The book is nearing its end so I thought it would be a good idea to warn you guys. Maybe four more chapter I suppose...
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         "It's strange. I honestly hoped this would never happen and yet here we are. Eun was right all along," Zhu said as he sat in the midst of the abyss that he and (y/n) found themselves in. The first thing he did was panic. Who wouldn't after being stabbed and waking up with the assumption of being dead? "Where are we? What did you do to everyone?" (y/n) accusingly inquired as he did his best not to completely freak out.

        "It's nothing bad for you I assure but after this, I won't be around anymore. It seems I've lost my wager for the first time in many years. I shouldn't have put so mych at stake so I suppose it's my fault," Zhu muttered. His eyes were green now and he didn't seem hostile or deceiving at all. He just looked like plain old regular Zhu before (y/n)'s eyes were opened to the fox's treachery.

        "Where are we?" (y/n) asked as he looked around at the vast amount of darkness around them. There was nothing for miles except thale darkness he saw and the only light source was from the illuminated ground which glowed of green just like Zhu's eyes. "Rather than answer your question, I'd rather explain things to you before we part ways," Zhu spoke. "Then I must be dead again. Why else would I be...here," (y/n) muttered to himself.

        His mind was a bit hazy so he wasn't entirely clear on how he got to his current state kf being. "No. You aren't dead. Now listen to me for one last time or you'll never get the explanation that I'm sure you wanted to hear the very moment I turned my back on you," Zhu said with a slight growl. Since (y/n) didn't have much of a choice, he remained silent to listen but crossed his arms and sat on the nearly nonexistent ground with a slight pout. Not getting answers was indeed something (y/n) despised.

        "Long ago, I discovered a way to change my human appearance while also gaining the ability to experience things as with an actual human. If I were to share part of my soul with that of the human's soul, I could easily connect tp the person just as I connected to you," Zhu began. "I thought you said we were sharing the same soul! You had half a soul this entire time?" (y/n) interrupted.

        "Will you shut up and listen. My time and patience is running out," Zhu snapped. "What good would it do for me to listen to a liar. Whatever, just hurry up so I can figure out how to get out of here," (y/n) muttered, looking boredly into the darkness. Zhu didn't comment on his statement and continued to tell his story. (Y/n) gave a slight smirk of triumph but it soon disappeared once he realized that Zhu was his enemy.

        "As I was saying, I connected to a person's soul and was able to live alongside the person I chose. As I spent more time with the person, I noticed that the remaining half of my soul made itself whole again and the other half became a part of the person I chose to call a host. They gained my powers and abilities to a certain extent much like you. Well one day, I got tired of my host and decided to steal his soul."

        "I already thought of humans as mere sources of entertainment so I never really shared a bond of friendship with my host. In fact, my very first host thought that he'd captured me and tamed me for his use. After stealing his soul, I realized just how much more power and energy I could gain by doing so. I wanted to know why so I searched for another host, a true warrior, and coached him on how to use my power and become the greatest warrior possible."

        "He was the first human to change my view of things just a bit. He fought for nobility not fame and he put his life on the line for others quite often. In the end, I still felt no remorse for stealing his soul for even he had a dark side. After that experiment, I realized that the better the host is at using my power, the more I gain in the end. That's when I began seeking warriors and your family caught my attention. It was around this time that I met Eun."

        "I'd taken a host from the Zhen family and he'd been trying to infiltrate the Haans so that he could gain more power. He did find the place where Eun's spirit was being kept but I took over to speak with the fox myself. I lied to her often saying that I would find a way to free her when in reality, I was only testing another experiment of mine. The host could not break my control without enough willpower so I began to develope the skill I used to control you earlier."

        "I stopped visiting Eun after I killed my host. Then I moved on to the next one. You'd think humans would be wise enough to figure out that I was killing my hosts but the way I made things happened seemed like only a mere attack on the heart. They never suspected a thing. I continued using my hosts until I came across one who saw right through me and sealed me in that shrine you found me in."

        "Your ancestor, the head of the Zhen family at the time, figured out my true intentions before I even realized so. I was foced to protect the Zhen family if I did not want to be slain. In return, no one was told about my past deeds and I was treated almost like a diety. I will not lie. I enjoyed the treatment and I feel for humans finding their different personalities to be intriguing."

        "Years later, a human similar to you and also of the same bloodline frequently visited my shrine. She cared not if she lived or died and she lived life in any way she felt like living. I was curious as to how a human could go about life in such a way since every human who'd been my host valued their lives. I never got my answer until you came along. I understand now. On the day you lost you village and family, the shrine seal cracked."

        "I wasn't lying about being able to be taken by someone else should you die. The seal was directly connected to the head family's bloodline so if you died, I would be free but also endangered. I took this into mind as I made my decision. Then that stupid demon showed up amd rushed my process so I decided to use you as my host. I became you friend and only trusted ally and I changed. You were another human who cared not about your life so long as you got to live it."

        "You let me understand that humans do not live for just themselves. When they begin to value their lices as you now value yours, they start to live for themselves and others. Now on to the part where I found out about your past. I have the ability to search through your memories whether you can recal them or not. I knew that if you died, you'd return so I considered my host plan a failure sunce you'd likely return with my powers and hunt me to the ends of Elrios for betraying you."

        "In all honesty, I still didn't want to kill you but after you died and gave me my opprotunity, I gave in to my habits and wanted to kill you as soon as possiblem i hadn't cared about whatever progress you made in your life. It may sound cruel to you but that's just the way I am. And now I've failed. Eun must have figured it out. When you retrned, your soul remained separate from mine."

        "You were no longer my host and yet you retained my power just as I feared. I had to do something about that and I chose to kill you. Well, I don't want you dying at the hands of others because I still have a small amount of good in me and Eun knew this. Either way, you'd have lived. You gained my healing ability so me helping you was useless. I don't know how but she predicts the future to an extent so long as it has to do with her or her host."

        "She knew I wouldn't let you die and so I healed you just now. Currently I am escaping having been wounded by your comrades but my power will keep us connected just as it does now. You will live and be the single survivor of my plans. Had you not been the enigmatic human that you are, things would have turned out differently. I congratulate you although I resent you for being the one human I didn't want to kill," Zhu explained.

        (Y/n) had no words for the fox. He was angry and very hurt by Zhu's explanation. Zhu had just basically admitted to killing (y/n)'s family members and using him rather than simply being there for him. His life from the day his village was destroyed up until then had basically been a lie and Zhu had confirmed it. What more could (y/n) do but blankly stare off into the surrounding darkness?
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Finished another chapter. Hot a few more to go. Until next time you astounding readers!