The same things kept happening for two weeks. She went to the forest to cry her heart out, he found her, questioned her, didn't receive an answer, tried to offer some sort of help, she ran away. The same record seemed to be playing over and over again, not progressing at all. Today, however, she was determined to change that.

She went to her usual spot, a little later than usual and found him sitting there. He wasn't wearing his armor, instead he wore a black, full-sleeved long coat with a black shirt and a black pants, actually looking better in this outfit, to her at the very least. A box was also lying beside him, a small one. Knowing how everyone was towards hybrids, she wanted to know what he thought of them. And what better way to see than getting a hybrid to meet him, and fortunately for her, she was one.

She learnt a new trick after having her ears and tails cut so many times over the past few years, not the best way to learn. She wished she would have been able to do this four years ago, or her entire life, as that would have made her life thousands of times easier. Regardless, now, she was able to pretty much 'retract' her ears and tails at will, instead of them just being there at all times, they were only outside when she wished for them to be. She didn't know she could do this until that day, and even then she failed to comprehend how exactly it worked.

While on her way through the forest on that day she had been attacked by yet another ogre, the reason why she reached late at her usual spot. Being completely unable to fight she didn't know what to do, except try and run. This one carried a large machete, which she believed it procured from some weapons smith, in a village most likely. Paralyzed with fear she hadn't been able to get away in time as the ogre smashed its machete into the ground, aiming to cut her in half.

She jumped to the side at the last second on pure instinct, however, not quick enough. Her right hand, failing to get out of the way in time met the machete right on and was chopped off from slightly above the elbow. She screamed in pain but the danger was yet to have passed. The ogre swung his machete over and over again, aiming to kill her.

Dodging and dodging she was finally cornered by a tree trunk that was in a 'C' shape, giving her no path for escape, the ogre having pushed her towards on purpose it to corner her. The ogre chopped off a branch to get a good look at its target face as he prepared to cleave her in half. Just as the ogre lifted his machete to swing she closed her eyes, accepting her death. The strike never came however. She slowly opened her eyes to see the ogre impaled at nine spots. Two in its head, one in each arm and one in each leg, one at the heart, one at the neck and one straight through the stomach. What impaled the ogre were her tails, the nine phoenix tails. Her Blood-Wolf tails were also back along with her ears, despite having been sawed off just two days ago.

Thinking this was a dream, she closed her eyes and tried to get them off her mind. When she opened her eyes, her ears and tails had disappeared, along with the pain of them having been sawed off. She tried to imagine them being back now, keeping her eyes open this time. They burst forth like a flower blooming, making her stare wide-eyed at them. Not completely sure but she believed it was to some extent caused by her regenerative abilities, along with some application of magical abilities of her constituent species. The reason for her to believe this, her hand had also regrown, like nothing ever happened to it, and just in a few moments.

Having steeled her resolve, she approached the knight now, her tails dragging behind her and her ears twitching with nervousness. He barely even turned towards her as she came and sat down beside him. He turned towards her with a sigh after a short moment as she sat beside him quietly.

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"I was getting kind of worried because you hadn't turned up yet. I was about to go looking for yo-" He stopped mid-sentence as he turned towards her and noticed her ears and tails.

She was prepared to fight if needed. Now she knew she wasn't defenseless, she knew the power of her phoenix tails, easily capable of not only impaling even ogres, but throwing them around like dolls. They even possessed their own will from what she guessed, she just needed to order them and they will complete that order. Laced with her deadly poison, extendable more than two hundred times her height, and their tips concealing a stinger as sharp and tough as scorpion stingers, a d capable of performing the same function as scorpion stingers, the phoenix tails were a formidable weapon, and she possessed nine of them.

"That was even more unexpected than finding a crying girl all alone in the forest," He chuckled awkwardly.Ndhe tilted her head at him. "I certainly didn't think I would have been meeting the queen on a regular basis and freaking her out every day." He laughed at the idea.

She tilted her head to the point that it looked like her neck was about to break and she fell to the ground, having gotten herself off balance.

"Well, I was told by the other guards that the queen is a hybrid girl with pink hair, with twelve tails in tall, along with Blood-Wolf ears. You didn't seem like a hybrid before so I dismissed the idea of you being the queen, but it seems like I shouldn't have."

She now understood the reason of his reaction. He hadn't killed her yet just because she was the queen.

"Well you are certainly cuter than I thought you would be. The tails and ears do enhance the cuteness," He chuckled reaching his hand towards her head.

She closed her eyes, scared of what he would do. The only reason anyone had touched her head before was to saw off her ears. The knight, however gently patted her head. A nice feeling for her, she opened her eyes slowly and tilted her head forwards, gesturing him to keep doing it.

"Anyways, let me introduce myself, because I haven't yet. I am Kurai, from a small city in the eastern most region of the kingdom, the main reason for me being here was to be a knight. What about you?"

She tilted her head at him, again.

"What is your name?"

She shook her head. Because of how much they hated her, her parents never gave her a name. Everyone in the castle just referred to her as queen, though they never treated her like one, and they didn't give her a name either.

"You don't have one?" He questioned, shocked at the response.

She nodded.

"Mind if I give you one then?" He inquired after thinking for a short while.

She shook her head. Being the only person that was nice to her and still alive, she didn't mind him giving her a name, in fact, she liked the idea. He studied her with his eyes, deep in thought. Too deep in thought he lifted her up by holding her below her arms, to get a good look at her. Having thought of a name and aware of his discourtesy he bowed an apology. She waved her hand, gesturing him to not worry about it and that she didn't mind at all.

With a sigh he raised his head. "Well, at least I thought of a name. How about Kesshō?" He asked with a smile. "It means crystal where I come from. It suits you since your eyes shine like crystals in the light," He explained.

She nodded her head quickly, it seemed good to her, though it is also true that any name would have seemed good to her if he suggested it.

"I came early today because I have to leave early too, so let's talk more tomorrow, sorry for having to leave so soon," He sighed, like a friend that has known her for a long time, which he to some extent has.

He was the only person that didn't despise her for being a hybrid, except the spider. She retracted her tails and ears and went back to the castle looking the same as when she left it, knowing she won't have to suffer that pain again, though it didn't make her life all that much better still.