Letter

In Mino Province, by the shores of Lake Suwa, within the Moriya Shrine. Seated beneath an eaves corridor, the Moriya shrine maiden, Kochiya Kaki, cradled a small fox. With a smile, she stroked its red fur, and the little fox, eyes narrowed in enjoyment, basked in Kaki's affectionate petting.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the fox twitched, opened its eyes, then leaped from Kaki's lap. It scurried away, vanishing from Kaki's sight in mere moments.

“Oh… Harumutsu, that child… did she suddenly remember something important?” Kaki wondered aloud, a hint of confusion on her face, watching the little fox disappear.

Leaving Kaki's embrace, the little fox named Harumutsu darted out of the shrine. After sniffing the air, it continued to propel its four short legs all the way to the shore of Lake Suwa, where it saw Suwako squatting on a rock.

“Oh~ it’s Inari’s little fox. Is something the matter?” Suwako said, propping her head up, seeing the tiny fox rush before her. At that moment, the little fox opened its mouth and spat a burst of foxfire onto the grass.

Facing the little fox’s unusual action, Suwako made no move to stop it. Instead, she waited quietly for the flames to slowly burn out, revealing a long string of characters on the ground.

Reading the text, Suwako’s brows furrowed, and the corner of her mouth twitched as she fell into deep thought. Her expression was grave as she stared intently at the extensive writing on the large rock where she sat. Only after a long while did she let out a sigh.

Then, Suwako jumped down from the large rock. After erasing the text on the ground, she left the lakeside and went into the shrine. She had Kaki fetch paper and a brush, then found a flat stone to use as a table and began to write. Finally, after filling the entire page, she picked it up, let the ink dry, and handed the whole sheet to the little fox following behind her. The fox sniffed it, then ate the entire page.

In Heian-kyo, on Mount Inari, within the Secret Realm behind the Inari Shrine.

Miketsu sat in the small building of the Secret Realm, at a low table laden with a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, somewhat bored as she twirled a writing brush. Just then, a sudden inspiration struck her. She placed the brush on its rest, picked up the inkstone filled with ink, and slowly poured its contents onto the white paper on the table. As the ink dropped onto the paper, it seemed to come alive, automatically spreading across the surface, slowly solidifying into character after character.

This was the image information Harumutsu had transmitted via the divine messenger contract. To read it more conveniently, Miketsu used a method she had learned in the Onmyoryo to reproduce the information on paper. This was Suwako’s letter, a reply to the one Miketsu had sent earlier.

Upon returning to Mount Inari, the first thing Miketsu did was contact Suwako through the Divine Messenger fox she had previously given. She transmitted the image of her written letter via the divine messenger contract. Although Harumutsu possessed nascent spiritual intelligence, she couldn't yet speak or read. Her role was simply to faithfully present the image information Miketsu sent to Suwako.

In her previous letter, Miketsu had brought up the situation with the Earthquake Catfish, asking if the divine power it possessed could possibly be Suwako's. Miketsu also inquired about Ancient Gods, asking just how powerful their abilities truly were. Finally, she asked Suwako if there was any possibility of her reviving in her Ancient God form…

After all, facing the dormant God of the Eternal World and Yamata no Orochi, as well as all of Takamagahara, Miketsu felt that her own power alone might not be enough. If Suwako could revive as an Ancient God and her ally, then Miketsu might be able to alleviate a significant amount of pressure.

Now, in response to Miketsu’s questions, Suwako’s reply had finally arrived. Once the letter’s information was fully displayed, Miketsu eagerly began to read.

“Esteemed Inari Okami, first, I am deeply grateful that you shared this information with me. According to your description, the remnants of divine power on that catfish are highly likely mine. In the initial period after my demise, my blood and flesh contained immense power. Any life that managed to consume it and miraculously survive would naturally possess great strength. Furthermore, my abilities are indeed connected to controlling the earth. Please properly safeguard that stone which still retains a portion of my divine power. Stabilizing it with the power of faith is indeed an excellent method, and if the opportunity arises in the future, I might borrow it for my own use.”

“Also, regarding your question about the true strength of Ancient Gods, I tell you that among Ancient Gods, there are both strong and weak, with vast differences. However, as beings who have existed on this star for millions, even hundreds of millions of years, our peak power is something you Modern Gods can neither attain nor imagine. Every powerful Ancient God, at their peak, when exerting their full strength, would have a devastating impact on this entire world.

“To give some examples, there was once an Ancient God who completely shrouded this world in dark clouds, causing torrential rains for millions of years, submerging everything in a vast ocean. There was also an Ancient God who tore open the earth, plunging most of the world into lava and raging fires. As for the snake you are most familiar with, while powerful among Ancient Gods, it was not among the very best. After being defeated in the struggle for continental hegemony, it fled to this easternmost peninsula and personally sank the land that connected the continent and the peninsula, turning the peninsula into a completely separate large island. This was to signal to the Ancient Gods on the mainland that it would never again interfere in continental disputes, seeking to be bypassed. This large island is the Japan we now inhabit.”

“In Huaxia, there is a saying to describe the might of deities: ‘moving mountains and filling seas.’ But I say, even these four words are far from sufficient to describe the power of a fully triumphant Ancient God. With that said, you should now understand what a fully revived Ancient God entails. It is not a problem for a single city, nor a single nation, but for the entire world.”

“Ancient Gods care nothing for humble lives, like ants. Every large-scale clash between them would cause severe, enormous catastrophes to the entire world, leading to the extinction of hundreds of millions of lives. This world has undergone such great extinctions countless times. Now, the era of Ancient Gods has finally ended, and Modern Gods have limited interference with the world. The era of mortals is far better than any time before… If I may be blunt, this era does not need Ancient Gods, neither them, nor me.”

“I am grateful for your willingness to help me revive. I do indeed possess a method for revival, though it lacks certain elements. However, as I stated before, this world does not need Ancient Gods. I will do my utmost to assist you in restraining that snake and that worm, but I will not consider the option of revival unless absolutely necessary.”

“Thank you again for your letter, esteemed Inari Okami. Finally, one more thing I must remind you of: your handwriting needs practice.”

“Ahem, ahem…” After reading Suwako’s letter, Miketsu gave an embarrassed cough twice, then wiped her mouth.