Chapter 1
The Goddess Watches
Far above the mortal realms...
Beyond the Fox Realm.
Beyond the Human Realm.
Beyond even the countless heavens that drifted through the endless cosmos...
A goddess watched.
For countless ages, she had observed the lives of her children.
Foxes.
Millions upon millions of them.
Some lived quiet lives.
Some became heroes.
Some became villains.
A rare few ascended to godhood.
Every one of them eventually returned to her embrace.
Such was the natural cycle.
Such was the way of the world.
The Supreme Fox Goddess Inari sat beneath a sacred tree whose branches stretched across the heavens themselves.
Nine magnificent tails rested behind her.
Each tail carried a divine flame.
Each flame represented one of the sacred virtues of the fox race.
Wisdom.
Loyalty.
Compassion.
Courage.
Patience.
Faith.
Devotion.
Sacrifice.
Love.
The goddess closed her eyes.
The prayers of her followers drifted toward her like falling leaves.
Normally she paid them little attention.
Not because she didn't care.
But because countless voices called to her every second.
To answer every prayer personally would be impossible.
Even for a goddess.
Then-
Her eyes opened.
A single voice had pierced through the endless sea.
A cry.
Small.
Weak.
Newborn.
Impossible.
The goddess frowned.
No infant should possess enough spiritual awareness to reach her realm.
Yet the cry continued.
Calling.
Searching.
Almost as if it knew exactly where she was.
Inari slowly stood.
The heavenly realm trembled.
The countless spirits serving beneath her immediately dropped to one knee.
None dared speak.
None dared interrupt.
The goddess raised one hand.
The cry echoed again.
This time she followed it.
Across stars.
Across realms.
Across dimensions.
Toward the Fox Realm.
Toward the royal capital.
Toward the palace of the Zenko family.
Her white eyes widened slightly.
"...Interesting."
The newborn's voice grew stronger.
Not physically.
Spiritually.
The infant wasn't speaking words.
It was reaching.
Like a hand stretching toward the heavens.
Searching.
Calling.
Wanting.
Needing.
For the first time in thousands of years...
Inari felt genuine curiosity.
The goddess took a single step forward.
Reality folded around her.
Golden light exploded across Heaven.
Her nine tails swayed behind her.
"I suppose..."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"...I should see this child for myself."
The heavens parted.
The Supreme Fox Goddess began her descent.
Far below...
Within the royal palace...
A newborn child had just entered the world.
A child unlike any fox born before her.
A child without a single tail.
And a child destined to change every realm forever.
Inari gazed downward through the veil separating Heaven from the mortal worlds.
For the first time in countless ages...
The goddess found herself asking a question.
A question she never thought she would need to ask.
"What are you?"
