Chapter 10: Charity is for Nonprofits

Waking up to the sunbeams had its own kind of charm. Sure, I still missed my old perch in that cabin in the woods, the one by the window, perfect for curling up in, but I couldn’t deny this place had its own flavor of cozy. Different, but not bad.

Too bad curling up like a donut wasn’t on the menu today, not after what I’d seen last night.

“Oh, Clover~” Julia’s singsong voice floated over. “Not going to fake-sleep on me again, are you?” She smiled, and my gaze dropped to her hands. The very same fingers that had been torn open last night were now completely intact. Smooth. Whole. Like they’d never split open in the first place.

A vein of irritation throbbed in my head. Not that Julia could see it, any such vein was buried under layers of her fluffiest, brightest, most aggressively adorable presence. And the only reasonable response was yet another round of vigorous friction therapy against Julia’s face.

But my mind wasn’t letting me off the hook. It kept circling back to what I’d witnessed. I wasn’t imagining things, I’d seen it with my own two eyes, and even Trickery had been there as a witness. Julia had been doing… something. Something strange. And she herself seemed utterly unaware of it.

When I caught her in the act, she’d turned her head toward me for a heartbeat, but her eyes hadn’t truly registered me. She just drifted back toward bed in a daze, like nothing had happened. And this morning… Nothing. Her fingers were fine, her eyes weren’t bleeding, and even the blood that had soaked into her dress, thick drops dripping from her eyes, had simply… vanished.

I didn’t like mysteries. Mysteries were annoying. Annoying enough to make me want to vomit.

[I think the truth might be the opposite.]

And my trait needed to shut its smug mouth.

[No. Sue me.]

Julia turned away and stepped into the attached washroom, the same place I’d caught her last night, scrawling strange patterns with the blood dripping from her fingers. All of which had conveniently evaporated into nothing by morning.

Today, though, she was brimming with energy. I hadn’t seen her this happy in ages. The reason being her initiation into the Sun Inquisitors. That alone had her glowing. For me, that ceremony was also an opportunity.

I hopped to the window and stared outside, tail twitching. Something was off. Too many odd things were happening around Julia at once, her strange midnight behavior, the missing blood, her total lack of memory and underneath it all, that faint, ever-present hum of working magic that I couldn’t track down no matter how I tried.

If I ever wanted to get back to my glorious days of peace, naps, and bacon, I needed to deal with whatever this was. Someone, or something, it didn’t matter. What mattered was that it needed to get gone. Out of Julia’s life.

I wasn’t going to rest until this mystery was buried six feet under where it belonged.

***

Julia finished her shower and emerged dressed in… something else. The dress was white, a color that never suited her, and even she seemed to look at it with a sort of mournful resignation. Her proper gothic attire was ruined, after all and I doubted she had access to her own wardrobe here, or to any of the things we’d left behind in the cozy forest cabin.

This also meant her signature gothic makeup was absent. I’d grown so accustomed to her usual aesthetic that I’d nearly forgotten her actual face. Not that it mattered; Julia was just as striking without the paint. Her black hair and grey eyes stood out against her vibrant skin, which had the healthy, well-hydrated glow of someone who takes meticulous care of themselves.

“Come on, Clover, let’s go!” she said in a tone bright with excitement. But as she opened the door and stepped out, her foot slid straight through a puddle on the impeccably shiny floor. She went down hard, landing on her tailbone with a sharp yelp. The sight pulled a foxy, staccato ke-ke-ke of laughter from me.

[And here I was, mistaking your mood for charitable. My error.]

Charity is for nonprofits. I’m strictly a for-profit entity.

[Then why did you dribble more water in front of the other doors?]

Diversifying the portfolio! Why have one potential accident when you can have several? Also you know the answer to this perfectly well.

[Because you don't have access to the oil yet!]

Bingo!

That would guarantee a far more elegant, and far less recoverable, fall.

***

The interior of our temporary lodgings felt more like a grand manor than a church, though perhaps it was somehow both. I saw no overt religious symbols, but sun motifs were everywhere. The place simply smelled like old nobility, elegantly built and impeccably maintained, with a massive garden out front. Each room had polished marble floors and heavy doors, the walls adorned with paintings depicting shadowy beasts and the Inquisitors who battled them, along with other, more obscure figures in the same uniform.

My mind was already cataloging the sheer potential for chaos within these walls…

No! Absolutely not. No pranks, not until I’ve fully blended in. The last thing I need is suspicion falling on me. An intelligent fox knows how this works; if anything goes wrong, the newcomer always gets the blame.

It was flawless logic, truly worthy of my status.

[…]

After a few turns through the expansive manor, Julia led us down a staircase that just… kept descending. I was hit with a wave of déjà vu as our surroundings transitioned from elegant manor-house decor to stark, stone-cut pathways, finally opening into an underground space.

Inquisitor Agnes was waiting for us there.

“Hopefully you both slept well?” she asked.

Julia offered a smile. “Well… my hand is a bit sore, for some reason,” she said, wincing slightly as she flexed it. “I must have slept on it funny.”

I wished I could tell her the truth. But I had no idea how that revelation would land, and informing Julia that she’d been seemingly possessed, especially while we were guests of the Sun Church, didn’t seem like a good idea to even hint at.

I needed more information first.

“Follow me, then,” Agnes said, leading the way down the tunnel ahead of us. “Apologies for the longer route. After yesterday’s events, the Captain felt it prudent to throw up a smokescreen, divert any prying eyes away from your presence. You have the Sun Charm with you, I trust?”

Julia nodded, her fingers finding the new necklace at her throat, a pendant crafted in the shape of a stylized sun. “It’s warm,” she remarked with a soft smile.

Agnes chuckled. “The Captain makes those in his spare time. But never say that to his face, he’ll just make up some story about getting them from a friend. Secretly, he enjoys crafting them.”

“It’s a little hard to picture someone so stern sitting down to weave these fine golden threads,” Julia admitted.

“Don’t judge him on appearances. He’s the kindest man I know. The only time he shows ruthlessness is against the corrupt.”

Julia tilted her head. “That does sound very on-brand for an Inquisitor.”

I tuned out the conversation after that, a yawn splitting my jaw. Naps should never be interrupted, especially not my sacred ten hours. Ten. Not nine, not nine and a half. Ten. Minimum.

Soon, we reached what appeared to be a dead end. Agnes pressed her palm against a specific brick in the wall, and I felt a faint, almost imperceptible ping of magic ripple through my mind. It was an enchantment, keyed to recognize specific mana signatures. I did nothing to interfere as the wall slid aside, and we stepped through.

Now this was unmistakably a secret base, albeit a grand one. We were still underground, but the space had the polish of wealth. Marble floors gleamed under a massive chandelier. A woman sat behind a desk, rising the moment we entered. Behind her hung the Sun’s emblem in full display. Another wide passage stretched further ahead, likely the main entrance, while the one we’d emerged from was clearly a hidden side path.

“Inquisitor Agnes! Good morning. And I see we have guests today,” the woman behind the desk said brightly.

“Good morning, Elara,” Agnes replied. “Julia, this is Elara. She manages all security protocols here and is the finest attendant one could ask for.”

“Ah, Julia! The new recruit,” Elara exclaimed, excited. “It’s been too long since we’ve had a new Inquisitor join the ranks. A pleasure to meet you both! Please, don’t hesitate to find me if you require anything at all. I’d love to chat more, but the Captain is expecting you. He’s in his office, you may go right in.”

As we moved further into the base, I couldn’t help but marvel at the architecture. It was then I noticed the details I’d missed before: walls of reinforced brick and iron, and lining the corridors, gas lamps set in polished brass sconces. I could tell by how their flames flickered with a faint hiss of pressurized gas.

Damn, so, this world was already dipping its toes into industrial expansion if gas lighting was installed in a secure facility like this. An interesting development, though telling that I hadn’t seen any such modern conveniences in the manor above. The technological revolution clearly hadn’t spread very far yet.

Still… it was a fascinating piece of knowledge. I couldn’t wait to see how the world looked in an actual, bustling city, which I now assumed sprawled directly above this underground complex.

We passed several more chambers, and I mentally cataloged every detail: the number of doors, the types of locks, the occasional occupant who nodded curtly to Agnes as we passed. Our procession finally halted at the end of the hallway, before a single, unadorned door. Agnes opened it to reveal a warmly lit, cozy office.

Immediately, a large, dignified cat stalked out, brushing past our legs without a glance. Inside, Leonardo sat in a deep, comfortable chair behind a heavy oak (I assumed it was) desk.

A bookshelf overflowing with leather-bound tomes dominated one wall, and a thick, soft-looking carpet covered the floor where two more cats were curled in slumber. I counted four others positioned around the room like silent, furry sentinels, each wearing a stony expression that mirrored their master’s.

I didn't mind their presence, but their inferior floof was a simple fact of life. My own floof was clearly the pinnacle of vulpine achievement.

Greetings were exchanged, the formalities were brief.

“Well, hopefully you are ready for your initiation, Inquisitor Julia,” Leonardo began.

Julia gave a firm nod.

“While I am certain you are excited about this, I must warn you still. The path of power is seldom an easy one,” he continued, his voice adopting a more solemn tone. “Many see the awakening of one's inner Soul World as the achievement of a chosen one, a blessing granted only to a small percentage of people. I have never considered it a blessing. It is a burden. The world we navigate is a dangerous one. The shadows that lash out from the darker corners we fight are vicious and insidious. I warned you of this when you first applied to join our ranks. And I warn you again now, not to seed doubt, but to ensure your mind is truly steeled for what is to come.”

Julia took a deep, steadying breath. “I… am acutely aware of the dangers this world holds, Captain. I know the kind of people you fight against. I know… what my parents were. The evil and corrupt deeds they committed, the way they had me brainwashed for so long… until I broke free. I decided then that I wanted to help rid the world of that very stain. So yes. Long before all of this, long before I ever stared death in the face, my resolve was forged. I am ready to pick the Sun Aspect and begin my cultivation journey.”

Leonardo offered a small, approving smile. “I know you are.” He then turned to a reinforced suitcase resting on the corner of his desk and tapped a specific sequence on its metallic surface. The locks snapped open with a series of sharp clicks, and the lid lifted to reveal the contents.

Inside, cradled in dark velvet, was a beating heart forged from solid, shimmering gold. Beside it, suspended in a glass jar sealed with intricate metalwork, two eyes with blazing golden irises stared out.

Julia’s eyes widened in awe. “These are….”

“Your initiation organs. The Eyes of the Dawn Owl and the Heart of the Ash Lion.” He closed the suitcase with a click. “Organ integration is never a simple task, which is why Inquisitor Agnes will guide you through the process. It may take up to a week. Remember, these organs retain a sense of self; they are imprinted with the essence of the monsters they were taken from.

“Their will remains. Your task is to suppress that alien consciousness with your own unwavering will, to force them to submit and become a part of you. The moment they sense weakness, they will try to dominate yours. That is how aspiring cultivators mutate into grotesque parodies of their chosen path before their journey even truly begins.” He fixed her with a stern look. “While I have sensed the exceptional density of mana within your soul world for someone your age, do not let that breed cockiness. Respect the process.”

Julia accepted the suitcase with a nod. Then, she glanced down at me. “I… believe Inquisitor Agnes mentioned that Clover would also be sponsored by the Church?”

Leonardo chuckled. “That is true. However, we have a unique predicament: we do not yet know what Aspect the little fox intends to cultivate. You’ve attested to her high intelligence. Can you communicate with her effectively?”

Julia nodded again, confident.

“Then your first duty is to educate her on the different Aspects. While I would be personally pleased to recommend the Sun Aspect, the choice is not mine to make. Each Aspect offers an entirely different suite of abilities and dictates a different path of power. It is a profound decision. Not all who serve as Sun Inquisitors, for instance, actually cultivate the Sun Aspect. Our ranks are a mixed bag. Currently, our repository has organs available for three primary Aspects: the Sun, the Moon, and the Chain.”

Leonardo’s gaze was level.

“So, inform her. Explain the nature of each path, and then let the little fox herself choose which road she wishes to walk.”