When Vixen and Zavrion hurried back home, they found Kin sitting on the sofa in the hall room ,his head buried in his hands, his face carved with tension.
The moment his eyes fell on them, Kin sprang up, his restless face showing anger and worry all at once.
Before Kin could speak, Vixen rushed to explain.
"Sorry. My phone battery died."
But Kin's gaze immediately shifted to Zavrion—sharp, furious.
"And you? Where was your phone?"
Zavrion lowered his eyes, guilt in his voice.
"Sorry, Father… my phone was on silent. I didn't notice."
Kin pressed further, suspicion growing.
"Where were you two so early in the morning?"
This time, Vixen didn't give Zavrion a chance to answer.
"We just went for a morning walk."
Kin raised an eyebrow, doubtful.
"For this long? Do you even know what time it is?"
From the side, Kenny spoke up.
"It's already 1:30 in the afternoon… and you two are calling it a morning walk?"
Not wanting Kin to worry more, Vixen quickly changed the story.
"Actually… we were searching for Megas outside the village."
Both Kin and Kenny burst out together—
"So, did you find him?"
Zavrion looked at Kenny with a mocking smirk.
"If we had found your boyfriend, wouldn't you see him here with us? Maybe he never came to the village at all. Maybe he's just joking around with you."
Kenny's expression hardened.
"Megas never lies to me."
Determined, Kenny dialed Megas's elder sister. On the call, he learned something chilling: Megas hadn't been in contact for two days. Panic rising, Kenny called one of Megas's close friends, hoping for some trace. But there too—the same answer. Megas hadn't spoken to anyone for a week.
Kenny's heart sank deeper with every call. Desperation thickened in his voice when he rang Megas's elder sister again.
"Go to the police. File a missing person report in his name."
Following Kenny's plea, Megas's sister went to the police station and lodged a missing diary.
One week passed. No news. No trace. Megas was gone without a single clue.
Kin grew restless, haunted by memories of his best friend Shen Seizan's disappearance years ago. A terrifying thought gnawed at him—
What if the same fate has fallen upon Megas too?
Night after night, Kin woke from dreams of past tragedies, scenes from a life before this one. But he told no one—not even Vixen.
Vixen, too, kept secrets. He never told Kin what he had seen in that cursed jungle.
One night, as they lay side by side, Vixen finally whispered, "You seem distracted these days… What's going on with you?"
Kin turned away, brushing it off. "Nothing."
But Vixen pressed, his voice soft but wounded.
"You hide things from me now. Am I no longer enough for you?"
Kin's chest tightened. He faced Vixen again.
"Don't say that. You're everything to me."
He let out a long, heavy sigh, then admitted in a trembling voice,
"Lately… the dreams keep coming. Memories of the accidents… from our past life."
Vixen froze. His mind connected it to the incident in the jungle. But then, forcing a smile, he stroked Kin's cheek.
"Don't worry. I'm here. As long as I'm here, nothing will happen to you."
Their lips met in a kiss, soft and reassuring, before they drifted into uneasy sleep.
Meanwhile…
Kenny, fresh from his shower, walked into his room, toweling his hair. His heart nearly stopped when he saw someone standing silently in the corner.
"Megas…?" Kenny whispered. His voice cracked between fear and relief.
"W-when did you get here? Why hasn't your phone been working? Do you even know how worried we've been?"
But Megas stood there… motionless. His face blank, his eyes cold.
Kenny forced a nervous laugh. "Why are you just standing there? Come, sit down. I'll get you some water. Have you had dinner yet? If not, wait—I'll cook something for you."
No response. Megas didn't even blink.
Kenny's voice trembled as he kept speaking, trying to break the silence.
"You scared me so badly. Do you know how many people I called, how long I searched for you? At least now that you're back, everything will be okay."
He stepped closer, smiling faintly despite his unease.
"Go freshen up. Everyone's asleep, but tomorrow you can meet them. Honestly, it's good you came today—I was about to go back to the city for work. I thought I lost you…"
As Kenny reached out, Megas finally spoke—his voice hollow, unnatural.
"You don't need to look for me anymore. I won't come back."
Kenny froze. Confusion and dread clawed at him.
"What are you saying? You're standing right here… where are you going?"
Megas's lips curled into something that wasn't quite a smile.
"Don't search for me again."
And in the next second—he vanished.
Kenny's scream tore through the silence of the night.
Kin, Vixen, and Zavrion rushed to his room, pounding on the locked door.
"Kenny! What happened? Open the door!" Kin shouted.
Kenny flung the door open and collapsed into Kin's arms, sobbing uncontrollably.
"He's gone… Megas is gone! He's not alive anymore!"
Vixen frowned. "Did someone from the police station call you?"
Through tears, Kenny shook his head violently.
"No… I saw him. Just now… he was here. But it wasn't him. It was… something else. He told me not to search for him anymore. And then… he disappeared into thin air!"
Zavrion, stepping into the room, sniffed the air.
A faint smell lingered—burnt wood.
He looked at Kenny seriously. "You're not sleeping alone tonight."
Kin nodded quickly. "Yes. Kenny, you'll sleep in my room with us tonight."
And so, shaken and terrified, they all retreated to uneasy sleep—
with shadows of the missing, and the dead, still watching them.
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