A weave of magic encircled them, and Sora had the distinct impression Roman was making it as obvious as possible while turning to present a field of perfectly aligned pink bark trees filled with small grape-sized berries taking shape.

Emilia’s ears lifted a little while looking up at the shining sun beaming through the branches and sniffing the sweet scent that filled the air. “Is that … cotton candy?”

Sora’s own mouth started to water as the smell ticked her own senses. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know,” Liz whispered from beside Aiden, spinning in a short circle for her two tails to follow. “I, umm … I’ve never experienced something so sweet.”

“I’ve … never felt a weave of magic so pure,” Tola mumbled as Nari squealed and floated to a nearby tree to sort through the berries to select specific ones. “We’ve moved to one of the orbiting spheres…”

Roman chuckled while pointing Emilia’s attention to the tree beside the one Nari claimed. “These are actually trees created by Lady Inari; the devil fox doesn’t have a realm without them and likes to think no one notices—he-he, at least, I think she does!”

“Why?” Emilia asked, eyes big as she turned to Seiōbo for answers. “Is it important; does it taste good?”

“Delicious!” Nari mused, shifting to a new branch. “Mmm!”

The dark-furred woman floated in the air beside them, legs crossed as she examined the field. “My eldest sister has always had a sweet tooth; it appears she’s been busy perfecting it throughout her life … These are rather fascinating creations, though … Spiritual-based,” she added, using her magic to pluck a single one to float into her mouth.

Kari grabbed one, her skirt fluttering slightly at the motion. “Why’d she plant them? Although, they look interesting—” The Fenris Wolf’s face paled before coughing and spitting it out. “W-Why is it s-so sour?”

“Are you okay?” Sora instantly jogged over to touch her shoulder. “It’s not poisonous, right?!”

“Hehehe,” Roman shook his head, winking at Emilia, “no, Lady Sora; these berries, as your astute aunt has pointed out, are refined spiritual products, not native to the physical plane but given a form to grow within.”

Nari snickered. “Mhm! You gotta be careful, Wolf Girl! You gotta pick them at their right maturity, or you might get a super spicy one!”

“Yuck—you could have warned me,” Kari grumbled, sticking out her tongue.

“Now, where would be the fun in that?” Roman mused, kneeling down to Emilia’s level as she looked between speakers. “Besides, we’re here for my potential student’s first lesson—how would you like to refine your sense of smell to experience flavors on a whole different level, Emilia?”

The little girl’s eyes widened, licking her lips before looking up at the towering trees with their sapphire and ruby leaves. “You mean—I could make cake taste even better—how?”

Even Sora felt a bit curious as everyone else focused on the mysterious male Kitsune’s grin.

“Hmm … Here, let me show you by example…”

Lifting a hand, Sora felt a small thread of magic weave out to wrap around a slightly plump rosemary-tinted fruit and bring it back for him to present to Emilia. “Starting the lesson off with something sweet should put us in the right mood!”

Emilia took it in her tiny hands, looking at it before sending a fervent glance Sora’s way.

“Go ahead,” Sora urged, putting her trust in Seiōbo that nothing terrible would happen to her daughter.

Smiling with anticipation and wonder, the girl popped it in her mouth. “Mmm! It’s so sweet!”

“Mhm … Move it around with your tongue, sample the air, and crush it against the roof of your mouth to squeeze out the flavor,” he instructed.

“Mmm…” Smacking her lips, Emilia’s rosy, slightly freckled cheeks lifted to gaze at the trees. “All of them have different flavors?”

“Indeed, my little lady!” Roman chimed. “Taste changes based on the smell, chemicals on the tongue, and texture in your mouth … It’s a complex process, but what if I were to tell you that’s only a tiny portion of the flavor you’re extracting?”

“How do I get more?” Emilia eagerly asked, eyes sparkling for the answer.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm … That is our first lesson. Okay, let’s lay down on the ground and close our eyes.”

“Okay!”

A little curious to where this was heading, Sora crossed her arms to watch, and Kari, Aiden, and Liz stood beside her; the dark-furred girl was still struggling with what must have been an intensely sour taste that lingered in her mouth. Her aunts and Tola stood on the opposite side to observe.

Emilia dropped down to the ground, small eight tails fanning out around her legs while closing her eyes. “Like this?”

“Just like that!” Roman returned, mirroring her. “Now … Take deep breaths … In and out … What do you smell?”

“Mmh … Cotton Candy … Ooh, rabbit! I think I smell rabbit … Umm, raw rabbit … Eww, is that tuna eyeballs … My mom had some at grandpa’s party—I don’t think I’d like those either…”

“A lot of familiar scents, hmm? Now, try to remember what the berry in your mouth tastes like and open up your spiritual network … Imagine it’s like the ocean … its waves flowing over you.”

Cheeks pulling in, Sora hummed; her daughter’s defenses weakened a tad as the gates were opened and her own spiritual energy blanketed her. Inari had never done anything like this with her.

“Can you feel the water?”

“I … I can … Is this my spiritual energy?”

“It is! Is this the first time you’ve encountered your own unique magical force?”

“I, umm … I think so. It feels a little familiar to when my mom was teaching me the Outer Body thingy, but … it’s so much warmer—there’s so much of it, and—and it has a sugary flavor! ”

“Oh, you’re such a natural, Lady Emilia!” he encouraged, making Sora smile; he’d been pulling her into a web of mystery to make her curious as to what she’d find next. “You have an unbelievable amount of spiritual reserves for your age; you’re very gifted.”

“Y-you really think so?! Umm, b-but not as much as my mom…”

“Why would you say that? I certainly wouldn’t compare the two of you. After all, don’t you have your own special talents? Can you do something right now your mother can’t?”

“Uh … I—I think so … Mom can’t use her magic anymore, so … I got to help Wendy and Mofupsi.”

“See, aren’t you talented?”

“I … I guess so!” Emilia smiled, tight hands easing against her small chest as her tails relaxed a bit. “Umm … So, this is my spiritual energy—this sweet stuff?”

“It feels like a blanket, doesn’t it?”

“Kind of … yeah! It's warm and covers me everywhere.”

“You can do all sorts of stuff with it now that you’ve learned what it feels like. Can you imagine it turning into a jelly around you and wiggling it?”

“Mmh-hehe! It tickles! It’s all woobly if I move!” she chortled, fidgeting a bit on the ground.

“Uh-huh! You’ve got it so quickly—okay, now can you spread it out like a mist?”

Sora watched in fascination as the protective coat of spiritual energy cocooning her daughter expanded in the tranquil environment, brushing up against them as it exploded over a hundred meters, and it was then she realized what he’d been guiding her into funneling it into a trapped state to not only act as a soft shell but to then release in mass after.

“Now, look for your favorite scent.”

“Ooh—cookies—I want to make cookies with my mom sooo much!” she squealed.

“Ah, heh, if that’s the case, let’s save that for later; what about your second favorite?”

“I want to know what ice cream tastes like—like, my mom’s had it, but I only have it from her memories. Can I?!”

“Can you smell it?”

“Vanilla … with chocolate chips … mint, too! I—I smell one!”

“You can tell where it is, right?”

“Umm … No, uh … I think it’s to my right—no, that’s my left hand—sorry.”

“You’re doing wonderfully. Try sending a small spark of electricity through the spiritual mist you’ve just created—what do you see?”

The girl’s lips parted, ears pulling back. “W-Woah … It’s—it’s so much … I—I can’t focus on it all…”

“Why not just look for that scent?”

“Oh—wow, umm … I see every little part of it—it’s so big, and it’s like—like a river inside, running around and little workers…”

Sora was stunned, and Aiden muttered, “Is she actually studying its spiritual network—that’s like … I know she’s just sitting there and putting all her focus into it, but that should be hard for someone that’s only just discovered their own spiritual network.”

Kari hummed. “He does seem to know what he’s doing…”

Roman was silent for a minute, allowing Emilia to get lost in the curves and flow of the berry’s spiritual pathways. “What do you think?”

“It’s pretty … So clean and bright.”

“Try to imagine the mist sticking to the outside in a protective bubble.”

“Yeah, okay … uh—like that?”

“Perfect!” Roman chuckled, opening his eyes and rising to his feet. “Now, let’s play hide and seek with it.”

Vision popping open, Emilia jumped up, tails swinging around as she grinned at Sora. “Mom! Look, Mom! I did stuff!”

“Yeah! Good job, Emi; keep it up.”

“Mhm! What’s next—uh, what should I call you?”

Rubbing his chin, Roman lips curved a little. “You can call me whatever is easiest.”

“White! Can I call you White, uh-heh, because you have white tails?”

His nine sleek fluffy tails swung to the side for the girls to fixate on. “White is perfectly acceptable, my little lady; from now on, I will be known as White.”

Emilia squealed as he accepted the name, turquoise irises darting to Sora. “Is that okay, Mom?”

She shrugged. “If he’s fine with it, I don’t see a problem. Uh … What’s next, White?”

The eleven-year-old leaped on the topic. “Mhm! How do I get the ice cream berry?!”

White folded his hands behind his back and glanced at various branches, a calming wave coming to his deep voice. “When you spread your spiritual energy throughout this area, you were able to connect not only your physical senses but spirit to everything around us … You’ve marked the berry; it can’t escape from your eyes!”

Emilia’s copper hair shifted across her shoulders as she scanned the branches. “Oh? Oh? How do I see it then?”

“Just like before, let your spiritual energy glaze across your eyes, but this time, keep them open.”

Face brightening with glee, the girl bounced up and down, looking left and right. “It’s so sparkly and pretty—I see it!” she pointed at a tree twenty meters away, running that way. “I—umm, but … it’s so high up.”

White followed after her with everyone else. “For the final piece to our opening lesson, Emilia, do you recall making your spiritual energy into a jelly?”

“Mhm! Mhm!”

“Do that again, but this time, you want to tug up on it—push it up instead of just condensing it around yourself.”

“No way,” Sora mumbled in disbelief as her daughter’s joyful cries filled the warm air while taking to the air, hands waving frantically to balance herself.

“I—I’m flying, Mom! I’m flying like Aunt Nari and Bobo—uh, oh-no—I can’t stop!”

Sora took a step forward, but a string shot out of White’s invisible spiritual aura to latch onto Emilia’s like a fishing hook as he calmly pulled her away from the thick trunk she was advancing toward.

“Stay calm … Remember, you’re in control—there you go, don’t push too hard, you’re only trying to go at a slow pace … See, what did I tell you?”

“Heh—haha, uh, that I’m a natural?” Emilia giggled, dress fluttering against her legs with the movements. “Mom! I can fly!”

“Yeah … that’s so amazing, Emilia; you really are amazing!” Sora cheered, trying to be happy and not overwhelmed by the spike in sudden advancements her daughter made with the Kitsune’s teaching style; he was making it fun for her while touching on complex subjects yet only scratched the surface to do a specialized task.

I didn’t learn how to fly until a few days ago … I guess I had to learn on my own, but … Emilia’s already learning how to see things spiritually … She’s only a few steps away from charging an offensive elemental aura, as far as I can see.

“Mom! I got it!”

“Nice!” Kari and Aiden cheered.

Nari floated up beside her to hug her waist. “I knew you’d learn fast!”

Seiōbo clapped, deep sapphire irises drifting to her with an expectant smile.

Snapping out of her shock, Sora shifted, noticing Liz trying to replicate a little of what White was teaching Emilia to only tiny success. Feet leaving the vibrant green grass, Sora went to take Nari’s place, hugging Emilia to her chest. “I’m so proud of you—if you practice more, we can fly around and visit fun places.”

“I’d love that, Mom! Oh, umm, do you want this ice cream berry?”

“No, this is for you to enjoy.”

“Uh, split it?” she offered, big eyes looking up at her.

“Heh, sure.”

“Yay!”

It warmed her heart to be making a memory like this as she watched her daughter split the small fruit, causing a bit of gray juice to spread across her fingers before offering it to her.

“Say ahh!”

“Wha—hehe, okay—ahh…”

Emilia grinned, popping it into her mouth, and Sora took the one in her hand and did the same to her excited daughter; it really did taste like a perfect blend of ice cream, chocolate chips, and mint.

“Aww, cute,” Kari smiled. “What do you think, Aiden?”

“Me? Ha, well, I think I never thought I’d be in this situation—yeah, Emilia is definitely cute, and snap, if we don’t buckle down, she might actually get stronger than us!”

“No joke,” Kari laughed.

Liz cleared her throat, ears folding back as she leaned into Aiden’s ear. “Umm—can I train with you, too, Aiden? I’ve never done anything like this, and—and it’s kind of hard.”

Kari’s lips curved suspiciously, eyeing the two as her ears twitched. “Hmm? You saying you want one-on-one private training from Aiden?”

“Uh, yeah … is that okay?” Liz innocently asked.

“Kari…” Aiden hissed, face steaming up.

“Hey, she said it; way to go, man—you’re in!” Kari snickered, punching his shoulder to Liz’s confusion as she glanced between them.

“Don’t make it weird!”

“How is this weird?” Liz questioned, light pink tails twisting around one another.

Sora laughed with everyone else, and as it died, White cleared his throat, drawing their attention.

He hovered nearby, left hand on his hip while wearing a soft expression. “Excuse me, my ladies, but we haven’t concluded the lesson, and there is one last thing I’d like you to do, Emilia.”

“What?” Emilia asked, continuing to try to stabilize herself in the air. “Will it be fun?”

“I think you’ll find it more than fun—what do you say about making a present for your mother to keep while she’s away; when she’s feeling lonely, she can look down at it and remember you.”

“Really? I’d love that! Mom?! Can I?”

Sora chuckled, sliding her fingers through her fiery locks and shaking her head. “You really have impressed me, Roman—no, White, I suppose it is now.” Noticing Tola’s interest in the Kitsune, an idea formed in her head. “Tola, would you have the time to sit in for the first week—would that be alright, White?”

“Me? Lady Sora, I—”

“I’m all for it,” White interjected, turning a dashing smile her way. “We can have some great fun, and I believe much of the old worlds are totally new to you, Lady Tola; we could explore some wonderful teaching opportunities across them.”

“Yay!” Emilia’s hands went to her breast, literally bouncing in the air but more from a lack of control as she barely kept herself afloat than anything else. “I get two teachers for the first week!”

“Eh-heh-he, mmh,” Tola’s ears pulled back. “I … don’t know if Loral would be fine with my absence.”

“Nonsense,” Seiōbo replied, turning her head as a tiny snake girl flashed into existence from a beam of light. “Qebhet, might we borrow Tola for a week?”

“Hmm?” the realm’s overseer’s serpent-like eyes and serene aura passed through them in an instant. “Oh, how lovely; so, you do plan to stay for six months as I suspected? I think that should be fine. I hope you have a lovely time, Tola!” she waved, and just like that, she was gone again.

“It’s settled then,” Seiōbo smiled, clapping her hands together. “So, one last lesson, and then we can go our separate ways.”

“You’re so bad, Sora, Bobo,” Nari mused, giving the bewildered blue-furred Vulpes a knowing look. “I’m sure it will be fun.”

“I can’t wait!” Emilia said, rushing forward to hug Sora again. “Umm, so—you’ll be back at the end of the day, though. Right?”

“Yeah, and we can work on getting things ready for cookies.”

“I love this!”

White’s smooth voice carried over. “Lady Tola, would you mind accompanying Lady Emilia and me to our destination; after all, this is supposed to be a surprise gift! Ah, and sadly, for the cookie’s bit, we will likely need to wait for the weekend, in my estimation.”

“Ooh! Yeah, super-secret, Mom—only the three of us, and the weekend—I forgot, I get a whole day with you!” Emilia exclaimed, jumping into the mood. “I’m gonna make something super good—eh, I think?” she asked, vision darting to the nine-tailed fox.

“Most definitely; it will take a good twenty minutes, I assume—the process is a fair bit more complicated than what we were doing here, but the results will be dazzling!”

“Okay,” Emilia swiftly nodded and pulled away, leaving Sora somewhat dazed. “I’m gonna be right back, Mom! Just wait a bit—I’ll make the best gift!”

“Alright…”

White whisked a thrilled Emilia and speechless Tola to a new location with a showy bow.

Kari lifted an eyebrow at her slow descent to the ground. “You look like someone beat you on the back of the head with a club.”

Aiden forced a grin. “Can you blame her; is this the first time Emilia left her?”

“Oh, now that you mention it, you’re right,” Kari nodded.

“Eh … is that bad?” Liz mumbled, still trying to follow the first lesson of imagining her spiritual energy in a gel-like state.

Sora sighed, plucking at her red gown for no apparent reason but to do something with her fingers. “You’re right, umm … I guess she’s growing now, which is good. I don’t know; it all just seemed so rushed … She was all over me this morning, and now she’s running off to make stuff with someone we hardly know, including Tola.”

“You did give them permission to go,” Kari pointed out.

“Yeah, but not that quick … It’s just … I don’t know, like a whirlwind or something; I just feel a little breathless.”

“Hmm … Having second thoughts?” Nari asked, brushing out her long golden tail with a slight smirk.

“No, I think White will be good for Emilia,” she mumbled, pulling her own three tails around to glare at them. “He seems to be fun and a good teacher.”

“Just as I said he would be—your mother did recommend him.”

“I know … I don’t know why I feel suddenly anxious … I just do.”

Aiden rubbed the back of his neck, a low note in his throat while glancing around. “Uh … So, want to talk about the training?”

“What’s there to talk about besides adding a second bed to your room—oh, or do you want one?” Kari teased, poking the Firebird with her bushy black tail and causing a small frown from Liz.

“Still on that—no, I’m talking about how we’ll know when to leave.”

“That’s simple,” Nari tittered, now examining her fingernails and applying some kind of magic that changed the shade of color to various golds. “Bobo set up an alarm clock thing that will let you know what time it is outside; it even has a little song that plays when times up.”

“Convenient,” Aiden smiled. “Thanks, Lady Seiōbo.”

“That being said,” Seiōbo took a deep breath and let it stream out, “Nari and I must leave soon, but the Realm will take you to your destination if you say it out loud. Just say, I want to train by myself or with one another; it will interpret your desire.”

Sora nodded, walking forward to hug her two aunts. “Thank you, Aunt Seiōbo, Aunt Nari … I hope everything works out.”

“Me, too!” Nari grinned, arms tightening with surprising strength. “If we wanna be ready for the big send-off, then we gotta go now—or, at least, Bobo says so.”

“I did. I look forward to understanding more about your life and experiences, Sora … I do wish to better understand the path you’ve walked and our new family. Now, take care!”

A sadness touched Sora’s heart as they vanished; still, she knew she’d see them again, but the stress of what was before her was really sinking into her chest now.

“So … We just wait?” Kari muttered, vision shifting between their now diminished group of four.

Aiden shrugged. “I guess so—how’s the spiritual aura release, Liz?”

“Umgm … Not as good as Emilia … How did she make it look so easy—mine also smells like burnt leaves … What’s up with that?”

“Uh—mm-I-dunno,” Aiden mumbled, glancing toward them.

“Nope,” Kari absently replied, looking at the trees again.

“Not a clue.”

Nearly nineteen minutes after White had spirited her daughter away, the jumping and squealing girl reappeared, holding a small, wrapped box. “I did it, Mom! It’s so—oh, no, shh! I’m so excited! Here! Here! Open it!”

“He-he, okay! Okay!” Sora laughed as the eleven-year-old girl presented the gift to her.

Her vision went to Tola first, but the woman had a thoughtful look that told Sora she had been impressed by the lesson, and White’s face was all smiles.

“Emilia poured her heart and soul into making that,” White commented. “She really outdid herself; I can see Lady Inari’s talent in the young lady.”

“Aww, thanks, White!” Emilia blushed. “I really want to see my mom’s face, though.”

“Hehe, I’m going … Let’s see…”

Kari, Aiden, and Liz gathered around to look at her untie the bow and unwrap the white paper; it was reasonably clear by the size and dimensions that it was something like a jewelry box, and as Sora expected, it flipped open to reveal the item inside.

Aiden’s eyebrows lifted. “Niiice!”

“Wow…” Kari mumbled, amber eyes widening. “You made that, Emilia?”

“Mhm! White showed me how!”

“Pretty,” Liz whispered, watching Sora lift it out of the box to study.

What appeared to be a large fire opal with swirling copper-hued foxfire swirling inside illuminated at Sora’s touch; a black haze of cosmic energy was infused around it, giving a contrast that looked like a forming star.

The gemstone was fitted into shimmering silver that sparkled like marble in the sun and rose into eight foxtails that curled into a heart shape before chains wove together into an intricate pattern to be worn around the neck.

“It’s … gorgeous, Emi … I-It has your name…”

Emilia grinned, cheeks rosy with pride as the words ‘Emi’ twirled into shape before being replaced by ‘Nari’ and the other members of their family. Sora’s lips began to quiver, tears coming to her eyes as her chakram vibrated. “Jarlath … You even put…”

“Grandpa! Mhm!”

“Oh, thank you, Emilia; I love it!” Sora cried, kneeling down to wrap her daughter in her arms. “I love it so much … Thank you!”

“Y-Yeah—M-Mom … Why are you crying, though?”

“I’m just so happy—I get to wear something you made me—thank you, Emilia.”

“Yeah … Umm, I was going to make you more stuff, too! Uh, White is going to teach me lots of stuff—really cool stuff! We’re gonna make chocolate things today for our cookies tonight; I’m super excited!”

“Me too! Me, too!”

It took a full minute for Sora to get her emotions under control, being careful not to hurt her daughter with Null-Void, and the thought of destroying her daughter’s precious gift did cross her mind.

Once the time came for them to split their separate ways, Sora kissed Emilia’s cheek one last time and went to her room of solitude; she’d spent days in space, but looking down at the pendant gave her strength and reminded her why she was doing this—family.

Her training first consisted of learning how to craft a thin protective shell of invisible Null-Void around Emilia’s gift and tie it off; even if she lost control, her Null-Void would simply skate around the piece.

After that, she cut loose, pushing her powers to the maximum to try and reign them back in, gaining better control over the new Anti-Existence Force, and days passed. She didn’t sleep, couldn’t, would be a more appropriate word—trying to find the depths of her Null-Void was turning out to be more challenging than she thought, and after her previous rest with Emilia, it felt impossible to lay down and drift into oblivion.

It almost came as a shock when the soft chirping of birds signaled 7:55 P.M. in her grandmother’s Realm; it was finally time to head back and see what progress her daughter made.

A week passed like this, and every day Emilia grew in unexpected ways; White had her learning methods of utilizing her magic in enhancing seed growth and cultivating the proper ingredients, including taking care of the odd birds this Realm used as chickens for their eggs—she named one with a silver hew Tizzy—her favorite, apparently, since it reminded her of Sora’s eyes.

At the end of the sixth day, Sora got ready to head back to the house in Tola’s district they’d been given as a temporary home, and apparently, more kids were being pulled into Emilia’s lessons to further her social skills, building a friend group. Of which, Sora knew two, Rayla and Luna, the twins—Emilia invited them over to share in the spoils of her labor.