Siren's Reach - Fallen Lands Book 3

Chapter fifteen

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

Evelyn

It was finally time to establish our grove and bring Sibylla back to this world. Normally, when I'm excited and have to wait, the world drags by in slow motion. That wasn't the case this time. The rest of our little dinner went by in a blur, and before I knew it, I found myself changed into a ceremonial robe and watching the world go by from inside a carriage. Now, technically, there was absolutely no need for any sort of ceremonial clothing – we were foxes, after all. But, months ago, while Amélie was chatting with Ophelia about what this ritual might be like, she had been throwing out all sorts of speculation. I imagine that most of it had to do with anime or fantasy novels she'd read in the past, and she was just having some fun. Ophelia had been eager to find some way she could help, though, and the moment Amélie mentioned the idea of ceremonial robes, she was quick to pounce on it and volunteer to make them. Unfortunately for her, Amélie never bothered to correct the misunderstanding and instead happily guided her in the design. When I'd eventually found out by means of her and Amélie dramatically unveiling them to me, I couldn't do anything but stare. I am sure that it comes as little surprise, but Amélie is "secretly" more of a nerd than I am, so that was the day I became the proud owner of what I could only describe as a Wizard Kimono. I didn't have the heart to tell Ophelia what she'd been tricked into making. Still, she was fantastic, and despite Amélie's mischief, they were absolutely beautiful. I wasn't only wearing them because I'd promised her that I would. I also wanted to look cool in my awesome Wizard Kimono.

Looking at Amélie sitting across from me in her own robes, I couldn't help but grin. "You know, I had it in my head that these were a prank, but now I'm starting to think perhaps they were actually a plot."

Amélie beamed back at me, "But we look great! Do not even try to tell me you disagree."

Mirage interrupted us with a light tone, reminding us where we were going. "You both look quite splendid. The choice of ceremonial robes was wise—it shows due respect for the significance of the ritual you are undertaking."

I almost laughed at the irony, but my amusement was tempered by a little anxiety, so I only nodded instead. "I'm a little nervous. You've only told us the basics, and I'm really worried about making a mistake."

Mirage smiled and said, "Do not worry. This is a simple and natural process. I will be by your side every step of the way to guide you."

Amélie snorted, "Somehow, that made it sound even more ominous. Are we going to have enough time to get ready? I thought this would take a few days at least."

A glint entered Mirage's eyes as she looked to Amélie, "It did indeed take a few days to prepare. Where do you think I've been? You both can relax; all will be revealed in good time."

"Okay. Now she's doing it on purpose," I decided.

Mirage turned her barely perceptible grin of mischief to look out the window, but I could practically feel the amusement radiating from her. It wasn't something I felt from her often, but those rare occasions always warmed my heart. This time, I wasn't sure if it was that she was as excited as we were to finally be doing this or if she was just being a little more open because it was the first time we were traveling with only the three of us in a long time. I had noticed that she was more reserved when we were with Constance and Kira. It might be professionalism, but I think it was also that she interacted with us much more and had put a lot more effort into getting to know the two of us compared to them. It was always a little hard to know what was going through her head, but I got my first clue not too long after. I think Amélie and I were expecting the driver to take us somewhere a bit wild, maybe in a clearing somewhere, but instead, he just stopped in the middle of a road following near a steep cliff wall a good distance up the valley. I looked out the windows, with one side looking out onto an open field and the other just the cliffside, though I could see a couple of odd white trees closer to the cliff wall.

"We have arrived," Mirage said, and I looked at her in confusion, only to see her returning a genuine smile.

"Even more ominous," Amélie observed, but she was already moving toward the door as it opened.

I watched her step down and called after her, "Just watch out for the spooky ghost trees!" before Mirage motioned for me to go next.

We both stood and waited for Mirage, forming a small circle as she stepped out. The valet closed the door behind her and said, "My ladies, we will remain here and wait for you."

Mirage gave a gentle shake of her head, "There is no need for you to wait. We will be here for quite a while. You may return for us in the morning."

"As my lady wishes," he replied before nodding to the driver and running the few steps to climb onto the back of the carriage.

Amélie looked at me with a questioning glance and I only shrugged helplessly as the carriage continued up the road without us. When we both looked back to Mirage, the small smile on her face was impossible to read, but she motioned us toward the very same spooky ghost trees. Amélie and I shared another glance, but then, we both turned and began walking. Mirage stayed only a step behind us, and I couldn't help but feel like she was waiting for something. It only took a few minutes to close in on the cliffside, and as we got closer to the trees, I gasped. They were the size of mature oaks but had no bark, only perfectly straight silvery white trunks growing into an expansive canopy of red leaves. But as we closed in, I could see that maybe ten feet above the ground, the branches of the two trees were growing together into a shape that made them look remarkably like a Japanese Torii gate. The structure was hidden until you were nearly on top of them, but the perfect symmetry made it clear that this wasn't natural, or at least, it had been intentional.

Mirage quickly confirmed this, "These are Spirit Trees. They can only grow near places where the boundary between this world and the spirit world is thin."

As I walked under the canopy, my eyes stuck to them and I spun to walk so I could keep taking in the sight. "Did you make them grow like that?"

Her response was delayed as I nearly tripped on the beginning of a stone path I had somehow not noticed. She chuckled and said, "They are showing us the way."

The words seemed odd to me, so I pushed into my spiritual sight and glanced back at the trees over my shoulder before blurting out, "They're alive!"

Amélie laughed, "Of course they are alive! Did you somehow miss those giant red leaves?"

I rolled my eyes, "I mean, they're not just spirit trees, they're spirits!"

Amélie looked at me like I was a crazy person, but a moment later, she looked back and gasped. Mirage gently coaxed us onward, "Yes, they are spirit trees, each harboring a nature spirit. It's quite similar to those you see in your visits to the spirit realm with your sister."

"Oh, right," I said. "I guess I was just surprised to see them here!"

I stopped looking over my shoulder and started paying attention to where I was going. The path ahead led right into the cliffside, but as we got closer, I could see that what looked like a small indent at first was actually a path that led right into the cliffside. A sharp twist after only a few feet created an optical illusion that hid it from the road. As soon as we took the first turn, we were walking up steps carved right into the cliff, taking us up nearly twenty feet before the path took another turn further into the mountainside. We continued on for another minute or so before taking another turn, going up a few steps, and then we turned and stepped into an open, glowing meadow beyond another pair of spirit trees. The space was hidden from below by the cliffs, but the entire rim was filled with tall, slender, stemmed plants covered in clusters of bell-shaped flowers cascading down in soft shades of pink, lavender, white, and a deep magenta. As I watched, moonlight began to fill the clearing, making them all appear to glow. But that also made it clear we were running out of time, and I quickly began to follow the path. As soon as I stepped between the spirit trees, it was like the entire world changed. Suddenly, I could see dozens of spirits moving around the clearing. A circle of spirit trees that I was somehow unable to see before surrounded a space nearly fifty meters across in the center of the clearing, and all around them flowed nature sprites and wind spirits. Wisps that I was unfamiliar with gently flowed through the space, looking for all I could tell as living mana. Mirage's gentle hand landed on my back, and we all continued forward. The closer we came to the circle of spirit trees, the more the air felt charged with anticipation. The whole world felt like it was holding its breath, and the building potential was beginning to make my skin tingle so much that it sent a shiver down my spine. As we closed with the central circle, the spirits all moved to make way for us, and I saw that there was a small shrine next to a pond in the center. The pond was only a few feet across, and its center moved as if it had a constant slow burble of water filling it, but somehow, it never overflowed. Settled on the altar were two large medallions that oozed with spiritual energy. A fox totem rested between them, backlit by two small braziers of burning incense.

Mirage led us to one side of the pond and stopped, gently nudging Amélie forward, "It is time to assume your true form. You will rest here."

Amélie stepped forward, hesitating only a moment to look back at Mirage's encouraging smile before letting out a breath and shifting. We walked around the shrine, and when we stopped, I knew what she wanted, so I gave her a nervous smile and, after a flash, walked to the edge of the water and sat as a fox. Mirage walked around to stop directly across the pond from the shrine, where we would each be facing its center in a perfect equilateral triangle. She seemed to be waiting for something, and after a few seconds, I felt it, too. It was like something else was in the water, something I recognized but couldn't quite place, like seeing a familiar site through the fog at night. It drew all of our attention, and as the world shrank away to that singular point, Mirage spoke.

"It is time. Focus your spiritual essence, mirroring the energies of our Elders in the spirit realm. Channel your inner power as a Kitsune, just as they are. This pond will serve as our gateway, and through our united efforts, we shall bridge our two worlds. Remember, the balance and harmony of our energies are crucial for the success of this connection."

It was nothing like what I had expected, and only then did I understand that Mirage had already done everything else needed to construct the grove, or at least, the ritual. I felt a pull on my soul as it yearned to touch the power building in the center of the pond. I was already reaching out to connect with the growing ritual before I had a chance to think, and only as a tether of my soul linked me to the ritual did I have a chance to think that perhaps I should have asked more questions before agreeing to this. I felt my magic flowing along that connection like a stream that couldn't be stopped, but I could also feel the connections of five others, and I knew immediately one of them was Amélie, and with a little focus, I felt another was Mirage. She felt powerful in a way that was hard to describe, and after a second to process that, I realized I was completely out of sync and focused hard on matching my contribution to hers. As I increased the magical flow, I could feel her and someone or something else working together. They were in perfect harmony, building a bridge between worlds exactly opposite each other. The magic filled the ritual, burning its intent into the fabric of reality. Slowly, they wove the anchors in opposing sides of the pond, gradually melding it from two separate realities into one. I watched in fascination, trying with every ounce of my being to remember how this was done, but Mirage was right. As the ritual continued, this did feel natural in a way. My mind grasped the concepts of the bending reality with little effort. All of the energy I had been feeling in the air was from our groves, here and in the spirit world, pulling their existences together like magnets. I could tell that everything from the circle of flowers, the spirit trees, and even the position of the mana wisps in the grove were all contributing. The lunar cycle was pushing back the veil between worlds, and our two circles had aligned between two separate realities, fastening the same space into them both through a bridge of pure possibility.

And then, I collapsed as the world settled back into place. I was completely drained and breathless, like I'd just run the hardest marathon of my life. I barely registered that Amélie looked just as rough as me, but Mirage was only watching the pond. With a massive effort of will, I shifted back.

"…did we do it?" I asked from where I lay on the ground.

No one answered at first, but then I heard an ominous chuckle. "Yeeeeeeesssss! AH HAHAHA!"

I tried to sit up, watching Amélie do the same as she asked, "What.. was that?"

The voice filled the grove again, "FINALLY! BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"

I watched in horror as the pristine pond suddenly filled with darkness, spreading like spilled ink. Long, wicked claws punctured its surface as a hand made of swirling black smoke began a slow, creeping rise from the water, stretching toward the sky. A split second later, a second claw followed, reaching just as deliberately. The ominous laughter crashed against the mountains around us.

"Eeehehehehe AH HAHAHAHAHA! You FOOLS! Do you know what you've done?! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

I tried to stand or cast any of my spells, but I had no mana. Even trying sent a flash of pain through my head and filled the edge of my vision with dark spots. I was helpless as two points, like horns, began to rise above the pond, followed by the head of a figure emerging like Jaffar escaping his lamp. Massive violet eyes gleamed with unrestrained glee. The shadow expanded, throwing her arms wide and tossing her head back with a mad cackle, "GWAHAHAHAHAHA I AM FREE! Tremble, mortals! Cower before your doom!"

I glanced at Mirage, who only watched calmly as if she knew this was going to happen all along. The enormous cloud of smoke lowered its head and focused on us, a huge, mad grin spreading across its face—then, without warning, the entire thing collapsed inward, condensing rapidly toward the water until it was a tightly compacted ball of darkness. It hovered just above the pond, pulsing like a heart for a few thunderous beats.

Then, with a comical pop, it splashed back down, revealing a small black fox wearing a witch hat sitting serenely in the center of the pond.

"Yay! I made it!" Sibylla chirped out cheerily to us, and I fell backward into the grass. She didn't care and bounced right over, headbutting me in the face, "You kept your promise! I knew you would, but you did!" and then she shifted to her foxgirl form, pulling me up just so she could hug me. "Oh wow! It even feels different to hug people!"

With some effort, I hugged her back, "I'm so glad you're here, you punk. I thought we summoned, I don't know, something else!"

"Yeah! That was awesome, right?! Sometimes, I even amaze myself."

I heard Amélie grumbling as she struggled to sit up, but Sibyl practically flew around the pond, tackling her back down in a hug that elicited a loud squeal. "Ouf, Sibylla! I should have expected that."

Sibyl let go and bounced to her feet, "Wow! I can't wait to see all the cool things you two have been telling me about!" She nearly spun in place, trying to take us both in, and asked, "What first? Oh hey. I bet I could find stuff out here to make pizza!"

"No Cooking!" Amélie and I chorused at her.

She groaned in reply, "Aw, you're no fun. I bet I could make something awesome."

I glared at her, "The last time you made us milkshakes out of bug guts. I think I'll pass."

With a dramatic flourish, she tilted her head back to gaze at the sky, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. "My genius is never appreciated." After several seconds of no one taking the bait, she gave up in a huff, dropping her hands back to her side, "Alright, fine, you two can decide what amazing things to show me first. But then we should get food. I'm really looking forward to seeing what kinds of things they have to eat here!"

Amélie stayed in her laying position as she called back, "I am going to show you how amazing a nap is. That ritual was very draining."

Sibyl barked a laugh, "Maybe for you. Our side had three elders, and I only had to watch. How did you two do things on your end anyway? I thought you needed to match them?"

I grandly gestured to the far side of the pond, where Mirage was watching our antics quietly. "Sibyl, this is Mirage. She led our side."

Sibyl glanced around like she didn't see Mirage at first, but then snapped her head back to me, "Really? That's weird." She began walking around the small pond to introduce herself, "Thank you for your help, Mir… Oh my god!"

Without another word, Sibyl covered her mouth and sprinted to Mirage, nearly tackling her in a hug and squeezing her tight while burying her face in Mirage's shoulder.

After a few seconds of this, Amélie pushed herself up so she was leaning on her elbows and said, "We probably should have warned her."

I smiled as I watched them, "Maybe. But this was a nice surprise."

Sibyl, refusing to let go, only turned her face back to look at us, "You two had her here all this time, and you didn't tell me? You're so mean!"

Mirage had a wide-eyed look of surprise and confusion, completely unsure of what to do at first, but slowly raised her hands to hug Sibyl back.

I carefully dragged myself to my feet and started to walk over toward them, "Well, I mean, it was sort of a secret. I don't think she worked out how to tell us just yet, so we were letting her get to know us."

Amélie stopped next to us a second later, "It made it easier to get to know her, too. But since there is no easy way to get to know you, I guess the charade is over."

Sibyl looked at us like we were stupid as we spoke but then, while still refusing to let go, told us exactly how she felt about the situation. "You two are idiots."

Mirage, deciding to join the conversation, only said, "Please, do not quarrel."

Sibyl huffed, "I'm sorry. Let me rephrase. You two are idiots, but I love you anyway."

When we both started laughing, Mirage's concern calmed. She looked between us and asked, "Was my veil so thin? For how long have you known?"

Amélie grinned, "Evie figured it out in about thirty seconds. It is why she fought so hard to ensure you were allowed to be our tutor. She told me around an hour later."

For some reason, that didn't comfort her at all. As amused as we were with the situation, Mirage's eyes filled with guilt. "And you've held this secret for so long. Perhaps it was my place to speak sooner."

I shook my head, "No, I think this has given us all time to get used to the idea. Well, except Sibylla. I guess she didn't need it."

Sibylla just closed her eyes and squeezed a little tighter. "None of us needed it. We need this."

Amélie reached over to touch Sibyl's shoulder, "We have plenty of that with each other. Mirage can decide if that is something she is ready for."

Mirage closed her eyes and let out a small sigh, "The sun only sets in the west."

With only the slightest shimmer flowing through her hair, Mirage was gone, and Chiasa looked back to us with a small smile of maternal pride. I found myself looking into a face much like my own. She looked a little older, maybe in her early twenties, and slightly taller than we were. Her vertically slit green eyes were ever so slightly larger than mine, and her white fox ears ended in black tips. She had an otherworldliness to her that was impossible to capture with words, but just a glance at her, and I knew she could never be mistaken for a beastkin the way we often were. Even the air around her felt different as if just showing us her true self had released an aura that wrapped around our souls with warmth and comfort. Until that moment, I thought that it would be no big deal when we finally met as a family. I'd been very confident of who she was almost immediately after we'd met, and while I did feel an almost unnatural peace with her around, it was like a background impression that I had decided was likely one of my kitsune instincts – but now I knew it was only a muted and vague impression of the real thing. I took an involuntary step toward her just to feel more of it, and Amélie was right beside me. The exhaustion that I had been fighting so hard only a moment ago was long gone. We both stepped in to join Sibylla, and the four of us stood together as a family for the first time. I closed my eyes, and, lost in the moment, I was sure we could have stayed like that for hours…

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"See? You idiots could have had this the entire time!"

I opened my eyes to glare at Sibylla, "Shush, we saved this to share with you."

"It was worth the wait to be together," Amélie added.

Sibylla groaned, "You two. Wow. If I wasn't so happy right now, I'd gag. But did you ever think that maybe you could have been like, 'Hey, Mom, we need to rescue Sibyl from the evil machinations of Elder Haruka before it's too late! Let's make a grove right here!' and then we could have all been together months ago!"

Chiasa couldn't hold back a chuckle, and we stopped bickering at the reminder she was there. "Your aunt is immensely proud of how much you've learned from her in such a brief period, Sibylla. She is truly the finest mentor you could have for the magic you sought to master. It is fortunate that you had this time to study under her, challenging though her lessons may have been."

Sibylla raised an eyebrow, "Mom, I know how this place works. She told me. See? Watch." Then, turning her head back toward the pond, she yelled, "I love you, Aunt Haruka! Thank you for teaching me how to swap everyone's voices with each other at clan gatherings! You're the best!"

I blinked at her, wondering what she was talking about, but a moment later, Elder Haruka's voice boomed out of the pond, "Sibylla! That is not the intended use for those wards!"

"See? She can still teach me! I just learned something!" Chiasa raised an eyebrow, and Sibyl relented, "Okay. Fine. It would be more difficult without seeing her in person. I am grateful for everything the elders taught me. It was just very hard being alone for so long."

I leaned into her, "Well, now you're stuck with us."

"Urrgk. Okay. Yeah, I'm going to need a bucket this time."

"See? Isn't it great?"

Sibylla only groaned at me, but I was suddenly distracted as I saw a large form walking past us. My head spun in that direction, and I saw several large transparent foxes stepping out of the pond and spreading out into the grove, all moving to find places where they seemed to be standing guard. They were huge, several meters from snout to tail, and took on the shape of every kind of fox I could imagine.

"What's going on?" I murmured as I watched them continue to come through and used [Insight] on a particularly impressive one as it passed.

[Ancient Fox Spirit - Celestial Guardian of the Grove, level ??]

My words had both of my sisters turning to look as well, and Chiasa let out a sad sigh. "My dears, this reunion warms my heart beyond words, and there will be time for us to share and celebrate. But right now, we must focus on completing the spirit grove before dawn. Let's channel our joy into finishing this task together—it's a fitting way to mark our new beginning."

And, so we did. Chiasa had prepared the grove in meticulous detail for the beginning of the ritual, but there were many more steps to complete. We'd done the hardest part, linking our grove here with our clan's grove in the spirit world – but unless we completed the grove, that connection would be tenuous and would weaken over time until it snapped, doing significant damage to both ends. Not only would that be deadly dangerous, but it would also make using this location for another attempt impossible until the fabric of reality repaired itself. I got the impression that took a while. So, we walked around the grove together, starting in the center and working our way out. First, we worked together to grow and build the clan's shrine. The trees grew together into a structure identical to the one in the spirit world, and I could feel it both acting as an anchor and also beginning to produce more of the unique magic energy that suffused that place. We worked for hours after that, using incredible amounts of magic and spiritual energy to create structures, statues, gardens, totems, and so many other small things that I'd just thought of as beautiful but otherwise decorative in our clan's home. The process taught me a lot about what a grove really was. The more we worked, the more I began to understand each of these things and their importance. Every one of them was inlaid with meaning and magic in a way that radiated spiritual energy and boundless hidden knowledge. It was a lesson that made it much easier to understand why creating their twins here in our grove helped link our homes together. We created the spaces for the sacred pools, even without the water, and even added the different minor shrines and totems for each of our clan members, finishing with our own. But it wasn't only making this place look like the heart of our clan's grove. Every small thing we finished made the two groves resonate more and more. As we neared the edges of the grove, raising the bamboo forest around the outside edges of the foxglove flowers, I began to see ghost images of other Kitsune in flashes around our work.

The first rays of the morning light were beginning to creep over the horizon when we finally declared the work done. We all walked together back to the shrine to see the eight clan elders waiting for us, and gradually, many others were padding into the grove from the edges of the forest. They were all as transparent as ghosts, but I could hear them as they talked amongst themselves, and I began to understand the full scope of what we'd done. They were not in this world, but because the grove was linked, it would allow us all to interact as if they were. Any grove in any world would be linked to this one important place to our clan, and it would allow our family to be at each other's side. It wouldn't always be so clear as this – the spiritual energy would always flow between these places, but with the cycle of the moon, we would have a few nights a month where the barrier between worlds would be this thin. There would no longer be a need to dream walk just to ask a question. We could simply come home and talk to them. But this meant other things too, like we were in the clan's grove, and we'd better follow the rules if we didn't want Elder Haruka to find some sort of chores for us. Amélie and Sibylla were even faster than me to realize this, and both flashed into foxes a moment before I did the same. Then, I nearly jumped out of my skin when Chiasa walked past me. She was easily one of the largest of the elders, and her fur was giving off a radiance that my eyes took a moment to adjust to. All nine of her tails swayed behind her, leaving a path of power that looked like the fire of the Rising Sun. Only one of the other elders radiated power like her, though his energy was that of the Wind and Spring. I knew from my brief conversations with Elder Kazeharu that it was because he was one of the ancient Sentarith, but he wouldn't say more on the subject. I knew what this meant, but when I looked to my sisters, intending to say… anything... I swallowed the words back, realizing for the first time how many Kitsune were now in the combined grove. There had to be more than a hundred, maybe two, all sitting quietly in an adorable sea of foxes and waiting for the elders to speak. I had no idea the clan was so big, and from how Sibyl and Amélie were looking around, neither did they. We'd met a few members of the clan, but not even Sibyl had met all the elders yet, and she lived in the spirit realm with them. But our attention was soon drawn back to the center of the grove.

Elder Haruka waited for our mother to join the other elders, taking her seat beside her before she began. "Today marks a moment of immense joy and profound significance for our clan. It is with great happiness and open hearts that we welcome back Elder Chiasa, whose absence has left a void within our ranks. Her return not only completes us but also brings the miracle of her three young children, who have endured much in the dying world of Aeos. There, they successfully anchored a grove and forged a pathway back to us. However, our celebration is tempered with a challenge: during their time apart, Elder Chiasa was separated from her children, locked away in a hidden domain, while the system shard on Aeos exploited her children's youth and inexperience, branding them as [Heroes] and forever linking them within the system. Today, we gather not only to rejoice in our reunion but also to deliberate thoughtfully on how we shall navigate this new tribulation together."

Everyone was stunned into silence, and most of all, the three of us. Of our group, it seemed like only Chiasa wasn't surprised that there was a gathering. When I saw everyone, I thought it might just be a welcome home or a "congrats on your grove" sort of thing. As Elder Haruka spoke, I watched the crowd, and everyone seemed to be glowing with excitement to see Chiasa again. We had gotten a few curious glances, but when it was mentioned we were Chiasa's children, it was like a spotlight had been dropped on us, and there was even a low level of conversation. But the moment she'd mentioned we were made [Heroes], everything went silent. I felt like this was about to turn into a very heated discussion, and I was about to speak up and let everyone know it wasn't a big deal and we didn't mind, but I didn't have a chance. Before I could say a word, Chiasa stood, which seemed to be a signal to everyone else to do the same, and she took the few steps to stand over us before sitting again, a pair of her tails swinging around us protectively and everyone else began to slowly make their way in our direction. There were no debates or arguments or anything I'd been worried about. Clan and Family came first, and everyone was eager to welcome Chiasa home and meet us. It wasn't a mob but more of a somewhat organized stream of foxes.

The elders came first, led by Haruka, who lightly touched her nose to Chiasa's before doing the same to each of us. As she touched her nose to Amélie, she said "Elder Haruka" as if she were introducing herself for the first time. As anyone might expect, my sister caught on right away and replied, "Amélie," without missing a beat. This repeated with Sibyl, and I could feel the ceremony in it. I was thankful that they went by age, so when it was my turn, I knew what to do. Elder Haruka was followed by each of the elders and then every member of the clan. In my past life, it might have been a very awkward way of doing things, but I was a fox now. A kitsune. It didn't only feel natural, but it was the first time I'd ever met so many people and felt entirely relaxed and comfortable. I knew that some mammals greeted each other in a similar way to share scents, but as our noses touched, it wasn't a scent but their magic that mingled with mine. This was new, and I guess they had waited to officially welcome us to the clan until we were all together. I knew from the very first touch that it would be impossible to meet any of these Kitsune again and not know them. I didn't even think I could forget their names.

The Elders had lined back up, and as each of the others finished greeting us, they would return to where they had been sitting before, or they would go to the elders and tell them what they thought of the situation. From the little I overheard, I realized that not all were familiar with the system. It made sense, seeing as the clan typically stayed away from it, but some others were very familiar with it and had strong feelings one way or another. Early on, someone suggested that our entire clan should go to Aeos and destroy it completely to free us from our shackles, but fortunately, the elders shot him down – not only because that wouldn't remove us from the system but also because the clan had already taken a stance of non-interference with that world. There were several other suggestions that were much more sensible, though, and I learned a bit more about the system in the process of overhearing them. A very common suggestion was that we should just stay in the clan's grove in the spirit world where the system didn't exist and stay safe. But that wasn't something that would work.

This was a complicated problem that the elders had to explain loud enough for everyone to hear after the second time it came up. Being a [Hero] didn't only mean you had a fancy class. The system treated us like any other system entity or object, and the designation [Hero] was like a flag that was also related to rituals. I mean, that was obvious; without a ritual, I wouldn't have been here. Still, it was more complicated than that. There were many rituals related to [Heroes], and if a person was designated with a [Hero] flag in the system, it was possible they were a valid target for any of a number of [Hero] rituals. For example, the ritual used to summon us was one that was used to create a [Hero] through reincarnation. It was the only possible way to summon a [Hero] on Aeos. I didn't understand the reasoning for that; it had something to do with the gods of the world, but it wasn't a rule in every world. While a new [Hero] could only be created in this way, in some worlds, it was possible to use different rituals to call or summon [Heroes] that already existed in the system – each with unique requirements, benefits, and penalties – but they all had the requirement that the [Hero] being summoned wasn't already bound to a world or claimed by a god. One thing that was somewhat ominous was that a god must be involved with the ritual for it to be completed, or it would fail. In this case, Jalmonnoth had been used to power the ritual and acted as if he were the summoning deity – but he wasn't a deity at all. The priestess of Earae told me that it was Jalmonnoth who was supposed to complete the ritual with us, and at the time, I had trusted her. But the elders here didn't believe that at all, and I trusted them far more than a mortal priestess I'd met once and didn't understand the motivations of. For all I knew, it could be any of the gods. It could even be Zaed. This was a major problem because we didn't know if any deity had a claim on us at all – and it seemed likely the answer was no. The ritual and our quest to save the world might bind us to Aeos, however, and if we left, we might also lose that slim chance of protection from being whisked away once again. There was a little relief when it was pointed out that nearly all realities touched the spirit world – so we'd always be able to find a way home, but really, it wasn't worth the risk.

So – we needed to stay on Aeos, at least for now. But that brought up the issue of the state of this world. It truly was dying, and its weakened and forgotten gods would only be able to hold on to it for so long. Beyond the small bastions of civilization, the world was crumbling. The Fallen Lands were not only full of demons, but they were full of corruption. Demons were chaotic beings, and their nature leaked into the world around them. Technically, this could be stabilized by removing them and purifying the world, but doing so in time with so few people on such a large scale was an impossible task. The system integration could make things easier as dungeons could be used to spread system influence. The perfect order enforced by the system was like an anathema to the chaotic corruption spread by demons. Without a demonic presence to continue the spread, the corruption would quickly be cleansed, but most dungeons had been destroyed long ago. We knew the system had been creating new dungeons recently, and perhaps that was in response to us being summoned, but it wasn't likely that it would do so in a way that could make a big difference. The world wasn't in danger of collapsing just yet, and it could limp on like it was for some time. Eventually, though, this world would die. There were no ideas on how to sever us from the system yet, but when our greetings were done and we were able to join the conversation, I stepped over to where the elders were theorizing with a few others, and they stopped to let me speak.

"I will not abandon Aeos to its fate. I believe we can save it."

Elder Kairo gave me a small smile of approval and his voice rang out as sonorous as a bell tolling the hour, "You three show great promise, but this is a tremendous undertaking. You are accepting the responsibility thrust upon you by mortals in their desperation, yet they themselves lack any direction. For a thousand years, they have made no progress. Why do you believe you will succeed where they have not?"

His words weren't just a challenge, but an invitation to justify my confidence and, as usual, I could feel that there was both a lesson and an opportunity in his words. It was why he was the best storyteller. So, I didn't answer right away. I thought about what I'd learned of the world and its history, the stories of the other [Heroes], and my own experiences so far. I'd had some pretty significant and telling encounters, and beyond my adventures and lessons, I also had the benefit of the books left behind on Dawn's Light from the Last Hero. I even had insights into the motivations of the fallen painted for me in vivid detail by the devil Nitees'tix. After considering all of that, what stood out the most to me was my interactions with the people of the world and the interactions I'd seen between them. Altogether, it set a grim stage, but it didn't dim my determination or confidence at all. Our enemies were powerful, but we would get stronger. I knew I couldn't put a complete strategy together yet, but I knew that I would be able to with my sisters and a little time.

"Because I have the drive to do it, and they do not. They have accepted their fate. When the last [Hero] failed, and so many people of this world were lost, those they left behind lost hope. Even those who stand the tallest in their defense do not truly have the drive to fight back and reclaim their lands, and the rest are busy fighting each other for what little scraps they can get. And I know things they did not. I have spoken to the devils, and I understand their plans and how fragmented they really are about them. I also know how to stop them. We are not strong enough to win yet and still have more to learn, but I know that we can save these people and this world before it is too late."

He returned a slow, ponderous look, but then a foxy grin gradually made its way onto his face. Before he could reply, though, Sibyl stopped next to me and added, "Yeah. And besides, we're awesome. These stupid demons have no idea what they're in for." She sat down with a smug look on her face before Elder Haruka's paw landed on her head and stayed there. After a short struggle, a muffled "mmmrrrffff oof- I mean, we will do our best, Elder Kairo!" escaped, and Elder Haruka's paw slowly lifted.

Amélie joined us, giving Sibyl someone to lean on while she dramatically caught her breath, and with us all together, elder Haruka spoke. "I am proud of the progress the three of you have made. Sibyl, you have indeed learned much during your time here, and all of you continue to grow. While we are concerned about the influence the system may have on your path, I agree with Evelyn that with the right motivation and persistence, you may indeed succeed in your quest. However, I urge all of you to deeply consider and meditate on your motivations. It is crucial that they are the right ones. Ensure that you can walk your path together in harmony and be proud of it. Remember who you are, and envision who you want to be when that path has ended."

Her words echoed a sentiment that Amélie always seemed to try and reinforce, and it really made them resonate with me. I felt the love and kindness in them, and I stepped forward to press my face against her leg. It was as close to a hug as I could manage with our size difference, but she lowered her head to rest it atop mine for a moment. I rejoined my sisters, and I could feel that this gathering was coming to an end, but Amélie wasn't quite done yet.

"Elder Haruka, why are there no other Kitsune our age?"

I blinked at her and it took a moment to realize she was right. "Wow, that is weird! I think we are at least two or three hundred years younger than anyone else here."

After a moment of hesitation, Chiasa answered for her, "Our clan's home in the spirit world lies distant from other clans, leading to our meetings being quite infrequent. Additionally, we lack a strong presence on other worlds where we might encounter prospective mates."

I supposed that made sense, especially if children were so rare that Chiasa was old enough to have nine tails, and we were her only children. But… then I realized I actually had no idea if that were true. "Ch… Mother… Do we have any siblings?"

She snorted in surprise and amusement, "No, you three are my only children." She shot a teasing look at Haruka then and said, "However, it's possible that you may have cousins in the future." Elder Haruka let out an annoyed sneeze before standing and walking away, and I could feel the amusement radiating from Chiasa. She took her time enjoying her sister's discomfort before looking back to us. "Children are rare, my dears. Many of us take considerable time to mature before we even consider the prospect, and then finding a partner who is truly worthy can be quite a challenge. We can discuss this in more detail another time."

Her words were emphasized as several other Kitsune came to speak with us all as the gathering continued to slowly disperse. At first, several were very amused to catch Chiasa doing her best to postpone the foxy equivalent of "the talk" and her teasing of Haruka, but after that, many were simply coming to say goodbye, some came to offer little bits of advice about one thing or another, and a few were just excited to share a few words. There were still some who visited the elders with more ideas regarding our situation, but I understood now that the elders would be taking all of the suggestions, ideas, and discussions and contemplating them for some time. I wasn't really sure how I felt about their view of the situation, either. In their eyes, the system was an intrusion and something we should be severed from. In some ways, I agreed. We hadn't asked to be brought to this world, and being expected to save it wasn't exactly fair. But in another way, it didn't really matter. In our previous lives, we had been murdered, and those lives were over. We were born again in this world under terrible circumstances, but this was our home now. It was sometimes difficult to remember that. Having memories of a previous life muddled the reality we lived in. Still, we couldn't separate the two sides, either. If we'd not been chosen as victims of those events, we couldn't have been reborn here. It was just a jumbled mess, and if I overthought it too much, I knew it would drive me crazy.

But as I sat there between Amélie and Sibylla, I realized that I didn't really care about the mess. No matter what timeline or what world we were in, they were my sisters, and this was the life we had. We even had Chiasa now. It was a little awkward getting used to thinking of her as our mother, but we had all come to accept that our old lives were over, and it was impossible not to see how much she cared. I wanted to make this as good a life for our family and the friends we'd made as I could. For now, the system was helping us with that. We could worry if we needed to be separated from it in the future when all of this was done.

It was mid-morning before we were standing alone again, and Chiasa began leading us in the direction of the gate. As we made our way down the path, Amélie asked, "So, is it alright for us to call you Mother now? Or should we call you Elder Chiasa? Elder Mother sounds mean."

Sibylla huffed, "Of course, we should call her mother now. We finally have our mother. Why would we call her anything else?"

Chiasa didn't answer right away, and it seemed she was taking the question seriously. After a few steps, though, she looked resolved. "You may call me whatever you feel comfortable with, but remember, I am your mother. I would prefer you call me that."

Amélie put a little more of a bounce into her trot and bumped into Chiasa's leg. "Okay. Thanks, Mom."

"So, what now?" I asked. "I mean, this wasn't anything like how I thought things would go. Is the clan going to be expecting more from us? And are we just going back to normal? I would really like it if you could keep teaching us, but I think I would like it if we didn't have to hide who you were."

Chiasa stopped under the arch of the gate and sat, looking down at us. "For now, you three will return to Siren's Reach. I have some matters to finalize here, and I may take a brief journey to explore more of the world. It has changed significantly since I last traveled these lands, and I need to witness these changes firsthand. It is clear that you three will be safe here for a short while without me, and I promise I won't be gone long. I will return to the grove once I have completed my tasks. From there, we can decide together how to proceed."

"Hey wait," Sibylla interrupted, "You can't leave, I just got here! That isn't fair!"

"Sibylla, when you arrived in this world, you intended to spend time with your sisters. Your presence will greatly support them. Do not worry; I will not be gone for very long."

Sibylla looked downcast, so I leaned my head against hers, "Don't look so disappointed to spend time with us. Besides, we have a ton of crazy missions to do right away. Time will fly by so fast you won't even have a chance to miss her."

Amélie stepped up to her other side, "Yeah, some jerks are being mean to Evie. I think you are the perfect person to help them remember their place."

That made her perk right up, "They are? What happened? I thought we were going adventuring. What kind of idiot bully would be so dumb that they pick on a [Hero]?"

I shook my head, "It's a long story. I will tell you everything that has been going on since the last time we spent time together on the way back to town. I think I see our carriage down there waiting for us."

Chiasa bent down and touched her nose to each of us, one by one. "Yes, Evelyn is right. It's time for you to be on your way. You all need to rest, and there's still much to do today."

We spent a little longer saying our goodbyes, and soon enough, we'd all flashed back into our foxgirl forms and were making our way down the path and back out to the road. Sibyl had taken it harder than expected, but she wasn't as used to seeing Chiasa come and go. It seemed like bad timing for her to leave, and I could only imagine that she was going now because she hadn't planned on telling us who she was yet and was already planning this trip. I still hated seeing Sibyl so down. Once we were able to walk side by side, I took her hand and squeezed it.

"You doing okay?"

She sniffled and yanked her hand away, "Shut up. I'm fine." Her words lacked any strength behind them, and I could tell she didn't mean it. A few steps later, she asked, "What is this stupid mess we're going to deal with anyway?"

"Oh. Well, it's a lot of stupid stuff. We have some jerk in a neighboring domain who declared war on me over something happening in some coastal town. I didn't have anything to do with it, and I think he made it up just to try and steal our land. Then, there are a bunch of pirate slavers attacking the coast that we have to deal with. And, for extra fun, there is was a weirdly organized wave of sea monsters attacking the town and we're worried it was only the beginning."

"Crap," she sniffled. "So what are we going to do about it?"

Amélie answered, "Well, I am going to go with Commander Aric on Dawn's Light and explore the coastline to look for some missing pirate flotillas. Hopefully, it will give Vigilance enough time to get patrols out to hunt them."

"Uh, Dawn's Light? Isn't that the airship thingy or whatever?"

Amélie laughed, "Yes, it is the airship thingy or whatever. It is called a runeship."

She nodded, "Okay, Evie, so what're we doing?"

Amélie slapped her shoulder, "Ouch, really?! I thought you might find that really fun! It is a giant flying ship! How is that not cool?"

"Uh. Yeah. It's really cool when I can look at it from a nice, safe distance. You can keep your flittering around in the sky to yourself, thank you very much."

I shot her an incredulous look, "I know you're not afraid of heights. I've seen you climb on top of all kinds of dangerously high things."

She shrugged, "Those high things didn't move. So, anyway, what are we doing?"

I sighed, "Okay, well, after we go back and get packed, we will go east and investigate the supposed disappearing towns and see if they really exist and, if so, what happened to them."

"Oh, secret agent stuff. On the ground. I like it."