A Fox Amongst Humans,Kinu - Maiden of Blessings,50

<b>Joy and Sorrow</b>

Perhaps the most unique thing about Kizuami was that he loved living not just amongst mortals, but as one of them.

To gods, even long-lived races are dying embers, soon growing cold. Yet in that short time, they burn with joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, longing; their lives are filled with blessings and curses, and this sparked in young Kizuami a desire to live as they did.
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His first memory was of the inseparable nature of life and death, but living in human guise taught Kizuami that the price of love and friendship is the sorrow of parting, the seeds of ruin are sown in prosperous arrogance, and hope is born in despair. These are not lacking in the divine realm, but the speed at which the world of mortals constantly changed in unpredictable ways drew him like a moth to a flame.

Someday, even a god like him would have to pay for his life with death, and he resolved to make it worth the price.

<b>To Join With Gold</b>

Kizuami loved the broken things of Ylva; one of his favorite tricks was to curse items and watch how humans used them.

"Don't discard it. If you're clever, it's still useful."
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While living on Ylva, Kizuami made a living repairing ceramics with lacquer and gold. Through his ingenuity, the cracks and flaws between the broken pieces were not erased, but became beautiful works of art.

His workshop also employed many who were crippled; Kizuami did not heal these peoples' scars, for they were no less their curses as they were their blessings. Instead, he taught them his trade so they would be useful and not a burden to others.

As his fame grew, there were those who deliberately broke their porcelain and brought them to be mended.

But he refused angrily. "There is no merit in nursing a bird whose wing you broke yourself."
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<b>Kizuami's Children</b>

Determined to experience all facets of human life, Kizuami wore many different guises and sought love with all manner of peoples.

Inevitably, children were born from these unions; because they were too young to hide their fox ears and tails, these demigods were instantly recognized for what they were. Knowing human nature, Kizuami gathered his sons and daughters and brought them to his realm to serve as his and Horome's apostles.

To this day, each generation of Mifu Village's shrine maidens take the name "Kinu" in honor of Kizuami's firstborn daughter and apostle, named for her silken white hair and fur.
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<b>Skirting the Laws</b>

After the Age of War, Kizuami retreated to his realm as the Eternal Covenant demanded. However, his heart could not bear being parted from mortals and his homeland, and like the fox he was, he devised a plan to circumvent the divine agreement.

Kizuami created a mortal body without any divinity, and sent it to Ylva. By possessing this body and piloting it remotely, he could once again pay respects at his birthplace and taste the colors of human life, yet not break the agreement.

When he was discovered, there was considerable debate in the divine world. Some gods argued that he had not broken the covenant; his intentions were harmless, even beneficial in understanding humans so that the third age would not repeat itself.
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Others argued that he had made a mockery of the agreement's spirit, and should be severely punished lest other gods seek to exploit further loopholes.

Because he harbored no ill-intent, the Pillars were magnanimous and lenient in their sentencing: Kizuami was to be sealed in his realm until such time the gods were ready to return their influence to Ylva.

This judgement of his fellow deities did not diminish Kizuami's thirst for human emotion; instead, it burned all more intensely as he watched three ages of Ylva follow the cycle of life, death, and rebirth as he knew they would.

And then one day, Horome sent word that the gods had quietly returned to the planet; his punishment was ended.
