The house was very warm and comfortable inside. Upon entering a fire had been set for us and they provided us with bread. The only person that went inside with us was Kurumi, the kitsune that greeted us after the illusion disappeared. Eve, Leon and Celeste were peacefully sleeping away in futons that they must have prepared.

Rachel was pretty calm for what they had just done. I didn’t feel like they were threatening us in any way or posed a threat at all. She came back, bringing back three cups of an herbal drink that was very similar to the tea that Rachel served me a while back.

The kitsune was pale and elegant in many ways. She wore a white and red robe that matched her white coat of fur and apple colored eyes. Five tails waddled behind her, smoothly washing across the air like a feather. Two white ears popped up from behind her head, complete with long whiskers across her face. She truly was beautiful in the traditional sense, embodying the very essence of what most men thought was beautiful. But then, kitsune were beastmen that are infamous for charming men, and I wasn’t really “most men.”

We had already done introductions with each other.

“I’m sorry about what we did,” Kurumi went on. “Typically when people accidentally stumble into our village the deep fog puts them to sleep, after which we take them past the river as that is usually where they want to go. However in this case it didn’t work on the elf. However, what's strange is that it didn’t work on you.” She turned to me.

“And what’s strange about that?” I asked.

“You smell of a human, and you smell of something else as well. Something unnatural,” she explained. “A slight hint of a fox, and the fragrance of evil.”

I glared at her, and in response she began laughing.

“Oh my, I wasn’t trying to agitate you,” she laughed.

“What do you mean you smell like a fox?” Rachel interjected.

“Oh, your friends don’t know?” Kurumi turned to me, surprised.

“No… not yet,” I answered. “And I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Interesting…” Kurumi’s tail wagged playfully.

“What’s this all about?” Rachel looked even more confused than before.

I sighed.

“So where are you headed that you had to cross through our village?” Kurumi continued questioning.

We explained our situation, how we were running from the church and why there were after us. We also informed her of the recent military movement of the South, and how it’s a possibility that this place could be in danger.

“I see…” Kurumi nodded. “I guess it’s fortunate we’re able to get a heads up then.”

“So what’re you going to do?” I asked.

“There’s no sense of incoming danger right now, so nothing,” she calmly answered.

“We just told you that an army might come to pillage this area,” Rachel sounded kind of irritated.

“And where would we go?” Kurumi asked in response. “This is our home. Our only home. To abandon it would mean becoming nomads again, to travel only to rebuild what we have now elsewhere. It’s not an easy choice to make, please understand our situation as well.”

Rachel piped down, probably realizing that they weren’t wrong.

“How long has this village been here?” I asked.

“Hm… a bit over sixty years,” she answered.

“How did you come to form this small village?”

“There were many of us that had left the Southern Kingdom, Visereal before the war began. Times were difficult and harsh during those years, and we were fortunate enough to have been able to escape. Ever since then we’ve been living peacefully, isolated from the rest of the world. We tend to our own crops and have set our own rules for the residents of this place.”

“I see…” I looked down.

“What’s the matter?” Kurumi asked.

I shook my head. “Nothing. I’ve never seen such a place before, so I was curious.”

“Of course, it’s nothing like Dragonfall from what I’ve heard, but it’s been very peaceful living here.”

“Do you have any relations with the elves?” Rachel suddenly cut in after being quiet.

“They helped us settle in this location, however after that they never interfered with us. Occasionally an elf will pass from the capital, but in most cases we are left alone,” Kurumi answered.

“I see....” Rachel seemed to be thinking about something.

There were a lot of other small things that we kept asking. Even though the answer might have been obvious or may not be of any importance Kurumi patiently answered each and every one of them with great detail. It became pretty clear that she was a very soft, kind and gentle person. However a kitsune with five tails also meant that she was indeed extremely powerful, and that under no circumstances should we underestimate her strength.

“I’m going to go check on Celeste and the others,” Rachel announced as she stood up. She left the room, leaving me and Kurumi to talk.

“So… Magnus,” she called out to me.

“Yeah?”

“Where exactly are you from? And how did you end up with an elf like Rachel?” her ears wiggled excitedly.

“I’m from the Southern Kingdom, Visereal. I guess I was helping around town and ended up meeting Rachel in rather coincidental circumstances.”

“There are no such things as coincidence, Magnus. I think you would know.”

I looked at her oddly.

“You know, most humans don’t react very kindly to beastmen like us. They look at us with the same disdain they show to mindless monsters.”

I didn’t say anything because I saw their lives during the war. Terrible memories of poverty, starvation and cruelty. I knew all too well just how hard they had it, even in the pious kingdom of Gwynveria they were rejected and segregated by the church under the pretense that they were monsters, unable to see that they were human as well.

She looked out the window, the sun’s rays had begun to dim and waver as the sun began to set in the west. “When beastmen escaping from the South passed by here, many stories passed by here. Stories of a man, one that was shrouded in black. He was haunted by sadness, burdened by the responsibility of the strong and cursed with a fate of blood and gore. Do you know his name?”

I shook my head, but of course I already knew the answer.

“A man by the name of Magnus.”

“What a coincidence,” I shrugged.

“You’re not fooling anyone,” she giggled. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she walked over to my side, sitting on her knees while placing her hand on the floor in front of her.

“If you’ve heard of the things I’ve done then you know there’s plenty for me to be ashamed of,” I shook my head.

“Sometimes kindness cannot resolve anything. It always comes down to a single person to do what hundreds of others couldn’t,” , placing her head on the back of her hands. It was the highest sign of respect, one that I didn’t deserve. “To the one that defends the beastmen, to the one that sees not only the monstrous part of us, but as well as the human half.”

“Please, you don’t have to,” I urged.

She remained in the same position. “There are very few like you that protect and defend us. How can I allow such a person to go unrecognized and unremembered? There is not much I can do for you here in gratitude for the things you have done for our kind. Please, stay the night with your friends, take a rest. That is the least that I can offer for you.

“I’ll have to ask my friends first,” I answered.

“Of course… you know what else the survivors told me about you?” her whiskers seemed to bounce up and down.

“What?”

“They said that you looked so lonely, because you always fought alone. They said that they never saw you smile, that your face was as cold, grim and sad. Just from looking at you they could see that you had a terrible and cruel childhood.”

“I see…”

“I guess that they were wrong,” she smiled, her tail happily swinging about.

I looked at her with a surprised face.

“You don’t look that depressing to me,” she continued to smile.

I didn’t say anything. I just smirked and looked away immediately.

“You should go and ask your friends now,” she stood up, motioning me to the door.

I nodded and stood up. The slim white traditional door slid open as I pressed against it.

“I can also see the mark of a fox upon you,” Kurumi commented as I was leaving. I stopped to listen to what she had to say. “Did you meet another kitsune on your journey?”

“Yes…” I whispered.

“Did you love her?”

“I did.”

“I see…” and that was all she asked.

I walked out of the room, walking down the wooden floorboards and slid another door open. Rachel was helping up Celeste as she yawned and stretched. Celeste was wildly swinging about, grappling and hugging Rachel while Rachel tried to get her off. It was a strange sight to see. Leon and Eve were quietly sleeping away next to them, undisturbed by the commotion.

Eventually Rachel must have gotten tired of Celeste’s sleeping habits as she lifted her up and slapped her across the face. I almost burst out laughing as Celeste drooled and went back to hugging Rachel.

“I’m hungry!” she squealed as Rachel grew increasingly irritated.

“Get up already!” Rachel shouted in a hushed tone.

Celeste yawned very loudly, standing up from underneath the futon in her robes. She did a strange pose where one arm was on her hips and the other pointed at me.

“I won’t give Rachel to you!” she said in a not very subtle way.

Rachel threw her head into her hands while I tried my best not to laugh.

“She’ll be back to normal soon,” I assured Rachel. “She must still be hazy after the illusion. They’ll all be that way.”

Rachel sighed, getting up while Celeste continued doing weird poses. “I need a break from babysitting her.”

“Kurumi asked if we would like to stay the night. They said that we’re welcome to stay if we need to.”

“I actually don’t want to, after all it’s better to get moving. But at this rate, Celeste is waltzing around like a lunatic and both Leon and Eve are sleeping like bricks…”

“I guess we’re staying the night then,” I concluded for her.

“That would be best, yes.”

I leaned against the wall, watching as the last glimmers of the sun set past the river. It was going to be night soon, she was right in saying that we should stay the night.

“Don’t you think we should stay for more than one night?” I asked suddenly.

“Why?” she looked at me surprised. I could tell by the way her ears pointed upwards. “Not saying we couldn’t, but I’m surprised you’re the one to suggest that among all of us.”

“Well… I’ve never been to such a place before. You saw how many beastmen were out there.”

“Over a hundred.”

“In all my life in Visereal I’ve only ever seen beastmen being pushed around, abused and violated. The only thing I’ve ever wanted was to give them peace, a chance at life far far away from that wretched place. And to see such a place... I have to admit I’m somewhat intrigued.”

She thought about it for a while. “Maybe it’s not too bad if we stay. After all, if the church is after us it would be wise to lay low in a place like this. It is protected, according to her.”

“We haven’t seen any signs of pursuers… at least for now.”

“I’m almost certain they’re on the chance. After all during your time in the church’s prison Isabella told us that new instructions had arrived from Gwynveria. They no longer wanted to execute you for heresy, but instead transfer you to Gwynveria.”

“Why?”

“We have no idea.”

I thought about it for a moment. Nothing came to mind as to why they would want to transfer me to the capital. Actually now that I thought about it, nothing they did made sense. Why did they take their time instead of outright killing me? After all they had the means to kill me with holy magic.

“So then…” Rachel sighed.

“What’s wrong?” I was just about to head out to inform Kurumi.

“How long will it take for them to get out of this… daze?”

“I’m not sure if they’ve ever met a kitsune before, but assuming they’ve never been under the illusion of a fox, then give or take half a day.”

“So by tomorrow morning?” she frowned.

“Probably.”

“That doesn’t give us much choice on whether we want to stay or not, does it?”

“I suppose it doesn’t,” I smiled. Perhaps this was part of Kurumi’s idea all along. Forcing us to stay by making our friends incapable of traveling without harming them.

“Are you hungry yet?” I asked Rachel. “We should probably restock on food before we leave as well.”

“We didn’t bring much money when we left,” she sighed.

“I’ll ask if we could work in exchange for provisions.”

“Could you also ask if there's a bathhouse here?”

“Sure.”

I left the room, looking back in the room where I left Kurumi. She was no longer inside, so I went outside first. I didn’t want to look through the house without her permission. The outside was chilly and the lamps around the village had begun to light up. There were a few beastmen out walking along the streets, laughing and doing their own things. Upon seeing me, they waved.

I simply waved back in response and after that, they continued on with whatever it was that they were doing. I sat down on the porch, thinking for a moment. I laid down on my back and closed my eyes. We had been on the run for around… four days? I think. I just couldn’t seem to get myself out of trouble, no matter where I go. I sighed, breathing outwards. It was cold enough that I could see my breath become precipitation in the air. I laid down like that for a little bit, only that I didn’t continue thinking. I just laid down there for the sake of laying down there.

“Magnus? Magnus?” I thought I could hear someone calling out to me. Kurumi stood over me in her white robes, smiling down at me.

I sat up, turning around. “Yeah? Sorry I was in a bit of a daze.” I shook my head.

“I just checked on your friends, Rachel told me that you would be staying the night.”

“Yeah, I was looking for you to tell you,” I got up, walking back up the stairs to the porch and returned to her level. “I suppose my friends still suffering from the aftereffects of your illusion was intentional, was it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Kurumi stuck out her tongue. “Would you like to join us for dinner? It doesn’t seem like your other friends can join us for dinner tonight.”

“Will they recognize me?”

“Who?”

“The survivors of the war…”

“Are you afraid of meeting them?”

I wasn’t sure.

“None of them recognized you when you arrived. After all of these years you’ve changed a lot haven’t you? Both physically and mentally. They said that they sensed something from you.”

“Are beastmen as perceptive as elves?”

“Not quite.”

“So they don’t remember me then?”

“No, they don’t.”

“So what did they sense from me? Anger? Hatred?”

“Loneliness,” she replied as if it was a good thing.

“Well that’s just sad.”

“No… not loneliness in the normal sense. The same sort of loneliness that we all feel. That we don’t belong where we are, because we’re different from everyone around us.”

I must have made a strange face because Kurumi covered her mouth with her hand and began laughing.

“Your surprised face is so cute!” she teased.

Not knowing how to respond, I just looked away.

“I think it’s safe to say that they don’t recognize you,” Kurumi assured. “We’re having wild boar for tonight, in about an hour, care to join us?”

The door behind her slid open, and Rachel walked out. She stretched and walked towards us. “I need a bath,” she announced. Upon getting closer to me she took a breath, and looked at me dead in the eyes. “Actually we need a bath.”

“Don’t worry!” Kurumi exclaimed. “Of course, we have a bathhouse here.” I could swear that there was something behind her smile, but I wasn’t sure what.

* * *

The bathhouse was apparently a heated hot spring. It was located at the edge of the village. I couldn’t tell which direction as the sun had already set. On the way there we passed by a few cat people that were walking in a group of four. I could feel their feline eyes follow me as we passed by them, although I felt nothing hostile from their gaze.

“The hot spring was the deciding factor for this town’s location,” Kurumi explained. “We were looking for landmarks and when we came across the pool at the bottom of the hill, we thought that this would be the perfect location. The hills made it so that unless people were climbing over them that they wouldn’t even know that we were here.”

It made some sense to me. Although that would give attackers the high ground advantage, the mist would make it hard for anyone to actually attack the village without being ensnared.

The bathhouse entrance was separated for males and females.

“You’re supposed to wash yourself before you enter the spring, and you can wash your clothes inside as well” Kurumi explained from through the wall.

“What are you doing!?” Rachel screeched.

“You have a muscular figure!” I could hear Kurumi shout intentionally.

I ignored their shouting and the cold water washed over my body. I shivered a little since it was already cold at night. I washed myself with the cold water, it drained down a small wooden tube that seemed to lead outside of the bathhouse. I put a towel around me, and folded my clothes to take with me inside.

Upon opening the doors all I could see was the thick steamy air blocking my view. It was even thicker than the mist that surrounded the village, and surprisingly it didn’t go very up into the air. The spring was much larger than I expected. Smooth rocks lined the side of the spring, making it comfortable to lean on the edges when you went in. At the very center of the place was a large grayish rock, it seemed to have been part of the natural spring and must have been too much of a hassle to remove. I washed my clothes at the side first, and left it in a bucket of warm water while I went inside the spring. I sighed in relief as the hot water rose up to my chest. I stretched my leg.

“Damn,” I said out aloud. It was really relaxing, especially since I hadn’t had a shower since I had been captured. I raised my arm through the water, hot water rushing down to my shoulders. Every scar that I previously had already healed, leaving little to no marks on my body.

“Asura?” I called out to him.

“Yeah?”

“Finally, you answer.”

“I’m having difficulty reaching you.”

“Why?’

“The Abyss is stirring.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ever since that night I’ve been keeping an eye on the environment that surrounds me. Like I said, my prison is constructed in the very realm that gave me my powers. And recently I feel like the cage has become more unstable.”

“Was it since that night in the forest?”

“Precisely.”

“Should I be worried?”

“No… it’s becoming more unstable, but not in a threatening manner. It’s almost as if it’s waking up after years of slumber.”

I laid my head back, resting it on the smooth rocks that lined the sides of the pool. No point in thinking about it now. I laid down there, just like I laid down on the front porch. The sky was beautiful tonight, as always. Stars glimmering through the endless expanse, the two moons gracefully soaring across the cosmos. I could have easily fallen asleep in that spring without any issue.

Suddenly I heard a splash of water from behind the giant rock behind me. I could hear someone dragging their feet across the water, coming towards me. I turned my head around and came face to face with Rachel. I could see her through the steam, and she was just as surprised as I was. I hadn’t been paying attention to anything around me, and only realized that someone else was here when they had gotten close.

It was extremely awkward. The two of us just stared at each other. Then she went back behind the rock, and I could hear her sink into the water like an anchor. I sat where I was, wondering what the hell just happened.

I could hear the door slide open now, and from the opposite end of where I had entered Kurumi entered the hot spring.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that it’s a mixed bath,” she suddenly announced.

No wonder the spring had been so large. I could hear Kurumi as she went over to Rachel and struck up another conversation. I didn’t try to eavesdrop but I’m glad that Rachel decided to just go around the other side of the rock and stay there. I sank into the pool, hoping she didn’t realize that the reason I had turned bright red wasn’t because of the water.

* * *

Dinner was rowdy to say the least. The beastmen all came together at night to eat, apparently. For today they had a wild boar roasted over a giant fire pit that they had made beforehand. Rachel and I sat at a side smaller table as everyone around us was jumping around and chatting. We hadn’t talked ever since the hot spring incident, and I wasn’t sure whether she was upset or not.

“Hey, the boar’s about to be done,” Kurumi walked over. She was dressed in the same robes as before, but they had been washed. “How was your bath?” She had a smug look on her face.

“It was nice,” Rachel and I responded in unison. Then we both proceeded to look at each other and immediately looked away. Yup, still awkward.

The food was passed around in bowls and you could go back for more servings if you wanted. As the first boar finished roasting and was set down, another one was put back up. It's like they had multiple preparations since there were so many people. A catgirl came and gave us our plates, eyeing me suspiciously. She smiled before heading back to her table.

“She’s got her eyes on you,” Rachel commented, grabbing a wooden spoon to start eating. The food was a mixture of fresh vegetables and the cooked boar. It was seasoned and had some kind of sauce next to it.

Just as she said that a man that looked to be younger than me approached Rachel.

“Do you mind if I sit next to you?” he asked. Upon closer inspection he had wolf ears, so was probably a werewolf.

“Not at all,” Rachel answered without smiling. The werewolf and Rachel began talking as I ate, and then the same catgirl from before approached me.

“Having fun?” she asked.

“I suppose,” I answered as I covered my mouth.

She sat down to the side of the table, getting close to me. Her eyes had orange oval pupils that seemed to be sharper than most. Smug smile on her face, she leaned forward with her bowl and just stared straight at me.

I continued on eating without much thought, distracting myself by looking elsewhere. The rest of the beastmen were dancing, talking, singing and merry-making. It was like a party, and one of those nights that one would have at a local tavern during high spirits.

“You’re not going to introduce yourself to the beautiful lady next to you?” the catgirl suddenly asked. I turned to her for a moment. She indeed was pretty, but I just wasn’t interested.

“I apologize,” I tried to sound as sincere as possible. “My name is Magnus.”

“Only kidding,” she placed her arm on the table and leaned on it. “We already know who you are. Kasumi told us everything about you.”

“Hopefully not,” I smiled.

Her smirk widened and she crossed arms. “My name is Hazel. How’s your time been in this village?”

“It’s been great so far,” I wasn’t lying or exaggerating. I had never been to such a place before and it had definitely piqued my interest. “It’s a shame I’m only going to stay for a couple of days.”

“Yeah, I heard.”

“What else have you heard about me?”

“Well, nothing much else really.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, don’t you think it’s the perfect opportunity for you to introduce yourself?”

“I thought that women were more into the mysterious, brooding type?”

“You fall far into the extreme for me.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

She leaned back, crossing her legs. “A pretty face and an attitude. Perfect.”

“Hazel!” two more catgirls appeared, carrying drinks with them. “You started without us!” one of them exclaimed.

Hazel stuck out her tongue at them. “First come first serve.”

The other two sat by us, vigilantly staring at me. The night went on. As more and more of the females surrounded me I noticed that more and more of the men surrounded Rachel. She drank and laughed, and so did I. The girls asked me for stories, pampering me with questions and requests alike. I just smiled and complied with whatever I could. They were mostly curious about life outside of the village, how things had been. I decided that it wouldn’t be wise to tell them about the war, after all we weren’t even sure what was happening yet. The only attack I was aware of had just failed and so far we had heard nothing else. There was no need for unnecessary panic.

More and more people gathered to us, and eventually the focus of the dinner shifted to us. All the women flocked around me while all the men flocked around Rachel. The conversations and word choices turned flirtatious on both ends. Hours passed as the young night bloomed into adolescence.

Kurumi turned up from nowhere all of a sudden, she was the only one with a large tail.

“Everyone!” she called out. The entire populace went quiet, and all focus went to hear. THe only thing I could hear was someone chugging down a cup of something as she raised her hands in a dramatic manner. “Neither of them want to sleep with any of you.”

The men began laughing while the women blushed and turned away.. “So give them some peace,” Kurumi raised up a glass of wine. “They deserve a break.”

Kurumi lowered her arms and came towards me, people returning conversations that they were having before being interrupted.

“How’re you enjoying the night?” she shouted over everyone else. It didn’t take long for everything to devolve into a chaotic but fun mess.

“I’m doing fine,” she gave me a cup of what looked like wine. I drank a sip before placing it on the table.

“You look like the quiet guy at every party that takes care of everyone else,” she shoved someone off the chair by my side. Everyone was chattering now, not just focused on me. “Unexpected of someone with such a reputation.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I looked over to Rachel. She seemed worn out, sighing and drinking.

“How’re things on your end?” I asked her.

“Just great. A dozen guys trying to get into my pants,” she answered her usual callous tone. “How about you?”

“More or less the same thing, only with girls.”

“Ugh,” she made an unlady like grunt before yawning.

“Tired?” I took another sip from my drink.

“Kinda.”

“Hmm.”

“Hmm.”

We both sat there, amidst the crowd in our own little world. We drank, we laughed and we had fun. We weren’t the most outgoing people nor we were the ones really mingled with others.

By midnight me, Rachel and Kurumi were walking together at the edges of a town. We walked silently, Kurumi twirling about nimbly while Rachel walked with composure and grace.

“See I was right!” Kurumi shouted again, perhaps she had taken in too much liquor.

“About?” Rachel answered.

“Magnus isn’t scary or depressing at all!” Kurumi almost fell over as she said it.

Surprisingly, Rachel smiled at it. I could see it from the side as I walked alongside her.

“What’s so funny?” I didn’t really get it.

“You look so moody!” Kurumi complained. “Such a pretty face going to waste!” she shook her head.

Rachel covered her mouth. I could tell that she wanted to laugh, which again was weird.

I sighed, continuing walking with them. Kurumi went on, walking ahead of us while me and Rachel took our time at our own pace.

“What would you do if I were to leave you guys?” Rachel suddenly asked.

I turned to her immediately. She was looking away, choosing not to look at me in the eyes.

“What kind of question is that?” I asked.

“Just a random thought.”

“Doesn’t seem random to me.”

“Entertain me. If I needed to leave you guys because of something that happened, then what would you do?”

“Depends on the reason, I guess…” I answered.

She acted colder than usual. Even before she was laughing, but now it felt grim.

“What’s wrong?” it was my turn to ask.

“Just something…” she was clearly hiding something. She wasn’t one to talk much, and it seemed she intended to keep it that way. I didn’t want to pressure her into speaking up or force her to tell me what was going on with her.

I was unsure of what I wanted to say, but I stopped walking. Would I really just let things happen the same way? I knew that if I acted the way that I usually did, giving a half assed response without any consideration or thought then the result would be the same. If I didn’t change then nothing would change. I had to stop acting like I didn’t care.

“If you had to leave us…” I said it louder this time. Rachel turned around to me. “If you really had to, then I’d personally find out the reason why. No matter what it takes, no matter who stands in my way and no matter what extremities I have to push myself then I’d do whatever it takes for you to come back,” I stated with confidence.

Rachel seemed surprised, her mouth was slightly open but she didn’t say anything. Then she smiled, “You look so serious.”

“That’s because I am serious,” I confirmed.

“Is this a confession of love I hear!?” Kurumi shouted.

I smirked, because it might as well just be. The three of us walked around the village, Kurumi and Rachel went back to gossiping while I silently enjoyed the night while following. Eventually we made it back the way back around to Kurumi’s place where we stood in front of the house for a moment.

“You’re going to be staying with me for the night!” Kurumi announced. “Your friends are still asleep in the same room, hopefully. You two!” she turned to us. “You two will sleep in the same room.”

“Eh?” Rachel squeaked.

“Yes,” Kurumi stated.

I didn’t say anything.