So much had happened in the short span of just a few days that Minji struggled to keep up with everything, often having headaches from the stress put on her. She was always cautious when she left the house as she feared running into Chängho again. According to Baëkhyun, he still lingered in the area and she didn’t want to take chances.

Her encounter with Baëkhyun had left her distraught and confused. She didn’t know what to think anymore and her heart hurt more than ever since he had disappeared. What he had said made her question many things—most of all, his thoughts and actions. He kept his distance and at the same time he didn’t. He said he wanted to leave her and yet he followed her. Did he even know what he wanted? He kept pushing and pulling, not making clear what his aim was.

She shook her head in exasperation and sat down at her kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee in front of her. It was Saturday morning and she had no idea what she wanted to do today, so she ended up moping around, staring at social media feeds on her phone. Her cute cat Mochi had joined her a while ago and now got comfortable on her lap. The warmth the small demon radiated was comforting and helped to calm her down. She finally stopped thinking about Baëkhyun and instead petted the furball that started to purr happily.

Minji sighed quietly. “I would love to get some fresh air, but I don’t know if I should even leave the house,” she mumbled. “Sitting around isn’t an option, though… If I stay here any longer, I’ll go crazy.”

She lifted Mochi from her lap to the floor, ignoring the demon’s noises of complaint. It looked a little pissed now, and the sight made her snort in amusement.

“We can cuddle more later,” she said apologetically before she vanished into her bedroom to get ready.

Minji took her car and drove to a popular hiking area that wasn’t too far away from where she lived. After she had parked the car in a parking lot next to some other vehicles, she put on her jacket, took her backpack, and followed the trail into the forest.

Since it was fall, the air had gone colder and it rained more often than before, but she wouldn’t let that deter her from getting some fresh air. Already, she felt herself relaxing, the quiet around her soothing her troubled mind. She took a deep breath, focusing only on herself and shutting all other thoughts out. Right now, she just wanted to be left alone.

The hiking trail led up a slope, winding through the trees like a snake. She passed some people along the way who were returning to their cars. Since this was a popular area, she wasn’t surprised to meet others and it didn’t bother her either.

Letting her gaze roam around, she spotted wildflowers blooming next to the trail, withstanding the cooler temperatures of fall. Some of them were withering already while others somehow endured the cold weather. Gnarled tree roots protruded from the ground, half-hidden by bushes and plants. Many orange and yellow leaves littered the ground, their vibrant colors beautiful to look at.

The sight reminded her that it would be Halloween soon and she wondered if her friends had already made plans for this year. They visited a Halloween party together each year and it had become a tradition for them to make the costumes themselves. Sometimes they ended up looking silly, and sometimes Minji actually liked them. Last year, for example, they had all dressed up as witches, wearing pointy hats and dramatic makeup. When she thought about that now, she found it ridiculous that Jisoo had dressed up as a witch when her grandmother really was a witch. It must have been a stupid joke to her that nobody else had noticed.

Minji frowned, thinking that she had been so naïve last year, firmly believing that all the crap about ghosts and demons wasn’t real. She knew better now, and she also would never touch an Ouija board again—that had gotten her into a lot of trouble in the end.

She kicked a pebble laying on the trail and sighed quietly, reminding herself that she wasn’t here to be in a gloomy mood, so she pushed those thoughts away. A few raindrops fell on her head and made her look up at the grey sky. It wasn’t the best day to go for a hike, but she didn’t care. A little bit of water wouldn’t kill her.

Even though she tried hard not to think of him, her thoughts kept gravitating to Baëkhyun. She wondered where he was right now and what he could be doing, if he still was after Chängho or not. Was he thinking of her just like she was thinking of him? Her heart ached, the corners of her lips turning down.

“Stop thinking about him already,” she scolded herself. He would either come back or he wouldn’t, but she couldn’t force him to do anything. She could only wait and hope for the best.

“Hello, human… what a surprise to see you,” a familiar voice suddenly said, catching her off guard. Minji’s head snapped around abruptly, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest. She stared into the darkness and saw the outline of a person in its midst, hiding within the blackness. Gritting her teeth, she moved back and willed her magic into existence, light radiating from her hand. She sent a beam into the darkness, dispersing it for long enough to see the demon that had almost killed her a few days ago.

He looked the same as last time, his hair was still dark grey, eyes still bloodred. It was Chängho, just like she had feared. This was bad.

She knew she had to run since fighting him wasn’t an option. It would end in her death. Her eyes moved around frantically, looking for a way out, an opportunity to escape.

“Did you miss me, human?” he drawled as he stepped out of the darkness, the shadows retreating into his body. It was a bizarre sight that made her skin crawl and she recalled the disgusting cold feeling that came with being touched by his magic. It was revolting.

“Can’t you answer me?” he added after a while, his patience running thin fast. His magic flared and darkness shot in her direction, razor-sharp like knives. Widening her eyes, she crouched and formed a shield made of light that kept the attack from hitting her. Nonetheless, she sensed its power and was forced to move back a bit.

She needed to get away from him now—risking a fight would be suicidal. With this in mind, she conjured an extremely bright light in the middle of the clearing, blinding Chängho with its intensity. He cursed, and she didn’t wait any longer, turning on her heel and running off.

She didn’t stay on the trail where she was easily visible, but swerved right into the woods, jumping over a bush and dodging a large rock as she fled. Thorns got stuck in her clothes, ripping at them when she sprinted, but she ignored them and never stopped, not even for a second. Trees rushed by and she lost orientation quickly, not knowing which direction she was running in. North? East? Could have been west or south, she had no idea anymore. How should she reach her car like this? How should she find help? Her breaths became uneven in panic, legs hurting from all the running.

Behind her, she heard the rustling of grass and leaves, the telltale sounds of someone following her. It was Chängho, and he was damn fast, his demonic strength being superior to hers. He didn’t have any trouble at all to catch up with her. To defend herself, she created another shield behind her as she moved on, but he snuffed the light out with a wave of shadows, the coldness making her shiver. When she looked over her shoulder at him, she almost stumbled over a rock, catching herself at the last moment.

“Give up, human! You’re only prolonging your suffering!” Chängho roared. Raw fear ate at her heart, coldness creeping into her limbs. What did he want with her? Did he target her just because she could use demon magic? She couldn’t understand why he would go out of his way to hunt her down. Minji regretted coming here alone—why the hadn’t she asked Yixing or Tao to accompany her? Why did she always have to do things by herself? She had grown reluctant to trust demons, but that shouldn’t extend to her closest friends… then again, Baëkhyun had been close to her too and he had still left her.

“Leave me alone!” she screamed in a high-pitched tone, voice quaking in horror when she saw darkness shooting towards her. She dove behind a tree while simultaneously using her magic to repel it, but it wasn’t enough to stop it completely. It cut into the delicate skin of her shoulders and neck, leaving bleeding slashes that burned like fire. Minji cursed and faltered. Crushing desperation spread through her and let her hesitate for a tad too long as she lay on the ground.

Why was she even fighting him in the first place? He was right, she was only prolonging the pain. Maybe she should give up. Tears pricked at her eyes and she clenched her hands into fists, glaring at the forest ground beneath her. It would be easier to stop running. She wasn’t stupid enough to believe that a fragile human could win against a high-class demon who was centuries old and possessed insanely strong magic; the kind that was opposite to hers at that. This was bound to fail and the harder she struggled, the longer she’d be in pain.

Her fingers dug into the dirt, body shaking in fear. She didn’t want to die. It was inevitable but she didn’t want to. Her entire body went rigid when she heard Chängho’s steps getting closer and closer. He wasn’t in a hurry, and his arrogance irked her. Struggling to get up, she held on to a tree for support, the burning of her wounds, and the sticky sensation of the blood making her feel nauseous. The iron smell of blood never failed to bring back old memories, never failed to make her remember terrible things that had occurred years ago.

Her vision blurred as tears threatened to spill over. She knew that she wasn’t the same person as back then. She now had the power to defend herself, to fight back. It was bitter irony that it wouldn’t be enough against her opponent.

Chängho came to stand a few meters before her, his red eyes roaming over her figure, falling on her face. He read fear in her gaze, but also defiance and stubbornness. His lips formed a smirk. “Are you pretending to be brave, human?” he chuckled. “Almost a shame I have to kill you.”

She inhaled, exhaled, but it felt like she was suffocating, her fright cutting off her air supply like a noose. “Why do you have to? What did I ever do to you?” she hissed. Her left hand covered a particularly deep cut on her shoulder that was oozing blood continuously. It stung.

“You got too close to us demons,” he explained and rolled his eyes as if she was an idiot for even asking something so obvious. His condescending attitude enraged her, and her hands began to glow.

Chängho eyed her golden magic with disdain, his lips curling in distaste. “The only way a human can use demon magic is through a bond, and that proves that you once shared a bond with a demon. A lowly creature like you should never be able to use our superior magic—you need to die. Humans can’t mingle with demons.”

“Your hate is blinding you,” she spat.

“I’m a demon, what did you expect? Tolerance? Don’t be ridiculous,” he laughed, the sound making her shiver in fright.

She would have loved to shut this bastard up, but it wasn’t like she could. The last time they had fought had ended very badly, and this time wouldn’t be any different. If Baëkhyun hadn’t interfered…

A thought struck her, hope growing in her heart. Hadn’t Baëkhyun mentioned that he had been hunting down Chängho? What if he was somewhere in the area? Chances were slim, but they were there. She needed to make more time, distract Chängho somehow…

“How did you find me?” she asked, hoping she could keep him talking for another moment. In the meantime, she focused her magic and tried to find out if any light demons were nearby. Far away, she sensed traces of magic, but she couldn’t tell who it belonged to. Maybe it was Baëkhyun, or maybe someone else entirely.

“It was a coincidence, really,” Chängho answered and shrugged. “I’ve kept my eyes open for you since our last encounter, but I didn’t expect to meet you here of all places. In the middle of a random forest.”

She cursed her bad luck. If she had stayed home like she should have, then she would have been safe. Her own recklessness got her into this predicament. Maybe she would pay for it with her life, or maybe there was still something she could do…

When she abruptly rose her arm towards the sky, a bright beam of light shot up and exploded over the forest like a firework. If Baëkhyun was somewhere in the vicinity, he had to have seen it. She only needed to hope it was enough to lure him here. And if he wasn’t here at all, well… then she was as good as dead.

“What do you think you’re doing, human?” Chängho asked annoyedly. “Playing around with your magic won’t help you. Besides, I think we’ve talked enough. Time to get on with it.” His lips curved up, a sinister smirk appearing on his face. His red eyes gleamed when he ran at her, shadows reaching out to grab her. She evaded him and tried to keep distance between them. Sending a wave of magic towards him slowed him down a bit, an annoyed growl tearing from his throat.

“Ridiculous,” he said. “You won’t stand a chance.”

She was caught off guard when her own shadow suddenly rose from the ground, tendrils of darkness wrapping around her body to crush it. Letting out a strangled scream, she wanted to move away, but she couldn’t. His magic had latched on to her and held her tightly, leaving red marks on her skin. Desperately, she used her magic and let it pour from her body to chase the shadows away, but they easily snuffed the soft glow out.

“D-Damn it,” she hissed, her struggle amusing Chängho who grinned.

“See, I told you.”

“Shut up!” she spat. “I can’t let you win.”

As if to prove her wrong, his magic flared and erupted like a volcano, sprouting in all directions. The shadows let her go, but the relief didn’t last long. He used them to hit her, and her body was thrown to the ground. Minji was overwhelmed by pain, yet she barely paid it any mind since the crushing feeling of failure was so much stronger. She bit her lip hard, tasting blood.

Her eyes came to rest on the bracelet Jangmi had gifted her. If she took it off, her magic would be stronger, reaching its full potential, but did she want to risk it? She would have a hard time controlling it and in the end, it could kill her if she was unlucky. However, one look at Chängho’s arrogant sneer made her decision a lot easier. Even if it killed her in the end, she wanted to kick this bastard’s . Someone had to prove to him that humans were not weak.

Her stubbornness became her new resolve. She took the bracelet off and put it in her pocket. The change was instantaneous and her magic exploded in white light, flooding the clearing, ripping at the trees and bushes nearby. Chängho had to shield his face with his arm, his magic temporarily retreating.

A storm tore through her body, its destructive st