Damn it, I'm out of options. The beast swatted me away with one paw, and as I struggled to stand, an enemy's arrow struck me, knocking me down again. "Xiaobai!" Bona shouted anxiously, breaking free from the soldiers' grasp and running toward me. The enemy raised a bow, aiming at Bona. Not good! Ignoring my condition, I cast an acceleration spell, rushing to her side and taking the arrow meant for her. I collapsed, near death. "Xiaobai, don't die!" Bona cried, holding me tightly as my blood stained my body. Struggling, I drew a small magic circle on the ground with my blood, ready to take the enemy down with me. With my last strength, I cast a transformation spell. A light enveloped me, and I reverted to my youthful human form, though my wounds remained. Bona stared in shock. "You're Xiaobai?" she asked. "Yeah," I replied, then cast a second spell to summon a sword. "Come on, let's finish this!" The enemy soldiers and beasts charged. Back in human form, I wielded magic more skillfully, but my injured body couldn't keep up. Bleeding and gripping my sword, I wondered how long I could last. I had to end this fast. Dodging a beast's attack, I unleashed a fire spell I'd never mastered before, turning several beasts into fireballs. Soldiers lunged at me; I parried and struck back, taking down a few. Then, a blade hit me from behind, and I fell to my knees. As the enemy prepared a final blow, I chanted a wind blade spell, sending invisible slashes that tore the surrounding foes to pieces. More enemies rushed in. I infused my sword with wind magic, cutting down every attacker. Exhausted, I collapsed, surrounded by their corpses. At life's end, Bona ran to me, cradling my head. "Xiaobai, Xiaobai!" she cried. "I'm sorry, I can't stay with you anymore. Live well," I said, before losing consciousness."Your sins are atoned. Congratulations on your rebirth. I'll heal your wounds—show me what you do next," a voice said faintly in my dream. When I opened my eyes, Bona and her father were staring at me. "Didn't I die?" I muttered. "Xiaobai!" Bona hugged me tightly. "You're alive, how could you be dead?" "So Xiaobai's human. That explains the magic," her father said, clutching his wound. What's going on? I was still human—my magic should've worn off, turning me back into a dog. Was that dream real? Did that divine boy do this? Was I truly human again? I looked at my hands—definitely human. Tears welled up. This was my first time showing my human form to everyone; I needed an excuse. "Sorry for not telling you—I was cursed into a dog's form. Thanks to Bona's care, I survived," I explained. "That makes sense. Human Xiaobai's pretty handsome," Bona said, smiling. My wounds were healing, and her father's weren't too bad. "Let me help you up," he said, pulling me to my feet. "Thank you, sir," I replied weakly.The village suffered heavy losses in the battle. The elder addressed everyone: "Thanks to this young man's help, we defeated the demons. Accept my gratitude." He began to bow. "No, elder, I'm just an ordinary fighter like everyone else," I protested. Women, children, and the elderly emerged from hiding, some reuniting, others weeping. Seeing the dead villagers, I fell into deep thought. This place was no longer safe. Once I mastered more magic, I'd set out to defeat the demon king for the sake of this world.
