Heavenly Bonds

Chapter 3: Secret Mission

After leaving the office of the Water Deity of the Divine Beings, the trio, consisting of Snow Sky Dog, Kurogami Masayuki, and the only goddess in the group, Mizuchi Haruka, happily chatted about the cafeteria brawl. Snow Sky-Dog exclaimed, 

"Ha ha, that defiant deity got his nose bleeding from my older brother's punch. Someday, you have to teach me that move!" 

"The snowstorm you created wasn't bad either! It's powerful; the comrades of that defiant deity got a taste of bone-chilling cold on the snowy mountain! Someday, you should teach me that technique, Snow Sky-Dog!" 

Mizuchi Haruka, feeling a bit dissatisfied, interjected, 

"Why don't you praise me, the youngest? I'm strong too, didn't my rope tie them up tightly?" 

Snow Sky-Dog laughed and replied, 

"Ha ha, my little sister is also powerful. Interestingly, I'm inclined to start a love story with strong girls. Do you want to create a beautiful love story with me like those in novels?" 

Kurogami Masayuki, slightly annoyed by Snow Sky Dog's teasing, retorted, 

"Always flirting with women, are you the kind of man who specializes in seducing them?" 

Mizuchi Haruka hastily defended Snow Sky Dog and taunted Kurogami Masayuki, 

"If he's like that, so what? Are you jealous? Don't you also like me? But I've fallen in love with the handsome, intelligent, and strong Snow Sky Dog! I want to see if Snow Sky-Dog deceives my feelings or if I play with his feelings!" 

"If that's the case, you're not innocent either, Flower Princess." 

"What about you? You're not innocent either!" 

Then, she turned to pull Snow Sky-Dog closer. 

"Hey, my love, why don't you defend me? That Dark Deity bullied me." 

Kurogami Masayuki threatened Snow Sky Dog, 

"Dare to provoke me, Snow Wolf? I want to see between you and me, who is the stronger deity! If you dare to protect the flower princess, then let's see how I'll deal with you." 

"You scare me too much; I'm afraid that if you die, my master will punish my husband and wife. Isn't that right, my love, Mizuchi Haruka?" 

Mizuchi Haruka charmingly said, 

"Exactly, my love! If my older brother freezes because of you, the master won't let us love each other anymore. At that time, I will be sad because no one will warm my heart!" 

Kurogami Masayuki sarcastically commented on the "couple." 

"Whether I freeze or not, the master won't allow you two to love each other. The Master of the Divine Beings has long forbidden gods from loving each other! So stop dreaming, you two. Otherwise, the master won't be able to protect you. At that time, don't come to me for help." 

After chatting like friends for a while, they realized it was already midnight. Kurogami Masayuki said, 

"Enough joking, go to sleep, you two. The flower princess and the snow wolf go to sleep! Otherwise, tomorrow I'll have to pull your blankets to prevent you from oversleeping!" 

The second day at the Academy of the Divine Beings. 

As soon as the trio woke up, they received a secret mission order from the Water Deity of the Divine Beings. The three friends quickly arrived at their teacher's office. The Water Deity of the Divine Beings spoke to all three of them, 

"I have just received an order from the Lord of the Divine Beings that my three outstanding students must undertake a secret mission. In the southern forest of the human world, a dark force is rising. I suspect that the youkai of the youkai world are trying to establish a force against the world of the gods. What's more dangerous is that I fear a magical item with extremely terrifying power may fall into their possession. If that happens, the empire of the gods is at risk of destruction. You must not let those youkai plot against the world of the gods. If possible, bring back the head of the youkai behind this plot to me. And most importantly, if you discover that magical item, bring it back to me. Among you, whoever performs best in this mission will earn my highest trust!" 

Kurogami Masayuki asked his teacher, 

"Master, what is that magical item? Can you tell us?" 

"Alright, I will tell you! But you must promise not to disclose this information to anyone." 

"We promise not to reveal information about this magical item to others." 

The Water Deity of the Divine Beings, after a brief silence, spoke in a shallow voice, 

"It is the Four Souls Gem!" 

Snow Sky-Dog was the most surprised of the three upon hearing this. 

"The Four Souls Gem? I thought it was just a myth!" 

"It's real! It is one of the eight magical items with the most tremendous power in all three worlds. If it becomes the possession of an evil youkai, it will be very dangerous for the world of the gods." 

Mizuchi Haruka was surprised by this information. Until now, she had never heard anyone discuss a magical item called the "Four Souls Gem." She asked her teacher, 

"Master, although I may lack knowledge, can you explain to me the power of this magical item?" 

The Water Deity of the Divine Beings patiently explained to his disciple about the Four Souls Gem. 

"All creatures in the three worlds have four souls. There is the wild soul - the soul of courage; the strange soul - the soul of intelligence; the mind soul - the soul that controls the body; and finally, the virtue soul - the soul of love. If these four souls are directed towards goodness, the creature can absorb the energy of the sky, earth, and sea to become a god; if not, it can still increase in strength and longevity over time. But if all four souls of that creature lean towards evil, it will become a monstrous being. The Four Souls Gem is a magical item capable of providing an extremely large source of power for all four souls. It will be a great disaster if this gem becomes the possession of a youkai who wants to become the king of youkai. Do you understand the importance of this secret mission? This mission is given by the Lord of the Divine Beings himself! Try your best to complete it! Because that way, you will undoubtedly have a high position in heaven in the future." 

Kurogami Masayuki confidently spoke to his master, 

"I, on behalf of all three, accept this mission from my master and the Lord of the Divine Beings. I promise that we will surely complete this mission and not disappoint our master and the Lord of the Divine Beings."