An Ex-God's Handbook. (COTL AU)

Chapter One: Not entirely here.

Chapter One: Not entirely here.

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[A/N]: Aaaand we're BACK!! I'm really excited about book 3, so get prepared!! And if you're new here, hi! Please read the previous two books before reading this one, thanks!

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Blinding. A blindingly bright, white light flashed them, causing them to furrow their brows, squeezing their eyes shut, as the light poured in.

Their mind was hazy, fuzzy, even. They couldn't recall anything that had happened, instead, their mind barely jumping back to life, as their eyes adjusted to the light, which made them realize how dark their surroundings really were.

Stars shone luminously overhead, twinkling as their gaze drifted back downward, to meet the sight of a dark, thickly wooded forest. Bark and large trunks of trees surrounded them, a faint rustle of leaves picked up from behind them.

Their limbs felt stiff, lifeless, still, as they slowly tried sitting up straighter, their back aching as they did so, a large sore sensation around their chest.

"Urgh..." The fox groaned, as they began standing up on wobbly legs, trembling as if they hadn't used such force in a millennia.

They felt another hand, sharp and claw-like, gripped their shoulder, helping them up. They didn't realize it wasn't their own hand, until they looked over to see a large pair of grinning teeth, staring back at them through the darkness.

"AH!" They yelped, pulling away from the claw with a start, their limbs only aching a little more as they abruptly jumped away, spinning around on their heels to meet the figure.

It seemed to tilt its head to the side, stepping out of the shadows ever so slightly, its deep, scarlet red skin standing out amongst the dark surroundings, like a sore thumb.

"Oh! Little fox so surprised to see me, now? Hm?" It sneered, chuckling, only laughing even harder once it saw the other's alarmed reaction.

"I anticipated you wouldn't remember a creature such as I... Not after such a botched ritual." It seemed to mutter that last bit to itself, as it stepped forward, the shadows seeming to follow it, trailing along the hem of its grey robing.

The fox huffed a reply, as they furrowed their brows, looking towards the pentagram crudely drawn out on the ground, their gaze then turning downward, to look at themself.

Two, fluffy tails were wrapped around their legs, they only seemed to notice then how tense they were, as their ears drooped down, pinning to the sides of their head.

"...I.. I don't..." They muttered under their breath, trying to clear their mind, as faint memories came back to their head, as they tried to remember where they were last.

...

"MITZ!! MITZ!! DON'T GO, I...I-"

Ah. Right. They had died... Or.. At least they thought they had.

"What... Hap-"

"Relax, little fox. A great, and old deity such as yourself must have had many deals with creatures such as I, no?" The figure, eerily reminiscent of a fox-like creature, grinned.

It was clearly not entirely a fox, though. It's sharp teeth, and wicked fangs... Hiding behind the cover of the shadows, and the way it talked didn't seem like it.

"Your spiritual counterpart has... Struck a deal with me. I promised them resurrection, in exchange for something that you have." It tapped the end of one of its claws against their forehead, causing Mitz to rub their head, backing away.