Tamayō and Onee-sama eventually departed from the [Omniscient Pavilion], but not without sternly delivering a warning that no one should ever attempt eloping without first obtaining her permission.
"Goodness..." Onee-sama murmured aloud in thought, "Among all my mischievous siblings, it is Blue and Silver that I fear the most. Their potential for severe catastrophe is immeasurable."
"What? Just allow them to enjoy their youth," Tamayō replied casually as they all made their way toward the next building.
"Haha-ue, please refrain from meddling in the affairs of the children," Onee-sama said sharply, giving her a side glare. "You will only accelerate the collapse of an already fragile structure."
After spending several seconds shrugging off Tamayō's nagging remarks and her little tantrum, Onee-sama finally arrived before the pavilion marked with a red circle above its doorway.
This was the [Omnipotent Pavilion], the place where Red resided.
Onee-sama had now decided to show little regard for the privacy of the younger ones, so she placed her hands on the door and pushed it.
However, when she pushed it open, her eyes widened in astonishment.
She had always assumed that she could, to a reasonable degree, predict what her siblings were capable of and what was far beyond their reach.
But what she now beheld was both a delightful and troubling surprise.
"Amazing..." Tamayō breathed out in awe, her own eyes widening as she stared. "If I had not seen it with my very own eyes, I could never have believed it... That there existed an entirely different world hidden within the Shadow Realm."
Before them, revealed through the opened doorway, stretched an entirely new landscape: Soil rich with greenery covered the ground, hills rose faintly in the distance, and streams wound their way across the land as far as the eye could see.
There were even fluffy white clouds and a radiant sun glowing in the sky above, with strange, never-before-seen creatures flying gracefully in the air and crawling across the earth below, all whispering praises to "Red-sama."
The expanse was so vast that Onee-sama had to rely on tracking Red's magical presence; otherwise, locating her in this foreign world would have been nothing short of a hopeless chase.
She swatted away large insects, cleaved through thick trees and towering bamboo stalks, and leapt across jagged stones upon rivers.
And with every obstacle she encountered, her temper grew vaguer and restless.
Hours passed in this exhausting pursuit until at last, she found Red from a distance, seated upon a high slope.
Atop a small golden hill stood a radiant pyramid, ringed by stairways that ascended toward a magnificent throne of gold and crimson.
Red sat upon it with her legs folded, sipping with exaggerated grace from an oversized, jewel-covered cup, as though she was the empress of the entire world.
Before her, at the base of the pyramid, several massive Specter Wolves were arrayed, bowing low and prostrating with reverence.
"Who is the cutest in the whole Shadow Realm?!" Brown, standing nearby with her arms folded, shouted in a commanding voice.
"Red-sama!" the wolves answered promptly, their voices united and militaristic.
"I can't hear you!" Brown bellowed once more.
"Red-sama is the cutest in all the land!" the wolves roared louder, as Red blushed and giggled.
Tamayō could only make a wry smile, turning her gaze slowly toward Onee-sama.
Onee-sama's face remained calm as she watched... until her expression shifted and she whispered, "Punishment... What punishment could possibly suffice to cover such a sin?"
"O... on the bright side," Tamayō quickly interjected, "it seems she is indeed improving her ability to use reality-warping powers."
"Yes, and that is exactly what leaves me conflicted in my judgment," Onee-sama replied with a click of her tongue before turning toward Tamayō. "My main concern lies with the fact that they have turned it into a sport to abduct the wolves."
"But... we hate the wolves," Tamayō argued, furrowing her brows.
"No. You hate the wolves and forced that idea upon us from infancy," Onee-sama retorted, placing her hand firmly upon her waist as Tamayō flinched. "We only found it amusing that the wolves could not truly die even when slain, and so we twisted it into entertainment."
"Fine. But if it is merely entertainment," Tamayō shrugged, "then why are you so displeased with the notion of them kidnapping the wolves?"
"The empress," Onee-sama said, raising her finger, "The empress usually allows us to act however we please, precisely because we do not overstep our limits. Visiting their domain is acceptable, as it is no different than children playing with distant relatives. But this—this abduction—is crossing the line."
"You truly believe so?" Tamayō tilted her head. "I doubt the empress, terrifying as she may be, would be so concerned with something this trivial."
"I believe so as well, but that is not the point. What I mean is that we must act with caution and restraint."
Then, as she spoke, the ground beneath the wolves, only a few meters away, suddenly dissolved into liquid shadow. And in an instant, the entire group of worshippers drowned and disappeared into the darkness, vanishing without a trace.
Upon witnessing this, Red flinched in shock. She threw herself from the throne in a panicked frenzy.
"Wai—! You didn't lock the door?!" Red snapped her head toward the sweating Brown, her oversized cup vanishing in a flash of crimson light.
"I'm not really sure anymore," he stammered with a dry swallow. "But if it's Onee-sama we're talking about; would it even matter if it was?"
Red and Brown immediately bolted down the golden pyramid, hurrying straight to their visitors.
"Greetings, Onee-sama, Haha-ue," she said with a graceful bow, her manner shifting suddenly into an elegant display of politeness. "I sincerely apologize for the commotion that greeted you upon your arrival. I know that you seek answers, and I shall provide them promptly."
Turning toward where the wolves where before, she raised her hand with a dignified air. "Those Specter Wolves came to me several weeks ago, begging and pleading that I allow them to serve me and my adorable majesty. I knew it was wrong, of course, but my pure heart could not help itself. I am simply too kind for my own good."
"You don't say… Fine, let us assume for a moment that you are speaking the truth," Onee-sama replied with a roll of her eyes. "Now, answer me this: why is Brown here?"
"Hm?"
Brown looked casually at Red, then turned back toward Onee-sama without a trace of shame.
"I live here."
"He lives here."
Brown and Red spoke almost in unison, each confirming the same thing in their own way.
"You are both hereby found guilty of treason," Onee-sama declared with a decisive nod, her gaze sweeping across the strange realm Red had constructed. "But then again, Red, I must commend you for employing your powers in such a creative and unique manner..."
Red's eyes instantly glistened with hope, awaiting mercy.
"...But your chamber is not a training ground for such reckless experiments."
"R-right..." Red sulked and lowered her gaze to the ground, her tail flicking behind her.
All around them, the animals that had been peeking from behind the golden structures now wore expressions of shock and sorrow, clearly saddened by her reprimand.
Onee-sama studied the sulking fox for a long minute before declaring at last, "I did not say that you must take it down. Set this place in proper order and rule over it well. If you can maintain the pocket world responsibly, then I shall allow you to keep it."
"Eh...? Really?!" Red leapt into the air in unrestrained joy. "Onee-sama, I love you!"
At once, the animals emerged from hiding and erupted in celebration alongside their empress.
Meanwhile, Onee-sama's sharp gaze shifted toward Brown.
"GO TO YOUR ROOM!"
"Y-yes, Onee-sama!" Brown stammered, his face turning awkward as he looked away and shuffled back.
"There is only one left now," Tamayō said softly, rubbing the head of the brown fox boy who sulked against her chest. "The one behind my throne room, correct?"
"Yes." Onee-sama turned on her heel and began walking away with calm determination. "The [Pavilion of Time], Green's room, is almost certain to be another mess filled with contraband. She is Gold's partner in crime, after all."
*
BANG!
Onee-sama slammed Green's door open without a word of warning, and inside she found a flustered Green hurriedly shoving a bundle of fabrics into her drawer.
Her gaze flicked to the corner, where a startled Gold stood frozen in place.
"H-hey! You can't just barge into someone's room without knocking!" Gold immediately began to nag, her voice rising in protest.