The thunder of hooves echoed across a hill tangled thick with bamboo.
A monk rode atop a large, powerful chestnut horse. Behind him, a beautiful young woman—gravely wounded—clung weakly to him, half-hidden within his saffron robe. Close on their heels, a group of soldiers clad in armor and armed with spears pursued them relentlessly.
Yet the bamboo-covered hill worked against the soldiers. The dense growth made it increasingly difficult for them to close the distance, while the steep incline caused their horses to stumble and slip on the loose earth. Duyen nearly lost her balance and was almost thrown from the horse—but just in time, the monk caught her and pulled her back.
He wrapped one arm firmly around her waist.
"Please endure a little longer, miss," he urged.
Still, the soldiers showed no sign of giving up. They raised their bows, drawing vicious arrows and aiming them directly at the two fugitives.
The monk panicked, struggling to guide the horse while evading the rain of arrows. But fate was cruel—one arrow struck deep into the horse's hind leg. The animal screamed in agony, reared violently, and threw both the monk and Duyen from its back.
They were flung aside and rolled into a dense thicket. The impact jolted Duyen awake.
The monk crawled toward her at once, swiftly pulling her into the shadow of the bamboo grove. He covered them both with his robe, its color blending seamlessly with the surrounding forest. Deceived, the soldiers continued chasing after the wounded horse.
When they finally realized the horse carried no one, panic spread among them. They looked around wildly, but no trace of the fugitives could be seen.
"Quick! Spread out and find the two of them!"
That was all the monk had been waiting for. In his hand was a small throwing dart. He released it in a single, fluid motion—so fast that no one heard the whistle of air. The dart sliced through the air and severed an invisible thread tied high among the bamboo stalks.
In an instant, the ground beneath the soldiers collapsed.
They had no time to react.
Then—silence.
By then, Duyen had fully regained consciousness. She looked around in terror, then up at the monk beside her. He turned toward her and smiled gently.
"Miss, everything is fine now. Please sit here and wait for me a moment."
Though she did not understand what had happened, Duyen felt an inexplicable sense of safety beside him. She nodded shyly.
As soon as the monk stood and turned away, she hurriedly clutched the robe around herself, trying to cover her naked body, riddled with wounds. Her cheeks flushed crimson from shame, and pain began to spread through her limbs.
The monk cautiously approached the pit into which the soldiers had fallen.
The sight was horrific.
Sharp wooden stakes at the bottom had impaled their bodies. Their deaths had come so suddenly that terror was still frozen on their faces.
The monk shut his eyes tightly and frowned. He raised a hand to his chest and murmured a quiet prayer under his breath, then turned away as though nothing had happened.
That night, the two of them supported each other into an abandoned structure hidden deep within the bamboo. It could barely be called a house—more accurately, it was a collapsed, charred roof. A long-forgotten remnant of the war between the Kamakiri and Okawa clans.
Once, this place had been a village. Now it lay buried beneath layers of earth, overtaken by wild bamboo.
The monk helped Duyen sit inside and quickly built a small fire. She curled up inside the robe as the cold night air crept over her body. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead, making the monk visibly anxious. It meant her wounds were severely infected.
He took out a small bundle from his bag. Inside was nothing more than a rice ball and a little sesame salt. He offered it to her.
Duyên's eyes widened in surprise, but she accepted it nonetheless.
"Tha…nk… y…ou…" she tried to say.
The sound that came out was broken, barely human—more like the weak rasp of some wounded creature. Yet the monk understood and smiled in response.
"You're welcome."
He watched as the beautiful girl before him struggled to eat, lifting the rice ball to lips injured on one side. Even swallowing was painful, yet Duyen forced herself to chew and swallow.
The sight filled the monk with guilt. It spread heavily through his chest.
"I'm sorry," he murmured. "This is all my fault…"
Duyen startled and quickly waved her hands in denial, but the monk only let out a bitter laugh.
"If I had known his ambitions were so vile, I would never have given him that mirror. Who could have imagined that even after learning the truth about the fox spirit, he would still commit such atrocities against you?"
At the words fox spirit, Duyen's eyes darkened. Horrific memories surged back—humiliation, torture, unspeakable suffering endured within a single day.
Yet above all else, she worried for Shana.
Where was Shana now? Was she safe?
The nobleman's words echoed relentlessly in her mind. Could it be true… that Shana had once been forced to marry that man?
Duyen looked down at the wounds covering her body and wondered—why had she ended up in this body? Her feelings for Shana seemed tangled with the emotions of the girl who once owned this flesh.
Strange… yet familiar.
The monk studied her quietly, noticing her sudden melancholy. He smiled warmly and asked,
"What is your name?"
Duyen flinched. She tried to answer aloud, but realized she couldn't. So instead, she took a piece of burnt wood from the fire and wrote on the ground as the monk watched in curiosity.
[Du Dinh Duyen]
The monk tilted his head, confused.
"I'm sorry, but… I truly don't understand."
The light in Duyen's eyes faded instantly. Seeing this, the monk felt deeply apologetic.
He placed a hand over his chest.
"My name is Kaneko."
"Ka… ne… ko?" she mouthed silently.
"Yes, yes!" Kaneko exclaimed, then lowered his voice.
"It's a very short name, isn't it… I was an orphan."
Duyen immediately waved her hands again, trying to say that wasn't what she meant. Her flustered reaction made Kaneko laugh softly.
"There's something very strange," he said gently. "When I look at you, I feel as though we've known each other before. Though even I don't understand why I feel this way."
Duyen was surprised. She had thought she was the only one who felt that strange familiarity. There truly was something about this monk that felt inexplicably close to her.
Perhaps it was just an illusion… wasn't it?
"Please don't let my foolish words trouble you," Kaneko continued.
"Tomorrow, we can go to Okawa's stronghold. I know a physician there. He owes me a debt—he will heal all of your wounds."
Duyen smiled and nodded. Those simple gestures alone were enough to deepen Kaneko's certainty.
This girl and I… we are connected somehow.
Kaneko, what are you thinking? She's in this state because of you.
Perhaps fate had placed this unfortunate girl into his care.
Kaneko lifted his gaze to the night sky and whispered,
"What should I do, Goddess Ama…?"
Suddenly, Kaneko's eyes sharpened as he caught the faint rustling sounds coming from the bamboo grove around them. A strange wind swept through the clearing, as if trying to snuff out their campfire.
Without a second of hesitation, Kaneko grabbed the weapon hidden at his waist and reached out instinctively, pulling Duyen behind him as she stood there in confusion.
He scanned the darkness warily. Was it just a wild animal?
But from within the shadows emerged a beautiful young woman, dressed in an eerily crimson wedding gown. She had reddish brown hair and unsettling, ghostly blue eyes. The air around her grew heavier by the second, stained with warped shades of unnatural blue that sent chills crawling down the monk's spine.
Yet Duyen alone showed no fear. In fact, her face lit up the moment she recognized her.
It's… Shana!
But why did Shana look like this?
She stood completely still, killing intent radiating from her body. When Shana's gaze fell upon Duyen, it softened—just for a brief moment—as she whispered,
"Kaya…"
Then, upon noticing the countless wounds covering Duyen's body, something inside Shana snapped.
Her hands twisted grotesquely as razor-sharp claws burst forth from her fingers. She glared at Kaneko with eyes full of murderous intent.
What was happening?
Duyen truly didn't understand any of this. She tried to stand, intending to run toward Shana, but Kaneko stopped her. His expression hardened as he stared at Shana and muttered through clenched teeth,
"Fox demon…"
In an instant, he swung his arm outward. A long wooden staff sprang forth, its head bristling with vicious thorns. Shana snarled violently at the sight of it, while Kaneko gripped the staff firmly in his hands.
"So be it… fox demon. Then today, I shall grant you release!"
Duyen's eyes widened in terror as she heard those words. Before she could react, Kaneko charged toward Shana with a single purpose—to attack.
She ran after him, desperately trying to shout for him to stop.
Don't hurt her!
But it was too late.
Kaneko swung the staff at Shana—Only for her to block it effortlessly.
Kaneko froze in horror.
"That's impossible… How could this be…?"
Before he could finish the sentence, Shana lunged forward with her other hand and clamped her fingers tightly around his throat. Kaneko thrashed violently, gasping for air.
"Ghk—ahhh… Impossible… A fox demon… How can you be this strong…?"
Her grip tightened, claws digging into his neck. She truly intended to kill him.
Then—suddenly—Shana stiffened.
Duyen had reached her, grabbing her arm and shaking her head frantically, tears streaming down her face.
Don't, Shana! Please… don't kill him!
But perhaps she had already exhausted the last of her strength. Without warning, Duyen collapsed, her body falling straight into Shana's arms.
Shana immediately released Kaneko and caught Duyen before she hit the ground. The eerie blue light in Shana's eyes softened as she pulled Duyen close, holding her tightly.
"Kaya… my beloved Kaya… You belong to me…"
Shana tore away the filthy monk's robe clinging to Duyen's bare body. In its place, her nine enormous, blazing-red fox tails unfurled and gently wrapped around Duyen, cocooning her protectively.
At that moment, even Kaneko—lying on the ground, teetering on the edge of death—could only stare in disbelief at what he was witnessing for the first time in his life.
Blood filled his mouth as he whispered,
"A… nine-tailed… fox…?"
He coughed up another mouthful of blood and lost consciousness. The final thing he saw was Shana carrying Duyen away, disappearing deep into the forest.