"Wow, was he really that powerful?"
The crazy rabbit looked at Azriel, the last descendant of Qi, with childlike eyes.
"Of course, his powers were simply on another plane of existence, making his two brothers bow down and accept reality."
He laughed cheerfully; his family was truly powerful.
Or at least, they had been.
As if hearing their conversation, giggles echoed from the forest.
The laughter seemed to surround them from all directions, growing louder and louder.
Azriel narrowed his eyes, scanning the area.
It seemed he had found a new danger.
And as if in response to his fears, a small white fox emerged from the forest with its group.
"A human and a rabbit," They said in unison.
"They'll make a fine feast."
Azriel shivered as he heard the synchronized voices of the foxes, their eyes glowing with a pale light.
His courage seemed to drain from his body.
"Hey, wait a second!" The rabbit suddenly spoke.
"He is the great Azriel Twintails, descendant of the ancestor Qi, and one of your pilgrims!" The foxes stopped, exchanging glances for a moment.
"Human? Pilgrim? Not food?" They muttered among themselves, then looked back at Azriel.
Whose posture remained straight as always, despite his fear and unease.
"Yes, I am everything he said and more. I have come here on a pilgrimage."
The foxes stared at him for a few moments, then looked up at the sky as if trying to figure something out.
"Impossible? Is it true? He didn't lie?"
They kept whispering among themselves, until the silver glow in their eyes faded, revealing ordinary beastly irises.
"I never thought I'd see one!" The first fox leapt toward him and quickly assumed the form of a small humanoid child.
"A real pilgrim?!" He circled around Azriel and grabbed his bag.
"This smells like something good." The child said happily, sniffing Azriel's food.
Soon, the others gathered as well, their faces filled with the same mischievous curiosity.
Azriel sighed.
"I brought some snacks. You can eat them if you promise to speak well of me to your older sisters," Azriel said as was customary.
"If your mothers are young, that counts too!"
"Of course, big brother." They eagerly grabbed some skewers and sweets that Azriel carried with him.
Every pilgrim brought sweets for the fox children, such was the tradition.
"Now take me to our home." Azriel spoke with a hint of sorrow, for it was also his home, though one he had never visited.
His ancestors had left him only a book, nothing more.
"Of course, this way!" The mischievous children tugged at his sleeve, while Azriel cast one last glance at the crazy rabbit left behind.
The rabbit removed his top hat and bowed deeply in respect.
Respect for the blood of the king.
Gradually, Azriel saw the brown trees and green leaves give way to a forest of pink blossoms, petals drifting gracefully through the air.
Azriel almost regretted stepping on them as he walked.
And at last, he saw the temple rise on the horizon, the temple of the fox god, the god of his ancestors.
Some might wonder whether the deity was male or female, for different people referred to it differently.
But the truth was, like all gods, it had no innate gender.
It was whatever others wished it to be.
For Qi, it had been a young and beautiful woman; for Azriel, it was an old and ancient man.
And so, Azriel saw this man awaiting him with a smile atop the temple roof, swinging his legs with a silver plate full of drink in his right hand.
He waved to Azriel, without grace or formality, but with warmth and welcome.
Azriel waved back with a gentle smile.
That old man was not his ancestor, but they shared a special bond, just as Qi had once shared with that divinity.
In front of the sacred gate, Azriel saw more and more fox-people watching him, some in their animal forms, others in humanoid shapes.
He took a deep breath.
Then, with full reverence, he walked toward the sacred gate.
He climbed the temple stairs slowly, his bag still on his shoulders.
Entering the temple, he went to the offering area, where he prayed to the god and laid down his offerings.
He couldn't help but think how natural it felt to be there.
While he prayed, a young-looking woman approached him, her white hair cascading like a waterfall among jade ornaments.
"I imagine you must be the priestess Karma,"
Azriel said, opening his eyes.
"Yes, I am Karma, the high priestess of the temple," She replied with a gentle smile.
"And I imagine you have something to give me."
Azriel chuckled before handing her his bag with more offerings, this time to the priests.
"Here are the offerings, as well as my parents' ashes. I hope they can rest alongside my ancestors."
Karma nodded before stepping away.
Azriel then wandered through the temple, taking in the magical view of the place.
Finally, he sat on the edge of the island, his feet swinging peacefully over the cliffside.
His journey had ended here.
He had completed his pilgrimage in the spirit world and delivered his ancestors' ashes.
"Would you like a drink?" Karma asked, sitting beside him with a silver jug in her hand, while two silver plates rested in front of them.
"Of course," Azriel said without thinking much.
Karma poured the drink, and the two toasted before drinking the divine liquid.
Divine alcohol.
Azriel sighed after tasting it.
His palate was not used to such a deep flavor, but he couldn't resist savoring it to the very last drop.
This drink was part of his history, of his people.
"So then… how is the physical world?" Karma asked calmly as she poured more of the drink for both of them.
"I don't know. I've lived on the outskirts of my own city, let alone the world,"
Azriel replied directly.
"What I do know is that the Dark Emperor and the Pale Queen did what Aura and Mana always wanted: they split the world in two."
"Whether there were challengers or whether they're even still in power, I don't know."
"That's beyond what a nobody from the outskirts could know."
Azriel then took another sip, calmly admiring the view.
Karma sighed, not at his bluntness, but because she knew he was probably right.
The world had been divided in two.
"And what do you intend to do?" She asked.
"Do you wish to hide here? Or would you rather return to your human city?"
Azriel gazed deeply at the horizon.
"Neither."
He turned to face her once again.
"I intend to revive the ancestral pathway of Qi and unite the world once more, as its rightful sovereign."