The rocky path Xinyu took led to the largest mountain in the range. Known as Kitsune Mountain, its heaven-piercing peak was shrouded in nimbus clouds that dripped droplets of magic liquid upon stony caverns, soaking them perpetually. The resulting glaze gave the stalagmites a sparkly hue which illuminated the summit blue by day and violet by night, heralding the moon's gaze with a lightshow of twinkling earthen stars. Twas a fitting path for a hero, and a place brimming with mythic wonder; one which many spirited adventurers could imagine as young children, yet most never touched.
Within the mountain was a fabled cave between the east and west where all four great regions of the Helios continent met. Guarded by spirits, terrain, and secrets, it was a path few knew existed and even fewer crossed. Though elusive, Xinyu used the god Erlang's third eye of clarity to find the right path forward– a handy power belonging to the Eastland Heaven's Greatest Warrior, Erlang Shen. Standing there with her own eyes closed, she prepared to venture into the glistening cave and finally make her way to the lands her hero once spoke of.
Xinyu, lost in her daydream, took a big step forward.
Of course, she hadn't moved an inch before she bumped into something soft, yet unmoving, and fell on her behind. As she opened her eyes, she was met with a mysterious, cloaked figure blocking her path. They hovered gently aloft the earth, illuminated with a faint pearl glow. Xinyu quickly unraveled Erlang's eye upon her forehead to appraise the entity and immediately sensed divine pressure, though there was not an ounce of hostility in their soul. Their aura was kind, unlike a certain grumpy cat.
The being removed their hood and revealed the face of a snowy fox with red lines going up and down its cheeks. Although its cloaked body was shaped like a human's, its head and hands were covered in wintry fur. White as powder snow, yet radiant at fire, they exhibited the energy of an Eastland deity, though it was not one she was familiar with.
"Greetings, Xinyu Ma," the fox said in the voice of a beautiful woman. "Fortune to have found you."
"Huh? That is my phrase!" Xinyu said. "The one I have inherited! You cannot use it so frivolously!"
"Really? It's the phrase of words you're concerned about and not your name?" the figure giggled. "Tell me, how can one inherit a phrase?"
"Anything can be inherited if it is passed on from one to another," Xinyu said. "But I am not surprised you know my name. You were probably talking with that Bai Hu, you two are clearly friends!"
"Well, I do know him, but it's presumptuous to assume we are friends," the foxy figure said, crossing her arms. "Honestly, I hate that tiger. He's always in a bad mood and can't hold a conversation. You'd think we'd be kindred souls since we've both been banished from the skies, but he's just sour. For a tiger, he's quite a black sheep."
"I think I know what you mean!" Xinyu giggled. Inside, she found the thought of the mighty Bai Hu, a feared spirit of the east, being an anti-social outcast in the spirit world amusing. "Tell me your story, fox!"
"I'm Kitsune, guardian of this mountain," she said, bowing with her arms evenly at her sides. "You're the first person to cross this path since my comrades Kintaro and Arthur many decades ago. Recently, I've begun to see visions of a lovely young woman coming my way. I thought I'd greet you and give you a prophecy from heaven's greatest prophet! That's me, of course."
"A prophecy?" Xinyu asked. "Hao! This is more interesting than I expected. Please, spirit friend, tell me more! Tell me everything!"
"You're eager, but you won't like the outcome," Kitsune said as she motioned her fingers in a circle. "All human stories come to the same conclusion, after all."
A swirl of white fog encircled the two with blurry visions of the future as Kitsune's eyes began to glow a bluish white. Her voice deepened, and she whispered prophecies of what was to come.
"I saw a vision of the Merchant of Joy. Though her role is short, she is at the forefront of what is to come. She, the strongest mortal of all, fighting against it. Beautifully. Gracefully. Dutifully."
Bits of dust sparked into embers, and sparks of electricity decorated the misty tornado around them with a show of little dancing lights and flame.
"Are you saying that I am the chosen one?" Xinyu interrupted eagerly, trying to make out the blurry visions around her. "There are many stories of such a person from my land. How exciting!"
The encircling mist died down, and Kitsune's eyes returned to normal as she placed herself on the ground.
"You're not the chosen one, silly Xinyu," Kitsune laughed. "That accolade belongs to Arthur, the man who pulled Excalibur from the stone beneath a certain cave. He alone is the chosen one."
"How sad! But my future of greatness is the same thing, right?" Xinyu asked.
"It is not," Kitsune said, emulating Xinyu's unique way of talking to poke fun at her. "The chosen one is a unique case of someone favored by both fate and heaven. You are not favored by either. The gods would certainly hate you if they knew what you did, to be honest."
"I do not like them either," Xinyu said. "One day, I will reveal their secret and humble their heavenly kingdom. Then, they shall know what it is like to suffer as we have. But I suppose you are okay, so not you."
"Unfortunately, that day will never come," Kitsune said.
"Oho? Is there something else you see?" Xinyu asked.
"Should you set foot into the west, you will die," Kitsune said nonchalantly despite the weight of the words. "What's more, you will die having accomplished nothing."
Xinyu was silent. The wind still howled, and the mice still scurried amongst the rocks, but the Merchant of Joy did not declare, nor defy. The fox deity sensed her dread and continued to speak in her soothing, calming tone.
"Knowing this, will you still move forward?" Kitsune asked. "Or will you go back and enjoy the little time we have left in the Eastlands? Frankly, I do not see any more futures after this year, so it might just be better to live out your life as you were. It seems the end of time is fast approaching, and the only difference you can make is whether humanity fights against it or fades away without a sound. Perhaps–"
"Make no mistake!" Xinyu said. "My life's path has always been forward. It ends where it ends, and nothing can change that. I will not allow mere fear nor death to shackle me back."
"As expected," Kitsune said, giggling. "Then heed this prophecy wherever you go: the world's end is inevitable and nigh. An army of diseased angels will darken the sky to herald the apocalypse, and when a god descends, the end becomes assured, for nothing can defy thee, immutable gods."
"That is not very happy," Xinyu said. "But if you believe that the end is inevitable, then why do you stand before me? Why do you tell me this if it is in vain?"
"While I am bound to only convey the truths of the world, that does not mean I accept them," Kitsune said. "My truth is… I do not want the world I love to end. The humans and their songs, the grand cities, the trees and the birds, the oceans and everything in between… I've grown to admire this beautiful melody. It is for this reason that I shall not accept this end, even if resisting is futile. Like you, I will foolishly fight for things I like."
"You do not speak straightforwardly," Xinyu said as she laughed. "What you speak of is the end of humans, not existence."
"If that were the case, then my foresight would persist," Kitsune said. "This darkness looms over even heaven."
"What is it?" Xinyu asked.
"I do not know," Kitsune said. "But something is there. Something from the Moonless Terra, no doubt. The lands across the sea from which no one has returned, and not even I nor Erlang can see with our all-seeing eyes."
"I have heard tales of that place!" Xinyu said. "Surely it does not actually exist?"
"Perhaps it doesn't," Kitsune said. "But if it does, it's a place beyond the gods' reach– beyond fate. Is it where humanity escapes the gods, or is it where our end originates? It all remains uncertain. With your remaining time, I implore you to inspire a coalition of the strongest mortals so that they may brave those impossible lands. As the strongest mortal of all, and with Arthur waning in his old age, you are the only one I see fit for this task."
Kitsune walked up to Xinyu and got down on her knees. Placing her head in the dirt, the deity bowed towards the mortal.
"Like a golden comet flying across the ashen sky, split apart the dark clouds and let the glorious sun shine through," Kitsune said. "I know I ask the impossible, but please, with your final breaths, give the world a glimmer of hope. Show them that we can escape fate, even if… even if you must die to do so. I know it's a tough decision for you, but I must ask this, no matter what!"
Xinyu couldn't help but feel shy, for she wasn't used to others bowing to her, deity or otherwise.
"Stand on your feet when you speak to me. I am not an emperor," Xinyu said as she placed a hand upon the deity's head, stroking it gently. "My path has always been forward. It ends where it ends, and nothing can change that."
"So you are prepared to die?" Kitsune asked.
"Of course not!" Xinyu said, smiling. "But I will not go back now. I do not want to. I only see the path before me, even if it leads to my end."
"If that is your belief, then go forth, darling little Xinyu." Kitsune nodded and bowed respectfully as she faded into nothing.
Xinyu didn't have any thoughts in her head when she took a step into the cave. Her hands trembled at the prospect of her death, but her legs still pressed forward while her smile never left. The hesitant march she held at first turned into a run once again until she was sprinting through the darkness of the cavern. She continuously tripped over stalagmites and rocks, but she didn't let a single cut or bruise slow her flow, for she was striding toward her dream.
"Me dying? Ha, do not make me laugh, dumb fox!" Xinyu thought out loud. "I will visit this Moonless Terra myself, for if that is where the gods have come, then surely it is where proof of their secret remains."
"I think I am in love with your spirit," the voice of Kitsune replied to Xinyu's surprise, echoing off the cavernous walls. "But do you really think you can prove this 'dumb fox' wrong with stolen power?"
"How brazen of you to spy on me. Do not worry, fox, for I will figure something out!" Xinyu said. "Tell me, where should I go first?"
"Seek out Arthur. He is the Westland king and is in the capital, Wunderdum."
"You should join me!" Xinyu said. "It would make this journey much more fun!"
"I cannot, for my true body is elsewhere," Kitsune said. "I am merely a projection bound to the mountain. Worry not, for my old friend I just spoke of will be able to aid you on your journey."
"Uwah! That is incredible!" Xinyu said. "I cannot believe the king has the honor of being friends with a heavenly spirit."
"You are mistaken. The honor is mine to know that man, for he is a hero in the truest sense. The chosen one– the greatest, most resolute king of all."
The voice of Kitsune faded into nothingness once again, this time for good.
"I would like to meet this Arthur," Xinyu said. "A king like him must have an incredible story!"
Xinyu burst through the cave's exit and stared in awe at the new lands before her.
This will be fun!