The silence in the Spirit Court was absolute.
Lord Haku looked like he was about to vomit his own soul. He fell to his knees on the black stone. The other Yokai Elders quickly followed, pressing their foreheads to the ground in sheer terror.
They had just tried to crush the Warlord's heir. In Yokai culture, that was an unforgivable death sentence.
"My Lord Warlord," the Grand Arbiter boomed slowly. "The ritual was flawed. The Elders were blind. We did not know she carried the divine spark."
Akira did not even look at the giant deity. He just pulled his heavy black wool cloak tighter around my shoulders. He lifted me effortlessly into his arms, holding me flush against his armored chest.
"If you ever summon my wife again," Akira said. His voice was not a roar. It was a deadly, vibrating whisper that chilled the entire pavilion. "I will shatter this realm until there is nothing left but dust. You have lost your right to test her."
He turned his back on the Ancestors.
