“So, this is what our lovely Ceresta looks like,” Higure smiled and the doll-like woman tilted her head. “Damn, she’s too cute…”

“Isn’t this a bit unfair?” Kaelith pouted as she patted Ceres’ body all over. “Your skin is as beautiful as porcelain, your eyes are gorgeous, and you have such a slender frame,” she complained light-heartedly and a near-unperceivable blush appeared on the AI’s cheeks.

“What is this… she’s too powerful,” the lioness muttered when she saw that and joined the vixen in fawning over the poor quiet girl as they all sat on the ground.

Rakna spectated as the two girls pushed Ceres to embarrassment for most likely the first time in her life. In his opinion, it was definitely a good thing for her to interact with people other than him.

“So, wolfy retreats in here with you every night,” Kaelith commented. “How do you pass time?”

“He… tells me stories,” Ceres spoke in her usual subtle voice. “I have been learning how to meditate as well and he teaches me about some tabletop games to have fun,” she recounted in a joyous tone and the other two women couldn’t help but melt under the wholesomeness of it all.

“I also train my skills from time to time,” Rakna added. “My proficiencies to be exact. Some of my skills can’t be trained in this environment since it’s made purely out of my ‘mind’. I practiced my Sunken Ripple of Rupture for instance. Leveling it is hard in here, but the base of the martial art can still be consolidated. You could say I’m using this dream to strengthen my basics.”

“I wish I had that while I was going to school…” Kaelith groused.

“School?”

The vixen huffed. “Of course. What? You didn’t think there would be schools in the System? There are plenty across Plateaus. In fact, Atlantis has one of the best. Though the number one spot has to go to Veritas in Old Eden; the one I studied in.”

“What do they even teach you there?” Higure inquired.

“For students less than ten years old, it’s mostly normal stuff. Math, history, economy… We also learn about the important governments, organizations, guilds, and clans in the System. After that, we are taught magic theory, physical combat, strategy, and all that.”

“Though, it’s limited since most of the students are Descendant Hosts who need to wait to be 18 to be able to access the most essential features of our status; levels and magic elements,” Kaelith said and shrugged. “Personally, I was talented enough to learn how to control mana, soul power too to some extent, and my aura before even that. And obviously, my traits and Nirvana Skills.”

“That’s impressive,” Ceres honestly praised. “I am aware that Descendant Hosts have their growth heavily repressed until their Initiations. Overcoming it to that degree is extraordinary.”

“Hehehe, it was nothing much,” the vixen responded humbly but with a contrastingly very smug expression.

“Now that I think about it, what are your Nirvana Skills?” Rakna asked. “You used plural, does that mean you have more than one?”

She smirked. “I have three. You’re curious?”

“Well, yes.”

“Too bad, I won’t tell you. Why should I do that when you don’t do it yourself?” She said with a harrumph. “Always making fun of me when you get something new…” She grumbled.

“…so, if I tell you mine, you’ll tell me yours?”

“Uh?” She exclaimed and donned a skeptical look. “…is that trap?” She questioned suspiciously.

Rakna retorted with the most flawless poker face, “Why would it be?”

“I don’t trust you,” she immediately said. “It’s not like I’ve heard you list them out, but I’m pretty sure I know all your Nirvana Skills’ overall uses... you’re waiting for an occasion to--”

“So, I got my seventh one today. I can reset my cooldowns,” the therian calmly interrupted her and she froze like a broken clockwork. “Nifty ability. But it’s nothing much. I’m sure you have better.”

The vixen’s body progressively trembled stronger and her face darkened. She made a high-pitched sound out of annoyance and threw herself on Ceresta with crocodile tears. “Ceresta! Look! Wolfy is bullying me again!” She cried out as the dollish beauty was stuck in a flustered daze.

“…what are you, a kid?” Higure couldn’t help but comment.

“U-um…” Ceres panicked a little bit and then timidly turned toward Rakna. “D-don’t bully?”

The therian instantly felt as if an arrow had just pierced his heart. Higure was not spared and the vixen nearly spat out blood from the damage despite being the instigator.

““I’m so sorry,”” Rakna and Kaelith spluttered at the exact same time out of guilt.

“Eh?” Ceres became even more flustered.

* * *

“Anyway, as I said, I have three Nirvana Skills,” Kaelith said. “The first is the one that essentially carried me into becoming who I am today. Have you heard of my title?”

“The Nine Heavenly Flame?” Rakna reiterated what he overheard about her some time ago.

“Yep, that. That comes from my main Nirvana Skill. Mine is a rare kind, even amongst its class, as it affects my magic elements bilaterally. As it says in the name, I have access to nine ‘Flames’. They each have different applications and uses.”

“So, you basically have nine different magic elements?” Higure raised an eyebrow.

“Not exactly. Technically, I only have one. The element itself is called Nine Heavenly Flame and it essentially exists purely thanks to my Nirvana Skill,” she explained. “It’s a bit complicated… but in other words, my Nirvana Skill is itself my magic element. Oh, and of course, on top of that, I have access to Mystic Magic like every other Nine-Tailed Clan member.”

“What kind of flames do you have?” Rakna asked curiously.

“Well, I can show you,” she said and conjured a circle of fireballs. Though, they were nothing more than projections from her mind due to the dream realm they were in.

There were exactly nine of them and each had a distinct color. From the top and in clockwise order, they were blue, red, green, yellow, silver, orange, black, white, and purple.

“They’re called the Pure, Nether, Life, Amaterasu’s, Arcana, Force, Demonic, Hallowed, and Feral Flames respectively,” Kaelith named them one by one and they each shone a little brighter when they were mentioned. “I leave the interpretation of their uses to you. Though you’ve seen me use Pure Flames the most since they have the most versatile purposes. Such as reinforcement, physical interference, teleportation, and defense.”

Higure whistled in appreciation. “No wonder you’re the heiress of the foxes.”

“Indeed,” Ceres agreed.

The vixen naturally took those compliments in stride and grinned, “Thank you, thank you~”

“What about the other two skills then?” Rakna resumed the conversation and she pouted a bit but complied regardless.

“The second is one I acquired later in my life. As you should realize, I have a shapeshift trait. Much like everyone else in the Clan, it gives me a second form. As things would have it, those of my kind turn into actual foxes when we transform. Remember when you fought Fen; he was in his complete wolf form, wasn’t he?”

“Does that mean you were born as a fox?”

“Yep. Then, we evolve into this,” she waved at herself with a snicker. “We usually reach this stage at around five years old. Our ‘mystical core’, which is what our race’s strength is built upon, takes at least that much time to mature. Afterward, our shapeshift trait becomes available to us and we can then switch to our primal state to enjoy a bonus in attributes.”

“I see. What does that have to do with your Nirvana Skill though?”

“Shortly said, what my second Nirvana Skill does is grant me a new evolution stage. Just like you possess a Werewolf form, I also possess a superior form. The truth is that I relied on it a lot whilst climbing Plateaus and levels. Even without transforming, its power bleeds into my status as actual skills, but fully transforming greatly amplifies them.”

“Can I ask what kind of evolution we’re talking about here exactly?”

“Well, I suppose I need to mention how I got it in the first place,” she mused. “It’s actually from a Hidden Dungeon in the 170th Plateau. I found… a tomb. Actually, you could say the whole Dungeon itself was a legacy. The important thing is that it was an Immortal’s tomb.”

“…I feel like those two last words don’t go together,” Rakna deadpanned.

“Immortal should not necessarily be taken literally,” Ceres pointed out. “You do remember about the Eonian Plateau, which is reserved for those bearing that title, right?”

“Yes?”

“Those who achieve an ‘Immortal Aspect’ are able to live in that Plateau. Much like how you would be allowed, or rather be forced, to stay in the Celestial Plateau if you become a full-fledged divine.”

“It’s as she says,” Kaelith nodded at the AI’s words. “Immortals are enlightened beings, you could say. Not only do they possess a power deserving of that label, but they also are transcendentals who see no value in the mundane. Does that mean they’re necessarily more powerful than Hosts here? No. It is solely because they are ‘immortal to the world’.”

“They are fundamentally ‘dissociated’, so the System has a place for them alone,” she stated. “Much like how Celestials are isolated, not because they are powerful, but because divinity itself is a spell for trouble. Conditions vary, but that is how it is.”

“That’s a bit confusing, but I’ll take that explanation for now,” Rakna hummed. “In that case, what is it that you found in that tomb? Whose was it?”

“As an Immortal, he was known as The Cager,” the vixen replied. “For convenience, there is a very simple way to describe the power I got from conquering his legacy; chains. Immortals are usually forthright beings and transcend one specific concept. I can chain down… everything,” she declared whilst deeply emphasizing the last word.

Rakna raised an eyebrow. “That sounds ominous… how did it manifest as a second form?”

“Because I made it into one,” she huffed. “I’m not like you, being spoon-fed every skill ever. I didn’t get this Nirvana Skill outright. The Cager’s legacy only gave me a base to work on. I had to climb my way up to learn that power. It took me two years to master it and even then, it’s only by using my second form that I can have decent control over it,” she concluded with an irritated groan.

“…an Immortal is a being who usually spent hundreds of years striving for enlightenment,” Ceresta couldn’t help but retort. “I believe… two years is a small sacrifice in comparison.”

Rakna snickered at that and the vixen glared at him, prompting him to look away.

“And the third one?” Higure took it upon herself to resume the topic.

“You all know about it,” Kaelith sighed. “The one thing that all the members of the Wolf and Fox branches have; the Tailed Pearl. It’s our unforgiving trump card capable of destroying anything down to a conceptual level.”

“I was curious about that, actually. Is it really only the foxes and wolves who have it?” Rakna asked and she nodded.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean the others have nothing. However, they are different or simply weaker than a Tailed Pearl. For example, the tigers possess a skill called ‘The Hunt’. The way it activates has variations depending on the user, but it essentially is just as it sounds. It turns you into the ultimate hunter. Reinforced physique, healing, senses, instinct, etcetera. It is a feared skill amongst the Clan.”

“There’s also the Scorpions,” she added with a frown. “They don’t reveal much about their branch’s inner workings, but similarly to the tigers, it is known that they have an acute affinity for hunting prey, and their Nirvana Skill is tied to the legend of the nine poisons.”

“The ones that can supposedly kill a god if all nine are injected?” Rakna asked, recalling what she had told him a while ago, and she nodded her head. “That does sound dangerous…”

“Speaking of which,” Kaelith’s voice became grave. “You better be careful in Plateau Zero,” she said with steely eyes. “The Scorpions are powerful even without the System. You may have a higher-than-normal attribute count thanks to Harvester, but it won’t save you from everything.”

“I know,” Rakna replied calmly but it seemed that wasn’t enough to placate her.

“If those bugs truly are involved in Kratos, you must be careful,” she insisted. “At the very first hint of danger, escape and call me. I’ll protect you. Do you understand?” She asserted and this time, the therian looked back at her with renewed seriousness.

“You’re strangely unrelenting about it,” Higure observed. “All of us here know what my devourer can do. Him being found out aside, he still has the ability to fight well over his level.”

Kaelith’s expression sank. “I just have a bad feeling about this,” she confessed. “There’s something wrong with this Quest. Eva is hiding something from you. There’s no way that she would give this kind of mission to you out of nowhere. I admit you have the talents for it… but it just doesn’t make sense. If she put her mind to it, she could contact the Top Hosts and devise a plan to reclaim control of Plateau Zero. Or she could even wait for you to get stronger. So, why?”

Rakna fell silent at the unveiled worry on her face. He reached for her and hugged her to calm her down. Higure and Ceres widened their eyes at the scene, and Kaelith herself merely let herself be soothed by his presence.

“It’s all right,” he whispered. “I already knew,” he stated and she blinked in surprise. “Eva has tried to justify it a few times, but I know she danced around the truth. At first, I thought she simply saw an occasion to take advantage of me and have me do her bidding to save resources. But now? I’m not so sure. I’ve come to trust that brat somehow. I feel like she’s not sending me to my death just for the fun of it.”

“You’re truly a fool…” The vixen muttered and buried her head in his shoulder.

‘Damn, I’m jealous,’ Higure grumbled inwardly. From the corner of her eyes, she spotted that Ceres had a far-off look as she watched the two lovebirds. There was a sense of discord around her as if she wanted to do something but had no idea what.

‘Ah… her too, huh?’ The lioness thought and smiled sympathetically. ‘She has come far, much farther than I ever believed an AI ever could,’ she sighed. ‘But can she grow enough to fully understand even love? I pray that you do.’