Meanwhile, deep in the dark woods, a group of wolves gathered with eerie coordination, moving together like a well-trained army. Their smooth, dark shapes glided through the bushes, getting closer with each step to their unaware target.
Among the pack, one wolf stood out as the most formidable and awe-inspiring. This majestic creature was larger than its counterparts, exuding an air of dominance that left no doubt it was the alpha. Its imposing presence was accentuated by a piercing gaze that seemed to cut through the darkness with ease.
What truly set this wolf apart were its eyes, which gleamed with a brilliant yellow hue, like twin embers glowing in the night. Occasionally, those mesmerizing eyes would blink and, in an instant, shift to a striking crimson red.
This sudden transformation seemed to unsettle the wolf, causing it to shake its head vigorously as if to clear its thoughts. After a moment of apparent confusion, the wolf's eyes would revert back to their original, captivating yellow.
The flickering lights of the academy's bonfire grew brighter, casting a challenging glow that seemed to taunt the great wolf. The wolf's eyes, once a calm yellow, now blazed a fiery red, mirroring the intensity of its growing anger.
The giant wolf shook its head violently, as if a persistent fly had invaded its thoughts, disturbing its iron will. It was as though a malevolent demon whispered insidiously in its ear,
"Go and kill them, keep them all!"
The sinister voice echoed in the wolf's mind, fueling its rage and urging it towards a path of destruction.
With every shake of its massive head, the wolf fought the dark compulsion, its red eyes flashing dangerously in the light of the bonfire. The struggle within the beast was palpable, a fierce battle between its primal instincts and the demonic influence trying to take hold.
He seems on the brink of surrendering to the malevolent force that sought to control it. His heart burned with rage, like a bomb ready to explode at the slightest provocation.
As the night progressed, two villagers strolled along the narrow path, chatting quietly with occasional bursts of laughter breaking the silence. Like the ancient oaks that stood guard over the village, the coming villagers were strong and resilient. But as they strolled along the moonlit path, their steps were graceful and airy. Clearly, these two were no strangers to the world of martial arts, having soaked up years of training.
One of them even carried a large clay pot with ease, swinging it lightly as he walked. The mouth-watering smell of stewed meat wafted from the pot, making anyone who caught a whiff feel hungry and envious.
Out of nowhere, a low grunt echoed, leaving him astonished as his friend soared into the sky.
"Whoa, big brother! How did you master flying?" the younger brother exclaimed, utterly incredulous.
The first villager got caught in a tree branch while jumping, hanging there like a puppet dangling in midair. The jar full of scents he had been carrying shattered on the ground below, the loud crash disrupting the tranquil night and drawing the attention of the villagers gathered by the bonfire.
They turned, and tried to find out where the sound coming from, but a burst of laugh and loud singing brough their attention away.
"Help me, quick!" The big brother cried out, his voice tinged with desperation.
His younger brother, alert and responsive from years of training, quickly assessed the situation. Without hesitation, he sprinted towards the pine tree and, with agile precision, began to scale its trunk.
His movements were fluid and swift, defying gravity as he climbed higher, his head pointing downward and his feet propelling him upward. In one powerful motion, he kicked at the branch that ensnared his brother.
"Ka-cha!" The sound of the breaking branch echoed through the night as it snapped under the force of his kick, falling limply like a noodle. His older brother, freed from the tree's grasp, tumbled to the ground and busy to uncover the rope like branches which steadily secured him.
"Whoa, that was dangerous! What was that?" he exclaimed, breathless from the close call.
"Are those tree branches? I can't believe it!" His brother strained, pulling the writhing branches away with all his strength. The branches, as thick as their arms, twisted and turned, writhing like sinister, living ropes, relentlessly trying to ensnare him again.
"Do you have a knife? These things are so sturdy!" he shouted, desperation in his voice.
"We didn't bring weapons to a party!" the younger brother replied, quickly scanning their surroundings for anything that could help.
His eyes widened as he noticed a pair of glowing red eyes, like two burning flares, emerging from the dark bushes. In the next instant, a powerful force knocked him off his feet, slamming him against the trunk of the tree. His body crumpled to the ground, limp and motionless like a sagged cloth.
The older brother, hearing the impact, looked up just in time to see the source of the attack. Before he could react, sharp claws raked across his throat, and blood gushed out like a spring, splattering the ground and surrounding foliage.
In the dim light, the dark silhouette of a werewolf stood menacingly over the fallen brothers. Its cold, unblinking eyes scanned the area, ensuring there were no more threats. Then, with a swift and silent movement, it disappeared back into the bushes, leaving the scene as eerily quiet as it had found it.
Far from this eerie place, the academy was filled with fun and laughter. The villagers, unaware of the scary scene in the forest, were having a great time. The sound of children laughing and adults talking happily drowned out the faint cries of distress from afar.
At some point, the physics teacher found himself encircled by a cluster of children and village women, all eager to hear his spine-chilling tales of demons and ghosts. The flickering light of the bonfire cast long shadows, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
"My story isn't like the ones your principal tells," he began, his voice resonating with the practiced cadence of a seasoned storyteller."He always gives you fairy tales and tales of the Monkey King. But my story is about demons who eat children as snacks. Are you brave enough to hear it?"
The children, wide-eyed and trembling, stepped back closer to their mothers, clutching at their skirts for reassurance, but they nodded eagerly, unable to resist the allure of a good scare.
"Long ago," the teacher continued, leaning in and lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper,"there existed ten great demons from hell. And the scariest one of them is called Chi You. He was the strongest, the most experienced in battle, and get this—he was a headless demon. Can you believe it? A living creature with no head at all!"
Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. The teacher's eyes gleamed in the firelight as he saw their reactions.
"Chi You didn't need a head to see or speak," he went on,"for his body was imbued with dark magic. He could sense the fear in the air and smell the scent of children from miles away. His favorite hunting grounds were villages just like ours, where he would emerge from the shadows, silent and swift."
The children clung tighter to their mothers, their imaginations running wild with the vivid descriptions. The crackling of the bonfire seemed to mimic the ominous atmosphere of the tale.
"One night," the teacher said, his voice dropping even lower,"a village not far from here was celebrating, much like we are tonight. They thought they were safe, but Chi You was lurking just beyond the treeline. He struck without warning, and by the time anyone realized what was happening, it was too late. He vanished back into the darkness, leaving only terror in his wake."
The teacher paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. The silence was thick, broken only by the occasional pop of the firewood.
"So, next time you hear a rustling in the bushes or see a shadow moving in the night," he concluded,"remember Chi You, the headless demon, and be very, very careful."
The children shivered, their eyes darting to the dark edges of the firelight, half-expecting to see a monstrous figure lurking just beyond the glow.
"But sir, how does he eat?" A curious, chubby boy Barny's 'voice broke the silence.
The teacher replied with patience,"He eats through his belly button!"
"Oh!" came the collective gasp from kids, which pleased the physics teacher again.
"Then how does he walk if he has no eyes?" a loud voice called out. It was Barny again, his curiosity breaking the tension.
"Ah, Barny, always the inquisitive one," the teacher responded with a sly smile."Chi You's nipples serve as his eyes! But that's not important. What's crucial is that after being defeated by the gods, this demon is consumed with thoughts of returning."
The children gasped, their imaginations running wild as the teacher continued."Chi You commands a hundred demon generals. The higher the rank, the greater the power. These generals engage in brutal battles annually to climb the ranks and determine who is the mightiest warrior."
"And what good is the mightiest warrior?" Barny interrupted again, his voice cutting through the eerie silence.
The teacher shot Barny a knowing glance, thinking,"I knew it would be him again."
He leaned in closer to the group, his voice dropping to a menacing whisper."Why, to feast on the cattle and sheep of the villages, of course," he paused for dramatic effect,"and to devour the children who interrupt the teacher's stories!"
The boy, upon hearing this, was so frightened that he stuck out his tongue and dared not make another peep. The physics teacher turned back to the rest of the audience.
"It's said that one of the great demon generals is a hellhound with three huge dog heads, each one as big as a car." The teacher's words sent a shiver through the children, some of whom began to cover their mouths with their hands, as if any sound might attract the attention of the terrifying creature.
"Sir, what if one head wants to eat while another wants to sleep?" Barny couldn't help but ask, breaking the tense silence.
The physics teacher had never considered this before. After a moment of hesitation, he responded,"Then action only comes when the majority of heads agree," he mused."That's why it has three heads—if it were two or four, it would be much more complicated."
"Will the big dog chase bones?" Barny asked again, his curiosity undiminished.
The teacher sighed, half-amused and half-exasperated."Yes... no, no. And it's called a Hellhound. Barny, do you know what you call a meditative big dog?"
Barny shook his head, subconsciously popping another marshmallow into his mouth.
"A Werewolf! Ha ha ha," the physics teacher said, clearly pleased with his joke.
"Sir, do we have a werewolf here?" another child asked, eyes wide with fear and excitement.
The teacher paused, looking around dramatically before leaning in close to the group."Indeed, I can see one in the dark right now!"