Wang Lin woke slowly, his body still heavy from the events of the previous night. It had been long and violent, filled with revelations and decisions he had not yet fully processed, and it took a moment for his mind to settle.
"…What's going on?"
He pushed himself up slightly, his gaze immediately locking onto the scene before him. Ye Shi stood nearby, upright but visibly tense, and just behind him loomed a massive silhouette whose mere presence made Wang Lin's shoulders stiffen. The Lunar Shadow Tiger remained motionless, silent, its violet pupils calmly surveying the surroundings as if standing guard.
Wang Lin instinctively raised a hand to his head.
" …Isn't that the tiger that tried to kill me last night? "
Memories surged back all at once—the battle, the awakening of his Eyes, the pact that had been postponed. Uncomfortable with the silence, Ye Shi finally spoke.
"Wang Lin… sorry to wake you. But… does that Lunar Shadow Tiger belong to you?"
Wang Lin blinked, glanced away briefly, then answered simply.
"…Yes."
He paused for an instant.
" You could say that. "
At that moment, the Lunar Shadow Tiger inclined its head slightly, and its deep voice resonated with unexpected respect.
"Master, you are awake."
Wang Lin froze for a fraction of a breath.
" …Excuse me? "
A faint smile appeared on his face, more amused than annoyed.
" I'm not your master yet. Not officially. "
He looked back at the Tiger, his expression calm but unmistakably firm.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. We said later."
The Tiger did not respond, but its posture remained humble, almost docile, as if it accepted the boundary without hesitation. Ye Shi watched the exchange in silence, caught between confusion and growing unease.
Wang Lin, however, felt something unfamiliar stirring within him—a strange calm, a sense of control. The night had changed many things.
"Wang Lin… have you seen Grandpa?"
Ye Shi's voice trembled slightly. He had only just woken up, and his grandfather's absence already weighed heavily on his chest.
"I haven't seen him this morning either…"
Wang Lin shook his head slowly.
"No… sorry, Ye Shi. When I came back from my walk, it was still night. I was exhausted and didn't really pay attention."
He hesitated, then continued in a lower tone.
"But I noticed something else. Silhouettes. All over the village. When I tried to get closer… they disappeared. As if they were never there."
At those words, Wang Lin rose abruptly and planted his feet on the ground.
"Ye Shi, we need to talk. About your grandfather. And about the villagers."
The boy's expression changed instantly. Fatigue vanished, replaced by sharp, painful worry.
"Wait… what did you just say? You saw strange silhouettes throughout the village—and you didn't tell me?"
Without waiting for an answer, Ye Shi rushed out of the old house. Wang Lin followed immediately.
Outside, the sight was chilling.
Only a few villagers remained, scattered throughout the settlement. Some sat, others stood, occasionally exchanging quiet words. Their movements were slow, measured, disturbingly ordinary. At first glance, they looked human—too human.
Yet something was wrong.
No Breath circulated within their bodies. The morning light brushed over them without ever truly settling, as if it refused to acknowledge their existence. The dusty ground beneath their feet remained untouched, bearing no trace of their steps.
Around them lingered a gentle, almost benevolent presence that held their forms together, preventing their silhouettes from dissolving into the morning air.
They were not alive.
But because of that presence, they had not yet departed.
Among these human-like figures drifted occasional shapes more blurred and translucent, halfway between man and ghost, as if the illusion were beginning to fray.
Ye Shi felt his heart tighten.
"Grandpa…"
A villager with a spectral appearance slowly lifted his head toward him. His eyes were hollow, yet his voice reached them, faint and already distant.
"The forest…" he murmured.
"They went into the forest…"
The words fell like a sentence of death.
Ye Shi turned pale, his fingers clenching his sleeve. Wang Lin, meanwhile, had already lifted his gaze toward the dark treeline, where the light faded faster than anywhere else.
Something was waiting there.
And this time, it was no illusion.
The Lunar Shadow Tiger emerged from the old house as well, its massive form slowly outlined by the morning light. Its gaze settled naturally on Wang Lin.
"Master—"
Wang Lin raised his hand at once.
"I told you already—I'm not your master. Enough. Speak."
The Tiger inclined its head slightly, accepting the correction without complaint, and spoke in a deep voice.
"In the forbidden forest… there are demons."
Its gaze turned toward the dark treeline.
"Not major demons. Mid-rank demons… and at least one intermediate demon."
The air seemed to freeze.
"That creature feeds on human vitality. But also on spirits. Incomplete souls. Existences artificially sustained between two states."
Wang Lin understood immediately.
"The village," he murmured.
The Tiger nodded slowly.
"Years ago, I fought it."
Its voice grew heavier.
"I wounded it… but I couldn't kill it. Since then, it has hidden within the forbidden forest. And over time, it has changed."
After a brief silence, it added,
"Now, it doesn't merely hunt. It drains. It consumes slowly."
Wang Lin narrowed his eyes.
"And that's why you want a pact."
The Tiger did not look away.
"Yes."
"My Qi is already weakened. If I face it alone again, it will feed on me."
"But with a pact… I could resist. Perhaps even destroy it."
It paused, then concluded without evasion.
"That is why I am willing to follow you. And accept your conditions."
The wind passed through the silent houses of the village.
Wang Lin did not answer immediately, but something was already shifting in his gaze.
"Master," the Lunar Shadow Tiger added, "demons of this rank only emerge after nightfall."
A faint twitch passed through Wang Lin's eyes.
" Keep calling me that… and I really will kill you. "
He inhaled slowly, restraining himself.
Before he could respond, Ye Shi stepped forward sharply, fists clenched, eyes locked on the forbidden forest.
"So they're in there…"
His body tensed, ready to rush ahead.
Wang Lin reacted instantly. He extended his arm and stepped in front of him, blocking his path without violence but with unmistakable firmness.
"Ye Shi. Calm down."
The boy looked up at him, breath uneven, emotion barely contained.
"But my grandfather… the villagers…"
"I know," Wang Lin replied quietly. "That's exactly why you can't rush in."
He turned his head slightly toward the forest, where the shadows seemed denser than anywhere else.
"If those demons only come out at night, then they want to draw us in. On their terms. On their ground."
The Lunar Shadow Tiger nodded slowly.
"Correct. By day, they hide. By night… they hunt."
Wang Lin closed his eyes briefly, already organizing his thoughts.
"Then we won't attack the way they expect."
He opened his eyes again, calm and sharp.
"First, we'll understand what's keeping these souls here."
"Then we'll decide when—and how—to strike."
Ye Shi clenched his teeth, then nodded slowly, forcing his impatience down.
The forest remained silent.
But all of them could feel it now.
The coming night would not be ordinary.