Esmeralda learned two things that night.
First—Lena could endure pain.
Second—Lena could be controlled.
By the fox.
She stood alone on her balcony, the moonlight glinting off her jewels as she watched the palace grounds below. Servants moved like ants. Guards patrolled in silent precision. Somewhere among them, a small fox with too-clever eyes slept curled beside a stubborn girl who refused to bow.
Esmeralda's lips curved.
"Every creature has a weakness," she murmured. "Even strays."
She turned sharply. "Bring me the beastmaster."
---
The beastmaster arrived trembling.
He was an old man, bent and scarred, his hands permanently smelling of iron and fur. He bowed so deeply his forehead brushed the marble.
"Your Grace."
"I want to know," Esmeralda said lazily, swirling wine in her glass, "what kind of animal a fox spirit is."
The man hesitated.
Her gaze sharpened.
"It is… not an animal, my lady," he admitted carefully. "Not truly. It is bound to one now, but it was once something higher. Dangerous."
Esmeralda smiled wider. "Perfect."
She leaned forward. "Tell me—can spirits feel pain?"
The beastmaster swallowed. "Yes."
"Can they be bound?"
"Yes."
"Can they be broken?"
He did not answer.
She stood abruptly, wine sloshing over the rim. "Good. Then prepare the incense."
---
Ashikai woke screaming.
Not aloud—inside his skull.
Fire.
Chains.
A pressure around his chest like iron claws digging inward.
He bolted upright on Lena's bed, fur bristling, breath coming sharp and fast.
"Ash?" Lena mumbled groggily, turning toward him. "What's wrong?"
He tried to answer.
His mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
His limbs locked.
His body slid off the bed, hitting the floor with a dull thud.
Lena sat up instantly. "Ashikai?"
He tried to move.
Pain tore through him.
It wasn't physical—not exactly. It was the old kind. The kind he hadn't felt since before the banishment. Since before the fall.
A binding call.
No.
Not calling.
Commanding.
The room darkened at the edges. The scent of burning resin filled the air.
Lena jumped off the bed and dropped to her knees beside him. "Hey—hey, look at me. What's happening?"
His vision blurred.
Through it, he saw her hands shaking as she reached for him.
Don't touch the circle, his mind screamed.
But she couldn't see it.
The faint glowing sigil beneath him. Etched into the floorboards by magic older than the palace itself.
A fox trap.
"No—" he forced out, throat burning. "Don't—"
His voice vanished entirely.
Lena's heart slammed. "Ashikai?!"
The sigil flared.
And the world ripped sideways.
---
He was no longer in the room.
He was kneeling on cold stone.
Chains of light wrapped around his limbs, burning where they touched. His fox form flickered, unstable, struggling to hold shape.
Before him stood Esmeralda.
She wore white tonight.
Pure.
Mocking.
"Well," she said pleasantly, circling him. "You scream louder than I expected."
Ashikai bared his teeth, though pain shook his body. "Touch her," he snarled, voice echoing strangely, "and I will tear this kingdom apart."
She laughed.
"Oh, little fox." She crouched, gripping his chin sharply. "You won't tear anything apart."
She leaned close. "Because if you move out of line—if she disobeys—you suffer."
His pupils dilated.
"You see," Esmeralda continued, standing again, "the girl is troublesome. But you?" She sighed theatrically. "You're leverage."
The chains tightened.
Pain exploded through him.
He cried out despite himself.
Esmeralda inhaled sharply, almost delighted. "Yes. That confirms it."
She waved a hand.
The beastmaster stepped forward, holding a bowl of glowing ash.
"Bind him," Esmeralda commanded. "Not fully. Just enough."
The man hesitated. "Your Grace, if you bind a celestial remnant too tightly—"
"I said enough."
The ash scattered.
Ashikai screamed.
---
Lena woke with a gasp.
She sat bolt upright, heart racing, the echo of his pain ringing in her bones.
"Ashikai!" she cried.
The room was normal.
Too normal.
No sigil. No smoke. No chains.
Just the fox—collapsed on the floor, trembling violently.
She scrambled down, gathering him into her arms. His body burned with fever. His breathing was shallow.
"Oh my God," she whispered. "What did they do to you?"
His eyes fluttered open weakly.
"They… touched the old bindings," he rasped. "She knows."
Rage surged through her so fast it scared her.
"Esmeralda."
His claws dug weakly into her sleeve. "Lena… listen to me."
She pressed her forehead to his. "Remember when you said you'd protect me?"
"Yes."
Her jaw clenched. "Then we're switching roles."
His eyes widened faintly. "No—"
"They hurt you," she said softly, voice trembling with fury. "For me."
She pulled back, wiping her face with the heel of her hand.
"They think you're my weakness."
Ashikai watched her carefully.
She stood.
Straightened.
Something ancient stirred behind her eyes.
"Let them," she said quietly. "Because if they touch you again—"
The air around them pulsed.
"—I won't be human about it."
Outside, Esmeralda slept peacefully.
Unaware that she had just placed her hand inside the jaws of fate.
---