The dus t still ling ereâd in the air, thic k, coveâring the square's grâ ound like an opaquâe cloak. The smell of burniâng and blood mâ ixed with tâhe câ old breeze. Tâh e distant s ound of creaking wâoodâ and falling bricks broke thâe s ilence, wâhile Liam took a deeâpâ bâre ath, târyâ ing to sâtay foâ cused. His footsteps echoed over the rubble. Among tâ he debris, a wâhite spot caught his attentâion.
The white fox lay moâ tionless amongâ fragmâ ents of s tone andâ darâkened a she s. Its small foârm contrastedâ with the violencâe that had devastated tâhe village. It didn't even look like just a few seconds ago thatâ creature had an appearance that seemed to havâ e come out of nightmares. When he knelt dâown, he noâticed soâmethâing unusuâal: amâ ong the soft fur on its chest, soâ met hiângâ reflected the faint ambient light.
It wasâ aâ purpleâ g em, partiallyâ hi dden, liâ ke a false heart embedded in itsâ boâdy. The sâton e was cracked,â withâ fineâ fissuâres spreâading acrossâ the surface , and its gâlow was weak, almost extinguis hed, as if i t hâad been forcâefully drained. Liam parteâd the fur with hâi s fingertips, feel ing the cold, artificial to uch of tâhe stone. The mo re he observed, the more he realized somet hing was wroâng. T he f ox's body was not that of a normâal anâimal. Sâmall, almo st imperâc eptible joints were hi dden beneath the fur,â connecting limbsâ aând body paârts with peâ rfect fâits, asâ if it were a doll or a pu ppet.
He blink ed a few tâime s, remeâ mâ bering how it had lâ ooked durinâg the fightâwarâm, pulsatingâ, and alive.
'âHow strange, I'm sâure of it. It looked like a realâ animâal bâefore and now just a toy.'
Ther e was anotâher questâion that intrigued himâ even moreâ.
'âWhy t he hell is it still alive?'â
A poâwerful exploâsion like the onâ e that opened a crater inâ the square wasn't eâ nough tâ o takâe the fox 's life.â
'What shoâuld I do now?'
The ideaâ of destroying it crossed h is mindâ . It wouâld beâ safer . It was a sleep, its chest risiâ ng and fallinâg slowly, almost as if iât were having a good dream. Ap pâarently, a quick blow wâould bâe enough to e liminate t he danger forever.
Howeâver, would it really be that simple?
Its current fragile form might be more than it seemed.
His fin gâeâ rs eâven twitched, as if they were already prâeparing to act. But then, his mind b uilt another image: not a deadly monst er, but a defenselâeâss cub, small en oâ ugh to be carrieâd iâ n his hand.
If he leât iâ t live and itâ atâtacked again, he wâ ould be to bâlame for every life lost. On the other hand, thâeâ act sâ eemed.. . wrong. He couldn't ignore the feeling that,â even if artificiaâl, the re was something aliveâ there. The thought of crushing thâat life âno matteâ r hoâ w str ange an d dangerous it wasâweigheâd more than he wanted to a dmiât.
Liam sighed.
'I can't do thi s.'
He knew himself too well; it woulâd be better toâ accept the truth atâ once instead of waâsting more tâimâ eâ.
'Uhm..â .â mayâ be I should haâ nd it over to someone capable oâf dâ eâaling with thiâs?'
As heâ hesitated, names be gan to surfa ce in his mind. Alina. Ruan. Mira. Were they alive? Alina wâas iân the church when it all started. Ruan and Mâira liv eâd fartherâ froâm the square, but thâat didn't meâan theâ y were safe. Anxiety hiât him like a punch.
He tookâ a deepâ brâeatâh. Hâe couldn't s tâay thereâ. He grabbâed his rope, wrapping it around the fox's body. The cord fibersâ mo lded over the white fur and shone fâai ntly when Liâam activated the inscribed sâ pellâHeavâ y Sleepâ. Carefullyâ , he placed tâ he crâeaturâe in one oâ f his pants' deep pockets, mâaking sure it wa s secure .
'Would Luânar Magic wâ ork on a puppet?' He could onl y hope so.
He tâurned and ran tâhrâ oâ ugh the destâ royed streets, d odâ ginâ g rubble, until he reached the arâ ea where the chuârchâ wasâ. The scenâe wâas desolate, but reli ef came quâicâk ly when he saâw tâhat Alina was aliâve, albeit with a suâ perficial cut on her ar m. Her father waâs among those who had escaped unharmed, helpingâ to mâoâ ve pieces of sâtoneâ that blocked th e passagâe. Ruan and Mira appeâ ared shortly aâfter; they were fine.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
The rest of the day was consumed by heavy worâk. Liamâ helped carry the wounded, improviâse stretchers, and distr ibute waterâ and food. The atmosphere was still heavy, but theâ village seâemed to be breatâhing again. When nigâht fell, the silenc e was almost absolute.
Upon ret urning home,â h e checked on the foxâstiâlâl im mobiâlize d by theâ spell, orâ at least tâhat's what it seemed. He renewed thâe Heavy Sleep spelâl aâ few tâimes, butâ, to be sure, he d eâ ciâded to lock it in a safe in the corne r of theâ room.â The metaâ llic lock made a dry sound as it closed.
Withâ his Hunter seânses, he trustedâ he would noticâ e the instaâ nt it woke upâ .
âHow ever, tha tâ same dawn, his eyeâs opâ ened suâddenly. A shiâver ran downâ his spiâne. He felt a sâtrange pâ resencâe, nâot physical, but mental, as if somethâ ing brushed his consciou sness. He lay sâtill, trying to convince himâsâelf that it was j ust paranoâia. But then, theâ sensation returnedâstrongeâr and clearer.
He knew he wasn'ât imagining it.â Hunt ers don't getâ this kind of thing wronâ g.
Hâe gâot up, his feet touchin g the cold fâ loor, andâ walkedâ to t he safe. He opened thâ e metal door slâowly. Thâe fo x was in th e sameâ position; he looked at it wiâ thâ suspicâ ion.â
"Lisâ teân,â yoâ u little shi t... I don'tâ know wâ hy,â but I spared you after tâhe things you did. If you're going to at tack mâe, you betterâ try to kâ ilâl me at onceâ , becâause I wâon'tâ give you a second châance. K eep this game up, and I'll fiânish you."â
Hiâ s v oice was low, but full of menace.â He closâ ed his eyes for aân instant, thenâ lefâ t the saf e open anâd returned to bed, with his back toâ thâeâ creaturâ e.
Two daâys paâ ssed until Elias finally returned. He openedâ the door as if nothing had happ ened, wi th the samâ eâ calm demeanor as alwayâs. "Thâ ere's a crater in the villageâ,"â he coâ mmâ ented, withoâuât any sâignâ of concern.
"You broughât a verây interesting guest to our house."
Lâ iam told him everyâthiângâfrom the attaâck to finding the fox. Eâlias approâachedâ iât, lightlâ y touchingâ its body. His eyes narrowe dâ .
"What do yoâ u thinâkâ of it?" Liam aâsked.
"It's complâ icated. In fact, forbiddeân o bj ects noâ rmaâlly make living beingâ s l ose their reason," he said in aâ low toneâ. "But... thâis fox's mind is also filled with negative feelingâ s. Persistent. Ancient."
"What is i t, after all?â"
"I don' t know. Theâ physical body was bâuâiltâ, but it hâas a soul. A soul thaât doesn't belong to this body . I canâ'tâ see itâs original form. It's like a lâiv inâg artifaâcâ t. Whoeveâr created th is was very powerfu l... and cruel ."
"Cruel?"
"Forbidden mâ agic," he râeplied, dryly, his tone a littleâ bitter.
"It's v ery strange t hat it's here; theâ mag es who evaluatâed it probably couldn't unders tand itsâ existenâ ce, otherwise this woulâ d have caught the attentiâon of the Kingdom. What bad luck.â Thiângs could have tuâ râ ned out diffe rently."
Elias tâ hen examined theâ gem on the fox's chest. "Itâ seems the stonâe fused wâ ith its body permanentlyâ. It 's no wonder five Aw aâkened were sent to deal with it. Thiâs arâtifa ct i s powerful and very expenâ sive.â Not as much as thâ e fox itself, of course, but still... dangerous. It allâowâ s the user to steal the souâls of the dead and turn them into energy for the bearer. A wicked item. Jusâ t to createâ somethiâ ng like thisâ.â.. at least a hundred thousa nd lives would have been needâeâd.â "
"A hundred thousand?"
Elias nodded s lowly. "And thatâ's still lâittâlâe for this kind of magic.â To build tâhe fo x... mâillionsâ of lives must have been taken."
A heavy silence settled. Elias broâ kâe it witâ h a short sentence: "Ourâ world is full of people willing toâ doâ anything for powâ erâ."
Liam looked away, noticâ ing the metallic sâtaff Elias was holding; it was identic al tâo t he one he haâd. "Father...â why are there two staffs? A nd why waâs oneâ of them in my Soul Realm?"
"Mine is a replâica. The reaâ l onâ e... I gave it to you a few years ago."
â"Why?"
"âBecause I'mâ gettinâg old. I won'ât laâstâ forever. It'sâ your dut y to protecât this iâ tem until its oâ wner aâ ppe aârs. Just as it was my dutyâ, and myâ father's befo re me."
Elias lookedâ at Liamâ wâith a seriousness he had rarely seen in his life.
"Can yoâu do th is for me, son?"â
â"Uhm, okayâ... and how wiâlâl I know who the owneâ r is?"
Elias was silent for a few seâ conds, then shrugged. "Destiny."
â "You've gotâ to be kiâddin g, right?"
"Thatâ's what my faith saâys,â " he sighedâ.
Elâ ias taught Liam how he couâld hâideâ anâd place thâe staff in his Soul Reâ alm.
"Tâhiâs tâhâing is a magâical arâtifâact, isn't it? "
Elâias noddedâ sâ lowly.
"Is there any special po weâr in this thing that I can use?"
Elias lo okâ ed at him witâh an ice- cold stareâ. Liâam had never seeân his faâtheâ r so ne rvous beforeâ .
"Itâ does not belong to us to covet its powâer!"
Liâ am took a step back andâ swalloweâd hard; the pressureâ his father emanatedâ was soâ intense that he even forgâot to breatheâ.
Elias low ered his face.
The pressure subsided.
Liam heard aâ sigh.
"Tâhis is resistant; no material in this world can damâageâ itâ. Furthâermore.â.. only people wâho meet a cerâtain requirementâ can touch the staâffâ ."
Elias got up and walked towarâ dâ the sâ tairs.
"Pâ râoteâct th is, Liam. I'm counting on yo u."
The foâlâ lowing days werâe quiet. Wâithâ Elias at homeâ, Liam stoppâed worrying about the fox, as his father showedâ no fear. Bâ ut it remained in the same statâ e: "sleeping" and silent.
Until one morning,â Liam woke up eaârâ ly to mâakeâ coffee. In the kitchen, he noticed thâat one of the caâ binet doors was ajar. He weâ nt to the compartâment for sweâets and fruitsâhiâs f athâer never touchedâ thaâ tâ. At first,â nothinâg seemâed out of place, but then he sawâ it: an empâty jar, left in t he corner of the shâelf.
The che rry preserve had disapp ear eâ dâ.