fox clan

prologue

Many centuries ago, when our species did not yet exist, beings made of light lived in the world. Their small world was divided into four kingdoms, each corresponding to one of the four elements. Not far from their tiny world, on the sea, there was a small island, known as the Island of Shadows, named by the rulers of the elements.

On this island lived two sisters: the elder, with snow-white hair and onyx-colored eyes, and the younger, with hair the color of ripe wheat and aquamarine-like eyes. The elder sister's name was Umbra, and the younger was Lux. They were complete opposites. Umbra was thoughtful, guided by reason, and always calm. Lux, on the other hand, acted first and thought later—she followed her heart and was easily led astray. Despite these differences, they always supported each other. One complemented the other. Always and forever.

However, the day came when the sisters quarreled. The reason was Lux's friendship with the princess of the Water Kingdom. Umbra believed that the people of the elements were corrupted, full of pride and selfishness, and could not be trusted. Lux, however, was convinced that no one was entirely evil or entirely good. She decided to leave the island, and along with her newly found friend, Bishaan, a dark-skinned princess with ocean-colored hair and eyes reminiscent of lapis lazuli, set out to explore the world.

Bishaan, though she had always had everything she desired, disliked life at the royal court. She loved animals and, despite her fondness for luxury, had a heart of gold. She always helped her subjects, and though she was as impulsive as a river, she was also sensible. During their journey, Lux learned about the culture and traditions of other kingdoms, and also found friends among the heirs to the thrones.

In the Wind Kingdom, they met Bubbee—a silver-haired girl with jade eyes who resembled Umbra in character, though she was more open and loved traveling. Next, they encountered Dachee, the prince of the Earth Kingdom—a black-haired boy with lemon-colored eyes who was calm and trusting, though not very intelligent. Lastly, they met Abidda, the prince of the Fire Kingdom—a golden-haired boy with ruby eyes, who was arrogant and hot-headed.

Together, they traveled through many lands, and although Lux did not possess the power of any element, she was skilled with weapons. Over the years, she grew from a fourteen-year-old girl into a beautiful twenty-three-year-old woman. Although she had become more composed, her character had not changed much—perhaps just softened a bit. Still, Lux feared returning to the Island of Shadows, convinced that Umbra hated her.

But Umbra did not hate her sister. All of her anger was directed at Lux's friends. Over the years, she mastered dark magic, which grew stronger as her hatred deepened. When Lux finally returned, Umbra imprisoned her in the heart of the island to protect her from what she believed was the corrupting influence of the elements.

Meanwhile, all the kingdoms united to free Lux, the heroine and friend of the rulers of the Four Lands. Despite fierce fighting, the darkness seemed to prevail. Umbra, though filled with hatred for the Elemental Kingdoms, still wanted to protect her only family, and Lux understood her motivations. However, Lux was torn between loyalty to her friends and love for her sister.

After four years of war, Lux was freed, which only further enraged Umbra. Lux was determined to reason with her sister, but her friends were convinced it was hopeless. In the final battle, Bishaan, Bubbee, Dachee, and Abidda gave Lux a fragment of their power, combining the forces of the four elements with her pure heart. Thus, the magic of light was born. Yet despite its power, the light could not extinguish the darkness, and the darkness could not overshadow the light.

The tension between these forces tore the world into nine pieces. Lux's friends tried to stop it, but it was already too late. Seeing the consequences of her actions, Umbra tried to halt the destruction, but her efforts were in vain. The world, as they knew it, had come to an end.

In their final moments, Lux and Umbra, along with their friends, sacrificed their lives to gather the remnants of magic and divide it among the nine newly formed worlds. From this magic, the spirits of the elements were born, tasked with choosing successors. Water took the form of a horse, wind—an eagle, earth—a deer, and fire—a salamander. The shadow took the form of a wolf, and light—a nine-tailed fox.

The First Great War of Magic was quickly forgotten, as the newly created worlds began to forge their own histories. However, the spirits of magic continued their task, selecting successor after successor for eons to come...