Xi Nuo, Claire, and Alpha are all 18 years old.
Early in the morning, Claire woke up to see her younger brother, Xi Nuo, sleeping on the floor.
Claire looked at the sleeping Xi Nuo and couldn't help but exclaim,
"My brother is so cute!"
Xi Nuo blinked, looking at Claire.
"Sorry, Xi Nuo!"
"It's fine, I'll be going now, Big Sister!"
Xi Nuo scurried away.
Claire watched Xi Nuo's retreating back, feeling a touch of loneliness.
Claire felt that Xi Nuo had a slight resemblance to her master, though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was; she just felt a similarity... Every day thereafter, Claire would return home exhausted, receiving a shoulder massage from Xi Nuo.
One night, Xi Nuo opened his eyes.
He looked at Claire's arm.
A black mark had appeared on Claire's arm.
"Is this Demon Possession?" Xi Nuo wondered inwardly.
Claire frowned, suddenly jolting awake from a dream.
She had just had a nightmare, dreaming that Xi Nuo was killed.
Awake, Claire looked at Xi Nuo in front of her.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Big Sister, look at your arm!"
Claire lowered her head and saw the black mark; there were similar black marks on other parts of her body.
"This... how could this be?!"
Claire quickly tugged at her clothes to cover the black marks.
She didn't want her brother to see her embarrassing side.
"Big Sister, I think I know what this is. It's a phenomenon of uncontrolled magic. I read about it in a book, and I can cure it!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
After several days of attempts and exploration, Xi Nuo finally cured Claire's Demon Possession.
However, Claire's Demon Possession had been seen by some servants, who spread the news. The rumors were passed from mouth to mouth, reaching the ears of those who hunted Demon Possession.
They immediately sent people to the Kageno Territory to investigate.
A female investigator among the investigation team examined Claire's body and then slept with Claire for a few nights.
Eventually, they confirmed that Claire was not Demon Possession and left.
As for a cured Demon Possession, no one even entertained the thought.
Demon Possession was a terminal illness; no one had ever successfully cured it.
Some time passed again.
Xi Nuo still came to ask Xi De if he had found anything special.
"Anything special? I found a lump of magically turbulent flesh! I can use it for magic control experiments!"
"Where is it? I want to see it too!"
Led by Xi De, Xi Nuo met Alpha.
It was a strange, wriggling lump of flesh, with magic wildly surging within it.
Next, Xi Nuo and Xi De took turns experimenting with it.
25 days later, Xi Nuo succeeded; he brought Alpha's Demon Possession under control.
Originally, it would have taken Xi De a month alone, but with Xi Nuo's help, the time was shortened by five days.
"It can turn back?!" Xi De was somewhat incredulous.
"Indeed, the magic was so chaotic it was unrecognizable, yet it could be restored perfectly intact!"
Alpha opened her eyes and looked at her body.
"Amazing, I've actually returned to my original state!"
At this moment, Xi De's chuunibyou spirit was ignited.
Xi Nuo leaned against the doorframe, one foot on the frame, his body supported by the other leg, arms crossed.
Aloof and handsome.
Xi De glanced at him and had to admit that Xi Nuo was indeed very handsome.
"As expected of a companion with whom I share the same aspirations as an Eminence in Shadow!" Xi De thought inwardly.
"No need to panic, the curse corroding your body has been lifted!"
"Did you two help me lift it? And what was that curse?"
"The curse is... a curse placed upon you, the descendants of the Three Heroes!"
Alpha looked bewildered, clearly still not quite understanding.
"You must have heard the fairy tale in the scriptures about the Three Heroes defeating Diabolos the Demon! And you are a descendant of the Three Heroes!"
"The curse on you is the curse diabolos placed on the Three Heroes in his dying moments!"
Alpha suddenly understood.
"But some people twisted the facts, calling this curse Demon Possession, and the mastermind, well..."
Xi De's eyes darted around, clearly having fumbled his storytelling.
"I can't tell you yet; if I did, you would also be in danger!"
Alpha stood up directly and walked in front of Xi De.
"Please tell me, who exactly is it! I am not afraid of danger!"
Xi De looked around, then at Xi Nuo. His eyes were full of pleading.
Xi Nuo now put his leg down and walked towards Alpha.
"They are the Diabolos Cult, a group of madmen who want to revive diabolos and covet his power!"
"Demon Possession like yours are all subjects of their experiments; they want to use the bloodline of the Three Heroes to find a way to break the seal!"
Xi De secretly gave Xi Nuo a thumbs-up.
"As expected of my good partner, he's a great storyteller! Now it's my turn to perform!" Xi De thought inwardly.
"Those guys will never come out into the open; they hide in the shadows!"
"And our mission is to thwart their ambitions from the shadows!"
"My name is the dashing... no, my name is Shadow!"
"One who lurks in darkness and hunts shadows!"
"My name is Phantom! This is a thorny path; are you willing to walk it with us?"
Xi Nuo extended his hand to Alpha.
"I am willing!"
As Alpha agreed, magic slime appeared on Xi Nuo, covering Alpha's body and his own.
A black military uniform with a cape appeared on Xi Nuo, solemn and cool.
Xi De took a look and also admitted that Xi Nuo was indeed very handsome.
Alpha gained a black cape.
"From now on, your name shall be Alpha! Our organization will be called Shadow Garden!" Xi De declared.
"Then we should rescue the other descendants of the heroes, establish strongholds, accumulate funds, and expand the organization!" Alpha said.
Upon hearing this, Xi De's eyes wavered, as all of this was his fabrication, so he naturally lacked confidence.
"You're right, this can serve as our temporary stronghold for now; it's very secluded, no one will come here!" Xi Nuo stated.
Xi De glanced at Xi Nuo, feeling that Xi Nuo was doing even better than him, not flustered at all.
"As an Eminence in Shadow, I still need to work harder!"