Sometime after the Myth Council, Rakna’s entourage returned to his territory and the second that they walked out of his private Pavilion, Kara snatched him by his scarf, startling Pronos right out of it.

 

“All right, Rara, you come with me,” she said happily and started dragging the almost unresponsive therian toward an open meadow of the underground garden.

 

“…what the hell is she gonna do in the middle of the day?” Allan blurted out while Pronos blinked in confusion from the ground he had rolled on, already being joined by Tyran to play.

 

Kaelith snorted. “Don’t worry. Mom is not that brazen. If anything… she’s more reserved than most of us,” she said and then blinked at the realization. “Damn, doesn’t that mean I’m more of a pervert than her…?” She whispered to herself in shock.

 

“Normally, I would have pegged Evelyn to be the most prude,” Higure commented. “But… well, let’s hold onto that thought until she wakes up,” she cackled.

 

Meanwhile, at the doors of the Pavilion, Elora was peeking with a hand over her mouth and a deep blush. “No way…! The Fox Clan Matriarch is really that way with His Majesty?”

 

The young elf felt like she was witnessing the exciting affairs of celebrities.

 

“By the way…” Kaelith eyed a certain ‘legendary creature’ standing amidst their group. “What are you doing here?” She asked Fiora who was happily crossing her hands in front of her, as if a maid in wait of an order.

 

“I pledged myself to my Master, so of course I should serve him. I have no responsibilities to attend to, thus I am also completely available!” The Qilin replied proudly as if it was an inevitable outcome and everyone deadpanned at her. 

 

All of them could tell there was absolutely no other motivation. In a way, they preferred that to her being another besotted woman…

 

“Hm,” Flavia mused aloud. “Well, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone as strong as you with us,” she voiced her opinion. “That’s probably why Rakna didn’t even bother to stop you.”

 

“If that’s how it is…” Kaelith glanced at the ground. “Oz, come out,” she commanded and on cue, an elemental gray wolf with six tails emerged beside her and promptly bowed its head.

 

“I greet the First Lady,” the wolf surprisingly spoke up. Oz had long been assigned as the leader of the territory’s defense by Rakna and had been recently promoted. 

 

The former earth wolf had turned into a multi-elemental six-tailed thanks to the accruing powers of his creator. He now had a status matching a Level 200 Host and enough intelligence to speak.

 

“This woman here will be under you from today onward,” Kaelith pointed at Fiora with a smile and the wolf momentarily froze as if to process that information. Even as a mere familiar, Oz could tell that the Qilin was a creature whose power and standing eclipsed his on an immeasurable scale.

 

“That’s fine with you, right?” The vixen smirked at Fiora. “Oz here is a direct subordinate of Rakna and as his lover, I have command over them. Every condition for you to work under him is met.”

 

The Qilin tilted her head and then looked at Oz with a bright smile. “I’ll be in your care, sir.”

 

“Ah… um,” the wolf’s complicated expression was painfully obvious. “Yes… let’s… get along.”

 

Just like that, Oz gained one of the strongest Wilden as his underling.

 

* * *

 

“So, we’re back to this, huh?” Rakna smiled wryly as Kara sat snugly on his lap, almost purring as he was once again made to brush her tails.

 

“My, were you expecting something else?” She asked mischievously.

 

He snorted. “Not really. I like this alternative better, actually,” he admitted. “Is there a reason you like to do this so much?”

 

“Hm,” the vixen looked up. “It’s the companionship, I suppose. Back in the day, the act of brushing my tails was like a solitary escapade; my own way of relaxing my mind. I would also do it for the small foxes that came to me daily,” she smiled at the memory. 

 

“But to know that someone I hold dear is there to do it… not just me,” she looked over her shoulder and grinned. “It’s exhilarating.”

 

“Is that so?” Rakna smiled back. “Then, while we’re at it, is there something you’d like me to do?”

 

“Hehe, you’re being awfully servient all of a sudden,” she raised her eyebrows teasingly. “Are you feeling sorry for little old me?”

 

“…I could also just stand up right now and leave,” he retorted blankly.

 

She pouted. “Who told you to do that?” She huffed and leaned back. “Well… if I had to be shameless about it, it’d be nice if you gave me a little spot around here and helped me, um…” She blushed and grumbled a bit. “Make my den…”

 

Rakna glanced at her curiously. “Is that an embarrassing thing to ask?”

 

“No, I mean… ah, whatever,” she huffed. “In my old world, there was a giant tree I used as a den by living under its roots. Even if it was a lonely time, I miss my home a bit, you know? I thought about recreating it several times, but I never really managed to get it right… I also had a lot of foxes living with me,” she smiled at the memory. 

 

“Cute little things; running around me,” she recounted. “They were the only company I had… it was a sad thing to see them exceed their lifespan over and over again though,” her smile became slightly bitter. “In the System, I can hardly find the same kind of animal. Every wild fox is a Wilden with varying degrees of power and aggression.”

 

“…do you want me to summon some for you?” Rakna asked curiously.

 

“Well, yes, I admit. I asked Karyu once since he’s the current Fox King,” she explained. “But they felt completely different from yours. The ones you summon feel as if they have souls. It’s incredible in all honesty; I can sense life in them. How do you even do it?”

 

“Hm…” The therian hummed in thought and stopped brushing her tails. “I’ll do you one better,” he said with a furtive smirk and his eyes blazed with purple flames. “[Clairvoyance,]” he whispered and scoured Kara’s past through Egregore.

 

He didn’t want to pry into anything she didn’t want him to see and focused on her den. He carved every single detail into his memory and then ended his skill.

 

“What are you…?” Kara muttered in confusion. She had felt his soul power envelop her but hadn’t rejected it, fully trusting him.

 

“You’ll see,” Rakna said and under her eyes, he used one of his claws to cut his palm deep enough to draw blood. He clenched his hand and held it to the side above the grass. His soul flames coiled around his arm and the Chalice on his back shone brightly.

 

“Let’s try this, shall we?” He smiled. “[Philosopher Craft – Paṭaippiṉ Atikāram,]” he intoned and a condensed droplet of pinkish blood dripped out of his grip.

 

❮ ◈ ❯

A new entry has been added to your Personal Skill; Philosopher Craft.

You have learned Paṭaippiṉ Atikāram [Authority of Creation]!

❮ ◈ ❯

 

The blood hit the ground and an otherworldly aura spread. There was something so inhumanly pure about it that made Kara shiver. It was like being in the presence of something unfathomable.

 

In an instant, their direct surroundings began to twist, bend, and stretch. The dirt was overturned and the terrain distended into mounds. Then, large roots burst out from underground and plunged back in and out of the earth. Accompanying them, a germ sprouted in the middle of it all.

 

It grew at a staggering speed, quickly turning into a tall and majestic oak tree. Fascinatingly, none of the phenomena seemed to be affecting Kara and Rakna as avoiding them. And before they knew it, they were both sitting under a spherical ceiling of roots, inside what seemed to be a crude room where the wood had been sculpted to roughly resemble furniture. There was even a wooden bed with wool and feathers acting as its mattress.

 

“This…” Kara stood up with her eyes wide open in shock. She recognized everything. Every single splinter of wood, every smell, every jutting rock, every blade of grass… even the feeling of wind on her skin. It was all as she remembered. She could even see some of the containers she used to have for her alcohol lying on the ground as well as several of her coffers.

 

But it didn’t stop there. Lost in her daze, she heard several high-pitched yelps and on cue, at least a dozen small foxes, ranging from kits to adults, came out from inside a few holes inside the roots and swarmed her.

 

The familiar texture of their fur nearly made her tears burst for a second time, and she crouched to welcome them all in her embrace. At the same time, Rakna quietly petted one sole fox who had come to him.

 

‘…I suppose it’s that easy,’ the therian thought as a spark of soul fire receded into his eyes. ‘Feeding my blood with energy, registering the organic matter, altering the landscape, synthesizing physical bodies… and transmuting soul power into artificial souls.’

 

❮ ◈ ❯

Congratulations! You have achieved a divine feat beyond the capabilities of a mortal!

You have created life from scratch!

You have been granted a great amount of Divinity for this achievement!

---

You have gained a new Title; The Advent of Creation Is Nihility!

---

The Advent of Creation Is Nihility

???

Effects:

+50 Volatile Attribute Points.

+ 100 Attribute Points.

+50% Damage Against All ‘Lifeforms’.

+50% Attribute Points Every Level.

???

❮ ◈ ❯

 

‘…this title couldn’t be vaguer even if it tried,’ Rakna thought and waved it away. He was far past the point of caring about some question marks on his status or some amazing effects.

 

“{What are you becoming, huh?}” Fray remarked solemnly. “{You can’t be called anything close to a mortal at this point, much less a human.}”

 

‘Well, we already know what,’ the therian snorted to himself. ‘In the end, there’s nothing to be scared of…’ He thought and Kara’s voice caught his attention right after.

 

“You… outdid yourself, Rara,” she said quietly. She wasn’t looking his way, and instead, wistfully rubbed cheeks with a baby fox. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re not some God striving to experience his mortality once again,” she jested.

 

“How farfetched,” Rakna deadpanned and she giggled. “And I’m insulted that you would insinuate a God could do what I can,” he added with a fake offended tone.

 

“Hahaha,” the vixen laughed softly. “Indeed. That was rude of me, wasn’t it? Of course, you’re much better than any Celestial out there, Your Eminence.”

 

“As long as you understand,” Rakna nodded.

 

Kara smiled to herself. “I can’t believe I’m going to be this sappy twice in the same day, but…” Her lips curved in amusement. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart,” she said with emotions the therian could feel without even using his skills.

 

He looked deeply into her eyes for a while before closing his own. 

 

“…you’re welcome.”