"Yuan" looked at them with a wide grin. Ren leaped forward and he slashed "Yuan" but he didn't even try to defend himself. Ren stepped away and eyed "Yuan" skeptically, "what are you waiting for?! Deal with him." Kaito said as he looked at Ren irritated even if he's still weak. "Don't you find it suspicious? Why does this monster still not dead?" Ren said as he looked at "Yuan". "You definitely did not cut his head off idiot" Kaito said but as he looked at the state of the "Yuan" he understood the worries of Ren. "We cut off his hands, kept him in place and slashed him but up till now, his wounds didn't regenerated and he's still bleeding" "that's just gives off the fact that he's a monster, kill him". Ren was still skeptical. Why does this monster still feels calm after he knows he will be death. Ren was trying to see where's the trap but "Yuan" just taunt him, "why are you hesitanting? If you don't kill me, I will make sure to kill everyone here" he said as he gave a crooked grin by the way the vines went beneath his cheeks. For a moment, Ren was about to kill the monster when he heard a cry from their group. Two monsters, who looked exactly like Yuan but with red eyes attacked the group. Ren was debating, killing this monster now or helping the others. "What are you waiting for, kill that thing." Kaito yelled at Ren and "Yuan" just smirked waiting for his decision. Ren held his hands up with the sword upward and aim for his neck when he suddenly stopped. The the growls from the monsters stopped we can hear of group cheering. Kaito and Ren looked confused, who could have time to kill whatever was threatening the group down?They heard the noise of footsteps moving to their direction, slowly but surely. Ren aimed his blade to the unknown source of noise. "Yuan", still stucked in the vines just laughed, "it's your time to perish, my kind are already closer here, I can sense them" what looked like a smirk on "Yuan's" face suddenly dropped to a disbelief face as he sees the person walking towards them. A dark hair boy with surprisely messed up bandages all over his hands and neck, a worthy dagger and a pendant on his neck walked to their side. As he saw the "Yuan" he gave a cold glare, "who told you to use my face?" Yuan said as he threw the heads of what remains of the two other monsters on the ground. They looked like they have been combusted. Ren was lost by the scene, "Y-Yuan, is that you?" He said as he looked again to see if it's Yuan. Yuan just nod and looked at the monster, the monster "Yuan" gave an irritated glare as he looked at the person he copied his face but when his eyes darted to the pendant, he looked as if he just faced his nemesis. He try to push off, to run away, but the vines still held him tightly. He tried to plead out his mercy but what came out was just pure monster growl. Ren and Kaito was dumbfounded by the situation, Yuan just walked to him and crouches down, he stab his dagger on the monster's head and fire came from the dagger and burned the monster. The monster gave a shriek before succumbing in the endless flames that were consuming him. As the monster perished, Yuan examined at the monster kindly, shook his head and muttered, "what a lost, still not a ghoul." Agitated by the events, Kaito abruptly stood up and walked to Yuan's side, "you bastard, how did you survive huh, why are you still alive"Kaito said as he looked at Yuan with deep hatred. "If you want me dead, it's not here though" he kept his dagger on I hidden tissue and attached it to his back. "Well, can you explain to us what really happened? We looked for you since and an impostor took your place." Ren said as he walked to Yuan's side, "let's go first, I've told the group that I'm coming back with you. And you should first help him." Yuan said as he gave a side long glance at Kaito and walked away. Ren helped Kaito up and they walked to the group. Back where the group was, they were relieved as they Yuan, Ren and Kaito out of danger. Well, if they bandages Kaito first. The brown hair boy came to Kaito's side and helped him to bandaged. As the group sat down, they were discussing about the previous ambush of those two monsters and how Yuan defeated them. Yuan sat down on a lonely place. "Eventually you will still follow me" Yuan said annoyed as he saw Ren. "Just trying to clear my doubts" Ren said as he sat beside you. "You know, you said something like the monster was not a ghoul. What do you mean?" "That the monster was not a ghoul". "So, are you going to tell me where did you disappear or you will just ignore me?" Ren nagged Yuan. Yuan just looked at him with tired eyes, "I don't know your motives and why do you want to talk to me so bad but if I tell you where I was, will you stop your questions?" "I will try to not ask you more questions tomorrow." Yuan looked at him and decided to tell half of the story to Ren.
**Hours before the impostor replaced Yuan**
Yuan was leaning on the tree as he tried to rearrange his makeshift bandage as he saw from the bush red glowing eyes that were observing him. As he saw that, he tried to take his pipe but remembered that it was broken and stuffed in the mouth of the dead monster he helped to kill. As he tried to think of taking his hidden dagger, cold hands gripped his shoulders but before he can protest, he was gripped everywhere. His mouth was clamped shut as he was dragged down the forest.