Death's bargain

A Deal with the Fox Spirit

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It was a fúcking fox.

A talking one, at that.

Amilia's mind was spinning. Was she dreaming? Hallucinating? Or had she completely lost her sanity? Nothing made sense anymore.

"Hey, human, are you listening?"

That voice again.

Amilia snapped out of her daze, her gaze locking onto the small creature in front of her. The fox sat there, tail flicking impatiently, its golden eyes glowing in the dim void surrounding them.

"Wh... who are you? Wait... what are you?" Her voice trembled as she instinctively stepped back. It looked harmless, even cute, but who knew what it was capable of?

"My name is Chichi. I'm a fox spirit."

Amilia's jaw dropped. A fox what now?

"Wh... what spirit? And what's with the weird name?"

"It's not weird. It's cute." The fox huffed.

"What's a fox spirit?"

"Mmm… a fox spirit is a spirit that helps people."

"Is it… like an angel?"

"Not really, but… I guess you could say it's something like that."

Then it hit her.

"WAIT… DOES THAT MEAN I'M DEAD AND THIS IS HEAVEN?!"

Her scream echoed through the void, completely disregarding Chichi's sensitive ears.

"Oh my god, I'M DEAD! I DON'T WANNA DIE YET! OH GOD, PLEASE! I HAVEN'T EVEN TAKEN MY REVENGE! I HAVEN'T MADE THOSE BÀSTARDS REGRET WHAT THEY'VE DONE!"

Amilia clutched her head, her entire body shaking as panic consumed her.

Chichi, meanwhile, was desperately trying to block her ears with her tiny paws.

The fox spirit had enough.

"SHUT THE FÚCK UP, HUMAN! YOU'RE NOT IN HELL OR HEAVEN! YOU'RE DEAD, BUT NOT YET!"

Amilia flinched, covering her ears as the fox screamed back.

"You don't have to be that loud… I can hear just fine," she muttered, earning a glare from Chichi.

"Then listen properly."

Taking a deep breath, Amilia forced herself to calm down.

"If I'm not in hell or heaven, then where am I? Please don't tell me I'm stuck between the two worlds. Are you here to take me to hell? Please don't fry me!"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she imagined Chichi dragging her into a pit of fire, cackling as she was burned alive.

"Are you done?" Chichi deadpanned.

Amilia sniffled. "Are you taking me to hell now?"

"No, idiot. I'm here to help you."

Amilia froze. "What? Really?"

"Yeah."

"But how? I'm already dead."

"Do you remember how you died?"

Her heart clenched. She lowered her gaze, voice barely above a whisper. "Someone poisoned me."

"Do you remember their face?"

She shook her head.

"If I gave you a second chance… what would you do?"

The question hit her like a punch. She slowly looked up, fists clenching as a burning fire ignited within her.

"I'll take revenge."

Chichi tilted her head. "Against whom?"

That question made her pause.

Who killed her? She didn't know. Maybe it was the lover she trusted the most. Maybe it was someone else who held a personal grudge. But one thing was clear—she had been nothing but a pawn in someone else's game.

"I'll take revenge against the fúcker who manipulated and used me. I'll make him pay for everything he did. I regret everything… I shouldn't have fallen for his trap. I shouldn't have betrayed my own family for his benefit. I shouldn't have chosen him over everyone."

Chichi hummed. "Is that all you regret?"

Amilia blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What about your husband? Are you going to ignore him again?"

A sharp pain twisted in her chest.

Husband. Could she even call him that?

Yes, it was an arranged marriage. No, she never treated him as a real husband. In the end, she…

She poisoned him.

Her hands trembled. "N… no… But I hurt him. I don't think I deserve him. Even though it was just an arranged marriage, I never treated him like my husband. I… I killed him."

The weight of her past mistakes crushed her. She had been so blinded by love—no, by manipulation—that she didn't realize she had destroyed the one person who had never betrayed her.

"I was a fool," she whispered.

Chichi watched her carefully before speaking. "I'll give you a second chance. A chance to change your past. Will you take it?"

Amilia's breath hitched.

"H… how is that even possible?" Her voice was barely audible.

"You don't need to know how. Just answer me. If I give you a second chance, will you take it?"

Hope flickered in her chest. If there was even the slightest possibility…

"Yes. If this is real, I'm not letting it slip away."

Chichi grinned. "That's what I wanted to hear."

But then, Amilia frowned.

"Wait… why are you helping me?"

Something about this felt off. Why would a fox spirit randomly grant her a miracle?

Chichi's grin widened mischievously.

"Who said I'm helping you for free? You're going to do something for me in return."

Of course. There was a catch.

Amilia crossed her arms. "What do you want?"

The fox smirked.

"It's simple, really…"

A pause.

"Seduce your husband."

Silence.

Amilia blinked.

"What?"