Chapter 36
“Cheep—!” Sootball’s cries echoed through the silent forest, a dangerous act that could attract predators. But there was no response. Neither A-Ran nor Snowball had returned. Sootball, huddled like a small, black stone, realized “Demon World” wasn’t fun without A-Ran.
It had never liked this place before.
It glared at a bug crawling towards A-Ran’s flowers and blasted it with its dark purple aura. A-Ran always looked sad when his flower buds were eaten. It spent the entire day hunting these pests, a small mountain of insect carcasses piling up beside it.
But A-Ran still hadn’t returned… Had he abandoned it?
The thought made it shake its head vehemently. A-Ran wouldn’t do that! He had said he liked it the most…
“Cheep.” It sniffed its bib, still smelling of the soap A-Ran used. But the loneliness was overwhelming.
Unconsciously, its purple aura, now idle, carefully avoided A-Ran’s flowers and started pulling weeds around the tree stump, creating a small bald patch.
Lin Ran, returning with Snowball, noticed the bare patch.
“What happened here… Sootball?” he asked, thinking it was some kind of “Demon World” crop circle, then saw Sootball sitting on the stump. It had woken up and flown outside.
“Why are you sitting here, baby? You’ll catch a cold,” he said, crouching down, then noticing Sootball’s damp fur.
“You’re wet. Did it rain?” He saw puddles nearby. Had Sootball been sitting here all day, waiting for him, even in the rain?
“Cheep!” But as he reached out to pick it up, Sootball flew away, avoiding his touch, a rare display of restraint.
“Mew! Mew—?” An Xun, sensing Sootball’s unusual behavior, also looked concerned.
“Cheep!” Sootball, however, glared at An Xun and flew into the forest.
“Sootball? Don’t go into the forest at night! It’s dangerous!” Lin Ran called out, and they both gave chase. He hadn’t expected the trip to Ossi’s home to take so long, leaving Sootball alone all day. He felt guilty.
“Sootball— Are you here?”
“You’ll catch a cold if you don’t come back and take a bath.”
“Mew—?” They searched for Sootball in the forest, Lin Ran parting the branches, Snowball sniffing the air, guiding him.
But Sootball, hiding behind a tree, peeked out at A-Ran, then quickly hid again, its fur drooping. It didn’t want to be found yet. A-Ran wasn’t good at navigating the forest; what if he got tired? And it had unknowingly flown away from Yuanbao’s territory, into unfamiliar and potentially dangerous areas.
“Mew?!” Snowball, following the scent, jumped behind the tree, finding it empty.
“He’s not here, Snowball,” Lin Ran said, catching up, slightly breathless.
“Mew…” It had been here just now. An Xun was sure of it. Sootball must have flown away at the last moment. It looked at A-Ran, still searching, and realized Sootball wanted to be found by A-Ran, not by him. It was jealous of their outing, though it knew it shouldn’t be. A-Ran always thought of him when he was out with Sootball.
“Sootball…?” Lin Ran, not finding Sootball, turned around, realizing Snowball was gone too, and paused to catch his breath.
Cheep, cheep… Cheep!
One, two… three! Sootball, having counted to three, flew out from behind the tree, ready to surprise A-Ran, but found the forest silent.
A-Ran… was gone?
“Cheep—!” It searched frantically, its heart pounding. It had just been playing hide-and-seek! Where was A-Ran?!
“Mew?” Snowball, intentionally lagging behind, caught up and also noticed A-Ran’s absence.
Where’s A-Ran? It asked Sootball, who, its aura flaring, suddenly disappeared. It had logged out to get help from its family. The Luna Clan were experts at finding people at night. A-Ran would be fine…
Lin Ran, meanwhile, had been transported by a black miasma, unable to leave. He observed the miasma, much denser than in Yuanbao’s territory. Where did it come from?
He realized he was on a dried riverbed, a giant scar on the earth, the black miasma seeping from the cracks. He recognized it as the dried River of Demon Energy from the Mirror World.
“Is this what it originally looked like?” He felt a strange sense of sadness, not fear, touching the dry earth. As he walked along the riverbed, the miasma’s hold on him weakened. As long as he stayed within the riverbed, he was safe. But how would he get back?
Wait, he had the Moon Brooch! He retrieved it from his backpack; it had recharged. As he activated it, he felt the familiar transformation, the fangs, the pale skin, the dark red eyes.
Could he grow wings this time? He focused his magic on his back, and a pair of bat wings sprouted, tearing his shirt. He was airborne!
This was amazing! Though not as powerful as the older Nemo’s wings, they were enough. He flew towards his homestead, following the map, then realized the wings consumed a lot of magic. It was like trying to cross a continent on a scooter with a low battery. He would transform back into a cub soon.
He closed his eyes, resigned to his fate, a small white fluffball falling towards the grass. At least no one would see him like this.
“Roar—!” But a familiar sound made him open his eyes. Was that Yuanbao?
“Mew!” And Snowball’s voice too.
An Xun had watched as Shao Mian placed his paw on the cracked ground, releasing a powerful golden aura that illuminated the night, spreading far and wide, amplified by Abyss’s black flames.
Shao Mian, sensing a location, grabbed An Xun and ran. An Xun, trembling in the lion’s grip, felt the immense power, wishing he could be that strong, a true helper for A-Ran.
Shao Mian glanced at the snow leopard cub. The human had good taste. This cub, though of unknown lineage, had a strong, white aura, a potential for great power, like a bird about to hatch.
Seeing a small, white figure falling from the sky, he released Snowball and leaped, catching the familiar fluffball in his mouth.
“Cheep…!?” The sound that escaped Lin Ran made Shao Mian pause, looking at him intently. Had he made that sound?!
Lin Ran, equally stunned, realized he had made a cub sound while being rescued by Yuanbao! Fortunately, Yuanbao wasn’t human; he couldn’t tell anyone.
“Ch… Yuanbao! How did you find me?” he asked, struggling free, then instinctively flying back to the safety of the lion’s mane. The only advantage of being a cub was being able to bury his face in the warm, fluffy fur.
Shao Mian, finding the human’s actions familiar, realized he was being petted again.
“You’re shedding a lot!” Lin Ran said, seeing the loose fur.
Shao Mian: …
[See? He noticed your shedding!] Abyss said, adding insult to injury.
“A flame?” Lin Ran looked at Abyss, who was staring at him curiously.
“Ooh…” Abyss wasn’t sure what to make of Lin Ran. Shao Mian had said he was giving him to a human, but this was a white Luna Clan cub! And a cute one at that. It wagged its tail, reconsidering. It wouldn’t mind following this cub. But a human? Never!
“Cheep cheep cheep cheep—”
“Cheep cheep!!” Just then, a chorus of chirps echoed from the distance.
“Wait, that’s not me…” Lin Ran said, looking at Shao Mian, who also paused, looking towards a swarm of approaching black bats. Sootball had called his entire clan? He was surprised by the Luna Clan’s unusual display of unity.
[There he is! Our lost, precious cub!] an excited voice exclaimed, and the bats surged forward.
Lin Ran: ?
“Cheep—!” Sootball, seeing A-Ran, rushed over and clung to him, refusing to let go.
“Sootball, you’re too big…!” Lin Ran said, realizing he was also a cub now, and Sootball was even larger than him.
The white fluffball was tackled by the black fluffball, both chirping excitedly.
The Luna Clan demons, screeching to a halt, stared, their eyes wide.
So cute! They wanted one! And weren’t they all entitled to claim this lost cub? They exchanged dangerous looks.
