It was a quiet December evening and the sun had set already. The city’s snow-covered streets were illuminated by streetlamps, and hardly anyone was around since the weather was very cold and unpleasant.

Minji wanted to start dinner soon so it would be ready when Baëkhyun returned—whenever that would be. He hadn’t specified but he usually didn’t stay gone for too long. The demons had planned to meet up in his home in hell to discuss their plans concerning Krïs. She hoped that they had found any new leads or at least other demons who knew Krïs’s whereabouts. This situation irked her and as long as it wasn’t resolved, she would never truly be at ease.

Whatever Krïs planned, he likely was already onto them. Killing his acquaintance—the blood mage—must have enraged him and put them into his firing line. Minji wasn’t keen on fighting a demon who possessed the element of fire as it was incredibly destructive and dangerous. Only touching a flame would cause dire damage to her human body… and since he had already burnt Jungeun, he wouldn’t hesitate to do the same to her. She was scared of that. Her light magic wasn’t particularly efficient against fire magic. These elements were evenly matched; neither was stronger than the other. Baëkhyun and she didn’t have any advantages.

Minji sighed, wishing she had someone to talk to in order to distract herself from her unease, but she was all alone in her flat. Not even Mochi was here as it had gone outside earlier today and not returned since. The kitty had a mind of its own and sometimes disappeared randomly only to reappear hours later.

With nothing better to do, she trudged to the kitchen and readied pots and a pan so she could start making dinner. She would make something that wouldn’t take long to cook, throwing a glance into the fridge. Maybe she could surprise Baëkhyun by preparing something that he liked… In the time they had lived together, Baëkhyun had found many dishes that he loved—even though they were human food. Minji had noticed that he had become more open towards humans over time, slowly but surely leaving his hatred behind. She was relieved about this, hoped that one day he would be over it.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang, the sound surprising her and tearing her from her thoughts. She closed the fridge and hurried to the front door, wondering who would visit her at this hour. Minji glanced through the peephole and was surprised to see the man she had ran into at the mall about one week ago—Yifan.

Confused, she wondered what he was doing at her home. As far as she could remember, they had only exchanged their first names; no phone numbers, no addresses, nothing. How in the world had he found this place?

She was about to put her hand on the doorknob but hesitated. Something wasn’t right. Baëkhyun’s crest on her wrist glowed brighter and then it stung her abruptly. Pain shot up her arm. She immediately inched backward. That had been a warning—she was in immediate danger. And considering how much it had hurt, it had to be dire. She had never received a warning like this before. Fear grew within her, icy and cold. Her pulse accelerated. She sensed traces of magic on Yifan, but unlike before, she was now able to identify it as fire magic. The feral kind that only a demon could exude.

“Minji,” Yifan’s voice called from outside. “I know you’re in there. Why don’t you open the door for me?”

Her heart leaped into . Of course she wouldn’t open the door, no, she continued to move further back. Yifan was a fire demon.. could it be that he was—

A wave of sizzling heat rushed towards her face as the door was kicked down with force. Shielding herself with her magic, she avoided most of the flames that shot right at her. She stared into Yifan’s ruby red eyes that brimmed with loathing. He was here to kill her—there was no doubt in her mind. Terrified, she used her magic to protect herself, encasing her body in shimmering light.

“What do you want?” she snapped, not letting her unease show. Her defiant glare was met with a mix of amusement and disgust.

“To make it short: I want you dead,” he said in a cruel tone, summoning flames that over his arm without burning his clothes. He had full control over the fire and its intensity, a fact that evoked morbid fascination in her. “My real name is Krïs. I bet you have heard of me, human.”

And that was when her fear skyrocketed. She had suspected it already, but to hear it from him made it ten times as horrifying. “Y-You killed Lůhan,” she stuttered.

“Yes, I did,” he drawled. “How ironic that you are acquainted with his old friends. Your fate will be the same as Jungeun’s.”

“Why do you hate us so much? What’s so bad about sharing a bond with a demon?” she asked desperately, clenching her hands into fists. The light that surrounded her as a protective barrier glowed brighter.

“I don’t need to tell you anything,” he drawled, smirking at her. “Let’s get this over with. I’ve wasted enough time trying to find your home.”

His body erupted in flames. They covered all of him. His skin was fire, his hair was fire—even his eyes were made of flames. He looked like a true monster and all that stood between them was her magic. Bottomless fear gnawed at her as tears pricked at her eyes. If only Baëkhyun was here. Frantically, she tried to sense his emotions within her, but all she found was raw panic. He knew that something was wrong and he was already on the way back, but would he make it in time?

Krïs raised his arm and the fire leaped onto the wooden shelf that stood in the hallway. It went up in flames immediately and the fire reached the wallpaper within seconds, spreading further. Minji walked backward when Krïs approached her, and when he came too close, she turned and ran into the living room, throwing the door shut behind her. She hurried to the next window, wanting to rip it open, but she was stopped. A wall of fire shot up from the floor and blocked her path. She avoided the flames, but not their searing heat. Crying out, she stumbled back.

Krïs’s burning form stood in the doorway, simply staring at her without moving a muscle. His appearance was eerie. It evoked a deep fear in her and caused her body to tremble in dread. The hallway behind him housed an inferno. He had set everything ablaze—the floor, the ceiling, the furniture. Her home was slowly destroyed right in front of her and she couldn’t do anything to stop it. Black smoke filled the living room, forcing her to press her hand in front of and nose.

Her eyes scanned the room for any kind of escape or something that would be helpful to her. She had to make time until Baëkhyun arrived. Gaze restlessly moving over her surroundings, it got stuck on the hunting knife that Tao had gifted her. It laid on one of the shelves not far from her. She shot off towards it, grabbed it and held it tightly.

Her actions had the fire demon laugh mockingly. He stalked closer to her and she prepared herself to fight, summoning more of her magic, but to her astonishment, he didn’t aim his flames at her. The demon set the sofa on fire, the carpet below it. The flames spread and soon reached her tv and the devices connected to it. Sparks erupted when something cracked. She flinched violently.

“Stop this,” she pleaded. “Just… just let me live!”

He didn’t answer her and the silence between them was eerier than anything she had ever experienced. The only sound she heard was the crackle of the fire as it ate through furniture, flooring, and walls. She had trouble breathing due to all the smoke, coughing and desperately gazing at the windows. They were hidden behind flames and unreachable. Krïs had cut off every possible escape—he would burn her alive. Already, the heat was getting to her. The floor was too hot, burned her feet, and the sparks that touched her legs left holes in her jeans.

A terrible realization manifested in her mind. Even if Baëkhyun made it here before she was dead, how would he reach her? How would he get them both away from the flames? They were doomed. She was as good as dead, and because of their bond, he would die too. Minji deeply regretted making a new bond with him.

“,” she cursed when a flame over her hand. The heat was pure agony. She clutched her hand and looked at Krïs, but he remained in the doorway and made no move to attack her. He intended to let her suffer as long as possible.

“Good riddance, human,” his deep voice growled, and then he left. He just left. She couldn’t believe it. He walked through the inferno that raged in the hallway, knowing that she would either suffocate or burn to death.

“N-No!” she screamed frantically. “Don’t leave me here! Please!”

Her teary eyes were focused on the inferno in the hallway as she tried to make out the fire demon somewhere in there, but she couldn’t see him anymore.

“Come back, please!”

Her cries fell on deaf ears. He didn’t return and left her to her demise. Minji’s tears ran down her cheeks as she let out a strangled sob. The smoke burned in her lungs and in her eyes. The scorching heat that trapped her was unbearable. She heard an unsettling creak and another crash as the flames spread through the building.

Loud sirens reached her ears, but the sound didn’t reassure her. Even if the fire department was here now, they couldn’t get her out of this building. No human would be able to make it through this inferno and besides, they wouldn’t risk their lives on a lost cause.

Minji could hardly breathe, falling on her knees and crouching on the ground. Everywhere she looked, she saw nothing but red and orange. Guilt and fear made her chest feel heavy. She didn’t want Baëkhyun to die with her. This wasn’t how it was supposed to end. Using the last of her strength, she concentrated on her magic to keep the flames away from her body. The ceiling above her creaked, trembled. It was about to give in.

“I’m sorry, Baëkhyun,” she whispered, closing her eyes tightly.

Baëkhyun jumped through the portal and landed on the pavement. The hell gate closed behind him and only a faint smell of ash lingered around him. His meet-up with his friends hadn’t gone as he had hoped; there hadn’t been any new developments regarding Krïs and Baëkhyun was angry that he still couldn’t take action against the fire demon. His fingers were itching to kill him. No matter how much time he spent among humans, he wouldn’t ever lose the demonic side of him that craved destruction. When his temper got the best of him, it came back to life, and right now, that was the case. His anger couldn’t be quelled, but he knew that he had to calm down before he returned to Minji.

He walked through the deserted streets of the neighborhood, getting closer to their home. Night had fallen some time ago and he was a bit late. Part of him hoped that Minji had made dinner already since he liked eating her dishes. Maybe that would help him calm down after this frustrating day.

Baëkhyun heaved an annoyed sigh, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black jeans. And that’s when it happened. Out of the blue, he felt a stinging in his wrist accompanied by a strong sense of danger. He stopped, frozen in shock. Minji’s fear hit him like a bullet and roused his own panic.

“,” he cursed and took off towards their shared home. He wasn’t exactly close to it and he knew that every second counted. All he could think of was that he needed to reach her before something happened to her. He hoped that she was still at home and not somewhere else since he would have no way of finding her if that was the case. His thoughts raced as he imagined the most terrible scenarios—what could have happened to her? Why was she so scared suddenly?

At the next intersection, he t