The flame's hue was silver.
That night, the moon was obscured by mist, and the entire mountain lay still, as if holding its breath.
The maiden was led to the altar. Red cords bound her wrists, and moonlight stained her sleeves.
She neither wept nor struggled. She merely lifted her head slightly and gazed at the ancient tree atop the mountain peak.
Legend held that it was the dwelling place of the gods.
Those who were sacrificed beneath it would have their souls transformed into light and return to the mountain spirit.
The flames ignited.
The crowd knelt and chanted incantations. Drumbeats reverberated, and fox shadows flickered.
Whispers carried on the wind: the mountain god would seal the rift between the human and spirit realms with blood.
Her name was repeated within the incantations: Yueqi.
She closed her eyes.
Silently, she prayed: "If this is fate, then please let him not see."
—
But he saw.
He emerged from the mountain mist with silver fur covering his body and golden flames reflecting in his eyes.
He was Baiqi, the spirit fox who had guarded the mountain for a thousand years.
He should not have appeared.
From the moment the ritual began, he should have departed this world.
The divine decree had long been issued: "Spirits must not interfere with human sacrifices, or their essence shall plummet, doomed to eternal damnation."
Yet he came.
He stepped into the flames, and the fire crouched low at his feet like a beast acknowledging its master.
The crowd recoiled in terror, crying out, "The mountain spirit has defied the command!"
He ignored them.
He simply walked toward her, step by step.
She lifted her head, tears glistening in her eyes. "Why did you come? This is the gods' command."
His voice was deep and raspy like the wind. "Because I refuse to watch you die."
She shook her head, the red cord swaying with her movement. "If I don't die, the seal will break. All spirits will be thrown into chaos."
"So what?" he nearly roared.
"I've guarded this mountain for a thousand years so that you could live in peace! If the gods want you dead, then this mountain isn't worth protecting!"
The wind howled and the flames roared fiercely.
Heaven and earth seemed to tremble at his words.
She wept.
Not from fear, but from sorrow.
"Bai Qi, have you forgotten? You are a spirit; I am human. This red thread was meant to separate us."
He reached out and grasped the crimson cord. Flames leapt from his touch.
The talismanic seals along the thread cracked inch by inch, and blood trickled from his palm.
"Then I'll sever it."
The instant he tore the cord, a ray of light split the heavens.
The world trembled as the mountain god's voice thundered from the clouds.
"Bai Qi! How dare you defy fate?"
He raised his head, his golden eyes blazing like fire. "I offer my soul as a sacrifice for her life."
Thunder crashed down and struck his chest.
His silver fur scorched black and his blood turned to light.
Still, he braced himself and pushed her away from the flames.
"Go!" he screamed.
But she threw herself forward, clutching him.
"No! If you die, what use is my life?"
The flames engulfed them.
The world dissolved into crimson light.
———
At the heart of the light, they clung tightly to each other.
He whispered, "Yueqi, listen to me."
Tears streamed down her face. "Don't speak."
"I have seen the path of reincarnation. You will weep for me again, and you will forget me once more."
"I won't forget."
"You will. Because you are human, your soul will be reborn. But I will not."
He pressed his palm against her heart.
Light spilled through his fingers, as gentle as snow.
"If there is a next life, let me see you in white again. Not as a sacrifice, but for a wedding."
She stared, her eyes trembling as if they were about to shatter.
"What is that?"
He smiled. "A human vow. A way for souls to be equal."
The wind ceased. The flames stilled.
Heaven and earth fell silent as if making way for this vow.
He lowered his eyes and lightly kissed her forehead.
"Remember—Bai Qi will come for you."
Light completely engulfed him.
Night fell.
The altar burned to ashes, leaving only a faintly glowing red cord on the ground.
The girl opened her eyes and found herself utterly alone.
Her hair was in disarray and her eyes reflected the last wisp of silver light.
She picked up the red cord, pressed it to her chest, and whispered softly,
"Bai Qi, if there is a next life, I will wait for you."
The wind stirred; the mountains remained still.
The silver light shattered into countless fragments and rose into the night sky like stars.
That night became known to later generations as the "Night of the Vow."
From that day forward, no fox spirits appeared in the world below the mountain.
Yet, whenever the moon was full, people would see a silver fox standing by the lake, gazing at the reflection of a woman in white.
A thousand years later, he saw that scene again in a dream.
The flames, the red ribbon, her tears.
He finally remembered that the white veil in his dream wasn't for a wedding but for a sacrifice.
He remembered the vow he had once sworn:
"If there is a next life, let me see you in white once more."
———
The moment he awoke, tears had soaked through his pillow.
He gazed out the window as dawn began to break.
The city skyline was being carved by light.
Suddenly, he felt that the color of the light resembled the silvery white, gentle flames from a thousand years ago.
He murmured softly, "This time, let me fulfill that wedding."