Trigger warning: violence/abuse

(but if you've read this far it shouldn't shock you. lol)

“I missed you,” Minā said. Her pretty blue eyes twinkled, b with relief and joy.

“How… are you alive?” Baëkhyun asked breathlessly. “Y-You died right in front of me!”

She inclined her head, brushing a blonde lock of hair behind her ear. The motion was painfully familiar, bringing back memories he shared with her. He knew all her habits by heart, whether it was her love for wearing silver rings or her cute habit of playing with her hair. It had been so long since he last saw her alive, but his memory was clear as day. He couldn’t believe his eyes, couldn’t fathom that she was really here. When she had faded away right before him, a hole had been torn into his chest. The old scar it had left behind began to hurt upon looking at her now.

It was his fault she had died.

“I found a way to come back,” she answered. “Because I missed you so much, I couldn’t stand being without you!” Minā beamed at him. Her pale heart-shaped lips curved up, forming a perfect smile.

Baëkhyun stared at her, not fully over his surprise yet, but his happiness to see her outweighed his confusion. He didn’t question her sudden appearance, didn’t realize that there was no possible way for her to still be alive.

When he closed the distance between them, her crystal blue eyes sparkled joyfully. “It must have been fate for us to reunite,” she whispered.

He was about to answer but paused when he noticed something was amiss. “Wait, where’s—” he sputtered and turned around to find the room empty safe for him and Minā. Dread rose in him when he didn’t see Minji anywhere near him. “Minji?!”

The panic that built within him pulled his attention away from Minā. He instinctively concentrated on the bond that connected him to Minji, but to his shock, he couldn’t feel her. It was as if she had stopped existing. Normally, he would have sensed her emotions whenever he focused on them. Now, though, there was just nothing. She was gone, erased from existence. This had never happened before and it freaked him out.

“,” he cursed. “Minji, where are you?!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, waiting desperately for an answer. His shoulders heaved as his breathing quickened. Minā spoke to him, but her words didn’t register in his frantic mind. Only when her cool hand touched his arm, did he react. He looked at her with wide eyes.

“Minā…” he muttered. “Did you see what happened to her? She was here just a second ago! We have to look for her!”

“So you have replaced me with that human,” Minā said. Her lips curled downward. “Baëk, how could you?”

“I… I didn’t replace you,” he replied hesitatingly. Speaking to Minā after such a long time was painful. His chest became heavy with an emotion he couldn’t identify.

“But you made a bond with her,” Minā said sadly. “You never did that with me! I didn’t mean anything to you, do I?” She hugged her stomach, pulled up her shoulders. The frost demon looked so small, so lost. He bit down on his lower lip and took a step closer to her, wishing to comfort her.

“That’s not true, I—"

“Is that why you let me die?” she suddenly asked. The blame in her gaze was like a shot through his chest. It pierced him, stole all air from his lungs. The guilt he had been carrying around all these years came back to crush him.

“You were fed up with me,” she added. “So you brought me to the human world to dispose of me. Isn’t that right?”

“No,” he breathed. His voice cracked. “No, I would never.”

The accusing stare she sent him hurt more than any physical injury ever could. “Do you have any idea how scared I was when those demon hunters cornered me? They didn’t show any mercy.”

She glared at him. “But you didn’t care. You only came looking for me when it was already too late,” she said icily. “And now you just… just replace me as if I’m not worth anything. What does that human have that I don’t have?”

Speechlessly, he could only watch her, choking on his guilt. Her carefully chosen words were like acid, reopening his old wounds. He had always felt responsible for her death, and to hear these accusations from her of all people was torture.

“I didn’t replace you,” he finally said, clenching his hands to fists. His voice sounded weaker than he intended.

“You did. And not only that. Of all the people you could have been in a relationship with, you chose a human. Disgusting,” she spat. “You know, I was excited to reunite with you, but now I’m not so sure anymore.”

“Minā, please don’t say such things,” he whispered. “I didn’t start a relationship with a human to spite you. Not all humans are bad. Minji is someone very special to me, and I’m sure you would like her.”

He would never have thought he would ever say those words—but they were true. It had taken him a long time to get over his hate. More than twenty years had passed since Minā had left him, and only recently he had finally moved on from everything that happened.

She had made her return at the worst possible moment, just when everything had been going well for him and Minji. Her sudden appearance brought his remorse back.

Silence hung over them while he studied her. Minā’s hair was the color of moonlight while her eyes held the vibrant tone of the sky during midday. She still looked like an innocent angel and nobody could deny her beauty.

Nonetheless, something crucial had changed. She no longer made his heart ache with longing. She no longer was the person he wanted to share a kiss with. He liked her, but he didn’t love her anymore. His feelings for this woman had burned out.

This realization hit him like a bucket filled with ice water that was drained over him. It shook him awake and had him come to his sense. There were much more important things to worry about than his guilt or Minā’s unexplainable return. He was wasting precious time with this conversation.

“I don’t have time to talk to you right now,” he said quickly. “I need to find Minji.”

“No,” Minā interfered and grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Wait!”

“What the do you want!? I can’t just waste time like this when I know that she isn’t safe!” he hissed exasperatedly and ripped his arm away from her.

His patience was running thin. This situation was unbearable, tore him in half. A part of him felt responsible for what happened to Minā and saw himself obligated to make up for his mistake. But the greater part drove him to go looking for Minji. He was worried sick about her and he had no time for meaningless discussions. Every second counted.

Minā frowned. “Who cares about a filthy human? You’re better off with me.”

“A filthy human, huh?” he mumbled, giving her a sharp look. The color of his eyes changed to deep red. “Don’t you dare insult her,” he growled, causing her to flinch.

She was so different from the way she had been in the past, like a complete stranger. The longer he spoke to her, the more he got the sense that something about her was off. In the past, she would have never insulted anyone for anything, but now, she continued to spew the vilest things about a woman who she didn’t even know.

And there was something else that bugged him. How was it possible for a demon to come back to life? Once demons die, they turn to ash. There is nothing left of them. He himself had been witness to her death. He’d held her hand until the very end.

His Minā was dead. Whoever the Minā before him was, it was not the same person.

“Forget about that human, she’s not worth it,” she said, and that was when he lost his temper.

“Stop ing insulting her,” he growled and abruptly grabbed her wrist. The tone of his voice was ice-cold and steely when he said, “You are not Minā.”

“What do you mean? Of course I am!” she replied.

“Minā would never say such cruel things to me,” he growled. “The real Minā would have offered to help immediately, but you are just standing in my way. You might have copied her looks, but not her personality,” he snapped. “She would be appalled if she knew that someone evil like you tried to impersonate her.”

“W-What are you saying?!”

“You are an illusion,” he countered. “And a ing ty one at that. That blood mage must have been drunk when he created you. I don’t have time for this crap,” he hissed and his heels. He stormed towards the door, intending to find Minji as soon as possible. He had lost valuable time—and he was sure that he had played right into the blood mage’s plan. The bastard must have created a distraction to separate him from Minji.

“I’m not letting you go,” a furious voice thundered from behind him. A wave of frost magic gathered in the doorway, building a crystal-clear wall made of ice. It blocked the only exit of the room.

“My only purpose is to stop you,” she shouted. “You won’t leave this room as long as I am here.”

Bottomless fury overwhelmed him. Hot and blazing, it manifested in the form of flickering light around his body.

“Then I have to kill you,” he replied. His chilling glower was nothing less than bloodthirsty, promising that she wouldn’t survive the night. Nobody was allowed to stand between him and Minji. He would get rid of everyone who tried, and this impostor was no exception.

Minji’s head felt fuzzy. She couldn’t see anything. All she heard were water droplets hitting concrete, but the soft noises were soon drowned out by the ominous sound of approaching footsteps. Someone was hiding in the darkness with her. The sounds got louder and louder, and with them, her pulse rose.

She kneeled with her palms touching the ground. Pushing herself up, she stood on shaky legs. Minji didn’t know what had happened, had no idea how she got here, and most importantly, she didn’t know where Baëkhyun was.

Being alone in the dark with an unfamiliar presence scared her. Her fear spurred her to make use of her magic. Golden light gathered in her palm, flooding the room. The darkness was driven back. Her gentle magic lit up every corner of the room, but the person she discovered only meters away from her was not who she had expected.

She gasped. She faltered. The light flickered.

Deep fear grew in her stomach. Nausea washed over her like a tidal wave and made her drown in a feeling she thought she had left behind long ago. It now became apparent that she hadn’t left it behind at all. She had never fully shaken off the dread, and she hadn’t come to terms with this part of her past either.

A shudder ran through her body, but this time, it wasn’t due to the cold. Her eyes watered.

“Hello, Minji,” he smirked. “Did you miss me?”

opened, and yet she couldn’t get a word out. It was as if her vocal cords had stopped functioning. He had that kind of power over her. He was the only one who did.

In her desperation, she clung to the only shard of hope she retained. Even though she was frantic, she forced herself to concentrate on the bond she shared with Baëkhyun. He had to have noticed her despair, he had to know that something was wrong. However, the connection between them was gone. It seemed like it was blocked by something. Minji was cut off from him, didn’t feel the reassuring presence of his in the back of her mind. He was gone. There was only radio silence.

“Are you deaf?”

She flinched. Her feet moved on their own, shuffling backward. The room she was in wasn’t too big, so she wouldn’t be able to run forever. Her eyes moved to the stair in the opposite corner, longingly tracing the steps that led up to a door. She had to be in the basement of the building now—it was colder here. So much so that not even Baëkhyun’s leather jacket could keep her warm.

“So you won’t talk to me?” he laughed mirthlessly. “Pathetic.”

Her breaths came faster now. She hated him and she feared him. This had to be her worst nightmare come alive. He still wore his black hair slicked back, still looked like the perfect gentleman. But he was not. Looks could be deceiving.

“I can make you talk, you know?” Dongmin went on to say. “Like in the good old times.”

Minji was paralyzed. She couldn’t move anymore, was rooted to the spot. Her thoughts revolved around one question alone. It was the only thing she could actually put into words.

“H-How are you alive?” she stuttered. “B-Baëkhyun killed you. He did, I know it. You can’t be alive.”

Dongmin gave a smile that disgusted her, and her stomach churned with dread. “Do you think that he could stop me? You can’t be that naïve, Minji,” he replied. His tone slipped, became darker. “I’m here now. That’s the only thing that matters.”

“No,” she breathed. 

“Would it make you happy if I told you that I came back just for you?”

“No, no, no,” she repeated. The light in the room receded. Shadows formed in its corners and grew. She couldn’t even keep up this simple magic spell in her panic. With her eyes set on the only exit the room offered, she started sprinting.

Her blood rushed in her ears. With tunnel vision, she stared at the door at the top of the stair. She didn’t turn back to check where Dongmin was. She just ran and maybe that was a mistake.

She took the first steps without any issues and reached out her arm to the door handle that was mere meters away from her. A terrified scream tore from when a hand grabbed her ankle. It closed around it like a vice and pulled hard. She lost her balance, tried to hold onto something to prevent herself from falling, but there was nothing.

The world around her tilted. Tipping backward, she screamed. She landed on the sharp edges of the stair and plummeted to the ground of the basement. The impact knocked the a