Thirty-six hours ago...

       Dara and Jaejoong brought their children to their house. They had after all e of the rooms into a children's room. Each baby had his and her own cradle. Their son after having had his fill of life force from Jaejoong went back to a peaceful sleep. Their daughter though remained awake. Her eyes were vacant as she slowly digested the memories and wisdom Dara had imparted on her.

       "Is that normal for her?" Jaejoong looked anxious. "She is so still. Like she's in some kind of trance or in deep meditation."

       Dara giggled.

       "Yes. She would be like that for at least two days. She has several thousand of years to experience and learn."

       Dara glanced at their son. He had retained the skin color he copied from Jaejoong. And though most demons could alter their appearance to look beautiful or frightening, Dara was glad her son was naturally beautiful. But still, she couldn't help but worry.

       "I know what kind of destiny our daughter will have in the future because she will follow my footsteps. But I don't know what will happen to our son."

Jaejoong put his arms on her shoulder.

       "Every demon is a survivor. And since he is our son, I am quite sure he will carve his own fate, and he will be whatever he wanted to be."

       "Midnight would want him to work for them. The moment they learn of his nature, they would try everything to convince him to become part of Midnight."

       "It will be his choice, Dara. Midnight can't force him because of the mark you have put on his body."

       Dara studied her son and daughter. They looked like normal human children. But she knew both would grow up and become extraordinary. This would be the first time that the Siesmyre would have a protector that was almost pure angel. Their daughter would be powerful and could even fight any angel or demon on equal footing. As for their son, despite Jaejoong's words, she remained worried. Her kind had never given birth to a demon before. She had no idea whether he would be good or evil. But whatever he would become in the future, she wouldn't be there to support or stop him. She could almost feel death coming for her.

       She turned to her husband.

       He seemed to be in deep thought.

       "What should we name them?" he mused. "I have been racking my brains since I found out about our children, yet I couldn't think of an appropriate name for them."

       "The Elders named me. How about you? How did you get your name?"

       Jaejoong smiled.

       "The members of the committee who investigated my birth named me. They did it by sending pieces of paper where the names they have chosen for me had been written."

       "I don't understand, where did they send it?"

       "To my crib. They let me chose my name. Well, not exactly. Since I was still too young then and when I grabbed one of the papers falling down on me, it was decided that the name written on that paper would be my name."

       "Maybe, we should let our children choose their own names for themselves."

       "We can't continue calling them babies or daughter or son for a long time!" protested Jaejoong.

       Dara laughed.

       "We will give them nicknames." She pointed at their son. "He will be called Blue, and she," Dara pointed at their daughter, "will be Jade. That would be their names until they are old enough to decide what their real names will be."

       Jaejoong smiled.

       Blue stirred from his sleep. His eyes opened slightly and looked at them. A smile seemed to appear on his lips before he once again slept.

       "Sometimes, I think our son could understand what is happening around him," Jaejoong commented.

       "Maybe." Dara looked at Jade. She remained still and in meditation. Dara grabbed her husband's arm and pulled him out of the children's room. "We should let them sleep. And we should not waste whatever time I have left."

       "Dara," sadness appeared on Jaejoong's eyes.

       "No. You can't be like that, Jaejoong. I am just going through the normal phase of my life. And it is not the end of everything."

       She brought him to their bed.

       "I think it is safe now to make love to me. We won't be creating anymore demon babies since my body had stopped ovulating, if you can call that as my condition."

       Jaejoong's eyes were suddenly lit with the fires of desire. Dara laughed. It was so easy to seduce her handsome husband. But that was because of his half-demon nature. Her thoughts suddenly her son. He being almost one hundred percent demon would definitely make him quite ! Even promiscuous!

       All worrying thoughts left her mind when Jaejoong kissed her and proceeded to undress her. Her nightgown not being made of strong material was easily ripped apart from her body. They both fell on their bed.

       Their passions erupted and engulfed both of them. For the moment, they had forgotten the world. Only the two of them existed.

       The sound of Dalen's fearful voice awakened Dara from her sleep and brought her back to reality. Dalen was a Finder, and it was clear from his voice as his dragonfly form hovered outside the bedroom window that something terrible had happened.

       "What is it?" she asked quietly.

       "A powerful demon is roaming the forest of Waipoua. And he is destroying everything around him. Some Siesmyres had already lost their lives!" he cried.

       The forest of Waipoua was where the dark Siesmyre was created. Dara carefully disentangled herself from her husband's embrace. But he still woke up.

       "Dara, what's happening?"

       "I need to solve some Siesmyre problem. You stay here and take care of our children, okay?"

       "What is this problem about?"

       "Another demon is causing trouble in a forest."

       "Then, I should come with you!"

       "And who would look after our children?" her voice rose.

       "But a demon is dangerous!"

       "Princess Hyori was a very dangerous demon, and I defeated her. I can defeat and even kill this demon. After I have dealt with this demon, I would have another word with Junki. You can come with me then."

       Jaejoong grimaced. Dara laughed and kissed him deep in the mouth before she hopped out of bed.

       Jaejoong's arm shot out and grabbed her hand.

       "You are not going to meet a demon !" he protested.

       "Prude!"

       "I will not let you leave unless you dress yourself properly, woman!"

       Dara pursed her lips, but she did as she was told. This was one of Jaejoong's quirks that she secretly found endearing.

       Properly dressed in a green T-shirt and brown pants, she used her dragonfly wings to get herself to the Sanctuary that would take her straight to the forest of Waipoua.

       Waipoua forest was able to retain its trees and animals after it was declared a sanctuary in 1952. The forest had an almost magical quality about it because of the presence of ancient Kauri trees. The trees were believed to have been growing since the Jurassic era. They were ancient giant trees that could reach up to 168 feet with trunk girths that measured 45 feet. Some Kauri trees that grew in this forest were believed to be almost three thousand years old.

       Dara and Dalen soon reached the part of the forest where the demon was rampaging and destroying everything on his path. Dara frowned upon noticing that the demon was going in circles. It never left the spot where she destroyed the dark Siesmyre.

       "Should I call the other Finders?" asked Dalen.

       Dara studied the demon. She and Dalen were invisible. Demons and angels also had the ability to turn themselves invisible but only to humans and other creatures. They could still see each other. Dara and some of the Siesmyres possessed a different kind of invisibility that rendered them invisible to everyone.

       As she looked at the demon, it became clear to her that it was using a human body! It had possessed a human. But whatever human had inhabited that body had long since gone.

       "No. I can take care of this. But in case, he proves too destructive, call the others."

       She silently landed behind the demon. She took off her invisibility.

       "You are trespassing, demon. And breaking the rules of the treaty between the Siesmyres and Midnight is punishable by death!"

       The demon turned. A wide grin suddenly appeared on his ruggedly handsome human face.

       "At last, you came, Andaryad!"

       Dara wasn't surprised the demon knew her. She had her reputation as protector and ambassador for the Siesmyres. And when she managed to kill Princess Hyori two years ago, she also earned the grudging respect of some of the employees of Midnight.

       "Leave this forest or die where you stand, demon!" she warned him.

       "You are as beautiful and as brave as I have heard."

       Dara glared at the pompous demon.

       "If you survived today, Midnight Corp. will have your head!"

       "I do not follow those stupid rules because I am Yang Hyun Suk, the king of Midnight!"

       "Never heard of you," Dara taunted the demon. "And everyone knows that Midnight has no king. The Dark Council rules Midnight and enacts all the rules, memos and the changes in the date of their vacations and celebrations."

       "But I know about you, Dara. Since I heard about your existence, I have studied and investigated everything about you."

       "Thank you, but if you are going to ask for my autograph, I am sorry, I don't give autographs to demons who destroy forest!"

       Yang Hyun Suk laughed.

       "I have no intention of destroying this forest. I only created this ruckus to get your attention."

       "You now have my attention, demon."

       "King Yang Hyun Suk!" he insisted.

       "Midnight has no king. And to be king, you need to have subjects. You can't simply declare yourself a king without a kingdom."

       "Midnight was my kingdom until those traitors betrayed me."

       "You are a weird demon. Betrayal is part of your culture. That is how you guys go up the corporate ladder!"

       "I am still king because I have the power to take back what is mine."

       "If you are a king and very powerful, then you should leave this forest and go rampaging in the Midnight Realm."

       "I have heard that you are capable of wielding a Lightside weapon. Only angels can touch it, yet you did the impossible."

       "Are you challenging me to a fight?"

       "I am negotiating with you, Dara."

       Dara laughed. This was not what she was expecting.

       "What are we negotiating for?"

       "You are the ambassador and protector of the Siesmyre. But even with your powers, you cannot stop the effect of pollution on the Siesmyres. They are still slowly dying because of man's pollution."

       The demon was half-right. But because of Jaejoong's powers, all the Siesmyre newborns had become immune from the pollution. The Siesmyre would not die out, as everyone believed. The Siesmyres would survive and her daughter would protect them.

       "But the moment I gain my throne, I will stop all these pollution," continued Yang Hyun Suk. "I will destroy human technology and return these humans to their once simple lives."

       "You won't gain enough supporters from humans if you take their iPads, iPhones, android gadgets, computers, cars, modern appliances, electricity and other things that make their lives convenient. They love their gadgets and they will hate you if you took that away from them. They might even turn to Lightside. The effect would be, you lose their souls."

       "You are indeed intelligent."

       "I already know that."

       "Then understand that I am prepared to lose human souls in exchange for making sure that the Siesmyre race survives."

       Dara was taken aback. Most demons would do anything to gain a human soul to their side. This was the first demon who didn't seem to mind losing souls to Lightside.

       "And what may I ask would I need to do in return for that?" she asked warily.

       The demon produced a wooden box from inside his backpack. Dara instantly knew it wasn't just an ordinary box. Magical spells were carved around the box and those were Lightside spells! But a blue glow was coming from the box and that had an aura of a demon.

       "Just open this for me. You can break it with your powers."

       "I have learned that making a deal with a demon is very dangerous. Last time I made one, I almost died."

       "I promise you, Dara, you will not be harmed. The protection of the Siesmyre and yourself will be the payment if you open this box." He held the box to Dara.

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