Ragnarok Fan Fiction ❯ MVP Anthology ❯ Moonlight ( Chapter 1 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

By firelight, in the midst of a deep wood, a traveller recounts a sad tale...

Long ago, before this land was unified, and before the coming of Crusader and Priest, there was only the world. In this world, going about their business as they do even today, were the people of Payon. They were a hard, industrious people, and they lived very close to nature. Among these people lived a small girl, happy and bright. She was loved by the people of Payon, and, being the chieftan's only daughter, they looked forward to the day when she would preside as Payon's leader. She often ran about the town, laughing and smiling at everyone she met.

Then, one day, as the young girl was playing outside, an ox escaped from a nearby pen and, in a rage, trampled her. The entirety of Payon grieved for three nights, begging the spirits of nature to return the girl to them. The chieftan sat in silence for many weeks afterwards, and allowed no one to see him. Still, the girl was not to return. The people of Payon buried her body in a tomb just outside the Archer Village, which became a shrine...

In the afterlife, two kitsune (fox demons) came upon the little girl's soul, which was crying and wandering about, so unlike she had been in life. The two demons took pity on her, and imbued her soul with their essences, returning her to life. However, no kitsune is without their trick, no matter how pure their intentions may seem. The kitsune tied the girl's soul to a large brass bell, and charged her to always carry it with her, as a sign of gratitude. The girl, who had little grasp of the concept of gratitude, immediately ran out of the cave towards the town of Payon, and her father.

However, time in the afterlife is much slower than in the living world, and to the girl's horror she saw that Payon was nothing like what she had left it. The chieftan had long since died, and the people of Payon had completely forgotten the poor child. Many gawked at the girl, as one carries no garments or robes into the afterlife. Soon, the sun began to set, and the poor girl was left alone, sobbing and confused. She had completely forgotten about the brass bell, but the kitsune had not...

In an instant, the girl was completely transformed. Her long black hair became coarse and short, like a foxes', and fur suddenly enveloped her limbs. A soft, high-pitched laugh was heard, and foxfire surrounded her... "You did not show your gratitude towards the spirits... and now you must pay for your insolance!" Lighting flashed in the clear night sky, and the girl was whisked away to the cave, her tomb...

Many hundreds of years passed, and the girl, immortal, became cold and unfeeling. Her sorrow, once pure and pitiable, became a cruel, distorted thing which drove her to make mischief and cause the residents of Payon much suffering. The people of the mountain town stayed away from the cave, which soon became inhabited by all manner of foul beast and ghoul... And, as she had promised, the girl kept the large brass bell with her always, and never ventured out into the light of day again...

"Jingle~! Jingle~! Always I'm with the bell!"

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