Sora’s ears twitched, brushing up against something furry that reacted; the sensation made a small vibration hum off her inner ring, and the world opened up into a full three-dimensional view of the dark room of the Tower.
She couldn’t help a half-smile lifting her lips upon seeing her Aunt Nari’s lax, sleeping face close to her own. The single-tailed Vulpes’s big golden ears were pulled back, and the soft puffs of hot air pressed against her cheek. Emilia’s eight tails were covering them like a blanket with her Aunt Seiōbo on the opposite end.
Phasing through her hair, Sora brought her true chakram up to study the scene, radiating a light pulse of laughter. Wendy had snuggled closer to Emilia in the night, but Kari was still a lone wolf at the edge of the bed, poofy tail wrapped in her arms. Mofupsi stretched out at their feet, still in her fox state.
Waking was a bit different in her new body, she reflected, as her liquid-like substance spread out, her chakram making microscopic shifts. She could keep her Vulpes Form only because of her mother’s side, making it all but effortless.
If it wasn’t for her mixed genetics, keeping something as complex as a humanoid-fox-girl shape would have been impossible; it was challenging to do anything more already, such as when she shaped Null-Void into the simple collar around Mofupsi’s throat.
The shapely nine-tailed Vulpes soon revealed her human figure, taking to the air and summoning her pipe from a lick of orange flame. Her voice was soft and reserved as Sora joined her. “Good morning, Master.”
Sora could focus on everything around her but it still felt somewhat unnatural. Allowing her Vulpes body to slowly fizzle out to not wake her family, Sora reconstructed herself around her chakram—she’d found the low ponytail look suited her thick, semi-corporeal flaming silvery locks flaring out before being pulled into the ring.
Nari and Seiōbo’s forehead creased, but one gentle magical weave from Mofupsi brought them closer to Emilia. They waited for several seconds, but no one woke up; recalling the unusual affix of the bed, she assumed it had something to do with it, and judging by the magic she sensed around them, the City Core had been repaired.
“Can you take us to a place where we can talk?” Sora whispered, adjusting her red dress a tad.
Mofupsi answered by breathing in the burning herbs and puffing out a long blue flame; they were instantly high above the city, sitting in two comfortable armchairs on a balcony.
The two took a second to observe the city below them in silence, Mofupsi’s soft smile genuinely peaceful while lifting her gaze to the dark heavens—it was night, and to Sora’s surprise, all the planets had changed locations.
Floating in the sky—each easily double the size of Earth’s moon—floated the various spheres. It was a little overwhelming, but Sora just had to accept it; everything was changing in the Vulpes Realm.
“How long have I been asleep?”
Mofupsi let a low rumble shake her throat. “Three days.”
Sora’s brain blanked; it didn’t register for a moment as her glowing silver eyes settled on the woman. “Excuse me?”
“Three days,” she calmly repeated. “Hallaway has returned, and Qebhet has been very busy. The serpent has been meticulous, cleansing and knitting any damages that have been done to Kari, Nari, Emilia, Seiōbo, and your spirits, as well as many others within your little group.”
Still trying to process the news, Sora blinked a few times, examining the glowing metropolis below them. “What … damage?”
“Hmm?” Mofupsi settled into her chair, readjusting her tails across her lap and fixing the bust of her robe. “Nephesh’s influence may not have been immediately felt, but his lingering hooks were within everyone inside of this Realm, and he made a conscious effort to target anyone within your party the second you entered.”
“Okay…”
Sora’s fingers fidgeted in her lap, pondering what was next but nothing came to mind. “Has … anyone been awake … What about Jin and Eyia? Has she calmed down?”
“They have,” Mofupsi replied, giving her a small smile. “Loral was stunned by their sudden disappearance to the fifth dimension. Given what I know, that puts them on a slightly higher level than Loral herself—beyond me without question.”
Pointing her pipe at the floor, she chuckled. “They chose to reinsert themselves into time after you had fallen asleep. Over the last few days, I have had a few conversations with them, seeing as The Council was purified and healed by the City Core when we ascended to the position. Jin has something important she wishes to speak to you about.”
Sora folded her arms, letting the wind tickle her neck by affecting her Null-Void body; if she wanted to, she could resist the drag of physics. “I’m just trying to grasp that it’s been three days … Am I the first to wake up?”
Mofupsi’s light red locks shifted against her shoulders as she shook her head. “Wendy, Nathan, Mary, and Ashley were the first to wake since Nephesh only made a single attempt against them; Inari’s Core strengthening exercise helped to offer enough resistance to make him redirect his efforts to the others.”
The woman lightly clapped her hands. “I am awed by your aunt’s foresight and minor actions through you that have had an immense effect upon our world. The more I learn, the more I realize how insignificant I am. It has been a humbling experience.”
“I’m glad that’s—eh, that’s been something you’ve enjoyed,” Sora mumbled, collecting her scattered brain. “So, what has happened?”
Her new slave snickered, causing the woman’s frame to quiver. “In short, Qebhet has continued her refining and cleansing of this Realm after your aunt expertly drove the threats away, stitched this realm back together, and met with each of the Council Members to issue her ruling … After all, she is the matriarch over your family, including this Realm.”
Not finding any fault in that, Sora nodded. “Everything’s working now?”
“It is a work in progress.” Mofupsi drew in from her pipe again before letting it out in brilliant sapphire wisps of magical flame. “Those that will be joining you, such as Aiden, Liz, and Wendy, have been preparing themselves—he-he-he, they even asked for my help in further pursuing a technique that I am not entirely familiar with … The Outer Body Technique.”
The Vulpes’s eyes creased with melancholy. “It took me millennia to even find my own way into my Core, and yet I am told you can do it not only for yourself but to others … You seem to have quite the talent as a Founder.”
Sora sighed, leaning against the side of her chair to rub her temple. “I think I know where you’re going,” she whispered, pulling her bound hair around to her front and staring at the three silvery tails across her lap.
“My aunt spent our entire first meeting together teaching it … I hadn’t realized how important it was to understanding and reading spirits, much less the countless other avenues it provides. It’s not me—it’s my aunt that showed me that.”
Flaring white eyes rolling at her own thoughts, Sora shook her head and giggled. “It’s something I’ll probably need to practice again to really get it down after unlocking my father’s side … heh, I’ve got so much to learn…”
She gave the reserved woman a sad smile, pausing to gain her attention. “My aunt told me it’s going to be you that really helps with the bulk of my training … Maybe some of that future’s changed with my aunts being here, but I wouldn’t count on it after she said how troublesome they’re going to be.”
Mofupsi released a short grunt. “Humph … I suppose there will be much for me to learn, as well. Although…”
Her wandering gaze moved across the brilliant heavens. “I find myself overwhelmed by the simple action of sleeping at your feet … To feel the tranquil vibe your spirit emits. Heh, I cannot wait to leave this Realm, and I am terrified at the same time … Isn’t that silly?”
Sora sank against her seat. “For real; I totally relate! I have no idea where I should go next, but I have this tingling in my gut that tells me the direction just hasn’t been revealed yet … It will be, and soon, though.”
The orange-haired woman didn’t respond, nodding while scanning the heavens, and Sora retreated to her own mind. It was unreal, considering everything she’d done and gone through since becoming a Vulpes.
Lifting her hand, she radiated a small flame of Null-Void energy, watching the white illumination eat at the elements around them. Looking back, there’s so much I’ve done, and yet … It feels like such a short time has passed. Then again, time is pretty relative, it seems; if Jin and Eyia can just leave it, no problem … How long were they gone? Mary, Wendy, Kari … they’ve all been through so much. Dad…
“Huh…”
Mofupsi glanced her way, noticing the small smile on Sora’s lips. “Pondering something, Master?”
Sora didn’t like the fox calling her by the title, but at the same time, she wanted Mofupsi to enjoy her life, and if that meant living as her servant for a while, it was acceptable. “Just thinking about my dad.”
She sat up, pulling her legs against her chest while looking up at the sky. “It’s so strange … He doesn’t even know I have a daughter. Heh, he’d probably pass out—at least lose balance … At least, that’s how I picture it in my head. Hmm…”
The change in her put an amused tone in Sora’s voice as she rubbed her shins. “You know, it’s weird … Ever since I ascended, or whatever, I’ve lost so much tension … Before, that was all I could think about. All the gunk weighing down my life—the next rug that would be pulled out beneath my feet, but for the first time since I first transformed into a Vulpes … I feel free.”
“Free?” Mofupsi repeated, eyes drifting to the pipe in her left hand. “Such an … unusual word that I had only read vague references to in the library … Free,” she tasted it on her lips again, and a silent laugh shook her frame. “I have felt that word in my breast for so long, but it never had a tangible form … Such a beautiful word.”
Sora smirked, letting one leg drop down as she held the other close, resting her chin against her knee. “Yeah, he-he, you say that, yet who’s the one that’s become a slave to me?”
Mofupsi gave a dismissive shrug, tapping the pipe against her collar. “You look at my slavery as a negative, but to me … this is a bond of my own choosing … to be able to choose my cage is freedom.”
She hadn’t thought about it in that light. To Mofupsi, having thousands of years of isolation, locked into an endless cycle of watching the weak die, strong live, and yet no one could so much as touch her or offer anything new.
Sora doubted the City Core would even allow the woman to die since the herbs she’d cultured herself appeared to be for that purpose—unable to even take her own life or give up the title of Yellow Seat after being groomed for it in a living hell.
She only pitied Mofupsi because she didn’t understand exactly what the woman had lived through, and the liberty she now felt should have been a celebration instead of condescending empathy—who was she to tell the woman she’d be happier in another light because clearly, she was happier than ever?
At that moment, Sora decided to give Mofupsi what she wanted. If she wanted to be treated in a particular way and had a healthy mind state about it, what was the problem?
Hot air shot through Sora’s nose while repositioning herself to fiddle with her long hair and study her actual body. “You know, to me, I sound crazy … I don’t feel crazy, but my mind tells me I am. Why am I not that worried about my dad? How can I just not be too concerned about the future—I mean, I am, but nothing like I was before…”
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Her half-smile grew as her emotions bubbled the words into existence. “Mmh … I’ve found my own freedom, Mofupsi.”
The woman gave her a warm look, hands moving to clap. “Congratulations, Master. We have taken one step closer to a more flexible fate.”
Liking the way she phrased that, Sora sighed, watching her return to the pipe. “I thought you crushed that thing.”
“Hmm?” Mofupsi’s gaze slanted to the intricate object. “Does it upset you, Master?”
Sora thought about it for a moment, head tilting left and right. “Kind of, but not really … My only concern is how it affects your health—mental, physical, and I guess spiritual, considering the way it makes me feel.”
A note of recognition rumbled in her throat. “I see … It certainly isn’t the most healthy activity, seeing as I am circulating it through my spiritual network. I have had to develop my own strains of the herb that Bethel was able to find me … She took an interest in me when I first rose to the Yellow Seat, but the woman lost her attention quite rapidly. Heh-he-he, that is Bethel, in a nutshell.”
“A spiritual and physical addiction, huh?” Sora hissed, cheeks pulling in while staring at the boundary of the city wall. “I’m not going to tell you not to do it, but I’d like to figure out a way to keep you safe … Although, the effects are what your body craves, which is why you’ve had to increase the dose for so long…”
“I can help!” Sora and Mofupsi’s focus moved to three people that teleported beside them—Jin, Eyia, and Qebhet. The little snake girl had her hands behind her back and a cute smile on her cheeks. “If you’d like the addictive nature to be cleansed, bypassing withdrawals, you’ll only have the habit to break.”
Mofupsi shrugged, vision turning to Sora. “If my Master wills it, I will see it finished.”
“Withdrawal properties gone, please!” Sora didn’t even have to think about it, a thankful grin brightening her eyes upon seeing not only the snake goddess but her Valkyrie and Dragon friend. “I could care less about Mofupsi puffing on a pipe—heh, in fact, I think it just fits her look, but if we could swap the herb to something less dangerous, I’d feel so much better.”
The orange-tailed Vulpes gave the pipe a wry smile, shifting her weight against the opposite side of the chair to face their guests. “I accept the offer, then … Although, I am not sure what replacement would be appropriate.”
Jin seemed to be in a strange mood because she decided to speak up on the random topic, surprising Sora. “It really doesn’t matter. If you like that stuff, Qebhet can alter it to have a similar sensation and taste while dissolving the addictive traits … purity specialists are very versatile.”
“I can!” Qebhet emphatically nodded. “Although, I’d only do it to a single plant.”
Mofupsi returned her focus to Sora, and she could see a new joy in the woman’s gaze; in all of her years, everything about this was new to her. “Master?”
“Of course!” Sora replied. “Oh, but, eh, how long does it take to grow?”
Mofupsi waved her hand. “If its growth rate remains the same, a single plant will be more than sufficient to begin a new crop.”
Jin snickered. “A small pocket space you’ve created for the express purpose of growing recreational drugs … Heh, sure, okay. Maybe I’ll try some at some point to see your hype.”
Sora sighed at the girl's shameless self-invite, but Mofupsi appeared to be on board.
“I look forward to discussing the topic with you!” the Vulpes giggled, turning to Qebhet. “I am thankful for all you have done, Qebhet.”
The girl’s toothy smile brightened. “I’m just doing my best to help!”
As Jin, Qebhet, and Mofupsi worked on their project, Sora got up to face her fidgeting Valkyrie friend. “So, how are you feeling?”
Eyia cleared her voice, catching a side-long glance from Jin. “I am … still working through the error that I made, S-Sister, but … I ask for time.”
Heart burning with compassion, Sora flew forward, tackling the girl off the edge of the platform to float in the air; arms tightly wrapped around the blonde’s body, she giggled. “I love you, Eiya—we’re sisters, and I’m happy you’re calling me it again! Of course, I’ll support you!”
“Sister…” Eyia emotionally whispered, glancing down at the ground far below them and keeping herself adrift from gravity’s pull. “I do not feel it is okay for me to hide things from you … yet I cannot tell you the whole truth, and it hurts me … having to choose between my sister and duty.”
Chest puffing up with air, Sora let it out slowly, nodding her head against the Valkyrie’s ear. “Look, Eyia, I’m never going to ask you to reveal something you’re uncomfortable with. I trust you—heh, I’d be dead without you I don’t know how many times! I mean, I could probably count them,” she chuckled, “but that’s not the point!”
Pulling apart to hover back a little, she held her arm behind her back and grinned at her friend. “We’re sisters, and that includes Wendy, Kari, and … I guess Jin?” she muttered, shifting back to give her a questioning look.
In response, Jin let out a loud burp and rubbed her throat to level a half-smirk in their direction. “Aye, don’t need to pity add me, ‘ight? I’m not going to pretend that I’m that close to you.”
Her Korean features creased thoughtfully. “Hmm … What are we actually? More than acquaintances, but I wouldn’t really call us that close of friends. Mmh … We’re in more of an agentic friendship category.”
“Uh-huh,” Sora hummed. “And that is? Wait … you found out how to bypass the translation thing,” she sighed, brushing her fingers through her hair.
“Yup!” she giggled, giving her a peace sign as the snake and fox behind her went through a cleansing ritual. “Basically, we’re in a voluntary relationship that’s focused on achieving specific practical goals.”
Eyia sucked in a shuddering breath, trying to regain control of the chemicals in her blood. “Jin has a vast vocabulary as a Dragon.”
“Speaking of which…” In a very uncharacteristic mannerism for the small girl, Jin mumbled, and a blush touched her cheeks while smoothing her black bangs behind her left ear. “I had something I wanted to talk to you about … Request, really, and, eh … I’m willing to, you know, support you after in, umm, yeah, whatever…”
Curiosity rising, Sora floated back over with Eyia, and now the Valkyrie was giving the Dragon an encouraging stare, trying to pump her up.
“Mhm?” Sora pushed, watching the girl pluck at the back of her black shirt, refusing to make eye contact.
Jin cleared her throat. “Honestly … I kind of want to use you, which sounds horrible, but I’m not really the type to hide that kind of thing.”
“Go on?” Sora smiled, thrown completely to leftfield.
“Ugh, this isn’t easy, okay?” Jin grumbled, body tilting away to glare at the horizon. “Truth is, I need to go see my big sister … like—I ‘need’ to go see my sister, and…” A lump fell down her throat. “I don’t want to—at all … Not the biggest fan of most of my family, but yeah, I can’t really avoid this one.”
Excitement bubbling up in Sora, the gears in her heart clicked into place. This was what I was waiting for! Our next destination in whatever plan I saw when ascending is meeting Jin’s family! That’s so cool! We get to meet … wait…
Grin washing away, Sora fixated on one very vivid memory of the tiny Korean monster and then her aunt’s stories about her Aunt Nari. “Umm … what about the whole Dragons hating Vulpes thing?”
Jin hissed, scratching the back of her head and sounding annoyed. “Eh-yeah … Another problem, I’m actually a True Dragon.”
“Okay?” Sora mumbled, not following. “Cool?”
A sound of recognition shook the air as Qebhat turned around, finished with Mofupsi’s stuff. “Jin is saying she is a Founder. Just like you! It’s really tough to tell who’s what when Existence has so many singular-existent beings so tightly packed together, so I had no clue! A very tricky Dragon,” she giggled.
“Not that I planned it that way,” Jin grumbled. “I was just minding my own business until I got roped into this mess—eh, not that I’m complaining; in fact, it’s been kind of fun and tense, to be honest, but…”
Sora’s arms crossed under her bust, mirroring Jin’s awkward tone. “Ick, eh, that could be a problem?” she eased out. “I … think that’s cool, and now, heh, I see why you’d want to kill me when we first met … thanks for not doing that, by the way,” she forced a chuckle. “Uh … why do you need me?”
“Aiden,” Eyia promptly replied. “Jin wishes to use the unpredictable outcomes of the chaos you sow, and she has a theory regarding your father that she is counting on. Her mother is her opponent.”
“Eyia…” Jin groaned, “It’s not that simple as—oh, yeah, my mom is my opponent … yeah, not happenin’, girl, but yeah … I just want to throw her off and shove it in her face. I don’t know … it’s stupid really … not even a dream or hope but … heh, depressed desperation … I guess?”
Listening to the defeatist tone in the usually proud as they came Dragon, steel welled up in Sora’s gut. “Hmm … Who’s your mother? Would I know her even if you told me?”
Jin popped her tongue and slid her lip under her teeth before whispering, “Yìnglóng ring a bell?”
Sora’s mind snapped back to her aunt’s story, and a shiver ran down her spine, brain trying to process her lips’ movements. “... Yìnglóng … First Generation Mother of the Dragons, Yìnglóng … is what I’m hearing.”
Eyia’s solemn nod told Sora everything she needed to know.
Smacking her lips, Sora expelled a harsh hiss. “Okay … So, we’re basically trying to derail Gloria’s plans … Is that an apt comparison?”
Jin’s miserable expression wasn’t encouraging. “I don’t want to go to my sister’s because I know my mom’s probably going to show up, knowing I’d go there—I’m sure as Hell not going to see her, so … yeah, that’s where I’m stuck.”
Sora felt a bit numb just thinking about standing opposed to Gloria, but at the same time, it wasn’t as if they were really making her their enemy as much as Jin was just a rebellious daughter—she could respect that, hopefully.
Collapsing in the chair again, Sora adjusted her dress over her legs and hummed. “What’s the theory you had on my father because—eh-heh-he-he, we’re going to need all the help we can get—hold up, does that mean you’re a Second Generation Founder?!”
The Korean girl shrugged, still refusing to make eye contact. “Yeah, well, I was born super recently, so my fiftieth-generational niece or nephew would stomp my face in … Gah, it pisses me off, but anyway, uh … yeah, so, you know how you’re not of this Existence?”
Sora’s left eye creased. “Kind of? Is that the actual name that it’s called?”
Jin sat in the air with Eyia, Mofupsi, and Qebhet listened. “Yeah, as far as I know, you’re some kind of creature from outside our Existence, which means you don’t operate by the same rules, yet your mother’s side anchors you enough to mesh with it—ugh, it’s confusing,” she growled, “but it’s the best explanation I got.”
Eyia nodded, humming with understanding. “So, my sister affects causality in a different way than Aiden, and having them both together causes titanic shifts in the flow of how Existence reacts to them. It is why the path of time ahead of us is utter darkness … Aiden and Sora are the keys.”
An unsure grunt in Jin’s voice and shoulder shrug made Sora smile a little. “Eh, who really knows … I’m just using the knowledge my mother gave me, but even that’s probably planted for her own ends, so how should I know? I bet there is a ton of stuff that’s causing errors in everyone’s plan—from Kari to Wendy, for all I know, which is why I asked if you’d join me. I know it’s selfish, but … I had to ask.”
Everyone turned to Sora as she immediately got up, walked over to the confused Dragon, and threw her arms around her.
“Hey! What’s the big idea?” Jin asked, her thin arms spread awkwardly as Sora pressed her left fox ear against her flat chest. “Eh … Why are you hugging me?”
Sora giggled, feeling her pounding heart. “Jin, I think this is the first step of us turning from having an agentic friendship to a real one! I can’t explain why, but I feel like this is the right path, and we should have a bunch of time to train … heh, seriously, who in their right minds would even think about attacking your family?”
A slight, proud smirk lifted Jin’s lips as she tilted her head and slowly returned the gawky hug. “Not wrong.”
Pulling away, she put her hands on her hip and looked between the four women surrounding her. “So, which sister are we going to see?”
Jin scratched her neck, forcing a smile. “My eldest sister … Nüwa.”
“Oh, just Nüwa, huh?” Sora mused. “Anything I should know about her, other than what she did after the big fight your eldest brother had with the First Generation Founders?”
The girl tucked the corner of her lip under before sucking on it for a moment. “Mmh, well … she’s not the ‘most’ friendly with my mother, but is also on some bad terms with a few First Generation Founders … My brother wasn’t the only one that took to violence against the hierarchy and was even friends with your aunt in direct opposition of my mother, or at least … that’s what memories my mother gave me.”
Sora’s eyes narrowed, mouth tightening. “I’m not liking how manipulative your mother sounds, but I mean … I thought the same about mine. Ugh, mothers, am I right?” she laughed, trying to brighten the mood.
“Yeah!” Eyia snapped, shocking everyone. “Mothers, humph!”
Jin pointed at the indignant Valkyrie. “What she said! Uh … anyways, thanks, Sora … I know this is asking a lot.”
“Not from a friend,” Sora winked in return. “Okay, let’s get everyone together to let them know we’re going to your sister’s … umm, cave?”
“Ha-ha,” Jin snorted, rolling her eyes, “very funny! No, she has her own twelfth-dimensional palace that we’ll enter through the third-dimensional gateway … basically, a waiting area for her to receive guests in lower planes of Existence.”
“Sounds good!”
Mofupsi, being the good volunteer-slave fox she was, teleported them back around the various parts of the Tower to gather everyone to explain their next destination.
Everyone could attend, but Emilia, her aunts, and Kari were still in some kind of recovery state. On the other hand, Fen and Jian had already left two days ago on their personal odyssey, and the former Council Members were now in a recovering state after being bound to the new System, excluding the three instigators, which were in recovery from a different operation that extended their lives to serve their sentence.
In some large conference room, perfectly tailored to their size, Sora observed their dwindling numbers. Githa randomly showed up the second they were about to begin the meeting, acting as if nothing had happened—unfortunately, that meant Qebhet had to go since her very presence was damaging to the Nekomata.
Nathan, Mary, and Ashley would be departing on their own paths tomorrow. Sora recalled everything they had done for her, and her heart went out to them on their journey.
Wendy, Aiden, Kari, Mofupsi, Eyia, Jin, Githa, Emilia, her aunts, and Liz would go to Nüwa’s palace. The news about Jin stunned everyone present, asking for more details; Sora couldn’t wait to see Kari’s reaction, but that would have to wait.
Sora was a little shocked Liz decided to separate from Alice, but friends weren’t really a thing in their vocabulary until she’d unraveled the seal within their Cores. The two-tailed pink-furred caretaker had developed an infatuation with Aiden that Sora could respect, and Aiden deserved some attention—he was super outnumbered as it was seeing Nathan going his own way.
Clearing her throat, Sora dropped the bomb. “Our next destination has been set … We’re going to Jin’s sister’s house! Any objections after everything you’ve heard?”
Not one person raised their hand.
“Right! Well, let’s get prepared; we leave once Kari, Emilia, and my aunts wake up!”