Beauty or Beast?

Prologue

I started my day with my usual cup of coffee and a mother's stress.

I ended it in a pool of blood, clasping a hand waiting for death.

--

Your earthly existence is far from the only one. Your reality is the 52nd stratum, while mine is the 23rd. The closer you are to the 1st stratum, the more ridiculous its inhabitants become. At the very bottom of the spectrum, there is nothing; only basic elements. The first stratum is the closest thing to the 'heaven' humans refer to. It's beautiful there; creatures you would never imagine, plants seemingly out of a fantasy movie. Anyone would be lucky to be there.

In the 23rd stratum lives most of the creatures that humans refer to as myths. This story begins in the country of Illyth, in a small village in a forest clearing called Leve. It's a modest town; they provide for themselves completely, having no contact with other villages. They consist completely of fox folk, kitsunè as humans say: The head of the village is whoever is the oldest, which is a man named Viscardi. The townsfolk were happy with their lives; who wouldn't be? On the edge of town lived a young couple, both of them around 400 years old. The mother was beautiful, what with her black hair and grey-blue eyes. The husband was equally as stunning. His hair was platinum blond, and his eyes were bright blue. Quite soon, they had a child, a single daughter. Her hair was a silvery white, and her eyes were a soft grey. This was not uncommon, as genetics in the 23rd stratum are far different than those of Earth's. This is the story of that child, and of the turmoil that destroyed her life.