The Eclipsed Order

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: The Beast That Appears Once in a Hundred Thousand Years

Inside Ares’s room, the conversation had continued for some time without anything particularly important being discussed.

Draven had been sitting near the window while Cedric occupied the chair opposite him, and Ares remained on the edge of his bed, listening to the two of them argue over something that had started as a simple discussion and somehow turned into a disagreement.

"You’re overthinking it," Ares said.

"I’m merely pointing out that your decision was unnecessarily dangerous," Draven replied.

"And yet it worked."

"That does not make it a good decision."

Cedric remained silent for a moment before quietly adding,

"I believe both of you are correct."

Ares looked at him.

"That’s not helping."

"I thought neutrality would be preferable."

Draven sighed.

"You see what I have to deal with, Master?"

Ares was about to answer when his expression suddenly changed.

The atmosphere inside the room had shifted.

It was subtle at first, almost too faint to identify, but the change was unmistakable. The air itself seemed to have grown heavier, and the magical particles surrounding them had begun moving in an irregular pattern, as though something far beyond the mansion had disturbed the natural flow of mana.

Ares slowly stood.

"...What is that?"

Draven’s expression immediately became serious.

Cedric also looked toward the window.

For several seconds, none of them spoke.

Then Draven’s eyes narrowed.

"Such mana..."

Ares turned toward him.

"You feel it too?"

"How could I not?"

Draven’s voice had lost its usual casual tone.

"The concentration is extraordinary. It isn’t merely dense mana. The surrounding magical flow is being distorted by its presence."

Cedric slowly stood as well.

"It’s even stronger than mine."

"I cannot determine its exact nature, but whatever is producing that aura possesses an enormous amount of power."

Draven stared toward the eastern mountains.

"There is something else."

"What?"

"It feels ancient."

Ares frowned.

"Ancient?"

"Yes. I can’t properly explain it."

Draven’s expression became increasingly serious.

"The aura doesn’t feel like an ordinary creature that has simply accumulated enormous amounts of mana. There is something strange about its composition, as if several different sources of power have been compressed into a single existence."

Ares’s eyes narrowed.

"Could another calamity have descended?"

Draven didn’t answer immediately.

After a moment, he shook his head.

"I don’t know."

That answer alone was enough to make Ares take the matter seriously.

"Then we’ll find out."

He walked toward the window.

"Let’s go."

The three of them disappeared from the mansion shortly afterward.

A moment later, their figures rose into the night sky and accelerated toward the eastern mountains, leaving the territories inhabited by humans far behind.

The farther they traveled, the more oppressive the strange aura became.

Even from the sky, Ares could feel it.

It wasn’t simply powerful.

It was... unfamiliar.

There was no recognizable magical signature he could compare it to, and that made the sensation considerably more unsettling.

While they flew between the mountains, Ares glanced toward Draven.

"Do you know anything that could produce an aura like this?"

Draven shook his head.

"No."

"Nothing?"

"I have encountered ancient dragons, legendary monsters, divine beasts, and creatures that should have existed only in myths. Even so, I’ve never felt anything quite like this."

He looked toward the mountains ahead.

"Whatever is waiting for us there, it is unlike anything I have known."

Ares became even more curious.

"Then let’s hope it isn’t hostile."

Draven gave him a strange look.

"Master, something capable of producing that kind of aura is rarely harmless."

"I know."

Ares smiled faintly.

"That’s why I’m interested."

They continued flying until they finally reached the source of the disturbance.

The aura was strongest in an open area between several enormous mountains, far from any human settlement.

Moonlight poured through a gap in the clouds and illuminated the ground below.

At the center of the clearing was a creature.

Ares stopped in midair.

"...What is that?"

The creature lying beneath the moonlight was smaller than he had expected.

At first glance, it resembled an ordinary fox, perhaps only slightly larger than one, with a slender body and delicate limbs that looked almost too fragile to survive in the wilderness.

But the similarities ended there.

Fifteen magnificent tails spread across the ground behind it.

Each tail possessed a different color, and none of them looked entirely natural. One shimmered with a deep crimson glow, another carried a pale blue radiance, while others displayed shades of silver, violet, gold, emerald, white, and colors Ares couldn’t immediately name. Magical particles continuously gathered around the tails, occasionally forming tiny sparks before disappearing into the night.

Its fur was equally unusual.

Under the moonlight, the creature’s coat appeared predominantly white, but faint iridescent patterns moved across it whenever its breathing became uneven, making it seem as though countless stars had been embedded beneath its fur.

Despite its beauty, however, the creature was in terrible condition.

Blood stained several portions of its body.

One of its legs was trembling.

Its breathing was shallow, and several of its tails were barely moving.

The creature pressed itself against the ground as though it no longer possessed enough strength to stand.

Draven stared.

"This is..."

Ares looked toward him.

"You recognize it?"

Draven descended slowly.

"I think I do."

He remained several meters away from the creature.

"It resembles a tailed fox."

"A tailed fox?"

"Yes."

Draven’s expression became increasingly confused.

"But that doesn’t make sense."

Ares looked at the fifteen tails.

"Why?"

"Because ordinary tailed foxes don’t have fifteen tails."

Draven pointed toward the creature.

"They usually possess nine at their peak. Even among legendary variants, nine tails is considered the highest number ever recorded."

Ares’s eyes widened slightly.

"Then this one is..."

"Something completely different."

Draven stared at the creature.

"I’ve heard stories of a creature that appears only once every hundred thousand years. Most records describe it as nothing more than an ancient myth, because there haven’t been reliable sightings for an absurdly long time."

He swallowed.

"The Fifteen-Tailed Celestial Fox."

Ares looked at the creature again.

"So that legend is real."

"Apparently."

They slowly approached.

Ares crouched beside the fox.

"But why is something this powerful injured like this?"

Draven examined the surrounding area.

"I don’t know."

There were no signs of a battle nearby, yet the creature had clearly suffered severe injuries.

Ares extended his hand.

"Whatever happened, we can deal with that later."

He placed his palm against the creature’s body.

A warm wave of magic spread outward.

The injuries began closing almost immediately.

The blood disappeared.

The damaged flesh regenerated.

The creature’s breathing gradually stabilized.

Its fifteen tails slowly lifted from the ground.

The fox opened its eyes.

They were beautiful.

One eye carried a pale golden color while the other seemed almost silver beneath the moonlight.

The creature stared at the three strangers with obvious caution.

Ares lowered his hand.

"Don’t worry."

His voice was calm.

"We’re not going to hurt you."

The fox remained motionless.

Ares extended his hand again, keeping his movements slow.

"Come here."

For several seconds, it didn’t move.

Draven remained behind him.

"Master, be careful."

Ares glanced over his shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because that creature is dangerous."

Draven’s expression was unusually serious.

"I’m certain you can feel it. Each of those tails contains a different kind of power."

Ares looked at the tails.

"You’re right."

Even without analyzing them, he could feel the differences.

The crimson tail carried a violent heat.

The blue one contained a sensation resembling endless cold.

Another seemed to distort the surrounding space slightly, while another carried an almost sacred presence.

"It’s incredibly strong."

Draven nodded.

"Stronger than anything a creature of that size should possess."

Ares frowned.

"Then why is it so weak?"

"It may have just been born."

Draven considered the possibility.

"Perhaps the power within those tails has not awakened yet. If the creature truly appears only once every hundred thousand years, it may require an enormous amount of time to develop control over what it possesses."

He looked toward the fox.

"Raw power does not mean complete mastery."

The fox finally moved.

One cautious step.

Then another.

It approached Ares slowly, clearly still uncertain whether he could be trusted.

Ares kept his hand extended.

"That’s it."

The fox stopped directly in front of him.

It stared at his hand.

Then, after another moment of hesitation, it gently touched his palm with its small paw.

Ares smiled.

"There you go."

The creature’s ears twitched.

Then it suddenly moved forward.

Fwoosh!

Its small body jumped into Ares’s arms and curled against his chest, wrapping its tails around itself and clinging to him as though it had finally found somewhere safe.

Ares froze.

"...Oh."

Cedric’s expression softened.

"It seems to trust you, Master."

Draven stared at the creature in disbelief.

"A high-ranking spirit beast wouldn’t normally behave like that."

Ares looked down at the fox resting against him.

"Is it a spirit beast?"

"No."

Draven shook his head.

"No ordinary classification would explain this creature."

He looked toward Ares.

"Why don’t you use your power to identify it?"

Ares nodded.

"Right."

He focused his magic.

The world around him seemed to become clearer as his perception shifted beyond ordinary sight. Magical energy, physical structure, hidden properties, and the flow of power within the creature became visible to him.

Ares quietly spoke.

"True Sight."

A faint ripple of light passed through his eyes.

The information appeared before him.

Fifteen-Tailed Celestial Fox

Classification: Unknown

Species: Fifteen-Tailed Fox

Known Appearance: Fox-like divine beast possessing fifteen tails, each containing a distinct magical attribute derived from an ancient and unidentified source.

Rarity: Once every 100,000 years

Threat Level: Unknown

Current Status: Considered a forgotten myth by most civilizations.

Additional Information:

The Fifteen-Tailed Celestial Fox does not belong to any known beast lineage. Its existence is believed to be the result of an unexplained phenomenon occurring once every one hundred thousand years.

Each of its fifteen tails possesses a distinct power, and the complete nature of these powers cannot be determined while the creature remains in its juvenile state.

Despite possessing enough potential power to eventually surpass the strongest known legendary beasts, a newly born Fifteen-Tailed Celestial Fox is extremely vulnerable.

Its tails require time to awaken and adapt to the world.

During this period, even an ordinary monster could potentially kill it.

Ares remained silent for several seconds.

Then he slowly looked toward Draven.

"...You were right."

Draven blinked.

"What does it say, Master?"

Ares continued staring at the information before him.

"It’s extremely rare."

He looked down at the small fox sleeping peacefully against his chest.

"It’s called the Fifteen-Tailed Celestial Fox."

Cedric’s expression changed.

"The name itself sounds..."

"Ridiculous?"

"No."

Cedric looked toward its tails.

"Important."

Ares nodded.

"True Sight says that every one of its fifteen tails possesses a different magical attribute. They’re not simply additional sources of mana, either. Each tail seems to contain a completely independent power."

Draven’s face became increasingly serious.

"Every tail?"

"Yes."

Ares looked toward him.

"Fifteen different powers."

Draven went silent.

After several seconds, he released a slow breath.

"That’s dangerous."

Ares smiled slightly.

"You think?"

"I hate to admit this, Master, but..."

Draven stared at the fox.

"...its potential is greater than mine."

Cedric also looked surprised.

"Greater than yours?"

"At its current state, no."

Draven shook his head.

"But its potential?"

He gave a bitter smile.

"I don’t even want to imagine what this creature will become after all fifteen tails awaken."

The fox shifted slightly in Ares’s arms.

Draven immediately looked toward Ares.

"Master, are you certain you want to keep it?"

Ares looked down.

The fox had already fallen asleep again, apparently unconcerned by the conversation surrounding it.

Draven continued.

"It may look harmless now, but that body contains enough potential to become a walking calamity. If even a fraction of those powers awaken incorrectly, the consequences could be catastrophic."

Ares didn’t answer immediately.

Instead, he looked at the small creature.

Its body was still trembling faintly from exhaustion.

Its fifteen tails were curled around him like a blanket.

He couldn’t help thinking about the absurdity of the situation.

Back on Earth, he had read plenty of fantasy stories about mythical creatures with multiple tails.

But actually seeing one in person was something entirely different.

And this wasn’t even the usual nine-tailed fox.

It had fifteen.

"Still..."

Ares gently touched its head.

"Look at it."

Draven remained silent.

"It’s injured, frightened, and probably doesn’t even understand what it is yet."

Ares glanced toward the surrounding darkness.

"If we leave it here, another monster could kill it before its powers even awaken."

He paused.

"And if it survives by itself?"

Draven understood what he meant.

"It could eventually become something impossible to control."

"Exactly."

Ares looked back at the fox.

"Then abandoning it doesn’t make much sense."

Draven considered the matter.

"Then why don’t you form a contract with it?"

Ares looked up.

"A contract?"

"If it accepts you as its master, it will be able to remain with you safely. You can monitor its growth, and its power won’t be allowed to run wild without someone capable of controlling the situation."

Ares thought about it.

"That’s actually a good idea."

He looked down at the fox.

"Let’s do that."

Ares placed his hand gently against the creature’s forehead.

A dark and silver glow began spreading from his palm.

The magic wasn’t forceful.

Instead, it surrounded the fox in a quiet sphere of Eclipse energy, allowing the creature to decide whether to accept the connection.

Ares closed his eyes.

"I won’t force you."

The fox slowly opened its eyes.

It stared at him.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then one of its tails moved.

A faint golden light appeared.

The fox pressed its forehead against Ares’s palm.

FWOOM!

An enormous wave of magical energy erupted from the clearing.

Draven and Cedric immediately stepped backward.

"What?!"

The fifteen tails suddenly illuminated the entire mountain.

One after another, different colors of magical energy surged through them.

The crimson tail released a wave of heat.

The blue tail caused frost to spread across the ground.

Another tail distorted the surrounding space, while another released a strange pressure that made even Draven instinctively tense.

The remaining tails responded almost simultaneously.

Ares’s eyes widened.

"What’s happening?"

The contract had already been established.

But something else was occurring.

The energy flowing from the fox wasn’t stopping at the contract.

It was moving through it.

Straight into him.

FWOOM!

Ares felt an enormous amount of power enter his body.

He staggered half a step.

"Wait..."

His expression changed.

"This feels strange."

Cedric immediately stepped toward him.

"Master?"

Ares looked at his own hands.

"I can feel its power."

Draven’s expression changed completely.

"That shouldn’t be possible."

Ares looked toward him.

"It seems like its power has entered me."

Draven stared at him.

"You’re right."

Cedric’s eyes widened.

"Your power is increasing, Master."

Another surge passed through Ares’s body.

FWOOM!

The air around him trembled.

Draven stared in disbelief.

"Your power increased again."

Ares looked at the fox.

The creature was still peacefully resting against his chest.

"So the contract allows me to share its abilities?"

Draven slowly nodded.

"It appears that way."

He stared at the fifteen tails.

"Perhaps the connection between you is functioning differently because of your own power. The contract may not simply make it your familiar. It may have linked its magical core to yours."

Ares looked thoughtful.

"So I can potentially use its powers."

"Potentially?"

Draven gave him an incredulous look.

"The power of a creature whose existence is considered a forgotten myth."

Ares looked down at the fox.

"...That’s certainly unexpected."

Draven sighed.

"Congratulations, Master."

"You’ve gained another ridiculously powerful subordinate."

Ares laughed quietly.

Cedric looked at the fox.

"It’s cute."

Draven nodded.

"Fortunately, since it has become your familiar, it should be able to conceal its true nature. It can remain within your shadow when necessary and appear outside as an ordinary little pet when you’re around humans."

Ares looked down again.

The fox had curled itself more comfortably against him.

"...It’s actually quite cute."

Cedric nodded.

"Yeah..."

Draven glanced at him.

"You sound unusually enthusiastic."

Ares smiled.

"Now we have to give it a name."

He thought for several moments.

"Hmm..."

The fox opened one eye.

Ares looked at it.

"How about..."

He considered the fifteen tails surrounding its small body.

"Astra."

The fox’s ears twitched.

Ares smiled.

"That’s settled."

He gently stroked its head.

"From now on, you’ll be Astra."

The fox gave a quiet sound.

"Kyuu..."

Ares paused.

"...I think it likes the name."

Cedric smiled.

"It seems so."

Draven looked toward the mountains surrounding them.

His expression gradually became more thoughtful.

"There’s still something bothering me."

Ares looked at him.

"Hmm?"

"I’m just curious, how was this creature born?"

Draven stared at Astra.

"The records say it appears once every hundred thousand years, but they don’t explain why. There is no known parent species, no known lineage, and no explanation for how something with fifteen completely different powers can suddenly appear in the world."

He looked toward the moonlit sky.

"Could it be some kind of magical phenomenon?"

Ares remained silent for a moment.

He looked down at Astra, then toward the fifteen tails.

"Maybe."

He gently adjusted the creature in his arms.

"But we can think about that later."

Draven nodded.

"Agreed."

Ares looked toward the distant mountains.

For the first time since discovering the strange aura, the overwhelming pressure had disappeared.

The forest had returned to silence.

Only the faint glow of Astra’s tails remained beneath the moonlight.

Ares looked down at the sleeping creature.

A legendary being that appeared once every hundred thousand years.

A creature possessing fifteen different powers.

A being that could one day become powerful enough to rival or even surpass the greatest monsters in existence.

And somehow, that creature had decided to cling to him.

Ares couldn’t help smiling.

"This vacation certainly became more interesting than I expected."

Astra’s ears twitched.

"Kyuu..."

Draven sighed.

"I have a feeling that sentence is going to cause us considerable trouble in the future."

Ares laughed.

"Probably."

The three of them remained there for a little longer before finally turning back toward the direction of the mansion.

None of them knew what Astra would eventually become.

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