Episode 9 - Spirit of Agnea

Ms. Chen looked back, terror filling her eyes, as the demon's arms reached out toward her, causing her to gasp in fear.

But suddenly, a thin layer of light, unfolding like a scroll, materialized right in front of the charging demon. Its hands were mere inches away from Ms. Chen.

*Crash*

The demon collided with the protective light wall, creating a resounding thud.

But before it could plummet to the ground, it desperately flapped its wings while clutching its face with its hands.

"Gyaaaer!" The demon grimaced in pain, grinding its sharp teeth.

It gazed at Jiexin, its face concealed by its large, clawed hands, with one eye peering through, locking onto him.

To Jiexin's astonishment, his fingertips were aglow, emitting a circular yellow light at their tips.

"A spirit?"

The demon's brows furrowed in confusion as it stared at Jiexin.

Jiexin mirrored the demon's bewilderment, unsure why his fingertips were radiating this strange light, leaving him in a daze.

Ms. Chen stumbled to the ground, her heart racing, clutching the child tightly as shock coursed through her. Her life seemed to flash before her eyes earlier, and she watched the thin wall of light dissipate like dust.

She gazed at the flying demon, fear pulsating through her.

She looked at Jiexin, she noticed the glow on his fingertips, her brow furrowed as sweat dripped.

"Are you possessed by a spirit?" the demon asked, tilting its head.

"Huh?" Jiexin looked up at the demon, his fingertips still glowing, not knowing what to say.

"It looks like the celestial spirits are back too," the demon said, descending slowly.

"But how come there's only you?" 

The demon looked around, moving its head from left to right.

"Also, I didn't feel any spirit within you earlier. Did you just get possessed?" it asked, its eyes squinting.

Jiexin didn't know what it was talking about; he could only listen in awe as he tried to grasp what was happening to him.

"This is getting interesting," the demon whispered under its breath.

Ms. Chen saw that the demon was distracted and took the opportunity to escape silently. She was baffled about Jiexin, but her safety came first in her mind. She got up, stepped back slowly, turned around, and left without making any sound.

She returned to the antique store where she had hidden before, considering it the safest place for the moment. She wasn't sure where to go, and she wanted to avoid running into any more of those demons.

She returned to the antique store where she had hidden before, deeming it the safest place for the moment. Uncertain of her next steps, she aimed to avoid encountering more of those menacing demons.

"AHAHAHAHA!" the demon's laughter echoed ominously.

Its sinister smile stretched, revealing its gleaming teeth, and its eyes sparkled with malevolence.

"It looks like another war is coming," the demon announced, its voice dripping with dark anticipation.

Pausing, the demon unfurled its colossal wings slowly, preparing to take flight.

"I'll have my first celestial kill," it hissed, fixing a menacing gaze upon Jiexin's eyes. The threat lingered in the air like a sinister promise.

"Starting with you."

With a powerful thrust from its immense wings, the demon created a gust of wind that kicked up dust and debris, forcing Jiexin to shield his face with his arms.

The demon's imposing silhouette blocked the moonlight, casting a massive shadow on the ground as it chuckled sinisterly.

Jiexin's heart raced, and sweat began to form on his forehead. He had an unsettling feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

'This is bad; what should I do?' he thought, desperately trying to figure out a way to escape as he glanced around.

Running seemed futile, as the demon could quickly catch up to him. He had been lucky several times since the chaos began, but he now felt that his luck was running out and he would finally meet his demise here.

He absentmindedly looked at his glowing fingertips, still trying to make sense of the strange situation.

Then a realization struck him, and he remembered the old man who fought against the claw demon. He remembered that the old man's fingertips had also been glowing, just like his.

'In the name of the heavens. I, Mai Ke, a spirit of Agnea and a lesser spirit of the heavens, shall punish you and send you back to the abyss!'

He recalled what the old man said, and it was all coming together now.

"Did a spirit really possess me?" Jiexin wondered aloud, his voice barely above a whisper.

To his astonishment, a voice replied to his inner thoughts.

'You are correct.'

Jiexin's eyes widened, and he turned his head in all directions, searching for the source of the voice that had answered.

But he didn't see anyone, yet he was sure he heard a voice replying to him.

'Calm down and listen to me,' the voice reassured him.

He heard it again, making him startled, and he continued to glance around, searching for the source of the voice.

'Am I hearing things?' he wondered. 

In the face of a potential death sentence, he began to doubt his own senses.

'Listen to me, Su Jiexin,' the voice urged.

"Eh?"

Then he finally realized that the voice was coming from his own mind.

'Are you...?' he tried to reply within his thoughts.

'Yes, I am communicating through your mind,' the voice confirmed.

'Ho-how?' Jiexin was bewildered.

'I will explain later. First, let's focus on that demon.'

The demon, perched above and observing Jiexin's strange behavior, grew increasingly perplexed by his actions. It couldn't comprehend why Jiexin kept tilting his head back and forth.

"That human has lost his mind, now that he realizes his doom," the demon chuckled, its sharp fangs bared.

The demon exhaled a hot breath.

"Well, time to kill a spirit," the demon announced, sealing Jiexin's death sentence.

"Wing Expansion, Fiery Wings."

What was about to unfold was the demon's whole new transformation, making the demon much more sinister than before.