The Shifting Mall and the Fairy's Secret
The City Mall: A Predatory Reunion
Kaito's instincts led him through the crowded city mall, the sterile scent of floor wax and perfume unable to mask the sweet, ethereal vibration of fairy magic. His eyes locked onto a familiar face working at a small kiosk. He approached slowly, a shark circling its prey.
"Still remember me?" Kaito asked.
The young man behind the counter turned, his face draining of color. "I—I don't know who you are. Excuse me, I am assisting another customer."
"Alexis," Kaito purred, leaning against the counter.
Alexis's hands trembled as he adjusted his display. "Stay away from me, or I will call security."
Kaito's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Go ahead. I can drain them all before they even touch their radios. Or perhaps I'll just smash them and eat their flesh right here in front of these shoppers."
Alexis swallowed hard, glancing around at the oblivious humans. "What do you want?"
"I am here to find a good fairy," Kaito replied, his voice dropping to a chilling whisper.
"We all know what happened to the southern witches," Alexis countered, his voice low and urgent. "The news of your slaughter has already spread through the supernatural realm. I don't know where any 'good' fairies are, and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
Suddenly, a bright, cheerful voice interrupted them. "Hey, buddy! Ready for lunch?"
A younger man with a vibrant energy approached. He looked between them, a playful grin on his face. "Alex, is this your boyfriend?"
Before Alexis could react, Kaito smoothed his expression into a charming mask. "I'm an old friend," he said smoothly.
"Nice to meet you!" the newcomer chirped. He leaned in and whispered loudly to Kaito, "He's in a bit of a mood today, don't mind him."
"Aidan, get back!" Alexis suddenly hissed, shoving the younger man behind him. "Stay away from him—he's a Nogitsune."
Kaito let out a dark, melodic laugh. "I don't think you can resist my charm for long, little one."
To Alexis's horror, Aidan didn't look afraid; instead, he caught Kaito's gaze and gave him a playful wink.
"Oh, no you don't!" Alexis shouted. He snapped his fingers, his eyes glowing with a sudden, faint light.
The world blurred. Kaito felt a sudden lurch in his stomach as the air grew heavy. In the blink of an eye, he was no longer standing at the kiosk. He was standing at the mall's main entrance, yards away from where he had just been.
"A time spell," Kaito murmured, his smirk widening. "Clever."
He turned and strode back toward the stall, but as he reached the spot, the mall looked different. The kiosk was gone, replaced by a wall of solid glass and a different store entirely. The very layout of the building had shifted.
"Where are you, fairies?" Kaito's voice boomed through the local psychic plane. "I know you can hear me. You can't hide in the folds of time forever."
The Hidden Fold: A Warning for the Witches
Behind a shimmering veil of distorted time, Alexis and Aidan watched Kaito through the glass. To the humans, they were invisible; to Kaito, they were just out of reach.
"Look at his shadows, Aidan," Alexis whispered, pointing to the dark energy swirling around Kaito's feet. "He's already obtaining his tails. He's becoming a monster."
"So, what do we do?" Aidan asked, his playful demeanor finally replaced by genuine fear. "Are we going to speak with Lola Esther?"
"We have to," Alexis said, his face grim. "The witches need to know that the Nogitsune is hunting again. If he gets his hands on a pure soul, it's over for all of us."
With a final shimmer of golden light, the two fairies vanished, leaving the mall—and Kaito—behind.
The Morgue: A Wooden Deception
Inside the cold, dim morgue, the three girls hovered over the body of Aling Marites. Catherine leaned in closer, her eyes narrowed as she studied the texture of the skin.
"There's something wrong here," Catherine whispered. "In my town, there's a myth about a creature called the Bal-bal. It's a scavenger that steals the corpses of the newly dead. To trick the living, it replaces the body with a trunk from a banana tree, using an illusion to make it look like the deceased."
"Wait... are you saying this corpse is fake?" Jasmine asked, her voice trembling.
"What do you mean, fake?" a deep voice boomed from the doorway.
The girls jumped. Standing there was the same police officer from before, his presence casting a long, imposing shadow over the room.
"Nothing! We were just talking about—" Jin Ae started, but Catherine cut her off smoothly.
"About boys! Right, Hasmina?" Catherine chirped, giving Jasmine a pointed look.
The officer's cold expression softened into a smirk. He adjusted his uniform, his gaze lingering on them. "Is that so?"
"Exactly," Jasmine added, recovering quickly. She held out her phone with a flirtatious grin. "So, about that... can I get your number, Officer?"
Before he could answer, a grieving woman burst into the room, her cries echoing off the tiles. "Officer! What happened to my daughter? Has that shameless husband of hers been caught yet? Where is that man?!"
The officer turned his attention to the woman. "I am Officer Kian Lopez, Madam. I'm handling your daughter's case. Please, follow me to my office so we can discuss the details."
As Kian led the woman away, Jin Ae exhaled a breath she didn't know she was holding. "That was too close. Let's get out of here while he's distracted."
The Choi Mansion: A Cold Bargain
At the Choi Mansion, the air was thick with Baekhyun's fury. He stood in the grand study, glaring at his grandfather.
"The mental institution?" Baekhyun repeated, his voice laced with disbelief. "What are you talking about? My mother isn't crazy!"
"Your mother was ill, Baekhyun," Mr. Choi said, his voice cold and detached. "If you wish to see her, you will finish the tasks I have set for you. Only then will I tell you which facility she is in."
Beside him, Baekhyun's grandmother looked as though she wanted to scream the truth, but she kept her lips pressed tight, her eyes pleading with Baekhyun to stay safe.
"Fine," Baekhyun spat. "But keep your promise. Once I capture a Sigbin, you tell me where she is."
As Baekhyun turned to leave with Aki and Ethan, Mr. Choi's voice stopped him at the door. "One more thing... which of these two boys is your boyfriend?"
Baekhyun took a slow, deep breath to steady his boiling blood. He turned back, a sharp, defiant smile on his face. He reached out, grabbing both Aki and Ethan by the arms.
"Release my mom first," Baekhyun countered. "Then maybe I'll tell you which one of them I've chosen."
The Forest Path: The Scent of the Hunt
Once they were clear of the mansion gates, the tension finally broke.
"What does he want with a Sigbin?" Ethan asked, his brow furrowed. "Doesn't he realize how dangerous those creatures are? And what about the Treaty of Peace? If humans start capturing high-level supernatural beings, the agreement between our worlds will shatter."
"I think that's exactly what's happening," Aki added grimly. "The humans are hurting the supernatural, and now the creatures are striking back. This treaty is a thread waiting to snap."
"I don't care about his treaties," Baekhyun said, his eyes glowing with a faint, dangerous light. "I just want my mother back. And we need to find my sister before she does something she can't take back."
"Do you know where Jin Ae is?" Ethan asked.
"I can find them," Aki said. He closed his eyes, and with a soft poof of spiritual energy, his fox ears sprouted from his hair. Nine shimmering tails unfurled behind him, swaying in the moonlight. "I can track their aura. It's faint, but it leads toward the northern town."
The Hotel Room: A Dangerous Distraction
Safe for the moment in their rented room, the three girls tried to piece together the day's events.
"We need to investigate Officer Lopez," Jin Ae said, her eyes sharp with suspicion. "There is something seriously off about him. He was too calm in that morgue."
"So, where do we start?" Catherine asked, leaning over her map of the town.
"How about in his bedroom?" Jasmine sighed, leaning back against the pillows with a dazed expression. "Preferably while he's asleep without a shirt on. Gosh, he is so hot. Did you see those shoulders?"
Jin Ae rolled her eyes. "Jasmine, focus. We're here to hunt a monster, not a boyfriend."
Little did they know, the "hot" officer they were discussing was currently miles away, shedding his human mask to reveal the scavenger underneath.
The Den of Scavengers: A Corrupt Alliance
At Kian's secluded house on the edge of town, the air was thick with the copper scent of blood. A group of Aswangs huddled in the shadows, their eyes glowing with hunger as they looked at the real corpse of Aling Marites, which Kian had successfully stolen.
"Good job, Kian," a man said, stepping out from the darkness. He wore a mask to hide his features, but his expensive leather shoes gave away his status. "My family will finally be safe. That woman was always spreading gossip about my 'pet.' Now, her tongue can finally rest. The rest of you—enjoy your feast tonight."
"It was no trouble, Mayor," Kian replied, his voice raspy and different from the smooth tone he used at the station. "But there's a new problem. Have you heard about the three girls who arrived this morning?"
"Yes," the Mayor scoffed. "I'm sure they're just like the other TV researchers. I'll do what I always do—act the part of the grieving official and deny that any 'creature' exists in my woods."
"Don't waste the fortune that the Sigbin has brought you, Mayor," Kian warned. "If you lose that creature, your wealth goes with it."
"I know the deal, Kian. I protect your kind in this town, and you keep my secrets buried. Let's just keep the arrangement going."
Kian's lips curled into a predatory snarl. "Those girls... they aren't researchers, and they aren't ballistics experts. They are Bellators."
The Mayor paused, a slight tremor in his hand. "Well... then that is your problem to solve. I'll keep the law off your back, but you must ensure they don't leave this town with any evidence."
"With pleasure," Kian whispered.
The Witch's Hut: The Banwaanon's Warning
Deep in the province, Alexis and Aidan arrived at a small, vine-covered hut that seemed to hum with ancient energy.
"Nana Esther? It's Alexis. Are you there?" Alexis called out, his voice tight with anxiety.
"What are two fairies doing in a place as dusty as this?" a gravelly voice asked. Nana Esther appeared behind them as if she had stepped out of the shadows themselves.
"The Nogitsune has returned, Nana," Alexis said, his eyes wide. "He has started his quest for the nine tails, and he's hunting the noble Engkanto. He's already caught the scent of my brother. He knows Aidan is a Banwaanon."
Nana Esther's expression darkened instantly. She looked at Aidan—the "Spirit of the Forest"—and saw the target on his back.
"The blood of a Banwaanon would give him power over the very earth itself," Esther muttered. "That sounds like nothing but trouble. Come, get inside my hut before the wind carries your scent any further."
TO BE CONTINUED...