---
The stairway ended in mist.
For a heartbeat Ria thought the path vanished into the sky itself, but as she stepped forward the fog parted, revealing a bridge of glassy stone arcing above a sea of white cloud. The sun poured gold across it, and every step rang like chimes.
Ren padded beside her, fur ruffled by cold wind. "If we fall," he said, peering over the edge, "do you think we'd land back in Tenrou or just keep falling forever?"
"Let's not test that," Ria replied, though she smiled. Her flame flickered at her tail, faint but steady, its warmth pushing back the chill.
Beyond the bridge, the mountain widened into a plateau crowned by a vast ruin. Pillars of white marble thrust from the mist like broken spears; fox statues lined a grand stairway, each with a different number of tails carved behind it. Nine in all, ending with one colossal figure half-buried in cloud.
"The Nine-Tailed Mother," Ren whispered.
Ria nodded, awe softening her voice. "We found her temple."
> Quest Update — Path to the Nine-Tailed Temple (3/3).
New Objective: Enter the Sanctum of Flames.
They ascended the cracked stairs. Vines glowed faintly where sunlight touched them, feeding on lingering spirit energy. As they reached the entrance, the air shifted—no wind, no sound, only an endless, humming stillness. The System's interface flickered before Ria's eyes, unstable, as though the rules of the world bent around this place.
Inside, the temple stretched vast and hollow. A ceiling lost in haze mirrored faint constellations that moved when she looked away. Along the walls, mosaics shimmered: foxes of every color running through forests, oceans, and stars. Each scene pulsed with a slow rhythm—heartbeat or prayer.
Ren's tails flicked nervously. "Feels like walking inside a memory."
"It's more than memory," Ria murmured. "It's alive."
When she touched a mosaic, light rippled outward. Images flared across the floor: nine fox spirits encircling a sphere of fire—the Boundless Universe. A voice, soft as wind through leaves, filled the chamber.
"Children of flame… you have come."
Ren yelped, fur bristling. "Okay, definitely alive."
Ria bowed her head. "We seek truth—about the System, about us."
"Then truth shall test you," the voice said. "One carries the burden of remembrance, the other the spark of hope. Only through unity will the flame endure."
The light flared—and the ground vanished.
---
She fell through silence into darkness, weightless. Then she was standing on water that reflected a sky full of stars. Ren was gone. Her own reflection stared back, human once more—Kana, frail and mortal, eyes shadowed with regret.
"No…" Ria's breath caught. "I left this behind."
The reflection spoke in her voice. "You can't ascend while you run from who you were."
Memories crashed over her—the hospital room, the loneliness, the feeling of a life wasted. "I was weak," she whispered. "I failed."
The reflection stepped closer. "Then learn." Its form ignited, becoming a pillar of blue-white fire. Pain tore through her; the Spirit Flame surged, uncontrollable. The starry water boiled.
> Warning — Flame Instability Critical.
She dropped to her knees, trembling. The fire wanted everything—memory, soul, existence. Her thoughts blurred until another light broke through: golden, warm, familiar.
Ren.
He appeared beside her, tails burning like twin suns. "You're not alone, remember?" His voice echoed oddly, half-inside her mind. "If you fade, who's going to tease me?"
Ria laughed despite the pain. The laughter steadied her; the flames drew inward, finding rhythm with his. Blue and gold twisted together, balancing.
> Resonance Achieved — Spirit Flame Level 2 Stabilized.
The storm of fire collapsed into a single, calm glow. When she opened her eyes, they were back in the temple hall.
---
The mosaics had changed. Now they showed two small foxes standing before the Nine-Tailed Mother, their merged auras painting the stars.
Ren sagged to the floor. "Remind me never to volunteer for divine heart therapy again."
Ria smiled faintly. "You saved me."
He nudged her shoulder. "Partners, right? Always."
The temple brightened. Light gathered at the far end, forming a massive gate sealed by nine burning sigils. Each flickered in a different color—crimson, azure, jade, gold, violet, silver, amber, white, and black. The voice returned, gentler now.
"The Flame of Balance awakens. The first gate opens."
One sigil—the azure—flared and dissolved. Wind swept through the hall, carrying a chorus of foxlike whispers. Outside, the clouds parted to reveal endless sky.
> System Message — Trial of Spirit Complete.
Title Earned: Keeper of Dual Flame.
New Quest: Seek the Eight Remaining Gates.
Ren blinked at the hovering text. "Eight more gates? Please tell me they're on ground level."
Ria chuckled. "Wouldn't be much of an ascension if it were easy."
They wandered deeper into the sanctum. In the central chamber stood the colossal statue of the Nine-Tailed Mother, carved from crystal so pure it caught light from nowhere. Her nine tails spiraled behind her, each tipped with a tiny flame. Beneath her paws rested a stone tablet inscribed with ancient runes.
Ria touched the tablet, and lines of text translated themselves in her mind:
> When the world fractured, the Mother divided Her soul into nine flames, each to guard a realm. When the flames unite, the Cycle shall begin anew.
She stepped back, heart pounding. "Nine flames… nine gates. It's all connected."
Ren's expression grew serious. "Then what's the System? A copy? A cage?"
"I don't know yet," she said softly. "But I think we're part of its repair."
Outside the shattered wall of the temple, thunder rumbled—not from storm but from something vast shifting far below. The Boundless System's interface flickered, lines of unreadable code streaking across the air before vanishing. The world itself seemed to notice them.
Ria's flame brightened. "It knows we're coming."
---
They rested that night within the temple's courtyard. The clouds beneath glowed silver in the moonlight, making it seem they floated on another sea. Ren lay on his back, watching stars drift overhead.
"Do you ever wonder," he said quietly, "why we were chosen?"
Ria thought for a long time. "Maybe because we were lost enough to listen."
He smiled at that. "That's poetic and depressing."
She laughed. "Then you find a better reason."
He flicked a paw toward the heavens. "Because destiny has good taste?"
Their laughter echoed through the empty halls, carrying warmth into the ancient stones. For the first time, the temple didn't feel lonely.
Before sleep claimed them, the voice of the Mother whispered once more, faint as wind through fur:
"Beyond the mountain lies the Sea of Stars. There the next gate awaits."
> Quest Update — Journey to the Sea of Stars (Active).
Ria opened her eyes to the horizon where the first hints of dawn glowed above the clouds. Tomorrow they would descend, leaving this sanctuary for whatever waited beyond. The flame within her burned steady—not the wild fire of survival, but the calm, guiding light of purpose.
She rose, stretching her tails against the wind. Ren stirred and joined her, his golden light catching the sunrise.
"Ready for another impossible climb?" he asked.
Ria smiled, eyes on the brightening east. "We've come this far. Let's see how far the flames can go."
Together they stepped to the temple's edge. The sun broke free of the horizon, flooding the world with light, and two fox spirits leapt from the ancient stones into the endless sky, blue and gold streaking toward the unknown.