Late Evening - Mid Summer : Moriai | Leyfa Askr

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  - Persephone Ormr (The 3-Tailed Fox) ~

  *Flash* *CRRRRACK* Ripping past treants so fast it showered the city under the canopy with leaves, I darted over the seemingly endless forest as fast as I could.

  Quickly focusing on the thin, invisible string stretching out from my chest, my stomach churned with a mix of fear and uncertainty.

  It was a tether—a connection between souls, whether between a god and a chosen mortal or a mother and child. Just focusing on the connection would let me peek into the mind of my child and feel what they felt, even from some distance, whether they felt love and comfort, or fear and horror.

  But just moments prior, for the first time ever, a gut-wrenching fear blew through the tether while I wasn't watching it: a sickening discomfort that couldn't be described.

  Without taking a single moment to even think, I Ieft my perch, some two hundred kilometers away, and closed in on where my tether told me my son was.

  But as I got close, the sensations passing through the tether blurred, my instincts roared, and I grew tense.

  By the time I reached the treant he was at and descended through the canopy, I felt like I was running straight into the maw of a monster, being watched by a force I couldn't see or feel. *tap-tap-tap-tap*

  *Thump* But the moment I landed in the 'grand hall's' courtyard, it all made sense.

  -W..What.. is.. that...- Staring at the door with wide eyes, the hair on the back of my neck stood up, my ears laid back, and my claws dug into the ground.

  Even through the door, I could see the outline of a human, silhouetted by a white cloud so immense it took me a moment to recognize.

  They were fragments of souls, clumped up into a single mass as they clung to their killer. -That thing.. is dangerous...-

  *Click-Fwoosh* Unable to pull a drop of focus off it, as the doors swung open, it felt like a wave of pins and needles washed over me before I found myself caught in the void-like, lifeless eyes of a monster shaped like a human.

  Staring into that thing's eyes, my heart raced faster and faster. I wanted to speak, but couldn't think straight enough to use the magic.

  Until finally, it spoke with a warmth unbefitting its gaze. "What an interesting thing you are..."

  Her words sent a chill down my spine, but her voice managed to break my mind out of its stun lock. "Y-You..." But even though I had to speak through wind magic, my voice was shaky. "What.. are you..."

  The focus in her eyes quickly shifted as if she tried to hit me with a local system panel. "My name is Evren Lestir, a human." Eventually moving her focus back to my eyes, her unwavering gaze felt like it could pierce my soul.

  -Human?!- I wanted to assume it was a joke but couldn't. *Vwoom* "M-My name is Persephone... Persephone Ormr..." Cautiously looking up at the towering mass of souls clinging to her, my mind raced to come up with some sort of plan.

  But being unable to control my gaze, I caught her attention. "Is something the matter?" Innocently tilting her head, my gaze snapped back to her.

  And almost instantly, my mind fell into a hallucination, envisioning an endless ocean of blood surrounding us, filled with the bodies of monsters and humans alike.

  It was a sight that sent my mind into chaos, but as I backed away, the gentle touch of my son snapped me out of it.

  *tap* "...-Mother?!" Being barely the size of my paw, he had hopped up it and set his hand on my leg, looking up at me with a mix of worry and confusion written across his face.

  "What are you doing?!" Throwing him off my paw without an ounce of hesitation, I jumped over him and squatted down to hide him before speaking in a hurry. "M-Madam, I hope you will be forgiving of my son's ignorance."

  Watching her eyes immediately turn to him, I lowered my stance even more.

  She was completely unreadable, but as I looked deeper and deeper into the vast empty void within her eyes, I saw a glimmer of something, like the glow of a campfire in the middle of the Arctic.

  It was a speckle of interest and curiosity.

  But while I couldn't tell if it was just another facade, I decided to try and throw fuel at it. "I am an Alopex, a monster not native to Earth." Pausing, I tried to gauge her expression before continuing. "We Alopex are known for our connection to the realm of the dead and the cycle of reincarnation.. or in other words, are very sensitive to souls. However.. I can't say I've ever seen so many souls clinging to a person..." Looking back up at the massive cloud clinging to her, I felt a bit lightheaded. "Just.. what kind of life did you live for you to have been bathed in so much blood..?"

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  - Evren Lestir ~

  I was quick to shrug. "I just did everything the system told me to." But as I watched her ears fall back with horror, confirming that she most certainly wasn't a system mercenary, I continued bluntly. "System mercenaries are simply the disposable tools of the system. When we get assigned a mission, we must complete it or else we will die. I just happened to survive until the system had nothing left for me to do." Brushing off her remark, I idly thought back to what the thing she said regarding souls.

  At first, I thought she said it figuratively, perhaps seeing my nature through my eyes like an old teller would.

  But the longer I thought about it the more I started to wonder.

  Untill eventually, Eve cut in between us. "Madam Ormr, I apologize for intruding, but we must move on to the scheduled meaning with haste. If you could send your son inside, you may continue your conversation, but-"

  "No," She immediately cut her off before standing up with haste. "I will see through this meeting myself. Melrakki, I'll take this matter from here." Momentarily shooting him a glare, she walked out toward Eve and I before suddenly, a burst of light flooded the area.

  -What the..?- It was so bright I had to block it with my hand, and so hot it felt like I was texting next to a massive fire.

  But when the light and heat eventually faded, and rather than seeing the towering fox still standing before us, we caught the gaze of an extremely tall, older demihuman-looking woman. -Hoh?- It was transformation magic, something I believed only true dragons could use. -Maybe her son's dragon blood isn't from something as simple as an elixir...-

  "I apologize if I blinded you all for a moment." Gently bowing, her head barely lowered under my chest. "But before we continue.. if I may... Who is this woman to you, Queen Altera?"

  Somewhat smugly smiling, she took a step to the side as if to show me off. "She is my Mother's closest fr-"

  But I never got to hear her finish that statement. *Vwoop* Being engulfed in a gate, the smile on my face faded, and an almost sickening agitation filled my mind. -You have to be kidding...- Without warning, the system had caught me. -The fucking second I let my guard down...-

  Being grateful that I at least got the fox on more friendly terms with Eve, I tried to ease my nerves a bit. At the very least, I was confident they could hold out on their own until I could finish the mission and return, regardless of what it was.

  But unfortunately, there was a bit of a complication with that.

  *Vwoop* As I was released from the gate, and landed in a vast, open plain, the yell of an all too familiar voice ripped out.

  "-riend!- WHAT THE HELL?!" *Thump-Rustle*

  Looking over at the noise, my eyes went wide, and my chest tightened.

  Sitting in the tall prairie grass next to me, I found Eve looking up at me with wide, confused eyes.

  The same as mine.

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  Late Evening - Mid Summer : Moriai | Leyfa Askr

  - Persephone Ormr (The 3-Tailed Fox) ~

  "She is my Mother's closest fr-" *Vwoop* Instantly cutting off her voice, an odd sound rippled out, and my eyes went wide.

  In the blink of an eye, both Queen Altera and the 'woman' named Evren disappeared into nothingness. -W..What..?-

  It was so sudden that it made my mind stutter.

  But I couldn't stay still for long. After just a moment, several presences that were scattered around the canopy came down and surrounded me, dissipating the light magic that hid them to reveal a dozen elven knights donning all matte black armor with a familiar gold crest on their chest. -Shit...-

  They were Altera's personal knight order, a group of guards and assassins that was strong enough to eliminate nearly anyone, whether they were thought to be invisible or invincible. "Okay, let's calm down here..." Not moving a muscle, I spoke calmly.

  But before I could do that, a woman in a simple, traditional maids outfit walked up in front of me. "Madam Ormr," She spoke so condescendingly it was almost upsetting. "If you did something to the queen, it would be in your best interest to say so now." Reaching her hand out to the side, she quickly equipped several items, one of which being a gauntlet while politely holding her other hand behind her back.

  -You have to be kidding me...- "I had nothing to do with this, Igna." She was the closest aide to the queen, and advisor and guard sent by her Mother. "I have no reason to break our treaty and start a war... Especially right now..."

  Even I, a monster capable of trading blows with the queen would have a hard time dealing with her. With the rest of her private knight order here, I was really in trouble.

  But thankfully, after taking a few steps closer, she stopped and looked me in the eyes. "Hm... Order, pat her down."

  Almost immediately, the knights began thoroughly patting me down before asking for me to take off all the artifacts I was wearing, whether it was jewelry or enchanted items like my shoes so they could put them in their inventory and verify their affects.

  By the time they finished, I had essentially been stripped of everything but my clothes, and that was only because a majority of my clothes were simply an illusion of light magic. "Is that enough?"

  Looking over the group of knights for a moment, Igna reluctantly nodded, and the knights all gave my things back to me. *Cl-l-link*

  -Irritating bastards...- Eventually putting everything back on, I watched as Igna unequipped her items before motioning the knight order to scatter and turning to walk into the hall with her hands held behind her back.

  But just as she walked inside, she spoke bluntly. "When you are done, please come inside. The meeting must proceed without delay."

  Instantly tensing up, I looked up at her with a confused look, watching her nonchalantly walking inside with furled brows.

  Given the situation, it made sense for her to take over, and it made sense for the meeting to still be held.

  But while she walked inside, a deep unease settled in my stomach. -She... She's too calm...-

  Her queen vanished from before her eyes, and after patting only one person down, she returned to her normal duty.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I saw my son still standing there, dumbfounded. -They didn't even check him...-

  Turning back to Igna, my gaze sharpened. -If it's going to be like that then...- Finally getting all my jewelry back on, I stood up straight and started after her with a smile creeping across my face. -Maybe it's not such a bad time...-

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