Chapter 215: Little fox

Chapter 215: Chapter 215: Little fox

Swanly stared at the System.

The System stared back.

Its tiny golden wings fluttered once.

"That sleeping creature underneath Ironwood..."

Swanly’s fingers tightened around the stick.

"...might as well just be the little problem."

Silence.

Swanly blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Then:

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

The System drifted backward.

Swanly’s voice rose.

"What the fuck?"

"User..."

"What the fuck?!"

"Swanly."

"What do you mean little problem?"

The fairy lifted both hands.

"I said might."

"That is WORSE!"

She threw the stick down.

"So hundreds of creatures coming here is the large problem, but whatever has been sleeping under my home this entire time is the little problem?"

"That is one interpretation." ℯℯ𝑙.

"What is the other interpretation?"

The System thought.

"There isn’t one."

Swanly stared.

The fairy smiled weakly.

Wrong decision.

Swanly lunged.

It vanished.

"COME BACK!"

Golden light popped into existence above her.

"Violence will not improve your survival rate!"

"It will improve my mood!"

"That is not the same thing!"

Swanly dragged both hands down her face.

Fine.

Think.

She needed to think.

"What is it?"

The System stopped joking.

"I don’t know."

Swanly’s hands dropped.

"You don’t know?"

"No."

"You’re the System."

"Yes."

"You scan things."

"Yes."

"Scan it."

"I can’t."

Swanly slowly looked toward the earth.

"Why?"

"My current scan needs a stronger point of contact."

"What does that mean?"

"You need to get closer."

Her face went blank.

"To the ancient sleeping monster."

"Potential ancient sleeping monster."

"You are going to die."

"I cannot die in the traditional sense."

"I’ll invent a new one."

The System ignored that.

"If you go near the oldest sealed section, I may be able to penetrate deeper with the upgraded scan."

"May?"

"Yes."

"So I go near the terrifying thing..."

"Yes."

"...and you might tell me what it is."

"Yes."

"And you might also tell me absolutely nothing."

The System nodded.

Swanly inhaled slowly.

"Wonderful."

"There is one more thing."

"Of course there is."

"Do not announce what you are doing."

Swanly frowned.

"Why?"

"We don’t know whether the creature reacts to movement, power, bloodline signatures, concentrated energy, or attention around the seal."

Her expression changed.

The fairy lowered its voice.

"So no crowd."

"No shouting."

"Yes."

"No gathering half the settlement to watch me poke the ancient death hole."

"Preferably."

Swanly sighed.

Fine.

She would take the girls somewhere safe, find Soren or Kael afterward, and make an excuse to pass near the old section.

Quietly.

No drama.

For once.

Her life could manage that.

Probably.

...

It could not.

Swanly had Eira on one hip and Sira on the other as she crossed the quieter western path.

Both girls had recently eaten.

Which should have meant peace.

It did not.

Sira was trying to steal Eira’s little carved ring.

Eira had the ring.

Sira wanted the ring because Eira had the ring.

"Mine," Eira said.

Sira pulled.

"Mine."

"It belongs to Eira."

Sira looked at Swanly.

"Mama."

"No."

Sira smiled.

"Mamaaa."

"No."

Sira kissed Swanly’s cheek.

Swanly almost surrendered.

Almost.

"You manipulative little snake."

Sira smiled wider.

Eira calmly moved the ring farther away.

Sira gasped.

Betrayal.

Swanly was about to call for Tilla when a familiar voice floated down from above.

"Little fox."

She stopped.

Her eyes closed.

No.

Absolutely not.

"Little fox."

Swanly kept walking.

"I can see your ears moving."

They flattened instantly.

Damn it.

Laughter came from the tree beside the boundary.

Swanly looked up.

Azren was hanging upside down from a thick branch.

Again.

Long black hair spilled toward the ground.

His six translucent wings were loosely folded, their violet-blue veins glowing through the morning shade.

One arm hung lazily beneath him.

He smiled.

Swanly stared.

"Do you ever stand normally?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"When there is no tree."

She started walking again.

"Little fox."

"Stop calling me that."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"It suits you."

"No, it doesn’t."

"It does."

Swanly ignored him.

He continued.

"Small."

Her head snapped around.

"I am not small."

Azren’s eyes sparkled.

"Very fierce."

She narrowed hers.

"Fluffy."

Her tail immediately puffed.

His smile widened.

"See?"

Swanly grabbed her tail with one hand.

"Do not talk about my tail."

"It is magnificent."

"It is a tail."

"It is almost the size of another person."

"It is not!"

Azren swung gently from the branch.

"Your ears are cute too."

Swanly froze.

One ear twitched.

Azren saw.

Of course he saw.

"Especially when you’re angry."

"Stop."

"They flatten."

"Azren."

"And when you’re suspicious, the left one moves first."

Her left ear twitched.

Swanly slapped a hand over it.

Azren laughed.

"You’ve been watching my ears?!"

"I watch you."

He said it lightly.

Too lightly.

But something underneath it was not playful at all.

Swanly’s expression shifted.

Azren’s smile remained.

"I watch many beautiful things."

There.

Performance restored.

Swanly rolled her eyes.

"You’re exhausting."

"You are gorgeous when annoyed."

"Stop flirting."

"No."

"Do you listen to anybody?"

"Occasionally."

"Who?"

"You."

"You literally just ignored me."

"Yes, but I heard you."

Swanly stared at him.

He smiled.

Insufferable.

Sira suddenly made a tiny sound.

"Win’."

Swanly looked down.

Both girls had stopped fighting over the ring.

Eira was staring upward.

Sira’s silver eyes were enormous.

Azren noticed.

His expression immediately softened.

"Hello, tiny monsters."

Soren would have hated that greeting.

Swanly almost smiled.

Sira pointed.

"Win’!"

Eira lifted one hand.

"Pre’tty."

Azren looked unbearably pleased.

"Finally. People with good judgment."

Swanly groaned.

"Do not encourage him."

Azren released the branch.

Swanly’s heart jumped.

He dropped.

Then his wings opened.

Six enormous translucent wings spread at once.

Light rippled through their veins.

Azren stopped in midair before his feet touched the ground.

Sira screamed with delight.

Not fear.

Delight.

"WIN’!"

Eira’s cold little face completely changed.

Her eyes widened.

Both tiny hands lifted.

Azren hovered just outside the boundary.

"Pretty?"

Eira nodded.

"Pre’tty."

Sira bounced in Swanly’s arm.

"Again!"

Swanly looked down.

"That was almost a sentence."

Sira ignored her.

"Again!"

Azren beat his wings once.

A soft gust rushed toward them.

Swanly’s silver-white hair flew backward.

Her fox ears flattened.

Her enormous tail puffed almost twice its size.

Sira squealed.

Eira actually laughed.

A tiny little sound.

Rare.

Precious.

Swanly stared at her.

"Eira!"

Eira reached for Azren.

"Win’."

"No."

Swanly immediately tightened her hold.

Sira started reaching too.

Azren slowly lifted higher.

Both babies followed him with their entire bodies.

Swanly looked betrayed.

"Not my babies too."

Azren grinned.

"They love me."

"They love your wings."

"I am attached to the wings."

"That does not count."

"It counts to me."

He lowered again, letting one wing stretch close to the boundary.

Not through it.

Never through it.

Sira reached.

Her fingers touched nothing because the territorial line remained between them.

Her little face fell.

Azren’s smile softened.

"If your mother ever lets me inside, you can touch them."

Swanly immediately said:

"No."

Azren looked at her.

"You didn’t even consider it."

"No."

"Cruel little fox."

"Stop calling me little."

"You are little compared to me."

"You are freakishly tall."

"Thank you."

"That wasn’t praise."

"I accept it anyway."

Sira suddenly leaned toward him again.

"Azz..."

Azren went still.