Rota: "Where the hell did I put it...?!"
She had been tearing through the drawers, metal clanking against metal, until her hand brushed the cold silver. She had pulled it out, breathless.
Rota: "How beautiful..."
The bell had rung slightly as she lifted it.
It wasn't just a sound. It was a pulse.
Almost immediately, across the room, Lele's ears had perked up. The fox's attention shifted completely to Rota, her lips peeling back to reveal needle-sharp teeth.
Lele: "Grr...!"
Rota had furrowed her brow, confused.
Rota: "Hey, bad fox! What're you being so mean for?! I've just fed you!"
As Rota turned to place the bell on the table, it rang again. Lele began to bark, a harsh, guttural sound that vibrated with unnatural hostility. The animal seemed almost offended by the noise, or perhaps fearful of what the noise meant.
Rota: "Ugh... What a piece of work you are."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to think through the incessant barking.
Rota: "Ok. Fine. We're going for a walk!"
Walk.
A single word, wielding immense power.
The little fox calmed instantly, her aggression evaporating. Like a trained hound, she promptly trotted towards the workshop's exit, tail wagging.
Rota sighed, carefully placing the bell back where she had found it, silencing its song to avoid provoking the beast again.
Now, under the dim light of the present, she was determined to make some sense of it.
Rota (thinking): "Lele isn't stupid."
She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping fox, a ball of black and white fur.
Rota (thinking): "So why does she hate it so much when it rings...?"
She picked up the artifact. As she examined the inscriptions, she noticed a smudge of dirt marring the silver surface. Her jaw tightened as she wiped it away with her thumb.
Rota (thinking): "From when I dropped this, earlier... Thanks to those two weirdos."
Earlier that day, the sun had been high and bright. She had taken Lele to the graveyard, a weekly ritual she tried never to miss.
Rota: "Sorry I'm late this week..."
Rotavitea knelt next to a modest grave, a bouquet of wildflowers in hand. The name inscribed upon the tombstone was simple: Clavia.
Rota: "The workshop has been especially busy. The Grand Melee is just a few days away... A lot of warriors have come to purchase the best weapons and armor they could find. We've really made a name for ourselves, Clavia..."
She laid the flowers down gently. Behind her, the small black and white fox padded forward, sniffing at the cold stone before curling up beside it with a soft huff.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
Rota: "Lele, show some respect...!"
The fox merely flicked an ear, indifferent.
Rota: "Anyway, I was searching through some old dusty drawers the other day. Look what I found..."
She retrieved the silver bell from her pocket.
The moment the silver caught the sunlight, Lele's fur bristled. She bared her teeth, a low, vibrating snarl escaping her throat. She didn't look at the metal; she looked at the air around the metal, as if seeing something invisible.
Rota: "Lele, stop! I know you don't like it, but Clavia should know I found it."
The fox quieted, but her teeth remained bared, her eyes locked onto the bell. They were glowing faintly, a swirling luminescence that spoke of magic churning behind her gaze.
Rota: "I recognize the inscriptions... I guess grandpa Owl must have given this to you, right? Don't worry. I'll keep it safe. It's the only thing we've left of him, after all... Well, that I've left of him. For all I know, maybe you're already together again. He was certain that would be the case, moments before he passed..."
She tucked the bell safely back into her pocket. The glow in Lele's eyes faded, the tension leaving the animal's frame.
Rota: "... That's all I wanted to show you today. Sorry I can't hang around for long, but we've got a lot of orders to take care of... But I'll make it up to you next week, I promise!"
Standing up, she brushed graveyard dust from her coat. The little fox followed close at her heels as they left the quiet sanctuary and stepped into the chaotic bustle of the city streets.
Immediately, Rota regretted not taking the back alleys.
The roads were far more crowded than she had anticipated -- a river of travelers, merchants, and wandering warriors drawn by the gravity of the tournament. She struggled to move through the throng, pushing past shoulders, weaving through the dense fabric of conversations.
Then...
... A collision.
A sharp jolt knocked her backward, balance failing as she was sent sprawling onto the stone-paved street.
Rota: "Ouch... Hey, watch where you're going!"
As she hit the ground, the bell was thrown from her pocket. It skittered across the stones, ringing with clear, piercing chimes as it rolled.
Ding. Ding. Di-
Lele's head snapped toward the sound. The fox's eyes flashed with that strange luminescence. It wasn't a growl this time, but a pulse of will.
The bell didn't just stop ringing; the sound was strangled mid-air. It went dead silent while still rolling, as if wrapped in a blanket of heavy, invisible energy.
Bazren: "Excuse me? You're so damn tiny I barely saw you! You should be the one paying more attention..."
A woman loomed over her. She was young and striking, with irises the shocking pink of a wind rose. Beside her stood a man, his eyes just as peculiar: a deep cyan, pupils shaped like open ensos.
The man crouched to retrieve the bell. His hand hovered over it, but he hesitated. His head tilted, nostrils flaring slightly as if catching a scent that had nothing to do with the city's smog.
His gaze flickered, not to the bell, but to the fox.
He felt it. That stifling of the sound. It was magic. It felt thick, viscous... oddly familiar to the dark arts they had encountered with Mola, yet distinctly different. Less chaotic. More... imprisoned.
For a moment, he looked almost... impressed. A look of recognition.
Xayn: "Well, well... There's something I haven't felt in a long time."
Lele growled, sensing she had been seen.
Then snarled.
Then, lunged.
Rotavitea barely caught her in time, scrambling to scoop the fox into her arms before Lele could sink her teeth into the man's wrist.
Rota: "Lele, stop that! And you, lady... you're lucky I'm in a rush, or else-"
The man chuckled. It was a soft, airy sound.
Xayn: "Please, don't mind her. She's rude to everyone. Including *me*."
The woman rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.
Bazren: "Oh cry more, would you?"
The man ignored her and instead picked up the bell. He held it out to Rotavitea, though his eyes remained fixed on the bundle of fur in her arms.
As she took it from his hand, he gripped hers to help her stand. His skin was smooth, but shockingly cold, like marble left in the shade of a crypt.
He helped her up. And as she steadied herself, she noticed something else.
For all his nonchalance, his fingers lingered on hers just a second too long. His cyan eyes bore into her.
Like he was memorizing the moment.
Like he was memorizing her.
Xayn: "Sorry about that. Have a good day, yes?"
With that, they were gone, swallowed by the crowd.
Rotavitea watched them disappear, scowling.
Back in the dim quiet of the workshop, the scowl returned to her face as she stared at the bell in the drawer.
Rota: "Something caught his eye, that's for sure..."
She saw her own distorted reflection in the curved silver surface.
Rota: "Was it grandpa's bell...?"
She looked over her shoulder at the sleeping fox, a ball of black and white fur.
Rota: "Or did he sense that you're no normal fox...?"