After reading the small piece of the letter, Kan began running around the village. He would ask the villagers if they had seen Nicole or knew where she went. But it was a waste of time because none of the villagers knew where she went. Kan didn’t give up, in a hopeless effort he went around the village 3 times asking for Nicole’s whereabouts. He was desperate, he wanted to believe that Nicole was still in the village.

Before he knew it, the sun was already starting to set. Kan was covered in the orange rays of the sun as he walked back home. Everything he did was useless, he wouldn’t be able to find where Nicole in the village. ‘Jane! Jane might know where Nicole is.’ Kan began running towards the clinic.

He felt absolutely dumb because he should have gone and seen Jane first before asking around the village. Jane would be the most likely to know where Nicole was at, but in his desperate state, he wasted time asking the villagers.

Kan was covered in sweat as he arrived at the clinic. He banged on the door and called out for Doctor Frank and Jane. It was then that Jane opened the door for Kan. She could hear the distress in Kan’s voice.

“What’s wrong Kan? Is someone hurt?”

Hearing Jane’s anxious voice, Kan realized that he had made her worried for nothing. He slowly calmed down and got his breathing together.

“Sorry to worry you Aunty Jane. Nothing is wrong.”

“Are you sure? You look pretty tired and it seems that you’re worried over something.”

“Haha, i’m just tired from training. Oh, Aunty Jane do you know where Big Sister Nicole is? I’ve been looking for her but I can’t find her.”

“Oh you’re looking for Nicole. She actually left this morning.”

“Do you know when she’s coming back!”

Kan excitedly asked Jane. This was his first clue on Nicole’s whereabouts. If he knew when Nicole was coming back then he would be able to adjust his plans. There was a sliver of hope for saving the village of Clear View, if Jane knew when Nicole would be back.

Seeing Kan so interested in Nicole, Jane was slightly jealous. He was giving all of his love towards Nicole. A devious smile appeared on her face. She had come up with a plan to tease Kan.

“Hmmm, I guess you like Big Sister Nicole more than you like Aunty Jane.”

“No, I like you just as much as I like Big Sister Nicole.”

“Hmmm, I don’t know about that. You’re just saying it, why don’t you prove it by giving Aunty Jane a kiss on the cheek. Do this and i’ll tell you when Nicole is coming back.”

“Ok, Aunty Jane.”

Kan tried to kiss her on the cheek, but Jane wasn’t going to make it easy. She stood there with her chest puffed out, while watching Kan struggle. Although Jane wasn’t tall, she was still taller than Kan. She watched as Kan tried to jump up and peck her cheek, but she wouldn’t budge from her position.

Kan was getting impatient but he knew Jane was having fun, so he played along. Jane wouldn’t budge at all, so Kan decided to use drastic measures. He raised both of his arms and aimed for Jane’s weakness.

“Take this Aunty Jane.”

“Ahahahaha, st...stop it Kan. That tickles.”

Kan’s plan was to tickle Jane’s armpits to get to crouch down. He knew that Jane was extremely ticklish there. But there was one thing that Kan didn’t expect though. His plan was successful in making Jane crouch down and she was now eye level with him.

Kan didn’t expect the strength of Jane’s breasts. The moment Jane crouched down to protect her armpits, her breasts swiftly came down and smacked him in the head. There was enough force to push him away from Jane.

‘Oww, I never knew boobies were so strong.’ On this very day, Kan learned a lesson that he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Although he was smacked away by Jane’s breasts, Kan didn’t give up yet. He jumped towards Jane and gave her a peck on the cheek while she was distracted with what she had done to Kan. Jane was knocked off balance and fell on her back with Kan on top of her.

“Are you ok Kan?”

“I did it Aunty Jane.”

Kan smiled back at Jane’s question and Jane could tell he was fine. Seeing that he was fine, she decided to hug and squeeze him. He was just to adorable that she didn’t want to let him go. Even though she lost this little battle, she was satisfied with the end results. She was able to get Kan to kiss her on the cheek and she was also able to hold and squeeze him. Over the past few days, Jane had been stressed over too many things and being able to play with Kan was the best stress reliever.

“Ok, you won Kan. I’ll tell you when Nicole is coming back. She said that she’ll be back in 3 to 4 days.”

“Thank you Aunty Jane.”

Kan gave Jane another peck on the cheek before leaving the clinic. He felt extremely relieved after learning when Nicole was coming back. Although the day she came back was very close to the date the disaster happens, Kan was sure he would be able to convince her to back out of the battle.

It was already dark as Kan walked back home. Even when it was dark, he was very familiar with the path back home. He was already close to home and could see the lights coming from the windows of his home. But suddenly everything became dark.

‘What!?’ Kan was confused. It wasn’t the darkness of the night. Everything was pitch black, he couldn’t see anything around him. But this also wasn’t that eerie darkness that he was familiar with. ‘Where am I?’ It was in that moment that Kan’s thoughts were interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

“So you’re the one cursed by the Heavens. A cat, no a dog. Wait it can’t be! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! I finally found it!!. A fox!! A fox has been born!!!! HAHAHAHA!!!! The Heavens shall fall, the Earth shall shatter, and in the end, this domain shall be mine.“

Kan was shocked. He didn’t know what this person was talking about and couldn’t tell where the voice was even coming from. It felt like the voice came from outside, but it also felt like it was talking from within him. The worst feeling was that it felt like his entire body was being analyzed by this unknown person.

“Let me give you some fortune young fox. Eat this pill and you shall become a king amongst men.”

A box was thrown in front of Kan and within it was a small green pill that glowed. Kan didn’t know why but he couldn’t control his body. His arm was reaching out to grab the pill and his mouth opened by itself. But Kan didn’t truly mind taking the pill. If he could trust this voice then wouldn’t he become strong. Strong enough to protect the village, strong enough to hunt those attacking his village down.

A strange glint glowed in Kan’s eye and he didn’t refuse eating the pill. It was like his mind and body had been taken over. His sense of reason was no longer there. His hand came closer with the pill and in the next moment the pill was in his mouth.

“Good. Good. Good. Time is not yet ripe for this fox. I shall come again when you have fully grown.”

The darkness disappeared and that person or thing was no longer around. As soon as that person left, Kan spat out the pill. Kan had almost eaten the pill, but a familiar voice within him snapped him out of his trance. The voice had taken over his body and held the pill within his teeth not letting it touch anything else.

‘Tha...thank you.’

“Never trust that man. No matter what he says, never trust him. If you find the chance, take that pill and discard it in a pit of lava. It is too dangerous for consumption.”

‘Ok, i’ll do that. Who was that?’

“He is an evil man, no an evil monstrosity. We weren’t supposed to appear so soon. Sorry Kan but we won’t be able to talk to you for a long time.”

The voices trailed off and became weaker towards the end of their speech. Kan was now all by himself with so many questions darting through his mind.

‘What does he mean when he called me a fox?’

Kan arrived home and went to sleep with this question stuck in his mind. So many things were happening in his life, and many of them he didn’t have answers too. He was restless because of the stirring feeling within him, he had so many questions but he didn’t have any answers.