“Ahem. I hereby approve of Lune Renard’s second try at life.”
I snapped awake to the sound of incomprehensible words. I sat up and glanced around, only to realize I was surrounded by foxes. They came in many colors: black, yellow, red, and green. Their sizes varied too, and some even had multiple tails. I must’ve been in the afterlife.
“What’s going on?” I asked, my eyes darting about in confusion.
“Ah, Lune Renard. You’re awake.” A gigantic silver fox addressed me. He was over two meters tall, and his sparkling eyes were the same violet shade as mine. Even more odd than that, he had a faint golden crest upon his forehead in the shape of a grapevine. All that said, he looked a little unwell.
“A fox is talking,” I mumbled, dumbfounded.
The silver fox laughed, and with a swish of his fluffy tail, he suddenly transformed. In his place stood a beautiful man with long, straight silver hair and a pair of matching fox ears. He also had the same pale marking of a grapevine on his forehead. However, his clothes were in tatters and he looked haggard.
“I am the great spirit Reineke. I’m the fox who guided you to your adoptive family.”
“Great Lord Reineke!” Shocked, I quickly fixed my posture.
“You were convicted as a criminal and executed,” he explained.
I shuddered at the terrible recollection. It was enough to raise the hairs on the back of my neck.
“However, you’ve faced too many misfortunes in your life,” he continued. “Therefore, I have decided to allow you to go back in time and save House Renard. We, the Global Legendary Fox Federation, will permit you to live again.”
“The Global Legendary Fox Federation?” I’d never heard of such a thing before.
“It’s an association of mythical foxes who inhabit different places and dimensions.”
That still made no sense to me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
Lord Reineke cast me a pitying look. The other foxes were also gazing at me like I was some pitiable child. It made me feel very self-conscious.
“To not even know of that? Humans are truly foolish...” The man shrugged before explaining further. “There are many lands beyond your own kingdom. For example, there are nations to the far east of yours, and worlds even more distant where technology has advanced further.”
I couldn’t even imagine the kinds of places he was describing.
“In every one of those worlds, we fox spirits guide you foolish humans with our wisdom. You see, the fox is the most clever being of them all. That’s just how it is.” Lord Reineke puffed out his chest with pride.
I stared at him, confused. “In that case, why didn’t you just save me, Lord Reineke? Surely I don’t need to actually do things over.”
“You really are a fool. I said we guide humans, didn’t I?! Spirits can grant human wishes, but we cannot directly change your world to satisfy your desires.”
“So that’s why you granted my wish of wanting to try again?”
“Indeed. And so you’ll be returning to the past.”
“Really?!”
“Really. And this time, you must uplift the Renard domain. I hated when those blasted revolutionaries took over! They know not the value of our relics, and they destroyed my shrine in their ignorance!” Lord Reineke snapped with indignation.
“I...get the feeling that that’s your true motive,” I murmured before I could stop myself.
Lord Reineke smirked. “Surprisingly sharp, aren’t you?”
I pouted at his words.
The fox spirit cleared his throat. With a snap of his fingers, a scroll appeared out of thin air. As he rolled it out, I saw a long list of names written upon it.
“This was a petition signed by the citizens of the Renard territory,” Lord Reineke said. “They appealed for House Renard’s sentence to be lessened. Though of course, the revolutionaries simply burned it up.”
“But...anyone who signed a petition like that would be putting themselves in danger...”
“That’s right. Even so, they wanted to protect you.”
I remembered their tearful faces staring back at me during my execution. I felt so touched.
Suddenly, a small wild grape appeared by Lord Reineke’s feet. It shone with a golden light, which was soon absorbed by his forehead. The color of his grapevine crest then grew a little more pronounced.
“See? There are still those who come to my temple, wishing for House Renard’s restoration. Not as many as in the old days, but...” Lord Reineke popped the leftover grape into his mouth. “Sour, but helpful. This is my first meal in a week. I feel invigorated!” he said, enjoying the taste.
“In a week?!” I asked.
“Oh, you didn’t know? We spirits live off of human faith. The revolutionary army wants to overwrite House Renard’s history and traditions, and so they cruelly destroyed my great temple. If the inhabitants of the domain forget about me, I’ll cease to exist. It’s only a matter of time.”
I looked Lord Reineke over. His tattered clothes and emaciated body must’ve been a reflection of the people’s faith—or lack thereof—at the present moment.
“Aren’t you tired of constantly being downtrodden? Don’t you want to take my hand and do everything over?”
I raised my head. “If I wish for it, I really can have a second chance?”
“Certainly.” Lord Reineke nodded, as did the other foxes gathered around us. It seemed these foxes were all spirits from different worlds. I felt a renewed hope in the way they looked at me with kindness.
With Lord Reineke’s help, things might just work out!
“I may not be able to fix everything, but I’ll do all that I can to protect the citizens! So please lend me your strength, Lord Reineke!” I pleaded on my knees, pressing my hands together.
As soon as the words left my mouth, a golden light emanated from my body. Lord Reineke’s forehead drew it in, and his mark became more colorful again.
“An excellent wish,” he remarked with a satisfied smile. “Lune, in your second try at life, I will grant you ears that can hear the sacred voices of my people.” Lord Reineke pressed his forehead to mine. “With this, the contract is complete.”
A silver light engulfed me, filling me with warmth. At the same time, Lord Reineke shifted back to his silver fox form.
“I’m worried, so I’ll accompany you. Foxes often travel together with their cubs, after all.” His voice echoed across the realm, mixed with the loud call of a fox.
His words heralding a bright future reassured me. Slowly, I closed my eyes.