Chapter 221 Trust Starts With Action

"Have you seen what they're truly made of?" Halys asked. "The human vessel–"

"Lee Seng." Lady Vix'i corrected Halys.

"Lee Seng… Hides a tremendously huge secret. A huge power that could easily change the lines of Fox Spirits forever."

"And you know this secret?"

"One of the soldiers, undercover, saw him kill humans like nothing during his entrance exam." Halys told her.

"He killed humans? Why?"

"His form shifted into this black liquid energy and corrupted his form. The Commander thinks the form is trying to mimic Eshra's abilities. Eshra has the rarest Fox ability, ability mutation. That ability mutation, when it was introduced to him, augmented and even gave him new abilities. Eshra could control his energy at will and it looked similar to it. Commander wants to know what he's capable of since the God King has gotten him to visit us."

"That's why you accepted my offer earlier?" Lady VIx'i raised an eyebrow. Halys nodded, bowing deeply before raising his head.

"I'm sorry about this, but the Commander needs to know what he's capable of."

"And why is Chimera so interested in him? Does Lee Seng remind Chimera about their youth?" Lady VIx'i watched as Halys's eyes softened. She could tell Halys didn't know the answer. Chimera kept much to themselves but would always be a formidable strategist, commander and firstborn of God King. "Chimera has lived two and a half millennia. They've stood by the God King's time at the beginning of the God King's ascension and has been awarded many gifts even after their evolution to the Nine-tailed Fox state. If eldest has their eyes on the twins then I will not interfere if you're worried about that."

"No, m'lady… I only wish to tell you of Chimera's commands."

"I won't be too wary. I hope you can find out whether Lee Seng is on our side or not."

"Yes, m'lady." Halys bowed, again.

"Well if that's it," Lady Vix'i unfolded her arms and legs. "We should get to the square. We bring news of our brethren lost to the Cursed Forest."

"O-our brethren?!?" Halys stuttered in a state of shock. Lady Vix'i nodded and stood up.

"Come, General. We must bury our brethren. Then you can figure whatever you need to figure out about Lee Seng. I would hope he could stand by the Fox Spirits side when all is over. His Fox Spirit admires him like an older brother. I would hate for the two to be split on their views."

—

The square was filled by the time Lee Seng and Keng came back. The large crowd was filled with Fox Spirits of varying tails. Lee Seng noticed most of them settled around the four or five tail mark. They all looked kitsune-like but had minor racial traits that split from what Lee Seng looked like. HE saw those with scales, fur, slimy features, etc. Even the tails differed, here and there.

Lady Vix'i climbed up the steps as General Halys followed behind her with Nabi and Zixin behind him. The crowd quieted down and Lady Vix'i faced the crowd with a stoic look. Lee Seng couldn't believe the researcher could be such a stoic leader.

"Brethren!" Lady Vix'i's voice boomed. "I come before you to speak to you about something big that has happened while Zixin, Nabi and I have been away. As you have all heard the twins have joined us on this Realm. Though they might not stay with us, their journey has taken them to the Saviors' Tomb." The crowd began to mumble and whisper. Lady Vix'i raised her hand and the group slowly quieted.

"With that, I would like to formally introduce you to our newest addition to the Family. Lee Seng and Keng, could you come up?" The crowd began to look around. Lee Seng glanced at Keng before starting to move.

"Excuse me. Could we get through?" Lee Seng spoke up. The large group of Fox Spirits began to split. They all looked at him as he moved through the crowd. Keng followed behind, gripping a piece of Lee Seng's clothing as they moved forward. Lee Seng turned to the left and moved up the steps. He turned, releasing Keng's small pinch on his clothes, and grabbed Keng's wrist. The two walked up together as the older Foxes moved to give them center stage.

"Family, I give you our newest additions – Lee Seng Chang and Keng!" Lady Vix'i began to clap. The Family started to have mixed reactions. Claps and murmurs grew. Lady VIx'i moved and whispered into Lee Seng's ear, "Greet them. They know about the kidnapping of Eshra, so do your best to prove yourself. This is one of the trials you must go through."

"They're apart of that man that captured Eshra!"

"Why is he one of us?"

"The God King couldn't have chosen this. He must've snuck his way into figuring out how to be one of us. That's why he has two separate forms!" Keng looked at Lee Seng. He could tell Lee Seng was frustrated. His hands were balled into fists. He began to reach for Lee Seng's hand when Lee Seng cleared his throat.

"I'm just as surprised as the rest of you about what my father did to Eshra." Lee Seng looked at the crowd. They were still hesitant of him. "I'll get straight to the point. I know my place. My life in the Human Realm has taught me this much. I'm an outsider there and here. I will try my best to gain your trust. You can hate me because I'm the son of the man that took your beloved Eshra.

"So," Lee Seng took a deep breath. "I thought I'd let you know that the Cursed Forest has given us the opportunity to bring back home some lost Family members." The crowd's murmurs began to grow louder.

"You're lying! The Saviors couldn't even figure out where the fowl curse was! What makes you think you're the one who could find it?" A crowd member shouted. Lee Seng turned too look at Nabi.

"I claimed part of the curse's many souls. We brought the Family members back. If it weren't for Nabi, Zixin and Lady Vix'i, Keng and I would be dead. They helped us reclaim the lost souls and you can allow them to rest within the Family's care." Lee Seng nodded at Nabi. She took a step forward and held her hand out. Ephemeral images of all of the people in her dimension pocket started to show.

"He speaks the truth. If they weren't of the Saviors' sect, we couldn't have defeated the cursed tree that holds these members of our Family!" Nabi defended Lee Seng. The crowd began to gasp.

"I don't know how you do things here, but …" Lee Seng looked down at his feet. He raised his head and looked at the crowd, making eye contact with different Foxes. "Not having a body to put someone you love into the earth, so they can rest easy in your heart and mind… I know how that feels. The person I looked up to the most, left on a mission and never came back. People said he had died during the mission but couldn't be found. There was no body to be buried. No body to cry over. No body to say goodbye to. These may only be a small part of the total bodies lost to the Cursed Forest, but they've come home. They've been found!"

Keng gave a soft smile as he squeezed Lee Seng's shoulders. He nodded. The crowds murmuring began to die down. Lee Seng sniffed, wiping his eyes and forcing a smile.

"Lee Seng and I may have joined the Family as your youngest brother, but I know one day you'll accept us." Keng spoke. "For now, we must finish the mission started by our brethren in the Saviors' sect. They're closer than you think. We met them and they seem to miss you."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Just know the Saviors' sect has ascended and followed the God King's will. They fight in a plane of existence that we cannot see. We met them. Lady Freya, Lord B'haru, and Lord Tyrus do well. Krystofer has watched the Tomb for centuries and has finally gone to be with them. They continue to do the God King's work as the sect's future changes here. Lee Seng and I have a lot to do to gain your trust and I hope we can finish one of the final chapters in the sect's books – the Cursed Forest. We will bring back our fallen brethren and lay them to rest within the warm embrace of the God King and his Family."

"There are a couple of Foxes who were on the verge of death." Lee Seng cleared his throat. "If there were healers here, we could–"

"There are no healers! The Saviors are all gone!" A crowd member shouted. Lee Seng's eyes widened and he looked at Lady VIx'i.

"Is that… true?" Lee Seng asked.

"It's true. The Saviors were few and even then, they were the most formidable of the sects. There were always enough of them around to heal and make sure our people were taken care of. We've gone centuries without a new Savior and many more have died because of this." Lady Vix'i told him. "Even so, the Saviors taught the Family well in medicinal options. Those who've been afflicted by the curse of the forest, well… We're unsure if we could do anything to help… That's why I hoped you two could do some sort of healing, but…"

"They aren't here anymore and we aren't even sure if we can heal them…" Keng finished.

"Correct. That's why we've been hesitant about revealing this to you, Family." Lady Vix'i looked at the crowd. She put her hands on Keng and Lee Seng's shoulders. "I hoped these two could heal the injured but our chances may be slim. We should prepare for the worst…"