The air hums faintly, energy swirling around Kai as he stands at the shrine’s edge, hands shoved deep into his hoodie pockets. The forest feels heavier tonight, like the trees are watching him. His jaw clenches, golden eyes narrowing on the foxfire that flickers around his fingers, its glow fading as his hand tightens into a fist.
“This is so damn stupid,”
he mutters. The shrine, the pact, the family; it all feels like a noose around his neck. Every second spent here chips away at the little freedom he still dreams about. But dreaming isn’t enough anymore. Not tonight.
Kai glances back at the shrine, its stone walls bathed in moonlight, unyielding and silent. A symbol of the bond he never agreed to. His tail flicks behind him as his thoughts spiral.
I have the power. Don’t I?”
Then, like a spark igniting dry wood, he feels his foxfire flare to life in his hands. It’s wild, untamed, almost alive, as if it senses the storm brewing inside him. His lips curl into a bitter smirk.
If they want a loyal dog, they picked the wrong fox,”
The decision isn’t entirely made, but Kai steps forward anyway, out of the shrine’s protective circle and into the woods. His boots crunch against the forest floor. The mist swirls around his legs, parting like it’s afraid to touch him.
For the first time in years, he feels like he’s in control. Or maybe it’s just the adrenaline talking. But before he can go further, a voice cuts through the silence.
"Kai.”
He freezes, the weight of it heavy in the air. His golden eyes snap to the source of the voice. It’s like a magnet, the force pulling him back to where he doesn’t want to be.
“Dammit.”