A shameful walk, that’s what she thought she was doing as she walked into the manor, not long after Jiyong’s figure disappearing through the same doors she was now walking. A shameful walk of losing self-control. But it wasn’t like she was a rude person, or a beater, she just felt anger, foreign anger within her. So many foreign feelings reign over her lately, but the strangest ones where when she was with him. Strings pulled her towards him, only for him to push her out, she was sick of it.

The feeling of being cast out was the worst, his intense stares, his sudden burst, she was sick of it. But she knew she couldn’t go out, she couldn’t leave the place because one way or the other, she could die, she had tasted enough rebellion to know her life would perish if she escaped. This was her reality, and as she walked towards her room, with the people staring at her, she knew she had no way out.

Her room felt empty, completely desolated as she slowly closed the door, her hands throbbing in pain as she locked it. With deep breaths, she walked towards her mirror, looking at herself. She was a mess, her hair tangled and sweaty, her hands filled with Jiyong’s blood, her clothes slightly ragged from where she struggled with him. It was terrible, she knew, hitting him like that, but his look, his eyes terrified her. She had never seen a man with so much hatred before, had never seen eyes so full of anger and hate before, it terrified her. She had trembled under his grasp, has failed to look strong and fierce. He could hurt her, in so many ways he could hurt her until she wished to die, after all, it could be better to just die than to face his own anger, it could be worst.

Faint knocks on her door woke her from her reverie, and she jumped slightly, feeling scared for a moment. “Who is it?” She asked with a shaky voice.

“It’s Taemin.” He said. She let out a breath and walked towards her door, unlocking it. She opened it and saw him accompanied by Dara. She smiled weakly as she moved aside, allowing them to go in. “I heard you beat Jiyong up.” He said as he sat on a chair next to her bed. She looked down and nodded shyly.

“I am so sorry, I lost my control and…”

“It was good, he looked pretty ed up.” Taemin said. Chaerin frowned and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“What?”

“He deserved it.” Taemin said and Dara slapped his head.

“Chaerin, baby, why did you beat him up?” Dara said. Chaerin shrugged and looked to the side.

“I’m not sure, I was so angered at him…”

“What happened?” Taemin asked. Chaerin let out a sigh and walked towards her bed.

“Jonghyun came to me, in the club.” She said. Dara opened and Taemin nodded. “And I don’t know, we talked and then…”

“Then what?” Dara asked.

“He kissed me.” She said. Dara put a hand over and Taemin straightened up, his face all serious.

“He kissed you?” Taemin said. Chaerin nodded. “Are you alright?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? It was just a kiss.” Chaerin said. Dara shook her head and held her hand, looking at her fingers.

“.” She mumbled. Chaerin frowned and looked at her hands. Her nails were black, as if she had just polished them. “He poisoned her.”

“W-What? He wouldn’t.” Chaerin said, looking at her hands more closely.

“Jiyong.” Taemin said. Dara nodded.

“What happened to him?” Chaerin asked.

“You made him bleed.” Dara said. Chaerin raised an eyebrow.

“Somebody please talk to me like if you were talking to a toddler for once!” Chaerin said exasperatedly.

“You made him bleed, Evil seals with blood. He poisoned you so you would kill Jiyong.” Taemin said. Dara shook her head and put a hand over Chaerin’s chest. Chaerin looked at her with confused eyes.

“Do you feel that?” Dara said. Chaerin pouted.

“What am I exactly supposed to feel?” She asked. Dara let her hands hung on her sides and looked at Taemin.

“Go to Jiyong, now.” She said and Taemin nodded, storming out of the room.

“Dara, did I… did I hurt Jiyong?” Chaerin said. Dara shrugged.

“I hope not, but I think you did.”

“But I just punched him, I didn’t killed him.” Chaerin said, her hands started to tremble as a strange pain was growing within her loins.

“It doesn’t works like that. You hurt him and he probably tried to hurt you, the powers recognize the evil and will try to destroy him.” Dara said. Chaerin widened her eyes and shook her head.

“We have to help him!” Chaerin said. Dara nodded.

“But how? You’re too weak to even muster a spell, so is he.” Chaerin shook her head.

“I will do anything, I swear!” She said as she stood up, already going for the door.

“You can’t, your powers are one with his, you drain yourself and you will kill him anyways.”

“We can’t just stand here and not do anything Dara, he will die!” Chaerin said and ran out of the room. She was panting and sweating as the pain grew harder, making her flinch on her way towards Jiyong’s room. “.” She said as she stopped and touched her abdomen. She shook her head and continued running until she reached Jiyong’s room.

The door was wide open, and a few men were inside. She walked in and saw Taemin tending Jiyong, who was lying unconscious on bed. Chaerin felt like screaming as she saw his skin was turning grayish, his eyes looked hollow and black, so did his cheeks. It was as if he had aged in a moment, looking more like a skeleton than a man. She moved towards the crowd and reached the bed, where Taemin was chanting spells that didn’t work.

“He’s dying.” Taemin said. Chaerin shook her head and looked at Jiyong’s frail figure. The strong and fierce man had gone and rotted within his gray flesh, like a vampire being put in a coffin and sealed away for centuries. He was decaying while breathing, and she couldn’t help but feel the pain of his loss within her flesh.

“C-Can I help him?” Chaerin said, tears falling from her eyes. Taemin shrugged, then looked at Jiyong.

“I don’t think you can do much.”

“Please, just let me.” She said. Taemin nodded and moved aside. Chaerin went over Jiyong and caressed his forehead. He moved faintly, and she held in her breath. “Jiyong, can you hear me?” She mumbled close to his face. He moved a bit and slowly opened his eyes. They looked hollow and empty, as if life was slowly draining from him.

“C-Cha…” He mumbled. Chaerin shook her head and held his hand.

“Listen, I will give you my vitality, I don’t know how but I will, and I will save you.” She said. Jiyong shook his head.

“N-No… Tristan… take… her away…” He mumbled.

“No, you have to trust me.” Chaerin said as she put a hand over his forehead and one over his chest. She heard someone entering the room, but she ignored it.

“No, Chaerin!” It was Dara. “Stop, you will die!”

“Tristan…” Jiyong mumbled again, but Chaerin ignored him as she closed her eyes. She thought of healing, of pure, glistening waters running through the woods, she thought of the day she met Nero and how she had felt when she swam through his waters. Thought of the day Jiyong had rescued her from the World of the Dead and brought her back. She thought of so many ways to bring him back, to keep him by her side. Truth was, she didn’t wanted to see him die now, not now when she had started to learn, to deal with his self and his lack of communication.

She felt the cool feeling of water through her, slowly pilling on her palms. Her forehead started to sweat as the amount of water in her grew, until it reached her palms, where it exploded into him. She felt how it got through his body, how it escaped her own to reach his. Chaerin opened her eyes, and saw his skin turning back to normal. The people gasped and held in their breaths as Jiyong slowly recovered completely. She gasped as the water depleted completely from her system, her eyes getting heavy and her head felt as light as feather. Jiyong bolted upright panting, throwing her to the floor. She gasped as the air escaped her lungs, making her dizzy.

“Chaerin?!” He said and she felt hands all over her, pulling her up. She smiled as she saw him, her vision blurry, but she was sure it was him. “Why did you do it?” He mumbled in the distance. She shrugged as her vision blackened.

“Because it was the right thing to do.” She mumbled before everything turned dark.

He looked at her with confused eyes, she had almost given her whole life to save him, of all people, him. He looked at her frail body, fainting in Taemin’s arms as her energy completely depleted. “Put her in bed.” Jiyong said as he moved aside. Taemin did as told and put her besides him.

“What are you going to do?” Taemin said. Jiyong looked at Dara, who had turned completely white.

“Leave us.” Jiyong said. Taemin nodded and touched Dara’s arm. She looked at Jiyong one more time before turning around and leaving with the rest of the crowd, leaving Jiyong and Chaerin alone. He looked at Chaerin, how her chest slowly rose as her breathing got slower. “Why did you do it?” He mumbled again as he touched her face tenderly, moving her hair to the side.

“The right thing to do…” He mumbled, looking at her lips. “Gosh, you’re so naïve.” He looked to the side, suppressing his feelings. His heart was racing, his mind going crazy. “Ah, can’t do this.” He pulled his hairs, then looked at Chaerin again. “I can…” He mumbled as he touched her face again, looking at her lips. He slowly bent down, closing his eyes as his lips graced hers. He pulled back, biting his lower lip. Tears were forming at the rims of his eyes as he looked at her, slowly dying in front of him. “I can’t…” He said as he stood up and walked towards his mirror.

His reflection was still the same as always, healthy, his skin radiant as his eyes gleamed. He was scared, he knew, afraid he might fall again and suffer more. “But I am suffering already…” He mumbled, his hands balling into fists. He took a deep breath and looked at Chaerin one more time, her chest barely rising. He widened his eyes and went over her, lifting her on his arms as he climbed on bed. “This is the right thing to do.” He said and put a hand on her cheek, moving her face towards him as he bent down, already closing his eyes.

His lips touched hers again, cold at the touch as he put his hands on her neck, feeling an electric current flowing between their skins. He could feel it, could feel the energy running through his veins as he kissed her, pulling her up, his mind going insane as his heart beated crazily. He felt her beat stronger, could hear the blood running through her veins as her lungs started to fill with air more rapidly. Life was pouring within her like the tides of the ocean, her lips had turned warmer, and her skin was less cold, warmer.

She moved under his touch, and slowly, she started to kiss him back. He opened his eyes in surprise as she slowly kissed him back, and the energy flowed harder. He embraced her strongly, his arms all around her torso as their kiss deepened. He closed his eyes again, and again, he could feel that attraction towards her as she put her hands behind his neck, pulling him closer. The kissed deepened, and both of them moaned, her hands pulling slightly his hair as he laid her down on bed, slowly positioning himself on top of her.

With a last graced of his lips, Jiyong pulled away, looking at her. She looked back at him, her eyes small and her cheeks flushed. He looked down and saw that he was already between her legs. He felt his face burning as he pulled away, sitting next to her. “I am sorry.” He mumbled. She sat up and nodded, looking down.

“Yes…” She said.

“Are you feeling alright?” He asked. Chaerin nodded again, and he saw that she was slightly pouting.

“Yes.” She said again. Jiyong nodded and scooped a bit farther away from her.

“I am glad.” He said. Chaerin nodded again and looked at him, her face was completely flushed, and he could tell his was the same.

“Was that…”

“Bonding? Yes, I am sorry it has to be that way.” He said. Chaerin nodded.

“Do we… have to…?”

“Not really… no. We could simply kiss and that’ll be good.” He said. Chaerin nodded again. Jiyong could feel the energy running through him like a hundred galloping horses, but he knew it wouldn’t last long, and the more he re-energized, the more doomed he was.

“Thank you.” She said. Jiyong looked at her with raised eyebrows.

“For what?” He said.

“Saving me.” She said. He smiled and nodded.

“You saved me first, which forces me to tell you something.” He said. Chaerin crooked her head.

“What is that?”

“Never risk your life like that again.” He said.

“You were going to die, I couldn’t let you, not because of me.” She said.

“Haven’t you thought that maybe, just maybe, I do want to die?” Jiyong said. Chaerin shook her head and looked down.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, just… just leave.” He said. Chaerin nodded and jumped out of the bed and stormed out of the room. He let out a sigh and rested his back on the bed, his hands on his head. The kiss continued to repeat on his mind, the taste on his lips was still fresh, and unconsciously, he them, savoring a strawberries lipstick on them. He liked it, he enjoyed it, but what was worst, he felt attracted to her.