When Youngbae woke up from his accidental nap, it’s already so dark in the study room, he couldn’t make the words written in the book that’s left open under his folded arms anymore. He wasn’t sure what time was it now, but judging from the darkness outside, it’s probably late at night.

He pressed one palm on his sore chest, the culprit of why he’s awakened, he believed, hearing the faltering heartbeat behind his ribcage. The residual soreness was still there, and Youngbae clenched his jaw, sensing that the dream he had while he’s napping was more real than he’d hoped for.

Dragging his feet to his bedroom, he immediately threw his body on the yo that had been laid out for him after sliding the door close, sinking to the softness and warmth that came from the ondol-heated floor, unintentionally waking up Hyorin in the process.

“Bae?” Hyorin’s voice was hoarsely when she called out to him.

Youngbae wanted to answer that, but the sudden piercing pain on his chest made him gasp instead. His hand flew to his chest instantly, pressing on it, hoping it’ll feel better, but it never did.

“Bae? God, you’re shaking...” Hyorin sounded worried as her slender hand made its way to Youngbae’s neck and forehead. “You’re burning.” 

She pulled Youngbae’s body to lie on his back when he still wasn’t answering. 

“Bae?”

Youngbae opened his eyes up, forcing himself to reward Hyorin, who already sitting straight beside him, with a little smile to ease her feelings. “Hey...”

“Are you okay?”

“Can you fetch me a wet towel, please?”

Hyorin didn’t have to be asked twice and walked away to the kitchen. A bowl filled with water and a clean towel from the pile of laundry was taken to their bedroom quickly. 

“Do I need to brew some herb for you?“ She asked as she got back, but there’s no answer since Youngbae’s already fast asleep.

*****

Youngbae, out of his physical form, watched Hyorin tended to it from the corner of the room for a good few minutes. After making sure that there’s no threat of any dangers around their house, he stepped outside through the wall.

Youngbae heard that voice again. At first it was loud and clear, then it got quieter and quieter, almost as if the voice was getting farther away, or the owner of the voice no longer had the strength to say it.

‘Help..’

His hand found its way back to his chest, the pulsing ache came back stronger now than before. 

What the hell's happening? Was he actually going crazy?

As he went on its way to the journey he knew not where the exact destination was, Youngbae couldn’t stop thinking about whose voice that he kept hearing this whole evening. 

It’s certainly didn’t belong to a human, which meant that it could only be his kind, but that too sounded impossible since he never heard any of his kinds inside his head before. 

If Youngbae could be honest, he wanted to let the voice be. He wanted to let it disappear after a few days, treating that voice like it’s a cold or a runny nose, but the tug that he felt on his chest, along with the heavy pain in that voice that somehow inflicted the pain to himself too, made he changed his mind. 

He gotta go and investigate. He gotta find out who that was and what’s actually happening to him, and he gotta do it now.

‘Father, help me...’ that prayer echoed in his head, rendering Youngbae uneasy.

Father?

Following that voice and his instinct, Youngbae drifted towards the forest, away from Hyorin, away from home, away from the village, away from other humans. The further that he got, the darker it was in the forest because not even the moonlight could get through for how thick the tree canopy be, and the more nervous he felt. 

The sound of a commotion in front of him halted his flight. Youngbae chose to land at one of the tree branches, deciding not to further his way forward recklessly.
 

He got a bad feeling about this. 

Still in hiding because he didn’t want to alert anyone —or, anything— of his presence, he eavesdropped. There’s laughters, there’s howling, there’s bragging, there’s showboating in that ruckus and he couldn’t help but to think, are they celebrating something?

Youngbae recognised the sound without actually seeing them. It’s the sound of his people, his kind, but that’s to be expected, he supposed, because the only thing that’s gonna have a ‘party’ this loud in the deep forest were demons. 

‘Stop. Stop. It hurts.’

The pain inside his chest started throbbing again. That voice he heard now becoming louder, clearer, and his eyes darted at that group’s direction, widened with certainty that it’s coming from there. 

“Remember this moment.” One voice thundered from the group, clamouring between the leaves that shook in their places almost as if they too trembled in fear hearing that. “Remember this moment, my children, as his scream will be a reminder to those up above that nothing can defeat me on this ground, not even His angel.” 

Angel?

Youngbae moved again, this time a little mindlessly due to his curiosity, only stopping when he’s close enough to sneak a peak at them. 

There’s three demons there, two of them he knew from previous encounters. The middle one, the one he assumed who’s speaking earlier, suddenly raised a shiny blade —Angel Blade?!— in the air and ed it downwards with full force. 

‘NOOOOOOOOOOO!’

That scream echoed in his chest, in his ears and in his head, causing Youngbae to lose his focus, but the pain that came from the stab was what made him lost his balance and consciousness, sending him to the forest floor.

*****

“We found him there.” One foreign voice reported, emerging suddenly from the darkness of that his head, pulling Youngbae out of his unconsciousness.
 

When he opened his eyes, finally, there’s three sneering faces on top of him. Shocked, he got up and tried to move away but two of the demons held him in place.

“Slow down there, my child,” the stabbing demon boasted, very clearly the master between them.

Youngbae’s hand crept up to his chest again. There’s no blood, but weirdly enough, the pain there was unbelievably felt like real, almost as if it was his chest that got stabbed on earlier.

“What business do you have here?”

Between holding back his wincing, thinking about the ever so confusing situation he’s in now, and contemplating whether to state the truth to the demons, he only stared at the faces one by one. 

“Answer His Lord!” One of the two jeered, while the other push him forward to the Lord, and Youngbae decided that’s telling the truth was never really an option here since the very beginning.

“Not a thing.” Youngbae blurted out. “I heard a commotion so I came by to take a look.”

“Bull!” That one demon yelled again, and the other one mirrored its yelling.

The Lord hold up one of its hands, silencing everyone. “Why aren’t you conscious?”

“Something—“

Youngbae was cut off by a whisper in his chest. A whine. A weak one. So weak that he probably wouldn’t hear it if he wasn’t actually, silently, looking for it. 

“Something, what?” the Lord started to say something, but Youngbae couldn’t give his focus towards the group, now concentrating to find the origin of the whimper.

‘Help...me..someone...’

Youngbae froze. He heard that voice again but he didn’t even to get to look around to look for its origin, because his surroundings suddenly turned bright and the faces in front of him disappeared.

“Raphael, you’re a good fighter.” 

Youngbae jumped a little when a hand rubbed on his shoulder. He looked back at the owner of the hand, a man with white eyes, smiling brightly at him. The white wing behind him flapped open, wide and mighty, and he knew that this was no longer a reality. It’s a dream... or a memory. Not his, but of someone else.

No, not just a random someone. An angel. 

“Raphael! Use your angel blade!”

Youngbae looked down at the short swords that suddenly appeared in his hands. He heard a foreign scream from within himself before leaping in the air, attacking his opponent. Before he, or the actual owner of this memory —Raphael, he believed what his name was— landed his attack, the setting in front of him changed again. 

There’s a throne, a few angels stood there including that angel who touched his shoulder earlier, him kneeling in front of the throne. 

“You are now officially part of Heaven’s Army, Raphael. And it is your job to restore balance on earth. It is your job to find the fallen angel and bring back where they belong.” 

Youngbae in a harsh, deep breath.

Fallen angel?

The setting changed again. Youngbae in the woods, running. Or precisely, chasing. He hurled the Angel Blade in his hand at his target. Right on the dot. His target fell to the ground as he hovered closer, kneeling at the side of a demon’s body, too injured to fight back. His lips parted to say something.

“Your name gives you weakness and I do know your name. Uzza, in the name of Father and the Holy Spirit, I condemn you back to hell.” 

And the demon’s body disappeared.

The horror he got from hearing the words that came within the body he’s experiencing the memory of was suddenly interrupted by a clasp of hand over his mouth. Youngbae felt a scream thundering in his chest, but it was soon turned into whimpers as his body was pressed down to the ground. 

Torture upon torture soon ensued on this poor body. Injuries upon injuries. Youngbae felt Raphael's desperation to scream and kept on screaming but his mouth was sealed shut.

“Help...me...please.”  

“Answer His Lord!” That snarl snapped Youngbae back to reality. He in a breath through his gritted teeth, now back at his actual place, with irritated faces gazed down at him. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat, having a war inside his own mind while trying to process everything at once.

An angel -not just any angel, Heaven’s Army angel- asked for his help? 

“Pardon me, my Lord,” Youngbae finally said, bowing down a little as he did. “I just wanna see what’s the commotion actually about.”

The Lord seemed satisfied, and it was to expected, as it seemed to be the type that’s absolutely loving it when its ego was being . “What did you discover?”

“You killing a creature.”

The Lord let out a grumbling laughter. “That’s right, we did! You knew what we kill?”

“No, my Lord.”

“An angel.”

Youngbae’s body ran cold even though he already knew the answer.

Why was the angel asking for his help? Why can he feel what that angel felt? How can he heard him? How can he understand him? Those memories—what are those about? How can he see them?

There’s million questions forming inside his head, but none he had answer for.

“You wanna see it?” 

Youngbae’s eyes grew wider in shock.

“You don’t want to see it?”

“N-no, I mean— I will if you let me.”

His Lord laughed merrily. “Good. Good.”

‘Don’t lead them this way. They’ll finish me off. Please.’

Youngbae kept his expression deadpan when he heard the angel begged, didn’t want to rise any suspicion. ‘Raphael?’ He whispered back in his chest. 

‘...yes’

HOW IN THE WORLD COULD HE TALK TO HIM? 

‘—can you fly?’

‘No.’

‘Well, get ready to fly.’ 

Youngbae didn’t what the hell he’s doing now, but as soon as the Lord turn its body, showing the voice origin now lying on a stage-like rock with eyes closed and an Angel Blade still deep in his chest, he pushed himself off his heels and darted towards that body. 

The white eyes opened wide at once, holding an arm for Youngbae to take. The pack of demons growled behind him, but couldn’t stop them because as soon as their hands were clasped together, Raphael’s wing fluttered open and Youngbae pulled him to the sky.

*****

Youngbae flew high, leaving the forest as fast as he could without ever looking back. He flew far, and honestly he didn’t even remember how long or how far he’s been flying, but he’s too afraid to stop. He’s afraid that the group was right behind him. He’s afraid to rest. He’s afraid the group would caught up to them and he’s too worn out to fly again.

‘You can stop now.’

Youngbae didn’t answer, still flying, but a little slower now.

‘Youngbae. You can stop.’

Letting out a huff, Youngbae let go of his grasp, letting Raphael to fall off. He’s half waiting for the thudding sound of someone falling, but of course that sound never came. Raphael just floated there, wincing in pain. Hesitantly, he grabbed on Raphael’s arm again and pulling him back to the land.

Upon landing at one cliff, Raphael scrambled to lean his back on a tree and pulled out the Angel Blade from his chest. 

Youngbae actually yelped out loud, feeling the aching pain on his chest too when the angel did that, but Raphael didn’t apologise, only starting to heal himself. Just like before, Youngbae felt the same peculiar sensation on his chest and decided that it was more strange than it was amazing that he needed to ask.

“How did you—how did you do that?”

‘I can always heal. I’m a healer.’ Raphael seemed too exhausted to talk, but it’s lucky they could converse through... telepathy.

Youngbae shook his head. Even for a demon like him, all of this was just too bizarre. “No—not that. How did you call me? How did you—why can I hear you? Why can we...talk to each other— like that?”

Raphael raised his head, looking up to him with a wary expression on his face. The wound gaping on his chest earlier now looked smaller, but hadn’t closed off entirely.

“Answer me.”

Raphael took turn to shake his head. ‘I have no idea.’

‘You’re an angel. You’re in Heaven’s army.’

A little slow, but Raphael gave him a nod regardless.

“How can I talk to you, an angel?”

“Because you’re an angel, too...” Raphael finally spoke and that low, hoarse voice almost stunned Youngbae if not for that stupid statement.

Youngbae chuckled cynically.

“A fallen angel.” Raphael corrected.

“No. Call me as it is.”

Raphael’s hand fell to his side. He’s still breathing raggedly, his face still scrunched up in pain. The hole in his chest was no longer there but Youngbae knew he hadn’t heal completely.

“That’s what you are. A fallen angel—“

Youngbae clenched his teeth. “No. I was descendant of a fallen angel. I was created a demon.” 

Raphael stayed quiet, didn’t know how to answer that or maybe just a little too tired to, he’s just staring blindly at the night sky.

“Why did you call for me?” 

That question was obviously heavy with accusation, and it was enough to lure out Raphael’s anger.

“I didn’t. I called for Father and he sent you.”

Youngbae laughed so hard at that answer that the dried leaves from the nearby trees fell with his laughter. “You must be a fool to think He would do something like that-“

“Don’t insult His name.”

“He didn’t send me, angel,” Youngbae’s voice heavy with sarcasm, “you screamed for help. For some reasons, I can hear you. And for some reasons, I can feel your pain.” He found himself reaching his chest again, feeling the numbness there, before looking at the closed wound on Raphael’s, knowing that the angel must feel the same thing. “For some reasons that I don’t know why.”

Again, Raphael just let that slide. He couldn’t answer actually, Youngbae could sense it now as he quietly explore the link between them and found injuries all over that angel’s body, paralysing him. The biggest wound had been healed, but Raphael was too weak to get up and reply with the same hasty tone as him.

‘I don’t know.’ Raphael whispered, feeling the tug in his chest from Youngbae. 

Without saying anything, Youngbae knew that Raphael too thought it as weird and foreign. Without asking, he knew that Raphael got a theory of his own. After staying silent for a long time to analyse it, Youngbae’s eyebrows furrowed and he just gotta asked out loud, “other half?”

Raphael looked away, knowing that Youngbae wasn’t just questioning his theory, but also his sanity. Still, he stood by it.

“BULLCRAP!” Youngbae laughed again, but this time there’s anger and impatience in it. 

Raphael quickly showed how he got that theory. There’s an old textbook he got while he’s in training, in a chapter titled ‘Balance’, the second page, and Youngbae could see the exact word Raphael was focusing on.

“No! Stop! Stop showing me this thing!” Youngbae scrambled away, closing his eyes, acting as if that could stop it. Raphael insisted, but Youngbae quickly numbed out all of his sense.

“I don’t want to know—I don’t care.”

‘Why did you save me then?’

“I did want to know why, but your theory is as ridiculous as this situation we’re in so I don’t trust you.” Raphael opened his mouth, looked like he’s about to say something, but Youngbae didn’t grant him that chance. "And I can feel every pain that goes through your body, thanks to this silly weird thing. I’m afraid I’ll be killed if you’re killed.”

The word ‘other half’ earlier came knocking at his chest, but Youngbae turned his back to Raphael. “Bullcrap. Bullcrap.” That word spilled out of his mouth like a chant.

Raphael just heaved out a painful breath at his response. Silence stretched between them. Between Youngbae that then didn’t want to talk, and Raphael that didn’t have the energy to, Youngbae gave up first.

“You hunt kinds like me, don’t you?”

That question was met with silence but Youngbae saw the answer in Raphael’s blank eyes.

“Let’s make a deal out of this. Since I saved your life, let me continue having mine.”

“What...?”

“Don’t hunt me. Let me stay here.”

Raphael shook his head. “I can’t do that.”

“Oh, but, deal’s already done.”

“Wait—“ Youngbae already started to move away when Raphael screamed in his chest. ‘Wait, I thought you came here for the truth!’

“No, actually. I came because I don’t wanna die.”

“You can’t just—“

“Please, do not follow me.”

“Youngbae-“

“Deal’s done, angel. Stay away from me and in the mean time, try not to get killed.”

With that, Youngbae leapt off the cliff, only to open his wings  mid-air to soar above the sky again and flew away. He still heard Raphael’s voice in his chest calling for him but he never looked back. He didn’t intend to.

*****

Hyorin’s smile was wide as Youngbae walked in their yard that evening. She stuffed the dried out laundry into the basket, her feet shuffled fast to Youngbae, who even though looked tired, smiling just as wide back at her.

“How is the shop today?” Hyorin asked after planting a kiss on that man’s cheek.

Youngbae just raised his shoulder, his smile remained as he took the basket from Hyorin’s hands. “How is your day, today?”

“Surely, less interesting than yours.”

“Actually,” he corrected her with a fake frown, “today is rather a slow day for the shop.”

Hyorin took the basket back when they’re already inside, sitting near the folded yos in their bathrooms with the basket close to her. Youngbae changed to his home outfit while Hyorin started folding.

“That’s a good thing, right?” 

“Hm?”

“Not having a customer. That’s a good thing, right? That means everyone’s in good health.”

“In a way, yeah.” Youngbae smiled as he took a seat next to her, arranging the folded laundries to different piles according to their types. 

“Hey! It’s a good thing in every way.”

“I know,” that man sighed, “but it’s so boring.”

Hyorin chuckled. The loose hair dangling out of her bun swayed along as she shook her head. “So you prefer people get sick than you being boring.”

“I prefer anything that can make my boss shut up about his collection of poetry, really.”

“Oh, no. How bad is it today?”

Youngbae pulled a face, scooting closer to Hyorin and shamelessly resting his head on her lap before whispering in vain, “horrifyingly disgusting.”

Hyorin bursted out a bigger laugh. “You’re so dramatic. It can’t be that bad, I’m sure.”

“He wrote about kissing dogs again, Hyorin.”

“So he loves dogs. What’s so wrong about that?”

“Either that, or he’s into .”

Hyorin stopped her laugh, her right hand left the cloth for a while to smack on Youngbae’s forehead. “Hush. No speaking evil of your boss. No saying those kind of words.”

“My bad, but his poems are really, very, terribly horrid.”

Smile crept on Hyorin’s face again. “And you’ll endure them just like what you’ve been doing these couple of years, understood?”

Youngbae smiled too. “Anything for you.”

Their conversation then went nowhere and everywhere at the same time. First, about one of their neighbour and the new recipe for a noodle dish that Hyorin said she’s gonna tried out. Then, about someone who came to the Youngbae’s herb shop but instead of asking for remedies, they came to ask him to predict their future based on their dream, as if that’s something Youngbae could do, which made Hyorin laughed again, and also some other things, and time flew because suddenly they already finished eating and now were ready for bed. 

There, Hyorin’s hand reached Youngbae’s forehead. 

“What?” Youngbae asked. 

“Just checking,” Hyorin replied with slight smile. “That day you’re burning- it scared me. Especially when you slept the whole day and woke up very late. I almost dragged your body to the shop.”

Youngbae just smiled along. Of course he wouldn’t tell Hyorin the real reason why he only woke up the next afternoon. Of course she just assumed he needed a rest because he had bad fever, not because he flew to the end of the world and then return home in the same night. Of course she wouldn’t know. 

“It’ll never happened again.”

“Yeah?” Hyorin’s eyes were shining in the dark. 

His tongue was itching to reply, “I promise” but he stopped himself, afraid that he couldn’t keep his promise because of couple of reasons. At the end, he just muttered, “I sure hope so.”

Hyorin chuckled again, and that chuckle disappeared as soon as Youngbae’s lips landed on hers.

*****

‘Whatever it is you’re thinking of doing, I suggest you, stop.’

Youngbae’s presence in front of him didn’t surprise Raphael. He already knew Youngbae knew he’s here, ever since Youngbae woke up with a peculiar yet not unfamiliar feeling. Instead of responding, Raphael paced around, bracing himself.

‘She’s human.’

Youngbae just shrugged, laughing, but his laughter died down when he heard what Raphael was thinking.

‘What’s not right about it?’

Raphael turned to him, his white eyes shot him a glare, staring down at him like Youngbae had lost his mind.

‘You’re— she’s human.’

Youngbae just blinked and waited out for the Raphael’s next words.

‘Does she know?’

There’s no answer but the silence was enough for Raphael to understand the meaning of it. In their brief encounter some time ago, Youngbae was tip-toeing around him, not letting him getting into his mind that far even though Youngbae pretty much ransacked his, and now Raphael knew why. 

Youngbae didn’t want him to know that he’s living as a human and he especially didn’t want him to know that he had a human partner— who didn’t who he actually was! 

Without further delaying, Raphael dashed to Youngbae’s home. 

Who knew that his original intention of tracking Youngbae to offer him his gratitude would change dramatically to saving a human soul? He surely didn’t. Father, forgive him, Raphael prayed silently, as he made his way to save that human from further deception! 

Youngbae was way faster, however, pulling him away. Raphael tried to shake him off, yanking himself away while Youngbae tried so hard to keep him in place. Their little rumble caused the surrounding trees to shake violently like they’re being hit by a storm and little animals around them scattered away in fear to save themselves.

In an unfortunate twist, for Raphael at least, Youngbae managed to pin him down on the ground. 'You rookie...’ Youngbae hissed at him.

Clenching his jaw, Raphael let out a grunt and with that, a light came suddenly to his chest. Youngbae, who could feel the heat, quickly push himself off and distanced himself, a beast-like sound echoing deep at his throat.

Raphael shot that light in Youngbae’s direction. Though he missed completely as Youngbae jumped away at the last minute, deflecting the light to the woods and causing at least a couple of trees to broke in half, Raphael had the chance to get on his way to Youngbae’s home again.

‘Raphael—stop!’

‘I can’t let you hurt her!’

Youngbae exhaled out an upset breath and screamed just in time for Raphael to stop and look back at him. 

‘Search for it! Search for it in me, and see if there’s ever any intention of hurting her.’ Youngbae put both of his hands up, offering peace, and chance for Raphael to fully understand the situation. 

There’s no point of fighting, at least not when both party didn’t understand fully what they’re fighting for.

‘I don’t know how long have you been out here. I don’t know what you’ve seen. But tell me, if you can see any signs of destruction from all that.’

Raphael wasn’t answering, just pursing his lips, looking at Youngbae carefully approaching him.

‘Tell me if I’m lying,’ Youngbae added, and Raphael turned to the house, seeing Hyorin sleeping peacefully on Youngbae’s arm. 

Contented. Happy. Blessed.

Youngbae could see what Raphael saw and felt the change in his perception, so he repeated, this time out loud, what he said earlier. “Tell me if I’m lying.”

When he took his gaze off Hyorin, Raphael’s eyes still had flickers of doubt. ‘She’s a human.’

‘And I’m a human too, essentially.’

Youngbae then broadcasted a memory of him finding a body in the middle of the forest. A teenager at the verge of death, suffered a heavy injury when he fell off a cliff to find herbs to sell at the shop he’s working at, and how he took over the body just as soon as the soul was out of it. He then showed how he started living between humans using that boy’s identity, how he met Hyorin, fell in love and proceeded to marry her, all without ever troubling any humans.

‘Not one human is harmed.’ Youngbae repeated that,    emphasising on the fact that he’s living peacefully, more peaceful than some other humans Raphael ever saw. 

‘But why?’ 

Youngbae breathed out a wary sigh. ‘I just want to feel...peace. I have lived for almost a millennium and half of it just me living in chaos. Human lives are so simple yet so unique. It offered me, just that.’

Raphael’s clenched fists fell to his side as he watched and listened to what Youngbae was showing him.
 

Humans, their laughters, them living together, staying together, working together, hugs, kisses, disputes that always ended up in negotiations, their music, their arts, the clothes that their wearing, colours, talents.... and contentment.

‘I love humans. I love being one of them. I love Hyorin the most. She’s the most amazing person I’ve ever met.’

Raphael failed to find any flaws or deceits in that confession. He could see it, in fact, from their shared touches and their words, through their actions and promises, that there’s something genuine between them, and even though it’s bizarre, too bizarre for him, he could somehow understand it. All of it. 

Raphael’s heart fluttered in a strange way, something that he never felt before, but he ignored it, instead focusing on his concern for the well-being of Hyorin.

‘But it still is wrong.’

‘What is?’

‘You not telling her the truth. About who you really are.’

Youngbae frowned. ‘She’ll be afraid of me.’

‘She deserves to know the truth.’

‘No.’

‘No? She deserves the right to choose. If she loves you, truly, she’ll accept you. Isn’t that how it works?’

‘You know what’s stronger than love? Fear.’ Youngbae turned defensive. When he spoke again, the words that came out of him was spiteful. ‘Of course, you don’t know that. You’ve been living in Heaven, where everything is happy and jolly— why am I arguing with you?! You don’t understand the struggle of creatures down here, especially down below.’

‘How is this about me all of the sudden?’

‘It isn’t. I’m just saying you don’t know anything about humans.’

‘And you do?!’

‘Much more than you! I’ve lived among them. I’ve lived with them— you know what! Screw it! You can get lost! Pretty sure I told you to never look for me, never come here-‘

“You—“

The wind blew from the east and Raphael suddenly could smell a presence —couple of them, in fact— of which Youngbae was already aware of because him too cocked his head to that same direction.

The first one to react was Youngbae. He screamed Hyorin’s name and bulleted to inside the house but he didn’t get far. Something hit him, and he got dragged away to the forest.

Raphael gasped.

‘HYORIN!’ Youngbae screamed in his chest and Raphael instantly knew what he had to do next.

Raphael could see them now, couple of black masses descending from the night cloud —the three demons from that night— and he dashed to Hyorin’s side to cover both of them with his wings.

The fight between Youngbae and one demon, the one that crashed onto him earlier, the one that Raphael wasn’t familiar with, had started. It wasn't a fair fight. Youngbae was far more skilled and it wasn’t long before Youngbae could lock that demon by his neck using one of his claws, while the other sunk to the demon’s chest. 

Horrified, Raphael yelled, breaking his defence. ‘NO! NO, YOU CANNOT KILL!’ 

Youngbae ignored it, proceeded to burn the demon’s core until the demon under him exploded into dust.

‘Stop—no, Youngbae, Heaven despised killing—‘ Raphael tried to knock some sense into him, but Youngbae clearly wasn’t even listening to him. Instead, Youngbae spread his wings and howled as he took a stand in front of Raphael and the sleeping Hyorin, giving the intruders warning to not come closer. 

“That’s a shame,” the demon Lord mused as it, along with the other two, landed in front of them, far but not far enough to for Youngbae to comfortable with the distance between them and Hyorin. “I was just about to introduce our new recruit to you guys. Oh well, he’s a liability anyway, trying so hard to impress me that he’s basically throwing himself at the enemy without care. Rookie m