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XCV. Celebrity

  The fox's shaky legs trembled, but it found the strength to press forward.

  With a small, sharp bite, its teeth pierced the dome's surface.

  The barrier ruptured.

  Like a bubble bursting, the darkness dissolved instantly, allowing the small creature to step onto the battlefield.

  The world remained frozen.

  The fox paused, sniffing the air.

  Something caught its attention.

  It turned -- nose twitching -- before trotting through the battlefield's eerie stillness.

  Past Virno, blade inches from his own chest.

  Past Lunalus, locked in a stance of frozen fury.

  It stopped at a single object in the dirt.

  Ballo's coin.

  Tails-side up.

  The fox stared at it. Then, it looked back at Virno and Rotavitea, its expression unreadable.

  It hesitated.

  Then -- decision.

  Grabbing the coin with its teeth, it padded over to Rotavitea.

  Fox: "Yip..."

  Gently, it placed the coin on the ground.

  The grey light in its eyes deepened.

  The coin flipped itself over.

  Heads-side up.

  The world reacted.

  The coin shook violently, vibrating like a trapped heartbeat --

  And before anything could happen, the fox bit into Rotavitea's clothes.

  Then -- they vanished.

  Time resumed.

  Virno's mind snapped back into focus.

  His breath hitched.

  The sword was still gripped in his hand, the tip just inches from his chest.

  It felt like he had blinked -- no, like he had dozed off for a split second.

  But something was wrong.

  His pulse hammered in his ears. His instincts screamed that something had changed.

  And across the battlefield --

  Lunalus knew exactly what had happened.

  Lunalus: "Filthy time-benders...!"

  His voice dripped with fury.

  Lunalus: "So, you're already in league with them?!"

  Virno's gaze snapped to him.

  And then -- he remembered.

  His fingers tightened around the hilt.

  Virno: "Don't know what the hell just happened... But I'll figure it out after I'm done with you!"

  A surge of magic burned through the blade --

  But before he could strike,

  WHOOM --

  An explosion erupted behind him.

  Not a blast, but a pull.

  Virno's body was dragged backward, sucked into the strange energy swirling behind him.

  Particles of grey magic littered the air.

  And within the storm -- a hand reached out.

  A single touch to his shoulder.

  A cube of grey light snapped shut around him.

  His movements slowed.

  Virno's eyes widened -- he tried to move, tried to speak --

  But he was trapped in a prison of slowed time.

  Lunalus' breath hitched.

  He knew who was here.

  Lunalus: "You..."

  As the dust settled, a silhouette stood at the heart of the blast.

  In one hand, he held a coin.

  Ballo's coin. Now cracked. Brittle.

  The Lion: "So, it *wasn't* him, after all. Did you manage it by yourself, Virno...?"

  His voice was deep, absolute.

  He turned, gazing at Virno's confused, frozen figure.

  Noticing his cracked jade eyes, he let out a sigh.

  The Lion: "Though the power bestowed upon you is undeniably great... You ought to use it more responsibly."

  Virno tried to speak.

  His lips moved too slowly to form words.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  Lunalus, however, laughed.

  Lunalus: "What -- thought you'd find the Owl here...? I'm afraid I've bad news to share..."

  The coin crumbled to dust in The Lion's hand.

  And in his other, a weapon materialized.

  The reality-bending scimitar.

  The Lion: "Be gone, Lunalus."

  Lunalus' smirk remained.

  Lunalus: "We meet again, Lion... I trust we both know how this goes."

  The Lion's grip tightened.

  The Lion: "... Indeed. But I've little time to indulge you today."

  The air itself split.

  The Lion slashed forward, and space collapsed.

  Lunalus was instantly teleported -- dragged forward, right into The Lion's waiting grasp.

  Before he could react --

  A hand closed around his throat.

  Bones cracked.

  Lunalus choked.

  The Lion: "One less vessel."

  The scimitar rose.

  Then -- a single effortless swing.

  Lunalus' head separated from his body.

  A black mist seeped from his severed flesh.

  The Lion held the head by the neck, unbothered by its weight.

  Lunalus' decapitated form began to disintegrate from within.

  The scimitar's magic devoured him, atom by atom.

  And yet --

  Lunalus: "Only t-thousands more to go...!"

  His lips twisted into a final, mocking grin.

  Then -- his eyes rolled back.

  Lifeless.

  The Lion let go.

  The severed head fell to the ground, vanishing into dust just like the body had.

  In the blink of an eye, the battle was over.

  Sheathing his blade, The Lion turned to Virno.

  The Lion: "Now..."

  The grey cube shattered.

  Time flowed naturally for Virno once more.

  His body staggered, suddenly unrestrained.

  The Lion's eyes studied him.

  The Lion: "Wielder of the Sword of Greed. I am glad to see you haven't allied yourself with Nox."

  Virno's body ached.

  His chest heaved.

  Still, through ragged breath, he managed a smirk.

  Virno: "S-so... Gonna give me a recruitment speech, too...?"

  The Lion shook his head.

  The Lion: "I sense that would be futile."

  He took a heavy step forward.

  The Lion: "I have but two questions for you."

  Virno tensed.

  The Lion: "Was his death painful?"

  A stillness.

  Virno knew who he meant.

  Virno: "I-I can't tell you that."

  His fingers curled.

  Virno: "He gave his life for mine. That's all I know."

  A pause.

  Then, the Lion nodded.

  The Lion: "Then at least he died on his own terms. I'm glad."

  His expression remained unreadable.

  The Lion: "Then, onto my second question."

  His hands settled on Virno's shoulders.

  For a man so imposing, his touch was surprisingly steady.

  Virno expected force. Intimidation. A veiled threat.

  But there was none.

  The Lion: "You saw the city beneath the surface, yes?"

  A pause.

  The Lion: "Judging by the state of things around here... I doubt there is anything left of it. What I would like to know is this -- "

  A flicker of something sharp entered his tone.

  The Lion: "Did you see a god emerge from its ashes?"

  Virno's breath stalled.

  Virno: "A g-god?!"

  His own voice wavered.

  The Lion exhaled.

  The Lion: "That is not a very encouraging answer..."

  He released his hold and turned away, disappointment etched in the motion.

  Virno's mind raced.

  Virno: "I got knocked out for a while... When I woke up, the Cradle was already in shambles. The only thing anywhere close to a god to walk out of there would be me, I g-guess..."

  He hadn't meant it arrogantly.

  He was simply too exhausted to phrase it better.

  The Lion shook his head.

  The Lion: "No. Not you."

  A hint of finality.

  The Lion: "You'd know if you had seen it."

  His gaze drifted toward the ruins.

  The Lion: "Which means... it could already be out there."

  A beat.

  The Lion: "I only hope it isn't causing too much chaos."

  Virno barely heard him.

  His gaze darted around the battlefield.

  Something was missing.

  Someone.

  The Lion: "What's the matter?"

  Virno's voice was low, hesitant.

  Virno: "There was... s-somebody else here."

  His throat tightened.

  Virno: "They should be hiding. From Lunalus."

  The Lion's eyes scanned the forest.

  His vision swept over the landscape, searching --

  Nothing.

  The Lion: "Wherever they are... They are not here anymore."

  Virno's legs buckled.

  He collapsed to his knees.

  His vision blurred at the edges.

  Virno: "D-dammit..."

  The Lion: "Virno."

  His name felt weighty in the Lion's mouth.

  The Lion: "Thank you for what you've told me."

  He took a slow step forward.

  The Lion: "As a token of gratitude -- tell me the place you'd most like to be. Think about it as hard as you can."

  Virno's exhausted mind flickered.

  For a moment -- relief. Escape. Rest.

  But then -- Rotavitea.

  He clenched his fist.

  Virno: "I c-can't."

  His breath hitched.

  Virno: "Not until I find her."

  The Lion studied him.

  Then, he nodded.

  The Lion: "I understand. Tell me -- where did you last see this person? And how long ago?"

  Virno pointed toward where Rotavitea had been.

  And as he thought back --

  His pulse quickened.

  Virno had heard her before time warped. Just before Lunalus accused him of allying with Eclipse.

  The Lion was already watching him carefully.

  The Lion: "I see... And you noticed nothing else suspicious? Nothing at all?"

  Virno's jaw tightened.

  His stomach sank.

  The dots connected.

  Virno: "There was a fox..."

  A pause.

  Virno: "... A black and white fox."

  He described its impossible abilities.

  The way time itself had bent at its call.

  The Lion's gaze sharpened.

  For the first time since he arrived --

  He smiled.

  The Lion: "Is that right...?"

  A chuckle.

  The Lion: "Well, that is... most interesting."

  His satisfaction felt almost unnerving.

  The Lion: "Very good. Virno, I will make it my personal mission to find this girl. You have my word."

  Virno's eyes narrowed.

  Virno: "Y-your word...? Am I supposed to just trust that?"

  The Lion laughed.

  The Lion: "If you'd just let me finish."

  A gloved hand reached up.

  With a slow, deliberate motion -- he removed his mask.

  Beneath it --

  A man in his forties.

  Cleanly shaven.

  His hair, once hidden beneath his hood, was completely white --

  A mane, almost like a lion's.

  His eyes gleamed with piercing blue.

  The Lion: "Hold onto this for me, yes?"

  He rested the mask on Virno's head.

  Virno hesitated.

  The Lion continued.

  The Lion: "Without our masks, we are cut off from one another. Whoever has theirs destroyed — is immediately and automatically exiled from the group."

  The Lion removed his monochrome robes. Underneath, he was adorned in a wealthy attire, much like a nobleman.

  He unbuttoned the top of his ornate shirt.

  On his chest, a large tattoo.

  A lion's face.

  The Lion: "This sigil represents our role. If one of us is exiled -- it sears itself onto our skin forever, leaving behind nothing but a disfigured scar. Permanent. Damning."

  His fingers hovered over the ink.

  The Lion: "As the leader of Eclipse... I hope you understand what I am risking."

  His gaze was calm. Unwavering.

  Virno felt the mask atop his head...

  ... Too light for something that held so much weight.

  He exhaled, shaking his head.

  Virno: "Either you're full of shit... o-or batshit insane."

  A weak chuckle.

  Virno: "Luckily for you... I'm t-too damn fucked up to deal with the former case."

  He pulls the mask down, covering his face.

  Virno: "So... I'm holding onto it."

  His gaze lifted.

  Virno: "Just be sure you find her. Quick."

  The Lion smiled.

  The Lion: "Oh, don't worry."

  A hint of amusement.

  The Lion: "It's in my best interest, too."

  With the deal struck, Virno tells the Lion of the place he'd most like to return to.

  As the Lion touches him, both of them vanish from the battlefield.

  In mere moments, Virno found himself in an old, dusty home. It was an abandoned house in some city's slums... Yet he knew the place quite well.

  With the Lion's help, Virno sits on his old bed.

  The Lion: "This is farewell, then."

  He turned, opening a portal before him.

  The Lion: "Some last words of advice for you, Virno..."

  A final glance over his shoulder.

  The Lion: "Now more than ever... You are a walking target. Wherever you are, wherever you go... Always assume someone is watching. Nothing is safe around you. Nobody is safe around you. You must accept this, yes? Be very, very cautious."

  Virno smirked weakly.

  Virno: "Yeah... I'm getting used to the celebrity status."

  The Lion chuckled.

  The Lion: "Good. Then I will come collect my autograph some other day."

  With that -- he was gone.

  Virno barely had time to process before sleep crashed into him.

  The world faded.

  And for the first time in what felt like eternity -- he rested.

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