I was in a deep sleep when the sound of my alarm clock goes off charming like a church bell when it strikes noon. Groggily I open my eyes; it's bright from the early morning sun gleaming through the cracks of my blinds, bouncing off the four walls of my room. As I lay on my bed the events of yesterday ran through my head like a batter just hitting a home run. And then I remembered him - the mysterious man in the smoke.

I sat up in bed feeling agitated as my mind traced back to his face and his voice. The events of the previous night then slowly started flooding back into my mind. As my mind was more awake to assess the memories from the previous night, my brain began to contemplate if everything that has happened were real. More specifically, if that man was real.

Maybe I was in a trance during the ritual. Maybe I was stressed out and exhausted to the point that my mind starts playing tricks and made me see or imagined things that weren't real. Maybe I was actually having a mental breakdown.

I knew for sure everything before that mysterious man appeared was real. That piece of paper that sits on my dresser with the address written on it is more than enough to prove it, but deep down my gut feeling told me that man was real - even though my head was convincing me that it was impossible.

Did I really see the Devil?

Groaning I fell back against my pillow wishing I had an explanation that would make me feel better. Then something struck in my mind. I remembered that man burning my hand and seeing a symbol right after I left the shaman's house. I quickly pulled out my hand from under my blanket and gingerly wave it in the air.

There was no flashing of symbol or any burnt mark. I dropped my hand down to my bed again and stared at the ceiling wondering if I really wanted that mysterious man who claims to be the Devil to be real or not.

Suddenly I was slapped with a realisation that made me cease all my inner conflicts about the mysterious man and I quickly got out of bed.

"Oh crap!"

How could I forget? He should be the least of my concern. I should be getting to the hospital to see if that ritual works. I quickly got to my closet and hastily pulled out a sweater and a pair of jeans and get dressed up.

--

I rushed down the corridor, ignoring a few passersby that I bumped into, and quickly skid to a stop outside my mother's ward when I saw my mother's doctor and his nurses gathering around her bed blocking her from my view.

I regained my composure and walked into my mother's ward. I warily approaches the group who were still unaware of my presence.

Why are they surrounding her? Did she...passed away?

My hands began shaking uncontrollably. I know I shouldn't jinx it but I couldn't help feeling afraid. Didn't the shaman said that the ritual was a success? How could it have failed?

I swear to God I will hunt her down and-

"Soojin, is that you?"

I perk up at the sound of my mother's voice calling out to me. "Mama?" I replied.

The doctor and his nurses turned around simultaneously and through the small gap between them I saw my mother sitting against her bed frame.

"Mama!" I yelled too eagerly and rushes forward shoving through the group and sat on the bed and examine her carefully.

At such close proximity I became fully aware of how healthy she looks so suddenly. I gently held her hand and shock plastered across my face that it was no longer frail and bony. Her cheeks were no longer sunken and it was puffed out healthily. The colours of life fully painted back on her face.

She became a total different person than she was the last time I saw her, and it was only yesterday.

"You are..." my voice trailed off as I stared unbelievably at her.

"When I checked on your Mrs. Park this morning I was equally shocked as well," the doctor spoke, breaking me out of my trance.

"She looked like she was never sick at all in the first place. Her vital signs are all back to normal and her cancer cells are all gone."

"Are you sure?" I asked in disbelief as I continue to examine my mother in all angles, earning a few chuckles from the nurses and my mother as well.

"We did full body tests on Mrs. Park...a lot." he said, "It is amazing how someone can recover so fast in a span of a night. It is a miracle!"

"Oh my God...it worked." I whispered to myself but still loud enough for a few people to catch on.

"What thing worked?" my mom asked curiously.

"Oh..nothing! I am just saying my prayer works!"

"I am sure Mrs. Park is a good person. She must have receive blessing from the God!" one of the nurse exclaimed.

"Yeah..." I laughed sheepishly at the nurse's comment. My hand rubbing the back of my neck.

'If only they knew that she didn't receive her blessing from the God...but the Devil.' I thought to myself.

"We will still continue to conduct daily tests to be sure that she is well." the doctor added. "That will be all for today. We will take our leave. Hope you have a good rest, Mrs. Park." the doctor smile and gave a small bow before heading out the ward.

I waited for the last nurse to close on the door then I quickly sprang on my mother and gave her a big bear hug.

"I can't believe it!" I squealed excitedly, tears of happiness soaking her patient gown.

My mother let out an energetic laugh that I haven't heard in ages as she patted the top of my head affectionately.

"I am sorry to have you worried over me sweetheart."

"Don't be silly mama, you know I'd do anything for you."

"Of course I do. I am just extremely thankful for this miracle to happen," she sigh elatedly.

"Although..." she trailed off. I broke the hug and lift my body up to look at her. "Mama, what's the matter?"

"Nothing dear," she reassure. "I am just thinking about some things."

The look on her face tells me what is exactly in her mind. She is definitely thinking about this sudden 'miracle' that happened upon her and how it all happened.

She was having doubts and I couldn't blame her for that. Just last night she was on the brink of death. Today she is sitting here in front of me as if she has never made contact with death at all.

I felt guilty knowing that I know the reason behind all these and I couldn't tell her. But I bet anyone wouldn't believe me, not even my mother if I said that an internet made belief rumour brought her back to life.

...of course with the help of the Devil...whether or not he is real.

I quickly brush away the thought and went in for a hug again. "Let's try not to overthink and just stay like this mama. I am just happy you are okay and you should be too."

"Of course sweetie." she laughs.

I breathed in her familiar smell and heaves a sigh of relief. Right now this is what matters most. My mother completely alive and well in front of me.

The Devil can come and claim me for all I care. My mama will protect me. She will never let anybody harm me. If the Devil wants to take back the deal I will just find a few exorcists to fend him off.

We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on things she misses out during her time in the hospital. I laid my head on her knees and tells her about all the little things as she braids my hair just exactly like how we usually would do on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

"There! We are done!" my mother claps her hand as she finishes the end of the braid. "My little girl does look pretty when she dolls herself up huh," she teases.

"What can I say? I have got good genes," I teases back.

I quickly shifted my position and my mom made space so I could be seated next to her. I took out my phone and open my front camera. "Mama let's take a selfie!"

I hold up my hand to do a peace sign and then I immediately I froze.

Looking into my phone's camera I saw a symbol on my hand, the exact spot where I felt the burned last night.

It was an exotic triangle-looking symbol, almost looked identical to the infamous secret society, the Illuminati.

“I didn’t realised that you got yourself a tattoo,” my mom took my hand and bring it closer to look at it, my eyes follow my hand as I stared hard at the symbol. I checked this morning and nothing was there. When did it appeared? Am I hallucinating?

But if my mom saw it as well…then it is God damn real. .

“Well it looks kind of exotic. What is the meaning of this symbol?” she asked.

“I-I don’t know,” I murmured finding it difficult to swallow my saliva. I quickly got up from her bed, “I am just gonna go to the ladies. Be right back,” I turned and hurried out my mother’s room before she could ask any further.

I bolted down the corridor into the ladies. I quickly go to the nearest faucet and start running the water. I run my hand under the water and tries to rub off the symbol. After many attempts my hand were burning and red from the constant rubbing, yet the symbol still remains. I stare at it in horror.

“, the Devil is real.” I told my reflection.

Then in my head I heard the same voice.

‘Yes. I am real.’

The symbol glows a little and the lights suddenly flickers and I gasped. I rush for the door and tries to pull it open but it won’t budge. I quickly went over to the nearest bathroom stall to hide but then the door just suddenly slammed onto my face. I let out a scream and back away until my back was leaning against the sink.

I watched in horror as one by one the cubicle doors in the ladies room were slammed shut, at this point the lights were already flickering angrily.

There is only one explanation I could think of.

He is here.

“Are you here with me?”

Right as I finished the question the first light that is nearest to the door goes out. Before I even had the time to react or to do something the second one goes out.

Then the third.

I backed away to the very end of the room as I watched the forth one goes out. The front of the room is in pitch-black darkness and I realised that the only one light that hasn’t gone out was the one above me.

I prayed to myself that it doesn’t goes out too but when it flickered I knew I was doomed.

Just an hour ago I thought I had the confidence to fight off the Devil with exorcism. I definitely overestimated myself.

Waves of panic began to crush into me now. Terror was slowly paralysing my body, freezing my muscles as my situation became more desperately hopeless. I stared hard at the light and started channeling all my willpower to manifest it from going out.

I didn’t even realised I had stopped breathing.

“Please, please, please, please, please,” I chant.

The once bright light begins dimming darker and darker, “No, no, no!” I yelled and then it goes out.

The whole room was in darkness and I could not see my surrounding at all. I started breathing heavily to the point of hyperventilation and my head is spinning. My legs buckled underneath me but before I could fall to the ground and pass out a pair of strong arms encircled around my waist and gently pulled me up on my feet.

The moment I was up on my feet all the lights in the bathroom comes back on again. Lifting my head up I saw the face that has been haunting my mind all day. He was towering over me. I was once again met with that pair of beautiful brown orbs that is now gazing warmly and softly at me.

My body is now momentarily revived with a rush of adrenaline and I became aware of how his arms has never left my back and I was so close to him. We never broke the eye contact and with my new found energy I picked up the courage to open my mouth.

“What are you going to do me?”

His eyes twinkle with amusement at my question. A soft smile began to plaster on his beautiful face as he removes one hand from my back and move up to my cheek and caress it gently.

Normally I would have pushed someone who did this to me away. But with him I just couldn’t explain why. It was exactly like the first time. It just felt so right.

“I am not going to hurt you sweetheart,” he whispered back to me.

“I am sorry for scaring you like that. I just couldn’t control myself. I couldn’t get you out of my head ever since I first saw you last night. I just had to see my wife again,” he continued.

“What do you mean,” I murmured.

I watched him smile and moves his face closer till I felt the soft touch of his lips on my forehead. I hate to admit but I felt butterflies in my stomach at that gesture.

He pulls me in for another embrace and in my head I heard him, "You are my soon to be bride and I am your soon to be groom. Please just wait for me a little while longer. I promised we will be together forever soon enough."

"Wait-"

My words got cut off as the light goes out again and then back in a split second and I realised that I was the only one left in the room. He was gone and all that left was red glowing dust around me.

I turn and stare in disbelief at my reflection in my mirror registering everything he had just said.

“I’m ed.”