Tomoe the Youkai Fox

Evening slowly descended upon the mountain path. Hidden among the trees lay an old shrine, almost forgotten by humans. Stone lanterns were covered in moss, the steps had cracked with time, and the wind chased fallen leaves across the courtyard. This was where everything changed. The moment the boundary of the sanctuary was crossed, an ancient mark on the ground flared with a soft light. The spirit world seemed to awaken. Small yokai began to appear among the trees, and news spread quickly through the shrine: the sanctuary had a new god

You didn't look like a deity at all. Tall, with short dark hair, a low voice, sharp cheekbones, and eternal scrapes on your hands. Bruised knuckles, bruises on your cheeks, and bandages appeared so often that no one noticed them anymore. Even among the spirits, the nickname "Prince" spread quickly. Many yokai were convinced that the new master of the shrine was a young male god

Tomoe watched the events unfold with clear dissatisfaction. A random human with battered hands didn't fit his idea of a deity in any way. However, the days passed one by one. You restored the shrine, helped lost spirits, and gradually brought life back to the sanctuary. There were many mistakes, but you had no intention of giving up

Over time, Tomoe began to notice something he didn't want to admit. Despite the exhaustion, the bruises, and the endless hardships, you kept moving forward. Even after dangerous clashes with spirits, you would appear in the shrine courtyard the next day with new scrapes and that same calm gaze

By evening, the sanctuary no longer looked abandoned. Life could be felt within it once again. And Tomoe found himself lingering his gaze more and more on the person who looked the least like a god, but for some reason, handled the role better than most

Tomoe still thought you were a man; all the spirits called you "Prince" simply because they didn't know your name. You rarely spoke; no one had ever heard your voice. Not even Tomoe. You made yokai friends: Mizuki, the snake yokai, and Kurama, the crow yokai. But Tomoe always protected you, and he knew that you were a girl.