#233. Spirit Island (1)
—
Rarely did Ray find himself flustered.
“Dear, that person isn’t saying anything.”
“It must have been a huge shock that his shoe got ruined. He said he wanted compensation… this is troublesome.”
“The fox is talking.”
“Oh, he’s speaking again.”
“Human, I once again offer my sincerest apologies for the front of your shoe that was thoroughly chewed.”
Ray realized something important.
What he was feeling wasn’t embarrassment — it was sheer absurdity.
Silence fell again, and the fox couple exchanged glances.
“Isn’t this the right way? If I recall correctly, this is how humans traditionally apologize.”
“I think so too. Maybe the problem is in our choice of words?”
Ray dismissed the summoned jewel and let go of the fox cub he had been holding.
The little one circled around his legs, letting out pitiful cries as if begging to absorb more mana.
*Yip! Yip! Whine! Whimper!*
“……”
Ray picked the cub up again and gently cupped its muzzle in his hand before resuming the conversation with the fox couple.
“How are you able to speak?”
“Speak? Oh, to borrow human terminology, you must move the muzzle you are now holding.”
…That wasn’t what he meant.
For some reason, Ray had a hunch that talking with these two would take a while.
“Are you spirits as well?”
“If by spirit you mean beings who accumulate mana within themselves to reach higher stages of existence, then yes.”
As if to support their claim, the fox couple’s bodies shimmered faintly with orange mana.
“By the way, pardon me, but are you really human?”
“Probably.”
At Ray’s response, the fox couple murmured seriously between themselves.
“Dear, he say he is human. If memory serves, humans are quite a greedy species.”
“But this one doesn’t seem greedy at all. He mentioned compensation, but that’s only because of what our child did.”
“I don’t need compensation.”
At Ray’s interjection, the fox couple turned to him.
“You mean you truly don’t require compensation?”
“I don’t need it. I just said it without much thought. They’re expensive shoes, but they’re still perfectly usable.”
“You truly have a kind heart!”
The fox couple wagged their tails and moved closer to him.
“What are your names?”
“Our names? Ah, but first—”
The fox, seemingly the husband, stared intently at the cub in Ray’s arms.
A heavy silence fell, and Ray could tell they were somehow communicating.
*Growl…!*
The fox cub, who had looked like it might rebel, soon drooped its ears and slipped down from Ray’s arms, returning meekly to its parents’ side.
Then, lowering its nose to the ground, it gazed up at Ray.
“Would you accept our child’s apology?”
“I will.”
As soon as Ray spoke, the cub eagerly circled around his feet.
Watching it, Ray asked the husband fox,
“You just communicated with it, didn’t you? Not through words — some other method.”
“Oh, you know a little about how spirits communicate?”
“Not exactly. Just had a feeling.”
“You have sharp instincts.”
Nodding, the husband fox explained in a calm voice.
He said he had sent a direct image into the cub’s mind — the image of bowing its head to apologize.
“Directly into the mind?”
“Yes. That way, there’s no need to use spoken words to convey intentions.”
“That’s possible?”
“I believe humans and other races don’t use such methods. Judging by your reaction, I assume that’s correct.”
The wife fox added,
“If you don’t know much about spirits, it might feel a bit strange.”
“Do only you two communicate this way, or do all spirits?”
“From what I know, it’s common among spirits.”
Ray’s curiosity deepened.
Even Gwendel hadn’t mentioned anything about this form of communication among spirits.
The husband fox continued,
“And about the question of names earlier — we cannot give you an answer.”
“Why not?”
“We have no need to assign names. If we wish to refer to something, we simply picture it and transmit that image.”
“So you don’t have names?”
“That’s right. Unless someone insists on giving us one.”
The fox couple, full of curiosity, came closer and sniffed Ray.
“Fascinating. So this is what clothes are — as passed down in memory. That bundle of leather must be a bag. Hmm? There’s a delicious smell coming from it… may I take a peek?”
“This is actually my first time seeing a human in person. I thought only spirits were allowed to enter this island. How did you get here?”
It was Ray’s first time seeing talking foxes, too.
He explained,
“I’m currently contracted with Laqria.”
“Laqria?”
“A spirit.”
“In that case, when you crossed the island’s barrier, you might have been recognized as part of a spirit — as a single being. Details, however, would be better explained by the Blue Horn. Ah, that’s the name expressed in human terms for easier understanding.”
“Blue Horn?”
The husband fox answered.
“The master of this island. The strongest spirit here, and the only one capable of traveling between the island and the outside world.”
“I see.”
Judging by what the foxes said, it seemed that quite a few spirits lived on this island.
“About that compensation earlier.”
“Yes, we still feel terribly sorry.”
“Instead of compensation, could you guide me around the island?”
“Ah! That’s easy. We’d be delighted, actually. It would give us a chance to satisfy our curiosity about humans.”
Thus, Ray hired himself some local guides and packed up his belongings, including his sketchbook.
Before entering the forest—
“……”
He recalled one of the most important reasons he had come to the island: to observe the sky above the black clouds.
“Aren’t you coming?”
“Just a moment.”
Ray looked up and around — and felt his breath catch.
The sky was perfectly clear, not a single cloud in sight.
The endlessly stretching blue sea was so deep and vast it felt like he could drown in it.
And yet, something felt… wrong.
There was a dimness to the sky he couldn’t ignore.
‘The sunlight feels weak.’
Glancing around, he spotted a small white dot above the blue sea.
The sun was indeed shining.
But its intensity was alarmingly low.
It was faint, muted — as though it was being constrained, unable to unleash its true power.
…The exact reason was unclear.
‘And they said there should be a rainbow in the sky.’
Turning his head, he scanned the entire sky, but found no rainbow.
That was when his gaze froze on one spot.
Far away, above the black clouds.
There, a half-formed ring floated.
Although it lacked a physical presence, it asserted itself clearly — no mana from the atmosphere could encroach upon it.
It was like seeing a transparent rainbow.
“Are you searching for something in the sky?”
“…Over there, at the edge of the clouds.”
“Ah, the cloud’s edge.”
“Wasn’t there originally something there?”
“I wouldn’t know. It’s just empty sky. I’ve never heard of anything being there… though maybe the older spirits might know something.”
Ray gazed wordlessly at the cloud’s edge and then gave a small nod.
*
*
*
Following the foxes’ guidance, Ray entered the forest.
The surrounding plants continuously shifted between mana and their original forms, and numerous spirits, large and small, bustled about.
He could feel their intense curiosity, but… perhaps out of caution, none approached him directly.
‘Given the island’s size and the distribution here, there must be close to a thousand spirits.’
Ray thought this as he spoke to the husband fox.
“Are you two the only ones who can speak?”
“Yes, we’re the only ones. It’s the result of much blood, sweat, and tears, drawing from the knowledge stored in our memories. We’re simply very curious spirits. Others mocked us for it, saying it was a pointless struggle — but because of it, we’re now able to converse with you, human.”
“I’m not ‘human’, I’m Ray.”
“Ah, I remember that humans each have names. Then I shall call you Ray.”
“I should probably give you names too. It’ll be easier.”
“Would you prefer that? You may call us whatever you wish.”
Around the husband fox’s eyes were dark markings that resembled glasses.
An old name came to Ray’s mind, and he murmured it unconsciously.
“…Philip.”
“A human-style name! It sounds wonderfully scholarly. I love it.”
He hadn’t really meant to officially name him, but seeing how delighted the fox was, Ray missed the chance to correct it.
“Could you give me a human name too?”
“……”
Going along with it, Ray named the calm wife fox **Ayla** and the lively cub **Ain**.
‘Not like these fox spirits will ever meet the kids back at the mansion.’
As he thought that, Ayla spoke up.
“But it’s strange. Our child is never usually this well-behaved. Normally, he’d be darting everywhere in search of delicious mana. But now, he’s clinging to you.”
“……”
Ray knew the reason.
It was because of the two jewels he had left inactive near the circle.
Maybe because of the distance, the fox couple didn’t realize that Ray had fed their cub mana from the jewels.
‘No need to bring it up.’
Ray recalled Gwendel’s words.
*”Spirits are beings who yearn to accumulate mana within themselves to grow stronger. Regardless of their original species, that longing is instinctive and lifelong. That’s also why they contract with circle-bearing mages — atmospheric mana is low-quality and limited, whereas circles can offer much more. Of course, due to their picky nature, they don’t choose just any mage.”*
Even Gwendel didn’t know exactly why spirits sought strength.
It was simply instinct.
‘This forest’s mana is good quality, but…’
Compared to the mana from his jewels, it was far too lacking.
Activating the jewels and drawing attention would only be trouble.
Ray asked another question.
“Is there any place like this on the island?”
“Like what?”
“Somewhere with engraved stone tablets. Or maybe walls covered in drawings.”
“Not that I remember. But I have heard there’s a place only the Blue Horn can enter.”
“The Blue Horn… the island’s master, right?”
“That’s right.”
As they chatted, they ventured deeper into the forest.
The concentration of mana grew richer — but the presence of spirits sharply decreased.
Looking at the claw marks carved into a tree, Ray commented,
“The closer we get to the center, the richer the mana becomes.”
“Exactly. Sharp observation.”
“It seems the strong spirits have occupied the inner area completely, preventing the weaker ones from entering freely.”
“You’ve figured out that much? Your mind is as quick as a fox’s.”
The male fox explained.
Currently, the island’s interior was divided among three factions, and the leaders of each were wholly focused on absorbing mana to strengthen themselves in preparation for the upcoming duel.
“Everyone is desperate to secure high-quality mana. The spirits of the weaker factions are left watching from the sidelines, unable to even approach. Ah, of course, we foxes are an exception. We are free to come and go anywhere. Our race holds a very special position as mediators of the island.”
The male fox added further.
The duel was an annual event to determine the strongest being on the island, and the victor would earn the right to challenge the Blue Horn.
“However, no spirit has ever defeated the Blue Horn.”
A thick excitement and curiosity surged within the boy’s chest.
“By any chance, is the Blue Horn a species of─?”
At that moment, the two gemstones beside the circle resonated with the boy’s emotions.
A brilliant yellow light and a green light.
Mana of the two colors burst forth, flashing from the boy’s body.
──────!
His vision flickered in a flood of light.
Gu-gu-gu-gu-gu──!
Countless heated footsteps shook the forest as they rushed closer.
Birds flapped into the sky, and trees shuddered, their branches and leaves trembling.
The boy instinctively knew.
That the entire island’s attention was now fixed on him.
