Until dusk arrived, Bai Xing still couldn't bring himself to give Grey the payment he wanted. He has prepared his heart and steeled his mind, but once their face came close, he would get flustered from top to bottom all over again.

Personally, Grey was enjoying the show, so he didn't mind at all. He never expected Bai Xing can actually kiss him anyway.

Bai Xing backed away for the nth time when he noticed the hazy mist started forming around them. They were sitting on top of a thick branch on one of the trees near the statue, so Bai Xing could clearly see the clearing gradually getting blurred.

"It's starting," Grey stated solemnly. He leaned to the tree trunk as he secured Bai Xing tightly in his arm, "Whatever happens, don't move. Just use your eyes. We're staying up here until daybreak and leave when the mist recedes."

He used his other arm to hold the shotgun, ready to shoot it if any danger arrives.

Bai Xing focused his eyes on the goddess statue. Surprisingly, it didn't seem like the mist came from it. True, it was getting very dense in the clearing, but the mist appeared from no particular source.

It was as if the forest itself was forming it. It couldn't be that the whole inner forest area was the power source, could it?

"Hahaha…Ahaha…"

Bai Xing jolted in surprise from the giggle. He looked around for the source, but it came from all around him. The giggling became more intense with a variety of voices doing it, ranging from a baby's giggle to a witch's cackle.

He instinctively shifted closer to Grey.

"Starting now, don't trust your senses. Whatever you think is coming towards you, whatever you think is going to harm you, don't move," Grey squeezed Bai Xing's hand in his embrace, "Just close your eyes and trust me."

"Just focus on me and follow my lead."

Bai Xing was silent for a few seconds before giving a little nod. He resumed watching the statue.

After a long while, Bai Xing felt like he saw the statue move. He blinked several times and looked again, but the statue was in its exact position. Instead, he saw a black shadow moving among the white mist.

Once he noticed it, he noticed more and more black shadows emerging and blending into their surroundings. Bai Xing couldn't exactly catch the shape of their figure.

Suddenly, one of the shadows flew up and 2 pairs of glowing green eyes stared straight into Bai Xing's eyes. Without any warning, it launched towards him.

Bai Xing followed Grey's instruction and closed his eyes, curling into Grey's arm.

Bang!!

A gunshot was fired. The sound reverberated through the forest and rang Bai Xing's ears. He slowly opened his eyes and found the shadow was gone.

What surprised him was that the shotgun was aimed in a completely different direction from where the shadow was at earlier. Almost the opposite of it.

Another one appeared right in front of them, but Grey shot his second bullet to their left. Magically, the shadow that almost reached them vanished.

Grey reloaded the bullet, "Those are ghouls, creatures of the shadows. They preyed on their target through deception. This dark forest and thick mist are just perfect for their hunting ground."

Bai Xing, "…"

Ghouls can be shot?

"Most people attack the illusions it creates, so people generally thought it is an intangible creature, a ghost. In fact, they very much have a physical body," Grey explained, "You just need to be sharp enough to detect them."

He shot another one coming to attack them from below and the one coming from their right vanished. However Bai Xing tried, he really couldn't see anything at where Grey was shooting.

Bai Xing turned to look at the statue again, but the mist has unknowingly worsened. He couldn't see anything beyond it. But he didn't look away and kept his eyes on where the statue was as he remembered it.

Two ghouls flew towards them. Grey used one of his legs to replace his arm securing Bai Xing before taking Bai Xing's shotgun. He shot one to somewhere above their left and the other straight to one of the ghouls' heads.

"…"

Bai Xing's mind and body subconsciously relaxed a bit.

"Xiao Xing, why aren't you eating?"

Bai Xing's pupils shook. He stiffly turned his head to see he was at his old house's dining table. Sat across him were his parents, smiling lovingly at him.

"You're spacing out again, Xiao Xing," his mother placed his favorite sweet and sour pork dish to his plate, "Mom made this for you since you kept asking for it. Don't leave any leftover behind, okay?"

"Lingling, Xiao Xing is already a big boy. He can take his food himself." His father helplessly said.

The scar on his eye throbbed and a splitting headache attacked him. He frowned as he clutched his temple.

His mother looked at him in worry, "Xiao Xing, are you okay? Do you have a headache?"

"Go take the medicine there." His father pointed at the cabinet where they usually stored medical kits along with medicines.

"It's alright. I'll go take it for him," His mother stood up and took the medicine from the cabinet. She gave it to Bai Xing, "Here. Go to sleep after this."

Was this a dream? Illusion? But why could he feel the solidness of the table, the chair, and even the cutleries?

…Could this be real and he was dreaming all this time?

But…

Bai Xing looked at his parents.

Something felt…wrong. But he couldn't tell what. His mind was too foggy to think.

"…"

For now, let's take the medicine and sleep.

Before he could drink it, sharp pain from his neck shock him out of the illusion. Once the scene changed back to the forest, his face was forcefully turned, and Grey fiercely plundered his lips.

Bai Xing, "!!?"

Bai Xing gasped breathlessly as his lips were sucked and his mouth was dominated by Grey's breath. Grey didn't stop even when he shot an incoming ghoul.

"Hnn…Ah…Haa…" Bai Xing gripped Grey's shirt from the suffocation.

Grey bit Bai Xing's lip until a drop of blood trickled down, "You didn't answer my call. And didn't I tell you to not do or touch anything without my permission?" he licked the blood from Bai Xing's lip before doing the same at the bleeding bite mark at Bai Xing's neck under his right ear, "That includes in your illusion. Don't listen to anyone or anything from your illusion. If you do what they want you to do, you'll die."

"You almost ate a poison berry. I don't know how it got into your hands, probably the mist's witchcraft, including your illusion," Grey added, "It confuses your mind. If it happens again, close your eyes and call me."

Bai Xing, "…"

Do you really need to kiss me to tell me that…? A painful one at that…

When Grey leaned back to the tree again, Bai Xing noticed that the ghouls were getting lesser and lesser. Several ghouls flew away, sweeping the mist around the statue and clearing the view for a short period of time.

It was then he saw the true form of the power source at night.

–––

–

"White, wake up. It's morning."

Bai Xing woke up from Grey's rocking. He jerked from surprise when he saw the ground was far below him but then remembered he stayed the night in the forest with Grey.

His body was still in Grey's safe hold. Grey's strength didn't diminish from last night at all.

Bai Xing soon felt guilty for falling asleep. He was the one who wanted to stay the night here, but Grey ended up with the most burden.

"Stay here. I'll go down first."

Bai Xing obediently stayed and watched Grey skillfully climb down the tree with their shotguns. Once Grey landed down, he looked up at him.

"Jump. I'll catch you," Grey stretched out his arms, "Don't wo–"

To Grey's surprise, Bai Xing didn't hesitate in the slightest and jumped down with his eyes closed. Grey braced himself and smoothly caught Bai Xing without stumbling from the weight of an adult man.

Feeling the impact, Bai Xing slowly opened his eyes and was directly met with Grey's face.

"…" Bai Xing averted his gaze, "…I-I'm sorry."

"Hm? You're not heavy." Grey reassured Bai Xing and fixed his position to align their face.

"For sleeping…" Bai Xing added.

Grey raised his eyebrows, not expecting Bai Xing to apologize for that. He chuckled, "It was safer for you to be asleep. Also," he inched closer with a smirk, "Your sleeping face is too cute that I almost did this and that to you."

Instead of getting flustered or scared like Grey thought Bai Xing would, Bai Xing zeroed in the distance they have left and pecked his cheek.

"T-Thank you," Bai Xing hid his steaming face to Grey's shoulder, "It's p-p-payment…"

"…"

Grey's arms tightened and silently turned his reddened face away.