Lily and Henry stood frozen.
The fox was staring at them.
"Yes?" it repeated calmly.
For several seconds neither of them spoke. Their brains were still trying to understand what had just happened. A fox… talking. Not making noises. Not some trick. It had spoken actual words.
Henry slowly blinked.
"Okay… either I hit my head when we jumped out of that hospital window," he muttered, "or this is really happening."
Lily didn't even look at him.
Her eyes were locked on the fox.
The fox tilted its head slightly, confused by their silence.
Then it turned and began walking toward the wooden stairs of the tree house.
"Wait—" Henry started.
But he stopped mid-sentence.
Something strange was happening.
As the fox walked, its body began to glow faintly.
The fur rippled like water. Its shape stretched and shifted, bones moving beneath the surface in a smooth but unnatural motion.
Henry's mouth slowly opened.
"Uh… Lily?"
"I see it," Lily whispered.
The fox's legs lengthened.
Its body lifted upright.
Fur slowly faded into skin, and its small animal body expanded and changed. Within seconds the fox had completely transformed.
Standing in front of them now was a small child, around seven or eight years old.
He had soft silver hair, bright curious eyes, and a small, innocent face. But one thing still remained from his previous form.
Two fluffy fox ears sitting on top of his head.
The boy blinked.
Then he lifted his hands and touched the ears.
"Oh."
He looked slightly embarrassed.
The boy covered them quickly with both hands.
A faint glow flickered again.
When he removed his hands…
The fox ears were gone.
Now he looked completely human.
He turned toward Lily and Henry with a cheerful smile.
The two of them were still staring like statues.
Their expressions looked exactly like people who had just seen a ghost.
The boy blinked.
Silence filled the tree house.
The boy tilted his head again.
"Aren't you coming to help me?" he asked sweetly.
Still no reaction.
Henry finally took a deep breath.
He rubbed his face slowly.
"Okay," he muttered. "Talking fox turning into kid… yeah… sure… why not."
He looked at the boy.
"Yeah," he said, nodding. "We'll help."
Lily was still stunned, but she forced herself to move.
"Y-yes," she said.
The boy's smile brightened immediately.
"Good!"
He turned and ran toward the ladder leading down from the tree house.
Henry and Lily exchanged one last confused look before following him outside.
The night air was cold.
The forest stretched endlessly around them, dark and quiet except for distant sounds of movement deeper within the trees.
The boy crouched down and placed his hand on the ground.
His eyes closed.
For a moment he stayed completely still.
Then his eyes opened again.
"They're not too far," he said softly.
"Who?" Henry asked.
"Your friends."
Deep in the Forest
Much deeper inside the jungle, where the trees were older and thicker than anywhere near the city, two figures were tied tightly to separate trees.
Chris struggled slightly against the ropes binding her arms behind her back.
The ropes were rough and tied painfully tight.
Beside her, Twilight was tied to another tree.
His breathing was heavy.
Anger burned in his eyes.
"Let her go."
His voice was low, but the rage inside it was clear.
The guard standing in front of him didn't respond.
Instead, the man slowly walked toward Chris.
Chris tried to move away, but the ropes held her firmly.
Her mouth was covered with a cloth, preventing her from speaking.
The guard pulled a knife from his belt.
The blade reflected the faint moonlight.
He placed the knife gently against Chris's neck.
Twilight's eyes widened.
"Stop!" he snapped.
The guard finally looked at him.
A cruel smile spread across the man's face.
"Let's see how you stop me."
Twilight pulled hard against the ropes binding his wrists.
The rope dug deeper into his skin.
But it didn't move.
The guard leaned closer to Chris.
The knife pressed lightly against her skin.
Chris's heart pounded.
Twilight's vision began to blur with rage.
He pulled harder.
Still nothing.
The guard slowly began to move the blade.
Then—
THUD.
A quiet sound echoed through the clearing.
The guard froze.
So did the second guard standing nearby.
"Oops."
A calm voice spoke from the shadows.
"Sorry. I think I made some noise."
All three of them turned toward the source of the voice.
Standing casually on a tree branch above them…
was the masked warrior.
The Mask Guy.
He tilted his head slightly.
"But I think I arrived at a good time."
His tone sounded relaxed.
Almost amused.
Like he was watching something mildly interesting rather than a dangerous situation.
The guard removed the knife from Chris's neck and stepped back.
Both guards moved quickly.
They rushed toward the masked man.
Their movements were fast.
Faster than normal humans.
Their speed was sharp and precise as they lunged forward with their blades.
But the moment they reached him—
Their target disappeared.
The guards skidded to a stop.
Confusion flashed across their faces.
They spun around quickly.
Looking.
Searching.
Then they saw him.
The masked warrior was now standing several feet away.
Chris was in his arms.
He was holding her easily, like she weighed nothing.
"Sorry," he said lightly.
"Hehe… bye."
His voice carried a hint of playful mockery.
"I hope we never meet again."
Before the guards could react—
He vanished.
Gone.
Completely gone.
The clearing fell silent.
Only Twilight remained tied to the tree.
The guards stared at the empty space where the masked warrior had stood.
Their expressions darkened.
Twilight looked at them.
A mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face.
"Hm."
He leaned back against the tree casually.
"Now what will you do?"
The guards looked furious.
Through the Forest
Meanwhile, the masked warrior moved through the forest with incredible speed.
Chris barely had time to understand what was happening.
Wind rushed past them as he jumped from branch to branch.
His movements were smooth and effortless.
Almost like flying.
Chris looked up at him.
"My friend… Twilight… he's still there."
Her voice carried worry.
The masked warrior didn't slow down.
"You don't need to worry about everyone, Chris."
His voice was calm.
Dangerously calm.
"Especially not about him."
Chris blinked.
Her mind caught something strange.
She looked up at him again.
"Wait…"
"How did you know my name?"
The masked warrior stopped.
Instantly.
They landed softly on a thick tree branch.
He gently placed Chris down in front of him.
The moonlight filtered through the leaves above them.
For a moment neither of them spoke.
The masked warrior looked directly at her.
Even through the mask, Chris could feel the intensity of his gaze.
Finally he spoke.
"I saved you."
His voice was quiet.
"I saved you several times."
Then he leaned slightly closer.
"And you're asking such a stupid question?"
Chris blinked.
She crossed her arms slightly, annoyed.
"Well excuse me," she said. "But it's not exactly normal when a masked stranger keeps appearing out of nowhere to save my life."
The masked warrior sighed.
He rubbed his forehead slightly beneath the mask.
"You really don't remember."
Chris frowned.
"Remember what?"
For a moment the masked warrior didn't answer.
He simply looked at her.
Then he straightened again.
"Nothing."
Chris narrowed her eyes.
"That definitely didn't sound like nothing."
Before she could say more—
A distant roar echoed through the forest.
Both of them froze.
The masked warrior's head turned instantly toward the sound.
More monsters.
Several of them.
Coming fast.
Chris felt the air grow tense.
The masked warrior stepped in front of her protectively.
"Stay behind me."
His tone had changed.
Now it was serious.
Chris looked past him into the darkness of the forest.
Something large was moving between the trees.
More than one thing.
Meanwhile…
Not too far away…
Henry, Lily, and the fox boy were already heading toward the same place.