Faded2Fate

Finally posting this here! Read on Royal Road as well so my numbers can inflate my ego thanks.

Drip…

Drip…

Drip…

In the heart of a desolate wasteland, where the colossal silhouette of a mountain-sized dragon obscured the sky. Aella, the She-fox who guarded this land, stood her ground as rain poured down like they were the tears of the very being she was facing off against.

“You Gods are too much! Leave now lest I kill you like your brethren!” She shouted with fury in her eyes. “First, your kind betrays this world, and then you think you can waltz in here like you own the place? Am I, Aella of the Foxin Tribe, a joke to you?!” She continued.

Despite the fury in her eyes, a manic smile appeared on her face. It was like she was waiting for an excuse to devour the massive prey in front of her as her 10 mighty tails clicked, causing swords of ethereal origins to surround her.

The dragon, its eyes glowing with a pearl of otherworldly wisdom, rumbled in response, its voice shaking the very ground they stood on. “You have been charged with the murder of 3 High ranked Pantheons. By the order of the council, you are to be killed and your soul erased.”

Aella’s eyes narrowed, her smile only growing at the ludicrous words of the Dragon God. With a singular swift motion and her fan in hand, she dashed toward the colossal beast, moving so fast that her form blurred, leaving afterimages in her wake.

The dragon unleashed a torrent of searing flames, but Aella effortlessly weaved between the inferno, her many swords flying forward, dispelling the few she wouldn’t be able to avoid.

As she closed the distance, Aella swung her fan, conjuring a fierce gust of wind that buffeted the colossal wings of the dragon and in turn, the dragon retaliated with a thunderous roar.

The shockwaves from the collision sent both flying back, but before any serious damage could be sustained, auras formed from divine might and mana covered their body like a protective layer of armor.

“That is to say, I believe the council is wrong in this case, Little Fox.” The dragon’s voice resonated throughout the land.

About to lunge back at the dragon, her movement paused.

“EH?!” She shouted, unable to hold her laughter. “To you divine folk, the [Divine Council’s] word is law, is it not? Just what trick are you trying to pull?”

“Little Fox, you fought for freedom and revenge, and I respect that. Work with me, and we can overturn the Council. They fear you.”

Frozen in place for moments by the dragon’s words, Aella’s mind raced faster than ever before. That was before she began to move again.

BOOM!!!

This time, her movement didn’t just leave after images. She vanished from the eyes of the dragon entirely, reappearing above and lashing out at the dragon’s scales with her numerous tails, each with enough force to make lightning look like a joke.

“LIKE I’D BELIEVE A GOD! DIE!” She shouted out as the dragon began crashing into the world from her onslaught, which even his divine aura couldn’t fully block.

“I see why they’re scared of her…” The dragon coughs up blood while using the massive dust storm that was caused by his impact with the ground as cover.

By the time the smoke cleared, the dragon was gone, doing a similar move to Aella in appearing behind her and attempting to slam into her with its massive tail, only for her to narrowly avoid it.

The battle ranged on, both foes unleashing their divine energies in a dazzling display of power and destruction. Aella’s ethereal swords danced through the air, clashing against the dragon’s mighty claws, each impact causing cracks in the earth to form.

“Little fox! Even if you kill me, the Council will send more agents! Do you think you can handle all of them? I can guarantee your world’s safety!” The dragon responded to her earlier words, his voice still stern and powerful as he hid the anxiety of how close this battle was behind his tough exterior.

His words fell on deaf ears as the manic laughter and giggles that accompanied the flurries of powerful attacks from Aella simply continued.

‘A crazy fox with the power to kill even members of the Divine Council. If I can just nurture her, I’ll have a way to deal with those fogeys.’ The dragon mused.

“Hear me, Dragon!” Aella took a brief respite from attacking, heavy breaths escaping her body constantly.

The sun had risen and set several times since the start of this battle and even the horrific demon she-fox would run out of stamina eventually against such a powerful opponent.

“Anyone who tries to take my things. Be it you, Gods, or my very ancestors, none will meet a good end.” She explained, her aura flaring up once more, brighter than ever.

Unbeknownst to her, though, her words have given the mighty dragon an idea. Without another word, both vanished and met for one final clash. The many swords and indestructible fan versus the unstoppable force of Draconic claws.

CRASH!

SPLAT!

Their final attack was quick, the winner being decided, much like how the battle began. In a single swift movement. The world grew silent as Aella’s body was cleaved clean in half, and the dragon held her soul as a trophy.

“The Foxin Tribe, after surpassing their 9th tail, can sacrifice a tail to revive themselves, but that matters little if your soul is removed from its container.” The dragon stated.

With his wounds from his hard-fought victory, The mighty dragon let out a hearty chuckle as he examined Aella’s soul.

It was a glowing silver orb with small fox-like ears and a singular tail. It was so cute in comparison to Aella’s rather… Unhinged personality.

Flying into the sky away from the planet, the dragon grabbed a soul from his collection before shaping it into the form of Aella’s with his divine power.

“I, the [Soul Dragon Velfius], will keep your people safe from those false Gods until you are strong enough to maintain order. I shall even grant you a pleasant gift to show my sincerity.” He laughed before tossing her real soul far, far into the cosmos, never to be found by his allies until Aella herself wanted them to.

…

BEEP!

BEEP!

BEEP!

Slowly opening her eyes because of the sound of incessant beeping, Aella tried to groan, only for cries to escape her mouth before she could even process what was going on.

‘A baby? Why does it sound so close?’ She questioned inwardly. “No, why can I even hear one at all? My soul should have been destroyed. Reincarnation wouldn’t be an option and I can’t imagine hell being full of crying babies…’ She then corrected her thoughts.

Her mind was so slow. What was once comparable to the strongest of theoretical supercomputers was now barely able to think of a proper sentence in the time it’d take to say it.

If her confusion wasn’t enough, a female audibly gasped as her tiny body was being moved.

“Ears… And a tail! She’s a [Naturalis]! Someone alert the father!” The woman called out.

‘Father? Does that make any sense?’

Every second that passed, the world around her became clearer and clearer, allowing her to get a clearer understanding of what was happening.

Numerous people in white and blue robes and gowns scurried around the room as two of them gently cleaned off her body.

“Doctor. All vital signs are fine. The existence of a [Dragon Core] has been confirmed.” Another lady stated.

Hearing the news, this doctor fellow frowned. “Don’t let this news get out. I owe Mr. and Mrs. Rossi so much. If their child gets hurt because she is a [Naturalis], you all will be the ones getting punished.”

The nurse quickly nodded before walking off.

During this conversation, Aella listened intently, trying to gather what little information she could possibly gain.

‘Naturalis… They speak a language I’ve never heard before, yet I can understand their words. Is translation Magic being cast on me? Rather than that, what kind of harm would come to me? Am I in a place where these Naturalis things are shunned? Or perhaps are they rare and often sold in trafficking?’

Her mind wandered from one topic to the next as fast as it could in her current state, never giving herself too much time to think too deeply about one thing. Thinking too much about these things without any proper context could form biases and she didn’t want to deal with having to break those biases later in life if they were wrong.

Still, with each new thought, a new question appeared. Some were mundane, like ‘If I was reborn, shouldn’t I have gained consciousness inside the womb?’ and others more relevant to her situation, like ‘Just what the hell is that damned Dragon God thinking? The Council won’t let him go if he didn’t properly destroy my soul.’

That last thought actually gave her a sense of relief for some reason. It was like a weight had just been lifted off of her chest, but no matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why.

It was like her lifelong goal was completed. To make sure Gods didn’t destroy her planet because of the many thoughtless actions that she partook in during her younger years, but that couldn’t be right. She knew herself better than this.

She died, meaning that her people, too, would perish. That wasn’t a weight off her chest. It was the polar opposite. It didn’t feel that way, though. Deep down, she felt like her people were safe for some reason.