Chapter 85
Rhaevan teleported us to the next location. We found ourselves near the foothills surrounding the abandoned mining region. The forest stretched around us, dense and quiet, with mountains rising in the distance beneath a pale blue sky.
For a while, we simply walked.
The air was cool, birds chirped overhead, and sunlight filtered through the canopy in shifting patches.
If someone had told me we were on our way to investigate a suspicious magical disturbance, I might have believed them.
If someone had told me we were simply out for a pleasant morning walk...
I probably would have believed that, too.
"You know," I said eventually, "I've been meaning to ask something."
He glanced sideways at me. "What is it?"
"Were you always like this?"
He looked genuinely surprised. "Like what?"
"Broody. Emotionally... unavailable. Serious, like the world owes you money."
That made a genuine laugh break through his stoic exterior.
I pointed triumphantly. "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"What?"
"Moments like that. Where you briefly remember how to behave like a normal person. They're rare."
His expression became suspiciously amused. "I'll take that as a compliment."
"I wasn't offering one."
"I had a feeling." He sighed softly, running a hand through his hair. "I have a lot on my plate, Cassiane. Probably that's why."
"Fair enough. Still, it won't hurt laughing once in a while, you know."
"I'll keep that in mind."
We continued walking. The conversation felt surprisingly easy, washing away the lingering awkwardness of the previous site. I asked him about the Tower, about Theo, about training. To my surprise, he answered with actual, detailed stories.
"So Theo really made you practise the same spell hundreds of times?"
"Hundreds would have been merciful."
"...That's concerning."
"He believed repetition built discipline."
"I think it built resentment."
"It built both."
I laughed, prompting him to share the worst practical examination from his second year: Theo handing out unstable alchemical potions and demanding everyone identify every ingredient within thirty seconds. Naturally, it had exploded.
"According to Theo..." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "...it was part of the lesson."
I stared at him. "...Archmages are terrifying."
"They're certainly unconventional."
"I was going to say completely insane."
He chuckled. "I've heard that opinion before."
"I stand by it."
We rounded another bend in the path. The forest remained vibrant, though I noticed the trees had begun growing closer together. The trail narrowed, roots weaving across the ground like nature had decided walking was becoming too easy.
I was still trying to imagine Theo casually handing students exploding potions when my foot caught beneath one of those thick, gnarled roots.
"Ouch!"
I stumbled forward, but before I could hit the ground, a hand caught my wrist. Rhaevan pulled me back, steadying me against him.
"Careful."
"I was being careful."
"You were walking into a tree."
"The tree appeared unexpectedly."
He glanced at the enormous oak beside the trail. "It's been here for decades."
"Then it should know better."
A laugh escaped him.
I looked up, startled. Rhaevan was smiling-an actual, unguarded smile.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
His fingers were still wrapped around my wrist. His gaze dropped briefly to where he was holding me before returning to my eyes.
"You really are impossible," he murmured.
I raised an eyebrow. "And yet you keep rescuing me."
The corner of his mouth lifted.
"Perhaps I don't mind."
My heart gave one very inconvenient thud.
He released my wrist, but his fingers lingered for the briefest moment before falling away.
We continued down the trail, neither of us mentioning what had just happened.
And that was exactly when I noticed something was wrong.
The birds had stopped singing.
I frowned, holding out a hand to halt him. "Do you hear that?"
Rhaevan looked around, his brow furrowing. "...No."
"Exactly."
The forest had become unnaturally quiet. No birds. No insects. Nothing but the sound of our own footsteps. Without a word, Rhaevan slowed his pace, every trace of amusement vanishing from his face.
The healthy greenery was beginning to thin. The grass beneath our feet had faded from vibrant green to a sickly grey, and several shrubs had withered entirely. Then I noticed a smooth boulder beside the trail laced with thin purple veins, running across its surface like cracks in glass.
Rhaevan crouched beside it. He didn't touch it, merely studying the structure.
"Corrupted magic," he said quietly.
"So the reports were right."
He nodded once. "We're close."
We continued deeper into the forest. With every step, the corruption became more apparent. The towering trees grew increasingly sparse, their branches bare and twisted.
Eventually, the trees parted to reveal the abandoned mining region:
Wooden wheels half-rotted away, and rusting rails disappearing into a partially collapsed tunnel.
A cart split cleanly in half, bearing deep, fresh claw marks gouged into the metal before rust could claim it.
Thick wooden posts broken in two like dry twigs.
We moved carefully through the site until Rhaevan stopped. "Cassiane."
I followed his gaze to a very large cage partially hidden behind a collapsed storage shed. Thick iron bars were covered in faded, deeply carved runes-most of which had gone dark. The bars themselves had been bent, twisted, and forced apart from the inside.
My stomach dropped. "Something escaped," Rhaevan stated. "The runes were designed to suppress magical creatures... but they eventually failed."
We found massive paw prints in the earth, crushing everything in their path. I traced them until they vanished between the trees.
"...I don't suppose those belong to an unusually large rabbit."
"No."
"I had to ask."
He almost smiled. Almost.
Then, a deafening roar shattered the silence.
The sound crashed through the clearing with enough force to make the ground tremble. Somewhere high above us, a flock of birds burst from the distant treetops.
Rhaevan immediately stepped in front of me, defensive magic spiraling around his hands as intricate runic circles formed one after another.
Another roar echoed through the forest-closer this time.
Branches snapped. Something enormous barreled through the trees.
"Stay behind me."
For once... I didn't argue.
The undergrowth exploded outward. A massive silver shape burst into the clearing, skidding across the earth before coming to an abrupt halt several meters away.
It looked like a fox-if someone had taken a normal fox and fed it concentrated nightmares.
Silver fur covered its enormous body, beneath which jagged purple cracks pulsed with unstable energy, spreading across its legs, chest, and neck like veins of molten crystal.
Nine enormous tails lashed violently behind it. Its eyes burned with pain.
The fox threw back its head and roared again. Purple mana erupted around its body in violent waves, splintering nearby trees.
"It's corrupted," Rhaevan said quietly.
Before I could ask what he meant, the fox lunged. Rhaevan reacted instantly, sending a concentrated bolt of his magic forward. The fox twisted aside with impossible speed, and the spell tore through three trees before exploding against a boulder.
For a split second, the fox's body convulsed. Purple light surged beneath its fur, and a low, pained whine escaped its throat.
It charged again, thrashing wildly. Trees shattered. Rocks split apart. Rhaevan narrowly avoided a sweeping tail, forming a second spell as he was cornered against a cluster of jagged rocks. The creature raised its paw to strike Rhaevan.
And before I could think-something snapped inside me.
"HEY!"
Everything stopped. The fox froze. Rhaevan froze. I froze. Even the forest seemed to hold its breath.
The enormous fox slowly turned its head toward me. I swallowed hard. Then, because apparently I had already committed to this incredibly questionable decision, I pointed right at it.
"Leave him alone."
The fox blinked. Rhaevan blinked. I blinked.
Slowly... very slowly... the fox took a step toward me. Curiously.
I instinctively took a step backward. It followed.
Behind me, I could hear Rhaevan moving carefully, cautiously. My eyes remained fixed on the enormous creature. It wasn't growling anymore. Its breathing was still ragged, but when it looked directly into my eyes, a sudden, inexplicable wave of empathy washed over me.
It's hurting.
"Cassiane," Rhaevan's voice was calm, but I could hear the tight tension beneath it. "Move away from it."
I wanted to. But as I looked into its eyes deeper, an entirely different thought forced its way into my head:
I want to comfort it. I want to... cuddle it.
Wait. What?
The fox stopped directly in front of me, close enough that I could see the tiny tremors running through its body. It let out a low growl-not threatening, but almost uncertain.
Then, it lowered its massive head until it was level with my outstretched hand, hesitated, and gently nudged my skin.
Behind us, the spell Rhaevan had been preparing fizzled out. Nobody moved. Least of all me.
The fox nudged my hand again, then lowered itself onto its haunches and looked up at me expectantly.
"Oh no," I muttered.
I recognised that look. Cookie wore that exact expression whenever he wanted me to scratch behind his ears.
"This is either going to be incredibly wholesome..." I took a careful breath. "...or the worst decision I've ever made."
"Cassiane, don't," Rhaevan warned.
"I know."
"You don't know."
"I really don't."
The fox made a tiny, impatient rumbling sound.
Very carefully... very, very carefully... I reached out.
The moment my fingers touched the top of its head, a soft silver light spread beneath my palm. The fox closed its eyes, the violent tension leaving its body instantly. A deep, pleased rumble vibrated through its chest as it leaned into my hand.
It wasn't the roar of a monster. It was the contented purr of an animal finally finding peace.
The silver glow lingered before fading away. As it disappeared, I noticed something: the purple cracks hadn't vanished, but they had dimmed significantly. The fox's breathing had steadied, too.
"Cassiane," Rhaevan said, approaching with every movement deliberate. He lowered his hands, dissolving the magic circles into drifting blue motes. "Are you alright?"
"I..." I looked down at the fox currently pressing its enormous head against my palm. "...I genuinely have no idea."
He studied the creature closely. "I have never seen a corrupted magical beast behave like this. Have you met this creature before?"
"No."
"Are you certain?"
"I'm fairly confident I would remember meeting a fox the size of a house."
The fox continued staring at Rhaevan. When he cautiously took one more step, the fox's ears flattened, and it let out a quiet warning growl.
"Easy," I said, absentmindedly scratching behind one of its ears. The growl stopped immediately.
The fox looked at Rhaevan for another long moment, and then-very deliberately-it rolled its eyes.
Silence.
I looked at the fox. Then at Rhaevan. Then back at the fox.
"...Did... that... it just rolled its eyes at you."
"I noticed."
"I don't think it likes you."
"I gathered that."
The fox nudged my hand again, interrupting our conversation for a much more important petting session.
"This is emotional blackmail," I sighed dramatically.
The fox rumbled happily.
"...You're impossible."
"Don't encourage it," Rhaevan said.
"I'm not."
"You've been petting it for the last minute."
"It started it."
"I don't believe that's how responsibility works."
Before we could debate responsibility any further, the fox's ears twitched. The rumbling stopped. Its entire body went rigid beneath my hand.
Lifting its head sharply, every trace of contentment vanished. A deep, threatening growl rolled through its chest-not at Rhaevan, but past him, toward the tree line.
Heavy footsteps crunched through the underbrush: slow, deliberate, and drawing closer with every passing second.
The fox stepped in front of me without hesitation, its tails fanned out protectively.
Neither Rhaevan nor I spoke. We simply stared into the trees... and waited.