One day.
Nagisa woke before sunrise.
She didn’t know why.
There had been no noise.
Nobody had called her.
Nothing had disturbed her sleep.
Yet she was awake.
She stared at the ceiling of her room while the darkness slowly began to fade outside her window.
Tomorrow was Awakening Day.
Tomorrow, she would finally discover what kind of spiritual root she possessed.
Tomorrow, she would officially take her first step toward cultivation.
Tomorrow was also her ninth birthday.
Nagisa should have been excited.
She had spent years looking forward to this.
Instead, there was an uncomfortable feeling sitting in her chest.
She couldn’t explain it.
At least, that was what she told herself.
Nagisa turned onto her side.
Her tail moved slightly.
“What if…”
She stopped.
The thought sounded ridiculous.
She tried again.
“What if I don’t awaken?”
The room remained silent.
Nagisa stared at the wall.
Everyone in the family had told her that Awakening was something every child eventually experienced.
She had read the records.
She knew how the ceremony worked.
She knew what would happen.
But there was one thing the books couldn’t answer.
What if something was different about her?
Nagisa’s eyes narrowed.
She sat up.
“What if I don’t have a spiritual root?”
The thought made her stomach tighten.
It shouldn’t have been possible.
Or at least, it was extremely rare.
But rare didn’t mean impossible.
And Nagisa had never been an ordinary person.
Not really.
She had already lived one life.
She had died.
She had spent four thousand years in the Celestial Realm.
She had been reincarnated.
She had been born as a fox.
She had received promises from a goddess.
And then…
Nothing.
No System.
No strange powers.
No mysterious voice.
No special abilities.
For years, she had wondered if Bai Yuexian had actually given her something.
She had trusted the goddess.
But what if…
Nagisa’s ears lowered.
“What if Bai forgot about me?”
The words escaped her before she could stop them.
She stared at the floor.
Bai Yuexian had been a goddess.
A being who had existed for who knew how long.
To Bai, four thousand years might have been a long time.
Or perhaps it had been nothing.
Maybe Nagisa was only one of countless souls Bai had encountered.
Maybe the reincarnation had been a passing curiosity.
Maybe Bai had sent her into the mortal world and simply moved on.
Nagisa clenched her paws.
“No.”
She shook her head.
“She wouldn’t.”
Wouldn’t she?
Nagisa remembered Bai’s smile.
She remembered the goddess handing her that strange black orb.
She remembered the words she had spoken.
If only you knew.
At the time, Nagisa had thought it was suspicious.
Now, she wasn’t sure what to think.
She had absorbed the orb.
Then she had been thrown into reincarnation.
Since then…
Nothing.
Not even a single sign.
Nagisa looked toward the window.
“Did I imagine it?”
She hated that thought.
She hated how much uncertainty surrounded her.
For years, she had assumed something was waiting inside her.
But assumptions weren’t proof.
Tomorrow would be proof.
Or disappointment.
Nagisa finally left her room.
The estate was still quiet.
She walked through the hallway and eventually reached the courtyard.
The morning air was cool.
She sat beneath the tree.
Normally, she would have enjoyed the silence.
Today, it only gave her thoughts more room.
She looked at her paws.
“Maybe I’m just overthinking.”
“You are.”
Nagisa nearly jumped out of her fur.
She turned around.
Celeste stood behind her.
Nagisa placed a paw over her chest.
“Mother!”
Celeste smiled.
“Sorry.”
“You scared me.”
“I noticed.”
Celeste sat beside her.
For a while, she didn’t ask anything.
Nagisa appreciated that.
Eventually, Celeste spoke.
“You couldn’t sleep.”
It wasn’t a question.
Nagisa looked down.
“No.”
“Why?”
Nagisa hesitated.
Then she decided to tell the truth.
“I’m scared.”
Celeste’s expression softened.
“Of Awakening?”
Nagisa nodded.
“What if I don’t awaken?”
Celeste was quiet for a moment.
Then she gently touched Nagisa’s head.
“You will.”
Nagisa looked up.
“How do you know?”
“Because I’ve watched you grow.”
“But that’s not proof.”
Celeste smiled.
“No. It isn’t.”
Nagisa blinked.
Her mother continued.
“But neither is fear.”
Nagisa looked at her.
Celeste leaned back against the tree.
“You’re worried about something more than your spiritual root.”
Nagisa’s ears lowered. The source of this chapter is g.com.
“Maybe.”
“Tell me.”
Nagisa hesitated.
Then she whispered,
“What if I’m not special?”
Celeste frowned slightly.
“Special?”
Nagisa nodded.
“I don’t mean stronger than everyone.”
She looked at the ground.
“I mean…”
How could she explain it?
How could she tell her mother about Bai Yuexian?
How could she explain that she had once been Chen Lu?
That before this life, she had lived another one?
That she had spent thousands of years in the Celestial Realm?
That a goddess had promised her something?
She couldn’t.
Not yet.
So Nagisa chose her words carefully.
“I just feel like something is supposed to happen to me.”
Celeste studied her.
“And if nothing does?”
Nagisa swallowed.
“Then maybe I was wrong.”
Celeste smiled gently.
“Nagisa, listen to me.”
Nagisa looked up.
“Your worth doesn’t come from having something extraordinary happen to you.”
She placed a paw against Nagisa’s chest.
“You already have a family that loves you.”
Nagisa’s eyes became slightly warm.
“You have siblings who would probably start a war if someone hurt you.”
Nagisa laughed.
“That’s true.”
“And you have a mother who would personally chase them down if they started that war.”
Nagisa laughed harder.
Celeste smiled.
“Whatever happens tomorrow, you will still be my daughter.”
Nagisa leaned against her.
“I know.”
“And your father would say the same thing.”
Nagisa closed her eyes.
“I miss him.”
“So do I.”
They sat together beneath the tree.
The fear didn’t disappear.
But it became smaller.
Breakfast was considerably louder.
Sato was already arguing with Hirata.
“I said I want the red bowl.”
“You used it yesterday.”
“So?”
“It’s my turn now.”
“No.”
Nagisa entered the dining room.
“You’re fighting over a bowl?”
Sato looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s the best bowl.”
Nagisa stared at the bowl.
It was completely ordinary.
“There are six other bowls.”
“Not like this one.”
Hirata nodded seriously.
“This bowl makes food taste better.”
Nagisa picked it up.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She examined it.
“It looks exactly like the others.”
“That’s because you don’t understand.”
Ren sighed.
“They’ve been arguing about it for ten minutes.”
Airi was already eating from another bowl.
Nagisa sat down.
“Tomorrow you’re awakening your spiritual roots and you’re spending today fighting over tableware.”
Sato nodded.
“Priorities.”
Nagisa laughed.
Celeste shook her head.
“I have five children.”
Seraphine walked into the room.
“Six, if you count me.”
Celeste stared at her.
Seraphine smiled.
“Just checking.”
The children laughed.
For a few minutes, Nagisa forgot about her worries.
That was probably the best thing about having a family.
Even when her mind became too loud, someone always managed to make it quiet again.
After breakfast, the children went to the training yard.
Their final training session before Awakening Day was supposed to be light.
At least, that was what Celeste had said.
Sato apparently disagreed.
“I’m going to win.”
Hirata smirked.
“You said that yesterday.”
“I mean it today.”
Nagisa stood beside them.
“What are we doing?”
Seraphine pointed toward the far end of the training ground.
“Running.”
Sato grinned.
“Easy.”
Seraphine raised a paw.
“First one to the tree and back.”
Nagisa crouched.
The others prepared.
“Ready?”
They nodded.
“Go.”
Five cubs launched forward.
Nagisa immediately pulled ahead.
Her paws struck the ground rapidly.
The wind brushed against her face.
She heard Sato behind her.
“Wait!”
Nagisa laughed.
“You said it was easy!”
“I changed my mind!”
Hirata passed Sato.
“Move!”
Ren followed.
Airi surprised them all by taking the inside path.
Nagisa reached the tree first.
She turned around.
Sato was close.
Hirata was right behind him.
Ren followed.
Airi came last.
Nagisa waited.
When they all reached the tree, they ran back together.
Seraphine smiled.
“Good.”
Sato collapsed onto the grass.
“I’m dead, I can’t move.”
Nagisa laughed.
“You’re not dead.”
“Spiritually dead.”
Hirata laughed.
“I don’t care.”
Ren looked at him.
“You care a lot.”
Sato closed his eyes.
“I don’t.”
Airi smiled.
“You do.”
Nagisa laughed again.
The simple moment made her realize something.
Tomorrow might change their lives.
But today was still theirs.
That afternoon, Nagisa returned to the library.
She wanted to read.
Normally, books calmed her.
Today, they didn’t.
She opened a cultivation record.
Read a page.
Closed it.
Opened another.
Closed that one too.
Finally, she gave up.
Nagisa rested her head on the table.
“What am I doing?”
She knew the answer.
Waiting.
She was waiting for something she couldn’t control.
That was what bothered her most.
Nagisa had spent her entire previous life struggling against things she couldn’t control.
She had lost her job.
Lost someone she loved.
Lost her life.
Then she had spent four thousand years in the Celestial Realm.
And now she was afraid of losing something she hadn’t even received yet.
She lifted her head.
“What if Bai really did forget?”
The library offered no answer.
Nagisa stared at her reflection in the polished surface of the table.
She saw the face she had grown accustomed to.
Blue hair.
Deep blue eyes.
Fox ears.
A small, youthful face.
She was Nagisa.
Not Chen Lu.
That life belonged to the past.
But there was still one question she couldn’t escape.
Had Bai Yuexian actually given her a future?
Or had Nagisa simply spent nine years waiting for something that was never coming?
She slowly clenched her paw.
“Tomorrow.”
Whatever happened, tomorrow would answer that question.
That evening, the entire family gathered for dinner.
Celeste sat at the head of the table.
Seraphine sat nearby.
The five children occupied their usual seats.
The conversation was lively.
Sato complained about the training.
Hirata argued that he had technically won.
Ren disagreed.
Airi quietly ate.
Nagisa listened.
Then Celeste raised her cup.
“Tomorrow is your final day before Awakening.”
Everyone became quiet.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
She looked at each child.
“Whatever happens, face it together.”
Sato nodded.
Hirata smiled.
Ren nodded.
Airi smiled softly.
Nagisa looked around the table.
She felt the warmth of her family.
Her fear was still there.
But so was something else.
Hope.
She didn’t know what tomorrow would bring.
Maybe she would awaken an incredible spiritual root.
Maybe she wouldn’t.
Maybe the strange promise of the goddess would finally make sense.
Maybe it wouldn’t.
But she would face the answer.
Nagisa raised her cup.
“Together.”
The others raised theirs.
“Together.”
That night, Nagisa lay in bed.
Tomorrow.
Her ninth birthday.
Awakening Day.
She closed her eyes.
For some reason, she suddenly remembered the white vast expanse.
Bai Yuexian’s smile.
The black orb.
Her voice.
If only you knew.
Nagisa opened her eyes.
“What did you give me?”
Silence.
She waited.
Nothing happened.
No mysterious voice.
No System.
No answer.
Nagisa sighed.
“Of course.”
She rolled over.
Maybe Bai had forgotten.
Maybe she hadn’t.
There was no way to know.
But tomorrow…
Tomorrow, she would finally find out.
Far beyond the mortal world, however, Bai Yuexian was watching.
The goddess sat upon her throne.
A celestial image floated before her.
Nagisa was sleeping peacefully.
Bai smiled.
“You really are worried.”
She watched silently for several seconds.
Then her eyes narrowed with amusement.
“Poor little fox.”
Bai leaned back.
“Tomorrow, you’ll finally understand.”
She didn’t explain what she meant.
She didn’t need to.
Because somewhere deep within Nagisa’s soul, something had already been awake for years.
Something had watched her every day.
Something had listened to every thought.
Every question.
Every laugh.
Every moment of doubt.
It had simply remained silent.
Until tomorrow.
Bai Yuexian smiled.
“Let’s see how surprised you are.”
The celestial image disappeared.
And the final night before Nagisa’s Awakening began.
One day had become zero.
Tomorrow was finally here.
Oh readers if you read the seraphina part, I’ll tell you that’s nagisa mother’s sister.