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Mentions of Blood!
Words:2238
You stood there, your breath shallow, eyes locked on Hoolay as he revealed the secrets of the woman who held so much sway over Jiaoqiu's life. Her name wasn't one you needed to utter, but the weight of it pressed down on your chest as if her story had intertwined with your own.
Jiaoqiu stood beside you, tense, his face pale as Hoolay unraveled the truth he had feared to confront for so long. The healer's eyes were wide with shock, pain flickering across his features as Hoolay spoke of the great battle on the Xianzhou Fanghu and the dark revelation of her borisin bloodline. His lips parted slightly, as if to speak, but no words came out.
Hoolay's laughter, cold and biting, broke the silence. "So, she saved you all those years ago, yet you discovered her true nature while she lay at death's door. How ironic. A war slave escaping from the Eclipse Pack only to end up with a foxian like you. And even more amusing—she's of my clan. The same blood flows through her veins as mine."
Mok Tok stepped forward, eyes gleaming with disdain. "A mutt," he sneered. "Despicable mutt. No wonder she fought with such power and cruelty. It wasn't determination or skill; it was her bloodline. The Moon Rage in her veins... she wasn't even fighting for herself. She was fighting to destroy us."
You felt your hands clench involuntarily, anger simmering beneath the surface as Mok Tok's words dug into the truth like a jagged knife. But you didn't move, not yet.
Hoolay's voice slithered through the silence once again. "Moon Rage—a blessing for wolves, but a curse for foxes. It gives us strength, but to the foxians, it's a death sentence. And your general, that proud foxian, she'll lose herself to it one day. The scars she bears won't be from her enemies; they'll be from her own power, tearing her apart from the inside until nothing remains."
You glanced at Jiaoqiu, watching his face tighten with emotion, his fists shaking ever so slightly. There was pain, deep and consuming, in the way he stood there, rigid and silent, processing every word Hoolay spoke.
You stepped forward, the sound of your boots against the stone floor drawing everyone's attention back to you. Hoolay's gaze shifted, meeting yours with that same amused smirk, waiting for your reaction.
"She never saved me," you said, voice low but steady. "I don't owe her anything. But if she's important to Jiaoqiu..." Your eyes flicked toward the healer, then back to Hoolay. "Then she's important to me."
Hoolay's smirk faltered, just for a moment, as if he hadn't expected such a simple, cutting response. He narrowed his eyes at you, studying your face for signs of doubt, but there were none. You had spoken the truth, and he knew it.
"You're really something, aren't you?" Hoolay's voice held an edge of disbelief now, as if he couldn't quite wrap his mind around your resolve. "Strange... to see someone care so deeply for another's cause without personal gain. What drives you to such loyalty?"
