Ephemeral 0

The chill of the Celestial Wolf's Library was a constant companion, a peculiar anomaly even in the dead of summer. Li Tian Xiao, a fox immortal child with sharp, purple eyes, stirred from his makeshift bed of ancient texts.

A haunting dream clung to him, a vivid tableau of a ten-tailed fox incinerating a city with ominous Fox Fire, a profound act of mourning. The imagery was so real, the grief so palpable, it made him question reality.

“Let this twisted but beautiful scenery be my first and final act of mourning dedicated to you, the one who has blessed me with the best years of my life in this world…” the words echoed in his mind, leaving a lingering question: how much love, how much sorrow, could drive such devastation?

He sighed, pushing away the thoughts, and with a casual wave of his hand, reassembled the collapsed stack of books. The morning air, inexplicably frigid, made him shiver. Suddenly, a soft 'klack' broke the silence. The library doors, massive and rarely opened, creaked ajar. A paper crane fluttered in, unfolding into a single, terse message: 'Come to my courtyard.'