I not be the first one to greet him!"

"But." Her mood took a dark turn," After that, like I said a lot of the other factions were pushing in on our territory. At first it was slow but then they sped up dramatically. After pushing Yokai together, I think they planned on getting rid of all of us all at once. But then I…"

"Bound yourself to the Leyline.."

"Yes." She winced, ears drooping slightly," And while I could fight on equal footing as most of their leaders, there was just too many of them. But my power did force them to negotiate with me as an equal. But when the head of multiple factions came here to parley, I saw some of my fellow disciples standing amongst them…"

"Ah."

He nodded, face not changing in slightest as the news came hit him over the head. Iori started off as a mercenary and wouldn't begrudge them of doing the same.

"They acted as aids to each of these factions and they to me for one reason," With this she could no longer meet those shimmering blue orbs," The faction leaders wanted my cooperation in destroying the legacy of Senjutsu Sects.."

"The leaders argued that the art was old and had no room in the future," She said quickly, words spewing out in a wave," So in exchange for my help and a constant supply of Spirit Plums, they wouldn't enslave or kill all of us Yokai. I didn't see another way. I could possibly fight a single one of those leaders. But facing the leaders from multiple factions and the remaining disciples taught by you? I had no chance whatsoever. So I kneeled and acquiesced to their demands. I was told not to pass my knowledge to anyone and to just let Senjutsu die in the Yokai. And that they would handle the rest. Slowly but surely, the art died out until only remnants of it in form of Touki remained. Every bit of ancient knowledge was scrubbed clean and now, only this watered down version exists."

Iori was silent as the revelation came to the forefront of his mind, shocked, angry but also a bit sad at the direction the world took.

"That explains it," He sighed," Then what has replaced it?"

"Magic." Yasaka said succinctly," Primarily, races tend to stick to their built in systems. For my kind, Youjutsu is our primary path to power. But for humans? It's generally pretty split depending where in the world you are."

"Are The Principal Clans still a thing?"

"Yes," She nodded," They're actually doing pretty well all things said. One of our 'allies' in fact."

"But," The blonde continued," Primarily humans don't have a path forward. Magicians are just humans who have modified Devil Magic for their own use. And a lot of them just rely solely on their Sacred Gears but those are usually quickly snatched up by the surrounding factions, specifically the Devils."

"The Evil Pieces system." He nodded in thought," How far has that little project come along?"

"It's their primary way of bolstering their numbers," Yasaka answered, mind a world's away," Given their low birth rate and casualties during the Civil War, it was deemed important by their leaders."

It was a stretch of silence as the 2 took in those words, Yasaka reliving through those turbulent days and Iori correlating this timeline with the 1 from his other world. He thought things matched up.

'Maybe the world corrected itself when I was out of the way?'

It made sense as even in his world, The Yokai were barely considered a faction worth respecting and that was only due to the golden kitsune before him. Also, the magic system so far has developed in the same direction as he remembered. Magicians and Sacred Gears were obliviously the protagonists of humanity.

While it did take his own disciples he spent time, sweat and blood teaching stabbing him in the back to do so, it was atleast somewhat comforting that he could still somewhat rely on his own memories to navigate this new world.

'More like troll..' Iori smirked internally,' What an interesting time I found myself in.'