As I walked down the dirt-road, I could hear the twins bickering behind me. Like any pair of siblings, they seemed to have differences in just about every aspect, and the fact they were twins didn’t seem to help.

The topic of their argument was currently the beautiful furball known as Toyaru.

“I don’t think he’s a bad person,” Auden insisted. Despite his nervous attitude otherwise, he was able to speak clearly when it was just him and his sister.

“It’s not whether he’s good or bad, Auden,” Elaze explained. “He’s just not right.”

Even as they whispered amongst each other, my ears could clearly hear their voices. I allowed them some “privacy”, but I couldn’t help be listen in. What confused me most, was why Elaze didn’t seem to trust me.

I don't think I've done anything worth her scorn or distrust. I messed with her a bit, but I never showed her any malice. Maybe I offended her in some way, without meaning to?

Well, either way, I've decided to first meet up with Yenna. After that, there were two options. I could try communicating with the town’s guards and try to ascertain why the the twins were attacked, or we could all just head back to Ohen village, and just have the two under my protection for a while. This world still follows the ancient rule of “Might Makes Right”, and Spirits such as myself, especially Kitsune which are regarded as divine beings in this region, have the right to act selfishly just like any noble.

Elaze's race seems to be combat-capable, so with some training the two should be able to survive on their own. There's worry about that coming back to bite me in the ass, but I should be able to handle anything that comes my way.

I'm me.

What's really curious is how I've formed a bond with Auden, but not Elaze. The bond with Auden only formed after I returned to him with Elaze, so I couldn't use it to track him earlier, but the lack of a bond with Elaze is just further proof of how much she distrusts me. The Divine Heart is presumably very fickle, and has low requirements to trigger, but it won't form with anyone who hates me or has a strong distrust for me. Sentra made that clear to me.

"Fine! We'll follow him. But I am NOT getting near any soldiers," Elaze suddenly burst out in frustration.

Well... I guess we can just head back to Ohen? I was sort of excited about visiting a large town like Karinth for the first time, but I suppose it can't be any more fascinating than what I'm already use to, so I’ll follow Elaze’s wish.

On the topic of my Divine Heart, I noticed a while ago that Yenna actually stopped traveling, and probably began to set up camp so it shouldn't be long before we meet up with her.

The incoming rain is probably the reason she started setting up camp.

I could smell the incoming wind a while ago, and my guess is that Yenna noticed the sign in the clouds. The twins don't seem aware, and even though there's no reason to tell them, I still thought to tell them about our current plans.

With that in mind, I dramatically rotated my body around on my heel, and faced the two with an authoritative pose. The brother and sister pair stopped in their tracks, and focused on myself. "Well, my sister should be up ahead, waiting for us. We'll catch up to her, and then we will negotiate your future arrangements. Understood?" I declared.

"Understood!" Auden responded affirmative to my demanding tone.

"Sister?" Elaze muttered, completely ignoring my act. Well, at least she's paying attention.

"Good. Let's go then!" I said with enthusiasm. As I once again turned around in a flash, I continued the trek forward—completely ignoring Elaze's muttering about my theatrics...

Well, I didn't ask you either.

However, we didn't make it too much further before my ears perked up in caution, and I stopped my feet. My long triangular ears twitched and probed, focusing in on a new sound. The approaching march of horses. I counted 7 different sets of steps approaching at a reasonably quick pace.

However, I figured this group had nothing to do with the twins. They were coming from behind us, after all. These horsemen were headed towards Karinth.

Besides, I doubt Karinth would be sending guards this soon. There's no reason to assume these brats could wipe out the previous party. Unless they know about the sister's potential ability, but in that case they wouldn't have sent fodder in the first place.

Someone on Uncle Jenn's level would have been more than appropriate.

Unless Jenn is actually a special case?

—Or… is this girl the special one?

I couldn't see the party just yet as a result of the curved and hilly road. Thinking about it clearly, I decided it would be a good idea to hide myself. It would be a pain if some issue popped up relating to me being a Fox Spirit. I don't want the extra attention from the town, if I'm just going to end up turning around and not going.

"Hey, you two," I said, quickly appearing before them with both my index-fingers pointed at either of them. Before either of them could respond, I continued, "Pretend I'm not here. We have company."

With that short message, I used my time-stop abilities to vanish from sight, and entered the trees.

—Now, let me just start by saying that a week ago, I was definitely out of shape. Not fat or anything, but I had no stamina, and very little strength.

Now let me finish by reminding you that one week is not enough for my lame ass to kick into high gear and become some super athlete.

So of course, climbing up the trees was a stressful. Not immediately, thanks to the strange quality to my Time-Stop ability that basically nulls pain and fatigue.

But once I resumed the flow of time, I could feel the strain on my muscles—I didn’t use any energy to climb, but force was still applied to my body. These inconveniences are inconsequential to someone with my abilities, but it was still no reason not to improve.

So, I ignored the mild discomfort, and focused my attention onto the road.

"Where'd she go?" Auden asked confused, as he looked to and fro in panic.

Elaze was similarly shocked, but was much more subdued, as she calmly but vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

However, once my words had set in, and the surprise of my disappearance passed, Elaze sighed, "Forget about him," she spat.

"He said someone's coming," She remembered, and looked both ways down the road. The sound was still too far away for human ears, but it wouldn't be long before the two groups would meet.

"What? Where? Is it more bad guys?!" Auden questioned. However, Elaze decided it didn't matter. Grabbing ahold of Auden, she continued walking forward.

"H-hey? What about Toyaru?" He asked flustered.

"Who knows? Who cares? He said to pretend he's not here, so just keep walking," She said.

I knew she'd catch on. It wouldn't go well if these two were just standing here waiting for someone to come by. So, it was best for the two to continue walking as if they didn't know or care about the incoming group.

Elaze probably figured out that I'm nearby and watching, and even though Auden is a nervous wreck, he should be able to figure it out as well.

They had nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately, this also meant I had to get down from my tree, and just follow behind on foot.

"You two, halt!"

Elaze had the right idea.

—Act like any other group of kids who may be using this road. Take an interest in the approaching party, who are all riding on horse-back.

—Notice that they are some kind of soldiers.

Kids in the area might look up to knights and soldiers like this, whom punish criminals, but at the same time they would know not to annoy and anger these people. So, be anxious. Not afraid, but uncomfortable with what might happen. Avoid eye-contact, keep your heads down, and pass them by without incident.

The party of 7 horse came into view, and as the sound of hooves traveled, the two looked back to see what was coming. Without raising suspicion, they continued walking, and got out of the way of the horses.

For a while, it seemed the soldiers would ignore the pair. Most of the group took no interest in them, so it didn't seem like they were looking for anyone. However, the boy in the center of the group who rode atop a unicorn—yes, a goddamn horse with a long ass horn coming from its head—commanded the siblings to stop.

This boy was clearly a noble of some kind—On top of his temperament compared to the other soldiers, he was fashioned in an exotic attire that set him apart from the six uniformed solders surrounding him.

—So the twins halted, keeping their heads low without saying anything, but doing as instructed.

“Look here,” the young leader ordered. Elaze trembled for a moment. She had hoped that she could hide her head behind Auden, that way her horn wouldn't be noticed. But with a direct order from a noble, as commoners they had no choice but to do as told.

Auden turned without any delay, nervousness expressed clearly on his face.

Elaze on the other hand waited a second, before slowly turning her body around. “Yes, sire?” She turned her pale yet calm face towards the unknown noble. “How may I be of service?” She said humbly, trying not to disrespect the important newcomer.

The noble boy raised his eyebrows, seeing the horn that sprouted from Elaze's forehead, but he didn't seemed too surprised by it. I half expected a more exaggerated reaction, but it didn't seem things would escalate that far.

“I have a few questions I would like you two to answer. I hope you have the time,” he said with a smile.

“Certainly sir. We are in no rush. My name is Elaze, and this here is my brother Auden. Don't mind him; he's a bit daft when it comes to new people,” She said. Auden seemed a bit surprised and flustered, but he didn't deny his sister's words.

The boy seemed pleased with her cooperation, but did not reveal his own name.

“From where, and to where are you commuting?”

“…” Elaze hesitated for a moment. She knew this question was coming, but how to answer it was another matter. She couldn't mention the soldiers that were chasing them, right? On top of that, she wasn't too familiar with the smaller villages in the area, even though she should be travelling between them.

“We are actually planning to meet with an acquaintance on the road. You see, we don't have any family left, so we don't really know where we will be going,” She said.

It was a strange story.

Not unlikely, but strange.

If her family died, why not wait for the acquaintance to arrive at the village she was in? They didn't seem prepared to travel either, so that could imply they had nothing else. If their acquaintance was willing to meet them half-way, why not travel the full route?

But the strangeness of the story also meant she could avoid naming where she came from, and all without lying.

However, the young boy seemed to realize the girl was hiding her circumstances.

—But he didn't press for answers.

No, the boy thought for a moment, looking between the twins as if in thought. He took a glance towards the sky, and then came to a realization of some kind.

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but would you two be comfortable with an escort?”

“… An escort?”

—An escort?

“Yes. A storm is coming, and it’ll likely reach long before you reach your destination. If you would like, you can ride with my Knights. I’ll feel bad if I left a pair of kids out in the rain like this.”

Elaze tilted her head, in mild confusion. She took a glance at the sky as well, but it didn’t seem she could glean any information from what she saw.

Of course not; predicting the weather from the clouds alone was a skill that required specialized knowledge. A girl with a commoner’s education like Elaze wouldn’t know anything about that. Even I’m only roughly aware of weather patterns.

However, what should I do?

“What do you think?” Elaze asked Auden in a hushed voice.

“I don’t know,” Auden admitted a bit nervous. “I think he’s a nice guy.”

“Of course he’s nice. He wants something,” Elaze grumbled quietly.

“Don’t be rude,”

“Anyways, I think we should at least go with him part way.”

“Part way?”

“Yeah, the fox said his sister was waiting for us up ahead,” She said, before turning back to the noble boy. “Sir. If you would allow us to travel part of the journey with you, that would be very kind,” Elaze said.

It seemed Elaze didn’t want to owe too much to this man. She seems less antagonistic against him, but that’s probably because she respects a political authority more than she respects “spiritual powers” or whatever.

Ah, but what a drag.

This meant I’d have to go ahead of them, and meet up with Yenna. I didn’t expect the soldiers to realize it was going to rain soon, and then offer the twins a ride.

Well, I guess it means less walking for them.

Ugh…

But what about me?

…

The strange development led me to skipping ahead of the twins and the escort of 6 or so soldiers. I thought it would be awkward to come out of the woods and ask for a ride too.

When I eventually came on Yenna’s camp, I noticed she had set up the two tents we had packed. Actually, we had three prepared tents, in case one became damaged. Up until now, the two of us slept separately, so I wondered for a moment why didn’t she prepare the last tent, for the siblings.

—”One tent for you and me, and another for the brats,” She said as if it was obvious. For some reason, her gaze kept shifting to my two tails, but that was probably my imagination. (Help me)

In any case, the fact she called the siblings brats not only shows how much my vocabulary has rubbed off on her, but also that she doesn’t really want to put up with them.

In any case, I ended up helping Yenna set up the camp further, but honestly there wasn’t much for me to do, that Yenna hadn’t already done.

So, I laid down a mat on the grass to the side of the road, and waited for the twins.

But what should I do from now on? I should return to Ohen Village, right? Well, I don’t have much time to laze about. I’m certain that Aniel has left a message for me by now, and I should be preparing to go to the capital.

I have many decisions to make in the coming days. I agreed to side with Aniel, to raise morale as a Divine Spirit, and to assist in the battle effort in whatever way I can.

But I don’t want to end up tied down to this kingdom.

I’ll protect Ohen, and the people I care about there, but the Kingdom of Senilea is just a place Ohen Village resides in.

On top of that, the Divine Heart should have an effect on me. According to Sentra, it would be difficult to ignore the emotions of others, and yet with me, I have trouble hearing them in many cases. It’s likely because I’m a male, that my powers developed slightly differently, but I can’t confirm this theory without a larger sample size.

No—Maybe it’s simply unique to me? Like a mutation. Or as a side-effect of my rebirth.

Speaking of my Rebirth, I wonder how many other people from my world have reincarnated here? Or maybe reincarnated in other worlds?

Is there a connection between myself and other reincarnators? Me and Aniel are the only ones I know of, but Aniel’s memory is unreliable.

Maybe after the battle with Arnne and Lein, I’ll do some studying. Or some traveling. The bonds I gain through the Divine Heart directly trigger the formation of new tails, so meeting new people will lead to gaining more power, right?

Ah, but then there are the negative sides to the Divine Heart… Sentra says that her symptoms seem to have lessened recently, and I only rarely become unable to ignore my own symptoms—but if I start socializing with hundreds and thousands of people, won’t the stress pile up?

—Maybe if I use the method the Lein had Sentra follow?

The side-effects are much more subdued, but Sentra feels that the result gave her subpar abilities. I would disagree, but considering the method, and the fact I have no knowledge of how magic works, she might be onto something. I don’t know what sort of abilities Kitsune normally unlock with each tail, and whether or not the abilities are pre-determined. As such, I think I will just take her “advice”.

As I was indulging myself in deep thought, my ears perked up at the arrival of guests.

—The boy and his knights from before, along with the two twins.

I could see them a short distance away, but was already getting anxious. So, I pulled myself up, and decided to take a walk in their direction.

It didn’t take long before we were close enough to shout, and they slowly decelerated as they approached. They had already come to halt by the time we were only meters apart.

I smiled up at the troop, looking directly at the young, yet handsome leader of this group. As I looked at him, I thought, from where is he from, anyways?

“Hello there!” I decided to greet the group with my usual enthusiasm.

The boy however looked at me with eyes wide, and some interest. After a moment of going over his thoughts, he returned my greeting, “Hello there, fare maiden. My name is Ezder Lenson,” He said, with a short nod. “What can I help you with, that you stand before myself and my trusted knights?”

—Ezder Lenson. The name isn’t familiar, but then I don’t really middle with the nobility of the region. Still, the fact he gave his name to me immediately shows he has some respect for Fox Spirits, right?

“I am Toyaru, though you may call me Toya if you wish. However, I don’t have any particular request from you, but I do advise that your group take shelter. There is a clearing to the side of the road nearby, where me and my companion have set up a small camp to wait out the storm. If you are headed toward Karinth, you will be caught in the rain.”

As if on que, the booming crackle of thunder stuck somewhere in the distant forest, and echoed all the way down here through the trees.

Ezder looked out into the clouds with a frown, and seemed to realize he wouldn’t make it, no matter how fast his horse carried him.

“Thanks for the warning. I’ll take you up on that offer,” He said, loosening the formality in his speech, almost immediately.

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go,” I said, and turned back around, towards the camp.

All the while, Elaze—who was sitting on the back of a horse right behind one of Ezder’s knights—stared at me with eyes wide, as if she couldn’t believe how blatantly I had just lied and manipulated Ezder.

Well, manipulated isn’t the right word. I just wanted to give them a reason to stop here, and then later take responsibility for the twins, without revealing myself as “the acquaintance” she mentioned.

—Ah… Now I get it.

“Miss,” Ezder said, pulling me away from my epiphany. As I took a peek back at him, he nervously scratched his cheek as he spoke. “It may not be very far to your camp from here, but it seems rude to let you walk while we ride on horseback. Would you permit it—?”

He was right. It wasn’t much further, and was even in sight. However, why deny a ride on a horse? Or rather, a Unicorn?

So, I decided to tease the youth, and interrupted him mid-sentence.

“Oh? Are you trying to flirt with a beauty such as myself? You haven’t fallen for me, have you?” I asked with a large grin on my face, while covering my chest in mock-modesty.

“No, no, please don’t joke like that,” Ezder said with a laugh, brushing off my attack. “I already have a girl I care for you see,” He admitted.

“Aww, how pleasant,” I said, loosening my face into a more subdued smile. “To be in love must be nice,” I said, walking up to Ezder’s horse. “Well, if that’s the case, I will accept your offer,” I said, and hopped onto the white Unicorn, situating myself behind Ezder, with both of my feet hanging off to one side of the horned-horse.

“Umm,” Ezder seemed to nervously hesitate. “I was thinking you could ride with one of my Knights, actually…” He said.

Yep, he may have someone he likes, but like most adolescent body, he melted at a girl’s touch, it seems. Not one to let a chance go by, I wrapped one of my arms around his waist to keep me from falling, and then asked, “What’s wrong? Surely there’s no problem if I just sit here, right?”

“Nope, no problem at all,” He managed to say.

I wanted to laugh, but I managed to contain myself.

“Well then, let’s go~”

Author Notes:

We, I'm alive! Mostly.

So what have I been up to? I actually got around to rewriting the first two to three chapters, which is something, thought you can't see this update on RRL. I made some changes to the introduction, though nothing that would change the course of the story. I haven't written much more than that though.

I was actually experiencing something like writers block when it came to writing this chapter (which was how Chapter 34 came to be, instead). The other day, I went to Colorado with my brother, and through the long wait in a car, I had the chance to focus and write. The weed cookies I ate in Colorado may have helped.

Anyways, here is Chapter 35. We are almost half-way through this Act, so for now bare with me. I'm going somewhere with all of this, I promise!

Please leave a comment, rate the story, and give any feedback or suggestion!