Sorry for the late update but writer's block is hitting me worse than usual! But alas, here's the chapter you have been waiting for, so make sure you pour in those juicy comments of yours! c:

 

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It was suffocating. Days turned into years into decades into centuries.

 

All in honesty, Taemin knew, it was only a day or two after the event of the Demons’ ‘visiting’ the kingdom for a ‘cup of tea’. He rolled his eyes – he knew that they only came for an interpretation.

 

Never in his life had he been so nervous before. He fiddled with his fingers constantly, his eyes darting around the place. Ever since his Mother dropped the shocking bomb news on that she is giving him permission to go out as he pleases, he is actually quite scared to head outside now without feeling secure yet trapped as he used to. It is as if he is fully , exposed and vulnerable for the world to see.

 

It scared him.

 

It’s not his Mother’s warnings of not getting into trouble and cause a ruckus nor Key’s threats to come back home before the moon rises or he’ll dye his hair hot pink that worries him, but perhaps, it was something else.

 

Was Mother doing the right thing after all? – Letting me off like this and being free to go out on my own? He thought to himself, biting his bottom lip as he stood in front of the academy gate, fiddling with his newfound ring on his left hand’s ring finger.

 

He could not even go into the academy grounds without feeling content. Now that he has freedom to do whatever and go wherever as he wishes, whether it’s high or low; wide and far, he felt… weird.

 

He did not know what to do with his current situation – he was so confused. Therefore, he continued to stand there like a dumb idiot whilst the students were happily chattering to themselves in their own, usual groups – Demons and Angels alike.

 

Nobody noticed him standing there, his eyes wide with so much innocence and uncertainty. Just for a moment, right there, the young brunet felt like he had become a normal Angel for once, with no one flocking over him as if he is a deity and a disease. However, he realized that even if it were like this, they would treat him the same way – being free will make things indifferent.

 

But never-mind about that and him being such a beautiful god, he’s scared to the bones of ever entering the gates, thinking that the reactions of the students who will then set eyes onto him will be different than the one he had always been used to.

 

Taemin lightly slapped his cheeks, in order to gain back his usual demeanor.

 

“Come on, Taemin, get a hold of yourself! What is making you scared, hmm? Just go inside the academy with indifferent eyes and a strong, happy posture, just like you usually do!” He nodded to himself, pumping his fists to encourage him as he tried so hard to believer in those words.

 

Still, with so much effort, he could not nudge his entire body towards the shining, metal bars of the gate. He whined in annoyance, messing up his hair in the process as he squirmed, letting out a yell.

 

“Ah, what in the heavens is this?” He said with a pout, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. His cheeks flushed red as he turned away from the gate, a hand to his forehead as he shook his head in disbelief, not wanting to believe that he is actually scared to go inside now.

 

Just what was holding him back?

 

“I’m being ridiculous here,” Taemin mumbled to himself, clearly upset. He then reached up to his chest, feeling the pendant that he had tucked into his school uniform shirt. He had changed it from his bracelet and molded it into a necklace, the size of the jewel suitable enough to hang around his neck.

 

“Hey, what are you doing out here?”

 

Taemin turned to see Minho behind him, the gates wide and open. His eyes widened at his heart’s speed that increased more than ever as he stared at the smiling Demon, his brown eyes sparkling with delight, his hair glowing beneath the shining sun and how his small fangs glistened, beaming pure white.

 

“M-Minho, I-I didn’t…I didn’t see you there!” He squeaked out like a scared mouse. He mentally smacked himself – he just stammered in front of his Demon friend, what was up with that?

 

The Demon shrugged and grabbed his arm, taking him into the school grounds. The gates slammed shut as the duo then started to walk together, earning eyes from the students. Taemin looked away, feeling awkward with just walking together. Now that he had received the ring as a present.

 

Almost as if, they had become a couple who are in love.

 

How I wish for that to happen, he thought to himself before shaking the thought of him and Minho in a relationship out of his head.

 

“I see you’re still wearing the ring I gave you,” Minho said with a smile as he pointed out at the ring that shimmered on the angel’s ring finger. Taemin smiled at him as they walked around together.

 

“Yes, you could say that. I still need to repay you – and I’m not kissing you again, no way!” Taemin quickly added, earning a pout from the Demon. “I’m talking about a real repayment here, so don’t start whining to me, okay?”

 

It was childish, but Taemin did not mind being like this. He smiled when he heard a sigh before Minho let out a grunt in response.

 

A familiar voice was heard from the distance, “Hey you two!”

 

They turned to see a grinning Jonghyun waving his arm, sitting at a table with an annoyed blond Key. He was holding his bitten apple so tightly; Taemin feared that it might explode. The duo went over and took their seat.

 

More eyes landed onto them.

 

The angel wanted to glare at them for putting so much attention onto them, but then again, he’d be the same too if he were to see another group of mixed Angels and Demons around the campus. Rarely was there any groups that contains Angels and Demons, and when there are, there are seldom chances of those who are friends with each other.

 

“So, what’s up?” Jonghyun asked. Taemin shrugged, his eyes looking bored and uncertain.

 

“I don’t know, nothing much,” he said.

 

Minho nodded as he rested his arms on the table, “I could say the same here as well.”

 

Taemin stared at the Demon who looked at him with a smile. The angel smiled back before looking down at his hands, fiddling with the ring. Jonghyun glanced at them both before smiling to himself as he leaned against the table. Key was just too pissed off to care about.

 

Minho noticed this as he asked jokingly with a smile on his face.

 

“Hey, why’s the diva kitty here looking so fussy?”

 

A hiss came out from the blonde-haired male. Jonghyun smirked, “I spilt my milk into his bag and all of his books got soaked. He was chasing me around the grounds, trying to “kill” me. I eventually threw them away since they were already ruined.”

 

“Thanks to you, bastard, I’ll have to redo all of my homework of which I’ve spent a decade on! How, in the heavens, are you going to fix this mess, huh?” He screeched, slamming his hands on the table as he stood up abruptly, his eyes swirling with icy blue as he glared at the smiling Demon.

 

“Ooh! Somebody is cranky today! Must have not eaten his cat food this morning,” teased Jonghyun, earning a laugh from the other Demon. Taemin let out a snicker before but stopped when Key looked at him sternly. He could only clamp his lips shut, but a ‘pfft’ escaped his lips as he struggled with holding in his laughter.

 

Key growled and stood up from his seat, glaring at Jonghyun. “You are an , you know. you!” With that, he left the table. He had left his bag behind, but it was empty so what was the point of carrying an empty bag around? Still, his books could have been around somewhere.

 

The young brunet pouted at Jonghyun who watched the angry Guardian Angel stomp off, yelling incoherent words and curses from the distance. “Nevertheless, you could have saved them somehow—that wasn’t really nice to do that. It did actually take him a decade to finish off that project. Now it’s all ruined,” he told him.

 

Jonghyun’s eyes dimmed a little but shrugged as he crossed his arms behind his head.

 

Minho rolled his eyes at his reaction. “He is always like this. He does not care and never will. He is so impermeable,” he said as he glanced at the Demon who no longer took interest of their conversation, staring out at nothing. “Besides, he doesn’t seem to be listening to us at all.”

 

Taemin glared at Jonghyun, who pretended to have not seen it, but he knew. He knew he saw – he can see the cold sweat running down his neck. The duo stared at him intensely, giving him the pitiful silent treatment. He shook, little by little until his body was racking.

 

Then he has finally burst.

 

“Kibummie, forgive me!” He whined as he flew out of his seat (literally), his wings out and open as he went to search for the angel, his heart full of guilt. The table rattled a little after the sudden movement, almost jumping in the air after the Demon has pretty much pushed himself out of the group.

 

The angel and demon snickered, smirking at each other, giving each other fist bumps as their plan to make Jonghyun be so full of guilt that it’ll eat him alive had been a total success.

 

 

After a period or two of class, it was break. Taemin slurped onto his bottle of strawberry milk as he onto the straw. The girls from the Demon side were eying him enviously as he walked down the hallway. He had such a bright smile on his face, his brown eyes sparkling with delight and his cheeks had never been redder.

 

Why was that?

 

Because Minho himself was there walking beside him.

 

“…So, Joon couldn’t stop buying himself teddy bears ever since a girl gave him one to relieve his stress after sleeping,” he ended his story with a small smirk. Taemin laughed, locking arms with him. More glares that are envious were shooting straight at him. Luckily, the angel was naïve enough to overlook the actions he was doing around the demon nor the glares onto him.

 

“That is so cute—Joon-ssi buying teddy bears? I can’t ever imagine him doing that!” Well, not in his serious mode, of course, he thought, mentally shuddering of when he would always on the kill when in serious mode.

 

“Maybe not you, but I can—when he’s being an idiotic dork, of course,” he told him.

 

Taemin scoffed, “That’s a bit harsh to say that behind your hyung’s back, don’t you think?”

 

“I can backtalk him and backstab him for the hell I care—he’s my best friend, no harm in that!”

 

Hmm… that is a good point there, he thought with a slight acknowledging nod.

 

“Still, your friendship could worsen if everything you’ve said was true and you really meant that,” he took a sip out of the milk before looking back at the demon to continue with what he’s saying, “I’m not saying that your friendship is a faux, I just…” The angel paused for a moment as he fiddled with the straw. “I just don’t want you to get hurt and become friendless…” He stopped walking, not catching up with Minho who paused his footsteps as the duo stood in the hallway.

 

Then, Minho smiled and stepped up in front of the angel who gazed down at the polished wooden floor beneath their feet. Taemin felt a hand on his head, his fingers gathering locks of his hair. “Do not worry, angel. I won’t be alone and friendless—I’ll have you, remember?”

 

His cheeks burned red as he paused drinking his strawberry milk. His eyes were red and almost showed the pink color of love, though that was impossible to have such ability to have your eyes change color due to the emotion you are feeling. (Although, it would be advantageous and disadvantageous, Taemin would think.)

 

“O-Oh,” he said, looking down at the ground, the blush radiating off him. “…” He did not say anything – he could not respond to that. When he looked at him, he found out that he was being serious, despite that playful smile playing on his lips. His eyes told him everything he needed to know about his emotions and that was that.

 

Minho took Taemin’s free left hand and rubbed his ring finger, the silver accessory twisting around his limb. “Come over to my side for the day after school,” he asked.

 

If his eyes were not any wider, they are now. “W-What? Me? Go over to your side—the Demons’ side? That is insanity! What if Mother pulls back her words and put me back inside the kingdom? I mean, do you think an Angel entering the Demons’ side is a bit…absurd? Besides, it would be trespassing if I were to be in that side. I’m not like you, Minho, whom you have intruded our territory before; I’m not like you at all!”

 

Minho smiled. “Are you… a scaredy-cat, Taemin? How unmanly,” he provoked. Taemin’s cheeks burned bright red as his nostrils flared at him, his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance.

 

“Like hell I am!” He shrieked. His grip on his glass milk bottle became so tight that a small sound of a crack emerged from the beaker. Luckily, he was just a quarter done – he will waste the rest by throwing it at the demon instead. “Fine! I will prove it to you that I can—and is able to—go to your side for the day! I will show everyone who is the manly boss here! everything if they protest, I am going!”

 

The duo stood in the hallway in silence: Minho quietly watching the angel who was panting heavily from his yelling. Who knew that it could cost him so much energy? Then the demon grinned, his fangs glistening as he said, “You have such a potty mouth, Taemin. Are you sure you washed them out properly?”

 

A loud shatter and a soft splash echoed from the building as Taemin attacked him with the milk bottle, finally throwing it at him.

 

“Gah! Aw, this! That is not cool!”

 

“Ha! Says the person who provoked me to throw it at you. Stop whining, you can clean up in the bathroom anyway.”

 

Therefore, having a wet, grumpy (yet he smiled in the end) Minho covered in sticky strawberry milk walking beside an enraged Taemin.

 

 

“…The heck have I gotten myself into,” Taemin mumbled to himself as he stared at the other side, gloom shown in his face. Minho walked up ahead with a shrug.

 

“Hey, you were the one who agreed to come over after school.”

 

“That’s because you aggravated me with the ‘manly’ thing!”

 

“And it went well—that, and I find your angry face y,” Minho purred as he looked at him seductively, causing the angel to grow tomato red. Then he growled when he heard him laugh out, “And you also look cute when you blush as well!”

 

How many times…will this tall bastard of a frog…continue to make me blush? Mother in Heavens, stop teasing me! He yelled at him mentally as he silently followed the demon with a small frown on his face.

 

He grew nearer to Minho, feeling the faint pulse in his neck. His eyes went downcast as he remembered the bite-marks on him during that day. Will they ever go away or just stay on him?

 

He did not know why, but he had hoped that they would not fade away. It is living proof that Minho has enslaved Taemin to the prince, and only he is allowed to order him of such things.

 

He stuck close to him, avoiding eyes of the Demon guards who stared at the duo in shock. It was understandable—when have you last seen an Angel in the Demons’ side?

 

Minho stopped in his tracks before turning around with serious eyes, “I want to show you a place, Taemin—an area where no Royal Demons wants nor expects me to be in.”

 

The shorthaired brunet tilted his head in wonder, but never pressured to ask him. He just nodded and continued to follow him, sticking close to the demon as he went through the ruins of Stygian. Everywhere he looks, there is always a ruin. Rundown buildings, cracking monuments, fading statues and peeling walls – it was all a mess. It was unlike the castle, where it looked magnificently tall, clean and neat of its black, dull walls.

 

Demons were around the area as well, but they looked…different somehow. Their clothes were shabby and poor, and there is dirt on their faces. Taemin looked away as well they met eyes with him. They looked hungry, their lips lustfully.

 

Gosh, he thought as he glanced around. What happened to this place?

 

“Minho-oppa~”

 

Minho looked to his right. Taemin did the same. He saw a little girl climbing out of her mother’s arms and ran towards the demon prince. She had long black hair and bright yellow eyes; her skin was pale underneath the muddy grime that dried onto her flesh. Her horns were small and curved, but one of them was broken, the tip of the horn missing. Minho smiled and crouched down as he opened up his arms, embracing the child.

 

“Yoojin, how are you? Have you been behaving well?”

 

She nodded, her hair swaying along to the movement. Taemin smiled at this scene. He had never seen Minho be so caring to someone else other than him.

 

However, he felt pity for the girl.

 

Her figure… her figure looks so thin and frail. He can almost see her bones. Then he looked around and realized that almost those in the area were the same as her. Thin, bone-like structure, eyes full of hunger and lust. They have no money, no riches to help them.

 

“Taemin,” he looked towards Minho who was standing up now, holding Yoojin in his arms. “This is the rural part of the Demons, where I always escape to and give food to those I’m close with here ever since I first came into this side of Stygian. I always help them out here and yet,” He looked downcast, sad as he then said, “they all hate me still.”

 

He looked around. He can feel all the eyes of the Demons stabbing him like poisonous daggers. Nobody wanted an Angel in their side of their town. He noticed that a few of them were glaring at Minho.

 

What had he ever done wrong…? All he did for you was to help you… Then he looked down at his hands. Sure, he may be royalty and the Duke may be plucking one of you out so he can kill you for peace. Sure, it seems like you knew that he is the killer in the town and you despise.

 

Still, if you knew him better than me, you would know that he never wanted to do this in the first place.

 

Minho sighed and put Yoojin down, who then ran off to play with someone. “Go ahead, explore a bit. See how they suffer and die here. I need to find Yoojin and make sure she didn’t get into trouble.” Then he smiled. “See if you can change a Demon’s heart.”

 

Change a heart? He sneered to himself. How in the world do I do that? He took one-step forward, looking around cautiously as he slowly walked through the area, the mud squishing underneath his boots, staining the whiteness of the footwear. He heard hisses, he heard curses, but he tried not to let them get to him. His heart thudded in anxiety as he looked at them all.

 

He felt himself being turned around and was faced with a male Demon. He was big and tall, had messy dark hair and dirty stained face. His eyes glowed red as he snarled at him. Taemin gasped, stepping back a bit, but then held his ground.

 

“What is a pesky Angel like you doing in our area?” He asked, his voice rough and husky, almost showing disappointment and annoyance. The angel swallowed his spit down his throat, his heart almost hammering out of his chest.

 

What should he do? What should he say? “I…I just wanted to see what the other side looks like,” he answered, his voice small and meek. He hated being like this, but when you have a Demon sizing up on you, you do not really have a choice but feel small.

“Well, you’ve seen it. Now scram, Angel. This is no place for you.” He paused as his eyes trailed down to somewhere on the angel before his eyes widened. “You’d be bit?”

 

Confused with his way of speaking, he let out a squeak. Then he realized that he must have seen the mark on his neck. Holding a hand up to the punctures to hide it away, he nodded. “I’ve started it first.” He spoke so brazenly that it shocked the Demon.

 

The Demon stared at him before sighing. “I see. Hmm. Seems like there is no leavin’ until your Master tells you. Alright, nothing I can do with that.”

 

With just that, he passed him. Taemin caught a glimpse of white strips of bandage. Without knowing it, he grabbed his arm.

 

He turned around, his eyes wide before shaking his arm out of his grasp. Demons around him were murmuring, staring at the Angel with hatred. “How….how dare ya touch me, you little pest!”

 

“I…I’m sorry, it’s just that…” he trailed off for a moment before pointing at his other limp arm, firmly wrapped in bandage. “Your arm… May…May I see it?” he asked. The latter stood still for a moment before scoffing.

 

“Why, so you can cut it off? It’s nothing but just an arm, Angel.”

 

“Please,” His voice was stern, strong and firm as he stared at the battered Demon with serious eyes, his hand out as if waiting for him to lend him his arm.

 

Seeing that there is no stopping him, he silently unwrapped the bandage and showed him his limp limb.

 

Taemin could see it.

 

He could see that it lacked of muscle. It was also severely infected. He had no medications to heal it, he assumed, as it is, after all, the rural part of the Demons’ side. He doubted he had any coins or gold to pay for the doctor.

 

The greenness of the veins shimmered, glowing with a tint of venomous purple. He ran his fingers along the skin, feeling the big bumps of the veins that grew massively from his hands to his shoulder. He heard the soft moans from the Demon, but he paid no mind, not knowing whether it is from pain or in pleasure.

 

Taemin looked up at the Demon with a warm smile. “I think I can fix your arm,” he said. The battered demon had no time to make a snarky protest as the angel wrapped his fingers around his wrist, eyes closed.

 

How did I do it last time? He thought to himself as he concentrated. I wish that he would become well again…

 

With concentration, his hands grew warm and glowed green.

 

“What the ?” He could hear him utter out in shock, but he did not let that break his concentration on healing his limp arm. The demon gasped when he saw his entire arm glowing green as well, feeling the strong energy pulsing throughout him. Warmth engulfed his arm as it pulsed throughout his veins. He wanted to pull back his arm, but he was too stunned, fallen into the unknown magic the angel was doing to him.

 

He looked at Taemin. He was glowing. His short, dark brown hair swayed in the air as if he was underwater. His skin looked light, soft and warm. Slowly, he could feel the massive, thick infectious veins growing smaller, smaller and smaller back to its normal size, the size where it is unseen. He could feel the muscle and pigments restoring its life, his bones growing stronger than before.

 

Taemin opened his eyes. His eyes were glowing light green as he stared at the recovering arm. Demons around him were in awe and inched closer, but they did not dare try to go any closer to the Angel, in fear that he might hurt them with this ability.

 

Besides, they knew him. They all knew that the heir of the Angel Kingdom never had his powers awakened—it was a huge shock to see that he has the ability to do this kind of thing.

 

When he was done, Taemin rubbed his arm softly before letting it go from his grasp. The demon slowly raised his arm, staring at it in disbelief. He clenched his hands, able to feel and move his arm again. Then he looked at Taemin, who then walked past him as if nothing had happened. In shock, he ran after him, calling him out.

 

“Wait!”

 

Taemin paused in his footsteps but never turned around to look at him.

 

“How…you healed my arm! Why…why would you do that for me?”

 

He stood silent. Then he looked over his shoulder, his eyes now chocolate brown and shining with such powerful emotion. “I’m not like the other Angels. I don’t scorn you without a good reason,” he paused for a brief moment before continuing. “Yes, I’m afraid of you, but I don’t despise Demons. I cannot. Not when I have just seen you all suffering,” he turned around to face him. “Not when I’ve just seen you walk around like you have no hope.”

 

Then he came up with a question, “Tell me: do you hate Minho, the heir to the Demon Kingdom?”

 

The latter scowled, “Hell yeah I do. I hate the fact that he lives up in that fancy building and does not care about us lots.”

 

“Then you’re wrong.”

 

The demon was stunned, stepping back a bit when the angel came close to him, face to face. “Minho is willing to return the so-called ‘peace’ and not by killing but by caring. And if you’re too blind to see and too damn ignorant to care about that, then you’re missing a very important thing here.” He turned around, his hair abruptly splashing faerie dust onto his face. “Never mention what happened earlier ever again – I hate being used as a toy that can heal anyone,” he stated before walking off, leaving the demon behind as he searched for Minho.

 

Wah, that was scary! The inner Taemin cried out in despair, shocked with his exterior demeanor. He has tried so hard not to be clumsy or to be stupid that will get him killed or perhaps, even worse. He had hoped that he was not too angry about his argument.

 

Nevertheless, I was right with what I have said, he thought to himself, Minho had done so much for them, and yet they do not return the favor. Others favors him as if he is their elder brother, but that is not enough to get the respect that he fully deserves.

 

Besides, I do not want them coming up to me like a deity and begging me to heal them, no way!

 

Well done, darling, a woman’s voice chimed into his head.

 

It is her voice again!

 

You have done what nobody thought you would do. Please, Taemin, save us—all of us.

 

A blood-curling scream rang out, cutting himself out of his mind as he looked around in shock, surprised with the sudden noise.

 

“What in the heavens?” Taemin mumbled quietly to himself as an explosion came from afar, the crumbling building destroyed into ruins.

 

A little girl screamed as she ran away from…something, but he could not identify it – it was large, black with glaring red eyes as it stomped through the town. It was chasing after her, its speed slow, but threateningly close to her.

 

It seems like she is her lunch. Taemin narrowed his eyes on the girl as she took the corner, the beast following her. She looks like that little girl who cried out ‘Minho-oppa’ back there… Yoojin! In pure shock, he ran after them.

 

Damnit! Who put this…this kind of monster here? He screamed out mentally in his head as he ran, panting as he did so. His white wings opened up, bright and white as he flew overhead, searching the area in bird view. He could see buildings collapsing and a small figure running away as the black, large beast chased off.

 

Many Demons shrieked and went out of the way, shocked of the surprise beast that came out of nowhere. They were probably too shocked to even save the little demon girl that was helplessly running for her life, scared out of her mind. Taemin dove down quickly, reaching his maximum speed to catch up to the girl.

 

“Yoojin!” He cried out as he grew near. She turned and gasped when she saw him diving for her. With arms out, he embraced her into a hug before flying back up, missing the beast’s face by an inch as it crashed into another building. He sighed in relief before looking at the little demon who clutched on him like a lifeline, her eyes wide with fear, yet in wide with wonder.

 

Poor girl is shaking… he thought with a sad frown, rubbing her arm comfortingly as he held her in his arms. He could feel the bones pressing against his skin – she really needs to eat more and gain more weight. It is not healthy being too thin and she will die if this continues.

 

“T-Than—” She was cut off when a roar caught their attention.

 

The beast was looking up now, blood-red eyes staring up at them now. It snarled, showing it sharp teeth as it glared up at the two people in the sky.

 

Taemin turned around and went further into the rural part. He could hear the huge monster going around, following the duo. “Save the ‘thank-you’ for later, we need to escape him!” She squeaked and clutched tightly onto him as he flew down, trying to get away.

 

It was a ‘ride or die’ chase—or rather, a ‘fly or die’ chase. The brunet looked behind him, between his soaring wings to see the beast. I need to make him lose our trail! This is why ‘going to the max’ is an advantage for him – he always loves speed, but in situations like this, he will have to quick in thinking. He looked forward, his vision clear but his surroundings blurry, passing by so quickly as if he was in high speed.

 

He did a quick, sharp turn around the building, making a complete ‘U’ turn before zigzagging around the buildings that towered over him like giants, dodging the Demons that were in the way. To them, he was just a blur of bright white with a bit of black.

 

Yoojin laughed, enjoying the excitement. Both of them almost forgot the real reason why they were like this as they giggled together. Taemin could only hear ‘whoosh’ of the wind bustling past his ears, almost like bees. He whooped loudly as he flew freely; up and down, left and right, he did not know that he was clearly losing the beast, as he can no longer hear the crashing and falling of buildings from behind. He had forgotten that he was in the Demon side, the yells and shocked screams ignorant to the boy. He had forgotten about Minho too, lost into the extreme excitement.

 

Long story short, he has forgotten about everything else and the beast that was tracking them down.

 

By the way, where was Minho in the first place? Hmm… he is probably searching for us, maybe, he thought to himself with a shrug of his shoulders.

 

He slowed down to a stop, his feet lowered to the ground until he was running on the dirt ground. His footsteps faltered until he was no longer moving, standing underneath the large tree. Its bark was dark and its branches consist of no leaves aside for a few but their leaves was brown and wilted. Taemin put down Yoojin and smiled at her, as they stood close by the tree. He examined her and gasped when he saw a long, bright red line that slashed downwards on her left leg, blood dripping down her milky pale skin.

 

“Your leg!” He did not have time to finish his sentence as he heard a roar from the distance.

 

, I almost forgot about the beast! Yoojin looked around frantically, scared after hearing the sound.

 

Okay, calm down, Taemin, it could not have possibly be that close to here. Think fast!

 

He looked at the wilted tree for a short momentary time before an idea came to him. He looked at his hand that sparked light green, his skin warm to the touch as he placed it onto the heart of the tree. Slowly, the dead bark looked healthier than before and its branches sprouted open with freshly green leaves. He looked at Yoojin who looked back at him.

 

“Can you fly up?” He asked. A shake of her head was her reply. He sighed in despair – a child can never fly at an age like her. He crouched down and patted onto his shoulders. “Climb up, quickly!” He rushed her, the little demon stepping onto his shoulder, holding onto the tree for support. The angel slowly stood up for the girl to able to reach the branch.

 

A building fell over nearby. Taemin panicked a bit but still kept his cool. Man, I do not know why Minho is not—a strong pulse on his neck shocked the angel, almost losing his footings.

 

…Never mind. He must be on the move, searching for us. Yoojin jumped off his shoulders and held onto the branches, agility helping her as she pulls herself up, despite having a wounded leg. He looked up with a warm, comforting smile.

 

“Hide yourself within the leaves and don’t move. Do not come down until you see that it is clear, okay? When I drive the beast away from here, climb down and find Minho.”

 

She nodded at his request and climbed up further, hiding within the thick amount of leaves, the branches rustling by the movement.

 

A loud crash approached from behind him, the strong gush of wind pushing against his physique. It is here. Taemin reached down to his boots, swiftly pulling out the daggers, as he turned face-to-face with the beast. It looked more of a wolf than a monster, just much bigger in size and it had blood red eyes. It snarled at him, its teeth bearing at the angel. He let out a ‘humph!’ at the beast.

 

“It’s not every day I see something unusual.” Quickly attaching the two handles of his dual weapons together, he now held his scythe. He spun it in his hands as he stared fiercely at the monster. “Let’s do this.”

 

The large wolf growled and raised a paw, claws out and ready to strike. Taemin dodged it right on time, the speed of the attack being very slow. “Is that all?” He taunted with a smirk, surprised of its lacking speed.

 

Bad move.

 

It shoulder bones is clearly shown through the thick fur and its red eyes…glowed. Soon, it lashed at him in a blur. The angel could not see it, and grunted when the beast sent him flying back. He crashed hard onto the ground; a groan emerged from between his lips as he held onto his scythe tightly.

 

“…I think I’ve spoken too soon,” Taemin mumbled to himself as he stood up, shaking his head. He could see the beast from afar; it paws were padding onto the ground heavily as it stared at him with such distaste and hatred. It its nose, the large tongue darting out and back in.

 

I guess I am the first meal.

 

It lashed at him again, but this time, Taemin stepped aside in time, jumping up in the air as the wolf crashed right into a building. I need to stop letting it destroy any more buildings from now on – this place is already in ruins as it is, he thought to himself with a mental shake of his head.

 

He jumped down onto the back of the beast when the wolf was beginning to get up and sliced his scythe against the back of its neck, the sharp blade making a long, big slash against the fur. The cut was deep, but not deep enough. It was, however, deep enough to see the skin between the furs, the pinkness there in the flesh.

 

The beast howled in pain. Taemin smirked. You want speed, I will give you speed. He jumped off the wolf backwards and landed onto the ground. Another strong pulse from his neck caused him to stumble over his balance.

 

Goddamnit, Minho! He growled to himself. For once in your life, let me do this!

 

No, he heard him say, his voice ringing out in his head. This is far too dangerous, Taemin! You need to get out of there!

 

He looked up to the wolf jumping towards him. Taemin’s wings burst open and he flew away in time, dodging it to avoid having the beast crushing the angel into a pancake. He had no time to answer Minho. He could hear the clamors of Demons from the distance, their voices panicked and confused. He flew around the wolf in such speed as the wolf stood up, looking left and right to follow him but could not.

 

Using this as an advantage, he continuously swung his scythe every time he grew close to one part of the wolf, damaging him with cuts as he spun around the wolf like a tornado.

 

The angel smiled in victory when he heard the wolf howl out in pain with each cut it received.

 

What he did not expect was the beast stopping his movement and slamming him down onto the ground with its large tail. He groaned in pain, too hurt to move. He screamed when the wolf clawed at his back and at his right leg. He could feel the warm liquid pooling at the wounds.

 

Assuming by the depth of the cuts, they will not be healing faster than usual.

 

He yelped when he felt himself being picked up and was thrown aside. He felt his back go through the walls of the building, crashing into the next and into the next. He continued to through them until he dropped and rolled around on the ground. Demons stepped back in shock, seeing the angel all battered up and bruised and wounded. Taemin then heard them scream and felt a loud vibration underneath his body.

 

He slowly pushed himself up, a pained groan as he did his best to stand up. The scythe was still in his hand, never letting it go as he stood in an upright position, holding his arm.

 

‘Get up, weakling,’ a low, deep voice echoed in his head. Taemin looked up in surprise to see the wolf in front of him.

 

“Did you just…?”

 

‘Yes, I did talk,’ it let out some sort of growl. ‘Do you really think you can defeat me? After that crash, you could have easily been killed and I’d have you for dinner.’

 

The angel panted heavily to gather back his lost strength, his eyes tired and droopy as he glared at the wolf, his fighting stance off as he leaned onto his not clawed leg, the other almost limp and lacked of strength. “Never,” he said. “I will not lose to you. I am not weak!”

 

‘…Very well.’

 

With that, it lunged towards him. Holding up the stick of the scythe, he blocked its attack, pushing his weapon against the paw. Demons around them gasped in astonishment and in anxiety. Taemin used a boost of his lacking strength, pushing its paw away. Then a strong boom occurred in his head, causing the brunet to squeeze his eyes shut and cry out in shock. His eyes snapped open, wide with fear as his brown irises slowly coated with grey, the color draining out of his vision.

 

No…no! This cannot be! The wolf in front of him was musky black, its saliva dripping tar. He stepped back a bit when the beast stepped forward. So…huge!

 

‘I can see all your fears, child. And I’ll bring them back to make them eat you,’ the wolf growled. He could have sworn he saw it smirk. The shorthaired brunet saw it lash out at him again, but with half of his mind still there, he slashed at its arm quickly. The wolf growled, limping back, away from the angel that quivered on the spot.

 

He looked around. Monochrome coated his surroundings. Everything seems…evil. The demons around him were laughing at him, smiling darkly at him, their grins twisted and their eyes blood red. His head was spinning, the hallucinations haunting him endlessly. His fingers twitched as his eyes went wide, his mind filled with paranoia. Then, his grip on the scythe loosened, falling out of his grip and he could feel his body falling.

 

Falling…falling…back into that dreaded abyss.

 

He did not know what happened, but the wolf must have clawed him once again after his hallucinations stunned him into insanity again. He could feel his back throbbing more than usual.

 

He moaned in uncertainty, he was on the ground. He opened his eyes again, and saw that he was still out there, right out in the Demons’ side. He saw the wolf’s face, diving towards him with open mouth, its teeth sharper than needles and fangs combined.

 

His hands searched for his weapon as the body grew closer. His fingers closed around something. He knew what it is. He had held it excessively to forget it, that feeling, the sensation of the texture that pressed against the palm of his hand.

 

A smile creased onto his bruised, bleeding lips as he waited for the incoming attack as the wolf’s chest was in sight now. He waited for the impact, and the pain that will come along with it.

 

 

Minho growled in frustration. After losing Taemin via mind, he went onto a rampage and began searching for him. “Goddamnit, Taemin, you need to stop being so reckless!”

 

However, it was his fault for not being there in the first place when there was obviously trouble. He was supposed to go back to him straight away after finding Yoojin, but then…this…this beast appeared in front of them, and they had to split up. He was searching for both Yoojin and Taemin.

 

A loud crash resonated from the distance, the vibrations clearly felt underneath his feet. His clan was murmuring in wonder and confusion, with hint of fear mixed in their voices. It could not be an earthquake or something of the sorts. No, the vibrations were too weak for it to be an earthquake.

 

It sounded as if a building has toppled over and crashed to the ground.

 

His heart thudded at the sound of a blood-chilling scream and another vibration rippling underneath his feet.

 

Taemin, he tried to communicate with him. Can you hear me?

 

He heard nothing – not even a whisper from the young angel. His heart thudded as he flew towards the source of the loud crash.

 

“Minho-oppa!” He stopped in his movements and saw Yoojin running towards him, with a limp in her steps.

 

“Yoojin, your leg!” He exclaimed to her in shock, seeing the long wound that dashed down her left leg. “I am glad you are safe but… where is Taemin?”

 

“Angel-oppa! Angel-oppa is…!” Her eyes were teary. His heart thudded harshly. He cannot avoid the fact that he has broken his Mother’s promise to protect him as a Demon Guardian. To hell if he comes back home like this! He picked up Yoojin into his arms and resumed flying over to the area.

 

Taemin, he tried again. Answer me, please!

 

This time, it was a plea – a cry for hope in Gods’ sake that he is still alive. Still, there was nothing. Not even after a few minutes has he answered back to him, in that warm, soft voice of his.

 

As soon as they arrived at the destroyed site, Minho gasped at the sight. He could see that beast lying there on the dirt ground, the dust flying everywhere around it. He could see an arm underneath the large wolf.

 

He almost choked in still air when he saw the ring.

 

Other than the rosary ring on his index finger, he saw it – that same ring he gave him on that day in the angel’s bedroom, the accessory dull on his ring finger. His bloodied hand was not moving, there was no sign of movement or fingers twitching – his limb looked completely dead pale and helplessly limp. He could see blood pooling from underneath him, soaking into the sandy, dirt ground.

 

“No,” he mumbled to himself as he set down Yoojin, steadying her onto her feet. “No, this cannot be…”

 

Yoojin looked at Minho’s disbelieving face and back towards the beast on the ground. She was genuinely worried for him, so she called him out.

 

“Angel-oppa!”

 

There was not a single movement or sound.

 

Murmurs emerged from the Demons surrounding him, conversations such as “Stupid angel, getting himself killed like this,” “How reckless of him, I never thought Angels were like this,” “He saved us by getting killed, how cliché.” “He’s going to pay for the damages he did to our town!”

 

Minho growled underneath his breath and stepped up, gathering all attention before gasping as they saw his orange-red eyes, full of anger.

 

“…At least he tried,” he barked out at them, his flaming katana in hand, in which he summoned in the midst of his anger.

 

Cool down, Minho. Do not explode in front of them, he would think to himself, but he was at the edge, so close to the edge! To distract himself even further, he turned his head away, his eyes out of their sight.

 

Their heads hung low in shame, not wanting to meet eyes with him that was full of anger and disappointment. They did not want to anger him any further.

 

He looked at the beast that had covered the young angel underneath it. Oh, my Taemin, my precious, precious Taemin… he thought to himself, biting his bottom lip to suppress his tears. He stepped forward, and then stepped forward again until he dropped down to his knees, staring at the scene.

 

“Stupid,” he whispered to himself, a lone tear running down his cheek, but made sure that it was left unseen by the Demons as he held his head low. “I told you to escape while you can…yet you still…” He trailed off.

 

Nevertheless, is that the reason why I liked him?

 

He smiled to himself. “Yes…that is true,” he spoke as a deep frown creased his face, his lips trembling. “God, Taemin!” He clutched onto his katana, staring down at the ground as tears dripped down onto the dirt, staining with its tear marks.

 

…

 

…

 

…

 

Then, just then, there was a soft groan.

 

Minho looked up in surprise, his bloodshot eyes wide when he saw his arm, his fingers twitching before moving slightly. It moved up until his hand pressed against the side of the beast, which seems to be unmoving. Everyone was shocked at the scene, as another pained groan resonated from the ground.

 

The angel used his strength to push off the wolf off his body, revealing a dirty Taemin. His face was full of dirt, his white school uniform was all dirty and torn, and blood coated him, staining his clothes and the ground as well as blood dripped down his back and leg. His short brown hair was all messy and full of dirt and soot from the buildings he went through.

 

Minho could clearly see that it has a dagger deeply shoved into the chest of the beast, the blade stained with its blood.

 

Taemin weakly sat up, find his other dagger that was left abandoned on the ground before he stood up, running his fingers across the furs of the dead wolf. He hauled his dagger out of its chest. The blood ran down the blade and dripped onto the sandy ground.

 

“I’m…not…weak!” He croaked out, his voice hoarse. He was glaring at them intensely, at those who dared to mock him of his weakness as he gripped tightly on to his dual weapons, as if ready to strike at any moment. Minho frowned when he saw his eyes glisten with grey.

 

No… it cannot be! How did it come back?

 

Then he called out, “Yoojin.”

 

Yoojin perked up and quickly limped over to him in request. “Yes, Angel-oppa?”

 

Taemin bent down and touched the wound on her leg, in which she flinched in pain from. Then, her expression softened when she felt his hand being warm, and all of a sudden, the throbbing pain did not appear to be there anymore. She saw the last of his glowing green hand before looking up at the angel in awe.

 

He smiled weakly, “There…” Then his eyes rolled to the back of his head, having his energy drained from him as he collapsed onto the ground.

 

“Taemin!” Minho scrambled to him in a hurry, bent over to his side. He held his upper body up, his head on his arm as it rolled over, his cheeks against the inside of his arm. Despite his battered appearance, his sleeping face looked so peaceful. He smiled softly at this before hoisting his legs up as well, carrying him princess style. He could feel the warm liquid seeping onto his arms, but he did not care. He needs care, immediately. He looks up at the sky. It seems to be evening now.

 

Let us hope I would get him to look normal as he was before at school before he goes home. I hope the moon does not come up too early by then!

 

He looked around, his eyes stern as he looked at all the Demons. “Give me a place to put him in, now.”

 

 

Taemin scrunched up his face, opening his half-lidded eyes. He narrowed his eyes when the bright light entered his eyes and kept it closed for a few minutes before blinking it open.

 

A smiling Yoojin was in his view and she cried out, “Angel-oppa!” The angel smiled softly at the little demon girl, not as weak as he was before, but he was still drained. He ruffled her black hair, messing it up in the process.

 

“Hey there,” he croaked out softly. His voice was still hoarse, so he tried clearing his throat a bit. A woman who looked no older than in her thirties came inside the room, holding a silver tray with a brown, wooden bowl, filled with soup.

 

“I see you’re up. Here, have some soup to replenish your energy.” She told him, a small smile on her face.

 

Taemin gave her a smile and nodded as he sat up fully in bed. He could feel the bandage wrapped around his upper body and his leg, both of them giving him the warm feeling of home. It was burning, but it was cooling at the same time. It was in a good way, of course, as that how medicine works – he could barely feel any pain in his body. He felt the tray being set onto his blanketed lap.

 

“Thank you so much for your gratitude,” he paused for a moment before asking, “But how come you’re being so nice to me?”

 

“After saving and healing my daughter, how else can I repay you? Yes, this may be shocking for a Demon treating an Angel, but I am an adult. I can be very understanding.”

 

Taemin hummed and took a sip of the soup with the spoon before sighing in delight. “Thank you again, your cooking is marvelous!” He complimented, earning a shy grin from the woman before leaving the room with Yoojin who eagerly continued to stare at him. As he began to have his soup, he could hear yelling from next door.

 

“What the ing hell, Minho! How could you get him hurt like that?” A loud feisty voice clearly caught his attention as he paused his eating. That voice sound oddly familiar.

 

“Hey, we were all split up by the beast and we were searching for each other while at the same time, running away from it, what else do you expect, Kitty!?” It was obviously Minho, from the deep tone.

 

Kitty…Key-umma is here! What… how?

 

“Well, he does have a point, try having a large beast right in front of your face,” another familiar voice murmured out.

 

Sounds like Jonghyun-appa!

 

…Knowing that he is here, I now know how Key-umma got in.

 

“Hmm,” he hummed for a momentary time, “Touché. Still! You could have been there in the first place – you shouldn’t have left him alone like that!”

 

He could not hear anything clearly after that. Then, footsteps echoed towards the door, to the room the young angel was in, lying down in the bed. The door slowly opened, revealing all three of them.

 

“Oh, my Taebaby!” Key cried, running over to him and hugging him tightly, completely overlooking the fact that he is in pain. The discomfort in his back returned, making him hiss out in pain near his best friend’s ear. Getting the message, the blonde-haired Angel quickly pulled back and gave him an apologetic look. “Oh, sorry, I forgot you’re still wounded.”

 

“Not…” He cracked his shoulders, jolting a bit when he heard a loud pop emerge from his bones. “A problem,” he finished. Then he whined when he earned a long pinch of his cheek by both Key and Jonghyun; Key on his right and Jonghyun on his left.

 

“Yah,” Jonghyun yelled out in disappointment after releasing his cheek. “When Minho tells you to escape, you escape, but no~ you went to fight the beast! How dare you! How in the world can you handle that fight alone?”

 

Silence went on between them, Yoojin watching the duo behind Minho. Taemin then looked at him with a smile, despite the bruise on his lip as he rubbed his cheeks that throbbed painfully.

 

“At least I’m still alive,” he whispered softly. Jonghyun smiled and moved his bangs away from his forehead before placing his lips on the forehead, giving him a kiss there. Then he pulled away and nodded.

 

“Yes,” he said, “At least you’re still alive.”

 

Key and Minho stared at him in shock and when Jonghyun caught them giving him the look, he exclaimed, “What, so you guys can give him kisses, but I can’t? That is completely not fair, I’m his friend too!”

 

The young angel giggled at the commotion as the dinosaur-looking demon went onto a rampage at the duo who stammered over their words, unable to form a single sentence to explain their surprised expressions to him. Then he looked at Minho and gave him a warm smile. “Thank you for taking care of me and wrapping up my wounds. What ointment did you use? I could barely feel the pain and it feels really good,” he asked, tilting his head in curiosity.

 

The dark haired demon could only look down, his face red. He did not answer. However, as soon Taemin saw the tongue that darted out and his lips, his eyes widened.

 

“You… my wounds?”

 

“I can’t help it, okay?” He shrieked out, his fists clenched and his face tomato red. Yoojin giggled at this side of Minho. “That was the first time I’ve ever been driven to the blood off, plus, you taste…really…really…sweet,” he whispered the last part.

 

Jonghyun cupped his ear, “He tasted what? I did not hear that properly.”

 

“I said he tasted sweet!”

 

Now it was the angel’s turn to explode into heat of embarrassment, his hair messed more than before as pink bunny steam emerged from his head. His face was completely hot red.

 

He… me.

 

The thought of feeling his tongue run over his wounds on his body. He could faintly feel his tongue sliding down his back and his right leg… and then up his leg…

 

Key groaned at this in disgust, his face scrunched up in grimace. “Wow, you are sick! That is gross~ I get that my best friend’s blood is irresistible and sweet for the first time in your life, but gross, Minho! It could have been infected or something! I mean, he did get attacked by the beast – what if its claws were not clean?”

 

Taemin was no longer hearing them as he dove deep into his dreamy thoughts of Minho being so ual with him when he was unconscious.

 

Jonghyun looked at him, who looked pale and completely out of the world, his eyes half-lidded with haze and his cheeks rosy red. “And~ he’s out. People…I think…I think we should get him some water, ‘cause… he looks like he’s going to start getting an in his pants or something.”

 

 

All of them had a great time, chatting together with Yoojin and her mother, Aria, whom she had introduced herself during the conversation. Taemin was in a new set of clothes, all in white with a splash of color; his footwear were blue, sneakers and all and he wore a mixed color cap, but the one that stood out the most was the pendant that hung around his neck, glowing in the color of amber – the same pendant that Minho gave to him.

 

Key gave the set of new clothes to him. “You’re lucky I brought some of your clothes with me, or your Mother could have been asking you questions about your battered school uniform,” he told him back when they were inside the house.

 

He thanked Aria after she offered to mend his school uniform and give it to Minho so he can return it. Though he has many copies of his school uniform, he was happy that he was going to get it fixed back to its normal state.

 

“Angel-oppa, I will miss you,” cried Yoojin as she held onto Taemin at the doorway. Her amber yellow eyes were sad and teary, not wanting to let him go. Taemin blushed at the contact and looked at his friends helplessly, who only chuckled at the scene.

 

Minho smiled softly, “It seems like Yoojin has found someone else she likes other than me,” he told him with a soft laugh as he stared at the embarrassed angel. He went over and grabbed the young angel by the arm, gently pulling him away from the crying Yoojin. Taemin looked back at the little girl who clutched onto her mother’s dress.

 

Tearing up as well, he shook his arm out of Minho’s grip and crouched down, his arms wide open. The young little demon ran over to the angel and hugged him tightly.

 

“Come back, okay?”

 

Taemin heard her whisper in his ear. He smiled in her locks of black hair and pulled away. “I’ll try,” he answered. Yoojin stuck out her pinky finger, her face full of determination.

 

“Promise me?” She asked him, her eyebrows rose slightly. The shorthaired brunet could only nod and locked his pinky finger with hers, sealing it with a thumb stamp. He stood up and waved goodbye to the girl before getting back to Minho.

 

Key hummed in amusement. “I’d never thought I’d see a little demon girl that fancies a young angel. How adorable, you two look good together!” He joked, laughing when he earned a shove from the said angel who was pouting at him. The other two demons just chuckled at the scene.

 

As they have decided to send the two angels home, they stopped in their tracks when they heard a loud, angry voice calling them out.

 

Taemin was the first to turn around, only to see a fist aiming for his face.

 

His eyes widened at the sight and braced himself for the punch, but Jonghyun pulled him back slightly, the punch missing his face by an inch.

 

He eyed the angry demon and his appearance. Through his messed up red hair, his attire looked neat and clean, completely different to the Demons around the rural area. He looked young and tall, almost as if he is still in high school.

 

“You! You killed my Sora!” He yelled out in anger, his eyes b with tears. “You killed my beloved Sora! I will never forgive you for it!”

 

“So…ra…?” He muttered out, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion but then, realization hit him – and it hit him hard. “That thing…that beast… it was your pet?” He shrieked in horror. His eyes went wide as he placed his hand onto his hip whilst staring at the demon.

 

He just could not believe it.

 

That large wolf of a beast…was a pet.

 

What the hell?

 

“You killed him! You should have let him eat you, and now… you shall pay!”

 

Jonghyun stepped in front of him, his eyes glowing golden yellow. His tail appeared, swishing this and that as his fangs were visible now, poking against his bottom lip. His horns grew blacker than coal itself, the tips growing sharper than usual as it shimmered deadly. The demon stepped back at little, recognizing the male, but still growled in front of him. “Hey, I suggest you step back if you don’t want to get hurt,” Jonghyun warned, his black pupils contracted to a thin slit, one that looked similar to a cat’s but more devilish. “In case you didn’t know who I am, of course. You’re in no position to backtalk the Angel like that.”

 

The latter scoffed, “I’m not picking a fight with you, shorty! Who are you to protect an Angel like him? He’s useless and he deserves a punishment,” he spat at him, his spit splattering onto his face. Jonghyun growled as he wiped off the saliva off his cheek roughly and was about to lunge at him, his hands aiming for his throat but he was held back by Taemin.

 

“What—? Taemin, you should have let him do it! He was the one released the beast in the first place!” Minho told him, his eyes wide with shock. The angel shook his head, his eyes serious.

 

“No, just… just let me talk to him,” he said, pulling Jonghyun back as he now stood face-to-face with the demon, their eye contact never faltering.

 

“You were the one who released…Sora?”

The demon let out a ‘heh’. “That’s right. I wanted to have a little fun with these poorasses around here and let him eat whoever – even a little girl. I mean, they are nothing. I am royalty and they can stick around here, eating dirt!”

 

Taemin glanced around and saw the Demons eying him, eyes wide and full of anger. He grimaced to himself. How could he insult his own kind? Sure, the differences is their wealth, but they are all the same nevertheless.

 

Then he met a finger pointing into his face. “But you…you killed my Sora…I…I should just kill you in the spot! To avenge his death – how could someone as you kill him? You don’t deserve to be alive in the first place!”

 

“…Okay then.”

 

The group stared at him in shock.

 

“What?”

 

Key began pulling him back, in fear of losing his best friend from meeting his death, but he stood firm as he mocked the demon that was growing red in the face. “Taemin,” he hissed, but he ignored his pleas.

 

Taemin smirked, “Kill me, since I killed your stupid little ‘Sora’ and ruined your pathetic plans. I am still alive, am I? So why don’t you try and do it since your so called pet was too weak to do so?”

 

Out of rage, the demon grabbed his shirt, but, when he saw Taemin’s glowing yellow eyes, he yelped and pulled back in pain as both of his hands were set aflame. He screeched and howled, writhing on the floor.

 

Key’s eyes went wide at this before looking at his best friend who only stared down at the demon that cried in pain. At one point, he was happy for him standing up for himself, but at another point, he was scared of him. It’s like…it’s not him – it’s like there was a demon version of ‘Taemin’ deep, deep, deep within his soul, one that is hard to come out, one that is hard to expose; one that is hard to change his pure white heart into charcoal black.

 

Taemin only stared at the demon that continued to cry, seeing the tears roll down his face. He heard gasps and mumbles from the Demons that witnessed the scene, but he did not dare stop.

 

He did not plan to stop the torture.

 

He did not dare stop the burning. He did not deserve pity. He caused the entire ruckus and it was his entire fault. It was never the angel’s fault from the beginning – he was the one who wanted to destroy them. How could he… he thought to himself as he clenched his fists, the flames growing brighter as he did so. His eyebrows furrowed as he thought of Yoojin.

 

If he were not there on time, she would have been dinner. The so-called ‘Sora’ would have ate her by then.

 

Was he planning this so the angel could be stoned for letting a beast render a helpless little girl? When his anger grew, so did the flames. He barely jumped at the popping of bones and the sizzling of muscles.

 

Remember this (even though it came to him out of fear): Taemin wanted to burn the memories that haunted him—burns those who mocked him and lied to him—burn those that tortured their kinds.

 

Minho placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to calm him down. It worked, only for a moment. Then, the brunet realized that trying to kill someone; especially a Demon would get him into severe trouble. Demons would be scared of him.

 

No, not just Demons. Everyone would be scared of him. His focus lessened. He did not want that. He wanted to let the Demons know that he is not what everyone thinks he is, but not like this. He looked up at Minho with blazing yellow eyes, who smiled at him, comforting his stressed mind. Then he looked at Key, who flinched at the eye contact. He was unused to seeing the change of his eye color when it comes to him using his abilities.

 

He frowned a little.

 

Key-umma…

 

The color in his eyes dimmed, but not much. He looked at his hands. How was he controlling his powers so well? Was it all him, or was it just his emotions taking over?

 

He stared at the demon on the ground that stared at him with intense eyes, the white showing as he held his burning hands away from his body, shrieking more and more in pain. Deciding that he had enough, he closed his fists and closed his eyes, decreasing the fuel that caused the flame to set alight.

 

The flame died out after that. His hands were scorching black, its pigments destroyed. He whimpered as the angel stepped closer to the demon, his eyes shadowed by his bangs, his yellow eyes glaring down at the shrinking male.

“How dare you call them ‘poorasses’? Royalty or not, rich or not, they are still your kind. You must be sick to let your beast try to eat a little girl. I do not think you deserve the respect you want to receive. You, so far, are the only Demon that disgusts me.” He turned to Minho who smiled at him, proud of his actions.

 

He held the demon’s hand; their fingers intertwined as he looked over his shoulder, glaring at the cringing male. The color drained back to chocolate brown, his anger at the male lessening. “Sadly, I can’t kill you with my bare hands as my heart need to stay white and I’m just an Angel who is the heir to the Angel Kingdom. Plus, I’m not ordered to do so as I am, ah yes…Minho’s slave.”

 

The demon went pale when he saw the bite-marks on his neck, those two small punctures glimmering in silver. What had he done? Being Minho’s slave has its advantages and when a demon hurts his slave, he will have it coming. Minho looked over to the Demons who were ready to kill. “He’s the one who did the extreme damage to your town,” he told them. Then, looking at the quivering demon, he smirked before turning away, waving a hand as he told them,

 

“Dispose of him.”

 

“Oh, and make sure he doesn’t get out telling word that we were here. Have fun! Take as much gold he has on him,” Taemin told them happily, who only nodded and smirked at the request, staring down at the rich Demon.

 

The group only turned away, ignoring the pleas and the screams as the Demons surrounded him, claws and weapons in hand. Taemin looked back at the scene as a familiar Demon standing behind the mob of Demons. He smiled, recognizing the male whom he had healed his arm and waved goodbye. To his surprise, he smiled back genuinely and waved goodbye as well before he turned away and joined in the fight.

 

Key smirked at Taemin. “Man, since when had you become a badass? That was so~ cool back there!—although that was unnecessarily scary, but still cool nevertheless.”

 

He smiled, “Well, I’ve learnt a lot of these things from the best diva friend I could ever have in the entire world.”

 

The Guardian Angel tore up a little, in pure happiness as he hugged his ‘son’ tightly. “Oh, my Taebaby is growing up! I don’t know what to say!” He did a fake sob, a hand to his forehead as he wept in ‘vain’. “I’ve never felt so proud! Never, never!” He did a dramatic swoon, his body swaying as he pressed the back of his palm to his forehead, acting as if he was about to faint from happiness and satisfaction.

 

The trio laughed at Key’s acting before Jonghyun turned to the angel, “But I wasn’t expecting the fire thing! I thought your powers weren’t awakened?”

 

“I thought so too, but it turns out that the seal—or I think it is—that keeping my power back is cracking and so far, only three of them came. I feel as if the seal is not completely broken…” Then he sighed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Just how many powers do I have?” Taemin cried out, almost burdened with himself. He felt a hand ruffle his hair and looked up to see Minho smiling at him.

 

“Probably more than you’d ever imagine. And if it’s like that, then that means you’re really something special,” he told him with a grin, his fangs gleaming. Taemin grinned back at him, proud of himself for standing up to the Demons.

 

It was strange. Just weeks or months ago, he was just an angel who feared of Demons and could not fight back. How bizarre is it, that he is even protecting a little girl who is a Demon. How does he know how to control his own powers when he could not control them before?

 

They all flew up into the air, heading over to the Angel Kingdom, into the dusking sky. Taemin smiled to himself.

 

At least I have survived with a heart.