The recoil was intense, even with both her hands holding the revolver. But she expected it to be so; the discharged purification energy was not something simple, after all.

The energy was discharged in the form of a rotation angled in such a way that it maintained a persistent strength, in a form of infinitely recursive energy conservation that could only be achieved with the mastery of mana manipulation. Hima envisioned it to be a drill that could pierce through anything, and it worked. A loud, unearthly shriek filled the room, forcing Hima and the kitsune to close their vulpine ears. This prevented the kitsune from holding back the monster, but it did not matter. He noticed how the infinitely recursive purification shot kept the many-eyed monster at bay while also hurting it. The kitsune was worried that whatever Hima shot into the portal could potentially break reality, but he couldn't deny the fact that Hima's spiral shot was beautiful.

Soon, he realized that they were still not out of the woods yet. The male kitsune turned to an astonished Hima and snapped her out of it.

“Now, priestess!” he exclaimed. “Purify my spirit! Hurry!”

Hima, admiring the purification shot, snapped back to reality and turned to the male kitsune, whose bright orange fur started to darken due to the malicious energy he was enduring. While the pressure was gone and the monster was preoccupied with her dangerous rotational spell cast, she knew she wouldn't be able to dance and purify his soul fast enough. Realizing that desperate times called for desperate means, she turned her attention to Raine's special revolver. She was reluctant, but she knew she had no choice. She immediately pointed the revolver she held on both hands and started flowing her purification mana into its chamber, only this time she did not turn it into a rotation energy.

“What are you—”

“Trust me. I know what I’m doing,” said Hima.

“That’s usually the last thing someone said before something goes wrong!”

Before he could protest even more, Hima pulled the trigger and shot the purification spell towards the kitsune, the discharge created a massive recoil that threw off her aim slightly as her arms recoiled from the kickback force. The force of the shot threw the kitsune off his feet and towards a nearby wall, but Hima’s idea worked.

Almost immediately, the portal closed with the monster halfway through. Whatever part of its body that went through was unceremoniously cut off, leaving behind a writhing tentacle full of eyes. Hima smiled to herself, glad that her plan worked.

The groan coming from the kitsune she shot, though, implied that it wasn’t entirely without consequences. She ran to him, hoping that her decision did not do something permanent.

Hima helped him up, propping him on the ancient cistern wall behind him. He continued to groan, but then turned his attention to Hima and said, “You’re one crazy broad. I can hardly believe you’re a priestess at all.”

“I don’t see myself as a priestess. Namely, I don’t necessarily choose to be a pacifist,” said Hima. “We can’t afford that kind of life, not in this current time and age.”

“Yeah, I hear you. Still…never thought I’d be purified by a gunshot. Arrows, I’m aware of, but guns?”

“Different times, different methods, same results. I…didn’t do anything permanent, did I?”

“Only a headache. And some broken ribs."

“No heatstroke?"

“No,” he said, shaking his head and felt the bruise on his side. “Anyway, the name’s Kazenami. Kaz for short. And you are?”

“Himawari,” said Hima.

Kaz chuckled. “A sunflower, eh? So, I suppose you are the one our leader sent? Being a kitsune is obvious enough.”

“He’s my father.”

“Father? Ah, well, that makes sense. You and him are the only kitsunes this far from Scorched Land. Sorry. That’s the current name of our….”

“Yeah. I know,” said Hima.

“I’ll…try and not get in your way. I think you’re going to have your hands full anytime soon. You might as well wake your partner up and check his well-being.”

Kaz’s glanced at Raine, who similarly groaned, prompting Hima to walk towards him. It wasn’t just him, but also the rest of the people in that room, especially the Mygaleans they were supposed to save, dangling overhead in cages. The cultists, however, were not as fortunate. Summoning the demonic monster took a toll on their sanity as they, presumably, looked into the monster’s eyes like Raine did. They, however, did not have the benefit of being knocked out before the worst could happen to them, while the Mygaleans and Kaz were more aware of the danger. They were left in a catatonic state, suffering a massive stroke that already claimed one of them. Hima took pity on them. All she could do was remove them from their misery with a stab through their hearts. She then returned to Raine while Kaz looked at the cultists she mercy-killed with a thoughtful gaze.

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Raine woke up to find a Vulpin’s face over him. He wondered who it was until he was reminded of the only vulpine beast person he knew of, and the fact that she wore familiar clothes. He caressed the kitsune’s face, feeling her soft, orange fur, before nuzzling her the best he could using his human nose.

“Hey,” said Raine with a smile. “You turned foxy, after all.”

“I told you not to call it that,” reprimanded Hima, though with a lighthearted tone, followed with a chuckle. “But you know what? That’s easier to explain than ‘shedding your human skin’.”

“Yeah. That sounds gross,” said Raine. He kept admiring her yellow vulpine eyes and appearance. “Your true form’s always as beautiful as I remembered it. True to form...and beauty.”

“Heh. Don’t get ahead of yourself, buddy,” said Hima. “You and I have not resolved our problems yet, so no flirting.”

“Noted.” Raine tried to prop himself up, but felt a sharp pain behind his head. He rubbed it, feeling something swollen. Hima shrugged.

“I can’t let you shoot yourself or pluck your eyes out,” said Hima. “Any longer than that...and you'll end up just like those poor souls."

“But I can still feel it,” said Raine. “Something I can’t describe except…fear.”

“Give it time. Or…seek help. I can understand if this is very traumatic. That monster is not meant to be witnessed by anyone from this world.”

“Except a divine race.”

Hima wanted to protest, but Raine was right. The reason she and Kaz were not as affected and managed to fight back, albeit shaken, were proof that she and her kind were not just a different kind of Vulpin. So, instead of telling him otherwise, she cracked a smile on her vulpine face.

“Yeah,” she said. “Turns out being a messenger to the rice god does make you a divine being. Not that anyone can confirm whether that’s true or not, but I’ll stick with what I can and can’t do.”

Raine and Hima exchanged smiles as she helped him get up on his feet, introducing him to Kaz. They got to a good start, with Kaz a rather lighthearted kitsune who joked about himself, but not in the expense of others.

Meanwhile, Aranis, who stayed beside Belak while struggling to free herself from the illusions that took advantage of her greatest fears, gasped in surprise the moment the illusions abruptly disappeared. It was a relief after she almost succumbed to what felt like an eternity of torturous reminder of her internal fear, specifically those regarding Narati and the Fa’ars.

Being an elf, she was used to masking her thoughts with wise words and demeanor. Unfortunately, whatever was assaulting her mind knew where to attack. Worse, it felt so real and convincing that Aranis almost fell for it. In it, she saw Fa’ars who succumbed to the description Narati and the others gave to her about Asran and his monstrous transformation into a horned Fa’ar he claimed to be the ‘true Fa’ar’. They were in her vision, engulfed in green flame, looking at her menacingly with their bright eyes. They were far from being the ratfolks she was used to. Worse, the vision showed her what they would do to the rest of the world as they showed that they were not some artificial beings created by the Nuremnians, but a threat on its own.

She immediately rejected this as an illusion, closing her mind to it with her trained mental defense. However, she underestimated the power of the illusion, especially once the colorful mists started filling her vision. Soon, a barrage of mental attacks hit her, causing her to gasp in pain as she kept herself from succumbing to it. The more she retaliate, the more it became stronger. When she lost, the accumulated resistance would surely cook her brain.

She was glad that wouldn’t be the case. She must give her thanks to those who saved her and Belak.

Which returned her to the Mygalean queen. She was staring blankly at the ceiling, a stress response caused by witnessing something traumatizing. Aranis could only sympathize with her; whatever illusion she saw was certainly traumatizing enough for her to be so detached.

Aranis couldn’t say anything more. All she could do was help the spider woman on her feet and hoped that she did not react violently. As she put Belak’s chitinous arm around her shoulder, the Mygalean said, “I…tasted it. I can…oh, Nansi…please spare me….”

“The ordeal is over, my queen,” said Aranis.

“No…it never is…,” murmured Belak. “The taste…of sapient flesh….”

Pretending not to hear the grave implications, Aranis said, “The others should have found your subjects. We will reunite with them and get out of this nightmarish cistern. I have had enough of this city.”

Hearing this, Belak returned to herself and said, “Aranis Darion…I can’t go with you.”

“You must,” insisted Aranis. “A friend is depending on me to deliver his freedom. You are his key.”

“No,” said Belak, shaking her head. “I am no longer the queen you seek. Please, elf. Leave me here and seek out Gyneth. She is the designated successor. Tell her…that I died saving our sisters.”

“I do not care if you ate human flesh, Belak,” said Aranis. “Or elven flesh, for that matter. I know you were desperate to survive. But you are still a queen to your people.”

Belak shook her head. “I did worse than that. That assault…was a reminder from Nansi, that I am no longer part of the story she weaves, no matter how much I tried to repent. Say what you want about it, but to me…it’s time for me to face my sins.”

“Belak….”

“I must confront a sin I kept hidden for almost a century,” said Belak. “Aranis Darion…forgive me for being yet another queen you can’t save.”

Aranis fell silent as Belak removed herself from Aranis and scurried away using her spider appendages and webs, disappearing through a corner. The elf didn’t know Belak’s story well and she would never know. Yet, she must respect Belak’s choices.

She walked towards where Raine and Hima went, while saying, “Tasha…I do wish you are here. I know your customs, but in the end, I am no Mygalean. And Nansi, o weaver of stories…I know you will not hear my voice but give Belak the peace of mind she seeks. She may not be a part of your story anymore but…she deserves an end to her story. A quick, merciful end.”

Aranis briefly wondered why she prayed to a Mygalean goddess, but she felt she should, especially after Antasha taught her many things about the spider people’s culture. The least she could do was help Belak, knowing what she intended to do.

She appreciated the sympathy Belak gave her, which made the elf sad. In the end, she couldn’t save her from her own mistakes.

Aranis sighed, prepared herself to deliver the news, and reunited with Raine and Hima. She had enough of the city. Of the madness from the past. Of their nature.

She wondered why she even bothered involving herself. Yet, it was her choice. A choice she made a very long time ago.