15 Chapter 15: Meeting Old Friends and New Spirits

Lucy walked into her dormitory of the Warrior Spirit Host students and wanted to access the ninth bed which was assigned to her when she spotted her old friends and classmates – Rose and Lola. Both of them were dressed in their casual clothes, but she could notice some new accessories too – their Bond Items. Rose, instead of having her long red hair fallen messily on her back, had tied it in a neat braid. On her hair-tie, three little golden pieces hung, with three eastern characters representing ‘celestial’ (天), ‘emperor’ (王) and ‘dragon’ (龍). Lola wore a shimmering silver owl necklace.

“Rose! Lola!”

“Lucy! You’re here too!” Rose embraced her, “I’m so happy to see you again!”

“Good to see you, Lucy!” Lola embraced her too, although a little reluctantly. She apparently didn’t want to have affairs with her former classmates anymore, but here they were again, in her new school.

“Oh, my! It is so awesome to see you again, girls!” Lucy was no less happy than Rose. She often found it hard to make friends, so, seeing her old comrades in this new school was quite a relief. “So, you made it into the Warrior Host Squad too?”

“Yup, we got in! Our spirits are really strong.” Rose winked.

“Yeah, my spirit’s a real beast!” Lola grinned with pride.

“Wow, amazing! Who are they? Can you summon them to show me? I’m truly interested!”

“Hehe! Sure! Here goes!” Rose touched the three golden pieces hung on her hair-tie, and yelled: “Brill and dazzle, Long[1] Xiao-Hong[2]!”

A large fireball emerged and morphed into a young boy. He had long red braided hair just like Rose, with three gold pieces of the same eastern characters hanging on his hair-tie. His eyes were deep blue, and he was dressed in red kimono robes. However, he looked quite young for a spirit. He could be roughly one-hundred-year-old (which was quite a short number for spirit lifespan). Despite this, his eyes showed the whole wisdom of the high heavens. He was not an ordinary spirit – that was for sure. When Lucy looked closely, she noticed golden eastern dragons depicted on his kimono robes.

“A dragon spirit?!”

Dragons were the rarest among all benevolent spirits, and almost impossible to befriend and bond with, for they usually resided in high heavens. The eighth heaven was officially their residence, along with the guard army of the High Forces – the cherubim. With their strength and potency, they equalled the Huli, the tailed foxes themselves.

“Hehe!” Rose got happy for her spirit to have made such a dazzling first impression. “Not just any dragon, but the direct heir and representative of the Long Clan royal dynasty!”

“Wow! Amazing!”

“Hehe… It’s nothing, really…” the dragon spirit, Xiao-Hong Long, scratched the back of his head. “I’m just a normal boy.”

“Oh my, so modest!” Lucy chuckled, more and more amazed by the young child. “You’re a prince in the Imperial Court, yet you stay so humble!”

“Hehe…”

“Yup, he’s the best spirit in the world!”

Rose cuddled with Xiao-Hong. The boy’s cheeks flushed even more, and he grew red like his whole hair. He grinned and hugged her back.

Lola got angry on her part – how come only Rose’s spirit was being praised?!

“That’s nothing in comparison with my spirit!” she touched her owl necklet, “Flap your wings, Evilia Hoot!”

A black sphere emerged from her necklace and formed into a tall woman with long black hair, yellow eyes and a face of an owl, and feathered wings. She also had an owl tail. She grinned with her sharp fangs, which hinted that she was a predator spirit who hunted not humans but weaker spirits.

Hearing the name ‘Evilia Hoot’, Lucy gasped in shock, for she recalled Yuehong’s words to the mommy squirrel, Sandy:

“I know all about you, Sandra Nutts. You are that weakling woman who lost two brats to an owl spirit, Evilia Hoot…”

So, this should be the Evilia Hoot who ate Sandy’s two kids?! Shudders ran down her spine. She made a little step back.

“Huh? Are you okay, Lucy?” Rose got surprised.

“Haha! I bet my tough spirit scared the hell out of you!” Lola laughed with triumph. She was pleased that her spirit looked tough and scary. It made her believe she was cooler than Rose, whose spirit had caused smiles instead.

“I… I’m fine…” Lucy shook her head to get a hold of herself. “I just… got startled. I didn’t expect Lola’s spirit to be a night owl.”

“Yeah, but, you seemed rather… frightened.”

“Haha! Are you afraid of owls?” Lola laughed, “Or is it that your spirit is a mouse or a squirrel?”

Hearing ‘squirrel’, Lucy recalled the tearful Sandy again, and her blood boiled from anger and incense.

“Oh, no, he’s neither a mouse nor a squirrel, and having him by my side, I have no fear of owls, and neither of Long Clan, just to mention.”

She smiled at Rose, who gasped in stupefaction along with her dragon boy, Xiao-Hong Long. Lola flared up – how she dared talk so cockily? Who the heck was her spirit, anyway?

“Hmph, I bet you’re bluffing! Even if it’s a wolf or a bear, they can’t possibly be stronger than Long Clan, and to let you know, I sometimes am stronger than wolves and bears, if they’re dumb enough!” Evilia squealed, quite insulted.

“Who… Who can be tougher than we Long Clan? Dragons are the highest celestial beings that accept to form bonds with humans!” Xiao-Hong was sincerely surprised by Lucy’s such claim.

“Yeah… Who is your spirit, Lucy? Will you show us?” Rose asked.

“Sure!” Lucy touched her Yin-and-Yang golden-chained necklace: “Yang – Huli Yuehong!”

All the four – Rose, Xiao-Hong, Lola, and Evilia – widened their eyes in the utmost horror – Huli Yuehong, the well-known Blood Moon Fox?!

----

[1] Lóng (龙) – Dragon (Mandarin Chinese)

[2] From Mandarin Chinese words xiǎo (小) – little, and hóng (红) – red