Chapter Text
Across innumerous realms and uncountable civilizations, all of them share one thing in common. All are interconnected by an entity known by many names, Some call it the golden sea, to others it is the void sea, and for many it is the Umber sea. In the end they are all names for the same thing, the gaps between reality. Many cultures asked themselves the existential questions of existence, the cycles, and the void seas.
Thousands of societies of intelligent beings sprung up between the gaps, each with their unique religions and cultures. One such species was bipedal in stature, and appearing to be somewhat adjacent to what many would know of as a canine or a cat. Only stacking about 5 foot one inch tall on average and with slender but fluffy tails that aid in balance, they are the Apex predator and intelligent species of their world. Their tail is useful for balance due to the fact they have digitigrade legs and lack any wide soles for their foot-paws. It is a cultural custom to keep the fur cut short except for the eyebrows, occasionally between their pointed ears, and behind the jawline on the sides of their head, and it is also culturally important to keep oneself covered in cloth.
Kintsugi, a young, grey furred member of this species with an odd gold birthmark on his face going from brow to chin, was sitting in a hostel room some many kilometers from his countries capital. He was writing a draft for a letter to a local governor in his traveler's journal. Despite being born into a high priests house and thus part of the noble class, he had still been ostracized by the heavily conservative religious Theocracy that ruled his home country. He was a travelling political and religious activist, who had made it his life goal to change the current system that had left so may downtrodden.
While he sat there and wrote in the candlelight, still wearing his red travelling robe, his three friends who were accompanying him on his journeys were out grabbing that weeks provisions.
A quiet knocking on the door caused Kintsugi's cat-like ears to swivel towards it, and he slowly peeled his dull yellow eyes away from the letter draft in his notebook. He looked warily at the door, the candle Illuminating the side of his face and glinting off his gold birthmark in the dim light.
"Hello?" Kintsugi said as he slowly stood up from the desk. Nobody answered his greeting, but from beyond the door he could hear shuffling. At this point he knew something strange was going on.
Suddenly, the door was being unlocked, and by someone he didn't know, forcing him to spring into action. He rushed forwards and body checked the opening door closed, causing an unfamiliar deep voice to curse and grunt in pain from the other side.
"WHO ARE YOU!" Kintsugi yelled at whoever was on the other side of the door. Instead of a response, Kintsugi was suddenly thrown onto the ground by a massive force opening the door. Before he could scrabble back to his feetpaws, he was pressed into the floor by multiple people. Someone placed their paw on the back of his head and smushed his muzzle into the carpet. He felt his handpaws being seized and tied together as he struggled, and despite the restraints, he managed to twist his head to the side causing the paw on the back of his head to slip off and hit the floor, where he promptly bit into it.
"AAAAAGH FUCK!" A voice yelled. The owner of the handpaw that Kintsugi was biting wound up, and gave him a wallop to the back of the head twice, knocking him out cold.