"Get off me, you idiot!"

The veins in my thighs glowed purple as I wrapped them around the fox's waist. Thrusting my thighs upward, I shoved the fox off me and into a nearby tree. He wheezed as his back bounced from the tree's bark.

Getting up to my feet, I walked toward the fox and crossed my arms, "How stupid can you be? Aren't you 'at your limit', or something?"

Chuckling to himself, the fox looked up and his emerald gazed pierced through me like a dagger. I took a step back and unfolded my arms, readying myself for a fight.

"That mouth of yours doesn't suit a lady, we'll have to change that, now won't we?", His white hair tickled my cheek as he whispered in my ear from behind.

I gasped, "... How did you..!", I flung around and brought my fists up to my chest, the purple light glowing fiercely.

But he wasn't there.

"You're too slow. That'll kill you", the fox bit my earlobe, making me jump.

Furiously, I grunted as I squeezed my fists and emitted sharp, purple daggers. I shot at the fox from all directions, he swiftly dodged each of the sharp assailants, but his movements became sluggish. Seeing this, I roared as I pumped more power into my hands, unleashing a storm of daggers made from the purple light. 

The fox's eyes widened as the daggers pinned his clothes to a tree, rendering him immobile.

"Ha...aha... How's that for slow...!", Panting, I clutched my knees and bent over.

"Ugh... I feel nauseous...", Cupping my mouth with my hand, I doubled over onto the ground.

The purple daggers vanished as I rolled onto my back. The fox snorted as his muscular body neared mine, which was riddled with fatigue.

"Reckless, irresponsible, unfit, and mouthy...", The fox squatted down in front of me, taking out a tiny bottle from his pocket.

"Once I take you back to Cadyri, I'll whip you into shape. I'll make you worthy of your people."

With his thumb on my chin, he tilted my head back as he poured the pink liquid into my mouth. His emerald eyes flickered between the bottle and my face as he poured until there was no more.

A jolt of energy pumped through my body, heightening my senses and renewing my strength.

"Thank you, but... Wasn't that for you?", I coughed as I hauled my body off the ground, "And what the hell is a cadyri?"

"I don't plan on staying in this world for another day, we leave tonight."

I clenched my jaw as I ran a hand through my hair, "Why are you so hellbent on taking me with you! Just do me a favor and take this power back! I DON'T WANT IT!"

The fox sneered at me, his lips forming a frightening smile, "Stupid girl... Valhalla is a spirit, a manifestation of pure magic that cannot be rid of so easily", the fox's smile faded as he caught sight of my darting eyes, "To put it simply, it is the lingering life energy of Cadyri's first ruler, Valhalla Tenuach Cenis. It seeks the Kingdoms' next worthy successor in the place of its previous monarch."

"For ages, it has chosen one of our greatest peoples from Cadyri, never has it abandoned the Kingdom in search of an alien from another world... Frankly, anomaly or not, as Lieutenant to all the kingdom's armies, it has been my sacred duty to serve all Valhalla's successors."

Bringing his calculating gaze toward me, his lips formed a tight line before saying, "And in this case, human girl, it is you."

The inside corners of my eyebrows slanted upwards as I clutched my chest, "No...No... You're lying...!"

Tears streamed down my hot cheeks as I trembled with terror, "A monarch...? I can't... I CAN'T DO IT!!"

My hands went up to my forehead where I tugged at the black strands of my hair, "Please...! Just find someone else instead...! I don't want this..!" I cried as I lost the feeling in my knees. Slumping onto the ground, I shook violently and witnessed as my veins bulged out of my skin, glowing that sickening purple.

Scowling, the fox snatched my arm, "Control yourself, or not only will you die but you'll kill everybody else with you!"

As realization swarmed over me, I began taking shaky breaths in an attempt to calm myself down.

Staring up at the fox, I grimaced, "But this is my home!"

"And your home is riddled with demons!", His emerald eyes flickered with anger, "They've intruded on the lives of your friends, and soon everyone else you care about. When will you understand that you're not just a danger to yourself but to everyone else in this town?"

I froze, "...How... How did you know they attacked my friends..?"

The fox took a step closer, his eyes narrowing, "That day at the mines, your friends entered as a group, and left as a group. The demons never witnessed when you got trapped or when you escaped afterward. I did. Thus, they hunted down your friends as I continued to observe you instead."

Staring off into the distance, I furrowed my eyebrows, "B..But when I came back to see Reed and Laila, they were fine..."

"Two of those soldiers sent to search for Valhalla were dream demons. They can easily manipulate the minds of humans and blur the line between reality and imagination."

"Two..? What there's more of them?", I bit down on my lip.

"And they face the same time limit as I do", crossing his arms, the fox gazed at me stoically, "but their bodies handle it differently than mine. They will become unstable with power and seek to unleash it onto the townspeople..."

I jolted and sprung onto my feet, "And you couldn't have said that sooner, you have to stop them!"

The fox shook his head, "these humans mean nothing to me. My goal has been to take you back with me from the beginning."

My nostrils flared, "Maybe I'm a danger to my own people, but I'll be damned if I ran away now. I have the means of stopping them, and if you won't come with me then you can go back to your world empty-handed!"

Sniffling, I wiped the tears from my face. My heart raced as I imagined my town going up in flames. The cursed demons cackling with glee as they pranced on the dead bodies of my loved ones. The thought sickened me more than thinking about what it would be like to leave everything behind.

Gently grabbing my hand, the fox sighed, "And I'll be damned if you think I'm going to leave your side, my young mistress."