Lord of the Truth

Long ago—

Renara, though appearing no older than a young teenager, sat in majestic composure, her eight magnificent tails fanning out behind her like a living tapestry of ethereal grace. She occupied the heart of a grand chamber, its vast expanse echoing with silent reverence. The floor was draped with carpets embroidered in shimmering golden threads, while the towering walls were entirely consumed by shelves, each straining under the weight of countless tomes, both ancient and recent—volumes on the science of governance, the philosophy of devotion to homeland, and the subtle yet profound arts of leadership.

Some of the manuscripts breathed out the rich scent of ancient ink, their pages weathered by centuries, while others glowed faintly, bound with spiritual seals that shimmered with restrained power, warning against even the slightest attempt at tampering. Renara sat cross-legged in the very center of this sanctum, her small hands turning page after page in patient silence.

Her entire being seemed devoted to the act, drinking in each line as though she were a parched traveler and the words an endless sea. Even the air itself had fallen still; the chamber's atmosphere was heavy with solemnity, as if reality itself paused to listen alongside her.

Then—a sound broke the silence.

Knock Knock

"Hm?" At last, Renara raised her head from the forest of words. Extending her spiritual sense outward, she instantly recognized the one waiting behind the door. A faint, almost unnoticeable smile touched her lips, softening her regal expression. "Elinor, come in."

"Hey, hey, Renara!" came the bright, ringing voice of a little girl. Elinor, no older than ten, burst into the chamber. Her eight orange tails swayed and fluttered behind her with boundless energy, each movement alive with childlike vigor. She strutted in with steps that practically skipped, her face glowing with uncontainable joy.

The radiance of her wide grin seemed enough to light the golden-carpeted chamber on its own. With a sudden burst, she ran the last two steps and flopped down beside her sister, her short legs swinging merrily off the edge of the seat. "I want to ask you something!" she chirped, her voice a song of excitement.

"Go ahead." Renara closed the heavy tome in her lap with deliberate gentleness and set it carefully to her side. Despite her outward appearance of only thirteen years, the weight of dignity and authority clung to her like a mantle worn by ancient queens. Her every motion radiated composure. Placing her hands atop her knees, she leaned slightly forward, her calm eyes steady and watchful. "Did you learn anything new today?"

"I did! I learned that Father has gone off to another war—this time against a bunch of bad people called the Twilight Spectrum Gang!" Elinor puffed her cheeks in dramatic seriousness, her little fists clenched with determination. Her tiny, furred ears twitched nervously atop her head, but the spark of innocence in her voice betrayed her excitement. "But… why are they fighting?"

"Well," Renara's tone softened as she stretched out her hand to gently pat her sister's head, "since you are already strong enough to reach level 31 and became a Sage, you are certainly old enough to begin understanding the real reasons behind these wars."

Her voice remained tender, but the weight of her words carried undeniable gravity. "That gang—or more accurately, that empire—makes it their practice to kidnap maidens from among our people. They take them away, forcing them into lives of servitude as concubines. Their fate is cruelly dictated: to remain confined at home, to bear their children, to raise them like livestock… and, if they resist, to die."

"Eww!" Elinor scrunched up her nose and pressed her hands against her mouth, pretending to gag as she stuck out her tongue in exaggerated disgust. "But why? Is it just because we're beautiful, and their girls are… ugly?"

"No," Renara replied with a faint shake of her head. "It is because they carry the bloodline of an ancient beast—the Blue Arctic Fox. That beast is of the same lineage as the Nine-Tailed Fox whose blood flows within us. Their blood came from the very same ancient source as ours. There are even rumors that both foxes were siblings, once bred together inside the beast garden of the Behemoth, Zavaros." She leaned slightly forward, her voice calm yet edged with the sharp clarity of truth. "Like us, they obtained only a small fragment of that sacred bloodline. Unlike us however, they did so earlier, and they exploited it mercilessly to forge an empire far larger than our own."

"…But here lies the difference." Her gaze sharpened, though her voice remained soft. "Although the blood of the Nine-Tailed Fox is equal in raw strength to that of the Blue Arctic Fox, our blood carries something unique. It is more diverse, more alive. When our children are born, they receive—at random—an affinity to one of the Nine Heavenly Paths. This gift, this bond to power, is something their bloodline cannot offer." She exhaled slowly, her shoulders lifting with a sigh. "That alone, combined with the fact that both bloodlines can merge and nourish one another, makes our maidens the most desirable prey imaginable for them."

"So… they steal our girls just to have children who inherit the amazing Nine-Tailed Fox bloodline we carry?" Elinor tilted her head to the side in innocence. Two of her orange tails curled unconsciously together, weaving around each other as if to echo her confusion.

"Not quite…" Renara's voice fell quieter, and she shook her head. "Their true purpose is far darker. By mating with our maidens in a specific ritualized way, they awaken the Blue Arctic Fox blood inside their living warriors. This makes those men stronger and their command over the heavenly laws grows smoother, more precise. And if children are born of such unions, most inherit the Blue Arctic Fox bloodline, since the seed comes from the male. Yet, on rare occasions, a child emerges with more—a natural affinity for one of our Nine Paths, a gift stolen through birth."

Her voice trailed, Her golden eyes grew heavy. "That is why they target only maidens, why they have rejected countless offers of peace through marriage or alliance. Their ambition is singular—they wish to slaughter every male of our lineage, to erase them from existence, and keep only the untouched maidens. With this, they can empower their warriors, expand endlessly, preserve the purity of their empire's blood in future generations, and grant their children stolen affinities to additional Paths to walk. For them, the entire process is overflowing with advantages. It is little wonder, then, that they are willing to throw themselves into a war of destiny against us for such gains."

"The males of the Twilight Spectrum Gang… they really become stronger when they mate with one of our girls?" Elinor asked, her young voice filled with bewildered innocence. Her small eyebrows arched high in surprise as she blinked rapidly, as though trying to process the weight of what she had just heard. She turned her head aside for a fleeting moment, as if searching for an answer in the silence of the chamber, then looked back directly at her sister with wide eyes. "And what about the girl? What happens to her then?"

"The blood of the beast awakens in her as well," Renara replied slowly, her voice carrying the calm clarity of someone who had already borne the pain of knowing. "Her strength grows, her talent blossoms, and her mastery over the laws of existence increases noticeably." Her tone was even, but there was no mistaking the shadow of sorrow threaded within her words. "We have reclaimed a few of the maidens who were once stolen away… and we saw the results of this with our very own eyes."

"But… isn't that a good thing?" Elinor tilted her small head to the side in innocent confusion, her orange tails swaying back and forth as if echoing her uncertainty. "All girls are going to marry someday anyway, aren't they? Then why not marry those who make us stronger?"

Renara's lips curved faintly into a bittersweet smile, touched by the childlike logic of her sister's question. "Because, little one, strength is not everything. We bear a responsibility toward our ancestors, an oath passed down through generations: to protect this bloodline and preserve it pure." Her gaze softened but remained firm. "If we were to take outsiders as husbands, then our children would no longer carry our sacred blood. In time, our lineage itself would vanish, and the Nine-Tailed Fox would be nothing more than a memory."

"Hmm…" Elinor pressed a tiny finger to her cheek, her expression thoughtful, her large eyes shining with innocent curiosity. She let the silence linger for a moment before speaking again. "Then why don't we do both? We could marry them for just a while, only enough to awaken the beast blood inside us, and then later go back to marrying the weaker males of our own family. That way we get stronger, and we still keep our bloodline."

Renara's features hardened slightly, her regal aura showing itself even through her youthful appearance. "Because we are not harlots, Elinor." Her words were sharp, tinged with a rare strictness. "What you suggest is shameful, unacceptable in every way. To live without honor is worse than to live without strength."

"But it is the best way!" Elinor burst out, lifting her small arms in a flare of childish frustration. Her voice rose, trembling with conviction. "Everyone would agree with me if they thought about it. It would even help the males of our family too! Can't you see our brothers? They're all less talented than us!" She tapped her chin in mock seriousness, a mischievous grin curling across her lips. "You know what? Maybe we could even import a few of the Twilight Spectrum girls for them instead!"

Renara let out a faint sigh, though her eyes gleamed with pride as she straightened her back. "The Twilight Spectrum Empire would never allow that, little sister. Do you know why? Because they have pride… just as we do."

"But I still don't understand!" Elinor's voice cracked in frustration. Her small tail thumped against the ground with a sharp snap, betraying the anger she could not contain. "It's so clear to me! This is the best way for everyone! If we all worked together, everyone would grow stronger. So what's the point of war? Why fight, when it only leaves countless dead behind?"

For a moment, silence filled the chamber once more. Renara closed her eyes, her long lashes shadowing her cheeks, and inhaled deeply before letting out a slow, steady breath. Her hand rose and came to rest upon her sister's head, stroking her hair with a tenderness that seemed to carry the weight of centuries. When she spoke, her tone was softer than ever, as calm and soothing as the cool wind of an autumn dusk.

"There are things, Elinor, that cannot be measured so easily. Strength, gain, loss, and sacrifice—these are not the only scales by which we live. There are bonds, there is honor, there is the meaning of who we are. You will not understand now… but when you grow older, when the world has shown you its truths, you will understand what I mean."