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"Hello there, young child", Its voice rang out in Ivy's head in a soft quiet melody, "I've been watching you for a long time."
Ivy's eyes were fixed on the fox processing what it just said. "Who are you... What are you?", Ivy weakly asked and to also not anger the being she also cast her eyes down to the ground. "Deep in your heart you know the answer, just like you're fallen brethren have known the answer.", It responded gently. After a moment it continued, "Raise your head my child, none of my children should ever fear me as I am their guardian." Ivy complied and fixed her gaze back at the majestic being.
It looked at her for a moment before standing up and walking to a large Ice door, "Come young one, someone wants to see you." Ivy shook her head, "If I know deep down... Are you Tsalice?" It slowly turned her head to her, "That is what your people call me, indeed. But come now child, you wouldn't want to let somebody wait for you." Ivy quickly stood up and hastily followed the goddess.
"Am I dead?", Ivy asked wearily. "Yes in body you're dead, but do not fret I shall return you to the physical world", The goddess responded. After what felled like an eternity of walking she finally stopped and pointing with one of her numerous tales to a tree she said, "Over by that tree is a burrow, go in there and go have a chat with her." Ivy looked up at Tsalice. "Who is in there?" Tsalice grinned a bid, "That is for you to find out."
The goddesses body suddenly crumbled into snow, Ivy was now alone in this vast frozen tundra that bore an uncanny resemblance to her home. After a moments' hesitation did she finally decide to go to the tree. Just as the goddess said, near the tree was a burrow. She was scared to go in but also weirdly enough she felt at home. "Hello is someone there", she called inside, no response. "Maybe I shouldn't go in, this is a random burrow after all," she whispered to herself. After a moments' hesitation did she finally go in.
It was rather cozy inside it was also rather warm, and the tunnels were rather spacious too. As she wound the corner, she just froze. "Mother?", it was the only word able to leave her lips. Slowly, the other fox that was nestled in a bed of moss craned her head around to regard Ivy. "Hello there sweetie, how have you been?", she asked, her voice sweet as honey. Ivy stared at her for a moment, time ticking by in the background. "Is it really you?", Ivy asked wearily not wanting it to be fake to be an illusion. The fox chuckled, "who else would be your mother, come here my child I have longed to meet you once more"
Ivy weakly walked over to the fox stumbling over her own paws before curling up at the belly like she did so so many years ago. Ivy locked her eyes in those of her mothers, "Why did you leave even after I promised you that I would behave?" Her mother stared at her for a few seconds clearly trying to form the correct answer before she spoke, "It was my time I may have left the physical world, but I will always be here", she pressed one of her paws at the area when Ivy's heart was located. Ivy could feel the tears welling up in her eyes she missed her mother's voice so much, and she finally got to hear it again. Clearly sensing her daughter battling back her tears she simply said to her, "Don't fight it let them go relieve yourself of the burden."
Quickly after those words tears started streaming down and Ivy started sobbing heavily, rubbing her head against her mother soft belly she got the same warm feeling she got when she was a little kid when her mother would comfort her in the same manner. Years and years of pent-up grief continued flowing out in massive sorrowful waves. The eyes of her mother looked down upon her with so much warmth. "There, there, let it all out no need to hold onto it, you're my only daughter, let your emotions run out until you're exhausted enough to fall asleep at my whisper in your ear", her mother's voice rang out in a soft melody.
"It was so hard without you, so many people looked to me for guidance, so many... I didn't know how to act, I got people killed mom.", Ivy's chocked out under the sobs while also creeping closer to her mother's belly. "Don't be too hard on yourself. Tsalice simply invited them over, and they accepted.", her mother replied gently placing her tail on her daughter's head, "rest now my child tomorrow will bring another surprise." Ivy looked up at her before making way for the gentle embrace of sleep.
--Next morning--
Ivy sleepily opened her eyes she could feel her mother's warm gaze upon her. "Good morning my child.", Her mother called to her while she stood up. Ivy also quickly stood up, hopping after her mother out of the den. They slowly walked to a big tree its bark a deep icy blue, magic veins pulsating with mana covering every inch of the massive tree and at the base of it lay Tsalice, waiting. "I have to go my child, Tsalice will gift you a small surprise." Ivy looked at her mother her eyes reflected the sadness she felt that her mother would leave again, but she nodded in understanding before making her way to the goddess.
"So, what's this surprise my mother keeps mentioning?", Ivy asked wearily. Tsalice waited a moment before responding, "I'm going to build you a new body with a new core made from one of my many tails you will start weak but will grow strong over time after you overcome challenges, You will start with one tail, and each new tail will represent more power." Tsalice waited a bit before going on, "I will give you a vast understanding of ice magic and how to apply it to physical combat, I will also gift you with the ability to transform into a fox Demi-human" Ivy looked at her in disbelief but quickly uttered an okay.
One of Tsalice's tails broke of gliding in front of Ivy before quickly rotating into a little sphere. "This will be your new core Ivy, I hope it will suit you," Tsalice commented, "now I will send you on your way, where would you like to be when you re-enter the physical realm?" Ivy looked up at the goddess, "In my home." The goddess nodded before continuing, "As your body is a construction you will slowly die you have around a year to complete what you want before your body collapses, but perhaps you will find a way to prolong your stay." Ivy nodded solemnly. "Now then I will send you on your way."
--Physical world
Ivy slowly opened her eyes and what greeted her was a vast blanket of white, her home. She slowly stood up, and she noticed that she indeed had a new core. She started walking to a pine in the distance snow crunching under her weight. She really wanted to test her new skills against an enemy flesh bags aren't here as far as she is aware, but she knows blue mice are here they're rather dangerous for flesh bags, but she hunted them but this time she was going to fight them not instantly kill them after a sneak attack. She quickly set out to the nearby pine forest leaving a trail of paw prints in her wake.
Ivy looked around blue mice didn't have a scent, but they were big real big at least twice her size, but they were faster than her not by much but still faster. It didn't take long for her to find a blue mouse. It's blueish gray pelt shone in the sun its long pink tail swayed behind it and faded into a black blade like protrusion. It was nibbling on a dead squirrel. Ivy looked at it and prepared a ring of ice shard to fire off, the blue mouse instantly dropped the squirrel the moment it sensed the magic it quickly got to its feet and spun around facing Ivy letting a low rumbling sound escape.
Ivy began firing, one of the shards striking the mouse squarely in the shoulder blood started flowing out the wound, the mouse yelped before lunging, its curving claws outstretched. She dodged to the side letting the mouse zip past her, but it still managed to nick her, in retaliation she quickly sent out more ice shards two of them striking the mouse on target. It stumbled a bit further before turning around and lunging again. Ivy tried side hopping, but it hooked her on the shoulder its frosty claws making the wound worse Ivy retaliated by forming an ice shard in its tails blood severing it. The mouse shrieked in pain before twirling around trying to rake Ivy's face, in response Ivy moved her face back before quickly biting into it's head crushing its skull between her jaws.
She felt its body go limb under her teeth before letting go and jumping back looking down at it, she knew she could hunt a lot more and win, a grin spread across her face as she went into the forest. A small blue light radiated off the dead mouse before condensing into a ball and quickly flying after Ivy before entering her body.
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New characters/character info.
Ivy: Still the same old fox but now in a different body.
Tsalice: The goddess of frost foxes, over fifteen million years old, one of the 5 fox gods, she has numerous tails each tail represents a different ability and holds enough mana to easily dwarf the mana of a mana dragon (dragon with the most mana in its species.
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Editor notes:
Hello again. This was supposed to release on 06/04/2025, but I fell asleep, sorry :-(.