The question lingers in the air long after she asks it.
Who do you want to be?
The owl masked woman does not repeat herself. She doesn't need to. The shrine itself seems to echo the words, not audibly, but through pressure, through awareness. The pale stone beneath my feet hums faintly, like it's alive enough to listen.
I realise then that this isn't a test meant to trick me.
It's a choice that will not be offered twice.
I swallow, my throat dry despite the clean, cool air. I can still feel the phantom weight on my shoulders, the memory of falling clinging to me. It reminds me why I'm here. Why I can't afford to hesitate.
"I need a name" I say, my voice sounds steadier than I feel, that's for certain.
The fox-masked woman tilts her head slightly, her body language open but attentive, like she's watching something fragile take its first steps. The owl masked woman turning her gaze toward me, golden eyes glinting with mischief.
"A name defines the self" she says calmly, "once chosen, it will anchor you here."
"That's fine, pretty sure I had nothing to go back to, if I was brought here" I reply.
I close my eyes. Trying once more to conjure up some memory of my last life.
Nothing comes at first. No memories. No faces. Just darkness, then the sensation of heat without flame. Falling without landing. Weightlessness giving way to suffocating heaviness. The faint memory of ash starting to fill everything until there was no room left to breathe.
The end of something I can't remember beginning.
"Yuki" I say as I open my eyes. The name fell from my mouth like this was the only true answer., like I have used it for an entire lifetime before, yet at the same time it felt new.
The simple four letter word leaves my mouth and the world reacts.
The shrine brightens subtly, gold threads weaving through the white stone walls like veins carrying light instead of blood. The carvings flare faintly, as if they were judging and appraising my name choice.
The floor glows more beneath my bare feet, and I feel pressure settle around my shoulders, not like it was crushing or restricting me, just acknowledging. Like the world has noted me down and filed me somewhere important.
"Yuki" the fox-masked woman repeats softly, nodding her head in agreeance.
The room hasn't changed, but I feel as though I have.
Not visibly. Not dramatically. But something inside me feels less hollow. Like an empty space has been filled with a single, solid.
"A good name" the tall man says. His voice is deep, carrying weight, "names carry intent."
I look at him properly now. Given he seemed to not know what personal space was.
He is clearly built like a statue carved for worship rather than accuracy. His dark hair falling freely down his back, a few seemed to be braided and adorned with silver and jewels. The massive sword resting at his side looked like some dark metal, and despite the hefty looking material it rests on his hip like it weighs nothing. The mask he wears is smooth, featureless, but his eyes burn through it, red and unwavering.
"Now that you have a name sorted, I ask again, who do you want to be?" The owl masked woman chimes once more, her voice not impatient despite the stretch of time that seemed to carry between the first time she asked.
"I want to be someone who is free to live my life, second chance or not" I say, looking between them.
There was no tremor in my voice. No uncertainty.
The words felt right. Honest.
The temple room seeming to rumble in agreeance, feeling like it was sending a low vibration that settles into my bones.
The man steps forward just enough that I feel his presence like gravity increasing, "freedom is never truly free, especially in this situation, you were brought here with the intent to become contracted with one of us" he states with a snort.
I look at him before humming softly, he really had a way with words it seems.
"I am not someone who blindly trusts others...I don't know any of you, so why would I blindly make a contract with you?" I cross my arms, earning a look of approval from each of them
"I am Anthropos. God of Man. God of war. My powers of strength are forged through conflict, and blood. I shall lend this strength to you in return for your servitude" The male chimes, he removes his mask with a glint of something in his eye, a look of sadistic pride on his face.
I meet his gaze without flinching, he sounded a little egotistical, though I guess it was fitting for someone of his stature.
"I don't want borrowed strength" I say, "and I don't want something that disappears the moment I'm overwhelmed"
A slow grin spreads across his face, "good. Then you understand the cost, even if you don't know its shape yet."
The owl masked woman moves next, her presence slightly more welcoming in comparison to Anthropos but no less commanding. Light clings to her robes like moonlight on water.
"Ileuad is my name, but you can just call me Yule" she says, "I am the goddess of elves and the moon. I can bestow a power upon you that is a fraction of what I make, as my belief is that power without balance corrodes the user from within. Remember that, Yuki."
Her words sink into me differently than Anthropos's words had. Less forceful. More enduring. Like frost creeping across stone.
Then the fox-masked woman steps closer. Her mask dangling from her finger.
The air changes immediately.
The pressure shifts, becoming alive, unpredictable. The shrine's calm stillness gives way to something restless. I feel it in my skin, my muscles tightening without conscious command.
Her golden eyes meet mine.
Not glowing. Not supernatural in the obvious sense of the word. Just sharp, ancient, and unflinchingly aware of every detail. Her smile is careful, controlled, but there's something wild behind it that sets my instincts on edge.
"I am Kitsuka" she says, "a goddess of the beastfolk and nature. Youngest of the kin gods, eldest of the beastfolk"
The name resonates through me, stirring something deep and unfamiliar.
She studies me openly now, circling half a step, like she's assessing an animal rather than a person.
"You want power" Kistsuka continues, "something inherently yours and no one else's? something that is not able to be taken away...something bound to your soul perhaps?"
"Yes" I answer immediately.
"The power of nature is not gentle," she says, "it survives. It adapts. It evolves. Much like you will need to if we become contracted"
Yule speaks softly from behind her, "right now it is important to understand, your body may not even survive making a contract, you are still very much mortal"
Anthropos watches silently, arms crossed, interested in the outcome more than the conversation leading up to the outcome.
I look at Kitsuka's outstretched hand, then Anthropos's, and then Yule's.
There was no timer, no indication of time moving past the moment, or even a sense of urgency. No spectacle to be had. Just their palms outstretched, waiting.
What was there really to lose?
"I'll take that risk" I say.
I place my hand in hers, golden thread wraps around my wrist, and I watch it start to burn bright.
The light soon crawls beneath my skin, pulsing in time with the blood in my veins, even after Kitsuka releases my hand.
It doesn't burn, not in the painful aspect at least. What remains is a slight heat with purpose, a living warmth threading itself through muscle and bone like roots searching for soil. I have no choice but to fall to my knees, palms pressed to the stone floor, breath coming in uneven pulls. Each inhale tastes different now. Richer. Sharper. Like the air itself has gained texture.
The shrine has gone quiet.
Not silent. Quiet.
I lift my head slowly. My vision swims, but it clears faster than it should. The white haze overhead feels closer now, not pressing down, but leaning in, curious. The gold veins in the walls pulse faintly, starting to shift.
Kitsuka stands before me, hands folded loosely behind her back, eyes studying me with open interest. Not concern. Not pity.
She was assessing me.
"You're still here" she says lightly.
I let out a breath that almost turns into a laugh, "feels like that wasn't guaranteed."
"It wasn't, we said we weren't sure it would"
I push myself upright, surprised by the ease of it. My limbs tremble, but they don't fail me. There's a new tension in my muscles, coiled and ready, like my body has learned a different definition of rest.
I look at my hands again.
They look the same. Aside from the fox shaped mark on the back of the right one.
"So that's it?" I ask, my voice is hoarse, but steady, "contract made, soul stamped for eternity, no fine print I should've been made aware of?"
Kitsuka's mouth curves slightly, "you think gods deal in paperwork?"
Anthropos snorts from where he leans against nothing in particular, having moved at some point after I took Kitsuka's hand, his arms crossed, "he's still thinking like a man."
"I am a man" I shoot back automatically.
Kitsuka's gaze sharpens, just a fraction, "for now"
What is that supposed to mean?
I get to my feet fully this time, rolling my shoulders, hoping to disperse the tension. There's resistance there now, like pushing against water instead of air. My balance shifting slightly.
"You said this power would be mine" I chime smoothly, turning back to her, "not borrowed. Not taken away when I disappoint you."
She nods.
"And you'll be what? Inside of me" I gesture vaguely between us.
Kitsuka hums, considering, "think of it less as inside and more as alongside. We are bound, Yuki. Our existence connected now. Your growth will feed mine. My influence shapes yours"
"That sounds a lot like ownership" I squint my eyes slightly.
Her smile widens, foxlike and unapologetic, "ownership is not EXACTLY what I have over you. I assure you"
Yule steps forward, her sadistic smile from earlier now turning soft, "you should understand the terms" she says gently, "a contract with Kitsuka does not grant you any miracles. It grants instinct. Adaptation. Survival"
"I didn't ask for miracles" I reply.
"No" Kitsuka agrees, "you asked for freedom"
I swallow.
The word feels heavier now than it did minutes ago.
"Freedom from what though?" Anthropos asks, eyes gleaming, "death? Fate? Weakness?"
I close my eyes.
I speak quietly, "from being something that only exists to burn out"
Kitsuka's expression shifts. The wild edge doesn't vanish, but something warmer surfaces beneath it. Recognition.
"Then you chose correctly" she hums, "I will give you the means to be something that will be admired by the realm"
A pulse ripples through my chest in response, strong enough to steal my breath for a moment. I stagger, catching myself.
"What was that?" I ask.
"The contract has fully been acknowledged by the realm. The system is looking to link with your soul" Yule snorts.
"System?" I repeat in confusion.
Anthropos laughs, sharp and loud, "you have no idea...I really do love when the other worlders have that look"
"Oh...right, there is one last thing" Kitsuka says as she claps her hands.
Figures.
I brace myself, "let me guess. A catch."
"A good one though" she meets my gaze with a playful glint, "you will be getting a system, to help you when I send you down to the realm outside of the temple of the gods, but it may have some side effects"
"And if I fight it?"
Her eyes drop, "I would rather you didn't try to, please"
Her tone worried.
"What if I lose myself?" I ask.
Kitsuka doesn't answer immediately.
Yule does instead.
"That..." she chimes, "is why viable contracts with gods are rare. You need to choose yourself every day. The system will adapt, but it will not ask permission."
I exhale slowly.
"Understood" I chime, meeting Kitsuka's eyes again, "but you are not my master. And I am not on a leash"
The shrine flares, alive with excitement. Seeming ecstatic.
Kitsuka's smile turns sharp and satisfied.
"Then hear this, Yuki" she chimes, her voice carrying weight now, ancient and resonant. "By your will and mine, the contract will be sealed with a drink of the water from the realm of the Leviathan"
Yule gestures for me to drink from the bowl.
I do with slight hesitation, dunking my head into the water and gulping down the refreshing liquid.
"You will walk as my chosen. One day you will rise as something neither fully man nor beast"
For the first time since I woke up, I didn't feel empty.
I felt...Alive.