The town was alive with the hum of activity, lanterns casting their golden light over the bustling streets. Stalls lined the roads, vendors shouting to advertise their wares, and families laughed as they moved from one corner to the next. Above the vibrant scene, on the rooftops, two shadows moved with practiced ease.
Sun Tien crouched on the edge of a tiled roof, his mischievous grin directed at his cousin. "Keiji, if you're too scared, you can stay here," he teased.
Keiji scoffed, brushing back his jet-black hair. "Scared? Of what? Your terrible plans? Let's just get this over with before someone spots us."
The boys moved like whispers through the night, their steps silent. They leapt from rooftop to rooftop until they reached their target—a busy food stall brimming with skewers, buns, and sweets.
"Same plan as always," Sun Tien whispered.
Keiji rolled his eyes. "You mean the one that almost got us caught last time?"
"Trust me," Sun Tien said with a wink.
Keiji sighed but stepped into action. Stumbling forward, he knocked over a pile of crates, drawing the vendor's attention. "Hey, watch it!" the man shouted.
As the vendor hurried to fix the mess, Sun Tien swooped in, grabbing as much food as he could carry. When the vendor turned back, the boys were already vanishing into the crowd, their laughter trailing behind them.
Scene 2
The forest provided a quiet refuge from the town's chaos. The boys sat under a towering tree, dividing their stolen feast.
"You almost tripped over your own feet back there," Keiji said, laughing as he bit into a skewer.
Sun Tien waved him off. "Details. What matters is we got away, didn't we?"
Their laughter faded as a rustling sound broke the night's stillness. The boys froze, exchanging wary glances.
"Probably just an animal," Sun Tien said, though his voice lacked its usual confidence.
The bushes trembled, and glowing red eyes emerged from the shadows. The boys' breaths hitched as monstrous figures stepped into the moonlight—demonic creatures, their claws glinting like knives.
"What the hell are those?" Keiji whispered, his voice trembling.
"I don't know," Sun Tien replied, stepping protectively in front of his cousin. "But we're not sticking around to find out!"
Scene 3
The demons lunged, and the boys dodged instinctively, their martial training kicking in. They moved with precision, their strikes landing on the creatures, but their attacks seemed to do little more than irritate the demons.
One demon swiped at Keiji, grabbing his foot and pulling him down. Sun Tien charged, delivering a powerful kick to the creature, but it only snarled and retaliated, slashing across his chest. Keiji cried out as another demon clawed his shoulder.
Pain coursed through their bodies, and just as they thought it was over, a strange light enveloped them. Energy surged through their veins, and without understanding how, they found themselves fighting back with incredible power.
The tide turned as the boys defeated the demons, their movements swift and unnaturally strong. But as the last creature fell, the light faded, and they collapsed, unconscious, onto the forest floor.
Scene 4
The ground trembled as footsteps approached. Their parents emerged from the shadows, their expressions a mix of panic and fury.
Sun Tien's father stared at the unconscious boys, his staff glowing with divine energy. "How dare you hurt my son!" he growled, his voice echoing with power.
Branna knelt beside Keiji, her hands trembling as she checked his wounds. "They've been attacked. By demons."
Sun Tien's mother placed a hand over her son, her powers glowing faintly as she began to heal him. "Why would demons target children?"
"That's what we need to find out," Keiji's father said grimly.
A growl sounded nearby, and the group turned to see more demons emerging from the trees.
Branna unsheathed her blade, her voice icy with rage. "You'll regret stepping foot in this realm."
The parents unleashed their powers, swiftly eliminating the demons. Once the forest was silent again, they gathered the boys and carried them home.
Scene 5
In the warmth of Sun Tien's home, the boys lay in their beds, their wounds tended. Their parents gathered in the main hall, their faces shadowed with worry.
"They were glowing," Sun Tien's mother said softly. "When we found them… I saw it. They had power."
"That's impossible," Branna replied. "They're just kids."
Keiji's father shook his head. "Whatever it was, it saved them. But why do they have this power? And why were they attacked?"
Before anyone could answer, the room dimmed, and a figure stepped out of the shadows—the Six-Eared Macaque.
The parents turned to him, startled.
Keiji's father was the first to speak. "Dad? What are you doing here?"
The Macaque's gaze swept over the room, settling on the boys. "I came because I owe you an explanation. About the boys. About there power