[Realm: Álfheimr]
[Location: Outskirts]
Alexander had expected many things.
When his senses failed him earlier, and that voice slipped past every instinct honed to their peak, he had braced himself for the worst. A phantom, perhaps. A killer. A shade lurking in the trees with malice. Someone—something—ominous enough to make them tense.
He hadn't expected… this.
Because standing there, half bathed in the light slipping between branches, was not a person at all—but a golden fox, elegant and almost otherworldly in its appearance. Her fur gleamed, and from behind her swept nine perfectly symmetrical tails, each one waving.
"Hello, it's everyone's favorite fox spirit, Tamamo-no-Mae," she said, her voice smooth and confident. She raised one paw delicately and waved as though greeting old friends.
Alexander blinked once. Then again. Ivan did the same, both of them momentarily frozen in the same expression of disbelief.
