Is this some new kind of torture?

Sofia was seated in a small pavilion located somewhere behind the palace. She had been much too dazed to remember the way and simply followed as if she were a zombie.

The pavilion was made of wood as if carved from the branches themselves. Although full of intricate details, the pillars supporting the small roof were elegant and refined without seeming too obnoxious. Sofia could see herself spending time here, idling away her life if it wasn't for one minor detail, the sheer drop just a step away.

Indeed, this innocuous structure was located at the edge of a winding branch. Sofia’s only comfort was that the branch was so sturdy that it didn’t waver at all. She wondered how such a thing was possible. They were on a tree, right? Made of wood, right?

She shook her head slightly, trying not to think about it. She has had enough of heights for a lifetime.

She slowly sipped the tea she had been offered. A slight herbal scent wafted through the air, assaulting her nose as if prodding her brain. She didn't dislike the scent, mind you. She just wasn't that into tea. It always reminded her of those insipid, shallow, upper-class people who thought of tea as some religion. Isn't it just grass at the end of the day? Nothing worth killing over.

The thing is... wars did happen over tea. Well, not tea per se. It's all about money in the end. Suffice it to say that people wanted to acquire tea as demand dictated, while some simply didn't want to sell. The rest was history.

Sofia glanced to her side only to see two maids standing there respectfully. If not for their perky ears and fluffy tails, she would believe herself in the mansion of a high noble with the way they portrayed themselves.

"I hope my tea suits your palate," the woman seated on the other side of a small table said as if knowing her aversion to tea.

A snarky comment wished to escape Sofia's lips, but she reigned herself in; she wasn't suicidal after all. Although the woman seemed refined and gentle, Sofia knew her kind well. The woman probably wouldn't do much to her if she were disrespectful—at least not now, in the open— but she could forget about leaving this forest safely.

Sofia blew slightly over the hot tea, dispersing the mist hovering over its surface in an effort to calm herself. She felt like a small animal before the eyes of a starving predator.

"It's alright," she said, forcing her voice to remain even. "Comparable to what we drink back home."

Sofia lifted her gaze slightly, trying to gauge the woman's reaction, yet all she saw was the same unnerving smile. Even the maids to the side didn't waver, standing there like statues. At first, Sofia thought they were simply too tense after hearing her comment, but no. They simply didn't deign to even acknowledge her existence. If not for the white woman being present, they probably wouldn't even look at her.

Sofia felt slightly outraged at the thought of being ignored—she had her pride, after all—until she remembered their conversation earlier in the forest about Blood Hunters. Knowing this history, she couldn't really blame them anymore. Just serving her tea was already more than enough. Besides, what was pride in front of her life? Sofia wasn't stupid.

"Glad to hear it," the woman replied before silence ensued.

Sofia grew restless. Anything was better than this damn silence. She gathered her courage, looked the woman straight in the eyes and was the first to break the stillness.

“Why did you invite me here, without Mina even?”

The woman paused slightly, looking deeply into her cup of tea before sighing. She rested the cup on the table before leaning back slightly, gazing at the cloud drifting by, high in the sky.

“Nostalgia, mostly,” she finally said.

“Nostalgia,” Sofia parroted, unable to understand her meaning.

The woman’s gaze left the distant white fluff before resting on Sofia. Unlike the prior instance, her gaze was truly gentle this time, which reminded Sofia of how she had seen this woman look at the fox children, full of motherly love. Such a gaze stunned her; she hadn't expected this. Before Sofia could voice her doubts, the woman continued.

“I felt something from you, something I haven’t felt in a long time... a sense of kinship.”

“What do you mean?” Sofia said as she frowned.

“How much do you know about your bloodline?”

Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

This question was like a mace to Sofia's brain. More than once, she pondered her bloodline. Why was she so different from the rest of her family? At first, she thought it was her mother's fault, but later, she discovered that the maid wasn't her mother at all. Maybe it was indeed related to her birth mother after all, but how would this woman know?

"I can feel your bloodline from here as it is very similar to my own," the woman said as if she didn't expect Sofia to answer. "At first, I thought you humans had desecrated our kind's blood, but the feeling was different than what I felt in the past. I cannot feel the filth of the vile technique you humans use on you... at least, not from half of your bloodline."

“What do you mean?" Sofia asked with difficulty, almost stuttering every word. For so long, she had sought an answer. Would she finally get one?

"Meaning, at least half of your blood is our kind's pure and unaltered blood. And, not one of these poor ones unable to transform, but one as pure as mine," the woman said with a slight smile.

These revelations struck Sofia like a thunderbolt. Was she half-demon? Did this mean her father had had relations with a Fox Demon? How could that be? Such a thing would create more than just a scandal; it would have downright spelled the family's doom. No other noble family would have dared engage in any form of relation with such a family. It was basically treason in the eyes of the Kingdom. For the royal family, demons were a plague that needed to be eradicated.

“You mean my mother..." was all Sofia could muster as her mind nearly broke down.

The white fox raised an eyebrow slightly as if she didn't expect those words. Yet, it was only fleeting, and her expression soon returned to normal. Sofia was so absorbed in her thoughts that she missed this tiny flicker of genuine emotion.

“There’s no need to think of this too deeply,” the woman said dismissively.

"How can I not!" Sofia jabbed back with too much fervour, which caused the woman to frown slightly, yet Sofia didn't stop, "I just found out I'm part demon, and you expect me to remain calm?"

“You should be glad, child. It is much better than being human.”

The woman's words were heavy, as if crushing her spirit. Sofia felt the blazing flame of her indignation smoulder as if starved of oxygen before it finally extinguished. No matter which words of rebuke she wished to say, they remained stuck in her throat. She took a deep breath and calmed down. The woman just watched on, slowly sipping her tea, unconcerned.

“You seem to despise humans,” Sofia finally said.

“They are a plague on this world,” she replied as if stating facts. Seeing Sofia stare at her unconvinced, she elaborated, “How would you judge our population? Is this a large or small demon tribe in your eyes?”

Sofia remained silent, weighing her options. It wouldn’t do to antagonize this woman, yet she couldn’t not tell the truth.

“While I don’t have much knowledge about demons, you don’t seem to have many clansmen. From what I heard, demons are on the verge of extinction.”

"Indeed," the woman said while nodding slightly. "That would be true only if you were to judge us based on human standards. In fact, our tribe is much larger than most other demon tribe. Take that Mina girl's tribe. They numbered at most a hundred. It is nothing if you were to consider the scope of their territory in this forest. Now, here's food for thought. They have no natural predator; how would you explain their low population?”

Sofia lost herself in thought for a moment, yet only one reason came to mind. She couldn’t help but blurt out, “Infertility?” which made the woman smile slightly.

“You are on the right track, child, but why would they be infertile? The answer is simple. The world prevents them from procreating.”

Sofia's pupil dilated slightly at this revelation. A mass of random thoughts swirled in her mind. This simple thought had rocked her worldview. "Why..." she uttered after much deliberation. "Do you mean to tell me the world is conscious? That it possesses independent thought?"

"Oh, perish the thought. Don't let your mind wander too far," the woman scoffed. "The world is no living being. It has no malice, no will of its own. It is simply the way it is, the way it was designed."

“Designed?” Sofia repeated, mouth slightly agape.

"Indeed, but let's not dwell on mythology. There simply is a limit to the number of demons the world can accommodate, yet there is no such limit for humans. Do you see the conundrum?"

Sofia nodded slightly, but her nod was slow and hesitant. She was on the verge of overheating from the excess information.

"Demons need the world's essence to live, which also gives us our strength and longevity, yet humans have no such need. We demons self-regulate our own population in an effort not to exceed what the world can bear, yet humans have no such considerations. It was fine initially since humans didn't require any essence to live, but it all changed when the Kingdom was founded."

“Bloodline inheritance...” Sofia muttered, catching on to her point.

"Indeed," the woman added with a slight scornful smile. "That vile technique which saps and robs us of our vitality is the true plague. In trying to resist the Kingdom, the Empire enacted a technique of their own. Although the process differs, the effect remains the same. The careful balance that has existed since the dawn of time is slowly crumbling all due to mankind's unending greed. They are nothing but locusts eating away at our crops until nothing remains to sate our hunger. Soon enough, this world will become nothing more than a barren wasteland. Mankind's demise is already set in stone. Unfortunately, we will be long gone before then."

The woman looked Sofia in the eyes, her gaze unwavering. But soon enough, the anger and hatred in her eyes faded while her non-committal smile returned.

“Now you know, child, why I despise humans. The only reason you can stand before me is only due to the slight sense of kinship you possess.”

Sofia was silent; it was too much to take in all at once. Although she didn't possess much affinity for her fellow man, being told they were locusts still left a bad taste in her mouth. She wished to offer a rebuttal, but the woman's words made some sense. They seemed to be based on logic. Although she lacked information, she didn't wish to dismiss her words outright.

“Why are you telling me all this,” Sofia asked with difficulty.

“No particular reason," the woman said dismissively. "When you get to live as long as I have, you stop caring about almost everything. Even if the world were to end right now, it wouldn't move me. So, you try to take an interest in small, mostly irrelevant things. I simply felt it was shameful for one of my kin to live in ignorance."

“What about Felix, then?” Sofia asked sheepishly. “Why would you go out of your way to bring him here if you despise our kind?”

“Ah, yes... him," the woman replied after a moment of reflection. "You seem to care greatly about him, don't you?"

Sofia was stunned for a while. A slight hint of embarrassment threatened to rise to her face, tinting it red, but she shook her head instead, clearing her thought.

“Don’t change the subject,” she said softly. “Answer me, please.”

“Because he is special, my dear,” the woman replied with a knowing smile. “His destiny is such that it might shake the very foundation of this world.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” a voice echoed not far away, interrupting them.

The voice was deep and somehow sturdy, leaving no room for argumentation. Out of the gloom, created by the leaves overhead, emerged the figure of a man Sofia was deeply familiar with.

"Felix!" Sofia cried, much more excited than she ever thought possible. "You're awake!"