He felt cold tendrils slither across his skin before the plunge into his chest! Ryo could feel them wriggle and squirm under his skin as they spread out across his body. Biting on the stick even hard, tears instantly filled his eyes. His body spasmed and twitched uncontrollably, as the tendrils made their way through him. Every muscle they touched seemed to lock up, causing an intense amount of pain. 

Trying not to lose himself to the pain, Ryo kept reminding himself the reason he was here. This pain is temporary, endure it! He screamed to himself as his body writhed in pain. Ryo’s mind felt like it was cracking under pressure from the pain. Just as he was on the brink of going unconscious, the pain finally stopped.

Sluggishly, he opened his eyes and watched as the mistress removed her hands from his chest. She turned around without saying a word and walked over to the desk. Sitting down, she began furiously writing on a scroll. Ryo tried to move his body, but it just wouldn’t respond. It took him several minutes, just to gather the strength to move his fingers. 

After some time, he could finally sit up on the table. The mistress was still frantically writing at her desk. Ryo’s body was shaking as he struggled to keep himself from upright. As if hearing his movement’s the mistress put down her quill and turned to him. 

“I couldn’t learn anything  new about it.” She lamented, slouching her shoulders. 

“So, I guess we should move to the second step.” She huffed, standing and walking over to the shelves beside the desk. 

“Lucky for you, this method requires you to enter a deep meditative state.” The mistress said, picking up a vial.

“So no pain.”  She emphasized as she turned around and walked over to him. 

“I can guide you through some of it, but it will ultimately be up to you.” She told him, as her eyes exclaimed his body. 

“O-okay.” He mumbled, his body still shaking from before. 

“If that doesn’t work, we can try a combined method.” She stated. 

“Any way this should help you.” She said, handing him the vial. 

“Thank you, mistress.” He replied, taking it from her.

“Just drink this and relax on the table, then meditate like you usually do.” She instructed, gesturing to drink it. 

“Yes, mistress.” He answered, nodding. 

Looking down at the vial, it wasn’t any bigger than his index finger and was filled with a golden green liquid. Ryo pulled the stopper of the vial and brought it up to his face. He was just about to drink it when a powerful scent smashed into him. It had a putrid earthy smell that caused him to recoil from it. 

“Haha! Regardless of the smell it is very effective.” She laughed at him. 

Holding his breath, he quickly brought the vial up to his lips and tried to gulp it down in one go. Unfortunately for him, the liquid had the consistency of honey, which made drinking a slow and disgusting process. Once the vial was empty, he noticed that his lips puckered. The inside of his mouth felt all tingly as his cheeks stuck to his teeth. The mistress must have seen his concern on his face, because she spoke up and told him.

“Ahh, you are already feeling the effects. It should go away once you wake up.” She

He was about to reply, but found he was growing increasingly more tired. Instead, Ryo nodded his head and laid down on the table, before entering a meditative state. Soon the world around him slowed down, and his body became weightless. The corners of his vision became blurry as he closed his eyes. A sensation of euphoria washed over him, warming his body. It was like someone had wrapped him up in a safe, cozy blanket. Everything felt as if it was in place as if...

***

Opening his eyes, Ryo found himself on a dirt path in the middle of the woods. The sun was high above him and he could feel the warmth of it on his skin. He could see a flock of birds flying nearby, dancing in the air. As the sound of insects and animals resounded throughout the forest, which surprised him. It had been such a long time since he had heard the sounds of nature; he had almost forgotten about it. 

“Where am I?” Ryo mumbled to himself. 

“Oh, it’s you again?” He heard a gruff voice say. 

Spinning around, Ryo saw a portly man sitting down on a stone bench, next to a rosebush. From the looks of him, he was an older human, with beady blue eyes and grayish hair. He had on tan baggy pants, with a crimson sweater, with a white undershirt. Although simple in design, he could tell they were well made and tailored to fit the old man. 

When he looked at the old man, a feeling of familiarity hit him. But try as he may, Ryo couldn’t seem to figure out where he had seen this man before. The answer always felt like it was right there in front of him.

“No use standing there, come on over and sit down. Let’s hurry this up before my wife calls for me.” The old man grumbled, motioning for Ryo to sit beside him. 

“Who are you? Where am I?” Ryo asked, unwilling to move. 

“Don’t you remember? I found you on this very trail passed out on the ground. Then you just disappeared into thin air.” 

“I...don’t,”  Ryo hesitated, not sure what the old man was talking about. 

He was about to tell the old man, he must be mistaken. But decided it best not to, just in case the old man was crazy. Ryo didn’t want to say something that could make him angry or upset. He still needed to figure out where he was, and what was happening. If he offended this man, he wouldn’t be able to figure out what was going on. 

“remember that.” He finished saying. 

“Are you like some kind of weird looking angel or something?” The man asked, crossing his hands over his chest. 

“Huh? What’s an angel?” Ryo asked, not sure what the word meant. 

“Angels! Pearly gates! Saint Peter!” The man shouted, seemingly upset with Ryo’s answer. 

“I do not understand what you're talking about.” Ryo responded, taking a small step back from the old man. 

“Really?” The man asked in disbelief. 

“Yes.” Ryo nodded, not sure what to say. 

“Then why do you look like that?” The man asked, pointing at his head.

“What do you mean?” Ryo wondered, thinking this was maybe another crazed rant by the old man. 

“Why do you have a tail and ears? You look like a damned fox.” The old man huffed. 

“What are you tal…” Ryo replied, as he reached up and touched his ears. 

“How is this...possible?” He mumbled in shock as he kept feeling his ears. 

Ryo was in a state of shock as he continued to bend and pinch his ears. Although sometimes painful, he just couldn’t fully accept that they were there. For years his body played tricks on him, making him believe they were still there. Yet, now he could feel them! Turning around, he found his tail was there! Tears welled up in his eyes as he reached out and gently touched it. 

It had taken him so long to get used to moving without it, and he still had trouble with balance to this day. Ryo was in a state of disbelief, as he tried to make sense of everything that was happening. 

“What’s happening?” He asked, turning back towards the old man. 

“How the hell should I know?! Who and what are you? And why have you been bothering me?” The man shot back, his face turning red. 

“I am...Bothering you?” Ryo replied, confused. 

“Yes, you are bothering me. Don’t you remember? We've met before.” The old man claimed. 

“We have?” He asked, as he scanned his memory. 

“A while ago, I found you passed out here on the trail. Don’t you remember?” The old man asked. 

Ryo struggled and pushed himself to try to remember what the old man was saying. Like before, he felt like there was an answer right in front of him. He just needed to grab it! Then something popped into his mind and flooded it with the events of the dream. Just like that, most of what the man was talking about made sense. This was a dream he had a long time ago!

But is this a dream? Was it possible to dream of a person you’ve never seen before? Or a place you’ve never been to? Ryo thought to himself, as he looked closely at the old man. From all the dreams he had, they were of people and places he had seen and been. Something deep down told him this wasn’t one, but how could he believe that? What other explanation was their other than a dream? The last thing Ryo could remember was laying down on the table, and then he just appeared here. 

“I...remember” Ryo mumbled, as he chewed on his bottom lip. 

“Took you long enough, you aren't the brightest, are you?” The old man grumbled, furrowing his brow. 

“What?” Ryo asked, not sure how to answer the old man. 

“Anyway, since you're no angel, then stop bothering me.” The old man sternly stated.

“I-i’m sorry, sir.” Ryo stuttered, again not sure what to say. 

“Don’t call me sir, my name is Floyd.” Floyd snapped back.

“I-uh...” Ryo stuttered. 

“Sigh” Floyd let out a long exaggerated sigh. 

“What is your name, kid?” Floyd asked. 

“U-uh my name is Ryo.” He answered, giving the old man a smile. 

“Well Ryo, can you tell me who you are and why you’re here?” The old man asked, again motioning him to take a set beside him. 

“O-okay…” He answered, walking up to the stone bench and sitting down. 

If this was a dream he had nothing to lose, and if it wasn’t then, he had no idea. Either way, he seemed to be stuck here, and might as well try to figure out what was going on. Ryo talked a little about himself, before telling him how he was studying magic. How his teacher was also a mage and his current owner. He explained what the mistress had told him, what she found in his soul. And now they were supposed to be conducting an experiment to figure that out, but he ended up here. 

“Is everything all right, Si-Floyd?” He asked, correcting himself. 

“I...uh...Yeah, just a lot to take in at first.” Floyd nodded, Ryo could see the concern on the old man’s face. 

“C-can you tell me a little more about yourself?” Floyd asked him.

“Ummm...o-okay.” Ryo replied, not sure what else he should say. 

Ryo thought for a second about what he should say and decided to be a little more cautious around the old man. Even if this was a dream he had just met this man, and should just tell him everything. Thinking carefully, he told him about his life on the kitsune island, and then him becoming a slave. He intentionally left out the fact the elders had sold him off because they thought he was a demon. 

He talked about when he met Robert, and how they sailed across the   ocean. Explaining how his current master had obtained them, and how he was learning magic from her. Ryo also decided to leave out how he, Robert, and Beth were planning to escape. He tried his best to keep things vague, just in case. 

“Is there anything else you want to know?” Ryo asked, not sure what else there was to say. 

“Uh-no, no, I don’t think that's necessary. I got the gist of it.” Floyd said, shaking his head. 

“The universe really is a crazy place.”  Floyd sighed, before looking up to the sky. 

“Universe?” Ryo inquired, puzzled by the word. 

“Uh-yeah, it’s like….” Floyd hesitated before clearing his throat. “Ahem!”

“Ryo, I’ll be honest with you. I don’t think you should tell that lady anything you saw or heard here.” Floyd remarked, giving him a serious look. 

“Why?” Ryo asked. 

“She sounds like bad juju to me, you guys need to get the hell out of there.” Floyd said, resting his hands on his stomach. 

“You gotta escape, and soon.” Floyd insisted.

“B-but, she will ask what I experienced.” Ryo mumbled, looking down at the ground in front of him. 

“Yeah, I know. But you have to lie to her, because if she finds out about me, do you think she will never let you go?” Floyd asked him. 

“Ryo, you escaping and living a long healthy life, is now my top goal. If you get trapped here or killed, that’s probably the end for me.” Floyd stated.

“What? Why?” Ryo asked, looking back to the old man. 

“Well, it’s impossible to be confident in anything, especially after what I’ve heard today. But let’s just say I think we linked together.” Floyd explained as he rubbed his chin. 

“Ryo, I know you don’t trust me and that’s fine. I wouldn’t expect you to considering the situation.” Floyd commented, scratching his head. 

Ryo knew what Floyd was saying was probably true. If he told the mistress, she probably wouldn’t let him leave. She would probably lock him up and take this chance to study him more. It would be impossible for the three of them to escape then. But what would he say then? 

“I’m worried about telling you what I think is going on, so we will have to wait until you escape.” Floyd said, getting up from the bench. 

“W-why?” Ryo asked. 

“I think it best for you not to know until you escape. After your safe and sound, we can have a little talk about what I think is happening. You just gotta trust me for now, Ryo.” Floyd explained, as he paced. 

“O-okay.” Ryo answered, slowly nodding. 

“I will try to help you if I can in the meantime, but it’s probably best to keep our visits short.” Floyd proposed. 

“D-do you know anything about magic?” Ryo asked nervously. 

As the conversation with the old man dragged on, Ryo had a growing feeling that this wasn’t a dream. He had never had a dream where he could have a conversation like this. Most of his dreams were like watching a play. If Floyd was the thing attached to his soul, then he needed to take this chance to gain power. One of the primary reasons he had agreed to the experiment was to get stronger. If he could gain something from this, then he could use that to help Robert and Beth escape. 

“Magic? I know some card tricks.” Floyd answered, stopping to look at him.

“Card tricks?” Ryo asked, not understanding what he meant by that. 

“I don’t know any actual magic like you use. But I’m good at building and designing things. I’ve spent the last sixty years doing that, so I have some confidence in my abilities.” Floyd said proudly, puffing up his chest.  

“O-oh okay.” Ryo answered disappointedly. 

“Hey! Just because I don’t know any magic, doesn’t mean I can’t help! I have a lot of knowledge on several different things.” Floyd retorted, giving Ryo a sour look. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude.” Ryo apologized, bowing his head. 

“It’s fine.” Floyd grumbled. 

“Anyway, I think it’s time for you to go. My wife is cooking dinner and I don’t want to be late for it.” Floyd stated.

“Uh-how do we meet again?” Ryo asked, standing up from the bench. 

“Hell if I know you're the one who knows magic.” Floyd shrugged, turning around. 

“Well, I…” Ryo called out, before everything turned into a blur. 

***