[Vol. 6] Chapter 247: The Beginning of the Story
As Violet spoke the familiar name and felt the overwhelming presence of divinity, a thought that had long been lurking in her mind began to take shape. It was something unbelievable. Yet, in truth, she had already anticipated it deep down.
Violet took the initiative to ask.
"Have you reclaimed the most important thing you lost?"
The cat-eared girl glanced down at her smooth, pale arm and simply smiled.
"I should say… I am in the process of reclaiming it. You know how it is. Before everything comes to an end, there are still things I want to do… things I must do. Do you remember the promise I made to you?"
"On Spirit Veil Immortal Island, you will face your destiny and receive the answers you have long been waiting for."
She looked directly at Violet, speaking each word with deliberate clarity, as if reciting a prophecy.
Violet remained expressionless.
"So… where did Hen go?"
The cat-eared girl tilted her head slightly.
"Good question… where indeed?"
With a small gesture of her hand, the doors of the temple behind Violet closed on their own, sealing the space into a secluded chamber.
Yet, the priestess was neither startled nor alarmed. She remained still, calmly watching as the cat-eared girl stepped closer, took her hand, and led her toward the massive mural on the wall.
With a gentle smile, the girl’s presence grew even more unusual, blurring the line between reality and absurdity.
"First, let me tell you a story."
………………………………
A long, long time ago, in a distant past…
A new world began to take shape between heaven and earth.
At that time, the word "Ancient" had yet to be attached to its name.
In this newborn realm, the [Spirit Realm], where spiritual energy formed the foundation of all existence, two great wills emerged, nurtured by the very essence of the heavens and the earth.
That was the beginning of what later became known as the [Ancestral Dragon], the ruler of the skies, and the Nine-Tailed Fox, the ruler of all the creatures of the land. They were the first and most powerful beings of the [Spirit Realm], born as natural rulers and guardians.
They were the only two gods born from the [Spirit Realm].
After them, many other spiritual beasts and creatures appeared, nurtured by the energy of heaven and earth. Though they were not as powerful as the two gods, they were numerous and varied in kind. These creatures multiplied and thrived, and the [Spirit Realm], this new world, began to flourish, eventually becoming known to more and more beings from other realms.
Worlds and realms could be connected. Although there were many restrictions for powerful beings like the Nine-Tailed Fox and the [Ancestral Dragon], weaker beings could travel freely between worlds if they knew how.
So, after many years had passed since the creation of the [Spirit Realm], a group of outsiders arrived by ship, landing on the western shores of the realm.
At the beginning, the [Spirit Realm] was wide open, and it was not unusual for beings from other worlds to appear. However, the problem this time was that there were too many of them.
Over a million, with over ten thousand ships landing at once. This was a force that could not be ignored by the [Spirit Realm], which had only had spiritual creatures and some of their descendants at that point.
To be cautious, the Nine-Tailed Fox, who was responsible for managing the creatures of the land, went to the shore to investigate.
There, the deity met the leader of the fleet, who explained that they had fled from a terrible disaster in their homeland and sought permission from the gods to settle in the [Spirit Realm] and rebuild their lives. Their species was called humans, and they wanted to live in the [Spirit Realm].
The Nine-Tailed Fox, seeing the human leader’s pitiful situation and the harmlessness of their species, agreed to their request. But to be cautious, the deity set down some rules.
The humans could only live on the outer edges of the [Spirit Realm].
They could not disturb the lives of the spiritual beasts in the interior.
They must not cause any irreversible damage to the environment.
If these rules were broken, the Nine-Tailed Fox would personally expel them from the realm.
The leader of the humans immediately agreed to the terms and signed a contract with the Nine-Tailed Fox. As a sign of their sincerity, he even invited his pregnant wife to meet the Nine-Tailed Fox, asking the deity to name their unborn child as a symbol of their friendship.
The Nine-Tailed Fox found the request quite interesting and, as asked, gave the child a single name that meant ‘Dawn’. It carried a beautiful blessing, the hope that humanity would one day thrive again upon this land.
She also gave a surname ‘Bright’, and together, the name symbolized a radiant new beginning.
At the time, neither the leader of the humans nor the Nine-Tailed Fox fully understood the true meaning behind the divine name given to the child. After the agreement was made, the Nine-Tailed Fox quickly returned to the central temple of the [Spirit Realm], leaving only a few subordinates behind to observe the newcomers and offer them appropriate help.
For gods, time is just an insignificant number. More than ten years passed in the blink of an eye. The Nine-Tailed Fox never went back to the coast to check on the situation. Instead, She occasionally heard from spiritual beasts returning to the inner domain about how the human race was thriving and creating many new things.
Of course, the Nine-Tailed Fox didn’t remember the child who had been named personally by the deity, the one who hadn’t even been born yet.
That is, until one day, the Nine-Tailed Fox had a dream.
In the dream, She saw a grassy field under ancient trees, where a young girl sat on the ground, playing a musical instrument with her fingers, creating a sad yet beautiful melody.
For some reason, the sight of her stirred feelings in the Nine-Tailed Fox that She had never felt before, sorrow and excitement. But the dream was fleeting, and She couldn’t even see her face clearly. She only caught a brief glimpse of her snow-colored hair and pointed fox ears before waking up.
Gods don’t need sleep, and they don’t dream easily. For them, dreams are the intertwining of past and future causes. They are a kind of revelation with a purpose.
After waking, the Nine-Tailed Fox, feeling something in Her heart, immediately issued a divine order for all the creatures of the world to search for a white-haired girl with snow-colored fox ears, someone with a similar body shape to the human race, and to bring her safely to its side.
The world was vast, and the Nine-Tailed Fox had thought the search would take a long time. She even prepared Herself for the possibility that the girl might not even exist in the [Spirit Realm]. But to the Nine-Tailed Fox's surprise, within just a few short days, the spiritual beasts returned with good news.
When the young girl walked into the temple alone and looked up at the towering Nine-Tailed Fox, unafraid and simply curious about it, the god was taken aback.
[What... is your name?]
The girl smiled and responded, “What about you? It’s basic etiquette and common sense to introduce yourself before asking someone else’s name, right?"
The Nine-Tailed Fox was stunned.
From the day she had existed in this world, becoming the guardian and god of this realm, it was the first time any creature had spoken to Her so casually. Even the [Ancestral Dragon], who roams the skies and only shows up once every hundred years to check on the world, always gives the Nine-Tailed Fox a respectable amount of reverence.
The Nine-Tailed Fox wasn't angry, just surprised and bewildered.
She could sense that this girl, with snow-white fox ears on her head and a face similar to those humans who had fled from other worlds, wasn’t just pretending to be calm. She truly didn’t feel any fear or reverence.
It was as if she didn’t see a lofty god before her, but rather just an adorable silver fox.
It was truly strange.
[I don't have a name.]
The Nine-Tailed Fox tried to explain.
As a god born according to the laws of heaven and earth, Nine-Tailed Fox was both Her race and Her title. But in the usual sense, She didn't have a name. No creature had the right to give a god a name, and She didn’t need one.
However, the girl seemed unsatisfied.
“Names are really important. They represent the essence of life, don’t they? Nine-Tailed Fox is your race, right? Even if you’re the only one now, what if you have children later? Wouldn’t that be confusing?”
She thought for a moment before smiling again, like a blooming flower.
"How about this. Let me give you a name, okay? Hmm... but I don’t think I’m quite qualified to do that yet. No problem, before that, let me introduce myself."
She smiled softly, as if a hundred flowers were blooming.
"My name is Bright Dawn, and I’m the current president of the [Spirit Realm Peace Association]. You can just call me Dawn."