Royal Pride

by Zelda Knight

  “Shit! Damn it all! We have to go after Asuka, or Sarah might–” Bo Chang didn't have to finish his sentence.

  They all took one last look at each other and dashed ahead, chanting underneath their breath as their tails elongated and shielded them from the wind. It beat at them mercilessly, but they remained dead set on their mission to recover Sarah before she was banished to the void.

  Defying the will of the gods was risky business. Defying the will of the god of their moon could mean damnation. But they'd do whatever it took to save their beloved. Min-joon refused to go through another moment, waiting for her to be reborn. He refused to watch helplessly as her soul ceased to exist entirely.

  Together, they burst through the portal just as the fissure through time and space closed behind them.

  Chapter Seventeen

  BO CHANG

  The trio emerged in a field of sunflowers, as they expected, part of the moon god's beautification process on the lonely hunk of gray he called home. They instantly assembled back-to-back, tails elongating and covering their body. But no one attacked. Not Old Crow, who Bo Chang suspected was still trapped at their palace, nor the demi-god Asuka, his lackey, nor did the moon god himself make an appearance. It perplexed them all greatly.

  "What should we do," Toshi asked, the first to break their protective formation.

  Min-joon was the second, "Stay close to us co-fated! Your life hangs in the balance if Asuka returns or Yuèguāng comes. We searched for her. Fight to bring Bijoux back and head directly to the goddess if that's what it takes."

  "Nonsense," Bo Chang interceded, finally lowering his own defenses long enough to catch up with his bickering partners as they marched forward aimlessly. "We'd be cut down because we could even reach that level of the heavens. We have to be realistic."

  "What the fuck is realistic," Toshi yelled, much to Bo Chang and Min-joon's visible carnage.

  "Calm yourself before you alert him that we are near," Bo Chang ordered, but he rebuffed him.

  "He already knows, co-fated! He's a supreme god of moon light and waves. We have to throw everything we got at him while we still can." Toshi had a point, but it would be a suicide mission for him.

  "Then let us go and you guard where the portal closed to make sure that Old Crow doesn't have more ticks dangling from his ankles," Min-joon demanded.

  But none of them seemed able to come to a realistic course of action in the face of the absurdity of it all. As they argued, they didn't notice footsteps approaching, for they held no recognizable energy. It was only when they were within striking distance did the fox separate, transform, and generate so much power that they burned the sunflowers around them to a crisp.

  However, they were shocked to find a young girl who had a striking resemblance to their fated mate, rather than an enemy who had crept up to attack.

  Bo Chang thought to ask her who she was when a devious thought entered his mind. He rushed forward and captured her with his tail as she screamed, Min-joon and Toshiyuki looking on in horror even as they moved to follow.

  Yuèguāng lived a secluded life, and rarely got involved in the affairs of humans or gods. So, if he was willing to bring a human girl to his realm, she had to mean something to him. He'd use her as bait in exchange and end things without a bloodbath. At least, that's what he hoped for, as the girl twisted and turned, screaming for help.

  "Bo Chang! We shouldn't–" Before Min-joon could scold him, or talk some sense into his mind, they all stopped in their tracks as something large shook the ground, sunflowers swaying violently to the left.

  A shadow overtook the ground, and the fox gods scattered as a large rabbit with blood-red eyes landed before them. Bo Chang rolled, tucking the girl between his tails so she wouldn't be injured, and got back onto his paws as the dust settled.

  “What is the meaning of this Yuèguāng!” Bo Chang’s fur stood end to end, eyes blazing with hatred towards the rabbit god in front of them. He hopped forward and landed again, the force of his movements shaking everything in its wake, including the fox gods, but not as violently as before.

  In seconds, the giant white rabbit morphed into a tan young man, who looked younger than Bo Chang and Min-joon, even Toshiyuki in age. The gods looked upon the eldest in shock, never having looked upon his human form. He looked nothing like Bo Chang imagined he'd look like, but that mattered little. What mattered was that he returned Sarah to their side.

  The younger god bristled, baring his teeth. “The girl is mine! She will be my bride. And you will put her down this instant”

  “Not until you bring our bride back to us, Ying Yue!” Bo Chang snapped back, using his informal name disrespectfully to get a rise out of him.

  "You expect me to cave to barbarism?" The elder god seemed appalled.

  What's more barbaric than banishing a soul to the void never to be reincarnated!" Bo Chang countered.

  "Guys!" the young girl shouted so hard her cheeks turned blue from the effort. "Please put me down and listen to what he has to say! I promise he's a little pushy, but he's really trying to save Aunt Bijoux."

  Aunt Bijoux? All three fox gods looked up at the girl in confusion.

  "I see there must have been a huge misunderstanding. Asuka! Jong-hyun. Come," Ying Yue ordered, and two shadows formed by his side. At first, Bo Chang thought them both demi-gods, but on closer inspection it seemed the one called Jong-hyun was hiding more power than he chose to reveal.

  The two men–more like a man and a teenage boy on closer–surged forward and took the girl back with them to Yin Yue's side. He shook his head, long curly black hair dancing on the wind.

  "Now let's talk like civilized beings, hm?" Ying Yue offered, ushering the triad of gods forward. They did as they were told, transforming back into their human form.

  "Who is this girl?" Min-joon asked, cocking his head sideways.

  "I have a voice and a name, you know. I'm Li-Lang. Li-Lang Ho. Aunt... Sarah's niece. And this is apparently my... fiancé. To be honest, I don't know what's going on but..." her voice cut short as a squeal pierced the air. All the gods covered their sensitive ears as Jong-hyun rolled his eyes and Asuka smiled widely.

  "Are you Toshiyuki! OMG! I have all of your albums and I'm... Wait... Oh no!" Li-Lang's exhilaration turned into despair as she sank into Jong-hyun's arms.

  Bo Chang and Min-joon looked to him for guidance, but shrugged and whispered, "I guess she's one of my fans? Lumière's big with the teen market."

  That made sense, Bo Chang thought, watching the girl go through a breakdown with concern. But then he turned his attention back to the God of the Moon.

  "So why did you order her to be kidnapped in the first place if you wanted a peaceful resolution?" Bo Chang asked.

  "Kidnapped?" Ying Yue cocked his head to the side this time around, appearing infinitely younger than his age of at least three thousand years, eclipsing even Bo Chang. "I asked Asuka to bring her here. But I guess she fought him instead. Old Crow was to inform you all. What a mess they have made... and she."

  That sounds about right, Bo Chang lamented.

  Before he could dwell too long on the unnecessary frenzy her kidnapping instilled or wonder where Sarah was with them all gathered on his moon, Ying Yue summoned forth the jewel that caused all the misfortune to occur.

  "The Eternal Lunar Pearl is the Jing Lunar Dynasty's most prized possession. It is also cultivated magic made more powerful by the warring clans of these two. I wish to bring them together when Li-Lang and Jong-hyun are old enough. But for now, they must return and calm down tension, as do I behind the scenes. But a god always returns a favor. And I believe this may be the answer to many prayers." Yuèguāng released the treasure that floated directly into Bo Chang's arms.

  The fox gods looked down at it with astonishment, and Bo Chang handed it to Toshiyuki so he could regain his power. But that's when he noticed a tiny chip on the otherwise perfect shell.

  He looked back at Ying Yue, his still emotional bride-to-be
, his apparent bridegroom, and the demi-god known as Asuka. He watched as one more gift drifted in his direction and reached out to grab it. Everything fell into place.

  “Ha! We’re such fools.” He cupped the glowing blue lotus petal in his hands and then unfurled it.

  Cradling the shard, the eldest fox god walked towards his co-fated with a smirk.

  “What is priceless to a human but useless to a god?” Even amid all the turmoil, Bo Chang still had time to rattle off riddles.

  Immortality, they thought in unison, as Toshi took a sip of the moon god's power.

  He contorted, a sound of pure agony escaping his lungs, but when he breathed again, his power was restored. They all embraced, thankful that nothing ended in bloodshed, and that they were closer than ever to saving Bijoux's soul.

  “We are gods, no? Then we shall craft a new soul from what remains. A shard of immortality with our combined strength. It should be enough to forge for Bijoux a new destiny. Isn't that what you're offering to us, God of the Nine-Tailed Moon?" Bo Chang, Min-joon, and Toshiyuki turned towards Ying Yue and his guest.

  He appeared pleased, motioning for Asuka to take the hands of the girl named Li-Lang, Sarah's blood relative, and the older boy. "It seems by returning the favor I am owed, you all will become my... relatives, no? So how could I not offer the only hope I see of rescuing her from the void. If this doesn't work, unfortunately, I must do my job. A wraith cannot be allowed to live, or it will grow into something grotesque and evil. I know you wouldn't want that for her, either. But with a shard of the Eternal Pearl, its nectar, and your powers maybe... maybe we can defy fate. Together."

  They all nodded in return, Toshi's twin-tails shimmering as he was fully renewed.

  “May the luck of the gods be with you, and our goddess’ blessings.” And with that, Yuèguāng bid them farewell, relinquishing an invaluable gem’s shard in exchange for a promise and a dream of a peaceful world.

  Chapter Eighteen

  SARAH

  Sarah yelped in pain as she was unceremoniously dropped on her ass at the edge of a sunflower field, having thrust herself away from her captor as they emerged on the other side of the portal. He swept down to grab her, only to double back and fly away. She was left alone to her own devices, considerably weakened and afraid.

  Behind her were gray craters that resembled Earth’s moon, and up above a sky that was not really a sky, devoid of stars, reflecting the paranormal border that separated the “profane” mortal world from the divine.

  “What the hell?” she wondered out loud, heart seizing as she limped forward. She was already at her limit, and that raven-shifter didn't help.

  She fought like a madwoman even as he tried to calm her down, convinced somehow that Ju-long had lived and sent a spy to assassinate her. Even when she realized it was a raven instead of a crow, and he looked completely human besides his purple eyes, she still didn't give up. When she saw Bo, Min-joon, and Toshi disappear before her eyes as she was swept into the portal, she thought it was the worst day of her life.

  "What should I do so I can return?" Bijoux gazed upward but found no answers in the glittering paradise above.

  She turned towards the sea of sunflowers and walked. It seemed safer than trying her luck in the barrenness behind her. As she stumbled along, she thought of everything that happened and wept.

  If only she could go back and just say yes and put her pride aside. She might not have eternity with them, but at least she'd have the night. What remained of worth in her life in the human world was her niece, and it wasn't like they'd been close. They just shared the mischance of being born with equally shitty parents.

  Li-Lang idolized her, but time would heal any wounds left behind by her absence, and she had access to all Bijoux left behind as an inheritance. Even Brother Lieu couldn't challenge her if he grew so bold.

  So, in the end, it was just her misplaced pride and insecurity that prevented her from a second chance at life. Sarah knelt down, tired to her bones, and rested. She couldn't fight the feeling of weightlessness anymore, her body going numb.

  But just as she got comfortable, hands seized her and brought her to her feet. She attempted to scream, only to see three familiar faces. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

  "How?" She asked, letting the rest of the question die on her lips.

  “What’s the point of eternity...” Min-joon whispered as he took her shaking hands.

  Toshi leaned in and kissed her cheek, eyes glowing with delight. “Precious Bijoux...”

  “If we can’t spend it with you?” Bo all but groaned into her ear, dragging her towards his broad chest; lean with muscle.

  They closed in on her, holding her tight, as Bo Chang kissed her. She shuddered as he pulled away and Min-joon's chapped lips did the same, followed soon after by Toshi. Her body felt hot and heavy, light and airy, and all sorts of conflicting emotions.

  "Trust us. Believe in us. Take our essence," they chanted, and formed a triangle around her body as they all pulled away.

  She gasped as a shard slipped down her throat, along with a lily petal and drop of milky liquid, rejuvenated her soul. The pain she felt was immense, so terrible she thought death might hurt less. But then Sarah was filled with overwhelming sensations as they all embraced her again and helped her through. And when she opened her eyes again, they glowed yellow with slit black pupils, and the birthmark on her chest was no more.

  She was no longer Sarah or Bijoux, or any other version of her reincarnated souls. She was renewed. A goddess of the House of the Nine Foxes. The fated mate of the last disciples of the Nine-Tailed Goddess.

  Epilogue

  SARAH

  Nine Years Later

  Nearly a decade had passed in the Mortal Realm since Bijoux pulled off the heist of the century, in which the story had been confused, and the legendary interdimensional jewel thief had slipped into the Realm of the Divine in the House of Nine Foxes with the Eternal Lunar Pearl unharmed. Which, if she really thought about it, was still ironic since only four foxes deities lived there currently and counting.

  Bijoux was now the stuff of legends, written about on blogs on the internet rather than preserved through ink on scrolls. While the details were all confused, Sarah didn’t mind. In the end, she got what she wanted and then some. Retirement, power, with a dose of immortal love as a topping.

  In the Realm of the Divine, and in the House of Nine Foxes, time moved much slower than in the Mortal Realm, and it seemed to freeze completely at times. It was peaceful, albeit a little eerie, in an overwhelming world occupied by so few beings. Usually devoid of any outsiders, today was different. Guests were pouring in through the wide-open golden doors, mingling on glass walkways and in lotus shaped chairs gliding in the air held up by magic. The Autumn Festival in the parallel world was more extravagant than anything she’d ever witnessed on Earth, made even more special by two celebrations Sarah never thought she’d witness for herself.

  Emerging from the Hall of the Eternal Lunar Pearl, her personal palace, she walked towards the main hall slowly. Her chunky black platforms and flowing white silk over her blue gown made it harder to walk, but she had attempted to blend her old style with Bo Chang’s neo-traditional flavor. When she finally made it, she was happy to see mortals, gods, and spirits greeting each other, at peace and full of joy. So many of her rivals were now a part of her family tree, or soon to be, anyway. It took more time than even a god accounted for to merge the Rabbit Clans back together as one.

  “Fated,” Sarah sighed, leaning back into the arms of her eldest lover Bo Chang. He had not aged a day since their first meeting, but now his hair touched the floor, and had to be held up by dotting fairies, little balls of pure energy that floated around him.

  She couldn’t wait to ditch the festivities and comb her hands through his hair as he… She was getting ahead of herself and getting worked up as well. Groaning, Sarah pulled away and ushered him forward, hand in hand.

  “Where are Min-joo
n and Toshi?” she asked, relishing the roughness of his calloused skin. She realized soon after they were married that he kept them that way on purpose, to remind himself of his humble origins, and to please his beloved.

  “By our side, as always,” he answered, smiling down at her, face radiating love.

  Soon enough, a larger hand engulfed her free hand, and she knew on the other side of Min-joon was Toshi. Just like Bo Chang, they hadn’t changed much. Their hair was longer, Toshi’s to his shoulder, while Min-joon’s touched his ankles when he took it out of his top knot, he’d grown accustomed to wearing. And Toshi still was the most eclectic dresser, with Min-joon’s clothing always elegant with a traditional flair. The only thing that really changed were their occupations, now that she thought about it.

  Toshi had retired from idol superstardom at the height of his career, much to his fans’ utter devastation. He would have faked his death if Sarah hadn’t convinced him how much his teen fan base would be pushed over the edge, so now opted for solos and other content that would show him aging over the coming years. Min-joon and Bo Chang had hung up the mobster lifestyle, much like their wife and queen, only she had also given up her life of treasure hunting. She’d found something much more precious to covet now.

  She smiled. No words needed to be exchanged. How many lifetimes had their fates been entangled? How long had she been by their side, deepening their understanding of each other as their union flourished?

  As they entered the main hall, descending a spiraling staircase line with wispy clouds, a cheer rose in the crowd. At the very center Sarah spotted the reasons for the occasion: her recalcitrant niece, Li-Lang, decked out in the finest of silk wedding gowns alongside the bridegroom hand-in-hand, Jong-Hyun, and her nine-year-old cousin in between, Kim Eun-Kyung. As much as she fussed about finally having to marry her fated mates, Sarah got the sense through her yearly visits she was looking forward to her future with them more than she let on.