The Dark Mage

Epilogue

     Despite Vixie's best efforts and taking all prudent action she could with the assistance of everyone under her command, the economic depression still happened to the Kitsune clan. But at least with her efforts combined with the efforts of everyday citizens, at least it would be somewhat bearable and not cataclysmic.

      As for Inari, she was still under the training of her brother Fr. Victor for her catechism in secret. And her relationship with Souzun Yako continued to grow until she couldn't hold herself back any further and gave herself to him as his wife. And so, the procession began in traditional Kitsune fashion with everything except the presiding priest being Fr. Victor rather than a member of the cult of okami Inari. And afterword, she would have the procedure done to make her fertile again, and Souzun would give her a son. And during her pregnancy, she left Vixie in charge of running the kingdom so that she and her husband could focus on making sure their son would grow up to be healthy and be fully matured by the time he was to be king. And Souzun was grateful he could be a true father again. And Inari felt most at home knowing she was going to have her own child and, in her gratitude, made a sizeable offering of the best of what she had to Fr. Victor's monastery, even if he wouldn't use it for himself.

      As for Natalia, Buck, and Titania, they returned safely to Kansas with Finnigan being forced to stay behind. After all, President Ronald Jackson, Finnigan's boss, agreed to Inari's terms in having Finnigan destroy the Keys of Prosperity. After all, the 50 States Program for the Magically Gifted had as its very purpose to deal with powerful magical threats. But he wasn't going to have Finnigan start until after Natalia and Buck were done with their scheduled time off, because Titania was indispensable for getting into king Azrael's floating palace. Plus, President Jackson had other plans besides just destroying the Keys of Prosperity. He had unsettled business with king Azrael and the Dark Mage Isis for being responsible for the false flag that started the American-Szolsuran war that killed so many of his own countrymen.

      As for the Dark Mage Isis, she perfected her nightmare monsters and used the Keys of Prosperity to morph the Void kingdom from a backwater country into a formidable force. They became so fearsome under the Dark Mage's rule that out of fear and having no reasonable defense against Dark magic, the citizens of the Void kingdom made themselves obedient to the Dark Mage's tyranny. And with the Staff of Darkness, Isis was able to make the Keys of Prosperity all the more powerful with the Dark magic that empowered them.