With apprehension brewing in her heart, Sofia stepped over the void. The tip of her slender foot carefully prodded the emptiness but was soon relieved to find footing—unstable footing, but footing nonetheless.

She took a small breath, finding inner peace, before she nodded as if urging herself forward despite her better judgment. The young fox, slightly ahead of her, turned around and looked at Sofia with an unmasked look of annoyance as if hovering in the air above a chasm was but a common occurrence.

“Come on!” she yelled over the rustling winds. “It’s not that hard! Get on with it!”

Easy for you to say, Sofia thought as she frowned. Don’t you know about gravity?

Sofia resolved herself, putting her weight over her hovering foot while lifting her remaining anchor from the solid ground. She smiled slightly as she became sure she wouldn't fall, yet such certainties were fleeting at best.

A gale collided with Sofia's body, rocking her invisible foothold sideways. Off-balance, she flailed her arms, hoping to grasp anything to help her stay upright. To her relief, she found just the thing. Her small hands coiled around two objects on each side of her body. Judging by the feelings in her hand, those must have been ropes, yet she still couldn't see their forms.

There she hung, feet dangling over a verdant wilderness as she took each step with extreme prejudice. Yet, a small, faint voice echoed in the recesses of her mind, wondering if her corpse would remain in one piece were she to fall from this height.

She hung tight to the invisible ropes spanning the length between a tower and the ground she missed oh so much while fiercely glaring at the woman in front of her who gloated at her predicament. Although she kept telling herself the feeling of her feet hitting a hard surface was no delusion, she couldn’t shake the feeling of being betrayed by her own brain.

Still, the only thing keeping her sane was the view. It was dazzling and majestic. Her gaze was pointed upwards, watching flocks of exotic birds riding the winds as their vibrant and colourful wings cut through the air. Further ahead, she could see the frosted peaks that some had deemed The Edge of the World.

Truthfully, she knew that on the other side lay the Northern States—human settlements that most refined individuals would consider uncivilized. Still, not much was known of those countries as the routes up north were few and far between. Even the Kingdom only possessed two—if you were to count the way through this forest, which most wouldn’t.

Sofia's thoughts swirled in many directions. She did anything not to think of the sheer drop below her feet, yet her steps didn't falter. She found her rhythm, taking one step at a time. Her pace quickened as she discovered her slight confidence. Honestly, she rushed simply to get this ordeal over and done with.

As she reached the other side of this invisible bridge, Sofia slumped to the ground, letting out a sigh of relief. She hugged a rugged, hard branch, grateful for the solid—but most importantly opaque—ground below her feet.

Then a thought hit her: if she had such difficulty with this obstacle, how would the little demon fare?

She turned her head toward the void, somehow fearing for the worst, yet the little demon girl already stood before her, her big round eyes locked onto her, wondering if something was wrong. Sofia didn't know how to feel about this. Was it because they were demons? Surely, any human would feel the same way she did, right?

To her dismay, her rest wouldn't last long as the young fox girl had already resumed her march, not intending to wait for Sofia to catch her breath. This was only the beginning of Sofia's trial, as more rope bridges were to come. Thankfully, the worst was over; the others were visible, at least. With dishevelled hair from the high winds and a slight dread in her heart, Sofia stood once again and faced her fears.

The trio slowly made their way toward the grandest of pillars where a majestic wooden palace resided—or at least something resembling a palace. Granted, the trees were massive and their branches sturdy, yet there was still a limit to what they could support. Otherwise, Sofia had no doubt a real palace would be perched on those peaks, judging by the exquisiteness of the architecture.

All around her, nestled among the leaves, were a multitude of fur balls intently watching Sofia's every move with their piercing gaze. While some sported apparent aversion to her presence, Sofia noticed more curiosity than anything else in the depths of their eyes. Some eyes glistened under the radiant sun as if thinking about what pranks to play on her.

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At least, those were some of the traits foxes were supposed to possess. Although Sofia believed those rumours to be somewhat misguided, her encounter with the young fox girl had made her reassess her evaluation. Maybe there was some truth in those sayings, after all.

Behind her, Mina watched everything with an inquisitive gaze. She had spent most of her life within her own tribe, estranged from any society as if exiled. Never in her wildest dreams would she have conceived of such a strange location to live. Why would they—as ground demons—choose to make their settlement up in the air?

Her big, round, sparkling eyes shone as she took in the sight all around her, wondering in amazement what it would be like to live as a bird. How free would that be? Until reality came crashing down, along with the realization that she was no bird and had no home to return to. Reality was a cruel mistress, sometimes.

The trio walked in silence. It wasn’t that Sofia had nothing to say, but she simply couldn’t find the words to do these sights justice. Although she had seen majestic residences in the past—such as her father's manor—none came close to the wooden structure on a branch. It wasn't the most grandiose, but it evoked the most emotions—awe, mostly, at the thought of how such a structure came to be.

As they approached the palace, Sofia noticed a red-furred fox sleeping at the foot of the stairs leading up to the structure. Unlike all the small ones she had seen until now, this one was massive, easily twice her size. She took note of how many tails were on the red fox's back; she could only count five from her vantage point. Yet, judging from the mass of fur, she could easily believe the fox to have more than that number.

Although she didn't know the significance of the number of tails, she could infer the answer judging by the look of respect the young fox girl had when looking at the sleeping fox. The young fox girl stopped before the stairs and bowed deeply to the red fox. She didn't utter a greeting or words of respect, just a deep, silent bow. As if knowing her presence, the red fox roused from its sleep and opened one of its eyes, gazing upon the trio.

Sofia felt a sense of oppression pressing down on her as if telling her to prostrate herself. Yet, she could see in the depths of that eye that the red fox had no malice toward her, just an overpowering indifference. She had no doubts that if the creature wished her death, she would have no way to resist. Just his mere presence threatened to crush her where she stood.

The red fox gazed upon them silently; his sight lingered on Mina slightly longer than the rest, yet nothing came of it. The massive creature slightly nodded to the young fox girl before it closed its eyes once again, returning to the embrace of sleep as if dismissing them from its presence.

Although dissatisfied with the treatment, Sofia dared not utter a word, for she knew it was ill-advised. She hadn't survived so long in this cruel world by being reckless and stupid.

The young fox girl stayed silent and nodded back before beginning her ascent toward the palace. Sofia followed suit with Mina slightly behind her. At first, she believed her climb would be short-lived. How wrong she was. The staircase stretched on to infinity as if looping back on itself. With every step she took, another seemed to materialize in the distance. This phenomenon reminded her of her earlier experience in the forest. She refused to believe the two weren't connected.

Once she saw her quest for the summit was futile, Sofia simply stopped climbing altogether. She has had enough of all that mystique. If the owner of that palace wished to see her, they could come down themselves.

Sofia slumped to the ground, not budging an inch. Once she saw this, the young fox glared at her with disdain as if saying, “How disrespectful! Who do you think you are?” yet she didn’t utter a sound.

Sofia raised an eyebrow in surprise. She had expected rebuke, yet all she got was silence and dismissal. After a moment of reflection, Sofia shrugged, unconcerned. She knew the actual guest was Felix; she was just an extra. Why should she toil in their little mind games if she had nothing to gain?

Sofia lay on her side, letting the soft breeze gently caress her exposed skin while her soft—but somewhat dirty—emerald hair lightly fluttered. She watched the young foxes frolic within the branches and leaves. Some ran while others chased. Some hid while others sought. Some went about their own business while others played tricks on them. All in all, Sofia had never seen such a harmonious and peaceful village before. She very much doubted humans being capable of such a thing—being much too self-centred and all.

While Mina paused slightly as she watched Sofia lay there, she resumed her march once Sofia dismissed her with a wave of her hand, prompting her to move along. Mina wasn't disillusioned about what kind of woman Sofia was. The little girl always knew that the gentle and caring young woman she first met was just a facade.

Mina wasn't angry about this, either. At best, they were fellow travellers; at worst, just strangers. Their only common point was Felix. In his absence, they had no reason to get along. Mina resumed her journey without looking back.

Sofia was at peace at that very moment, yet she only had one gripe—something minor but still important. The steps were wooden, meaning harder than she would have liked. She shifted slightly, hoping to find a comfortable way to rest her head, yet despite all her efforts, she found none.

While exasperated and on the verge of giving up, a most welcome sight appeared. A red cone of fur landed not far from her. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the origin of this fur. The last time she checked, she was in the middle of the staircase while the red fox lounged at the bottom. They were much too far apart for one of his tails to be so near.

Sofia's gaze darted around, trying to make sense of this situation, yet the answer surprised her. The staircase had shrunk substantially. If she were to get up, there would only be two flights of stairs separating her from the summit, but why should she get up?

Sofia’s gaze alternated between the tail and the fox’s head, trying to ascertain the beast’s intentions. To her dismay, the fox remained immobile with his eyes closed. Sofia hesitated but for a moment after that. It was right there as if taunting her with its fluff.

She gently laid her head on it, sinking into the softness. Her eyes were riveted on the beast, watching for any sudden reaction to her actions, yet, after a moment, nothing happened. Sofia slowly let out the breath she had kept in her lungs for so long and finally closed her eyes.

She sunk into deep, empty nothingness. Her wary mind drifted off to sleep, rocked by the gentle wind, the sound of rustling leaves, and children's laughter. She was at peace and content.

“My my, someone is getting comfortable.”

A voice resounded from behind Sofia's back. Her eyes flashed open, and her head jerked backwards. In her hazy sight stood a woman so beautiful no words could do her justice. On her back were nine fluffy white tails gently shimmering in the sunlight. Despite her soft tone and gentle, faint smile, Sofia felt a shiver creep up her spine.

All around, the fox children and adults alike stood silent, heads lowered as if worshipping the ground the white woman walked on. Sofia's gaze was fixed on the woman as if in a daze, unable to return to her senses. All she could hear at this moment was a faint voice in her heart telling her, "I'm doomed."