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Khang Shamans were dying, and doctors couldn’t explain why. By the time they were discovered, each body was a shriveled shell with a face frozen in terror. But the most disturbing thing was the missing soul.

There wasn’t a soul to guard the grave or return to the ancestral home, and certainly, no hope for reincarnation in the next life.

What was swallowing the souls of the Khang shamans?

Soon, old stories resurfaced, and rumors spread: it was the curse.

All victims were descendants of Shee Yee, the first Hmong shaman, who defeated a soul-eating demon named Du Yong. Before disappearing into the depths of Hell, he made a chilling promise: “I will return to devour the souls of your sons!”

As more Khang shamans perished, it became evident that Du Yong had indeed returned with a vengeance.

Showing favor toward their devoted servants, the gods bestowed upon each new shaman a protector—a bride with powers to shield him from the curse. It was the duty of the ancestral spirits to reveal this gift when the time arrived. However, when Du Yong came back, and no special brides emerged, the Khang shamans began to fear the consequences.

Families flocked to buy all the ghost money they could burn. They bought chickens, pigs, and steers to strengthen protection spells. In between, they searched for the legendary brides chosen to guard them against Du Yong.

Some families turned to the service of necromancers who claimed they could locate the chosen brides. Clients arrived secretly at night, offering money, gold, and property deeds. They would give anything if the necromancers could do what the ancestors and gods would not.

Pahoua Khang was one of the few chosen brides married to her Khang shaman. Her husband, Lihue, a prominent leader in Sacramento, was safe, but they also had sons.

The youngest, Touso, was obedient, sweet, and agreeable. Their eldest, Kai, was wild, obstinate, and unpredictable. He had a habit of disappearing for days at a time. When he arrived for dinner that night, his father demanded to know where he had been.

Kai smiled and said, “Just enjoying my life, Dad. Don’t worry!”

Lihue scowled with frustration. It was always the same. Khang shamans were dying, and Kai was careless. His father accused him of being irresponsible and stomped away.

His sister, Bao, observed him silently. The Khang daughter was also a shaman with a keen sixth sense. Her spirit guides cried out in despair when she looked into her brother’s eyes. The flames that once burned so fiercely were dying!

As usual, Kai pretended not to see her disapproval, and she demanded, “What are you doing, Kai?”

“What I have to do,” he said, turning to meet her gaze.

Kai and Bao had never been close, but now he reached for her hand. “I know you don’t always like me, sis, but do you trust me?”

Bao furrowed her brows. Like their father, she thought Kai lived a frivolous life, seeking pleasure before responsibility. Still, reckless as he was, he was usually right. Reluctantly, she nodded.

He smiled gratefully and handed her something. “I need you to get this letter to Touso . . . and I need you to take care of my family.”

Bao stared at the envelope and then at Kai. He was too serious, which meant something was wrong. His strange behavior was disturbing, and this fear urged her to be more agreeable than she would have been. When she finally nodded, his relief was palpable.

Like his mother, Kai was a seer. He dreamed and saw things no one could expect. This knowledge pushed him to make decisions his father didn’t understand. Khang shamans were dying, and Kai was close behind. He was battling Du Yong’s curse daily, and he was losing.

It wasn’t his battle to win.

Even so, he would do everything he could to help the one destined to do so. For that to happen, he had to die, and he needed his mother’s help.

“Mom, this is the only way,” Kai explained that fateful night. Every time he closed his eyes, Du Yong waited for him. “I can’t fight him anymore. I’m not strong enough to destroy him, but Touso can.”

Pahoua demanded, “What are you saying? What are you going to do?”

“He needs to become stronger. I can give him my strength,” he said.

At first, she didn’t understand. Then her eyes grew wide with shock. Corrupt shamans could harness power by taking life. Kai was proposing the exact opposite. He would give up his life to give Touso a fighting chance.

Pahoua cried for him to change his mind. There had to be another way! “What about your chosen bride? Why won’t you take your bride to protect you?”

Kai shook his head. “The chosen bride is just a band-aid. It’s not the answer. We won’t survive if we don’t find a way to return him to Hell.”

“You can’t ask me to do this!”

“I have seen the future. If I don’t do this, we’ll all die. Du Yong will swallow us whole.” He turned to his mother with quiet resolve. “You are the only one who can help me.”

Her husband thought she was too soft on their rebellious son, but Pahoua was soft because she knew his future. He was his brother’s keeper in every lifetime, and she had foreseen this sacrifice since he was born.

She’d hoped this day would never come, but at last…she nodded, knowing nothing would change his mind.

That night, Kai lay down and closed his eyes for the final time. He said, “It’s been a long time since I’ve slept.”

He smiled as his mother watched over him, but she remained somber. If only she could see the future he had seen. There was no other choice. “He can’t have my soul, so he’s been eating my body. It hurts. I’m glad Touso’s not here. He wouldn’t want to see me this way.”

“Your brother loves you more than anyone,” Pahoua whispered, holding her oldest son like the day he was born. With blond hair and sun-kissed skin, he’d been baptized by the sun goddess herself. Intelligent and brave, he could have chosen any path, but Kai was his brother’s keeper.

He said, “I know. That’s why I have to take care of him. Let’s begin, Mom—he’s coming. We don’t have time!”

Pahoua kissed her son’s hand and held it against her face. Touso was the easy child, but Kai was her firstborn. It was a different kind of bond.

“My darling son, the gods sent you to me with a sun on your head. You thought your hair was a curse, but it was a sign that you were destined for greatness. I saw you with a beautiful wife who gave you a wonderfully brave son to carry your legacy. This was the life you deserved. Mothers and fathers should never outlive their children, and today, my heart is broken forever.”

She burned incense and ran it over his head and heart in counterclockwise circles. Then, she called to their ancestors and asked them to gather his spirit guides for safekeeping. Each one wept as they were taken away.

While she worked, Kai began singing his favorite song, Bobby McFerrin’s “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” He only did this when he was scared.

Before she lost her courage, Pahoua called to her son’s soul: “Me tub Kai, my dearest son, release yourself from this body and return to your ancestors. My dearest son, your sacrifice is pure and true. My dearest son, I release you from your suffering. Kai Khang, you are free . . . and your blessings sent to where you wish them to be.”

The bed trembled as wind formed in a room without a window. Kai stopped singing and said, “Mom. It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

The candle’s flame disappeared, and everything went still. When Pahoua looked at her son again, he was no longer breathing. His slender, beautiful body was just an empty shell. Her baby boy was gone!

Pahoua sobbed and threw her arms over him. She was still shaking when her husband ran into the room. When Lihue saw that their son was dead, he crumbled at the foot of the bed and cried.

Across the world, the youngest Khang son was also in bed on a ship in the middle of the ocean. As a cold breeze washed over his body, he shivered and tossed. In the dream, his brother stood shrouded in light, offering his hand. Without hesitation, Touso reached for it. He screamed as a string of yellow energy wrapped his body and melted into his flesh.

It felt like he was on fire.

Kai watched him with a strange smile and said, “I’ll always be with you, bro.”

As his image faded, Touso shouted, “Kai!”

He awoke in sweat and tears, reaching for someone that wasn’t there. Touso glanced around the dark bunkroom, glad the other officers remained undisturbed.  

It was just a bad dream . . .

The next day, he received a message from his sister, Bao. “Come home. Our brother is dead.”