Unwritten Mythos

VI

The woman standing before him—her powers were unlike anything he'd encountered. The threads she controlled with just a flick of her fingers were terrifyingly precise, and those phantoms—Hollows—around him? There was no intel on them. None of the reports had prepared him for this.

The tension in the room was palpable. The Kitsune soldiers, their guns now useless, stood frozen in place, trying to process what had just happened. In a flash, Mei had sliced their weapons clean in half with those silver threads. The cold sweat dripping down Varian's neck felt like ice.

What if she had aimed for them instead of their weapons?

The thought sent a shiver through him. He didn't dare to imagine the carnage that could have followed.

Mei, sensing their unease, opened her fingers and gave a slight smile. "Relax," she said, her tone almost casual. "I have no intention of harming any of you, nor do I wish to interfere with your operations."

She paused, glancing at Vex, who was now watching her with wide eyes full of awe. "But this woman," Mei continued, gesturing toward Queen Bee, "she is mine. An experiment, if you will. And I'm afraid she still has work to do for me. So, if you're here to take her... well, that simply won't do."

Her words were polite, almost disarming, but Varian could feel the unspoken threat behind them. She wasn't asking for permission. She was making a declaration. Queen Bee was off-limits.

Vex, meanwhile, was practically glowing with reverence. Lord Aurora came to save me, she thought, her heart swelling with pride and a touch of shame. How fortunate am I?

But then, doubt crept in. Did I fail? The thought gnawed at her. I was given power, and yet I couldn't handle things on my own. Is Lord Aurora disappointed in me?

The weight of that realization sank in. Perhaps she needed to prove her worth again. She had heard the info of the dead fish and birds seeking to reinvent themselves. Maybe she should do the same—find a way to become truly indispensable to Mei.

Unaware of Queen Bee's internal struggle, Mei remained focused, her reluctance barely masked. This wasn't part of her plan, and yet, she couldn't let things spiral out of control. Not now.

Varian's eyes stayed locked on the white mask, trying to discern any hint of expression behind it. But Mei's face remained a mystery, her voice cold and measured when she finally spoke.

"Let them go."

The Kitsune soldiers hesitated, disbelief flickering across their faces. Let them go? Their orders had been clear, but Varian's tone left no room for argument. Despite their training, they couldn't help but question internally. But Varian knew better. He understood that they were outmatched.

Mei had appeared without warning, disabled their weapons with a flick of her fingers, and hadn't even broken a sweat. If she wanted them dead, they'd already be corpses littering the floor. She was playing with them, and that realization sent a chill through his bones. Varian had to make a decision, and fast. Survival outweighed orders in this moment.

The Kitsune Containment Force was still in its infancy. If their first major mission ended in a massacre, it would shake the very foundation of their organization. They couldn't afford to lose—not like this.

Mei, seemingly reading the situation, lifted Queen Bee as if she weighed nothing and turned to face Varian once more.

"Your decision is correct," she said calmly, her voice almost too gentle for the tension in the room. "The festival is coming soon. Go home, be with your family. They're more important than your work, right?"