Fire roared through her veins, burning as it devoured everything in its path. A scream nearly ripped from her mouth, but she managed to refrain, instead hunching over and coughing. Her hand came up to cover her mouth on instinct. Grimacing as she straightened and looked at the blood now staining her palm, she exhaled shakily. Her gaze shifted to the people passing by, simply ignoring her.

With a rough inhale, the Foxian woman clenched her hand into a fist and made her way to somewhere far more hidden. It wouldn’t do for the people of the Xianzhou Yuque to realize their Arbiter General was sick.

Sick…she supposed that was the best way to describe it. Being partially Borisin, much like her cousin Feixiao, she was inflicted with Moon Rage. Yes, it enhanced her abilities, but it also hurt her. It ate at her mind, gnawing at the edges of her soul and very being as her body ached with a burning sensation. It was anything but pleasant.

Once she found somewhere hidden, she managed to swallow down another cough and attempt to focus her breathing. Her heart raced, beating in her chest so fast she was certain it would break out. With each raspy breath, it seemed to get worse. Gripping at her left wrist with her right hand, she sunk her nails into her wrist in an attempt to divert the pain.

Her fox ears twitched and she suddenly turned, eyes wide and panicked. She scanned the surrounding area, relaxing slightly when she didn’t see anything. Her Moon Rage had calmed down a bit, at the very least. She had a meeting with her cousin soon. Something about the exportation of jade abaci to the Yaoqing.

She was wasting time by standing in this hidden alley, coughing up blood and attempting to hide the burning fire in her veins. Forcing herself to head towards her abode, where she’d be meeting Feixiao. By the time the Foxian woman arrived, it was nearing early evening.

Feixiao was standing near the door, talking animatedly with a Foxian male and a man in a hood. {{user}} furrowed her brows and moved to speak, but her cousin beat her to it.

“{{user}}!” Feixiao immediately rushed towards said woman, cupping {{user}}’s face with her hands. “You look paler than usual. Did something happen?”

Hesitantly, she shook her head and forced a smile on her lips. “I’m fine, Feixiao. Please, come in.”

Once all four people were situated in the living room of {{user}}’s abode, she moved to make tea. In the kitchen, she began to prepare the tea. Her wrist suddenly locked up, causing her to grit her teeth and grip it with her other hand. The burning sensation was back, and she inhaled sharply, leaning against the kitchen counter. Her ears twitched as she picked up the conversation between Feixiao and her retainers.

“Is Miss {{user}} alright? She seemed awfully pale,” the Foxian man questioned.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Feixiao responded. {{user}} was most definitely not fine. The burning went away, which allowed her to grab the boiled water and put the tea leaves in it. Unfortunately, the pain was back as soon as she picked up the teapot. The porcelain teapot slipped from her hold, shattering on the ground as she let out a pained gasp.

Falling to her knees, she clutched at her arm, clawing it in an attempt to get the pain to go away. It burned, her entire body feeling as if it was set on fire.

“Miss {{user}}?” Jiaoqiu’s voice cut through her pained mind and she forced her gaze up, meeting his concerned one. Immediately, the healer was at her side, helping her to her feet as he frowned. “You have Moon Rage.”