Another three chapters coming your way! I started writing chapter 47 and then I kept writing, and writing, and writing and now I've had to split it into two otherwise you'd be reading 3500 words for a single chapter 0_0 

I feel that I'm back to hitting my stride with the story now that I'm doing more consistent writing periods. My goal is to try and write over 500 words each time I open the word doc so that I can keep the flow of the story going. 

~ Enjoy! ~

How I made it to the roof, I'll never know. The tiles were slick under my bare feet and for a stomach-dropping second, I thought I'd fall.

Better just sit here. I plonked down fast and hard, taking a peek over the edge. The ground swayed this way and that so I withdrew my head and laid down. The chill air pressed down on me, raised goosebumps on my bared skin. I was in pyjamas now, a loose fitted nightgown that reach my knees. I reminded myself of human's old grandmas wearing it, but I liked the soft feel of the cotton against my skin.

The stars above expanded across the horizon, a streak of clustered stardust a diagonal cut through the sky. I wished the world would stop spinning, then time would still, and it would be frozen on this moment for all eternity.

The sense of dread I'd been trying hard to drown hovered close by. You didn't need to be psychic to know a war was coming. Hendrickson was amassing his Holy Knights, we had gathered all but two of the sins. It was inevitable that we would crash together, most likely in Liones.

At least we weren't at a complete disadvantage. We knew that Hendrickson had made a new generation of Holy Knights, I had insider information and Leraj was returning to Liones to keep Hendrickson occupied.

Without warning, my thoughts wandered to a taboo topic.

Was it so bad to like Leraj?

Yes, the reasonable part of me said. He tricked me, lied to me, instigated the capture for me in the town. No matter his intentions afterwards, they weren't honourable. They were born from the guilt of his wrongdoing. I shut my eyes and the thoughts scattered in the darkness.

"Men are dumb," I muttered, drifting off to sleep. I snorted awake and dragged a hand down my face. My mind felt partially clearer so I climbed back down through my window. A candle burnt low in the corner and I blew it out before tucking myself into the bed.

I burrowed my head under the covers, relishing the warmth that soaked my tired bones, then poked my head out. Heido stood in the middle of my room, a shower of green sparks dancing around his paws. He whined past the object in his mouth.

"Whatcha got there?" I asked through a yawn, fatigue settling like a weighty blanket. I didn't have the strength to give his head a soft pat as he dropped the item beside my pillow. It sunk a bit into the mattress and looked faintly like a book.

If Heido had brought it, that meant it came from Leraj – I dreaded waking up in the morning because trying to read human language with a hangover was bound to be worse than... well, I couldn't say a hangover and I didn't really know how reading could be made worse than with the aftereffects of alcohol.

Heido whined, making puppy eyes at me. "How many eyes do you have?" I whispered. He gave a soft yip and turned away, disappearing in another shower of sparks.

"This better have pictures, Leraj," I murmured as I disappeared into a fog of disjointed dreams.

I woke holding the pendant on the choker, with a headache that could split rock and a cotton- filled mouth that made me wonder if I'd destroyed a pillow in the night. My limbs didn't work how I wanted them to, all discombobulated, flailing about like a dying fish.

I'll try again in an hour, I thought to myself and curled back up, a hand cradling my stomach as if that would keep at bay the sudden nausea that clung to my insides. I woke again to the sun on my face.

My nightgown was drenched in sweat and clung to my body like wet paper. The room was stifling hot and I made my way cautiously to the bathroom, a hand on my forehead. The tap squeaked obnoxiously loud before gushing cold water filled the tub. My thoughts were a fuzzy mess and my memories of last night tumbled together on top of one another but I set them aside as I stripped and sunk into the water.

Steam practically issued on contact and a deeply contented sigh left my lips. If I closed my eyes, it would just be any normal day as a fox. Sitting in the river, letting the cool water run through my fur. Heavenly bliss on a hot, summer day. Something I'd miss.

I opened my eyes to the ceiling, head rested against the lip of the tub. Sometime in the night, I'd made up my mind. Even if Merlin transformed me back into a fox, would there really be any point? My family were gone and everything I'd known had changed. And now I had friends I could count on, a new family really. I was experiencing adventures and sensations only a human could, and I wanted to keep experiencing them as a human.

Besides all the bad stuff.

That could justify turning back into a fox, but I'd probably find that the same type of violence would still plague me. At least here I had people who cared to help me out of trouble.

Turbulent and unsure, I pushed it from mind. We weren't close to finding Merlin by the sounds of it thus it wasn't a decision I needed to spend too much time on now. I sunk under the water, my hair fanning out around my head. When the time comes, I'll know the right answer.

I tied my wet hair into a messy bun and once again admired myself in the mirror while dressed in nothing but a towel.

Making shabby look stylish. I chortled at myself and did a twirl.

From the reflection, I spied the book Heido had delivered on my pillows. It was gilded with silver edges, a blood red cover with little adornment besides the title in thick silver writing.

The Origins of Mana – A comprehensive guide to the power that governs the World.

It had to be at least a thousand years old, maybe even as old as me. The edges of the pages were yellowing but there wasn't any damage to it. Someone must have treasured it recently before Heido had delivered it to my bedside. For what reason, I wasn't sure.

"Hmm, interesting," I muttered before turning away and rifling in my cupboard. All my old clothes that I had stockpiled – some stolen, some not – were neatly stacked in the corner. Bless Elizabeth for her newfound cleaning abilities; she'd make the perfect housewife for Meliodas if they ever-

I stood up fast, whacking my head on the shelf above, but the dull pain was nothing on my sudden shock. I spun back to the book, picked it up and flicked to a random page.

The first humans believed Mana came from animals, seeped into their blood by the nature around them. The Gods were said to have left behind fountains of magic to preserve the world and because the—

I threw the book into the corner of the room, panting. My hands shook as I cradled my head and sunk to the ground.

I can read... properly?

I could understand words and such but I'd never had so much teaching that I could read sentences. Signposts and posters with big writing, sure, how else would foxes get anywhere if we couldn't at least observe the writings and use it to our advantage? But not sentences, not paragraphs, not whole goddamn books!

I didn't know whether to be sick or elated at the newfound information.

"Estra." Elizabeth knocked at the door. "Are you awake? Breakfast is ready if you want."

"Coming," I answered in a shaky voice, pulling myself to my feet. Calm down, Estra. This isn't anywhere near the most distressing thing you've faced so far. It's just a book. I went over and picked it up. Reading was supposed to be a good thing – it was just a little startling suddenly being able to understand so much.

I dressed quickly in an oversized tee and short shorts, the weather too hot for anything constricting. Even now the heat dabbed sweat on my brow and down my back. I tucked the book under my arm and trudged down the stairs barefoot.

Only Meliodas, Elizabeth and Ban were up, talking quietly amongst themselves. They spotted me, said good morning and made a space for me at the bar counter. I slid onto a stool, dropping the book onto the table with a thud.

Curious eyes peered at it then me.

"You can read?" Meliodas raised an eyebrow. I couldn't fault his reaction; I'd have the same one.

I rubbed my tired eyes, felt the sting behind them from the late night. "Apparently so. Another thing Leraj left behind."

"Are you sure you're not calling a picture book reading?" Hawk asked, swaggering into the room. "I mean, you called that reading last time I asked you." He sniggered. I threw the encyclopedia of knowledge at him and it clonked him on the noggin. "Mummy!" he wailed, running off.

"Stupid pig," I grumbled, a hot flush climbing up my neck. The others did not need to know about that scene.

"Man, I wanna know the story," Ban said, laying out a scrumptious meal.

"No," I put bluntly, brandishing the fork at the other fox. "And if you ask again, I'll make you into a porcupine with forks."

"Geez, so violent." His grin told me that he was enjoying the banter though. It made a similar smile tug at my lips.

I rolled my eyes to hide it and tucked into the food, the temptation to read overpowering me. I had the book open, my eyes skimming the pages.

"Where did you even get a book like that?" Ban asked, his head propped up on an elbow. Last night didn't seem to have left any bruising or injury to him. He was reading upside down, a frown on his face.

"It looks similar to the ones I've seen in the Great Library at the castle," Elizabeth said, leaning over to peer at the cover. "There's many books in there with similar styles."

"Leraj had it sent via carrier... chicken," I ended, avoiding their perplexed gazes. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. I'm guessing if he's sent it, it must have valuable information in there."

"Maybe there's information about the original sins," Ban said. "You know, your abilities and such."

Maybe this could hold a key to stopping Hendrickson. I opened back onto the very first page of the book. The words swam for a second before righting themselves into sentences. It was a contents page, a list of everything in the book. Yet it was a bit vague.

"The Beginning of the Sins!" Elizabeth said, jabbing her finger at words a quarter of the way down. "That has to be it."

I opened to the page number. There was a large picture on the first page, old style sketches. A pyramid of sorts. A dragon at the top, a nine tailed fox and a coiled serpent on the next and below that were a sloth, a grizzly bear, a lion and a goat.

"Ooo," everyone chorused behind me.

"Alright, alright, that's it." I shooed them away. "I need to read in peace. Once I'm done, you can look at it." They all grumbled but walked off. I settled back down, put my head between my hands and began to read.