I am a nine-lived cat spirit, consort to the Celestial Realm's God of War. Three years after my death, he finally remembered me. He descended to the mortal realm, seeking to tear another tail from me to save his childhood love. The little girl I once saved was now an old woman, her hair as white as snow. She told the God of War that I was already dead. He scoffed. "If my memory serves, she has two lives left. If you're going to lie to me, at least make it a good one." "Tell her this," he commanded, his voice cold as ice. "Save Lyra, and she may remain my consort." Suddenly, his eyes fell on the boy hiding behind the old woman, a boy with my striking resemblance. His expression hardened. "Well, well. Only ten years in the mortal realm, and she's already managed to have a child. Since she refuses to show herself, then she can't blame me for starting with the boy." 1 A torrential rain lashed down from the heavens. Kaelus, the God of War, stood untouched by the downpour, clad in immaculate white robes. Not a single drop marred his perfect form. With a cruel yank, he ripped my son from behind Agnes's frail frame. A mocking sneer twisted his lips. "Hah. The resemblance is uncanny. Elara has done well for herself, hasn't she? Ten years of exile, and she even found time to have a child." His voice dripped with venom. "When I find whatever bastard sired him, I will tear him limb from limb!" He extended a finger, tracing a line across my son Leo's arm. A raw, bleeding gash split the skin. Leo let out a piercing wail. As he cried, the wound on his arm slowly began to heal itself. "He is Elara's son, no doubt," Kaelus declared. "If she will not crawl out to face me, then I have no choice but to take her son's tail instead!" Agnes's hands trembled as she dropped her cane, falling to her knees with a thud before Kaelus. The cold rain soaked her white hair, plastering it to her wrinkled face. "Lord Kaelus, Elara… Elara is already dead! How can you expect her to come out and meet you?!" Kaelus's brow furrowed in annoyance. "Dead? Don't be absurd. She has two lives left! Don't play these childish games with me. She heard Lyra was injured and now she refuses to help, is that it? It's just one tail. It's not as if I'm asking for her life!" I floated in the air above them, a dull ache still throbbing in the place where my heart used to be. Strange. I'd been dead for three years; how could I still feel pain? My heart ached for Agnes, and it broke for my little Leo. Agnes crawled forward on her knees, wrapping her arms around Leo. "My lord, I'm not lying to you. Elara passed away three years ago." Kaelus's laugh was a cold, sharp thing. "You refuse my generosity, so you'll taste my wrath." He seized Leo, lifting him into the air with an invisible force. He bellowed towards the small cottage. "Elara! I am giving you one last chance. If you do not crawl out here this instant, I will take it out on your son. A nine-lived cat spirit is a nine-lived cat spirit. It makes no difference to me whose tail I take!" Suspended in the air, Leo coughed and sputtered as the rain choked him, his small hands flailing wildly. "You're a bad man! A monster!" Agnes, prone in the mud, clutched at Kaelus's pristine boots. "My lord, I'm begging you. He is just a child. Please, spare him." With a casual flick of his wrist, Kaelus sent Leo crashing to the ground. He coughed up a mouthful of blood. "I will give Elara one day," Kaelus announced, his voice echoing in the storm. "If she does not show herself by tomorrow, she can't blame me for being merciless. And as for the bastard she bore with her mortal lover, he will be punished alongside her!" He turned, his robes swirling around him, and vanished. Agnes and Leo clung to each other, their sobs lost in the sound of the rain. "Auntie Agnes," Leo whimpered, "who… who was that? He was so scary." A shadow passed over Agnes's eyes. "He is no one, my dear. No one important at all." 2 I clenched my fists, a bitter sorrow welling up inside me. Kaelus, how could you not even recognize your own son? Her mortal lover? The thought was so absurd it was almost laughable. But then, he had never truly cared for me. How could he possibly know Leo was his child? And even if he did, he would likely just transfer all his hatred for me onto our son. Agnes helped Leo back into the cottage and immediately began to pack. "Leo, we have to leave. We can't stay here any longer." A wave of relief washed over me. She remembered my words. Before I died, I had told her that if Kaelus ever came looking for me, she had to run. No matter how far, she had to run. I hovered behind Agnes, whispering an apology she couldn't hear. I'm so sorry, Agnes. I've dragged you into this. She clutched the jade talisman I'd given her, her eyes filled with a deep longing. "Elara, you gave me my life. Don't worry. I will protect Leo, no matter the cost." Looking at her face, softened by the flickering lamplight, it was as if I was back fifty years ago, seeing that little girl who had fallen from a cliff while trying to gather herbs for her sick mother. I had been passing by and saved her, healing her mother as well. Such a simple act, and yet she remembered it her entire life. She always said she could never repay my kindness. Ten years ago, when Kaelus cast me out of the Celestial Realm and my enemies hunted me, it was Agnes who took me in. We had been on the run ever since. I thought Kaelus had finally forgotten me, but it seemed even in death, I could find no peace. Agnes quickly finished packing, and under the cover of darkness, they slipped out of the cottage. She glanced back one last time at the home we'd shared for a decade, sighed, and then turned away without hesitation, leading Leo into the night. The talisman I gave her would grant them passage into a hidden cave within my tomb. It held the last vestiges of my spirit energy, enough to shield them from Kaelus's detection. But it would only last for a week. That would be enough. Kaelus would never spend more than three days searching for me. They hadn't gone far when he appeared before them. He stood like a statue in their path, an immense pressure radiating from him, forcing Agnes and Leo to their knees, blood trickling from their lips. I flew at Kaelus, beating against him with my spectral fists. "You bastard, Kaelus! Is this how you treat an innocent old woman and a child?! And you call yourself the God of War, protector of all realms!" But he couldn't feel my blows or hear my screams. I was filled with despair. I knew that for his precious Lyra, he was capable of anything. He looked down at them, his voice laced with contempt. "And where do you two think you're going?" Agnes struggled to speak. "I… I was just going to buy Leo something to eat." "Oh? And you need to pack all your belongings to go shopping? Do you take me for a fool? You were trying to run!" His voice cracked like a whip. "I already gave you a chance!" Suddenly, a surge of strength filled Leo. Claws sprang from his fingertips as he lunged at Kaelus. "You monster! Don't you hurt Auntie Agnes! I'll bite you! I'll kill you!" My spirit heart leaped into my throat. "Leo, no!" I screamed into the void. An enraged Kaelus would surely kill him! Even if Leo was his own son. He wouldn't care. Not if he came from me. Kaelus, caught off guard by the sudden attack, hissed as Leo's claws tore a deep gash in his arm. His eyes turned to ice. He seized Leo by the throat, lifting him effortlessly. "You're just like your mother. Pathetic and defiant." Leo glared at him, spitting out the words. "My mother was the best person in the world! You're not allowed to talk about her!" Tears streamed down Agnes's face as she slammed her forehead against the rocky ground, again and again, until it was a bloody mess. I spun in the air, frantic with rage. Kaelus, you animal! A white-hot hatred consumed me. Kaelus, I am truly beginning to hate you. 3 "My lord, please," Agnes sobbed. "Let Leo go. I've already told you, Elara died three years ago." Kaelus's grip tightened. "Is that so? Well, if she's dead, then her son's tail will have to do! I refuse to believe she would stand by and watch her own child be mutilated!" Leo's face was turning a deep shade of purple. Agnes's lips trembled as she forced out the words. "My lord… Leo… Leo is your son." My head snapped towards Agnes. How… how did she know? I had never told her the truth about Leo's father. She had never asked. Perhaps it was the slight resemblance in his features. Kaelus raised an eyebrow. "You'll say anything to save Lyra, won't you?" He clearly didn't believe her. A ball of fire materialized in his right hand, and he pressed it against Leo's arm. Leo screamed in agony as the Celestial Flame seared his flesh, leaving his small arm a mess of charred tissue. The wound showed no signs of healing. The blood of Kaelus was a divine fire. A cat spirit's powerful regenerative abilities were useless against it. The wound would only begin to heal once the last embers of the flame had died out. Twenty years ago, Lyra had framed me. In his rage, Kaelus had burned me with his Celestial Flame for an hour. My entire body was a wreck of festering wounds. It took me five years to fully recover. Leo was not even ten years old. How could he possibly withstand such a thing? Kaelus sneered. "He can't even withstand my Celestial Flame, and you dare claim he is my son? It seems ten years of suffering in the mortal realm haven't changed Elara's vicious nature one bit!" Leo was too young. The God of War's bloodline had not yet awakened within him. Kaelus, you truly are a monster! He shouted into the darkness around them. "Elara, I've changed my mind! This is your final chance. If you do not show yourself, I will not only take your son's tail, I will burn him with my Celestial Flame for three days and three nights!" In a panic, Agnes rushed forward to shield Leo. But she was only a mortal. The moment she touched the divine fire, her entire hand disintegrated into ash. Her bloodcurdling scream echoed through the forest. I was consumed by a blinding rage. I wanted to kill Kaelus. Kaelus, Kaelus, I hate you. I hate that I ever met you, and I hate myself for ever loving you! Kaelus extinguished the flame, but Agnes's arm was gone. Leo, fighting through his own pain, crawled to her side. He bit into his own wrist and let his blood drip onto her wound, staunching the flow. He turned to Kaelus, his voice raw with grief. "You monster! Who are you? My mother is gone! Why do you hate her so much?! My mother is dead! I am her son! If you want revenge, take it out on me! I don't know what she did to you, but I'm begging you, please, don't hurt Auntie Agnes!" Kaelus flinched at his words. His lips moved, but he said nothing. He probably couldn't bring himself to admit that I, a "vicious" cat spirit, was the consort of the great God of War. He had always seen me as a source of shame. Agnes's face was ashen. After a long moment, she managed to catch her breath. Using her one remaining hand, she propped herself up with her cane. The fear in her eyes was gone, replaced by a chilling mockery. She looked at Kaelus and smiled. "Lord Kaelus, you wanted to see Elara, didn't you? Then follow me." Kaelus, completely oblivious to the change in her demeanor, assumed his Celestial Flame had finally broken them. A triumphant smirk played on his lips. "If you had just led me to her in the first place, you could have avoided all this suffering." Agnes walked ahead, laughing softly to herself. "Elara, Elara," she murmured, "is this the man you once loved so deeply? It was never worth it." I'm sorry, Agnes. I'm so sorry. I wished I could go back to the day I first met Kaelus, a hundred years ago. I would have turned and walked away without a second thought. I would have never allowed our paths to cross. Never. 4 Soon, we arrived at my tomb. It was a simple grave, set into the face of a cliff. Agnes took out the jade talisman I had given her. A gentle squeeze would shatter it and open the cliff face. The moment Kaelus saw the talisman, his expression faltered. It was our betrothal gift. He snatched it from her, staring at it for a long moment before speaking, his voice laced with a strange anger. "She never took this off. So, she finds a new lover, and even her most precious tokens become meaningless." Agnes's eyes were filled with scorn. She snatched the talisman back and squeezed, but her strength failed her. Frustrated, she threw it to the ground, where it shattered into a thousand pieces. "How dare you!" Kaelus roared, grabbing her by the collar. "You wanted to see Elara," Agnes said, her voice flat as she gestured to the opening in the cliff. "She's in there." Kaelus snorted, then dragged Leo into the cave. But it was utterly empty. There was nothing inside. He had been tricked. A powerful malevolence radiated from him, and the temperature inside the cave plummeted. Agnes leaned against the wall, shivering violently. I rushed to embrace her, but my arms passed right through. A mortal would freeze to death in this cold, especially one of her age! But Agnes seemed oblivious to the cold. She caressed the stone wall with a tender familiarity. "Elara. It's been a long time." It has. My physical form had become the mountain itself. With a flick of his wrist, Kaelus transformed Leo into a tiny kitten, mewling in his grasp. "Fine. You're all as defiant as she is. You think my patience is endless? Then I will offer the son she had with her lover as a sacrifice!" He raised his hand to tear away Leo's single tail. "Hah. One tail? You lie just like your mother. You wretched little thing." I shrieked, throwing myself at Kaelus. I knew he couldn't hear me, but I screamed and begged him to spare Leo. I was a nine-lived cat. Giving birth to Leo had left me on the brink of death. He was just an ordinary cat spirit. He only had one life. Kaelus, are you really going to murder your own child?! Just then, a series of weak coughs echoed from the cave entrance. Lyra, Kaelus's childhood love, was being helped inside by a servant. Her face was pale, and a trickle of blood stained the corner of her lips. "Kaelus, my love," she whispered, "if Lady Elara is unwilling, then let it be. My life is not worth this trouble." She shivered, rubbing her arms. Kaelus immediately rushed to her side, wrapping her in a protective embrace. The chilling aura around him dissipated, and the cave slowly began to warm. I breathed a sigh of relief as Agnes's breathing evened out. "Don't be afraid, Lyra," Kaelus soothed. "If that woman refuses, we still have the son she bore with her mortal lover. I won't let you die. After what she did to you, this is what she deserves." A fleeting, triumphant smile flashed across Lyra's face as she buried her head in his chest. Agnes, having regained some of her strength, began to laugh, a hollow, broken sound. "Kaelus, if you dare touch Leo, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I promise you that." A cold smile touched Kaelus's lips. "Is that so? I'd like to see you make me." As he spoke, a golden light emanated from his hand. Leo's tail was in his grasp. And then, Kaelus froze. A brilliant flame, the Celestial Flame exclusive to the God of War's bloodline, erupted from Leo's small body.
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