Taemin soared up into the sky, his white feathery wings out as he flew up to the floating academy in the clouds. He had hoped to see Key there, waiting for him at the gates or somewhere else.

As he flew, he looked at the other side and stopped in his tracks, his wings flapping to keep him up in the air. He stared at the other side—the dark side where the Demons lives.

Unlike his village that was completely white and full of sunshine, theirs were cowering in the darkness, the village looking like one of the haunted towns. He could see skeletons creaking and groaning at the gate and the mist. Up from the far distance within the dark side, he could see the castle where he knew the Duke of the Demons lived in. Like The Goddess’ home, it was enormous and historical.

He shuddered, feeling the dark aura slowly getting to him. Remembering how Demons always got pure black hearts had made his wings shrivel up.

He looked away, trying to forget about it as he went up to Aegis Academy—he’ll surely be getting a scolding if he appears late in front of Key.

His feet gently touched the cement sidewalk of the academy as he lowered himself down. He looked up at the large building and sighed.

Another day of learning, he would think. Let us see if we can survive from the commotions between the Demons.

He looked around as he stepped into the academy, on the ground campus. He could obviously see the two sides completely on their own; Angels had their own groups, smiling and laughing as they conversed while the Demons had their own conversations, them playing out and messing about with their abilities and all.

He clutched onto the shoulder strap of his messenger bag as he looked down, avoiding eye contact with any Demons that passed him by.

As he put one foot inside the academy, he heard a familiar voice calling out for him,

“Yah, Taemin-ah, there you are! You’re two minutes late, mister!”

He looked up and his face broke into a smile when he had recognized the angel who was walking up to him.

“Ah, Key-umma, you’re here!” He cried out and ran up to the said male.

The duo walked down the hallway with books in their arms, happily talking to each other about their yesterdays and their moments that occurred in the past.

“And like, Mother was so mad that she had to put chains around my ankle and I was stuck in punishment in my bedroom for thirteen days! It was brutal, I tell you— just cruelly brutal!” Key cried, being dramatic with his words as he fake-sobbed.

Taemin laughed at this; it was typical of him to be such a dramatic diva and complain about the simplest things. Thirteen days was not that long, it was probably a week and a ¼. Now, a century, that is long.

“Key-umma, I don’t think thirteen days is that long… Be happy that you did not get the punishment for a century. Krystal will freak if she found out about that.” Taemin snickered at his own words whilst Key rolled his eyes at him.

“Yeah, yeah, I don’t give two s about that. I am Key. I can do as I wish.” That is his best friend, everyone; nobody can withstand him.

Taemin chuckled as he looked at Key’s proud expression that appeared on his face.

He was too busy looking at the male that had not realized that someone was coming in his way until he collided into the chest of a tall male.

“Ah!” The light brunet shrieked, his books falling out of his arms as his face ran into a broad chest.

He stumbled back and shook his head a little before looking at the person whom he had bumped into. He gasped when he saw that he had bumped into a Demon. His dark brown eyes stared down at him quietly as he had his hands in his pockets. His unusual appearance enchanted him Despite him being a demon, he looked…beautiful.

His ebony black hair swished this way and that way, his two large, charcoal black horns curved into a spiral as they lay in his tousled hair, each on the sides of his head.

His eyes were large and doe-like; he could practically see himself in those deep brown eyes. His face had a sharp structure, but putting them together reminded him of a cute frog.

He could see his black bat wings, the spikes on the rim, looking sharp and deadly as ever, but at the same time, they looked majestic, as if he was the King. They were once out, but they folded in and hid behind his back. If it were not for the horns, he would look like a normal human being. (That’s exactly how Taemin and Key and the rest of the Angels looks like when their wings are folded in; a normal human being)

His shoulders were large and broad; his dark colored uniform fitted him perfectly, revealing the muscular structure he has (in which Taemin greatly envies, he had slight thin muscles but they were not “manly” enough for him).

He has deeply tanned skin, but it held a pale tint to it, making him seems as if he was a vampire. In addition—in Taemin’s defense and his opinion—it seems to suit him, adding another point to his handsome appearance.

Yet, his lips were… Taemin had his head hung low, his medium length hair covering his eyes and his burning red cheeks were out of sight. Why was he thinking of such sensitive part on his face?

“I’m… I’m sorry…” He softly said to the demon, his voice sounding small. However, he—or they—did not hear his quiet voice as a male roared from behind.

“Yah, watch where you’re going, girly angel, didn’t that Goddess of yours teach you some manners?” A voice from behind the male called out before he snickered out at him. From his peripheral vision, he could see another male beside the demon in front of him. He was a Demon as well.

Key was fuming at the male who called him out. “Shut it, Dino! You have no right to call him that, and you have no right to disrespect the Goddess!”

Taemin looked up to see the argument as he was then interested. Every time Key yells, he gets interested and he would like to see how it turns out.

He scoffed and stepped up to Key, “Well, lookie here! Isn’t it Kitty?” He teased, causing the said blonde-haired person to hiss out at him.

“Quit calling me that, Dino! Why don’t you just go off with your little girls and leave us alone?” He told him, his hands on his hips as he narrowed his eyes at the smile.

Dino?

He looked at the male. Surely enough, he does look like a bit like a dinosaur, one that he had seen in the histories he was reading in the library before; not only that, but he had a mix of puppy in him as well.

He let out a silent chuckle—he had never thought that one would be alive still.

The “Dino” shrugged and smirked, crossing his arms over his chest, “You’re just jealous because I’m more handsome than you.”

Key scoffed and did his diva eye roll. “Please, nobody would love you with that ugly dino-looking face of yours.”

“Tsk, I bet you cry every day because you actually take everything to heart.”

That was not 100% true, but it was half-way there. Taemin remembers the times when he actually saw Key cry and those are the rarest moments he ever had. He would never cry unless there is something that pained him too much. This was just nothing to the boy. There is no way he will cry that easily from this simple argument.

Key hummed, “Yeah right. I bet your is so tiny because you are so short. Boohoo, how disappointing.”

Taemin and the tall demon had to snicker while the dino-looking demon had his eyes wide as saucers, taken back from the comeback. Well, that was true; he is quite short, shorter than the male beside him but looks about the same as Key.

He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Key cut him off, narrowing his eyes,

“Yes, oppa did mean it,” he cooed, batting his dark brown lashes at the male.

He hissed, “Why you—!” He was about to lash out at him, but he was stopped by the tall male.

“Let’s not, Jonghyun. He’s not of importance right now, so just go to class,” the tall demon called out, his husky voice booming, and the other—Jonghyun, so he was named—pouted before glaring at Key.

“This isn’t over, Kitty,” he snarled at him, baring his fangs before he left the trio, his footsteps loud and clear and it send Taemin the shivers to see slight dents he had made on the floor.

Imagine his feet trampling over you—that would be quite a painful experience.

“Yah, you, look at me.” The deep voice called out to him, his tone commanding the angel. The light brunet meekly turned to him, his eyes wide and scared.

“Y-Yes, w-what is it?” Taemin asked, nervous of what may happen to him as he stared up at the demon in front of him. He was surprised to see such gentleness in his eyes as he stared down at him with no expression whatsoever. He appears to have Taemin’s books because he was holding it out to him.

He mumbled out a soft “Thank you” and took them back into his arms.

“Just watch you’re going and be careful next time. Wouldn’t want to risk the Goddess’ kiddie angel getting hurt, huh?” The male grinned darkly, but his words showed a bit of softness and warning.

Anxiety washed over the boy as he stood there dazed, watching the dark-haired Demon sidestep him and walked on by, acting as if he had not had a care in the world.

What he said made him confused; the way he said them sounds like he actually cares.

It made no sense; his heart was pure black, tainted with evil, yet he was so gentle with him.

Why was that? Demons were supposed to be rude and showed no remorse. Even though the demon showed no remorse to him, why did his soft words stuck into his head like glue, replaying repeatedly like there is no tomorrow?

“Be careful next time.” That voice of his showing gentleness.

“Be careful next time.” That tone of his displayed warmth.

“Be careful next time.” Those words showed care.

“Be careful next time.” Time after time, they ran in his head, and anxiety was filling him to the brim with each word he heard. It was true that he was frightened because he encountered a demon, but he was concerned for this one.

“Minnie, are you okay?” Key’s worried voice snapped him out of his thoughts and the male looked to see Key’s eyebrows furrowing, making a concerned expression.

“Huh? Oh, I’m fine… just…” He averted his eyes to the books he was carrying in his arms, his words trailing off. He had not realized that the demon had picked them up for him and handed it over. Usually, they’d grab his books and hide them somewhere, putting it someplace they’d knew he wouldn’t go into but had no choice to do so in order to get his books, but this demon’s actions was different.

He gave him back his books.

Key was doubtful of this, seeing his friend dazed. He would never like this usually whenever he run into demons, now ever since he had encountered those two demons, he is behaving oddly. He then shrugged it off; convinced that their words alarmed his best friend.

“Don’t worry about them, Minnie, they won’t bother you much. I’ll make sure they won’t.” He laid a hand on the boy’s back and rubbed it as he gently escorted him to his lessons; it was already time for his studies.

Taemin smiled at him, giving him his best aegyo, “Thank you, Key-umma!”

Key had to bite his lips from squealing and just nodded as they went to their classes.

Even so, Taemin could not get him out of his head. He looked behind him, peering down the hallway where the demon had once walked down on. He only had one question in his head, questioning the demon and himself.

Just… who was he…?

…I want to know him.