Ch.01 The Vessel

A quiet buzz slowly fades from recognition and a loud reality quickly comes into view when a roar of a voice bursts Ohta's eardrums.

"Stay back!"

"Don't come any closer!"

Slowly, feeling the dread creep up along his spine he wills his eyes to open– despite how heavy they felt at that moment. Clear blue crystal-like eyes open and a view of a field clearing reaches them. It looks dull in the way the sun was setting in the background with smoke filling the air. His mouth felt like cotton from the stale air, and it smelled like ash and death combined.

A warm embrace allows Ohta to close his eyes again… he settles in it to try to run from the reality of the world. The embrace felt like home despite the hand that was holding his head felt like a corpse, ice-cold…scaly.

A fierce snarl rips through the one holding him as if he was a dog and someone was approaching his territory. The home he was relishing in is then ripped from him when the man in front of him caresses his cheek with a cold hand and pulls him in front of his body to face him. Green glowing eyes meet his.

"Ohta, you need to run back to the Mosswood forest."

Mosswood forest…the place he was confined in for comfort in his loneliest days.

The man's skin seemed too pale and paper-thin for comfort but the radiance of its smooth beauty made him unable to take his eyes away. Ohta was almost completely undone by the sight of the man in front of him, his outer robe was undone dark green with an intricate brown flowering pattern that lined it, and he wore dark clothing underneath that amplified his toned body figure.

Ohta took a good look at the man in front of him like it was going to be the last time for a long time. His short dark brown hair was matted in the front most likely from sweat.

"Traitor! How dare you protect that murder!" Somewhere in the distance along the tree line footsteps are nearing and new yells and screams are resounding in the air.

A serpent with a brand on its forehead rushes past Ohta and his partner. Blood then fills the air and it becomes hot, the air was burning his lungs a fire must've been set ablaze. The assailants who were approaching them started to rush and footsteps are now louder and more with purpose.

"Destroy him! He must atone for his sins!!!"

"He's killed thousands of innocents!"

The resentment of the people breaks Ohta from his blurred mind.

"Stay safe. Don't listen to them" A quiet and soft voice reaches his ears, along with a swaying of wind that passes through his hair. His ribbon that binds his long reddish-brown hair is gone along with the comfort of his companion.

A back comes in front of him protecting him from the screams and scorn of his people. The serpent is tearing through bodies, rising them high like an offering to the gods.

"I'll take care of them" The man in front of him then reassures him by unsheathing his sword, ready for the fight ahead.

Ohta can't take the ferocity of the eyes of his people, the way they scream at the top of their lungs like it would pierce his soul and destroy it. They remind him of the home he was forced to leave, the family who looked at him with the same ferocious snide of hatred. It burns him. He wants to run away and hide, he can't listen to these cursed screams that are thrown at him. Placing his hands over his ears he tries to block out the screams, why isn't it working? He swipes his hand to the top of his head… oh.

The stress of everything that has happened today brought forth this animal spirit causing two feline ears to protrude out of his head. That explains why he could still hear the hatred and threats coming his way. Straying from side to side, he hears the people claim his death.

"I'm not a murder."

"I've never killed anyone.." 'Why does everyone claim I did' Covering his ears is useless with only two hands, pleading his case to these crazed people is even more difficult. Ohta doesn't know if it was because of the stress or anxiety of the moment but his eyes are so out of focus and dazed, and his mind seems distant like he's not in his body anymore.

" It wasn't me!" 'Was it?'

"It wasn't…" 'how can I be sure I didn't kill those innocents'

"It-"

Laughter bubbles up in his throat and his eyes glow violently blue. The ferocity of his glare is something that the people haven't seen in a long time, some even flinch away in shock. The look of a tyrant that was scary enough to make people submit in an instant.

"I killed them!" All those filthy people who stood in my way to becoming a ruler, who cared if they died. "They all deserved it!" This upsurge is just another obstacle to becoming an immortal.

'Do they believe this small rebellion can kill m-'

An arrow finds its target right in his chest.

These humans ruled by money, blood, and pleasure are infuriating, one day they could be pleading for justice only for it to be swayed the other way the next. Why after all this time did they finally realize how much they are worth…

"Foolish Humans."

A metallic tang envelopes his mouth and his adrenaline is wearing thin, enough that the wounds start to hurt and he feels like a weight has been thrown on him pulling him to the ground.

Green eyes follow the man falling with an arrow in his chest.

'No'

'No! Please No!'

"Ohta!!!" 'Please don't take him away from me again' After all these years why must he be snatched from him again, can't fate find another victim to torture?

-6 months earlier-

On the edge of the Mosswood forest runs a river 'Remedy River', known for its healing properties and spiritual energy many generations have used this river for its benefits. However, in the middle of the river today, lies one man scrubbing away grime and dirt from his clothes.

Ohta, age 27, the last son of the Oso clan, was banished from the clan and is now living alone on the outskirts of the Mosswoods. He has a short structure, full short black hair, brown eyes, and is in working clothes, unfit for someone who was from such a distinguished clan. His feline ears pop out from his head as well as a tail that is swishing behind him in a swaying motion.

He reaches down still cleaning his clothes in the river.

'Aya, such boring tasks… my hands are starting to get wrinkled from the water' He thinks, his hands are unblemished and too soft for these tasks. He feels something touch along his ankle and he jumps from the contact.

Ohta reaches down thinking it was just a twig or a weed, without another thought he pulls out something scaled and long…

"Ack, A SNAKE!?!?" Hysterical at the moment, he uses all his strength to throw the snake as far away from himself as possible. 'I just picked up a snake' his hands were shaking from the shock of picking up such a scary creature.

'Why did it have to be a snake… they cause nothing but trouble…' The sky nation -Clouxshi- is ruled by such creatures, they only cause destruction in their wake yet, everyone seems to put their nation on a pedestal… a pedestal of lies, deception, and blood.

Cursing the royal name of the vile snakes, he looks back at the snake that he threw a few meters away from him. Upon better inspection, a brand is seen etched on the snake's forehead. Glowing green and looks like two spears next to each other.

Ohta's gaze darkens. Spiritual animals with a brand on their skin often are from high-ranking officials or overpowered cultivators, most would have been squealing in wonder and excitement of finding one but for Ohta, this was a red flag.

"Loathy creature, who is your master?" 'So I can determine if I have time to pack a few essentials before I leave or if I should book it right now.'

Most spiritual animals know how to talk and interact with others like them so Ohta tried to get it to talk, he needs something to go off of. "You have a crest on your forehead…so that means you have a master." 'Please, I need to know who is near my safe haven', "Your master shouldn't be far away then…" internally panicking, Ohta wonders if maybe he damaged the spiritual animal when he threw him. Although spiritual animals have healing abilities, everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Ohta reaches down to pick up a stick in hopes that maybe it would stir the snake enough to react at least. 'No one just wonders the backs of the mosswood forest, it's too dangerous here.'

Out of curiosity, Ohta questions the snake again "Why are you guys wondering about the outskirts of the Mosswood? Hmmm?" 'Are they running from trouble?' "Did you guys get into trouble?" how ironic would that be, the place where he first ran to when he got into trouble is now sheltering someone like himself. Shaking his head from those thoughts he pokes the snake again… the eyes open.

Glowing emerald green eyes look at Ohta, startled Ohta stands up and clenches the stick. The snake closes in on him. Ohta's eyes flash green and his pupil turns red.

"O–Ohta, Save my master…Ohta O–Oht- Please. Ohta, OHTA!" The snake pleads, his speech is flawed and sounds too raspy to make out any other word except Ohta's name. This snake knows his name… "WHAT!" suddenly Ohta's eyes turn back to his original deep brown shade. 'Oh NO, the snake knows of him, he really should run away now'

"How-How did you know my name? Who–" Backing away from the snake his foot gets caught on a rock and he stumbles into the river behind him. Ohta squeaks in surprise before water surrounds him and his head hits a rock.

.

.

.

A cold breeze wakes Ohta up from his slumber. The first thing he feels is the cold of the river and the wetness in his clothes, his eyes open to see that the day is almost over and the sun is setting. The back of his head was pounding.

"Ugh…" When Ohta exhales, a plume of hot air appears to show how frigid it was. He clutches his body to keep warm while frantically scanning the area to determine how far the river had pulled him. He thinks to himself, "I'm dripping wet, hopefully, I don't catch a cold." He turns to look around once more and stares up at the river, where he can make out a grove of trees in the distance.

He would have to trek a considerable distance through the Mosswood Forest to return home before nightfall. "Since I was moving downstream, so. I should be close to Akemi Valley," Ohta groans, adding that it's the last place he wants to be. He sags his shoulders in resignation, acknowledging that he must search for refuge for the night there. Even though he is fully aware of the risk involved in returning to the woods, he wonders in a reassuring manner, "Maybe I can make it back?"

Before he can fully persuade himself to travel back home, a distant wolf pack begins to bark in the distance, indicating the meal they have caught for tonight. "Dogs!" Ohta screams in fear and begins to shake violently, "Why did it have to be dogs!"

Being a cat shifter, Ohta harbored some animosity toward dogs. He had to fight with wolves in the area around his home when he first moved into the mosswood forest's periphery, and they tried to eat him in the winter. Being surrounded by predators that would love to eat a spiritual feline was not the best scenario for someone who was spoiled within an inch of his life. Even though he was in an unfamiliar area, he drove them to occupy fresh ground by planting traps and adopting a very strategic approach. He still has nightmares about the first days running from those creatures and trembling in tall trees to keep them from eating him.

Briskly walking in the opposite direction of the barking and snarling he thinks back to his days of being completely alone after the banishment from his clan. It was peaceful and although the beginning days were difficult it was calming for a couple of years not having to deal with his clan and its problems. He did miss his clan though and the village he used to play in during his childhood. 'I guess after so many years my luck finally ran out.' Ohta thinks to himself and picks up the pace a bit.

"This is the worst." His clothes were soaked and he could feel the tips of his fingers start to feel numb and tingle. He keeps rubbing them hoping the blood will start circulating again in his hands.

"Ah!" Ohta spots a small home in the distance, it looks a little beaten up but it had light shining through its windows so someone must be home. He could ask for shelter for tonight or directions to the nearest inn, he would also want to know where he was at this moment. Closing in on the small house, he knocks

"Hello? Anyone home?" despite knowing the lights are on in the home and he could hear footsteps on the inside he didn't know what else to say at the moment to have someone come out. He needed to be as polite as possible if he would have a chance to spend the night in a stranger's home.

The barking is closer now and Ohta can feel his throat closing up and the tensing of his body.

An undignified squeak burst out of Ohta's mouth when the barks became even louder due to his anxiety picking up. Why are they taking so long to open the door? Ohta starts to pace in front of the door for a few seconds until a howl from a wolf seemingly too close for comfort. Forget being polite! Ohta grips the door and rips it open. 'Fuck this!" he sharply grits his teeth and slams the door closed.

"Ah!" Ohta is faced with quite a sight and he regrets following his instincts.

Three powerful spiritual animal auras permeated the room he was now in and looked at him. Ohta was always getting in the worst kind of trouble without knowing.

-

After a slow stare down from the three people in the room, Ohta began to feel very small in their presence. The biggest and strongest out of them was a woman who was taller than anyone he's seen before, she wore yellow and gold that screamed wealth, dark skin and curly hair wrapped in a gold headdress, her eyes were blue and cold. She had markings on her face which implied she had a high standing in society and a string of jewelry was worn across her face. The person next to her was shorter and had frighteningly pale skin, her eyes looked impassive and she wore no jewelry but the marking on her face implied she is some kind of princess or had the standing of one. Confused, Ohta looked down at the last person who was on the floor with his hands tied up behind him. He was glaring at Ohta, he had no markings but his spiritual energy was almost on par with the lady in gold, his aura gave Ohta shivers.

Finally unable to stand the silence anymore, Ohta grimaced at the scene in front of him and noted that it was something he should've stayed far far away from. Throwing his hands in the air in surrender, Ohta broke out of his frightened state and immediately cried "Ah! I'm so sorry for barging in!" Reaching behind him towards the door to grab it before he turned away from the frighteningly powerful people. A strong current of electricity was thrown into his hand as it touched the door

"Ow!" Wincing from the pain Ohta cried 'Fuck, I messed up.' resigning to his fate already, Ohta looked behind him to see a talisman on the door. His day got one hundred times worse.

"Where do you think you're going?" The woman in yellow spoke in an authoritarian voice. Frozen to the spot, Ohta didn't sense the presence of the princess that strode up to his left side and examined him. Her soft light brown eyes upon analyzing him turned different colors, then as if she found something to her liking she grabbed him, shocking Ohta. "You're perfect!" In her excitement, she rambled on about 'souls' and 'body types'.

"Congratulations." She exclaimed in a now lowered voice next to him. Ohta, confused, waited for her to explain why he should be "congratulated."

"You gained an opportunity of a lifetime." Again, this didn't answer any of the most pressing questions that were swirling in his head.

"You should be honored" Ohta pleaded in his head 'Please stop being so vague! I can't run away in this situation so stop torturing me with your unfinished answers!' Finally, the girl relented and gave him the answer that he was pleading for, one which he immediately regretted hearing afterward.

"You're standing in front of the Fertility God 'Raya'." Ohta needed to process that information for a couple of seconds before he threw his body to the ground in a kneeling position and almost slammed his head on the floor. 'She's the God that most of my food is produced from! If you dare disrespect her, your crops will wilt! Or, every time you eat, it will mold and spoil right in your mouth!'

Raya, is the God sheltered in the 'Akemi Valley' home of the RabbitDwarf Clan, they take care of the harvest and produce products for almost all the clans and since they do almost all the farming they have a very high standing with all the clans. Many clans fear being cut off from the harvest and so they never cross this clan.

Ohta swears in his head to do the same, Why did they trap him here? He's pretty sure he saw something that he shouldn't have but being secluded for 6-7 years, he doesn't know anything that is happening in the outside world. Especially in the world of clans and politics. 'What does she want with me?' Ohta wasn't someone in high standing anymore so he can try and grovel and explain why he barged into their home, in hope that they would let him go.

A hand was put on his head softly and a placating voice called out to him "Stand up." The Goddess spoke to him "I'm glad you came when you did, it seems like fate… kitten."

'Fate, what an ugly word, and who are you calling a kitten!' As much as he wants to refute the Goddess for that comment he sees the man on the floor seething with anger ready to burst.

"HA! You're gonna replace me with that feeble black cat!" He spits out smiling as if he made a ridiculous claim. "What bad luck he will have! A black stray would do wonders for my image is that it!?!? Go ahead then! You fucking shitty God!"

Ohta takes a step back from this man on the ground screaming and realizes that this guy believes his spirit animal was just a black cat, 'bad luck…' "Feeble?" Ohta's brain finally caught up with his words "Hey! I'm a mighty black panther, just to let you know!"

"Mighty? My ass!" He snaps back at Ohta "You're as small as I am! And I'm a house cat, how laughable to claim to be a high-grade animal when your spiritual presence is on par with the mice that I like to play with before eating." The princess flinched at that comment.

"I am, just because I'm under-average doesn't mean anything about being a high-grade spiritual animal, you should read a book."

"'Under average' nice term for short as fuck…" He tried to calm himself down and looked away from Ohta and over at a wall in the opposite direction "I don't have the time to argue with you!"

"Says the guy on the floor tied up" Ohta challenged with a grin then decided to mess with him further and laughed out "Kinky~ are you?" This seemed to spark a cold fire in the man on the floor and he gave Ohta the nastiest glare he could have mustered "Wait until I get out of these and we will see how pathetic you are!"

"Both of you be quiet!" The God scolded then rubbed at her temples "you're giving me a headache."

Reminded of his place, Ohta scrambles out a quick apology and shuts up. The feline tied up on the floor, on the other hand, looks away from the god and mutters to Ohta how much of a pushover he was before going quiet also.

Raya, still rubbing her scalp, sighs dramatically "You have a black panther spirit within your soul?" she looks at Ohta analyzing his body before he could speak up for himself she spoke harshly "You're so small though… like a baby kitten".

Ohta couldn't blame them for overanalyzing this detail, once an animal spirit gets embedded in your soul it changes your body to accommodate its power, size, and soul spirit. So, for Ohta to be so small considering his animal spirit being a high-grade panther means something happened with his development along the way. He has always known that some would speculate his claim as a high-grade animal spirit host, he just wishes that it wouldn't have been in a situation like this.

Animal spirits are essential in this world and they could dramatically change fate.

Only certain people possess a spiritual animal and spirits have inhibited the mortal plane from the beginning of existence. Their goal once was to help humanity and bring blessings.

The spirits would find souls who are capable of them and then embed themselves in that person. The person then gains the abilities of the spirit whether it be speed, strength, agility, or hearing, there's an array of special powers that can be obtained from these spiritual creatures.

Animal spirits can stay with a family and spread amongst the generations in their bloodline or find a new host. Spirits helped humans reach greater heights and many humans have thrived from them… but sometimes spirits make mistakes on who to trust which leads to unimaginable tragedy.

"I wasn't born with a spiritual animal, so my body didn't grow into it. I found the animal spirit when I turned 25." That's something that was also unusual about him. Spirits tend to find someone young to make sure when they grow up it would be an easy transition for both the spirit and human to be connected fully and the development period for the human to grow would be flawless.

The Goddess looked a bit shocked by that news but then quickly steeled her face again "Hmm… Interesting, well enough of that let's get this show on the road."

"Wait!" Ohta blurts out.

"Yes?" Raya automatically replies.

Recalling the princess at the beginning and all the talk from the man on the floor, it didn't seem good for Ohta to be in his room. "What do you mean by replacement? How am I perfect for "this" and how is this an opportunity of a lifetime for me?" Ohta swallows a breath after speaking. His fight or flight instincts were blaring at him right now and he's pretty sure no matter what he tries it would be a futile attempt on his behalf.

The Goddess looks down at him like a child she is fed up with "You don't understand, of course, let me explain."

But maybe you're too naive for this… though that's exactly the type of person I need.

Innocent

Gullible

And Pliant to my Godly Divinity,

"Well, first off. Do you know who he is?" She points at the tied-up man on the floor and then continues "Because you don't seem too scared as I expected and you even talked back to him." She snickered, "That's very gutsy even for a high-grade."

Ohta shakes his head rapidly. "No, I don't…" Ohta is already planning his death in his head. 'You can kill me but I want chicken noodle soup as my last meal, to be buried in the forest where I was born and, a simple funeral will do.'

"This is Haruki" Haruki glares at the mention of his name. "A tyrant and mass murder"

"What!?!?" Ohta goes pale and looks away from this horrifying man 'Am I gonna die today! I totally yelled at him earlier!'

"His spirit has grown too strong," Raya continues "I need a vessel to keep him in for a while, to keep him in his place until I figure out how to extract his animal spirit safely. I was planning on using my lovely assistant Aoi here." She tilts her head towards the princess and then looks away swiftly back towards him "But, you barged right on in. Plus, I need Aoi to attend to other matters right now." She concedes

"While I replace your souls with each other, all you need to do is live in his place. As a Tyrant, no one should bother you… As long as you don't stick your nose in somewhere it doesn't belong and keep a low profile you should be fine. I'll have Aoi take care of the paperwork and idle tasks and all you need to do is take a vacation for a while in his body."

Ohta has to swallow the words in his throat and relax his face 'This sounds like a shady sales pitch', Ohta refuses to let his terror of her word affect him. "Now that I explained everything, you can't say no now."

Shaken Ohta backed away in shock "W-what! But you never said that!" If I had known I would have jumped out the window before you started the explanation! Forget this, I need to run!

"Aoi, are you ready?"

"Yes."

Ohta's body is suddenly encircled by a stream of energy that closes around him before he can proceed toward his escape. It was coming from the Princess who was standing by the Goddess's side, still fearful about the turn of events Ohta tries to move his body but ends up tripping up on his own feet and falls next to the tyrant. Hissing from the fall, Ohta looks at Haruki, who has now grasped the situation they both were in.

Haruki screams at the Goddess "You can't do this! Curse you! You fucki-" Raya lifts his chin to face her and squeezes, she then laughs at his misfortune.

Ohta felt a pull from within his body, and the Princess next to him murmured a brief apology before her hands on his chest abruptly felt as if they were ripping his insides apart. His eyes began to blur, and he felt a rush of energy leave him followed by a void. He screamed and fell to the ground below before experiencing a strong energy pull that made him feel alive once more.