“Seohyun!” Seohyun jerked out if her reverie, gasping desperately for air as she tore out of her disorientating vision.

“I saw--saw something.” She could barely breath from the shock the vision did to her body. “Taeyeon Unnie, I..I saw you.” The fingers latched onto Seohyun's hand spasmed, then jerked away slowly as Seohyun started to cry. “Why didn't you tell us? Why did you say that you found Father, Jiwoong Oppa and Hayeon already dead when you stepped into the house?”

“What?” It was Jessica that reacted to that last sentence.

Taeyeon turned from them roughly, her breath trembling.

“They were.” She said forcefully. “Seohyun, they were dead when I found them, alright? Nothing more.”

“But they weren't.” The younger girl had calmed down by then, wiping the tears from her eyes. “You couldn't do anything at all because they were already dead, but in the most disgusting way possible. You saw it.” Taeyeon's fists clenched tightly, digging into her palms.

“It wasn't your burden to bear! It's mine, since my choices had led them to all this.” Seohyun swept the vase next to her to the ground in anger.

“No!” She shouted, tears falling from her eyes. “It's ours to bear! They were our family as much as they were yours!”

“What happened?” Confusion was written on Tiffany's face. “Taeyeon said that Jiyong killed Father, Jiwoong and Hayeon.”

“He didn't.” Seohyun breathed.

“He as good as did!” Taeyeon snapped. “His allowing of the demons into our territory already signed their death warrant.” She raised her head, challenging otherwise. “Jiyong  did kill them.”

“He had a part to play.” Seohyun conceded that much. “But you saw! Someone else killed Father and Jiwoong Oppa then committed suicide in front of you, all because of Sha.” The revelation caused ripples amongst the girls. “Hayeon stepped off the platform in front of you, Unnie. You watched her die.” Taeyeon whipped around in surprise at her words.

“Someone else killed Father and Oppa?” Her eyes widened, grabbing Seohyun's shoulders. “What are you saying?”

“Y-you didn't see it?” Seohyun asked innocently, confused.

“..No! I only saw Hayeon kill herself. Father and Jiwoong were already dead when I got there. You saw what happened?” Tension left the group slowly as they realised Taeyeon had no knowledge of what had happened.

Seohyun swallowed, looking away.

“I did.”

“Then tell us!” Taeyeon shook Seohyun's shoulders ferociously. Seohyun stared at her vengeful eyes for a moment before shaking her head firmly.

The secret about Hayeon before her death, it was going to stay with her till she lay in her grave. She wasn't going to ruin Taeyeon's idea of her youngest sister even in death.

“Seohyun!” Taeyeon stared in disbelief at her youngest sister.

“It's nothing important, Unnie. All we need to know is this. Sha planned everything from the start. He was injured. This scroll was in his possession before.” She pointed to the scroll. Taeyeon grabbed the scroll viciously, pulling it to her eye level and rearing back as she spotted the small minute black spots of dried blood on the scroll. “I touched it, and made a Connection.” Seohyun explained. “It gave me insight into Sha’s view of the situation then. He..” She frowned, recalling the taste of the memory she had caught strongly from Sha's memories. “He resented you. He thought you were holding Jiyong oppa back by loving him.” Taeyeon stared at Seohyun blankly. Seohyun shook her head. “I need to see more to understand more.” She reached for the scroll, only for Taeyeon to snatch the scroll out of her hands.

“That's enough seeing for the day, Seo.” Worry was plain her eyes as she peered into Seohyun's eyes gently. “Another day.” Seohyun studied Taeyeon quietly, and suddenly, Taeyeon felt as though Seohyun was looking through her knowingly. Then, her superior all knowing presence vanished, and the sister she was familiar with smiled softly at her.

“If that's what you want. But we need to make modifications to our weapons.” She murmured. “When I saw things in Sha's perspective, he as good as told me what was their weakness. Ordinary weapons can't defeat them. We need special weapons. Specifically, inscribed with magic runes, or blessed.”

“Well, that's a problem. We don't know any inscribers who specializes in carving runes into weaponry, so that's one down already.” Jessica said sarcastically. “Then two, we have close to no knowledge over runic language and magic.” Seohyun shrugged.

“I can help with that.” She gave them a tentative smile. “Just leave me for a couple of hours. I'll be able to do inscriptions soon.”

“What?” All of them stared at her incredulously.

“Seo, learning inscriptions don't just take a couple of hours. You need years of practice.”

“I can do it.” Seohyun cut off Tiffany abruptly. “If I use Connection I can live in a person's consciousness and body.” She said firmly. “I will be able to take that feeling of the inscriptionist with me when I leave their consciousness. What they learn in years, I can learn in a few hours, through experiencing being them just for a few hours.”

“But you'll be trapped if you do it for too long.” Sunny spoke up suddenly, reminding all of them of the existence of the shortest member of their group. They looked at her incredulously. “What? I read.” Sunny shrugged, leaning to the side. “Don't look at me like I'm the monster. I'll wake you if you take too long, Seo.” She instructed firmly, returning back to the book she left in her lap. Seohyun grinned, then nodded, before taking a deep breath and reaching for the scroll.

“These inscriptions we're done by a professional. With this, I should be able to jump into the person's consciousness, whether they're dead or not.” She exhaled softly, resting her head on the headrest of the chair. Taeyeon watched her quietly, goosebumps rising over her skin as Seohyun's body relaxed and went slack, her eyes unfocusing and growing a thin white film over the irises, veins protruding the corners of her eyes, her hand never leaving the inscription scroll on her lap. Yoona gently relocated protectively to her side, sitting on the thin armrest and sipping her hot chocolate, having come out of her faint and calmed down her frazzled nerves.

“I'll watch over her.” Yoona nodded once to them. “You should go and do what needs to be done.” Taeyeon ran a hand through her hair anxiously.

“Irene.” The servant girl stepped up quietly next to her. “We need to do something. Come.” Daesung hid back into her necklace with a sigh.

“Don't sigh on me.” Taeyeon grumbled lowly.

“You're meeting him, aren't you?” Daesung spoke grudgingly.

“Yes.” Taeyeon flattened her lips. “No negotiations about me not going. I need to do something about Kiko Mizuhara.” She said firmly. “That's the least I can do to help impede less on our road to try and win this.” She said firmly.

~~~~~~

Jiyong had his hands curved around Kiko Mizuhara's waist delicately, and was sampling the expanse of skin on her neck when Taeyeon burst into his Chambers. A surge of jealousy attacked her from the depths of her heart at the sight of them wrapped around each other, on the throne.

Taeyeon clenched her fist immediately, inhaling deep breaths.

The man before her was not her Jiyong. He just merely wore her Jiyong's face. She eyed Jiyong's golden eyes and cleared . Jiyong raised his face from Kiko's neck, a sly smile crossing his lips.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, my dear..Taeyeon?” Kiko also woke from the lustful daze Jiyong had placed her in, chuckling at the humiliated visage of Taeyeon before them, watching as Jiyong let his hands roam freely about her body. She stretched.

“I'm here to offer a compromise.” Taeyeon exhaled, watching as Jiyong froze in interest, then looked at her intensely, as though he was trying to figure out if she was trying to lie to him.

“Hm.” A grin lights up Jiyong's face as he reads no ill intent in her open face. “I'm listening.” He leaned forward, noting her eyes falling on his hand that was concealed under Kiko's skirt. A flash of jealousy seemed to flash across her bright eyes.

Oh?

Jiyong leaned back, mildly amused.

She was jealous. He experimented with this new fact, running his hand up and down Kiko's leg, causing her to stiffen and draw in a deep breath, none of which, escaped Taeyeon's eyes.

Her fists clenched even more.

“How about me offering you a compromise in exchange for any condition?” He wanted to see how far she'd go, lasting with that jealousy building in her chest. Taeyeon's bright eyes snapped to his in astonishment. She most likely didn't expect him to have given in oh so easily.

Of course, if she thought that he was giving in easily, she would slowly learn how very wrong she was.

“I heard that you will always keep yourself chaste for one man and him only. Kwon Jiyong.” He leered at her, a grin spreading across his face. “You clearly know that I am not Jiyong. I merely...wear his face.” The demon in Jiyong's skin grinned. “So, in exchange for any condition within my means,” The demon grinned maliciously. “I want your body.” He pointed a hooked finger at Taeyeon. “Your body your everything that you only keep for Kwon Jiyong. How about that?”

He watched amusedly as her face turned a myriad of different colours. It was tantalising to watch, but his chest hurt with the preposition he had just made, as though some part of him was crying out, rejecting his demand to force her to make a choice of selling herself once more in her life time to just earn a condition that might very well save her life later on.

Jiyong's face darkened, and he brutally snapped his index finger, letting the sharp snap of pain force back the rising guilt and consciousness of the human side of Kwon Jiyong that loved Kim Taeyeon. He would have to seriously settle the spirit of Jiyong later on, or else even as a demon king, he would not be able to stop himself from making compromises due to his feelings---no, Jiyong's feelings. The son he fathered through the human Queen in exchange for a host for his consciousness--the Demon King himself. The son that fell for the half angel human , who had no knowledge of her heritage and purpose of her family legacy.

It was a pretty tragic story really.

“Any condition?” The snap of his finger had probably frightened Taeyeon into answering. He could see the fright in her eyes, fear swimming in the dark starry depths, and he felt his chest soften with an odd soft feathery feeling. His eyes softened.

“Yes. Any.” He responded gently. “Don't be afraid.” The three words fell out of his mouth before he could stop them, and all three of them stiffened in surprise.

“Then fine.” He watched in surprise as she agreed to his unfair conditions. She must really had something she needed or wanted to rid of if she was so willing to sell herself to fulfill a simple condition. Taeyeon's chin lifted stubbornly. “I want her banished and gone.”

Ah.

A grin slowly spread across Jiyong's face. She was still a woman after all, wasting her only chance at demanding anything on a petty jealous feeling in her chest.

He opened his mouth to agree, but Kiko beat him just second before. She transformed into a winged demon, revealing her true Succubus form, her feet long purple hair billowing in the wind, fangs dropping from her gums, the serpentine tongue the blue lips. She screeched in extreme anger at Taeyeon's suggestion, her serpentine eyes flashing with a dark glowing rage.

“You filthy human!”

Clawed fingers sent a flash of dark purple but filthy power bolting towards Taeyeon, binding her to the ground, unable to move. A choking feeling assaulted Jiyong's chest, frantic and panicky, as Kiko lunged at Taeyeon vengefully, fangs bared and clawed hands aimed to claw her heart out of her chest. A flash of skirt with speed almost compatible to Kiko's own high speed flashed protectively in front of Taeyeon, and Jiyong watched as the human servant that Taeyeon had picked for herself flung herself before her, drawing a blade stealthily from her sleeves. The blade met the taloned claws with a resounding clang, and Kiko's claws dragged across it  forcefully in an awful screech.

A part of Jiyong was amazed that the human could surpass her limits and catch up to a demon’s speed. He watched as the servant grit her teeth and slashed bravely at Kiko, who screamed in anger and lunged yet again.

Jiyong's eyes darkened and glowed as Kiko lunged for a second attack on Taeyeon.

She had officially taken things too far.

His head left it's resting place in his palms, his body becoming a dark shadowed blue as he flash stepped, coming between Kiko and Taeyeon immediately, throwing aside the human servant with lazy harshness and gripping Kiko's arm with punishing harshness.

He stared at her coldly through the corner of his eyes, an arm around the stunned Taeyeon, his power wrapping around her fondly like a protective cloak. Kiko started, staring at him with hurt and incredulous eyes as he stopped and dissolved her attack.

Jiyong sighed.

Then his hand tightened around Kiko's forearm, feeling the strain of her bones beneath his fingertips. Kiko squealed in pain. She had barely just managed to regenerate the arm he previously broke and shattered. For him to do it again would mean double the pain she felt when he crushed her arm.

“Please…”She looked forlornly at Jiyong, and Jiyong raised his eyebrows. His grip on her arm loosened, and so did her stance, a gasp of relief escaping her lips.

He smirked as soon as she relaxed, swiftly grabbing her hand and twisting it, before fully crushing the bones in her fingers and forearm yet again.

A horrendous scream escaped Kiko's throat.

“It's punishment for overstepping your boundaries.” Jiyong picked Taeyeon up gently in his arms. “She already agreed to my contract.” Jiyong grinned slyly at Kiko. “You have no more use to me. I originally kept you as a bed warmer since..I believe Kim Taeyeon would not agree to take your place in my bed. Now that she did,” He grinned brightly. “You can be banished.” Annoyance crept on his nerves as Jiyong watched Sha materialise in thin air.

“What is it?” He snarled immediately, arms tightening around Taeyeon subconsciously.

“Banishing Kiko would be as good as cutting off our alliance with the succubus and snapping a possibly and potentially powerful all for us demons in the human realm.” Sha advised, frowning lightly. “You would do this all of a mere human?”

“I am the king, Sha. A king does not need allies that are weak and can take what he