The air was thick with uncertainty.
Kiya, in her full kitsune form, sat under the cherry trees, her tails curled protectively around her. Marcus hadn't moved since her reveal. The others stood in a circle, eyes flicking between Kiya and each other.
"She doesn't feel malevolent," muttered Roland, the faction's magic analyst. "Her aura is stable. Calm. Not corrupted."
Joyanne nodded. "I exposed her, yes—but not because I believe she's a threat. I needed the truth out so we could decide with full knowledge."
Leo scratched the back of his head. "Well, kitsune Youkai are rare, aren't they? Some serve as divine familiars in eastern legends. Not all are monsters."
Alicia added, "She's saved lives, fought harder than some of us. I don't feel fear—I feel betrayed, yeah, but not afraid."
Marcus finally walked toward Kiya. "Four tails… that's a lot of power, isn't it?"
Kiya looked up, slowly nodding. "I was born with two. Earned the other two through spiritual growth and life experience. I'm still a long way from nine. But… yes. I am strong."
Marcus crouched in front of her. "Were you spying on us?"
"No."
"Are you bound to some greater Youkai or evil faction?"
"No. I left that life behind long ago."
"…Do you care about us?"
Kiya blinked. Her tails stilled. "More than anything."
Marcus exhaled slowly, then reached out and gently placed a hand on her head—between her fox ears. She flinched slightly.
"Then you're still one of us," he said. "You should've trusted us, but I get it. You're scared. So was I when I got Orenmir. But we move forward together, okay?"
Tears streamed down Kiya's cheeks, and a soft smile touched her lips.
The others, one by one, approached and nodded.
Joyanne was the last. She offered a firm nod of respect. "No more secrets, fox girl."
Kiya chuckled. "No more. I promise."
And so, the hero faction welcomed a revealed kitsune into their ranks—not as a stranger, but as a comrade reborn in truth.