Kitsune of the Blue Sun

Chapter 46- Gaining Knowledge

[Keeno POV]

I was woken up just before the suns rose by a whispering noise.  It was nearly imperceptible, but there all the same.  I sat up and sleepily rubbed my eyes.

“Pram…” (Keeno)

“Zzzzzzzz.” (Pram)

“Pram!” (Keeno)

I looked over to Pram who was chewing on her tail in her sleep and nudged her.

“Whasit Keeno?” (Pram)

“Listen…do you hear that whispering too?” (Keeno)

“……zzzzzzzz” (Pram)

“*Sigh*Do I have to wake you up the old way?” (Keeno)

“Zzzz!!!!  I’M UP!” (Pram)

“Listen closely, do you hear the whispering too?” (Keeno)

Pram closed her eyes, though I could tell she was listening this time.  Her ears moved at every little sound until the whispering started up again.

“Yeah, I hear it too.  Do we go check it out?” (Pram)

“Naturally.  I mean, there are only two things to do when you start hearing mysterious whispering, go to it or run away.  And, as the naturally curious types, we MUST go towards the mysterious whispering.” (Keeno)

“…Perfect logic.” (Pram)

{I’m sure normal people would call that the wrong decision, but it’s way more fun this way.}

“Exactly, Ama, exactly.” (Keeno)

We got up and picked up camp before going to the one place the whispering would feasibly be coming from: the entrance of the cave.  The whispering did indeed grow a little louder the closer we got, though it was still too quiet to make out what it said.  Pram and I looked at one another before nodding.  I made a tiny fireball to light the way and we headed inside.  Now that I could actually get a good look at the place, it was actually a decently well-made tunnel.  Well maintained too, despite what the outside looked like.

“Tch.” (Keeno)

{Keeno?}

“What’s the point of ruins if they aren’t ruined?  It just makes them another normal building or structure.” (Keeno)

“We’re in an old place of power, and you complain about it not being ruined?  I’m sure scholars would call you insane if they heard that.” (Pram)

“You wouldn’t get it Pram.  Actual ruins just have that certain…je ne seis quoi to them.” (Keeno)

“A what?” (Pram)

{Yeah, what?}

At this point we entered the big open area of the cave, the whispering long gone quiet.

[Je ne seis quoi, a term from Lady Keeno’s old world used to describe an indescribable feeling.  The language used is called French, spoken across the world and originating in the country of France in the continent of Europe.]

Both Pram and I turned our heads to the center of the cavern where a floating, glowing silhouette that wasn’t there before appeared.  The two of us were about to ready ourselves for combat when the light spoke again.

[Calm yourselves, I am the guardian of what you seek.  I thank you, Lady Keeno for ridding this place of that foul evil.]

{I’ve never seen a spirit of your kind before, what are you?}

[Ah, Lady Amaterasu, I am a Spirit of Knowledge, that should tell you all you need to know.]

{…I see.  Keeno, Pram, this spirit is trustworthy, so feel free to listen to it.}

When I was about to ask Ama what she meant, the spirit spoke again.

[Lady Keeno, I would appreciate it if you didn’t ask questions for things that you don’t need to know.  All I will say is that the one I serve is your ally, even if she cannot interact with you in normal ways.]

“I understand.” (Keeno)

The Spirit of Knowledge flickered like it nodded in thanks.

[Now, I shall get the ball rolling, as the saying goes.  Welcome, Ladies Keeno and Pram, to the Well of Knowledge of this world.  To Lady Keeno, I offer knowledge with no price in thanks for ridding my home of its evil curse.  To Lady Pram, I offer knowledge as well, though hers will require the sacrifice of a flaming feather.]

“How do we go about getting this knowledge?” (Keeno)

[Simply drink the waters below.  Though for Lady Pram, her price must be paid first.]

I turned to Pram while taking out one of Fia’s feathers from my ring and handed it to her.  She took it and walked up to the water in front of us.

“Do I just drop it in?” (Pram)

[Yes, drop it in and take a handful of water.  The knowledge that is bestowed upon you after will be what is most useful for you.]

Pram looked at the feather in her hand hesitantly before closing her eyes and dropping it into the water.  It glowed for a second before looking like it melted into the water.  Pram then cupped her hands and drank some of the water.  She went still for a second before opening her eyes.

“That felt weird.” (Pram)

[Yes, most who gain knowledge through the Well say that.]

Pram stood up and walked back over to me.

“So, what did you learn?” (Keeno)

“How to get my healing magic to turn into Life magic.” (Pram)

{…}

“Um…” (Keeno)

“Don’t say anything, Keeno, I know.” (Pram)

I glanced over at the Spirit.

[It is not a scam.  I said the Well bestows the knowledge most useful to you, not the knowledge that you couldn’t easily obtain through different methods.]

“I see…Well, I might as well see what I learn from the Well.” (Keeno)

I walked up to the well and cupped some water in my hand before drinking it.  Nothing happened for a second before my head got a weird fuzzy feeling while it felt like something was worming itself in.  When I finally understood what I learned, my eyes went wide.

“Seriously!?” (Keeno)

{What did you learn?}

“…Either this world is worse off than we expected, or Death is such a big deal that I’ll need a lot of help…I can make nine Death Apostles.” (Keeno)

{WHAT!!!?  That’s…No, it makes sense.  Yeah, I can see what that is necessary.}

“Explain, Ama.” (Keeno)

{Well, you need someone to watch over the places where you dismantle the Dead Zone.  You can’t do it personally, so setting up a Death Apostle in each of those countries will help manage it.  I don’t know why you get nine when there are only eight Dead Zones, but it is still helpful.}

“Hehehe.” (Keeno)

“Why are you laughing?” (Pram)

“Well, Death Apostle is a mouthful and, in my opinion, not very cool sounding, so instead of calling them Death Apostles, I’m going to call them Valkyries.” (Keeno)

{I like it.  Makes it sound special.}

[Eh?  My Goddess, are you sure?  That goes…Permission from Him…I understand.  Lady Keeno, my Goddess has granted permission for you to learn additional knowledge, though you must take a Trial to gain it.]

“What kind of Trial?” (Keeno)

[I do not know.  It is different for everyone whose price is a Trial.  There are infinite possibilities of what it could be.]

{Keeno…}

“Are you getting that bad feeling again?” (Keeno)

{Yeah.  But this time the feeling that you need to do this is also very present.}

“…” (Keeno)

“Remember, Keeno, Amaterasu isn’t the only one here for you.  You also have Huginn, Muninn, and me.  We may not be able to do as much until next Solar Convergence, but we’re here all the same.” (Pram)

I smiled at Pram, whose words put me at ease.

“Ama, I think I’m going to take this Trial.  If whatever happens messes me up mentally, then I want you to trust Pram and the others to take care of me until I see you again.  Can you do that?” (Keeno)

{Anything for you, Keeno.}

“Alright.  Just do the same thing?” (Keeno)

[Yes.  I wish you good luck.]

I cupped some water in my hand again and drank it.  Like before nothing happened for a few seconds and then, my vision went black.

Chaos Realm:

Order: Well, that’s enough interference from us, right?

Yep.  Now we can just sit back and watch.  And mess around when Amaterasu and Keeno show up here again.

Atmos: Um, did you happen to put a Well of Knowledge in our world as well?

Order: I can if you want and Payto allows it.

I don’t mind.  It may lead to some interesting things.

Atmos: Then, I have an idea for it, but it needs Luna and Tamamo’s assistance.

Order: Sounds fun, tell me the plan and we can propose it to them when they show up again.

Atmos: Hehehe.

Am I allowed to join in?

Atmos: Of course, the more the merrier.