Thalassotélos — XVIII

For some reason, to the ten-tailed fox, the water-borne dragon's words felt like a sucker punch to the guts. He didn't know what to say, he didn't know if he had anything to say at all.

This… This… All his life, the ten-tailed fox had seen all the darkness, all the ugliness but nothing— nothing like this.

He did not even have the proper words to describe what he was feeling right now, hearing Long ZhenHai say those words so nonchalantly.

Tearing his eyes away from the fire and the rising smoke, the ten-tailed fox pursed his lips as he turned his back to the dragon, his shoulders tense and his hands clenched on his sides until his knuckles turned white.

It hurt to hear those words. It hurt to hear those words, of trust, of protectiveness and— and devotion, that he had once hoped to hear; coming out of Long ZhenHai's mouth as if they were nothing difficult.

As though to him those words came naturally when Hu Lijing was involved.