Chapter 1: Tail of Fire

For the first time in my life, I woke up early—on purpose.
Don’t ask me why. I don’t know either. Maybe I was trying to pretend I cared about “self-improvement.” Or maybe I had passed out the night before from working the fields too hard and just woke up early by default.
I got up, grabbed a quick bite, and realized… I was out of firewood.
There wasn’t much to do that day anyway. The weather was nice. So I figured I’d head into the forest and chop down a few trees. I don’t use much wood—three thin trees would be enough.
Now… I’ll admit it.
I’m kind of scared of the forest.
Yes, yes, I know—grown man and all. But there are monsters in those woods. And it’s not like I can do anything to them. I just pray they don’t do anything to me.
Still, I had to go.
I brought with me the one thing I owned that might help: a fire magic stone I’d bought last year with almost my entire annual income. I’m not a swordsman. Never have been. But at least I could scare something off.
The first tree went down easily. The forest was quiet. Almost too quiet.
While working on the second tree, I heard rustling in the bushes.
I grabbed the stone, ready to activate it.
“—Who’s there?!”
No answer.
I sighed. “Probably just an animal,” I muttered. “No big deal.”
I chopped down the second tree and turned toward the third.
Then, more movement—right in front of me this time.
I raised the stone and crept toward the bushes.
Nervous? Oh yeah. I was shaking.
I parted the leaves and...
A fox.
But not just any fox.
Its fur was crimson red. Flames danced along its tail like a candle’s flicker.
I stumbled back.
The fox stepped forward.
“Stay back!” I shouted, aiming the stone at it. “I’ll burn you, I swear!”
The fox kept coming.
“I’m warning you!”
My back hit a rock. No escape.
I activated the stone.
A burst of fire surged toward the fox.
Smoke billowed—then cleared.
It stood there.
Not even a scratch.
“…I spent my whole year’s income on that thing!”
The fox tilted its head, almost like… it was judging me.
Its tail flicked. The fire danced.
“Oh. Great. You’re, like… some kind of fire spirit fox or something? Just my luck.”
I took a deep breath.
“Look, Mister or Miss Fox. I’m just a humble farmer. I’m not here to hurt you, hunt you, or whatever. How about we just go our separate ways, yeah?”
Silence.
Then…
A voice.
But not through the air.
It echoed inside my head.
“You threw fire at me. And now you want to walk away?”
My blood turned to ice.
“…Wha—what?”
The fox had spoken.
It had spoken.