4 One's Drive

Euka travelled back and forth between the fox clan's home in Hale and the human realm. In one of her trips, she met a human warrior named Gahion. Aside from visiting and studying under Lanez, she often stayed in the human realm for him.

She would disguise herself as a human and visit him. After sometime, the two developed feelings for each other. Euka's parents found out about it…

"Euka, you are fully aware that falling in love with a human is forbidden." said Jubian, her father and the king of the fox clan. "Why are you breaking such a rule?"

"Why?"

"What?"

"Why is it forbidden to fall in love with a human?" she asked. "We're both people who have emotions and we have feelings for each other. Why is it forbidden?"

"That's-"

"It's a rule set by the gods, you know that." answered her mother, Vega, the fox clan queen.

"Why do we need to follow the rule they set then?" she asked again.

"Euka, the gods are the rulers of all immortals and they also determine human destinies." explained Jubian.

"It's Stelirr that determines the destiny of humans since she's the goddess of destiny. Not all the gods have the authority to do that."

"But an immortal getting involved with a mortal will mess up the destiny that was written for him." added her father.

"It's final. At the very least, let me love the person I want to love."

Without even waiting for a response, Euka left Hale and headed to Jade Mountain.

"Why the long face?" Lanez asked.

"Old man, have you ever fallen in love?"

Lanez was oddly quiet and this peaked Euka's interest.

"Old man?"

"I have… once. She was the only woman for me. But she was human and lived a short life. Meanwhile I am a demon who's stuck here in Jade Mountain, I had to let her go."

"What if I fell in love with a human as well?" she asked.

"Hmm… That's quite difficult. What do you want to do?"

"I want to be with him." she answered immediately.

"That was fast." Lanez snorted. "Then be with him. It would be better if you reveal who you are as well. At the very least, you won't regret it like me."

Euka only smiled.

"Thanks old man."

The next day, Euka visited Gihion and confessed; about her feelings and who she was. She was a bit miffed though when he didn't show much reaction.

"I already knew. Or at least, I was suspecting it." Gihion said.

"Ha? How did you-"

"You act pretty odd you know. You may not notice it yourself but I did. You don't act like a human and you appear and disappear all of a sudden." he smirked. "I would be stupid if I wasn't even able to connect the dots and remain clueless."

"Wow, good for you Gihion. Now I'm the one that feels pretty stupid."

"And I would've been foolish if I denied my feelings and your existence."

"Aren't you… you know, afraid? I mean, fox spirits don't really have that much of a good reputation."

Gihion suddenly hugged her from behind and whispered; "I don't care. All I know is that I love you."

Nyxtriel couldn't help but blush. She turned around and kissed him in the lips. She smiled at Gihion's shocked expression.

"I love you too."

Gihion took having an immortal fox spirit as a wife pretty well. The two were wed following the human tradition and afterwards, were wed following the fox clan tradition. The fox clansmen didn't really have much of a choice and they were also happy for their only princess.

The two chose to live in the human realm. Euka asked him if he wanted to be an immortal, but he declined. If it meant having to beg the gods to turn him into immortal, he would rather stay as a human. Gihion was aware of the gods' dislike on Euka.

Ceviuq was furious. Euka married a human, such a disgrace for a fox immortal who could fight on equal grounds with his son, the god of war Mabmat. She even declined the marriage proposal the gods offered to her. Her actions were a big slap to the face of the gods. Also, she had become even more powerful lately, and it worried him a lot. Sooner or later, she would become a high god and nobody could stop her.

He had to do something fast. Even if it was underhanded, he had to make sure Euka would fall.

Euka just finished her lessons in Lanez's cave. Somehow, she felt more powerful and she could even control her powers much better than before.

"You know, the name spiritual power doesn't suit it." she commented after practicing.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, shouldn't it have a name that would pique the interest of whoever hears it? Spiritual power can be like the power within me, natural power is the energy around us, this skill in general should be called as…" she paused for a bit to think. "Mystic arts! What do you think?"

Lanez only froze on his spot. Somehow Euka had the same idea as his mother back when the natural-born ability to control the natural power was discovered by her. He smiled.

"It sounds nice."

"Then we'll call this skill Mystic Arts starting today!"

Euka returned to the home where she and Gihion lived together. Just as she got closer, the scent of blood suddenly got her attention. And somehow, it was in the direction of her home.

She couldn't believe it! Gihion was lying dead inside their home. He was lying on his own blood which pooled just under him. A stab wound on his chest and abdomen was visible.

"GIHION!" she screamed and cradled the lifeless body of her husband. "No. No! Gihion!"

She felt her world crumble and all the control she had been trying to hold suddenly just burst out of her. An explosion of light shook the different realms of Vastia, and it awoke Lyga on her slumber.

"Finally, someone worthy."

Euka sat lifelessly in her room in Hale. After the explosion of her powers she collapsed and was in a coma for a week. Her brothers took her back to their land, Gihion's body as well.

"Cocyl." she muttered. "Cocyl can help me!"

Cocyl was the king of the Netherworld and was the god of the afterlife and the dead.

"Cocyl can return Gihion's spirit and he can live again."

"Are you crazy?" exclaimed her oldest brother, Despi. "That is against the laws!"

"But-"

"People die, Euka. That's a fact. Humans live shorter than us, so it's inevitable."

"He was murdered Despi! That's not how he was supposed to end up!" she reasoned.

In the end, Euka snuck into the Netherworld and tried to look for Gihion's spirit. Unfortunately, his spirit was nowhere to be found and worse, Cocyl found her.