Chapter Text
Maika didn’t know what to do with her life now.
Her father was dead. The federation was mostly taken down. The cumea were all rounded up and killed, even the novices. The old gods were mostly sealed. Zinn slept most of the time. Scratch that, the father-fucker slept almost all the time.
So what does she do now?
She didn’t have anywhere to go.
Besides, the little fox needed stability. Kippa’s 3rd tail had come in, and her parents were almost certainly dead. Meaning Maika had to take care of the little fox.
Not that Maika was complaining, she was attached to Kippa now.
The borders of the continent had been opened up. Turns out… the world was much larger than she expected.
Apparently, the outside world was both more and much less advanced than the world she was used to. And they didn’t have arcanics. At all.
A world of safety, or at least safer than the years of war that had ravaged the continent, would be better for the little fox.
The closest outside land was a place called… ‘Japan’. And honestly? Maika was tired. The place seemed… safe. Sure, if they went, she’d need to hide Kippa’s tails, and Ren wouldn’t be able to talk, but it was likely safer than waiting for the dusk or dawn court to snatch her up.
She’d rather not have to talk to her aunt. Or Tuya again. If Tuya were even alive, Maika would kill her on sight. Fucking bitch.
Zinn would probably wake up for the first time in goddess knows how long just to kill her.
The bitch betrayed Maika while they were on the verge of having sex, just to give her to the dusk court as an experiment, who had the gall to apparently panic when her body basically revolted, despite not having a soul currently occupying it.
But that was in the past.
Years ago.
Corvin booked the boat ride. Maika just had to ask. Two years ago, she’d never ask anyone for help. But 4 years of war had taught her patience.
“… little fox?”
Kippa looked up. “Yes, Miss?”
“You know how the borders have opened up?”
“Yes, miss. The outside world seems so much bigger than we thought.”
“How would you feel about traveling? I’d take care of you, obviously.”
“… would Mr. Ren come too?”
Maika sighed at the mention of the cat. “Yes. He would.”
“… and it would be safer than here?”
“Probably. No war. Or at least none that we’re in the center of. I get it if you don’t want to go-“
“I want to go!”
Maika blinked, then nodded, walking over to where the little fox was tinkering with something, and rubbed Kippa’s hair with her remaining hand.
It took about a week to get proper documentation, which was apparently fast by outside world standards.
Kippa didn’t like the idea of hiding her tails, but also didn’t want to be hunted down for the lilium in her blood in case they ran into any remnants of the Cumea.
Ren agreed to act like a normal cat. Walk on all fours, not talking any human language, no necromancy.
The departure was quiet. Corvin, Old Tooth, and Seizi saw her, Kippa, and Ren off. It wasn’t big. There wasn’t a celebration or a farewell ceremony. Just a few tight hugs, provisions for the journey, and quiet goodbyes.
Maika wasn’t complaining in the slightest. The quiet was nice after the years of chaos. She said goodbye to Corvin, hugged her goddess-father, and sighed fondly as Old Tooth made Kippa promise to keep swimming.
Hopefully... things would be better from now on.
Living in a world full of humans and not being hostile towards them, after all the shit they put her through, would be... a challenge.
But she'd figure it out.
She always did.
Elsewhere, a certain black-haired detective with emerald eyes paused.
"Ranpo-san?" His white-haired subordinate asked.
The detective looked at the article in the news. The photo. A girl, early 20s, had apparently singlehandedly broken down the barriers of the so-called 'forbidden continent' from the inside.
"Nothing, Atsushi-kun. I just have a feeling things are going to get very... interesting, soon."