The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

Athena and her team sat quietly in Mr. Yao’s modest wooden home, the faint scent of burning incense lingering in the air.

Rain tapped against the windows like fingers drumming on glass, each droplet adding to the unease that settled over them.

Mr. Yao’s grim retelling of the neighboring village’s fate left a chill that no fire could dispel.

The room was dimly lit by a single oil lamp, its flickering flame casting jagged shadows across the walls.

Lisa sat closest to the fire, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, face pale and drawn.

Marco leaned against the wall, absentmindedly twisting a loose thread from his sleeve, while Darren paced back and forth, occasionally glancing out the window as if expecting something monstrous to emerge from the rain-soaked forest.

Athena sat quietly at the table, her fingers interlocked beneath her chin.

Her mind raced with thoughts, memories of the forest’s unnatural silence, the twisted faces of those they’d lost, and the faint melody that sometimes echoed through the trees.

"It’s starting again," Mr. Yao muttered, breaking the silence. His voice trembled with fear. "First, the children... then the whole village."

Athena’s gaze sharpened. "How long ago did the children start disappearing?"

"Only two weeks," Mr. Yao answered, shaking his head. "At first, we thought it was wild animals, but then we found... bodies."

His voice cracked. "Their faces... twisted. Their eyes were wide open like they’d seen something..."

"...something terrible," Darren finished grimly.

"The curse is spreading," Lisa whispered, her voice barely audible. "If that village was destroyed, then what’s stopping whatever caused it from coming here?"

Athena exhaled slowly, her gaze fixed on the wooden floor. "We need to stop this before it gets worse."

"But how?" Marco asked, his frustration clear. "We’re not ghost hunters. What are we even supposed to fight?"

Athena’s mind churned. She thought back to the legends, the fragmented details of the blood-red moon and the lost children.

Something didn’t sit right. "Mr. Yao, you said the foreigners advised your people to burn money and leave offerings in the forest?"

"Yes," Mr. Yao nodded. "We did everything they asked. For years, it kept us safe... until now."

"Maybe that’s the problem," Athena murmured. "Maybe the offerings aren’t enough anymore."

Darren stopped pacing and turned to her. "So what? We march into the forest and start burning things?"

"No," Athena said firmly. "We need to understand what we’re dealing with."

The team sat in silence for a while longer before Mr. Yao stood up and walked to an old wooden chest tucked in the corner.

He unlocked it and returned with a faded book bound in cracked leather. He placed it on the table.

"This is what’s left from the old village," Mr. Yao said, his voice low. "It’s been passed down by the elders, stories, warnings... and instructions."

Athena flipped through the book carefully, pages brittle and yellowed with age.

Strange symbols marked several pages, intricate spirals and lines that seemed to weave together like tangled vines.

She paused on a page showing a twisted figure with gnarled limbs and hollow eyes. It was surrounded by children, their faces blank and lifeless.

Beneath the drawing, faded text read: "The Hunger Spirit of the Forest"

"It feeds on children," Athena muttered. "And if it grows strong enough..."

"It devours everything," Mr. Yao finished grimly.

Lisa’s breath hitched. "That’s what happened to the other village."

"What does it say about stopping it?" Darren asked, his voice hard.

Athena scanned the page, fingers tracing the faded writing. "It says... the spirit binds itself to the land during the blood moon. That’s why it attacks when the red eclipse appears."

"And?" Marco pressed.

"There’s a ritual," Athena continued.

"A cleansing ritual. We need to scatter salt, burn purified herbs, and carve protective symbols around the village’s border. That should weaken it, maybe even trap it."

"Sounds easy enough," Darren muttered.

"It won’t be," Mr. Yao warned. "The forest will fight back."

The team knew he wasn’t exaggerating. The forest had already claimed lives, and now they would be walking straight into its heart.

The next morning, the rain had finally stopped, but the air was cold and damp.

The villagers gathered supplies, sacks of coarse salt, bundles of dried herbs, and carved wooden symbols painted with protective runes.

Mr. Yao’s wife prepared a special oil infused with protective spices, which Athena insisted they use to mark their skin.

As they stepped into the forest, the air turned heavy and cold. The trees stood like sentinels, twisted and ancient, their gnarled roots clawing through the earth.

The scent of damp soil and rotting leaves filled the air.

"Stay close," Athena warned. "Don’t wander off, no matter what you hear."

The deeper they went, the quieter the world seemed to become. Even their footsteps felt muffled, swallowed by the unnatural stillness.

Every so often, the faintest trace of that eerie song drifted through the trees, soft, distant, yet impossible to ignore.

"We’re being watched," Darren muttered.

Athena knew he was right. Shadows shifted between the trees, distorted figures that flickered in and out of sight.

The scent of decay thickened, clinging to their clothes and seeping into their lungs.

"Here," Athena said, stopping at the base of a large tree. "Start spreading the salt."

They worked quickly, forming a protective ring around the village’s outskirts. Lisa scattered dried herbs along the ground while Darren carved protective runes into nearby trees.

Marco kept watch, gripping a rusted axe tightly in his hands. Suddenly, the song grew louder.

"Do you hear that?" Lisa whispered, her voice shaking.

The shadows were no longer distant, they gathered at the edges of their vision, flickering like smoke.

Figures emerged from the trees, twisted faces and hollow eyes. Their mouths gaped open, yet no sound came out except for the haunting melody.

"They’re the children," Marco said, his voice breaking.

Athena grabbed a torch and lit it with shaking hands. "Don’t stop!" she yelled.

The creatures swayed as if entranced by the fire. Athena stepped forward, thrusting the torch toward them.

The shadows recoiled, shrieking in distorted voices that rang in their ears.

"Keep going!" Athena shouted.

Lisa scattered the last of the herbs while Darren completed the final rune. As the circle was closed, the air trembled, the earth itself seemed to groan.

A deafening howl ripped through the forest, and the figures dissolved into black smoke. The song faded, replaced by an eerie silence.

"It’s... it’s over," Lisa whispered.

But Athena wasn’t convinced. She turned back toward the forest, her eyes narrowing.

Deep among the trees, a pair of glowing red eyes stared back at her, filled with hate, rage, and hunger.

"It’s not over," Athena muttered. "Not yet." Discover exclusive tales on NovelBin.Côm