Virtue
Virtue is what one human bestows upon another.

As the faint light of dawn broke over the kingdom’s mountains, a man and a woman ascended the snowy path toward the summit.

Their hair—one as white as snow, the other a deep ink-black—danced in the biting wind. Together, the two made their way through the field of snow, step by step, leaving their distinct footprints behind. The woman’s dainty, delicate steps and the man’s heavier, surefooted strides carved a pattern into the snow as they climbed.

“A... Achoo!”

The woman sneezed, her nine tails coiled tightly around her body like a makeshift blanket. With every step she took, her form trembled as if she were barely keeping herself upright.

Keyal’s gaze shifted toward the fox spirit cloaked in snowy white fur, her breath visible in the icy air. He stole a glance at her now and then, unable to keep his concern from surfacing.

Just last night, this fox spirit, newly acquainted with him, had insisted on following him despite her weakened condition. Her determination had left him both puzzled and uneasy.