.


    Foxy slumped against the cracked stone steps of the ruined temple, her once-proud posture now crumbling like the walls around them. Her head drooped low as if weighed down by guilt—or worse, hunger.


    Next to her, Yu Sheng sat quietly, his head hanging too, though for a much more literal reason. A fresh wound on his arm throbbed painfully, the result of Foxy’s sharp bite. The fox spirit girl had torn into him, ripping away a piece of flesh without hesitation. He winced, the sting still fresh in his mind.


    He knew animals could be possessive of their food, but he hadn’t expected a fox spirit to react with such viciousness.


    “Benefactor…” Foxy’s voice trembled, barely above a whisper. Her usually sleek and elegant white fur now shimmered under the fading light as if on the verge of tears. “I… I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop myself. I’ve hurt you again…”


    Yu Sheng let out a sigh that seemed to drain what little energy he had left. “Yes, you’ve hurt me again.” His tone was weary, not angry. “But this time, it’s not as bad as the first.” His eyes drifted to the blood at the corner of her mouth, red against her snowy fur. It wasn’t a deep wound, he thought, certainly not as bad as thest time, when her supersonic headbutt had nearly broken every bone below his neck.


    Foxy tilted her head, a puzzled frown crossing her face. She still had no memory of that “first meeting” Yu Sheng spoke about. Every time he tried to bring it up, she responded the same way, as if the memory had been wiped clean from her mind.


    “Benefactor, are you sure we met before… outside the temple?” she asked, blinking with confusion.


    “You really don’t remember?” Yu Sheng frowned, the frustration clear in his voice. “I was fighting some strange creature, and you showed up, said you’d help. Then—bam—you knocked me out cold. Next thing I knew, I woke up here, and you were wandering around outside.”Foxy’s brow furrowed as she tried to recall. Her fluffy ears twitched, but the effort seemed too much. Slowly, her ears drooped, her face clouded with uncertainty.


    Yu Sheng shifted ufortably, ncing at the bite mark on his hand. To his surprise, the wound wasn’t as bad as he’d expected. In fact, it was healing—right before his eyes. New skin and muscle fibers wove together like threads in a tapestry, knitting the wound shut. Rather than simply clotting, his blood seemed alive, moving with a purpose, filling in the gaps with unnatural precision.


    Within moments, the pain had vanished, reced by a faint itch.


    This… this isn’t normal. Yu Sheng knew that much. Human bodies don’t heal this fast. But what troubled him even more was that this was the least strange thing happening to him. He hade back from the dead. Twice!


    He stared at his hand, unease creeping into his thoughts. These changes in his body might seem like gifts, but Yu Sheng knew better. Gifts always came with a price. And in his case, he feared the cost was still hidden.


    As if on cue, an odd sensation washed over him, making him shiver. It wasn’t pain, but something far stranger—like thoughts, but not his own, creeping into his mind. Memories he couldn’t recognize, feelings that weren’t his. It was as if a door had been opened, letting in something foreign. He could feel another presence stirring in the depths of his consciousness:


    Mom is gone, Dad is gone, uncles and aunties are all gone… Dark, poisonous, cold… So hungry, so cold, so hungry… The thoughts echoed through his mind like a scream in the dark. The fruit is poison, the bark can’t be eaten, the leaves are poison, the stones… Can’t eat, can’t eat… Hungry, so hungry…


    The overwhelming hunger hit Yu Sheng like a tidal wave, crashing into his mind and threatening to drown him in its depths. The thoughts gnawed at his sanity, a ravenous, insatiable hunger that wed at the edges of his reason. As the storm of thoughts slowly receded, Yu Sheng managed to catch his breath, his vision clearing enough to see Foxy beside him.


    She was licking the blood from the corner of her mouth, savoring it as though it were a delicacy. His blood, Yu Sheng realized with a start, wasn’t just disappearing. It was alive, wriggling on her tongue like it had a mind of its own, sinking into her skin, her teeth, perhaps even her very soul.


    Foxy looked up, sensing his stare. She wiped thest drop of blood from her lips with a satisfied smile—a smile that tried to appear innocent, yet behind it, something darker lurked. Yu Sheng could see it. He could see the hunger beneath her calm facade, a hunger that went far beyond food. She was starving, more than she let on. More than even she realized.


    “Benefactor…” Her voice was soft and sweet, her eyes darting to his pocket like a child asking for a treat. “Do you have any more food? My stomach’s still grumbling a little…”


    A chill raced down Yu Sheng’s spine. He knew, without a doubt, that something was terribly wrong. And not just with Foxy.


    How could he have heard her thoughts? Seen her memories? He thought back to the moment when his blood had seeped into her skin. Could that have triggered it?


    Before he could speak, Foxy’s expression shifted. Her eyes flickered, her confusion quickly giving way to shock. Slowly, she stood up, her gaze fixed on Yu Sheng as though seeing him for the first time. She pointed a trembling finger at him, her voice shaking with disbelief.


    “Benefactor… you… you’re not dead?!”


    Yu Sheng blinked, momentarily stunned. Standing beside him, Foxy raised a trembling hand and pressed it hard against her forehead. Her whole body swayed unsteadily as though struggling to bnce under the weight of some overwhelming burden. Conflicting memories surged through her mind, tearing at her fragile sanity.


    Then, like a fog lifting, she began to recall the fragments of a reality she had long forgotten. The first “meeting,” the awful ident, the memory of her benefactor’s body being torn apart—his warm, human blood—and then… it all faded away. The memory of Yu Sheng’s death had disappeared as swiftly as it hade.


    Now steadying herself, Foxy blinked through her daze. Her golden-red eyes were clouded as she muttered softly, more to herself than to him. “I remember now. Benefactor, we met outside, didn’t we? I… I didn’t mean to, but…”


    Her voice trailed off into incoherent murmurs. It was clear her mind, fragile at the best of times, was spiraling into confusion again.


    Yu Sheng watched, uncertain. She had remembered their first meeting, that much was clear, including the disastrous headbutt that had nearly ended him. What he didn’t know was how—or why—she had suddenly recalled all of this. Was it rted to his strange ability to glimpse her thoughts? Now wasn’t the time to puzzle it out.


    Foxy was clearly unstable. She swayed again as though she might copse any second.


    Instinctively, Yu Sheng stepped forward, half reaching out to catch her. But he froze, his breath catching in his throat.


    Foxy lifted her head, her once-clouded golden-red eyes glowing, burning with a crimson light that sent a jolt of fear through him. She stared at him, unblinking, and a low, rumbling growl escaped her throat.


    She crouched, low and feral, her tails—once neat and delicate—suddenly unfurled behind her, stretching out in the dark night. At the tip of each tail, ghostly blue mes began to flicker and burn, casting an eerie glow across the ruined temple.


    She wasn’t Foxy anymore. She was a predator, hungry, wild, and dangerous.


    The hunger in her eyes burned brighter, almost too much for Yu Sheng to bear. Through some strange, unseen connection, he felt it too—the insatiable need, the desperate hunger gnawing at her. And in the depths of that hunger, he heard a thought, not his own, but echoing in his mind:


    Benefactor, you smell so good…


    Yu Sheng swallowed hard, instinctively stepping back. At that moment, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of something—a shadow moving behind Foxy.


    It wasn’t just any shadow. It was vast, expanding from the darkness and slowly creeping up behind her. Under the ghostly blue mes of her tails, the shadow took form, revealing something twisted and grotesque. It was a monstrous, tangled mass of beastly limbs, crawling with eyes, ws, and mouths—its very being radiated hunger, the same hunger that burned in Foxy’s eyes.


    The creature let out a low, gurgling roar, urging Foxy forward and pushing her to feed.


    Foxy crouched even lower, her body trembling with the need to attack. Her silver-white fur spread rapidly over her skin, her face twisted, and sharp fangs grew where her soft features once were. Within moments, the girl Yu Sheng knew was gone, reced by a huge, silver-white fox with glowing blue tails that lit up the crumbling ruins.


    And then came the voice—faint but piercing, filling Yu Sheng’s mind with an unbearable temptation:


    Eat… Eat him, and you won’t be hungry…


    Feed…


    Feed together…


    You’re hungry… Eat…


    At first, Yu Sheng thought it was Foxy’s thoughts he was hearing, but soon he realized the truth. It was the monster, that hideous mass behind her, whispering to her, pushing her to give in to her hunger.


    Yu Sheng opened his mouth, wanting to shout and warn her not to listen. He wanted to tell her that it wasn’t toote, that she could fight it. But as he stared into her burning eyes, he could feel the hunger taking over her, blotting out all reason.


    There was no stopping it now.


    He could only manage a small, wry smile, spreading his hands before her. “Look, if you eat me, your stomach and mouth will probably regret itter. The next time we meet, things will be… awkward.”


    It was a foolish joke, one that barely masked the terror building in him. Still, Yu Sheng braced himself, preparing for the worst. He assumed a stance—military boxing wouldn’t do much against a nine-tailed fox (or was it eight tails?), but at least he could die with some dignity.


    And maybe, just maybe, his newfound strength would allow him tond one solid punch on her snout before she tore him apart. A tiny thought shed through his mind—at least it would sting her for a while.


    Then, everything happened at once.


    A gust of wind blew against him as the enormous silver-white fox lunged, her powerful form leaping through the air. The air pressure alone made Yu Sheng close his eyes, bracing for the end.


    But death didn’te.


    Slowly, hesitantly, Yu Sheng opened his eyes.


    Instead of pouncing on him, Foxy had twisted in mid-air, her massive body turning to face the grotesque creature behind her. With a furious, anguished howl, she lunged at the monster, her jaws snapping at it.


    But before she couldnd a blow, spikes—long, ck, and horn-like—burst from the monster’s body. They pierced her, driving through her limbs and torso, suspending her mid-air.


    .


    Yu Sheng stared in horror as the silver-white fox twisted in agony, golden-red blood pouring from her wounds, steaming in the night air. Slowly, painfully, she turned her head to look at him, her once bright eyes now clouded with pain.


    “Benefactor… run…” she whispered, her voice weak, trembling.


    You smell so good…


    “I’m not… a monster yet…”


    So hungry…


    “Run!”


    Run!


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