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"Lin Hu!" I yelled and ran up to him. His eyes were closed, and form was almost entirely transparent. I knelt down beside him and reached to touch his shoulder only to have my hand pass through his body. Dread radiated from the pit of my stomach. "...Lin Hu?" I repeated. Guardian Tiger groaned in response. His eyes fluttered open, and he rubbed the back of his head as if the impact with the wall actually hurt him. "Are... are you alright? I can barely see you..."

"I'll be fine, Liao. I just used up a lot of spirit power," said Tiger. He tried to stand using the wall for support, but fell back down to one knee. "Bring my statue over here, please. I need to rest."

I did as Tiger asked and retrieved his statue from across the room. While I was walking, I glanced over at Kulau. The Clouded Leopard still stood above Leopard Cat with his hands near the smaller cat's forehead. The small, dark stream of chi had been replaced by a much larger stream of fluorescent green chi. It was mesmerizing, watching a seemingly endless amount of energy being packed into a palm-sized ball, but I snapped out of it and returned to Tiger with his statue in hand. As soon as I brought the statue close, what was left of Tiger's spirit power disappeared inside of it.

Kulau seemed to be finishing up as I turned back around. The last of the green-colored chi left Leopard Cat's body, and the dark-colored chi from earlier returned. However, Kulau was quick to react. He severed the stream of dark chi before it could reach the ball in his hand and then jumped away from Leopard Cat. Leopard Cat's body remained motionless on my bed.

I stepped towards Kulau, and he turned to face me. The green orb filled with Senpai's chi floated in the air above his hands. Most of the fluorescence had worn off, with the orb now casting a dim glow onto Kulau's chest. Kulau looked down at the orb, and then back at me, and then held the orb out awkwardly towards me. "Here."

"Uhh..." I motioned at Guardian Tiger's statue still in my hands. "J-just hold onto it for now, Kulau." Kulau nodded and retracted his arms back to hold the orb closer to his body. "Is that... Senpai's soul?" I peered at the orb. Beneath the surface I could see faint swirls of darker chi, but otherwise its contents seemed calm.

Guardian Tiger's voice echoed from the depths of the statue. "In essence, yes. It's just hard to say what effects that kitten's body had on it. Regardless, that doesn't change our plan."

This whole thing was starting to make me feel uneasy, but I couldn't tell why. Something just didn't feel right. I tried to shake the feeling by asking a different question. "Did we at least get all of him out?"

"From what I can sense, yes," said Guardian Tiger. "I even sacrificed more spirit power than necessary to ensure I got it all. Foolish on my part... but I wanted to be sure."

Wow. He did all of that for my sake. And from how bad he looked afterwards... I was honestly scared that I might lose him. I swallowed. "Thank you, Lin Hu. For everything you've done. I'm glad you're okay." Even though Tiger's physical form wasn't present, I could somehow tell he was smiling. "You too, Kulau. Thank you."

Kulau just nodded again with his usual stern expression. That's when I noticed... he looked completely normal. He had almost completely recovered from his earlier exhaustion as if he hadn't struggled with Leopard Cat at all. The only remnants of his efforts were a few patches of glistening fur. I suppose he hadn't expended as much spirit power as Guardian Tiger, but still, his recovery was impressive.

"Kulau," sounded Tiger's voice. "Can you please escort Liao to his Senpai? I do not have the strength for it right now."

"Okay," said Kulau.

"Liao, you can just leave my statue here. There's no need for you to carry me all the way there and back. I wouldn't be able to help you two anyway."

I did as Tiger said and placed his statue back on its shelf. "Will you be alright here, alone with Leopard Cat? What if he tries something?" I glanced over at the unconscious cat. The slight rise and fall of his chest was the only indication that he was still alive. Well, that, and the fact that he still had a physical form.

"It's fine. This kitten will stay unconscious until his body adapts to my spirit power. I'll regain my strength long before that happens," said Guardian Tiger. "Besides, with so much of my spirit power inside of him, he will be easy to control."

"If you're sure you'll be fine, then I guess I'll leave him to you," I said. "If he wakes up before we get back, try to keep him here. I still have questions for him."

"Don't worry, I'll make sure he stays put. I intend to keep him on a short leash from now on," said Tiger. "After all... he is partially my responsibility now. I can't have him giving my spirit power a bad name."

I'm not quite sure what Guardian Tiger meant, but I guess it doesn't matter right now. "Alright. I guess Kulau and I will be off then."

"Wait. You two may want to conceal that energy somehow, lest you attract unwanted attention. A human and an aborigine carrying a human soul around will do more than raise a few eyebrows."

Guardian Tiger had a point. I hadn't considered the possibility that other yaoguai might try to attack us on our way to Senpai. Kulau may be able to defend himself, but if a bunch of them attacked us at once... I shivered at the thought, and then looked around the room for something we could use to hide Senpai's soul.

"Ah, what about this?" I said as I picked up the backpack that I had used to carry the Tung blossoms home a while back.

"...I suppose it's better than nothing," said Guardian Tiger.

I stepped over to Kulau and had him carefully lower the ball of energy inside. Then I put the backpack on and held my hand out towards Clouded Leopard. "Ready?"

Kulau's answer was to grab my hand. His body disappeared as his spirit power flowed into me for the fourth time today. Kulau seemed to be getting used to my body. His movements, while still awkward, were not as stiff as they used to be. The two of us left room and stepped once again into the spirit path underneath my room. Kulau bounds through the foggy space, much more confident in his steps this time around. In no time at all, we had reached our destination, and Kulau stepped out of the spirit path.

We emerged under yet another staircase. Were all staircases connected by spirit paths or something? I recognized the surroundings from one of Kulau's visions, the ones we had when we searched for Senpai earlier. This was definitely Senpai's apartment complex. Kulau exited my body and stood next to me. And then I realized...

"Err, Kulau? Did you happen to see Senpai's apartment number in one of your visions?"

"..." Kulau's brow furrowed. Does he know what I'm talking about? I was about to clarify what I was asking, but then he shook his head.

Great. I let out a sigh. I guess we could try asking the manager or something... but that could backfire big time. If the manager escorts us to Senpai's room and finds him dead on the floor, it'll ruin our chance to save him. It'd be better if no one saw us at all.

"You there. Young man." I froze. A voice I'd heard before called out to me. A flash of white, blue, and green dropped down from somewhere above me. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, it's you!" It was the canine god from earlier. What was his name again? "Hynos, right?"

"Yes, that's correct," said Hynos. The canine eyed the Clouded Leopard next to me, and in response Kulau assumed a fighting stance. Hynos did not react to Kulau's defensive behavior. Instead his gaze returned to study me. "Did I not protect you from this same aborigine just a short while ago? Why are you with him again? Has he kidnapped you?"

"N-no, nothing like that!" I waved my hands in an attempt to deescalate the situation. "He's my friend. We just... had a small misunderstanding, that's all. Everything's alright now, there's no need for any more fighting." Kulau glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, refusing to turn away from the spirit in front of him. "It's okay, Kulau. You can relax."

Hynos' eyes flickered back and forth between Kulau and I several times. Kulau was hesitant at first, but he eventually lowered his arms. However, he didn't take his eyes off of the city guardian.

"Good," said Hynos. "Fighting each other is a waste of time. As long as he is not causing problems for the city or its people, then we have no issue with his presence. Now..." Hynos turned his attention back to me. "Just who are you two? When I felt all that spirit power rushing towards me, I thought for sure I was being attacked. I certainly did not expect a human and an aborigine."

"Ahaha... Sorry about that." I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "I'm Lin Tian-Liao, and my friend here is Likulau. We didn't mean to scare you. It's just a coincidence we ran into you here."

"I'm not so sure of that," said Hynos. The canine spirit sniffed the air a few times. "You reek of the yaoguai I've been hunting. Care to explain why?"

"Yaoguai? Are you talking about Leopard Cat?"

"The one who's been stealing human souls? Yes. You've had contact with him?"

"Yeah... you could say that," I said. Kulau nodded as well.

"Hmm..." Hynos sniffed the air once more. "You do have exceptional spirit power. For a human, anyway. It's no surprise he sought you out. You were bound to attract someone like him sooner or later."

Hynos' words were unnerving. I'm glad I had both Lin Hu and Kulau to protect me, but I certainly hope this won't be a common thing. I don't want to have to be wary of every new person I meet...

"By the way... What is that in your backpack?"

My shoulders stiffened. I should've known a city guardian would notice us carrying around a ball of spirit energy, but hearing him question it still made me panic. "Uhh..." My mind blanked. This probably looks really bad to him. A foreigner and a human carrying around what he most certainly knows is another human's soul. The fact that Hynos displayed absolute calmness did not help.

Kulau must have sensed my uneasiness, because he ended up reaching behind me and pulling out Senpai's soul. It floated above his hands just like before. He took a few steps towards Hynos to show the city guardian what it was.

"So, I was not mistaken after all..." said Hynos. He stared at the floating green energy but made no attempt to take it. "Meddling with human souls is a serious offense, one that the city does not take lightly. You better have a good explanation for this. Especially since that soul has been steeped in yaoguai chi."

"Y-yeah, we have it for a good reason," I explained. "We're... returning it to its owner."

"And the owner is... here?" asked Hynos. I just nodded in response. "...I see. I think I understand now. Why you are here. Why you smell like the yaoguai I have been hunting. You are carrying the soul of the last young man that yaoguai inhabited, are you not?"

All I could do was nod again. Hynos continued. "How remarkable. You managed to recover a stolen soul before that yaoguai could devour it? How?"

"Ah, well... the whole thing's kind of a long story. But the short answer is, we didn't. Me, Kulau, and my Guardian Tiger had to pull it out of Leopard Cat's body."

Hynos tilted his head at my answer. If I could see his eyebrows, I'm sure at least one of them would be raised. "...You are serious?"

For the first time since Hynos appeared, Kulau spoke. "Liao telling truth. Was there. I help."

"Sorry, I just find all this quite hard to believe," said Hynos. "You not only found the yaoguai I've been hunting for years, but you also managed to recover a soul thought to be completely lost. How did you manage all of this? Explain every detail."

"Err... I don't mind doing that, but..." I motioned towards the soul in Kulau's hands. "Can we do it later?" I actually had several questions of my own for Hynos, but that would have to wait until later. Besides, talking about this out in public was probably not a good idea.

"Ah, yes, of course. You should probably return that first," said Hynos. "I must see this with my own eyes."

Hynos didn't seem to be asking, as he was already on his way upstairs. Not like I would refuse a request from a city guardian anyways, and if he knew which room was Senpai's it would save us some trouble. Kulau looked at me, and I just shrugged. "C'mon, Kulau. Let's just follow him."

The three of us walked up a couple flights of stairs, with Hynos leading the way and Kulau and I walking side by side. As we climbed, something strange happened to Senpai's chi. The energy inside started moving excitedly, twisting and swirling around itself. It reminded me of a star, albeit an extremely tiny one.

"Why's it doing that?" I asked.

Hynos answered without turning around. "Your friend's soul remembers its original vessel. That is good for him."

By the time we reached the fourth floor, Senpai's chi had grown restless. The excited swirling turned chaotic, creating visible sparks that darted along the surface between pockets of concentrated chi. Kulau was staring down at it intensely.

Hynos had stopped climbing and was now walking down the fourth floor hall. He did not check behind him to see if we were following him, and eventually he disappeared behind one of the closed doors.

Kulau and I ran up to the door Hynos had phased through. As we drew closer, Senpai's soul progressed from chaotic to violent. Several strands of chi flared out from the rest, only to be sucked through the cracks of what I assumed was the door to Senpai's apartment.

"This must be the place..." Senpai's body was right through this door... I took a deep breath and reached for the handle. "Huh... it's unlocked." The handle turned effortlessly. Had Hynos unlocked the door? I pushed open the door and stepped inside.

My heart skipped a beat, and I felt the blood drain from my face. I knew what awaited me beyond Senpai's door, but I still wasn't prepared to see him up close. Senpai lay motionless on the floor, illuminated only by his vibrating phone. My body refused to move. All I could do was stare down at Senpai in horror until, eventually, his phone stopped vibrating. A few seconds later, his phone screen dimmed, plunging Senpai's form into darkness.

I blinked. The change in lighting broke whatever spell was holding me, so I stepped further inside and tried to find a light switch. Once the lights were on, I noticed Kulau standing outside the doorway, just looking at me.

"What are you doing, Kulau?" As soon as I said that, I remembered spirits needed to be invited inside of another person's home. "Right, I forgot. Err... come in?" Will this even work? This isn't my home... I don't know if I have the authority to invite a god into Senpai's apartment.

Kulau wasn't convinced either. He glanced down at the doorway with uncertainty, and then back up at me. What even happens to a god if they try to enter someone's home uninvited?

"Oh, just come in already. It's fine. I grant you permission," said Hynos. The canine guardian was kneeling down beside Senpai, studying his body.

Despite the invitation, Kulau still took a hesitant step inside and... nothing happened. Seems at least one of our invitations worked. I shut the door behind Kulau, and the two of us stepped over to Hynos.

"I thought gods had to be invited to enter someone else's home. How come you were able to walk in ahead of us?"

Hynos stood up to meet us. "Would it not be stranger for a servant of the City God to need permission to enter a residence under his domain?"

"I... guess so? Sorry, I'm kinda new to all this god stuff."

"Well, in most cases you would be correct," said Hynos. "But city guardians need unrestricted access so that it does not interfere with our duties. We are trusted with that responsibility."

"Makes sense." I knelt down next to Senpai, as Hynos had earlier. Being this close to his body still freaked me out a bit. I held the back of my hand near his mouth to see if he was breathing. It was faint and slow... but I definitely felt something. Next, I held two fingers against his neck. Just like his breathing, his pulse was weak, but not nonexistent. At least he's alive...

"By the way, I've concluded my investigation. You may proceed with whatever you planned to do here."

"Already? That was fast," I said. Hynos was only in here for five minutes at the most. That didn't seem like enough time for a thorough investigation.

"I've seen this enough times to know what to look for. This case is nothing special."

Figures Hynos had seen this before. He said he's been hunting Leopard Cat... I wonder how many other victims he's examined by now. "Are you like, some kind of detective?" I asked.

"I am what the City God needs me to be," replied Hynos. "Detective. Yaoguai Hunter. Peacekeeper. He names it and I do it."

"I see..." Hynos' loyalty and dedication was impressive. "So... what did you find out? From investigating Senpai."

"Well, as you have probably figured out yourself, your friend is alive. But barely." Hynos stepped over to a nearby table where the remnants of Senpai's last meal sat. "This food is cold, but not rotten. And this spilled water has not evaporated. It is likely this young man was up and moving around just hours ago."

Leopard Cat probably abandoned Senpai's body when he found out Kulau failed to steal my spirit power... At least he's been taking care of his body until that point.

Hynos continued. "Judging from the state of this apartment, this Leopard Cat left in a hurry. With the mess on the table and the fact that the door was not even locked, it seems he did not plan on returning."

"He probably knew I would come after him." I said. "Luckily we were able to track him. He'd run pretty far by the time we found him again."

"You located him so easily?"

"Y-yeah," I said. "It was mostly Kulau's doing. I let him use my body. I think he called it... becoming his oracle?" I glanced over at the Clouded Leopard, and he nodded. "Something about possessing me let him search all over the city in seconds."

"Very tiring," said Kulau.

"Interesting..." Hynos mused on the information I had given him. I took the opportunity to lift Senpai up from the floor and gently set him down on the couch behind him. He was much easier to carry than I expected. "In most cases, having a host does amplify a spirit's natural abilities. No one on the city watch has tracking quite that impressive, though."

I stepped back and let Kulau take my place above Senpai. "Alright Kulau... Just... put it back into him somehow."

"..." Kulau awkwardly held the soul above Senpai, unsure of what to do. Fortunately, he didn't have to do anything. As soon as he brought the soul close, the energies within it unraveled. I watched in awe as dozens of strands of bright green chi poured into Senpai's body, passing through his skin and infusing him with the energy he had once lost.

The spiritual light show only lasted a few seconds before all of the energy had disappeared. I watched Senpai's body with bated breath, awaiting any sort of movement or indication that he was alive... but nothing happened. Senpai remained just as still as he had been before his soul was returned.

"Why didn't it work? Did... did we do something wrong? Were we too late?" I directed my flurry of questions at Hynos.

"Calm yourself. It's going to be some time before we know if the infusion was successful," Hynos said as he stepped over to Senpai's body. "Putting a soul back into a human body is something even the gods do not fully understand. The process can fail for any reason, or even no reason at all."

A wave of panic washed over me. "W-what?"

"Ah... apologies. Perhaps that was not the best thing to say," said Hynos. "I can assure you, you've done all you can. Now, we wait."

All these shocks are bad for my heart... I bent down and checked Senpai's vitals again. Both his heartrate and his breathing had improved considerably. I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed into a nearby chair.

"I realize this may not be the best time, but..." said Hynos.

"You want me to explain everything, right?" I finished.

Hynos nodded. "Please."

I sighed again, and started recounting the events of the last few hours. Leopard Cat's trickery and why Kulau attacked me. I told him again about how Kulau and I found Leopard Cat. Then about Lin Hu possessing me and how that and Kulau's chi draining let us enter Leopard Cat's body. I described how Lin Hu used his own chi in order to get Leopard Cat's chi to release Senpai's, and how exhausting it was for him. Hynos listened intently the entire time, absorbing every piece of information I gave him.

"...And that's about it. Kulau and I went straight here, and then we met you. And now here we are."

Hynos didn't speak right away. I wondered if I was revealing too much information here... but I live in this city. I can't hide things from a city guardian.

"So..." began Hynos. "You used god chi as bait to rescue this young man's soul. That is surprisingly risky behavior for a Guardian Tiger. It is already dangerous enough interfacing with another spirit's chi, but to sacrifice his own life force as well..."

"I sorta forced him to do it..." I said. "At least, I did at the start. All I could think about was saving my Senpai."

"Understandable," said Hynos. "but still quite reckless. You three are fortunate to have survived." The canine's piercing gaze made me lower my head in shame. The persistent calmness of his appearance and his words only made me feel worse. I think I'd prefer if he'd just yell at me. "...Still, you succeeded. I must applaud the creativity and quick thinking of you and your friends." Now he's praising us? I lifted my head back up to look at the canine spirit once more. "Where is this Leopard Cat now?"

"We left him in my apartment. He was still unconscious after what we put him through. He should still be there. I asked Guardian Tiger to watch him and make sure he didn't leave."

"I see... I will need to speak with that yaoguai. Do you mind if I accompany you when you return home?"

"Uhh... I guess not, but what are you gonna do to him?"

"There's not much I can do," said Hynos. "You have fed a soul-eating yaoguai god chi. He is now a demigod. I've been hunting him for years, and now I can't touch him. It's actually a little disappointing." Hynos walked over to one of the apartment's windows and stared out into the fading sunlight. "I should not say such things. I should be glad he will not be hurting anyone else." The canine guardian sighed. "To truly answer your question, Leopard Cat still has to pay for his sins. He will work for the city or he will be exiled, though I am sure both of those are preferable alternatives to what we intended to do to him before."

Seems Leopard Cat had everyone after him... Us, the city, and who knows what else.

"Young man..." Hynos turned around and made direct eye contact with me. "This may be presumptuous of me, but I would like to offer you a job working for the City God."

"...Huh? What? Why?" Hynos' sudden offer left me greatly confused, but the look on the canine guardian's face told me he was completely serious. Well... I guess he always looks serious, but I don't think he'd joke like that.

"Without any sort of prior training, you and your guardians have accomplished something once thought impossible. With some refinement and proper training, I have no doubt you could use your talents to save many more lives from yaoguai attacks."

"Ah... I don't know what to say... This is rather sudden."

"Of course, we won't force you to work for us. But it would be an incredible waste for you to refuse. I'm sure the City God will want to speak to all of you directly. He can give you more details then."

Despite what he said, I didn't feel like Hynos was giving me much of a choice... How am I supposed to refuse someone as powerful as the City Cod? Argh! This is just like the start of this month! Lin Hu still wants me to go back home, Kulau still needs my help with his clansmen, and now instead of Leopard Cat, I have the city wanting my help! I sighed again. I just want to live my life in peace!

"I think we've spent enough time here," said Hynos. "I have other duties to attend to, and I still need to make my report for all of this. I would not advise you to linger around here for much longer. There are people nearby watching this place." Hynos turned back towards the window, so I got up and joined him. Sure enough, there was a man in a black suit leaning against a black car just outside of the apartment complex.

My eyes widened. I ducked away from the window as the man glanced towards Senpai's room. He looked just like the man from the arcade. Senpai's family must've sent him to check on Senpai. I peeked back out the window and noticed the man had pulled out a cell phone and was trying to call someone.

I gasped as Senpai's phone, still on the floor from earlier, started vibrating again. If I was caught with Senpai still unconscious like this...

"Kulau, we need to leave. Now." I said as I searched around for Senpai's keys. I found them on a nearby table and then scooped up Senpai's phone from off the floor. I turned to Kulau as I slid both of those items into my pockets, and then held out my hand for Clouded Leopard to grab. "Take Senpai and bring us back to my apartment."

Hynos watched with fascination as Kulau's spirit power flooded into my body. Kulau was on the move as soon as he had control over me. Aided by his spirit power, we effortlessly lifted Senpai bridal style and carried him out the door. Hynos followed us until we were outside of the spirit path at the bottom of the stairwell. Thankfully, the stairwell was out of the black-suited man's line of sight.

I thought spirit paths were an aboriginal thing, but the canine guardian had no trouble following us into the foggy void, and soon enough the three of us reappeared back at my own apartment complex. Kulau left my body once again, but a portion of his spirit power remained behind to ease the burden of carrying Senpai like this.

The two of us started towards my room, but stopped when Hynos called after us.

"Ah, just a minute. If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to speak to the aborigine in private. He did not speak much earlier and I would like some answers directly from him."

"Er... I don't mind, but it's not up to me," I said, glancing over at Clouded Leopard.

"Is fine. I talk," said Kulau.

"Alright. Just be patient with him Hynos. Kulau doesn't know how to speak Mandarin that well."

"Understood," said Hynos.

With that, I left the two spirits to their business and continued upstairs.