Elias opened his eyes to stars.
Not the stars of the sky above Blackhaven. These were deeper, scattered across an endless expanse of darkness like diamonds on black velvet. Nebulae drifted between them—swirls of violet and indigo and gold, their light reflected perfectly on the still surface of the water below him. He was lying on his face and rolled onto his back to look up at interlocking rings at the centre of the sky. His Trait Sigil, The World. The water rippled beneath him as he lay still.
For a few moments, he simply stared. His mind was blank. Not empty—blank. The kind of blank that came after exhaustion so complete that thought itself became a luxury he could not afford.
"..Right."
Flow Depletion, he realized. Or something close to it. He had pushed too hard, spent too much, and his body had shut down before he could destroy himself completely. A faint headache throbbed behind his temples.
His thoughts began to solidify and his memories began to return slowly. His brow twitched.
"...Ah."
The bats. The Iron Forest. The hand grabbing his. Jamie. He had found her. Or she had found him. It was hard to remember which.
"Good." At least that part had worked out.
Elias exhaled quietly, then turned his head to the other side. His eyes widened.
Beyond the Torii gate—the red lacquer gate that had stood in his Spirit Domain since the Kitsune first entered him—there was something new. Something vast.
A massive structure rose into the air behind the gate—tier upon tier of curved rooftops stacked like a mountain of lacquered wood and ivory stone. The architecture was unmistakably eastern: a towering pagoda whose layered eaves swept outward like wings. White clouds drifted lazily around the structure—not the grey clouds of a storm, but the soft, stylized clouds of ancient paintings, the kind that wrapped around mountains and gods. They floated slowly through the air like living brush strokes.
Cherry blossom trees surrounded the palace. Except the blossoms were not pink. They were gold. Each petal glimmered softly like hammered sunlight, drifting through the air in slow spirals that never seemed to reach the ground.
Elias blinked once.
"Huh?"
A shadow fell on him. Elias looked up to see a giant white fox lying inches away from him. She had raised her head and was looking down at him. Her fur was pure white, glowing faintly against the cosmic water of the domain. Four massive tails curled behind her lazily, sweeping across the mirrored surface like drifting clouds.
Without opening her mouth, a dismembered voice echoed across the domain—a layered chorus, many voices old and young speaking in unison.
"So you're finally awake."
Elias tilted his head slightly.
"What did you do?"
The fox's ears twitched.
"Excuse me?"
Elias stared at her flatly.
"What did you do to my Spirit Domain?"
The fox blinked. Then her expression shifted into visible disbelief.
"You wake up next to my real appearance and that's the first thing you say? Not awe? Not wonder? Not a single gasp at the majestic sight of my palace?"
Elias shrugged slightly.
"I'm too tired to care about either, if I'm being honest."
"That's it?"
"Pretty much."
The fox stared at him in silence.
"You're no fun."
With a soft poof, the giant fox burst apart into a cloud of white smoke. Elias pushed himself up into a sitting position as the mist swirled and condensed several feet away.
A young woman stepped out of the smoke. She was tall, her dark skin glowing faintly in the starlight. Her hair was long and white, cascading down her back like water. Her clothing resembled the attire of a Japanese courtesan—layers of white silk wrapped elegantly around her body with intricate red designs flowing across the fabric like living brush strokes. Except hers was significantly more revealing. The neckline dipped low, exposing smooth skin and the curve of her collarbone. The robes clung in ways that seemed intentionally provocative rather than ceremonial.
Red wooden sandals clicked against the glass-like surface beneath her feet. Each sandal balanced on a single elevated heel.
Her face resembled Elias—or rather, an older, feminine version of him. Her eyes were lined with deep crimson beni makeup that extended outward like flame-tipped wings. She had an expression of detached amusement. She even had the same crimson eyes, though hers were vertical-slit. White fox ears adorned with two golden earrings on each twitched at the top of her head. Four tails swayed lazily behind her.
In one hand she held a slender kiseru pipe. She took a slow puff. Smoke drifted from her lips in elegant spirals.
Elias stared at her. She returned the gaze. Then she tilted her head slightly and smiled.
"What?" She blew out another cloud of smoke.
"Did you forget about me already?" Her eyes gleamed mischievously.
"Or is the sight of my otherworldly beauty simply too much for you to handle?"
Elias rubbed his temple.
"Why are you so comfortable in my Spirit Domain?" He looked at her flatly.
"Especially after almost getting me killed the last time."
She scoffed, waving her kiseru dismissively.
"If you got killed, then it just means you were weak."
Elias said nothing.
The water beneath him stirred. A massive sea serpent erupted upward from the mirrored surface—its body formed entirely of flowing water and starlight. The creature towered over the fox woman, its jaws wide enough to swallow the palace whole. It hovered behind Elias, waiting.
"I've changed my mind. Get out."
The fox woman immediately raised both hands.
"Wait wait wait—!" She grinned nervously.
"I helped you too, remember? I gave you some of my flames so you could kill that monster."
"Oh? And what about the second one?"
"Uh…" The fox nervously looked around.
"I still helped you kill the first one regardless. That counts for something!"
The serpent did not move. Elias did not blink.
"Please?" she added.
The serpent melted back into the water. Elias stood up slowly and stretched his arms above his head.
"I half expected to dream about Angram again."
The fox froze.
"Pardon?"
Elias waved a hand dismissively. "It's nothing."
She frowned slightly. Angram? For a moment she wondered if she had misheard. There was no way a human would know that name.
"Probably imagined it," she muttered quietly.
She turned and began walking toward the palace.
"Come on."
Elias followed.
They passed beneath the Torii gate and stepped onto solid ground. The path leading to the entrance was lined with golden cherry trees, their branches heavy with blossoms that glowed softly in the starlight. Their petals drifted down in lazy spirals, catching the light, releasing it, catching it again. The ground beneath them was raked into patterns—swirls and lines that mimicked the currents of the sea, the flow of water, the movement of stars.
"Sand garden," the Kitsune said without turning around.
"It helps me think."
"I thought foxes were supposed to live in dens."
"We do. But I have never been a normal fox."
One of the flakes of gold from the tree drifted lazily toward him. He reached out and caught it, and it dissolved into light.
The fox noticed.
"You like those?"
"You have interesting taste. It's not too bad."
She smirked.
They approached the palace entrance. She paused, then pushed open the doors. Inside, the space was vast and empty. Tatami mats covered the floor. Screens painted with scenes of foxes and moons and cherry blossoms divided the space into rooms that did not quite exist. The air smelled of incense and old wood and something else—something sweet.
The leaves she used were gold—the same gold as the cherry blossoms outside. She placed them in a ceramic pot, poured steaming water over them, and waited.
"Sit," she said.
Elias sat.
She poured the tea into a small cup and pushed it toward him.
"Drink. It will help replenish your energy."
Elias looked at the cup. Then at her. Then at the cup again.
"You're not trying to poison me and take over my body, are you?"
She rolled her eyes.
"Oh please. While effective, I won't resort to such distasteful methods."
She leaned back lazily.
"Especially since I have need of you."
Elias picked up the cup, sniffed it. The aroma was floral, almost too sweet, with something metallic beneath it. He paused for a moment, then drank.
The effect was immediate. Warmth flooded through his body. Energy pooled inside his veins like fresh water filling a dry well. The dull ache of Flow depletion faded rapidly. His senses sharpened.
He exhaled slowly.
"That's good."
He finished the cup completely, then set it down.
"What did you mean when you said you need me?"
She rested her chin in her palm.
"Well. Long story short… I'm tired of hiding."
Her tails swayed lazily behind her.
"But I can't go out in the open in this weakened state."
She tapped one of her tails.
"I need my tails back.All of them." Her smile widened.
"And you're going to help me find them."
Elias shook his head.
"No thanks. I'll pass."
She blinked. "No?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Elias leaned back slightly.
"Why should I? I already have enough on my plate. Trying to figure out how to dodge Deus and whatever the bloody hell his plans are for me. I don't have time to hunt for your tails."
The Kitsune tilted her head.
"Ah. Deus."
She said the name like she was tasting it, like she had been waiting for him to mention it.
"What if I could relieve you of that shackle?"
Elias's eyes narrowed slightly.
"What do you mean?"
She leaned forward, her golden eyes gleaming.
"I am a Deceiver of Truth. Manipulator of Fate. Sower of Discord. And most importantly—a Thief." She smiled.
"It would be very simple for me to steal Deus's authority over you."
Elias folded his arms and stared at her calmly.
"What's stopping you from then using that stolen authority against me? Don't get me wrong, I don't like either of you having my life in your hands. But Deus at least seems tolerable. You... I'm not so sure."
The fox woman gasped dramatically.
"That's mean." She turned away with a pout.
Her lips parted.
"It's an ######"
The sound of the last word vanished.
Elias blinked. "Huh?"
She winced.
"Sorry. It is something you from a lower plane cannot understand, as it is an Abstract."
Elias stared at her.
"You're making zero sense."
"Exactly." She sighed, tapping her kiseru against the table.
"It's an item that holds the key to all of creation."
Elias paused. "Like the Oblivion Cube?"
The Kitsune's eyes widened. Then she grinned—wide and sharp and genuinely surprised.
"Yes! That!" She gave him a thumbs up.
"Something that all the deities and powers in high places want to assemble for the generic 'Ultimate Power.' It's honestly been nothing but a pain in the ass."
She took a long puff.
"Why did you steal it if it's such a pain?" Elias asked.
Her smile widened slowly, her eyes gleaming with mischief.
"Because I'm the Maker of Discord." Her tails swayed lazily behind her.
"And what creates greater discord than stealing the key to all of creation?"