Chapter 1:
The night had swallowed the village.
No moonlight touched the narrow paths between the houses. Only the faint orange glow of burning torches moved through the darkness as the soldiers of the Widow marched from house to house.
The villagers knew what that meant.
They had come again.
A young girl ran through the forest, stumbling over roots and fallen branches. Her breathing was fast, and tears blurred her vision.
“Help!” she screamed. “Somebody, please help me!”
Behind her came the sound of boots.
“Catch her!”
The girl looked over her shoulder.
Four soldiers were chasing her.
She ran faster.
Her foot caught a root, and she fell hard onto the ground.
Before she could get up, one of the soldiers grabbed her arm.
“Let me go!” she cried, struggling.
The commander stepped forward slowly. He was a tall man dressed in dark armor, with the Widow's symbol engraved across his chest.
“Enough running,” he said coldly.
The girl trembled.
“Please…”
The commander reached toward her.
Then—
WHOOOSH!
Something flashed through the darkness.
The soldiers froze.
An axe spun through the air as though an invisible hand had thrown it.
It struck one of the soldiers, who collapsed to the ground.
The axe fell beside him.
Silence.
The commander stared into the darkness.
“Who's there?”
No answer.
He raised his sword.
“Come out!”
The forest remained still.
The commander looked around suspiciously.
“Search everywhere!”
The remaining soldiers glanced at one another.
Then the commander suddenly grabbed the girl and pulled her against him. He pressed a knife against her throat.
“Whoever you are,” he shouted into the darkness, “come out now, or this girl dies!”
The girl's eyes widened.
She could hear her own heartbeat.
Then she saw something move between the trees.
A figure stepped into the faint light.
A woman.
She wore black from head to toe.
But what caught the girl's attention wasn't the clothing.
It was the silver.
Silver ornaments shimmered against the woman's dark clothes, reflecting the little light that reached the forest. Her presence was strangely calm, almost as though she had been standing there long before anyone noticed her.
The commander tightened his grip on the girl.
“Who are you?”
The woman looked directly at him.
“Release the girl.”
Her voice was quiet.
But there was something in it that made the soldiers uneasy.
The commander laughed.
“You give me orders?”
“Yes.”
The commander pressed the knife closer.
“Then perhaps I should kill her.”
The woman did not move.
One of the soldiers suddenly stared at her.
His face changed.
His eyes widened.
“No…”
The commander looked at him.
“What?”
The soldier took a step backward.
“Commander…”
“What is it?”
The soldier pointed toward the woman.
“That's…”
He swallowed.
“That's the Black Fox.”
The other soldiers immediately became nervous.
The commander frowned.
“The Black Fox?”
The name had become a legend among the Widower's soldiers.
A mysterious warrior who appeared whenever innocent people were threatened.
A shadow in the night.
A fighter no one could catch.
A woman who left behind only one sign—
a silver fox.
The commander looked at the woman again.
“You?”
The Black Fox said nothing.
The commander smirked.
“You expect me to believe a child's story?”
He raised his knife.
That was his mistake.
In one swift movement, the Black Fox disappeared from where she stood.
The commander barely had time to react.
She struck his arm, forcing him to release the girl.
The girl fell backward.
The commander swung his sword.
The Black Fox stepped aside.
His blade cut through empty air.
She moved quickly, dodging another attack before striking the sword from his hand.
The other soldiers charged.
She turned toward them.
One came from the left.
She ducked.
Another attacked from behind.
She spun around and blocked him.
The forest suddenly became a blur of movement.
The girl crawled backward, watching in amazement.
The Black Fox fought like someone who knew exactly what every soldier was going to do before they did it.
Within moments, the soldiers were scattered and unable to continue.
The commander reached for his sword again.
The Black Fox stood between him and the girl.
“Leave,” she ordered.
The commander glared at her.
“This isn't over.”
He motioned for the remaining soldiers to retreat.
They disappeared into the darkness.
The forest became quiet again.
The girl slowly stood.
She looked at the mysterious woman.
“Who are you?”
The Black Fox turned toward her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then the woman reached beneath her cloak.
The girl instinctively stepped back.
But the Black Fox wasn't reaching for a weapon.
She pulled out a small object made of shining silver.
A fox.
It was beautifully carved, with tiny details around its eyes and ears.
She placed it gently in the girl's palm.
The girl stared at it.
“What is this?”
The Black Fox looked at her.
“You know me.”
The girl's eyebrows drew together.
“I do?”
The woman stepped backward into the darkness.
The girl looked down at the silver fox.
Then back up.
“You're…”
Her voice trembled.
“The Black Fox?”
The mysterious woman gave the smallest smile.
“Yes.”
Before the girl could ask another question, the woman turned away.
“Wait!”
The girl ran after her.
But there was no one there.
Only the trees.
Only the wind.
And the silver fox resting in her hand.
The girl looked down at it again.
She suddenly understood.
The stories weren't stories anymore.
The Black Fox was real.
And somehow, she had chosen to save her.
