14 One Tail

Kyle remembered the words Fiona told him when he was younger. His true form was not like other spiritual foxes. His body was created from ashes of his corpse. To save him, three spiritual beasts came together as a union to transfer their energy into his. The process took three days, but the results came out positive.

Due to the amount of energy he absorbed in the three whole days, his body formed nine tails. A nine tailed fox was one of the rarest spiritual beasts. Nine tails indicated the number of lives he could save. If words spread and others found out about his true form, everyone would come after him. Hence, a bell charm was tied to his tail, concealing his real appearance.

Unless necessary, Kyle was not allowed to untie it. Though he has never tried saving someone before, he had to try it on his father. His squeals became more sensible as he communicated with his father. After explaining everything to him briefly, Kyle asked him if teleporting was possible in his condition.

The Oracle could only think of one place — Eros' chamber — where their safety was guaranteed. With the best of his ability, the Oracle opened a small portal on the grass field. The distorted portal sucked them in and quickly transferred them to the destination imprinted in the elderly man's mind.

On the presumption that these were his last words, he must inform Eros about the incident. Upon their arrival, a crow's cawing sound reached their ears. Alerted, Kyle jumped in front of the Oracle and gritted his teeth. His attempt to scare away the unknown creature failed as the winged bird flew towards the Oracle's body and stopped a few inches away. When the Oracle entered the dimension, the crow sensed his presence and pecked Eros' thighs to inform him of a visitor. Excitedly, the crow flapped its wings while dragging Eros by his sleeves to see who has arrived.

The flush of excitement was replaced by perturbation and distress as the crow sensed little to no sense of life coming from the Oracle. Perhaps it was an animal's instinct, the crow avoided crashing into the old man. Not only that, the hole on the man's chest revealed the fatality of the attack. Unlike humans, deities die much slower. Once the soul force suffered damages, it is almost irrecoverable.

Darkness crept through the wound, evaporating into thin air. The elderly man held his last strengths of breath to reach the destination.

"Oracle!" Eros shouted hysterically, teleporting to his side.

The Oracle's eyes remained shut, looking as if he was resting in deep slumber. Casting his power onto his left palm, Eros strove to close his wound. Unfortunately, the injury was too severe, and his power could only delay his death.

Slowly, the Oracle's eyes lifted open. A few dry coughs left his mouth as he tried talking. He looked at Eros and faintly smiled. "Eros, it's useless. My soul force will die out very soon. You must watch out for Aphrodite and Zeus. My wife should've already helped Psyche on earth. When the time comes, she will contact you through the crow. Please...watch over my wife and children when I'm gone."

Squeal!

Kyle waved his furry tails as he nudged his head under his father's cold palms. His eyes watered teardrops as he continually rubbed his fur against the rough palms that always teased him in the past. He whimpered in high pitches, but the old man didn't have enough strength to caress his head anymore. Resting his body on the ground beside his father, Kyle gazed at him despondently.

"Little one, take care of your mother. My regret is that I can't see her beautiful smile before I die." His voice lowered in volume as he reached the end of his sentence.

As the weight of his body lightened, the muscles in his body relaxed. The particles from his soul force hovered in midair, sprinkling its last energy. Seeing the bead sized particle shrinking in front of him, Kyle squinted at his target. This was the moment he was waiting for, to bring his father's life back!

An immeasurable strength aroused his body as heat circulated to his tails. His fine, smooth tails waved in a curved pattern. In a blink of an eye, his tails wrapped around the Oracle's soul force. While controlling the hues of blue emitted by his power, Kyle closed his eyes and started the resurrection process.

Once it began, Eros took the crow in his embrace and stood aside. He recognized the nine tailed fox in front of him. Amazed by the strength the legendary spiritual beast contains, Eros quietly observed the scene.

Letting out an agonizing howl, one of Kyle's tails evaporated to thin air. Glass fragments traced the outline of the broken soul force, merging together at once. Within minutes, the process was completed and the Oracle was breathing again. Cuddling close to his father's chest, Kyle hurled up into a ball and fell in deep slumber.

At the hospital, time has resumed, but Psyche's mother was suffering difficulties in giving labor. Bending her fingers once again, Fiona calculated the time Psyche was supposed to be born. It was already past the ideal time, but she wasn't born yet. If this continues, Thanatos will get here in no time to collect two souls.

Using an invisibility spell, Fiona went into the delivery room and held Psyche's mother's hand. The second their hands connected, Fiona could communicate with her without others knowing. "Listen to me. You can't fall asleep. Didn't you want a daughter? Your husband and sons are waiting for you outside. I'll guide you from here. Follow my lead. Breathe in. Breathe out. You're doing very well."

Under Fiona's assistance, a healthy baby girl was born. Her cries sounded lively as if she was telling the whole world about her existence. Perhaps the baby girl recognized her mother's warmth, the second she was held in her mother's arms, she stopped crying. A bright smile curved on her small lips as she heard her mother call her name. "Primrose Smith. Welcome to the world."