"I'll go ahead," Vixen said, his voice steady. "You two follow right behind me. If anything worse happens…"
But before he could finish, Shen cut in sharply, "What then?"
Vixen didn't flinch. He crouched beside a nearby tree, snapping off a few thick, sharp branches. Handing them to Kin, he said calmly, "Use these as weapons. If we're ambushed… fight. Survive. No matter what."
Kin clutched the makeshift weapon tightly. "There were five cult members," he whispered, his voice still shaking.
Vixen nodded grimly, eyes narrowing. "That's manageable."
With a final look back, Vixen turned and stepped ahead—his eyes glowing faintly under the darkened forest canopy. Kin and Shen followed close behind, their hearts racing, breaths uneven.
As they reached a clearing bathed in the crimson flicker of firelight, they saw it.
A circle of cultists, robed in black and red, chanting around a blazing fire. Their voices howled like wolves, twisted tongues spewing demonic mantras. Around them, bones were arranged in strange symbols. The air itself felt sick—tainted.
Vixen's instincts surged. He clenched his fists and unleashed his alpha magical pheromone, a wave of glowing energy slicing through the chanting like a blade. The cultists staggered—caught off guard.
Kin immediately followed, releasing his own pheromone in sync. The dual magic roared through the air, twisting the fire's color into violet, shaking the ground beneath them.
One cultist screamed as his skin began to burn from within.
The others rose in panic, trying to counter with louder chants. Their leader—his face masked with dry blood—lifted his hands to the sky, calling to their demon.
> But nothing came.
The combined magic of Kin and Vixen was too strong. Their pheromones created a shield that repelled the demon's entry.
Panicked, the cultists dropped their rituals and charged forward.
> That was their mistake.
With fury in his blood, Vixen tore through the first attacker with raw force—slamming him against a tree so hard, bones snapped.
Kin—despite his trembling—used the wooden stake Vixen had given him and stabbed one cultist in the leg, buying enough time for Shen to knock another out with a rock.
But the fight took its toll.
Kin suddenly staggered, blood dribbling from his mouth. His body couldn't handle the intense magical strain. "Vixen… I—" he whispered before collapsing into Shen's arms.
Vixen's eyes burned red.
He turned, lifting Kin into his arms with urgency. "We're done here," he growled.
Vixen dragged Shen and Kin through the forest, making sure no one followed. The cult had been disoriented—but not defeated. Not yet.
Back at home, Vixen laid Kin gently on the bed. Shen helped clean the blood off his lips while Vixen applied a healing salve to his chest.
Kin was pale. His breathing shallow.
"I pushed him too far," Vixen muttered, brushing Kin's hair back. "I should've protected him better…"
"No," Shen said quietly. "He was protecting you."
The night passed in silence.
But the flames from that forest—and the darkness behind them—were still alive.
And they were watching.
Continue.....