Minori is a post-game boss. I shouldn’t be seeing her yet. Preferably, I should never see her. A Kitsune with dominion over Death, Soul, Dark and Chaos, she’s arguably as difficult a fight as Liliana. When she was added in a free expansion, it took three weeks for anyone to finally beat her with proof. Liliana’s thoughts had finally unfrozen from their fear induced frozen state, and yet the information they gave was utterly useless to her.

Battle strategies, meta builds, best team comps were all useless to her when she had made a mistake that only the most idiotic of noobs would. She’d gained the aggro of something she could neither fight nor run from. She had known, objectively, that Minori resided in the Frostfang Mountains, but she was supposed to be deeper in the mountains. In a cave that opened out into a meadow trapped in an eternal spring. She had been so careful to make sure they wouldn’t pass that area, arranging their path so that they would skirt it entirely.

So why, in the name of all that was good and evil in this world, was Minori staring at her in the middle of their camp?

Why wasn’t she attacking? Why was she just staring? It made no sense. Beasts attacked anything in their territory, even the higher ranked ones, even the ones with humanlike intelligence. They attacked, with precious few exceptions. That was all Liliana had ever seen, both in game and in reality. Beasts not attacking was a thing of myth and legend. And Minori had never been a part of any legend of kindness towards humans.

But despite logic and reason, as if the beast before her had set out with the sole mission of defying the rules of the world, Minori continued to stare at her with her unfathomable, white-less, pupil-less eyes. Nothing but swirling blue, flickering with streaks of white like flames trapped in orbs placed on her face. Seconds ticked by, shuddering breaths the only thing filling the silence that had fallen. Even the winter wind had stilled. As if the very world itself was holding its breath, like the very forces of nature deferred to the being before Liliana.

“You have come,” minutes, hours, eons passed before a voice filled the campsite. It came from everywhere, heard both by Liliana’s ears and somehow by her soul itself.

Even though she didn’t see Minori’s mouth, muzzle, move, Liliana knew instinctively that the voice she heard was Minori’s. A voice that rang with a power that would’ve dropped Liliana to her knees if she hadn’t already been on the ground. It held the power of a blizzard, of a raging firestorm, of a typhoon of unimaginable magnitude. It was almost reminiscent of Vita’s voice, the way it felt as if every word spoken could alter the very fate of the world itself. This was the power of a Rank 1 being, something that could be compared to a demigod, brushing the very edges of godhood. As close as any mortal being would ever be to becoming one of the immortal beings that could create and destroy universes with the flick of a finger.

The power of Minori’s aura was enough to press down on Liliana’s body, making her bones creak and her breath flutter out of her in halting gasps. And she knew this wasn’t even her unleashed aura. It was enough to render her paralyzed at its controlled, reined in state.

Her voice could drop her, her aura could crush her. Minori could kill her with a few words and her very presence without ever even moving a paw. A sense of hopelessness filled Liliana, the knowledge that this was where she would die. A calm certainty twisted with acceptance followed the hopelessness. The knowledge that she would not walk out of these mountains alive, her body would remain here, to be frozen by the deadly cold, buried deep in the snowfall, never to be seen again.

There was nothing she could do. She could not even force her lungs to take in a full breath under the pressure of Minori’s very presence before her. She could never hope to get to her feet before her life was ended. Fighting was futile, running impossible.

“I see. I have forgotten how fragile such low leveled beings are. I have become used to being around my children, who have a measure of invulnerability against me.” Again that voice filled the clearing, thundering through Liliana’s soul with every syllable, if she had the breath she would scream from the sensation, not quite pain but something that felt like far too much for someone as mortal as her to experience and survive.

The words echoed around them, fading slowly, as if the very essence of the world could not bear to part with them. Gradually, Liliana felt the oppressive aura that had been holding her still and frozen lift. Slowly, so slowly, it retreated. Seconds felt like years, yet with every heartbeat, Liliana could feel her lungs filling more, her breathing evening out. As it finally released her fully, she collapsed, as if someone had cut her strings. The aura had been the only thing holding her body upright and without its support she fell face first to the ground, gasping in air like a drowning man.

She could hear Silas gasping for air as she had been, so close to her but so far at the same time. Even a distance of inches would be too far. In the time it took her to even look at him, Minori could have them both dead, she knew that. Yet still the Kitsune did not move from where she was. Liliana did not have to look to know that. Her aura might have been withdrawn, but her presence was undeniable. She couldn’t understand how such a being had managed to sneak up on them.

Liliana closed her eyes, drawing in more air as she reveled in what she was sure to be her final breaths. She filled her lungs with the sweet, cold air, using it to reinforce her resolve. She would die here, but she would die facing the one who took her life. Liliana had met Death once with eyes wide open, and she’d do it again. She wouldn’t let him catch her from behind, she’d never give him the pleasure. Liliana sat up, her body screaming out its protest with every minuscule movement as she dragged it upright once more. She had never felt so sore, so tired, in either of her lives. Even at her sickest, even on the day Death finally came to guide her to the void, she had not felt this soul deep weariness. But still she drew her body up, lifted her heavy head, and met Minori’s eyes once more.

“So, my child was right. You have strength inside of you that defies all. A resolve even in the face of death that few could ever boast.” Minori’s voice rocked the campsite once more, but without her aura behind her, it was bearable. Still, Liliana winced as if hit with a physical blow and her body groaned under the weight of the words spoken. Liliana had never thought it possible to be killed with words alone, but she knew now it could happen. A speech from Minori would surely unravel her very being.

“Will you kill us?” Liliana asked when the echoes of Minori’s words finally faded. Her own voice felt so small, so flat, unfinished compared to the Kitsune’s. It was a ridiculous question to ask, but Minori’s words, her actions, were not those of something that sought death tonight. It had taken a while for Liliana’s mind to comprehend them, so overcome by first her aura and then the power of her words, she’d had little ability left to focus on what was said. But without the aura suffocating her, she could spare some thought to the actions and words spoken. Hope blossomed, weak and tentative, in her chest.

“Though you have trespassed upon my land and have killed my denizens, no. There is a debt owed that must be repaid, and I was forewarned of your coming many moons passed. So you will not find your death tonight at my fangs, though I see he is a close companion of yours,” Minori spoke and somehow, it felt like she was reining in the power of her words as well, their impact was muffled, but still felt. It took less time for Liliana to recover from her words, her mind recovering from the scattered and frazzled state in a handful of heartbeats as opposed to minutes.

“So what…?” Liliana trailed off, unsure of how to phrase the question. What was Minori doing? Why was she here? What was she going to do with them?

“As I said, a debt must be paid. I am here to guide you to where you shall go, and when we arrive, my debt to you will be repaid,” Minori told them, standing from her sitting state. She towered over them, but her size was hard to estimate. She almost seemed to shift sizes each time Liliana blinked. One blink she was taller than the trees, another she was no larger than a pony, then another and she would come to just taller than Lelantos. It was dizzying, and it made Liliana’s head ache trying to understand it.

“Come, there is someone waiting for you,” Minori spoke, an explicit order.

Liliana tried to struggle to her feet but before she could force her exhausted and battered body up she was engulfed in darkness so complete and all-consuming she thought Minori had lied, and she’d been returned to the void. Death had come so swiftly she had not even realized her heart had stopped. Liliana had just accepted her fate to spend another eternity floating in the void until her soul was called for yet another life, when the darkness retreated.

Brightness assaulted her eyes and Liliana whimpered, closing her eyes tight against the sudden light. Such a contrast to the complete and utter darkness she had just been in. She thought, for a moment, that Vita had summoned her again from the void. This time to punish her for failing her task, rather than to offer her another life. But her senses cataloged information that had not existed in the odd dimension Vita had approached her in.

She could feel grass under her hands, so soft and lush it felt more akin to silk than grass. But the distinct feeling of blades told her it was grass. The scent of wildflowers filled her nose and coated her throat, so rich she could taste them on her tongue. She could hear the happy singing of birds, the cheerful babbling of a brook, and beyond that a sound so achingly familiar it almost summoned tears to her eyes. The yips, chirps and barks that could only ever come from foxes. She heard several distinct voices, seemingly communicating with one another, playing.

Liliana hesitantly opened her eyes, blinking furiously as she was again hit with the bright light of a noonday, late spring sun. As her eyes cleared of light induced tears, she looked around, drinking in the beauty she was surrounded by. The grass under her was the most verdant green she’d ever seen, almost too much for her eyes to even comprehend. It felt as if someone had turned up the saturation to its max settings, then past it. Flowers bloomed in a riot of colors that would make any rainbow seem dull in comparison. Just beyond, she could see the brook she had heard, its water so crystal clear you could count the stones on its bed even from a distance. Each stone was some kind of precious gemstone, creating their own saturated rainbow under the water.

If Liliana had ever believed in heaven, she thought this is what it would look like. She could almost feel her worries, her fear, her anger and hate leeching from her. Soothed away by the playful breeze that carried an intoxicating floral scent upon it, stealing her dark feelings away from her as it flowed past. She felt an almost all-encompassing need to lie back on this grass that was softer than any bed she’d ever rested upon and just lie here for eternity.

“What you seek, and what seeks you, is at the end of the brook,” Minori’s voice woke her up from the trance Liliana had fallen into. It was as if the Kitsune’s very words had broken whatever spell this place had laid upon her and her mind became clear once more. Her darker emotions still felt dulled, distant, but they were there again now. The relief from them was addicting, and Liliana almost wished Minori had never woken her up. Had let her just lie here and forget her worries and fears, let her finally know true peace.

But she hadn’t, and Liliana remembered why she was here once again. Her purpose for this endeavor. It could no longer be forgotten once remembered. Liliana climbed to her feet, finding her body less sore than it had been not ten minutes ago. Wherever they were, it seemed to heal the soul and the body. Liliana looked for the Kitsune, finding her easily, though her presence felt weaker here, more disguised. As if this entire place had been designed to camouflage her.

Liliana belatedly realized she knew where they were. This was the arena for Minori’s fight, her ever-spring meadow. It was here she was strongest, the very place feeding her power and crawling with her children who would attack players in waves when called by Minori. Yet despite knowing where she was, Liliana couldn’t summon the fear that should go with it. This place seemed to repel such a feeling, almost forcing a feeling of safety onto whoever stepped foot into it. Perhaps that was why it was so dangerous. You could never even suspect the danger you were in until it was too late. Maybe not even then.

“Go, now. You and your companion will be safe here. I shall watch over him. Nothing here will harm you while you are under my protection,” Minori told her, and Liliana read no lies in her shifting eyes. Liliana’s eyes strayed to Silas, who seemed to still be in the same trance the Kitsune had woken her from, and Liliana knew he needed the peace this place offered him. If only for a little longer. She could give him that.

Minori laid her body upon the ground, setting her majestic head upon her paws, yet her eyes never left Liliana, and as the girl turned her back on the Kitsune, she could still feel the weight of Minori’s gaze on her.

Her feet grew more steady as she walked, keeping close to the brook as she did. The further she went from Minori the stronger she felt, though no matter the distance traveled she could still feel the Kitsune’s gaze. Even when she threw a look over her shoulder and could no longer see Minori, she could still feel her eyes. As Liliana walked, she could still hear the sounds of foxes playing, of birds singing. Trees in full bloom lined the brook occasionally, patches of forested areas that looked like works of living art hid many watching eyes. Yet no matter how long she traveled, she never once spotted another living being, even though she knew they were there and fully aware of her.

Liliana wasn’t sure how long she had walked. The light never changed, though hours must have passed. Or perhaps it was minutes, with no way to judge the time Liliana’s sense of time passing was weak. She thought perhaps she’d be following this brook forever, sent on a task that could never be completed. Kitsunes were tricksters. It would be just like one to set her to walk for a millennium before freeing her.

The brook ended suddenly, with no warning. It just ended in a small pool that drained away into some underground river or reservoir. Liliana paused, shocked that the brook had actually ended. She looked around, realizing it had led her into a circle of trees blooming with cherry blossoms. Their heavy, pink laden boughs made thick curtains that obscured anything beyond them. In the center of the circle, just past the pond covered with waterlilies, sat a small orchid like flower. Its petals were a rich purple ending in red so vibrant it looked like someone had dipped it in fresh blood, and Liliana knew what it was, having memorized the final and most important ingredient for what she needed already.

The Verity Bloom. Rare beyond measure, it was said to only be found deep in the Frostfang Mountains, the exact location unknown and only theorized at. The very thing Liliana had been looking for.

Liliana walked towards it hesitantly, almost expecting Minori to rush through the cherry blossoms to stop her. But nothing came out as she stopped at the flower, nor as she knelt before it. Nothing attacked her as she drew out her gloves and gathering knife. No creature appeared as she sliced off the head with a sure stroke of her knife and slid it into an enchanted pouch before returning gloves, knife, and pouch to her storage. She’d leave the stalk and roots, she didn’t need them and the flower would live to bloom again if she took only the head itself. Liliana couldn’t in good conscious destroy such a rare plant when it was unnecessary, and it felt like it would be a gross insult to Minori to do so, spitting upon her unexpected kindness.

It wasn’t until she stood that the cherry blossoms directly in front of her stirred. Liliana froze, fear still absent though it should be present and consuming, as the blossoms parted, some falling like delicate floral rain, revealing a dark, winged, vulpine form.

If Liliana had felt any fear, it would’ve been banished the moment her eyes met the creature who approached her with slow, cautious steps. His form had changed greatly, but a soul never forgot another it had been tied to. A bond once formed was never truly broken, no matter how fleeting it might have been.

“Polaris.”