While a discomfort still hung in the air around Iharu and Fangarus, the ill feelings had largely left by morning. Iharu was up and about, searing meat in the exact same way as she had done for dinner yesterday. Fangarus made oatmeal with a plant-based milk and caramelized fruit. Actually, he was a great cook and did not seem limited by his restricted dietary options in the kitchen.

Val savored the sweetness of the oatmeal and did not even want to touch the meat. Foofy gobbled up the big slab that Iharu set down for him.

“You need to be big and strong if you want to become a divine beast!” she cheered.

They all enjoyed breakfast and once they had finished, everyone headed to the site of the ceremony.

Walking beside her, Tavras asked, “Are you excited?”

“Yes!” Val said, so giddy that her steps could hardly stay even. She wanted to skip or she wanted to grab hold of Tavras’s hand—anything to express how happy she was for this to finally be happening. Her attention turned down to Foofy. A larger smile could not lift across her lips.

“I know that I called this a ceremony,” Iharu said back to her, “but I am not one for too much ceremony. I will have you do only what is absolutely necessary.”

They climbed a large hill where a stone basin was set atop its grassy crest. Iharu positioned herself on the far side of the basin and beckoned to Val with her knife. “Come here.”

Val approached obediently and relinquished her hand to Iharu’s open one. She braced herself for the blade to come down. A deep slice drew across her palm so that rivulets of blood seeped into the basin.

“Squeeze. I need enough of your blood to work with.”

Val dug her fingers into her flesh. Her nails in particular bit into the wound and made her wince. She pressed her hand into a tight fish until a small puddle of blood had gathered at the bottom of the basin.

“That’s enough.” Iharu stuck up her hand to stop, then gestured for Foofy to come nearer.

“Foofy, come,” Val whispered. “Will the process be uncomfortable for him at all?” By his slow careful approach, she wondered if she ought to activate Keep the Peace.

“No. The experience is quick and painless for the animal. You had just experienced the worst of it.” Iharu focused her eyes onto Val’s expression, deep and serious. “I can leave a weak link in his bondage if you’d like. That would give him the freedom to disobey your commands if he thinks of a better alternative in any given situation.”

With a hard swallow, Val dared to break her gaze and looked back to Tavras. “Is that a good thing?”

His chin dipped in a singular nod. “If you trust Foofy with your life, yes. Otherwise, divine beasts become too robotic. If you told him to stay and you were being choked to death by an assailant, a divine beast without any freedom would have no choice but to stay until you told him otherwise. Obviously, if you were being choked, you would not be able to give another command at the moment. It is far superior to put some faith in your friends.”

“Thank you.” That advice definitely allowed Val to make up her mind at once. To Iharu, she said, “I do trust Foofy. I want him to be free to listen and obey as a dog would.”

“Good. Step back now.”

In some rigid steps, Val backed away and stood alongside Tavras.

“I can heal your wound.” From the small flask that he had with him, Tavras made water rise from the pouch and encase her hand.

The fresh water glowed, the pain numbed, and Val’s skin knitted back together just as she had become accustomed to with Tavras’s healing ability. “Thank you.” Her attention did not linger on him as she stared intently at Iharu and Foofy.

Like the good boy that he was, Foofy sat and stared up to Iharu who waved her hands around in the air.

In the same motion that Tavras always angled his wrists and fingers to Bend Water, Iharu lifted a stream of Val’s blood from the basin. The liquid became interwoven with itself, shimmering with its golden quality all the while. Less like flowing blood, it took the form of an intricate chain, solid in such a way that Iharu could grasp it with both hands. She draped the chair over Foofy’s neck, and the chain merged together.

On her knees, Iharu cupped Foofy’s face in both of her hands. Her forehead leaned close to Foofy’s. Both of their eyes closed as a golden light glowed between them. In particular, the chain of Val’s blood set alight in a ring of golden rays around his neck. The light softened until the entirety of the golden chain disappeared into Foofy’s dark fur.

“It is done.” Iharu got up and turned her attention to Val. “Foofy is a divine beast now, bound to you for eternity. His lifespan has been expanded to the same immortality as us humans with divine blood—he will live so long as he does not experience fatal injuries. This bond between you two will exist until one of you dies. There is nothing that I could do that would sever this bond now.”

Iharu continued in this explanation. “He will always obey you, so long as he understands what you want from him. I have left him with a loose link so that he can disobey you if he believes that he could assist you better in another way. I trust that you will treat Foofy well and will only have him act for a greater good.”

“Yes.” Val dipped her head into a deep nod and also bowed to Iharu. “Thank you so much for this honor.”

Her gratitude was received with a snort. “Yeah. Go celebrate with your divine dog now.”

In a split second, Val darted down the hill. “Come, Foofy!” When she looked behind, she saw nothing but a black and tan blur of that Dobie running at an impossible speed.

Foofy darted ahead of her as fast as a mortal dog would overtake a normal human in a full-on doggy sprint.

Having been left in the dust, the wildest grin climbed onto Val’s face. She ran her fastest after Foofy, down the hill and through the trees.

Already on the beach, Foofy zoomed around across the sand. The tracks of his paws covered the beach in zigzags, the mark of a dog having the time of his life. He looked like he was having fun with his new newfound strength, able to run farther and faster than any mortal dog ever could.

A laughter rose from Val’s lips. She tipped her head back first, then doubled over as she continued trying to run after him and laugh at the same time. Foofy looked so funny running in circles all around her, she could not help but giggle in equal enjoyment.

“Foofy!” she called. A big stick that she had picked out of the forest was held in her hand. “Go… fetch!”

She threw her farthest, best throw. The stick flew out of sight by her strength as a demigoddess.

With his ears and eyes alert, Foofy took off after the stick with all enthusiasm. He came back and dropped the stick at her feet.

“Yes. Good boy! Sit.”

Foofy sat at once. His tongue hung out of his head, panting with some combination of doggy exertion and excitement. No dog ever looked happier in Val’s eyes.

Likewise, she could not feel happier either. For a second, Val became aware that she and Foofy were not the only ones who existed in the world. Looking back to the forest, she searched for the ones who had made all of this possible.

Iharu and Tavras, along with Fangarus, stood along the tree line. Everyone was grinning at her. Tavras’s eyes in particular seemed to pinch up in the warmest of smiles.

Val waved to him, her most amazing mentor. Immediately afterwards, her attention went back to Foofy. She flung herself around him in a hug and whispered, “You are such a good boy—the best dog ever, Foofy.”

Each hot, panting breath brushed against her ear. Foofy craned his neck around to give her a big lick across the cheek.

“Thank you,” she laughed. The Dobie kiss felt as good as any affection that he could give her.

Val picked up the stick and threw it for Foofy again to continue their game of fetch as demigoddess and divine dog.

Character Update

* New information is marked in cyan.

* All entries are based on what Val knows.

Foofy Title: Good Boy Rank: Divine Dog Attributes: Cuteness Abilities Name Class Description Come command - can come like a good boy Fetch command - can fetch like a good boy Get Away command - can get away like a good boy Sit command - can sit like a good boy Stay command - can stay like a good boy