The morning sunlight slipped through the curtains, casting faint golden lines across the floor. Vixen stirred awake, stretching his arms lazily before heading toward the kitchen. The quiet of the house felt oddly heavy, but he brushed it off, preparing breakfast with a soldier's discipline.
Once the food was ready, he made his way to Kin's room to wake him. But the moment he opened the door, his breath froze.
Shen was there—sitting astride Kin's sleeping body.
For a heartbeat, Vixen couldn't move. Then his voice ripped through the silence.
"Kin!"
Kin jolted awake with a shudder, blinking rapidly—only to realize the weight pressing down on him was Shen. Panic surged in his eyes.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Kin's voice was sharp, trembling as he shoved Shen away. "Why were you sitting on top of me?"
Vixen stepped in quickly, pulling Kin back. "Shen, are you alright?"
Shen looked up, his expression strangely calm, almost too normal.
"Of course. I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"
But his next step toward Kin was unsettling—like a predator closing the gap to its prey.
"I was only trying to wake you up," Shen said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
Kin's voice rose, a mix of anger and fear.
"Who wakes someone like that? Do you know how badly you scared me?"
But before Kin could say more, he changed the subject quickly—almost as if trying to distract himself.
"Listen… today, the three of us need to go somewhere together."
That's when Shen's expression shifted. The air in the room thickened. His lips curled into a grin—a grin that was wrong in every way.
"I know where you want to take me," Shen murmured. His tone was low, venomous. "Take me wherever you want… I'll still keep this body. And this soul."
Kin and Vixen stiffened.
Shen's voice deepened, the timbre no longer his own—it carried something ancient, something malevolent.
"I like your friend, Kin. From now on… I will have him every night. You can try to stop me… but you won't."
Kin's breath caught. His hands clenched into fists, fear and fury colliding inside him. Tears welled up in his eyes, but his voice was steady, defiant.
"No matter what you say, your power is nothing compared to God's. I will defeat you."
Without hesitation, Kin released his pheromones, summoning the sacred Animal Spirits. The air shimmered, a rush of unseen energy filling the room. The Animal God answered his call, its divine force striking through Shen's body like lightning.
A scream tore from Shen's throat—not his voice, but the howl of the Demon Lord within him. The dark presence was ripped away, leaving Shen's body trembling and pale.
He collapsed, his weight tipping toward the cold floor—but Vixen and Kin caught him just in time, lowering him onto the bed.
Vixen wasted no time. He grabbed his phone and dialed his military camp.
"Get me a four-wheeler. Immediately."
Within minutes, a black military vehicle pulled up outside their home, a fellow soldier stepping out to meet them.
Vixen and Kin carefully lifted Shen, still unconscious, and placed him in the back seat. The vehicle rumbled to life, heading toward the edge of the village—toward the ancient Buddhist monastery, where they hoped the holy ground might be strong enough to protect him from what still lurked in the shadows.
But even as they drove, Kin couldn't shake the feeling.
The demon had been forced out—but it wasn't gone.
It was waiting.
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Continue....