The sun had begun its slow descent, casting amber light through the canopy of trees as Lena pressed deeper into the woodland path. Her boots sank slightly into soft earth, and the wind whispered through branches above her, carrying the scent of pine, moss, and something wilder. The city still loomed far ahead, its spires barely visible through the trees, but Lena had stopped paying attention to the distance.
She was walking by instinct now — and instinct had never felt sharper.
Every bird's wingbeat, every crack of a twig made her flinch. Something about this forest breathed with a life of its own.
And then she heard it — a faint whimper.
It was soft, almost drowned out by the rustle of leaves, but unmistakably a sound of pain. Lena froze, scanning her surroundings.
There. Off the main path, tangled in underbrush and half-buried under a fallen tree limb, was a creature.
A fox.Its reddish-gold fur was matted and dirty, its hind leg pinned under the weight of a thick branch. Its bright amber eyes flicked toward her, filled not with fear — but with something else. Awareness. Intelligence.
Lena's heart tugged.
She rushed forward, crouching beside the animal. "Hey, hey… it's okay," she whispered, surprised by the gentleness in her voice. "I'm not going to hurt you."
The fox didn't snarl. It didn't flinch. It simply held her gaze, breathing heavily, its body trembling with pain.
She looked at the tree limb. Heavy, but not immovable.
Bracing herself, she wedged her shoulder beneath it and pushed. The branch resisted at first, biting into the earth, but finally gave way with a snap and a groan of roots. She shoved it aside, panting, and knelt beside the fox again.
"You're free."
It didn't move.
Instead, it blinked once — slowly — then stood, surprisingly steady for something that had just been crushed under a tree. It circled her once, sniffed the air… and then sat directly in front of her.
Watching her.
"Are you okay?" Lena asked softly. "Can you walk?"
"You have soft hands for someone not born here."
Lena stumbled backward with a gasp, eyes wide. "W-What?"The fox's mouth hadn't moved — but the voice, smooth and melodic, filled her mind like an echo. It tilted its head, amused.
"You freed me. That means I am yours."
Lena's brain scrambled. "I… I didn't mean to—what are you?"
"I am a spirit of the Second Forest," it replied calmly. "I watched kingdoms rise and fall long before the Demon King claimed his throne. My name is Ashikai."
She stared. "You're… a spirit animal."
"I am more than that," Ashikai said, tail flicking. "I am guide. Protector. Witness. And, now… companion."
"But I don't even belong to this realm," Lena whispered, half to herself.
"Exactly," Ashikai replied, standing and circling her again. "Which is why you need me. You have no scent of this world. You wear a mark that should not exist. And your soul is… unbound."
Lena's fingers went to her collarbone where the mark lay hidden beneath fabric.
Ashikai's eyes glowed faintly. "You carry something powerful. Dangerous. He knows it too."
"He?"
"The one who stirs the skies when he walks. The king made of shadow and fire. He seeks you."
Lena's throat tightened. "You mean Kairos."
Ashikai nodded. "He has waited eons for a key. Now he smells it in the air. He will not stop until he finds you."Lena stood slowly, arms wrapped tightly around herself. "I didn't ask for any of this."
"No one does," Ashikai said, sitting again. "But the mark does not choose lightly. Neither do I."
"You're really going to come with me?"
"You saved me," the fox said simply. "My oath is made."
Lena looked at the small creature — its fur glowed faintly under the dying sun, and in its eyes was a wisdom that unsettled her. A fox spirit. A guide. A creature older than this forest.
And now it followed *her*.
"Then we move together," she said quietly.
Ashikai rose and padded to her side. "Good. Because your journey will only grow stranger from here. And you'll need more than luck to survive what's coming."
They continued down the path, dusk folding around them like a secret.
And for the first time since she had fallen into this world, Lena didn't feel entirely alone.
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