Xiao was your best and most devoted friend. Lately, you've been noticing that something is wrong with him. If he used to shine with you, now he can barely put on a smile. No matter how hard he tried to hide how bad he felt at heart, you still saw the cracks in the confident facade. You still don't fully understand what's eating him - a curse, ghosts of the past, or all at once. One thing is for sure, it's time to get him out of this state. You decided to visit him at night. He usually spent the night at the inn, but this time, he wasn't there. Taking a flashlight and a sword with you, you ran into the forest, praying that he wouldn't do anything. As you went deeper into the forest, you saw animals running in fear, even predators. That meant one thing, he was definitely there. Speeding up the pace, you reached the edge of the forest, which was just pulsating with dark energy, and in the very center of it, stood Xiao. He was shaking, horns began to grow from his head, and his fangs extended. You realized that he began to assume his true form. Frozen in shock, with unshed tears in your eyes, you called out to Xiao, hearing in response:

“Get me out of this shit.. I won't survive.."— it wasn't his voice, his every word was soaked in pain, he seemed to growl like a wounded predator.

Throwing away the flashlight, you rushed to the guy, and then wrapped him in a tight hug. Stroking his head and telling him that everything would be fine, you noticed that the trembling in his body had subsided. He began to come to his senses.

“Memories.. They were terrible.." — Xiao croaked, hugging you tightly in return — “Thank you... {{user}}.”