7 Chapter Two - 3 || Companion (2/2)

The girl gazed at the fox cautiously. ”You haven't told me why both of those demons were after you. And how do I know you're not a demon too? Seeing as I saved you twice, I think I ought to know.”

The little creature sighed, her white-tipped ears bending downwards in exasperation. ”Look, I'm not a demon; I'm a spirit. I know that demon's words didn't give you the best impression of me…or that I had left my problems with you twice..but I assure you, I'm not going to hurt you or leave you again.”

”Right…” Essairyn breathed dismissively with a sidelong glance. ”So.. the Spirit and Demon Forest.”

The small fox perked her ears up and got up on all fours. She scampered over to Essairyn and started circling and sniffing her.

”Wha…” Essairyn started questioningly, picking up her foot to move away from the fox's nose.

The fox lifted her snout towards the girl. Her hazel eyes were bright as she exclaimed, ”You're not from around here, are you? Are you a traveler, perhaps?”

”A traveler..?” Essairyn repeated.

”Yeah! Travelers are people who come from another world! That would explain why you're wearing such unsuitable clothes for a forest,” the fox resolved, sitting down on it haunches with pricked ears.

Essairyn had to admit, the fox was rather cute. And the way it looked triumphantly up at her was adorable.

But still, she couldn't be sure how safe this little animal was until she learned more about spirits.

She was glad, however, to learn about travelers. If the fox wasn't dangerous after all, perhaps she could help Essairyn learn more about this world since it seemed her sudden arrival wasn't unordinary.

The girl turned her eyes toward the expectant fox. ”Look, despite our doubtful start, I need to learn more about this world. I'm probably one of those travelers you described. So, if you can teach me about how this world works and the sort of creatures or whatever that exists here, I can possibly help you with your pursuers,” Essairyn bargained.

The fox's eyes lit up. ”Well,” she began thoughtfully, ”I suppose until I regain most of my former power back, I could use some protection…” The fox huffed in annoyance at her predicament before continuing, ”But what are you planning to do now? Stay in the forest or..?”

”Travel,” Essairyn immediately answered. ”I want to explore this world,” she grinned brightly.

”So you're an adventurer too, huh?” The fox's eyes twinkled.

”Yes, would you like to travel with me?” the girl asked.

”Of course! I love adventures,” the fox beamed. ”By the way, my name is Akari, the greatest spirit god in Sol'h'meyr!” she touted proudly, puffing her chest.

Essairyn raised a doubtful brow at Akari's declaration. ”The greatest spirit god..? But you can barely defend yourself; not to mention, you're covered in injuries right now,” she pointed out.

Akari huffed, ”Even the strongest gods are weak right after reincarnation. And I'll heal up after some rest.”

”Ah I see,” Essairyn mused, ”And this world..is called Soul..heh-mir?”

”Yes, Sol'h'meyr. The literal translation is the soul-heart mirror,” Akari explained, receiving a ”huh” look from Essairyn before she continued, ”It means the soul-heart world.”

”Soul-heart world..?” Essairyn reiterated blankly.

Akari hummed in quick contemplation. ”I guess you haven't been here for that long if you don't even know what the name of the world means,” she stated.

”No, I just arrived today,” Essairyn confirmed and then added, ”But I did make a treehouse after that beast demon.”

”A treehouse? In that short span of time?” Akari replied, impressed, ”You move quickly, settling into this world. I guess you're going back there now? ”

Essairyn nodded, remarking, ”The magic in this world is so exciting and efficient. I'm amazed by what you can do here.”

She gestured for the fox to follow her to the treehouse. On the way back, the girl shared a little about herself on Earth. She was an only child, a college junior, and a part-time intern. Her life was mostly ordinary except for an illness she developed several years ago that had left her physically weak.

The fox shared that she was reincarnating after three thousand years. Once she regained her former powers, she planned to punish those who killed her. But, she didn't elaborate on the details of her death or current pursuers. Essairyn figured she'd eventually find out considering how quickly Akari ran into trouble.