"I know- I know, you are in awe of my splendor, but fret not, I am an ally rather than one of your many, and I mean MANY enemies."
It was quite an odd sight to behold. Standing right before the three of us was a small fox. His fur was dark orange with white tips decorating his ears and tail. It matched my design, which I could peculiar. Not only did this creature share my voice, but it seemed my fur's appearance was not above being stolen. His words were dripped in heavy condescension as Fawkes began strutting in front of us.
"Just what are you?" Bonner asked. He loomed over the confident creature, casting a dark shadow over him.
"I am a fox. That should be obvious for anyone to see.", Fawkes responded.
"No shit. We can see that you're a fox, but that is clearly not all. A regular fox wouldn't be perched on Mark's shoulder like a parrot.", Q said. "Not to mention that you were camouflaging yourself."
"It is just as you say. I am no mere run-of-the-mill fox. What you see is what you get, and that is absolutely..."
"Perfect."
I finished the phrase, and with it, a mischievous grin appeared on the little fox's face. He turned to face me, and it was then that I noticed the bright purple X plastered on his irises. His gaze caused a tremble to take root within my body. His eyes shifted over the other two before Fawkes leaped from the ground onto my shoulder with little regard. Having his weight suddenly thrown onto me caused me to stagger, but I was quick to catch myself.
"That one is a personal favorite, but there is more that I have yet to learn. It is good that you and I will be linked for a while.", Fawkes said.
The small creature was odd, but his sudden appearance and use of that phrase were even more strange. I recall using it when we were in the Hidden Grotto. It was a phrase used by the WWF superstar Mr. Perfect and one I often used to express utmost confidence in one's abilities, much like the arrogant legend did in his time. He could do no wrong and perfected every craft that he ever laid his hands on.
This reference was not from this world, so it isn't realistic to believe that it was a coincidence that he would utter it to me.
"You mentioned that we were linked. How so?" I asked.
Fawkes looked at me, mischief flashing in the fox's purple eyes. There was something that he wasn't telling me, and I could feel it.
"I suppose I could let the details flow for a moment, but there are more important things that I need to discuss while I have the three of you together.", Fawkes said.
The fox began to pace, moving around the three of us confidently. He was a smug little shit, and he knew it. Still, I wanted to see the information crammed in his brain; to do that; we had to humor him.
"Start with the obvious. Why do you sound like Mark?" Q questions. He crossed his arms across his chest.
Fawkes leaped before facing Q's direction. His body served as an arrow, and his tail straightened out. "A very good question. Think of me as a... spirit. I exist within your friend's mana space. A mana space is a realm that exists within a Kitsune's mana core. Laymen refer to the activation of the mana space as a Deceit Realm. Powerful Kitsunes can access their mana space to perform powerful magical feats."
"So, I have a mana space now? I shouldn't have one. Roktavor's build was..."
My words were interrupted when Fawkes turned toward me and said, "That knowledge is no longer applicable."
"What do you mean by that?" Bonner says, and Fawkes turns in his direction.
"Vigilis and Brass.", Fawkes says, pointing his tail at the two men respectively. "Bishop Bonner and Qayshawn Bedgood. This isn't the world of Infinity Unleashed as you know it. You haven't been placed in a video game, but this is a... You know it." Fawkes's eyes rested on me, daring me to complete his sentence.
"This is a branching timeline inside a parallel world, isn't it?" I answered, twisting the end of my mustache.
"Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" Fawkes says with a wide grin. As he speaks, his purple eyes begin to glow, and the environment begins to warp around us. The desolate interior of the hidden grotto reformed to the exterior of the cave's entrance. The sun beamed to appreciate our appearance, and a vast open field waved with the wind.
"The world that you know as Infinity Unleashed isn't a complete fabrication. It is an entirely different world that parallels your home across dimensional lines. You have noticed that this world has one moon and one sun, but magic is far more prevalent within this atmosphere. That is because Earth and this one share the same place in space." Fawkes continued.
That stunned the three of us into silence. So we're not exactly in Infinity Unleashed, but another world that resembles it.
"How does the branching timeline come into play? I don't quite understand how that is relevant?", Q says, rubbing his forehead. It appears confusion had caused a headache to manifest.
"It's complicated, but let me put it like this. Consider the game Infinity Unleashed as the original one. The game events would be considered..."
Fawkes seemed confused himself, which struck me as odd. He looked as if he was having a brain fart, so I spoke to restructure his explanation.
"It's simpler than that. The world that Infinity Unleash exists within doesn't contain us, I mean the actual us. With that in mind, that world doesn't have the presence of the three of us. Inside of that world, Roktavor, Brass, and Vigilis exist. This one is a branching timeline because we have physically transferred over and occupied their place within this world." I began to stroke my goatee as the two men attempted to wrap their heads around what I was saying. "That is what makes it a branching timeline, so I think. I'll add that in. This is merely speculation on my part."
"Sounds like some multiversal bullshit in my eyes," Q stated with a huff.
"It is.", Bonner added. "So that may explain how certain actions we have made within Infinity Unleashed have affected our current world. If its foundation were what we did in I.F, then our emergence here in our current world would cause unknown ramifications."
"If that's the case, then how'd we get here?" Q asked.
"Valdus," Fawkes stated matter-of-factly. "He is a god who can pull beings from different worlds into this one. He does it for various reasons, so I don't know his motives."
"He wanted a hero. I encountered him, and he made it very clear that he doesn't appreciate that he's gotten me rather than Roktavor. Unbeknownst to him, he and I are somewhat the same being. I guess you can say that he and I are multiversal doppelgangers, but who really gives a fuck?" I said with a huff.
"More importantly, I want to know more about this mana space that Kitsune possesses," Bonner said, stepping over to Fawkes.
He picked the small fox up and held him in the air.
"Everyone has the potential to have a mana space since they all have a mana core. Elves and Fairies are potential candidates. It's just Demons and Kitsunes have an easier time accessing theirs. That is due to their nature. They are closer to magical beasts than other races. Once a Kitsune crosses a certain threshold of magical power, they can begin accessing their mana spaces." Fawkes explained.
The fox wiggled out of Bonner's grasp and scampered towards a crystal jutting from the cave's entrance. We watched as he wiggled his hips and leaped onto the crystal, which had to be at least twelve feet above the ground.
"Recognize this?" he asked us.
It was the same crystal type located within the Hidden Grotto and about the same size as the cluster Bonner gave me before we arrived at this encounter.
"I said that your understanding of your limitations is not applicable, and this is the reason why." Fawkes slammed his paw on the crystal, and a tiny sliver fractured from the rest. It was about the size of a marble, and the fox jumped down to catch it when it fell.
He carried it in his mouth over to us before leaping to jump on my shoulders. I felt compelled to extend my hand to him, and he dropped the fracture into my palm.
"Eat it, and things may be clearer," Fawkes said with a serious tone.
I side-eyed the little bastard.
"Are you serious?", I asked the fox, but he only stared at me in response. "This was in your mouth."
"That's the issue you have with it, bud?" Bonner asked with a chuckle. "He just told you to eat a rock, and your problem with it was the idea the crystal was in his mouth?"
"I guess eating a piece of crystal would be on the table if it wasn't in the fox's mouth." Q added, amusement in his eyes. He nudged Bonner with his elbow, and the two men laughed.
It was ridiculous that I genuinely considered placing the crystal in my mouth. Yet, there was an urge, a craving for the crystal. Sound warped around me as the two men chattered amongst themselves. I could feel Fawkes's eyes bore into me with immense pressure. It was as if the sun had come closer. My focus radiated on the crystal as it called to me with intensity. It was similar to when I first encountered it.
"Eat it. I know you want to...down the hatch." Fawkes's voice pierced the silence.
I would feel a hand touch my shoulder, and when I looked Q in his eyes, I made my decision.
"Wait...You're not really considering.."
Before he could finish his statement, I flipped the crystal into my mouth like a piece of candy. Once the crystal entered my mouth, a change could be felt. My body felt as if I was blasted with a shotgun, and the recoil made me reel and stagger. Fawkes jumped from my shoulder onto Q's head, and the man moved to fix that.
"If I were you, I wouldn't stand too close to him now. The first time is a bit nasty to be around.", the fox said as he jumped off his head and scampered toward Bonner.
I gagged and grabbed my throat as if I felt deprived of the air but unable to inhale anymore. My eye began pulsating with power as the crystal made its way down my throat. Q approached, but I raised my hand for him to stop.
"Mark! Are you-"
He didn't get to finish as the area around us began to shake violently. Something was going on, and I didn't understand.
"Space-" I squeaked out. I raised my palm to meet my gaze and noticed a green ambient light flowing from my body.
'What the hell did you do to him, Fox?!" Q barked as he scrambled to his feet.
Fawkes trotted before the two men and wiggled his tail excitedly. "I leveled him up, but no need to thank me. Look at him...This is the power within."