The Hound's Moon

Prologue

--Prologue--

Low-lying mountains reached across the horizon as a child roamed around the gardens just beyond their family home. They heard the birds chirpーfor it was rather early in the morningーas they bathed in the early sunshine that just peeked through the horizon line. The child returned back to their home before clumsily sitting down on the porch steps. They stared up at the cloudless sky in wonder, thinking of what their breakfast would be.

"Yuuki, come back inside! It's far too cold for you to be outside right now!" A woman's voice echoed out of the home and into the child's ears. "Okay, mama!" The child responded as they got up from the porch and clumsily waltzed back into the house. The woman, which seemed to be the mother, glanced at their child sighing. A rather deep voice chuckled at the sighting of their child walking toward the dining room table.

"What did you see this time, Yuuki?" The male spoke beyond the newspapers they were reading. The child sat down on the chair, motioning their hands in a rather large oval shape in the air. "No clouds! They sleeping?" A smile donned upon the male's face. "No clouds, you say?" The child nodded. "They're not sleeping, Yuuki. The clouds move to different parts of the world. That's why you don't see them right now." A gaping expression appeared on the child's face as an audible "oh" escaped their lips.

Utensils and bowls were placed in front of the father's and child's face as they spoke. "It's early but breakfast is ready." A smile plastered across the child's face as they said 'hurrah' and began eating rather quickly. "Careful now, you shouldn't be eating too hastily." The child paid no attention to the mother's plea as they continued to eat their homemade breakfast. No sooner, the mother sat down at the table and the couples began to eat as well.

A happiness atmosphere spread across the table as the family ate the breakfast in peace... Unfortunately, it didn't last that long when a phone began to ring. "Who is calling at a time like this?" The woman questioned, confused at the sudden call. "Uh, I'll be back," as the father got up from his seat and left to pick up the call.

The child stopped their messy eating before glancing at their mother. "What's wrong, mama?" The mother glanced at their child with worry before donning a smile upon her face. "It's nothing Yuuki, papa must have an important call to take." The child tilted their head innocently, questioning what it was. "Mmm... Okay, mama." Eventually, they went back to stuffing their face.

A few minutes later, the father returned with an elated expression on their face. "My package is finally arriving." The mother looked at her husband with a worried look, knowing what the outcome would be in the future. "You better come back safe and sound." The husband nodded before swiftly grabbing their coat and hat. He patted his child's head, "I'll be back soon and you'll get to see something surprising." The child nodded.

--- --- --- --- ---

As the sun began to disappear on the fields, the child ran around the garden trying to catch what seemed to be fireflies roaming around only to have fallen down. "Oh dear.. Are you okay?" The mother quickly went to the child's side, eventually seeing the child picking themselves up and dusting their legs. "I a-ok!" The child exclaimed. The mother smiled lightly before plucking a small flower and placing it right in the crook of their ears. "Lookie mama! I'm pretty!"

No later, the father returned home with a rather small package contained by unusual writing unknown to the child. "Papa, what's that?" The father hesitated before a rather small grin appeared on his face. "You'll find out. Dear, get the circle ready. It's a tad early but it's best to strategize early than never." The worries overwhelmed the woman before she nodded and complied to her husband's request.

"Circle?" The child stumblingly walked towards the father, grasping his coat with the little hands that could get at. "Yes, a magic circle. You get to see papa's magic for the first time." The child's eyes widened with overwhelming sparkles glinting in them. "YAY MAGIC!" They shouted as the parents began to set the circle up outside their house.

The child stood behind their mother as the magic circle was completed. The father stood in the middle of it as the moon slowly appeared in the sky. "Step aside, dear. Yuuki." He held out what seemed to be an old wolf's amulet and a couple of gems in his hands. The two took a few steps back before the male began to mutter an unusual incantation.

Silver and iron to the origin. Gem and the Archduke of contracts to the cornerstone.
The alighted wind becomes a wall. The gates in the four directions close, coming from the crown, the three-forked road that leads to the kingdom circulate.
Shut (fill). Repeat five times.
Simply, shatter once filled.
Your self is under me, my fate(doom) is in your sword.
In accordance with the approach of the Holy Grail, if you abide by this feeling, this reason, then answer.
Here is my oath. I am the one who becomes all the good of the world of the dead, I am the one who lays out all the evil of the world of the dead.
You, seven heavens clad in three words of power, arrive from the ring of deterrence, O keeper of the balance ―――

Foreign letters began to light up in blue on the ground around the male. The wind picked up around him as well as a few feet away from him. What seemed to be an eternity, the blinding blue light soon disappeared with a loud thud appearing out of nowhere. Dust flew around them as a rather tall person appeared from the location of the thud.

The one thing that the young child first saw was a male with a fur-trimmed jacket with an outfit which seemed to be from the medieval times and a red spear in his right hand. What took the child's surprise was the bright red eyes and long blue hair that was neatly assembled within a hairband. The person spoke in a rather deep voice.

"I assume you're my Master?"

---

AN: I don't own the picture. The link to the picture is below. My lack of creativity for the summoning spell is showing through like deer in headlights. Oops...

Preview Picture:  https://www.zerochan.net/1961014