Chapter 1: Do you believe in demons?

 

 

_______________________________________________________________

Demons, repulsive wicked creatures. Demons.

Do you believe in them?

_______________________________________________________________

 

 

On the rooftop of a high-rise building in Seoul, two sisters stand side by side.

 

One of them, a red-haired girl, wanders closer to the edge to feel more of the eastern wind that brews crosswise, to taste more of the wind’s rush. However, she soon retracts her steps and makes a loud hissing sound.

 

“Nephilim,” Her hair is the same colour as her eyes and they burn with rage. “The air stales of them- those pesky, little Shadowhunters. How I yearn to rip them limb to limb and tear their flesh inside out as their children watch helplessly.”

 

“Contain your anger, Yuqi,” The other, a blonde-haired girl, speaks from behind her. She is older, calmer. Her voice is mild but her eyes are almost as eager for violence. “There is time for that, as it does for everything else. For now, you are in desperate need of a distraction.” She tilts the red-haired girl’s chin so her attention is focused at a spot in the narrow dark street miles away where a girl wearing a school uniform crosses over. The girl is wearing a set of earphones, obliviously unaware to the pair of reddening eyes watching her take every step, completely unsuspecting that she has been already marked for impending doom.

 

The perfect distraction.

 

“Ah, she’s perfect. Shall we begin?”

 

The blonde-haired girl moves her hand away. “No, I will not participate. This hunt is yours to fulfil.”

 

Yuqi tilts her head at her. “You are leaving already? But you haven’t fed for days.”

 

“I will, soon. Focus only on the hunt. That is most important.”

 

Even amidst a cloud of uneasiness, Yuqi does not question her- she never does. widens into a nearly human-like smile (cruel smile, with cruller intentions) if it does not reveal a spanning system of incisors.

 

“Happy hunting then... my dear sister.”

 

A chilly air gusts from the north. When the blonde-haired girl turns around, the red-haired girl has already disappeared without a trace. Always so eager, that one.

 

For a moment, she stills. Her crimson eyes darken.

 

 

Long brown hair, chestnut-coloured eyes...

 

An alluring lavender scent.

 

 

“Yuqi, I’ve been saving up for an expensive meal.”

 

In the dark night, its darkness is nothing; her insatiable hunger is so much... darker. 

 

 

 

 

Uncle Chansung’s questions, at this point, are too predictable.

 

“How’s school?”

 

School is the usual: dull and boring.

 

“How are preparations for the NAEA coming along?”

 

She is struggling a bit with English literature but with the help from Soyeon-unnie, she can pass the subject. Other than that, everything else is quite bearable.

 

“Have you been taking your supplements?”

 

Supplements is a thoughtful choice for words. It sounds reasonable, normal. Risperidone is its name. Round dark yellow tablets, they resemble omega fish oils except that they are not. They help keep her sane; they help keep them away.

 

Antipsychotic drugs would be much more appropriate... but Yeji pushes back troubled words. “Yes, I’ve been taking it every night before I sleep.”

 

Aunt Joohyun smiles encouragingly. It is ten minutes until seven and they are currently eating dinner together at the dining table. As usual, she is seated opposite Yeji while her uncle is seated in between them.

 

“That’s good to hear,” Her uncle does not even look at her. “Consistency is the key to everything. Remember that.”

 

With that, it marks the end of the short-lived conversation. Although, it feels more like an extremely passive interview. Eating together is a good way of getting to know one another especially in the company of strangers who are meeting for the first time. However, they are not strangers- they are uncle and niece.

 

Yeji eats quietly, swallows a small piece of chicken from a piece that has been sliced multiple times with the knife clutched in her hand. Despite living in the same house with this man for ten years, despite being biologically related to him as his only niece, she knows nothing about him.

 

It’s not that she has not made any efforts to do so- she has, and failed miserably.

 

It’s also not because she has given up but because she knows that it’s pointless to try again if the other refuses to try. It’s like clapping- it only works if one claps with both hands instead of one hand.

 

“Ah, the seven o’clock news has started.” Aunt Joohyun turns the volume louder on the television.

 

“Here in Seoul, a day has only passed yet another girl has already been murdered. The victim has been horribly disfigured beyond recognition and her stomach has been ripped open. The police have arrived but we are still waiting for the forensics. The only intel we have gathered so far is that the girl is only a student studying in Seochung High School.”

 

Yeji stops chewing and stares at the television intently.

 

“Twenty-six year old Lee Chanmi was walking back from the bar when he came across the gruesome sight. Chanmi-sshi, could you please tell us what happened?”

 

It is a man in a business suit but he definitely does not look like someone from the corporate world but someone who was beginning to sober up from a hangover. His suit is crumpled, his brown hair is unkempt and his expression... is full of fear.

 

“Chanmi-sshi, could you speak a little louder?” The female newscaster says.

 

Lee Chanmi slowly looks at her, his eyes widening. “You... Y-You look like her...”