The Fox's Fever
"Aunt Yeryung?"
Wait—why was that person here?
"What do you mean, your aunt is a Celestial Fox? And the Academy principal, no less?"
That felt like getting hit on the back of the head.
"Strictly speaking, she isn't human. And a Chunho is a fox that has trained for over a thousand years until it becomes one with the heavens."
What kind of nonsense was that?
"She's not human? A fox? What the hell is that."
"Tch. I should've told you sooner."
With that, my guardian Geum Yeoryeong—no, the Celestial Fox—descended the stairs.
"Child of the Blue Dragon Hall, you barely received your Academy enrollment certificate from me a day ago. What reason brings you back to my door?"
Behind her, golden tails I had never seen before revealed themselves.
"I came to deliver the truth to my master. It would be better for you to see it for yourself."
"The truth... the truth, you say? Are you telling me there's an Other Side or something?"
—Sssk.
Cheonghwa answered with her characteristic smile.
"Aunt. Explain, please. What is the Other Side?"
"Impatient, aren't you. Follow me. You'll understand better once you see it."
A gesture beckoning me up the stairs.
I followed the instructions and climbed. Behind me, Cheonghwa followed.
"Aunt, were you really being sent overseas? No—wait, the whole thing about being a company employee was a lie from the start, wasn't it."
"Hmph... I'm sorry for deceiving you. That wasn't my intention."
Well, what exactly was I apologizing for?
"Where are we going right now?"
"To the other side of the world, the sacred land of the Awakened."
This person—no, this fox—after not seeing her for a while, was only spouting nonsense I couldn't recognize.
"I'll explain as we look. Once we step outside—"
—WHOOOAA!
A wind so intense it was unbelievable for indoors, a blinding streak of light that was hard to open your eyes to.
"This is the Other Side."
It was quite a beautiful sight.
A massive tree whose height was impossible to measure stood tall, its trunk so grand that the wooden buildings below seemed insignificant by comparison.
Its branches spread far to the sides, casting shadows over the village below.
"...Wow."
For a moment, even I was captivated by the view.
"That tree is the Divine Sandalwood Tree. When human civilization took root in the original world, Emperor Huanin bestowed it as a guardian spirit for our divine beasts."
"Because the Divine Sandalwood Tree sustains the Other Side, we were able to live with minimal contact with humans."
Now that I thought about it, the explanation was finally making sense—both of them were opening up.
"So the world was split into two by the power of that tree?"
"Roughly like a world inside a mirror. Because of it, the Human World and the Other Side share the same coordinates."
Coordinates? Did they have those here too?
"Do you learn coordinates here too?"
"If you knew coordinates, I'd expect you to at least read sutras. Here, you learn everything and use everything."
Along with that remark, Aunt Yeryung pulled out her phone and showed it to me.
'Oh. Even signals are picked up.'
"That's the power of the sacred tree. Here, most things you use in the outside world are made possible."
"And protecting that tree is the duty of the Four Sacred Halls, including our Blue Dragon Hall. The moment the Divine Sandalwood Tree falls, the dimensions will collapse."
The Blue Dragon Hall—authority and order that guards the East.
The Vermillion Bird Hall—rebirth and freedom that guards the South.
The White Tiger Hall—justice and honor that guards the West.
The Black Tortoise Hall—patience and protection that guards the North.
"Your four halls each pursue their own virtues and live in harmony."
Oh. I didn't really understand, but it sounded impressive anyway.
"You'd do well to remember this. These are the ones you'll command later."
"Huh?"
Why?
"Let's move to a better spot for that conversation. There happens to be a suitable place."
We changed our footing.
The Divine Sandalwood Tree grew closer, and near its roots, a small tile-roofed house that looked unused for a long time was visible.
"Look at the tree carefully."
'Huh? Look at the tree? What does that mean?'
"...What the hell is that?"
Following my aunt's words, I stared at the trunk of the tree. Along it, as if the glass had cracked, a deep fissure split it apart.
"Do you see the rift? That is the Primordial Gate. The sole entity in thousands of years that threatened the Divine Sandalwood Tree's safety. A plot to destroy the balance of the world."
"That's... that gate my father sealed with his life, isn't it?"
"Yes. The gate your father sealed with his life."
"...But... outside, they say it was your mother who did it..."
"What burst out after the gate closed was your mother, so the nation made good use of her. Your mother was, by human standards, a remarkably gifted individual."
So the hero was actually my father? I'd never even seen his face, though.
Like that, we entered the building.
"It's cleaner than I expected?"
That wasn't nonsense—it was genuinely clean. Unlike the dusty outside, the interior was so spotless not a single cobweb was visible.
"Gyaah!"
"Waaah! You scared me!"
"Hehe... Master, if you say things like that, something blue will get startled."
Did you know about the badger? No—seeing how she'd been saying "Are you my master?" since the first time I met her...
"Enough. Be quiet."
"...Yes."
Her voice was stricter than usual.
"Hwan-a. Tell me your impressions."
"Huh? It's just... cleaner than I expected, and there's a nostalgic smell to it..."
"This is your birthplace."
Whoa. The secret of birth.
"Including that child, four children will come to your side. The reason those children will be tied to you, and the destiny given to you—"
It wouldn't be a long story, she said, and sat down to begin.
**********
The Celestial Fox who communicates with the heavens. Half a century ago, her name had filled an entire spiritual mountain.
However, due to the sudden invasion of foreign forces and the response to it—
Now, only one Celestial Fox remained in the world.
"Human woman, they say the light's dim under the lamp, and sure enough, you're in a place like this."
That was what Geum Yeoryeong said the moment she stepped into the house beneath the Divine Sandalwood Tree's trunk.
"Yeryung... Sister..."
"Don't call me that. Where is that person, leaving you alone?"
"..."
"Answer me!"
All she could see was a pitiful human woman stained with fatigue.
The being she was searching for was nowhere to be seen.
"That person... saved me first, and then..."
'Tell her to follow. There's no way that person would die so easily.'
She knew they had gone into that rift to seal it, determined to do it themselves. Fortunately, the rift had stopped its foul practice of spewing monsters, and the companion she'd gone with was still alive—though barely breathing.
"..."
But the human woman gave up looking at her and lowered her head.
"...Foolish thing. Even if it cost your life, you should have saved that person."
"...I'm sorry."
"How can the Hwan family's bloodline sustain the Divine Sandalwood Tree without the Hwan lineage? How ridiculous. Truly ridiculous, and..."
—Tuk. Tduk.
Falling were the tears of the Celestial Fox. Whether it was worry that the world he had protected would crumble in his absence, or resentment that he had loved a child who was not his own to the point of letting her die—
"Hah... Hrrk... Hrrgghhh..."
It was resentment. Why her and not himself? Surely she must have done something to hold him back. If it had been him, she would never have died.
That's right. It was clearly her fault. Even if he killed her now, no one could stop him, and no one would blame her.
—Srrring.
He drew his silver sword. The gift he had given her, the one he'd said was beautiful—now it was aimed at the woman he had loved most.
"...Do you still love me, Sister?"
"..."
She gripped the sword in reverse. If she pushed it in with both hands like this, it would surely pierce through to the other side.
"Even so, I can't die."
The sight of her trying to scrape by on a wretched life was unbearable. After wiping her last tear, she moved the tip of the sword—
"...We have to save the last remaining descendant of the Hwan family."
She faltered.
She must have misheard. That would be it.
"What did you just say..."
"There's a child."
And as she said that, she touched her own stomach.
—Brrrrrrr.
"...Ha."
—Thud.
The sword fell. The desire to hold it vanished. This was a situation where killing her was impossible.
If what she said was true, killing her now would mean spending the rest of her life hiding from the Four Sacred Halls' pursuit.
"...I'm sorry."
"All you can say is 'sorry'? How simple-minded."
"When the child is born..."
—Flinch.
"Then it's okay to kill me."
"In exchange, please help this child grow well in my place."
With an expression that held no more restraint, she spoke lightly.
"...Rot."
She didn't want to see her anymore.
**********
The fetus didn't take long to grow.
"The head of the Blue Dragon Hall pays respects to the mother."
"Elder, hello."
"Please speak freely. You're carrying the next Sacred Water Deity in your womb, aren't you."
Occasionally showing herself in the Human World to carry out activities, the head of the Blue Dragon Hall came to visit.
"I heard there's a child. Congratulations."
"Ah, thank you."
"Well then, the time has come for introductions. Cheonghwa, greet them."
"A-ah... hello..."
"I am the foremost child of our Blue Dragon Hall. I am the body that will become the next hall head, and I will attend to the young lord."
'What a cute child.'
Even if she died, the people who would look after her child were growing one by one.
"Then we shall proceed with the Master-Servant Contract. Don't be alarmed when I place my hand on your abdomen."
—Woooong.
A contract that binds souls. It was the ritual of the Four Sacred Halls—loyalty to the one who carries the Hwan bloodline.
Following the Blue Dragon Hall, successors from the other Sacred Halls came as well.
"I am Yu Ryun!"
"I'm Seolhye!"
"I'm Jinyul..."
'Oh my, one by one they're all so pretty and cute. Our child is going to have a hard time with all those girls.'
She thought, the heroine known to the world.
And so time passed—
The time of birth arrived.
The child of the Hwan family was born beneath the Divine Sandalwood Tree.
Four divine beasts pledged themselves as guardians.
The cycle of the Five Elements began.
And so, four children were born—Cheonghwa of the Blue Dragon Hall, Yu Ryun of the Vermillion Bird Hall, Seolhye of the White Tiger Hall, and Jinyul of the Black Tortoise Hall.
Each one a divine beast in human form, destined to stand at the protagonist's side.
The story of the boy who would summon the Four Gods had only just begun.