White breathed out a long stream of air at 8 P.M. Sora would return shortly to spend the night with her concerned daughter.

He’d transported Tola back to her chambers in the Tower to rest after they’d moved to Emilia’s house, and the twins went back to their own house fifteen minutes ago.

No one but he knew how genuinely embarrassing a spiritual reflux was; if any of the young Kitsune had done that in their training, they’d practically die of shame, but luckily, ignorance was bliss in this situation.

Naturally, all the girls talked about was the spiritually unstable turquoise-furred Vulpes, which had distracted them throughout the lessons. It couldn’t be helped, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t see this coming.

Standing in the hallway with Emilia bouncing up and down on her toes beside him, waiting for Sora to arrive, he sensed the girl’s anxious emotions like a tidal wave; she wanted to confide her worries to her mother and get reassurance that her beloved mentor would be okay.

There’s not a single way for me to evade Emilia drawing Tola and me together… No matter what we do or how I try to redirect, she has us do things together. There’s no escaping this talk, but given Emilia’s involvement as a singular entity, I can’t see how this will end; it will depend on how Tola responds to the lesson.

Sora appeared outside, usually teleporting outdoors to come in as if just returning home for Emilia to greet her.

“I’m back! You wouldn’t believe what—”

“Mom! Mom, it’s Ms. Tola! Ms. Tola collapsed!”

“Huh?” Door half-open and hand still on the ancient knob, she halted as her daughter ran to latch around her stomach. “What’s… going on?”

“It’s Ms. Tola! She had this—this spiritual relapse thing—”

“Reflux,” White calmly corrected.

“Yeah! The reflux thing, and she’s been resting all day!”

“Okay… What’s going on, White?”

Right hand on his hip, White gave Emilia a soft, understanding smile. “It is a bit of a personal matter, I’m afraid; she is fine and only requires some rest.”

“B-But, White! She was sweating and panting, and I was so scared! Are you sure she’s going to be okay?”

“She will be fine, Little Princess,” White grinned. “I’ll take care of her, so don’t you worry. Okay?”

Ears coming up a bit, Emilia started to calm down. “Okay… Mom, you should have seen it! She just suddenly—her magic went poof—and White was right there to catch her! He was so cool! He took her to bed, and—”

“Bed?”

Sora… White internally groaned, knowing what was on her mind.

“Yeah, to her bed—well, Rayla and Luna’s guest bed … I’m worried! He told us she’d be okay and made sure she was comfortable.”

“Alright, alright,” Sora forced a chuckle, rubbing her head to look at him. “Is she going to be okay by tomorrow, White?”

“I can’t say for sure; it will depend on a few things, but I will send you an update before you head to bed to put the young princess’ mind at ease.”

A thankful smile lifted Sora’s shimmering green eyes. “Thank you, White.”

“Yeah, thank you, White! Umm, can you tell Ms. Tola I hope she gets better—Rayla, Luna, and I are so worried about her—if she needs sweets, we can make some more for her to feel better. Right, Mom?”

“Heh, yeah, sweets would be nice… Do you want to make some cookies to bring her tomorrow before we go to bed?”

“Can we?!”

“Of course.”

“Yes! Cookies will make her feel better!”

“Only a little taste of the cookie dough tonight, though.”

“Okay!”

Ushering the now excited girl to the kitchen, Sora mouthed thank you and disappeared around the corner. Nodding, he teleported outside to look up at the dimming heavens, leaving them to their bonding time.

How should I approach something so delicate?

“Hmm?”

Looking past the large colorful spheres in the sky to scan the Realm Core, he searched its history to better grasp the place Tola was coming from; it only took a few minutes to review the social environment the Vulpes had experienced, which made him sigh.

This will be more troublesome than I thought.

Emotionally and spiritually preparing himself, White generated a filter to help combat the woman’s gravitational lure. Moving through space to appear outside her bedroom, White lightly rapped his knuckles against the large wooden door.

“Come in,” Tola said, the Tower projecting her voice to him as it opened to her command.

Hands behind his back, White hid his discomfort with a reassuring smile and entered.

The room was extravagant, yet it was clear she didn’t spend much time here by how plain the decorations were; it hadn’t changed since her predecessor, which showed by the old artwork done by other Vulpes in the district tens of thousands of years ago.

Tola pulled back her sheets to swing her legs over the side of her large bed, adjusting her relatively modest black nightgown, which he was grateful for. The pain of the beautiful woman’s naivety still burning through his chest, even with her choice of outfit.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better… Mmgm, White,” she whispered, fingers tightening against her breast as he neared and making him slow. “Why… do I feel like this when you’re around?”

Breathing in deeply, he released it while asking for the City Core for a chair and taking it. He crossed his legs and gave her a compassionate smile. “Lady Tola, it is among the most complicated and simple things in nature.”

His pulse increased as the scent of her sweat carried to him with her turbulent spiritual waves, yet he pushed on. “This is the reason I was hesitant about us teaching Lady Emilia together.”

“Am I… not suited to teach her?” Tola asked, ears falling back a little.

No… don’t look so vulnerable!

White shifted in his seat and moved his tails to the left, placing his hands in his lap. “You are a wonderful instructor, Tola … The primary issue is me.”

“How so? You are incredible, White; every day, I feel as if I am the student with how much knowledge you convey, and in a manner even the children can understand.”

Vision falling to the carpet, he gently shook his head. “Lady Tola, do you know what lust is?”

“I… have seen Vulpes that lust after human males, but the use of compulsory magic was banned by my predecessor. Are you saying I am being taken over by this emotional state called lust? H-How did that happen… Is it curable?”

A short chuckle shook White’s chest. “It isn’t so easy… Do you know what ‘love’ is?”

“As in… Hmm, that is a complicated word … So far as it is translated to me, it has a few meanings.”

“Several.” He paused, considering his words. Grimacing at the thought of both pushing her to the bed or away, he fought through the discomfort. “How would you like to take a short journey with me as I explain your condition and my curse?”

“Please, help me understand,” Tola said, struggling to get up as her legs trembled slightly, but she managed it. “I… don’t appear to be able to utilize my magic properly, and the City Core isn’t supporting me in this regard … I apologize for the inconvenience I’ve become.”

“Don’t apologize to me, Lady Tola… As I said, I am to blame. It may not be easy for you, but this will be the fastest way for me to show you. We can start here…”

White spun his magic to show the bright-faced little snake girl currently overseeing the Realm’s recovery. “Lady Qebhet has love for everyone and hates to fight … She has universal love for the betterment of all.”

A small smile touched Tola’s lips as she hugged herself. “Lady Qebhet has been nothing short of miraculous for the stability of the Realm.”

“Indeed…” Wrapping them in illusions, he carried them to the opposite side of the planet, and the recovering woman stiffened upon seeing Niomie in a field.

“Why…”

“Self-love can be a wonderful thing in small doses—to have confidence and self-respect—however, it can be harmful. Niomie is an example of what being too self-absorbed can do… When all you care about is yourself, love for others has no place, and you become callous and cold.”

Silence followed as they watched the former leader of this Realm labor in the sun, a magical collar around her neck, gnashing her teeth and cursing; the other Vulpes, happy to toil in the heat, were keeping a reasonable distance from the fallen and cursing woman.

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“I… don’t want to be like her.”

“You are the furthest thing from Niomie,” White chuckled, voice softening as he pondered this Vuples’ simple—yet unimaginably—beautiful soul. “In fact, the aversion you feel is precisely because of that, and to a degree, you are an example of someone who puts too much value in the betterment of others, neglecting yourself.”

“Hmm… I only wish to see others not suffer… to be happy.”

“Which is wonderful, but you must also understand that you cannot properly take care of others if you are not well yourself; the City Core has kept you alive and fully functioning for tens of thousands of years, yet now, it is failing you and you are lost for answers.”

Fingers tightening against her stomach, Tola’s bare feet pawed the earthy ground they stood on, masked from observation. “I haven’t rested for so long, and the girls need me… Heh, I suppose that is also the reason Lady Qebhet has given me this time to spend with them.”

“Give yourself time. Heh,” he turned to gesture at a young human child and mother as he shifted space to bring them near the field’s edge. “Familial love… Sora and Emilia come into this category; Sora hopes to deepen that bond her daughter is craving. It was not present in many places on this planet because if Niomie couldn’t have it, no one could.”

Tola’s lips pulled in, observing the woman playing with her baby. “I believe… Isn't the love Kari and Sora fostering friendship?”

“Hehe, you’re learning! Yes, Kari seems to have never been able to actually build any meaningful understanding of friendship, and Sora is showing her the way.”

Cheeks blushing a little, Tola’s eyes lowered a bit with her ears and tails. The simple action put White on edge, his blood rising. “Kind of like you’re teaching me about these various meanings of love.”

Why… Why does she have to be so innocent!? She’s so pure with her emotions and thoughts. I need to be more direct.

Taking them back to her room while making sure her feet were cleansed from the dust of the earth, Tola looked around in mild confusion as he dropped into his seat.

“Is that… the whole journey?”

White leaned against the side of the chair, golden irises drifting from the hem of her nightgown, up the imprint her legs left to her hips—slightly hidden figure by the baggy nature of her dress to her lips—flushed cheeks, searching eyes, and fidgeting ears before falling to her swaying tails.

She still doesn’t know how much she’s showing off those tails! Gah, the flexibility and mesmerizing motions, but she’s just nervous, and it comes naturally.

“White?”

Running his fingers through his hair, he groaned. “Lady Tola, please, take a seat.”

“Mhm?”

“You understand the attraction that comes to the opposite sex?”

“I do … It is reserved for the Festival of—” she cut off, vision widening as if just noticing something. “The Festivals were something crafted by Niomie… Why…”

“Hehe… Lady Tola, lust is when men and women feel the urge to come together in nature to revel in our more carnal instincts … Something you have no grasp of since your entire life has been groomed around and dedicated to the happiness of others.”

Once again, White struggled to maintain his thoughts, trying to guide this innocent woman and help her recognize what lust and sexuality were; holding back his desires was proving to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.

“You mean… The ritual—Vulpes and humans—they do it for no other reason than pleasure?”

“There are many reasons, and lust is a part of nature, Lady Tola; the way you are feeling is what nature intended. However, as you previously stated, compulsion was outlawed by your predecessor… I am living compulsion.”

Thighs tightening and swallowing the saliva that gathered in her mouth, Tola cleared her throat, eyebrows pulled together. “You… make women feel lust … is what you are saying? Are there other purposes because I cannot see you trying to force me into such an act? I’m confused.”

Her focus fell to her lap, tails wrapping around one another. “I have had thoughts of the ritual with you… unusual thoughts and emotions,” she whispered. “All I can think about is how pleasant you smell… the kind actions you take, and the gentle way your aura presses against me… It’s difficult to concentrate.”

“Hehe,” a bitter note touched White’s voice against his will as he glared at the wall; knowing what his presence would bring her didn’t help him reconcile hearing the pure Vulpes desperate plea.

“It’s the male Vulpes’ curse. Female Vulpes can experience true love… We cannot. I feel sorry for Zelri; he’s so young and innocent. It might be for the best to tell Sora and Emilia you need to recover and…”

He trailed off, Tola’s arms tightening against her breasts as she slowly shook her head, tears gathering in her eyes. “White… All I hear is your heartbeat … Sad and slow. What is true love that makes you hurt so much?”

I’m careless… She’s so sensitive, though. I’ve never had to mask my spiritual aura to this extent.

Sucking in his bottom lip to stop it from quivering as her pure emotions encircled him, weaving past his filters in ways utterly unfamiliar to him, making his ears twitch and air lock in his lungs.

White took a shuddering breath before letting it go in a gradual hiss. “Tola… Do you know how tempting you are to the opposite sex?”

“Tempting… It is my fault? Am—am I doing this to you?”

“No, listen… Tola, you are a virgin.”

“Yes? I haven’t participated in the Festival since I had my duties to fulfill.”

“Hehe, it’s called sex, and you don’t understand the value of a virgin.”

“Help me understand,” she pleaded, rising from her bed to take a step forward in earnest, but she hesitated as White slipped through space to stand by the door. “Why? A-Are you running from me?”

Looking at the carpet, White rubbed his shoulders. “Because… I am a drug to the opposite sex, Tola, but women have their own sort of drug, and… and I have never met anyone more captivating than you.”

“Because I’m a virgin?”

“It’s… Monsters, humans, all creatures that asexually reproduce… Mmgm … Virgins are used in rituals and fed upon by certain monsters because inside of a woman’s reproductive organs—her spiritual womb—you build power to pass onto your child throughout your life, and that can be tapped into… drained, yet it costs the woman’s life since it is tied to your very essence…

“It is among the most valuable energies in Existence because of its unique trait of granting life; it is why firstborns have been given such status across cultures and multiverses. A mother’s first child is usually granted an extraordinary gift, which can be wasted or utilized to a magnificent degree, and… it only builds with time.”

Tola’s searching eyes drifted to the painting he’d crafted at Emilia, Rayla, and Luna’s pleas. “So… Not many Vulpes do not have sex for over thirty thousand years,” she whispered, “and… virgins have an effect on men… especially, male Vulpes?”

“Yes, but the issue isn’t you, Tola… You’re precious—unique—something to be treasured, and you deserve someone that will make you happy.”

Shifting to her left hip, Tola’s bewildered expression only increased as he spoke. “I’m only just beginning to understand what this… love and sex are … What does true love and sex have to do with you making me unhappy? I-I’m not unhappy when I am with you…”

A shiver ran through his bones at the emotions radiating off of her. “That’s the problem… sex is mostly instant gratification … True love is what you deserve, Tola; the bond that comes through time, effort, and the sharing of pain.”

Ears falling back, a somber smile moved his lips. “I’m just a drug; all I’ll draw out of you is lust. It isn’t me you love but the spiritual and physical pheromones I produce—the proof of that is how unstable your Core has become since meeting me. I’m toxic to you, Tola.”

“...” Tola’s mouth was open, but silence ensued as she processed his warning, yet as he looked up, all he saw on her puzzled face was agitation, and after a second, her Core began to stabilize, turquoise irises hardening as she looked up at him.

“You’re toxic to me? If I understand correctly, you’re saying I cannot help but have sex with you, and because of that, you are unworthy of love.”

A sigh of relief exited his stressed lungs, and he smiled, scratching the base of his right ear. “You do get it. I’ll tell—Tola?!”

He backed pressed against the closed door as she passed through space to stand in front of him; he could sense her spiritual network cycling through her energy in a surprisingly efficient manner while staring up at him.

Her voice was soft but firm. “White, you deserve love, too, and if you believe I am too weak to resist you, I’ll prove you wrong; you are not beyond true love… You can have happiness, as well.”

Regaining his senses, White stilled his urges to strip her clothes and force her to the bed, the fur on his tails on end with her so close; in truth, considering her previous reactions, this was unthinkable.

Forcing a smile, he could not keep an ear from twitching as he licked his dry lips. “Oh, and how are you going to prove it? You’re putting on a brave front, but you can hardly stand; I won’t take advantage of you.”

“Because I’m a precious virgin; who would make a better partner for this true love than someone who refuses to take advantage of me?”

“Not me.”

Tola’s bright eyes narrowed, but her face was already flushed, arms and legs already shaking, yet despite that, her voice didn’t quiver. “What do I need to do to prove it isn’t compulsion?”

Beginning to grow desperate, White’s jaw locked, and he spun a weave of magic around them before his emotional state grew too wild, throwing everything he had into this last push to show her exactly what she was up against.

They vanished in white light for her to gasp in surprise and wince as she sank into her mattress, White trapping her in on both sides; long silver hair draping around her face, he could feel Tola’s burning skin through her nightgown.

“W-White…” she hissed, now beginning to quake while looking up at his dead-serious golden eyes, sticky saliva showing in her mouth.

Gut tight, he let the total weight of his aura hit her, making her turquoise irises spin. “I am toxic, Tola… You can feel my heat… smell the pheromones on my breath against your neck… And you think I’m worthy of true love?”

Tola’s throat caught, yet her knotted hands tucked under her butt, tails wrapping around her legs while resisting the pull to give in to desire. Tears falling down her flushed cheeks, she bit her lower lip, drawing blood and her messy locks shifting with her shaking head.

White waited, using every ounce of self-control he had to keep himself from going further. “You can’t even look me in the eye or talk—your thighs are a mess—you're practically burning from a fever. Give it up, Tola… You can’t trust me.”

Gradually, ever so slowly, the defiant woman’s vision met his, fingers digging into the base of her own tails as she shook her head, unable to keep the heat from her husky voice. “No… How long? I’ll prove you wrong! You’re worthy of love—too, White,” she swallowed, eyes closing as looking became too much for her.

Still, five seconds passed—ten—and Tola refused to give in to her lust; spiritual network in shambles, muscles twitching in protest to wrap around his neck and draw him in, she endured.

It’s impossible…

* * *

An inferno consumed Tola’s mind and body as White veiled her; if she opened her eyes to look into those dejected golden saucers, she knew she’d give in—he needed her, but not like this. Blood dribbled down her chin, nails digging into the base of her tails as she waited.

If I give up… No, White believes I’ll break… If I do… If I can’t resist, he’ll never love himself. He isn’t like Niomie… White needs to love himself, and if I can’t take this…

White’s somber, deep voice hit her gut like a blow, burning air from his lungs tickling her neck as his strong hands pressed down on her bed, closing her in and making her stomach twist. Her heart battered against her ribs, every pulse sending a spike through her resolve.

“Tola… Do you really think I’m worthy of love?”

Speak! Why won’t my mouth open! Open! No, hands—don’t fail me! she growled, left fingers latching onto her right. Don’t you move, tails!

“I… I know you are … I’ll prove it.”

“...” Again, silence ensued, yet she knew he was trying just as hard—if not harder—than her.

Ten more agonizing seconds passed of his spiritual waves crashing against her faltering will, and then he slid to her side to stare up at the ceiling.

“If you can go three months without me suppressing my aura… I’ll acknowledge your resolve.”

Three months! Of this?! Oh, breathe… breathe. He’s not over you anymore… No, don’t brush your arm against mine!

“Mmmm…” She didn’t know if filling her lungs was the wrong or right move because all she could smell was his overpowering scent and allure; it was nothing like she’d experienced over the past week. “Three months… Is that all?”

“Hehe… Well, I hope it is easy for you because… it won’t be for me.”

He vanished, leaving her heart thumping and eyes spinning, and his parting words dug into her breast. “It won’t be… for him?”

Cheeks wet, she smiled, emotions settling into a warm realization from his caring lessons. He does love me.