Soonkyu and Sungmin finally arrived at the temple after another hour; however it was nothing what they expected. A fire rose from the roof causing it to become unsteady. The blaze shined off of Soonkyu and Sungmin’s faces making them flinch.  Nobody was in sight; however muffled shouts seemed to come from the temple. Sungmin’s eyes widened for a quick second then quickly turned and faced Soonkyu. He pushed her behind a tree when a loud cracking noise filled the air and a blast of heat flew past them. A few trees started to show an orange ember light at the tips that slowly traveled to the trunk leaving a ghastly black char. The leaves burned while branches fell to the forest floor causing more of the vegetation to catch on fire.

                Soonkyu breathed heavily with fear then started to cough when a dark cloud surrounded them. Sungmin held Soonkyu so her back was pressed against the tree trunk.

                “You have to get out of here,” Sungmin said coughing loudly. Soonkyu looked up at him in horror.

                “What are you talking about?! We leave together!”

                “No, not this time.” Sungmin did not wait for her response; instead he jumped into the blaze of fire without touching a flame. He climbed into the temple despite all the fallen things in front of it. Soonkyu stood behind the tree stunned at what she just saw. Sungmin was not human, he couldn’t be. No human is able to jump through a fire without being harmed.

                Soonkyu didn’t waste a second longer by hesitating. She ran up to the temple despite the waves of heat hitting her face. I won’t let Sungmin die, Soonkyu thought as she jumped into the smoking temple.

                Soonkyu could see nothing in front of her; however she could hear the echo of screams throughout the structure. Coughing, Soonkyu pushed through a door and saw a little boy in the center of a fire pit. The room was not collapsing and no smoke seemed to suffocate her lungs anymore. However, there was a fire pit in the center of the room. The boy stood in the middle of it unaffected by the flames that crawled up his legs and his face.  He didn’t scream nor did he bother to move. His big black eyes sparkled with curiosity when Soonkyu walked in. He looked like a tiny Sungmin with dark almond bangs that swept over his forehead.

                “Who are you?” he asked. His voice rung with pure beauty as if it were an extravagant crystal lying in the sunlight after being polished.

                Soonkyu started at him in horror wondering how he could possibly stand in flames without showing a hint of fear. She ran up to him and grabbed him from his waist before the fire could burn her skin. Soonkyu let him go once he was away from danger. He fell to the ground on his knees then sighed.

                “Yamete,” he said as an elder woman walked in from the same door Soonkyu came from. The fire immediately turned off as the tiny Sungmin spoke. Soonkyu stood their gaping at the boy. The woman wore a hanbok that had a lovely red skirt with a cherry blossom as the design. Her top was of a pale peach color that looked as if it were pure silk. A cherry blossom embroidered wood necklace laid upon her chest. She held a jade teapot on a tray with four traditional cups next to it. She placed it on a table next to where the fire was before; calm as if there was no fire in the first place.

                The tiny Sungmin ran to the old lady then sat on the floor and bowed. “Thank you for the tea!” he shrilled then slurped it all up despite the steam that arose from the cup. The elder woman drank her tea gracefully while sitting on the floor.

                After finishing her tea, the woman smiled at Soonkyu. “Come here, child. Would you like some tea?”

                Soonkyu stilled stunned sat there gaping at the woman but quickly recovered when she realized she was being asked something. Soonkyu shook her head in a flurry then answered “no” in a polite manner just like she was taught.

                “Who are you?” Soonkyu asked.

                “I am Jonjin!” said the tiny Sungmin. He was rather hyper. “A fire demon!”

                “Fire demon?” Soonkyu asked, curious by what he meant.

                Jonjin ran up to Soonkyu and grabbed her by her wrist, pulling her to the table where the elder woman and Jonjin sat.

                “Hello, I am Hokuouki. The cherry blossom demon,” said the old woman whose pupils had a tiny light pink flower in the center.

                Fire demon, cherry blossom demon? Soonkyu didn’t seem to comprehend what they were actually saying. It just seemed way too unreal.

                Have to find Sungmin, Soonkyu thought. She glanced around the room, then abruptly got up and ran out the door she came from. Soonkyu ended up running to the end of the temple where a sand garden stood. Stepping stones sat over the sand that led to a path that went through the forest. Multiple hedges and small trees surrounded the garden, while several lanterns hung on the posts making a beautiful walkway.

                Soonkyu was stunned. There was no fire, no burned trees, or scorched wood. Everything was perfectly fine, as if everything that Soonkyu and Sungmin saw was just an illusion. Soonkyu; exhausted, was completely muddled. She walked over to the bench that faced the garden and stared out into the woods.

                “You’ve given up on looking for me already?” said a voice that was right above her left ear. Soonkyu could almost hear him smiling.

                Soonkyu jumped from the unexpected voice. Turning around she realized it was, of course, Sungmin. He laughed at the fear that showed on Soonkyu’s face. “Sungmin!” she screamed as she hugged him. She was scared and confused as to what just happened minutes ago that she couldn’t even compose herself.

                Sungmin sighed and sat down on the bench with her while she still shook from it all. “I think it’s time I told you the truth, right?” She nodded slightly.

                Sungmin scratched at the back of his neck, and then stared out into the forest in front of them. He was obviously very uncomfortable. “I, I, I-“

                “If you don’t want to tell me then don’t. I don’t want you to feel uncomfortable with me,” Soonkyu said. She smiled up at him not wanting him to take her reply the wrong way.

                “No. I’m fine… Just give me a minute.” He patted her on the head making her feel small. After a minute, Sungmin finally stood up.

                “Let’s walk around.” Sungmin grabbed her hand and followed the path in the forest. He squeezed her hand for reassurance. “Basically I am a demon. A water demon.”

                Soonkyu let go of his hand and squatted on the floor, taking a deep breath. She picked up a pebble on the ground then quickly got up and showed it to Sungmin. “Change this into water,” she said in a flurry. He looked down at her then suddenly laughed.

                “I can’t turn that into water!” He chuckled then grabbed her hand again. He led her through the trail that then stopped at a pond. There were many red lanterns that lit up the area. A muffled sound of frogs croaking made Soonkyu feel very welcomed since she always loved to play with the little creatures ever since she was a small child. The light shining from the lanterns made the surface of the small pond’s water sparkle.

                Sungmin sat down on the edge of the pond’s bank. Soonkyu wasn’t sure what to do so she stood behind him awkwardly and looked out at the water. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. The sounds around her instantly became more precise. Soonkyu could hear the frogs croaking and the slight breeze swaying the leaves on the trees around them. It was really refreshing and calming being out there.

                “I am not playing around,” Sungmin said next to her. Startled, Soonkyu opened her eyes quickly and jumped away from Sungmin.

                “Gosh! You scared me! Don’t do that!” she yelled at him but smiled. He didn’t return the grin. His face was kept serious as if he really was telling the truth about being a demon. It made no sense to Soonkyu. Demons weren’t real… they couldn’t be.

                Again they stared out into the water; however, Sungmin seemed to look uncomfortable with himself. He coughed then grabbed Soonkyu’s arm and pulled her closer to the bank of the pond. She gasped in shock and tried to pull away but Sungmin’s grasp was strong.

                “I am a water demon,” he said. “The leader of all water demons.” Sungmin’s eyes observed Soonkyu’s face as she stood there dumbfounded. Sungmin was unsure if she believed him or not; to prove himself, he spread out his hand facing the water and lifted it upwards. The water in the pond followed his hand motion by rising in the middle and forming a cylinder shape. The water made a spout that then became a splash of water at the top. It was like an elephant spraying water from its trunk. Sungmin quickly jerked his hand downward and to the left, causing a flurry of water to circle around them. It was as if they were in the center of a hurricane. Everything was calm, yet the water sprinted around them like contestants running for the gold medal in the Olympics. None of the pond’s water hit Soonkyu or Sungmin.

                After a few seconds of complete astonishment from Soonkyu, Sungmin snapped his fingers causing the water to go back into the pond with a slight splash.

Without taking a glance at the water, Sungmin spoke tranquilly. “Do you believe me?” Soonkyu stared up at him with gaping open. It took her a few moments to realize what he was asking her when she finally answered “yes”.

Hi my lovely readers! I hope you liked this chapter "Demons?"! Hmm... It wasn't as good as I wanted it to be >-< But... wah I'll try my best to make a more exciting chapter later ^^ Oh and for the cover that I made... It's kind of confusing, right? Obviously it has to do with Sungmin's water gift... but yeah... for that big circle around the center. Well that shall be revealed in a later chapter ^.~ Anyway! I hope you continue to enjoy my story! Until next time, Bye~!