Chapter One: The Past

Winter, 1088 BC

            Kyuhyun stood in front of the Cave of Eternity and sighed. It has been exactly one thousand years since he’s last saw Eunji and even though he has lived more than ten millenniums already, this last one seemed to have been longer than the rest of them. Maybe it’s because you actually have something to wait for this time? reminded a voice in his head. To be completely honest, he missed Eunji a lot. He was there when she was born, when she first learned how to walk, when she caught her first prey, and when she first fell in love. The Demon King smiled at the memories and stared at the boulder blocking the entrance of the cave. He knew that for the final round of the transformation, Eunji had to break the barrier herself or die trying. Kyuhyun desperately hoped that it would be the first one, and not the latter. Eunji was special. She was his ray of sunshine, and even though she did have a mate, she would always be Kyuhyun’s little girl no matter what happened.

            It started snowing softly as Kyuhyun just stood there, still as a statue, watching the boulder. He anxiously waited for something to happen, thus symbolizing that Eunji had made it the entire thousand years without giving up and thus died in the cave. C’mon, hissed the demon as he impatiently stared at the huge rock. Move or something! Snow began to build up around the Demon King as he stood there, frozen in place. Please, he almost begged. Do something… Then, as if answering his prayers, he heard a faint rumbling come from within the cave. The demon closed his eyes and listened. Again, he heard the noise and a smile appeared on his face. You’re alive my princess, Kyuhyun though happily as he reopened his eyes. Just break through this barrier… you can do it Eunji; I know you can.

            When the rumbling sounds got louder, Kyuhyun started to back away from the entrance of the Cave of Eternity, but his eyes never left the boulder for one second. C’mon Eunji, he urged in his head. C’mon… just a few more hits and you’ll be out. A loud cracking noise echoed throughout the entire forest as the boulder was split into millions of tiny bits. Through the hazy cloud that had resulted from the explosion, Kyuhyun could see someone walking out of the cave. The wind cleared the air and he  could clearly see a young woman had emerged from the cave. The demon immediately noticed her exhausted expression and rushed over towards her.

             “Kyuhun-ssi,” she panted as she gave the Demon King a weak smile, “I did it.”

            Her word drifted off as she panted out the last syllable out and her eyes rolled back. Eunji collapsed on the frozen forest floor, her body emitting a bright light as she hit the ground. When the light faded away, she had turned back into her fox form and lay like she was dead on the frozen forest floor.

             “Oh my poor baby,” Kyuhyun whispered he rushed over to Eunji’s side. “You’re safe now; I’ll take care of you.”

            The Demon King scooped Eunji’s unconscious body up in his arms and gently brushed Eunji’s soft white fur with his long fingers as he teleported himself to his castle. A small, innocent looking demon child greeted him as he appeared in the room that he had prepared for Eunji years ago.  Kyuhyun laid her on the king sized bed and kissed her on her head. The moment that his lips touched Eunji, her fur started to glow with a soft gold color and a silver key, strung on a thin, silver chain, suddenly appeared and looped itself around her neck. When the Demon King pulled back, Eunji’s entire fur coat was tinted with a soft golden color.

             “Sehun, find me the most innocent human child you can and bring him to me,” he ordered the child without taking his eyes off the fox. “Your sister needs his blood to complete the transformation.”

             “Yes Father.”

             “And made sure he’s still alive when he gets here.”

            The child nodded and disappeared. Kyuhyun sighed softly rubbed his face in Eunji’s now gold tinted fur.

             “You’re safe now Eunji,” he whispered to her sleeping body. “It’s all over now.”

            The fox whimpered softly and slowly opened her eyes. She looked up at the Demon King with tired, red eyes and cocked her head to the side, confused as to why she was back in her fox form.

             “You’ll do that when you’re tired,” explained the Demon King with a smile. “Do you want to change back?”

            Eunji nodded and the Demon King smiled.

             “Just do it then,” he told her.

            The fox closed her eyes and bright light emitted from her fur once again. When the blinding light disappeared, she was back in her human form.

             “Kyuhun-ssi?” Eunji asked in a barely audible voice. “Where, where am I?”

             “First things first Eunji,” Kyuhyun said, “Don’t call me ‘Kyuhun-ssi’ anymore. You’re my daughter now, so refer to me as ‘Daddy’ or ‘Father.’ And two, we’re at the castle.”

            The fox demon’s eyes widened as she grasped onto the meaning of the Demon King’s words. She then nodded, but stayed silent.

             “What’s wrong Baby Girl?” Kyuhyun asked softly as he swung an arm around Eunji’s shoulders.

             “My parents, my real ones…” she whispered. “They’re gone, aren’t they?”

            Kyuhyun nodded and sighed heavily.

             “And I, I never got to say goodbye…”

            Her voice faded off and she began to cry. Sobs rippled through her chest as tears of anguish flowed down her cheeks.

             “Shhh,” whispered the Demon King. “Don’t cry baby girl. I told them goodbye for you. They understood. Besides, you know how they were.”

            Eunji nodded, but the tears still rolls down her face incessantly. Kyuhyun pulled her onto his lap and curled her head to the crook of his neck as he brushed her long hair with his fingers.

             “You had already left them before that day,” Kyuhyun reminded in a soft voice.

             “I, I k-know,” the fox demon whimpered. “I, I… just…”

             “I know, you’re not in control of your emotions just yet,” he nodded. “Just cry until you run out of tears, alright baby girl? Daddy will take care of you.”

             “It j-just hurts…”

            The Demon King cradled his daughter in his arms and kissed her forehead. After a few minutes, Eunji quieted down and she only hiccupped every once in a while.

             “Better?” Kyuhyun asked.

            She nodded and leaned her head against her father’s neck, closing her eyes as she did so. When Eunji opened her eyes again, she was surprised to find a key dangling from a chain around her neck. Curious, she picked up the key and examined it in her hands. It was an odd looking key with tiny, intricate designs carved into it. Wrapped around the long stem of the key was a silver chain, giving the key an even more mysterious look.

             “Daddy?” Eunji asked in her sad, broken voice. “What’s this?”

             “It’s your Soul Key,” the Demon King answered. “It’s formed when the purest form of love is shown. You know I love you right, baby?”

            Eunji nodded and continued to stare at the key in her hands. Her thoughts wondered off to Donghae and she felt a deep, searing pain burn stab at her heart.

             “You’ll see him again,” Kyuhyun whispered, as if reading Eunji’s thoughts. “I promise.”

             “But when?” Eunji asked in a small voice.

             “When he’s ready to live again,” was the answer.

            The fox demon nodded and let the key fall to her chest. She was about to ask Kyuhyun another question when a boy’s voice interrupted her words.

             “Father, I’ve got the child.”

            Sehun appeared in front of his father and his new sister with the human child in his arms. The human child gave the two demons a frightened look and his entire body quavered. Eunji’s eyes flickered between the demon child and the human child trapped in his arms. A sweet, heavenly aroma reached Eunji’s nose and her eyes turned red. The boy struggled in Sehun’s arms, but his strength was no match for the demon child’s.

             “Please,” the human child pleaded. “Let me go home.”

            Tears streamed down his chubby little face and Eunji felt a pain in her heart.

             “Daddy?” she asked, looking up at the Demon King. “What is he doing here?”

             “You need the blood of the purest human child to complete the transformation, baby,” Kyuhyun answered. “Sehun, bring him over here.”

             “NO! Please! I’m too young to die!”

            Sehun ignored the human’s cries and his grasp on the human tightened as he brought the boy to his new sister’s side.

             “Please…”

            Eunji looked up at Kyuhyun with a wavering look. The boy’s blood was screaming at her, but her heart wouldn’t let her hurt him.

             “Do we have to kill him?” she asked in a soft voice. “He’s just a child.”

             “No, we don’t have to,” Kyuhyun answered, shaking his head. “Just take what you need.”

             “Will it hurt him?”

            Again, Kyuhyun shook his head. Eunji nodded and turned her attention to the human child.

             “Come here,” she whispered to him, reaching out to touch his arm

             “N-no,” he whimpered. “DON’T TOUCH ME!”

            The boy shook his head and tried to get out of Eunji’s reach. He didn’t want that demonic woman to touch him. More tears flowed down his cheeks as he struggled against Sehun’s iron grip. Eunji retracted her hand as she heard his scream and she bit her lip.

             “Daddy?” she asked as she got off Kyuhyun’s lap. “Will you and….”

            She looked at the demon child and Kyuhyun nodded, understanding what she wanted to say.

             “Sehun, let’s go,” the Demon King said as he got off Eunji’s bed. “Your sister wants some time alone with the boy.”

            Sehun nodded and released the human boy from his arms.

             “Don’t try to escape,” Kyuhyun told the child as he was released. “And don’t you dare try to hurt my daughter.”

            And with that being said, the Demon King and Prince disappeared, leaving Eunji along with the human child.

             “Come here,” Eunji said again as she looked down at the boy in front of her.

            The boy shook his head again and inched his way away from the fox demon. Eunji walked over to the boy and knelt down her knees so that she was his height.

             “I promise I won’t hurt you,” she whispered. “I know you’re scared and you want to go home. You miss your momma, don’t you?”

            He nodded and more tears rolled how his chubby cheeks. Eunji reached up and cupped his face, wiping his tears with her long fingers.

             “I miss my momma too,” she whispered to the child. “But she’s gone…”

             “Where is she?” the boy asked, his curiosity getting the better of him

             “She’s dead.”

             “Oh.”

            The human child’s passion chipped at his fear and he mumbled, “I’m sorry… My momma is dead too.”

            Eunji reached out and gently took the boy’s hands in hers.

             “What is your name?” she asked him as she looked him in the eyes.

             “Lu-Luhan,” he answered, staring back at her now normal looking eyes.

             “Luhan,” Eunji whispered as she looked into his eyes. “I want you to tell me, is there someone you love, someone that you would die for?”

            Luhan nodded, thinking back to his deceased mother who had love him with every ounce of her soul.

             “Now imagine losing that person.”

            A pain tore at Luhan’s chest at the memory and he looked at Eunji with a sad expression.

             “Your ancestors killed my mate,” the fox demon told the boy in a low, heartbroken voice. “I’ve had to suffer a thousand years in the fiery blitz of Hell to become this, in hopes of being able to see him again. I’ll suffer more, way more if that’ll mean I’ll be able to be with him again. He died for me, Luhan. When you ancestors chased after us for my fur, he pushed me out of the way so he could die in my place.”

Tears clouded Luhan’s tears as he listened to Eunji’s story. His pure soul couldn’t take the pain inflicted by her words.

             “All I want to do is to see him again,” continued Eunji, her voice thick with pain. “But I need your blood so I can make it. Can I have some, just a little bit?”

            The boy frowned, not knowing what to do.

             “Will it hurt?” he asked in his quiet little voice.

             “Daddy said it won’t,” the fox demon answered.

            The boy nodded and stepped forward so that his neck was pressed against Eunji’s lips.

             “Take it,” he whispered to the fox demon, his voice quavering a little. “I want you to see him again.”

             “Thank you,” Eunji whispered as she opened her lips and her fangs slipped out.

            She let her demon instincts take over as she gently bit down, piercing the thin flap of skin that covered Luhan’s artery. A soft gasp escaped Luhan’s throat as he felt the demon’s canines punch through his skin, but true to her promise, the action didn’t hurt at all. All forms of fear and distrust of the demon faded from his eight year old brain as he let her his blood. The second Luhan’s blood touch the demon’s lips, a bright, vibrant aqua colored gem appeared in the middle of her Soul Key bow and shone like light was being emitting from it. It didn’t stop shinning until she pulled her lips away from Luhan’s neck and his wound shut.

             “Thank you,” Eunji whispered again as she pulled back.

            Luhan gave her a bright smile, but it soon faded as fatigue overcame him. Although Eunji didn’t take much from his blood supply, he was still a little boy and thus, he needed every ounce of his blood.

             “Noona,” he whined, “I’m tired.”

             “Do you want to sleep?” the demon asked in a soft, maternal tone.

             “Yes Noona,” he nodded.

            Eunji opened up her arms and Luhan sank into her embrace. She cradled him in her arms and Luhan quickly fell asleep.

             “He trusts you completely,” said an amused voice.

            The fox demon turned around and found her father and brother standing not three feet behind her.

             “Daddy, Sehun-ah,” she greeted in a happy, but quiet voice.

            Sehun remained a stoic expression while the Demon King smiled at Eunji. He walked over towards her and Luhan and squat down beside them.

             “It’s completed,” the Demon King whispered as his eyes flickered between Eunji’s eyes and the Soul Key around her neck, “both of them.”

             “Huh?” Eunji asked.

             “Your transformation is complete, baby, and so is your key,” explained Kyuhyun as he took her Soul Key into his hands. “He really loves you, baby.”

            Eunji smiled and held Luhan’s head closer to her neck. Thank you Luhan, she whispered in her head. I owe you so much.

             “It’s a shame we have to bring him back though,” the Demon King commented as he looked at the little boy.

             “Do we have to?” Eunji asked in a sad voice.

             “He has no place in our world baby girl,” Kyuhyun answered, shaking his head. “If you love him too, you will let him go.”

             “Yes Daddy. Shall we go now?”

             The Demon King nodded, so Eunji stood up with Luhan still tightly wrapped in her arms and waited for her father to tell her where to send the boy back to. Kyuhyun touched Eunji’s arm and soon, they appeared in a shabby looking room with cracks running up and down the walls. Eunji gently set Luhan down of the creaky bed and kissed him good bye. Luhan felt the loss of warmth from his body and opened his eyes. When he realized he was back at the orphanage, his eyes became wide.

             “Don’t leave me Noona,” he pleaded. “Please… I’m so alone. I want to stay with you.”

             “Daddy said you don’t belong in our world Luhan,” Eunji whispered. “You belong here, in the human world.”

             “No… I belong where Noona is… please?”

            Eunji looked back at her father and saw him shaking his head.

             “Daddy says no, baby,” she told Luhan with sad eyes. “As much as I want you with me, Daddy says I can’t.”

             “Please.”

            Eunji turned back to the Demon King and bit her lip. Please? she pleaded. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity later, he looked back at her and gave her a nod so tiny that humans would’ve not been able to notice it at all.

             “Let’s go, baby,” Eunji whispered to Luhan as she wrapped her arms around him.

            Luhan’s eyes lit up as he felt the warmth of her body around him again and looked at the Demon King. He gave the boy a small smile as they teleported back to the castle.

             “You’ll stay in the room next to Sehun’s,” the Demon King said as they appeared back in Eunji’s room, “but for a few nights, you can stay with Eunji.”

            The boy nodded and rested his head on Eunji’s shoulders as she sat down on her bed.

             “Sehun and I are going to hunt,” Kyuhyun told his daughter. “Go rest, both of you.”

             “Yes Daddy,” she nodded.

            Luhan just nodded, not knowing how to address the Demon King.

             “Just call me Father, just as Sehun does,” Kyuhyun said, reading Luhan’s thoughts.

             “Yes Father,” nodded Luhan.

            Kyuhyun smiled and nodded.

             “Good bye.”

            With a soft poof, the he disappeared, leaving Eunji and Luhan alone in the castle.  Luhan looked at the demon in front of him and smiled.

             “Can we go sleep now Noona?” he asked in his cute little voice. “I’m still tired.”

             “Of course,” nodded Eunji. “Let’s sleep.”

            She lay down on the bed and opened her arms. Luhan smiled and crawled into her warm embrace and sighed.

             “Can we stay together, forever?” he asked as he closed his eyes.

             “Let’s stay together, forever,” nodded Eunji as she closed her arms around the little human boy.

            Together, they fell asleep, with Luhan snuggled up against Eunji, like a child would with his mother.

            From the Heavens, the most powerful angel, Park Jungsoo smiled down at the scene before him. Never had he seem anything as pure and heartwarming as he watched the little boy snuggle up against the newborn demon.

             “I promise you’ll see your mate again,” he whispered to the sleeping demon. “You’ll find him again Eunji. I will make sure myself that that will happen.”

            Jungsoo looked around the Heavens and sighed softly.

             “When he’s ready to be reborn, I’ll make sure to send his soul to you…”