Prompt: Ever since a neighbor (or coworker, classmate, etc) first appeared, some interestingly eerie things have been happening. You think nothing of it until they come knocking at your door at twilight holding a few weird items. "It's time," they say, smirking.

******

Capital of the Demon Realm, Early 800s AD

As a result of his mother's ascent to heaven, Xiaoming came to live under the same roof as his previously estranged father, who he soon learned was a great-nephew of Lady Yang, the oldest and most powerful of fox spirits.

"We address her as Lady," Mr. Hu grumbled to his adolescent son as the two of them craned their furry necks to observe a painting that depicted its subject surrounded by golden light and dressed in the exquisite attire of a noblewoman, with the neckline of her blouse cut low enough to emphasize her impressive bosom. "But really, her position is closer to that of a Queen. So, it's best that you keep all lascivious thoughts to yourself."

"Really?" Xiaoming replied, rubbing his nimble front paws together. "If she doesn't want men to lust after her, then why does she allow herself to be painted like this? Surely, she would know better."

"I believe it's a way to test the viewer's character. She's comparable to the late Empress Wu in that respect. Full of enigma and contradictions."

"I remember her reign well," Xiaoming recalled with a toss of his head. "The people either loved or hated her. Personally, I found it difficult to make up my mind. For a so-called beauty, her official portraits were quite ugly."

"Son," Mr. Hu said gravely. "You mustn't say things like that. I learned too late when your mother became fed up and ran away with you in tow."

"Oh. Why didn't you try to stop her?"

Mr. Hu shut his eyes for a moment and sighed. "I did, but your mother is over two hundred years my senior. She won every fight we had."

Xiaoming considered this information, then gazed up at his father in pity. "You really are pathetic."

"I know. That's why I want you to avoid the mistakes I made." With a wave of his seven tails, Mr. Hu turned and began scurrying towards the door that led to the garden. He transformed mid-run from an abnormally large fox into a distinguished older man wearing the black headwear and red and green robes of a civil official. Xiaoming stared open-mouthed at his father's quick and effortless shapeshifting, regretting the harsh comment he'd made just a minute earlier.

Mr. Hu stroked his newly grown beard with a smirk. "Well, aren't you going to do the same? Show me the results of your mother's tutelage."

Xiaoming puffed out his chest and stood up on his hind legs before imagining a handsome adolescent boy with long flowing hair and elegant blue robes. Within seconds, he grew to reach his father's shoulders and gave his silky hair a flick. "What do you think?"

"Not bad." Mr. Hu pushed open the wooden lattice doors, filling the room with sunlight. "But the real feat is being able to shapeshift in the midst of a trying situation. Such as during a fight or when one is running from an enemy." He stepped outside and beckoned for Xiaoming to join him on the grass.

Xiaoming did so with trepidation as his father reached down to pick up a pebble.

"We're going to play a game." Mr. Hu tossed the pebble into the air and then caught it. "Every time this thing goes up, I expect you to turn into a different animal. It may seem impossible at first, but I promise that you'll become faster the more you practice. Are you ready?"

"I think so," Xiaoming muttered, fixating on the pebble with shallow breaths.

"Well, then. I'll count to three."

The test of skill began shortly afterwards, and Xiaoming struggled. He simply couldn't keep up with the speed of the pebble, let alone force himself to think of a new animal every second.

He flopped over sideways after five attempts and flailed his hooved goat feet around in frustration before returning to his natural form. His chest heaved as he focused on the stone wall which encircled the garden. He wondered what sort of creatures his new neighbors were, and the answer became apparent after the smell of rotten eggs drifted his way and he sprung to his feet with a disgusted cough.

"What is this?" he murmured while pinching his nose. "Don't they have any consideration for us?"

Mr. Hu shook his head. "Not at all. Miss Yuli is a snake spirit about your age, and she has a passion for alchemy. If my nose is correct, she is currently playing around with sulfur."

"Well, why don't you tell her to stop?"

No sooner did Xiaoming pose this question than an adolescent girl poked her head over the wall while smiling in embarrassment.

"I'm so sorry." she bowed her head and revealed white teeth that shone in the sunlight. "I've left the eggs out too long again, but I'll remedy this by burning as much incense as possible."

She disappeared from sight the moment Xiaoming considered giving her a piece of his mind, so he resigned himself to gnashing his teeth and vowing to hurl fire at her if they ever met again.

Unfortunately, the next words out of his father's mouth made his heart sink.

"But she's really not a bad child otherwise. Why don't you go over and help her with the incense? I think the two of you could become good friends..."

******

Life quietened down after that fateful afternoon, and Xiaoming kept training with his father while slowly growing accustomed to Yuli's strange activities.

She would occasionally come to their house for dinner as she had no parents of her own, and Xiaoming couldn't deny that she was quite pretty to look at when in human form. Nevertheless, he would always remind himself that she belonged to a different species and making any advance on her would lead to horrors greater than his young mind could comprehend.

One day, he woke up from a long nap, haunted by a dream in which Yuli wrapped her cold and scaly form around his body and threatened to squeeze him to death if he didn't agree to marry her. Panting, he stumbled through the empty house, realizing that his father had already left for a meeting with Lady Yang and other fox spirits of noble birth.

He staggered towards the bathroom to relieve himself in more ways than one but was distracted by a knock on the front door.

Hoping it was his father returning early, Xiaoming changed course, only to swallow when he opened the door and saw Yuli standing outside in the green robe that complemented her pale skin so well. She looked seductive and a little sinister beneath the dim twilight sky, and for the first time in many years, Xiaoming feared for his life.

Yuli held out the blood red crystal she'd been hiding behind her back and smirked. "It's time. With this cinnabar I found, we can make five minerals powder together. What do you think? Does that excite you?"

******

Author Notes:

- Five minerals powder, also known as cold-food powder, was a psychoactive drug that was popular in ancient China. As per the name, it was said to be made of five different ingredients, though they would vary a lot over time.

- Empress Wu Zetian is regarded as the only legitimate female ruler in Chinese history. She entered the palace as a concubine and upon becoming the emperor's favorite, began her rise to power. She is a controversial figure, since while she introduced reforms encouraging equality and appointed officials based on merit, she was also willing to execute anyone who posed a threat and created a secret police force to spy on citizens.

- Women's clothing became more loose-fitting and revealing during the height of the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD), especially among the upper class and royalty. Voluptuous figures were also favored, and some outfits were made to emphasize that.

- If you're wondering why I'm revealing character details that weren't in the profile chapter, it's because I'm literally making things up as I go.