The cave's shadows danced as the fire crackled, casting golden light across the stone walls. Outside, the storm still howled, but here, within the hollow silence, they were safe. For now.
Shin sat near the fire, his back against the rough stone. The others rested.
Tessara is already asleep, her breath shallow but peaceful. Zera sat cross-legged nearby, her blade resting across her lap, silent as always. Laverna lingered near the entrance, arms folded, watching the snow drift beyond the cave's mouth.
But Shin's eyes weren't on them. They stared into the flame, unseeing, lost in memory.
A flash of sunlight. The smell of incense. The laughter of children chasing one another around the shrine pillars.
The Soma Clan had once been a thriving haven, hidden among the sacred peaks of Tsukihana. Worshippers of balance, guardians of the duality between sun and moon. Their teachings had been passed from elder to child, generation to generation. They lived in harmony with the celestial rhythm, never seeking power, only peace.
And then Hi Okami had come.
They had come bearing light, promises of divine favor and celestial enlightenment. The clan welcomed him, believing their presence a sign of their gods' blessing.
But the light grew too bright.
It burned their scrolls, blinded their wisdom, and turned brother against sister.
The Hi Okami didn't come as a savior.
They came as a herald. A pawn of something darker.
Falzath.
The corruption spread like ink through clean water. And when Shin was still a child, the Soma Clan was extinguished. Their temples fell. Their balance shattered.
Only Shin had survived.
"Shin."
Zera's voice broke the silence.
He blinked, his hand clenching unconsciously. The flames danced higher for a moment.
Zera studied him. "You were remembering."
He didn't deny it. "They were good people."
"The Soma Clan." Zera nodded. "Your bloodline."
He tilted his head, curious. "You knew?"
"I pieced it together. The way your crest reacted when you fought. The way the light doesn't consume you. It answers to you. Only those born under the Twin Celestials could wield it like that."
Laverna turned, stepping closer. "The Soma Clan... you've never spoken of them."
"There's little left to speak of," Shin said. "Only ashes."
Zera shook her head. "No. There's something more."
She unfastened her chest plate and let it fall to the side, her fingers trembling slightly. As the firelight danced across her skin, she pulled back her tunic just enough to reveal the curve of her chest—where the Servant Crest burned bright, etched over her heart. It shimmered in the shape of a dragon, alive with quiet power.
"You gave us more than just power," Zera said. "You gave us a part of yourself."
Shin frowned. "I never force anything on people, let alone bearing the crest."
"I know," Zera replied. "But there's something you don't understand. Or perhaps, you do… and you're hiding it."
He looked up.
"The Soul of Devotion spell, Anima Devotionis," Zera continued, "is a Soma spell. A covenant spell—ancient and binding. It's not just a power-sharing pact. It's a bond. Deeper than loyalty. Deeper than blood."
Shin's silence was answer enough.
"It's a marriage spell," Zera said softly. "Or something close to it. A vow. The Servant offers themselves, their soul, to the Master. In return, the Master opens their core, offering protection, strength, and connection. Lifelong. Eternal."
Laverna's eyes widened.
Tessara stirred but did not wake.
"I never wanted to force that on anyone," Shin said quietly. "I only used it to protect you."
"And you did," Zera replied. "But it's important you know what it means. For us. We didn't accept your power out of desperation. We chose you."
A silence settled over them.
Laverna stepped forward, her fingers brushing the edge of her clothes. She exhaled deeply.
"I felt it," she said. "When you saved me from the brink. When you dragged me out of that pit. Not just your hand… but your heart."
Her voice faltered for a moment.
"I hated that we were the last. The only Kitsune left. I hated that fate took everything from us, leaving us clinging to nothing but pain and vengeance. I thought we were cursed. Doomed to wander alone."
Her eyes locked with his.
"But then… I found you. And I hated you, too. For being so calm. For carrying all that pain so quietly. For not falling apart when I wanted you to."
She stepped closer, her crest beginning to glow, her walls that she put up for the longest time crumbled with every step she made.
"But somewhere along the way, I started loving you instead."
Shin stood still.
"I don't know when it happened. Maybe when you shielded me with your body. Maybe when you said nothing but stayed. Maybe when you bled beside me and didn't let go."
She reached up, cupping his face with both hands.
"It doesn't matter when. Only that it's real. And I'm tired of hiding it."
Her lips crashed against his. Fierce. Vulnerable. Real.
His hands found her waist. Her crest flared to life.
Fire burst outward, mixing with sparks of electricity. The wind outside howled louder as if echoing her pulse.
When they pulled apart, her breath trembled, but her stance did not.
"I accept it," Laverna whispered. "This bond. This vow. I'm yours. Not because I'm weak, but because I'm strong enough to stand with you."
Shin blinked, surprised. He hadn't expected his kiss to have such an effect.
Zera, watching him carefully, stepped forward. "It's not just the kiss," she said. "It's something more."
His brow furrowed. "I never forced the crest," Shin said firmly. "It answers only those willing."
He looked down at his left hand. The seal etched there had changed—morphed subtly. He could feel it now, pulsing with quiet warmth, as if the very essence of their souls brushed against his skin.
Shin said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes. His crest shimmered in response, pulsing gently with hers.
Zera stepped forward next, kneeling.
"You didn't just save me," she said. "You reminded me what honor looks like. I offer my blade, my will, and my strength. Until the end."
Tessara stirred again, this time waking. Her voice was a sleepy murmur.
"I was already yours, Shin… since the day I saw you walk through flames for a stranger."
She reached out, and Laverna helped her up.
"I'm not strong," Tessara said. "But I want to be. And if being yours makes me stronger, then I'll never run from that bond."
Their crests flared—each unique. Fire. Wind. Moonlight. Steel.
Shin fell to one knee, not from weakness, but from the overwhelming weight of their conviction.
Power surged through him—bright and wild. His own energy fracturing, splitting, flowing into each of them.
Zera gasped as her blade shimmered, crackling with new energy. Tessara's illusions danced sharper, her body steadier. Laverna's aura roared with renewed fury, lightning sparking in her hair, fire coiling at her fingertips.
Shin looked up at them.
"I won't always have the strength to protect you all," he said. "But I will never stop trying."
Zera placed a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to protect us anymore," she said. "Not alone."
Laverna knelt beside him.
"We walk with you. Not behind."
Tessara joined, their crests glowing in unison.
The storm outside stilled.
A hush fell over the cave. The kind of silence that marked a vow heard by gods and monsters alike.
The kind of silence that followed a choice made without hesitation.
Together, they faced the future.
Together, they defied fate.
United not by obligation, but by love, loyalty, and the fire of shared purpose.
The oath had been spoken.
The Servant's Oath.
And it would not break.